Legendary Pokemon: Pokemon Of The Week

Pokemon of the Week DP: Ho-oh

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-11-09T18:23:10+02:00

Sets

CB Sweeper

Item Held: Choice Band
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack) / Jolly (+Speed, - Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 Special Defense

A Fire-type Pokémon with a better Attack than Special Attack is rare, and taking into account that the Uber metagame is really Special- based, Ho-oh can really trouble a lot of those legendary Pokémon. Sacred Fire is all such a Pokémon needs. High base power and a great side effect, leaving the target with a burn 50% of the time. Physical sweepers like Groudon and Rayquaza that may predict the Fire-type move will have to think again before switching in as their offensive capabilities may be cut down to half. Earthquake takes care of Pokémon resisting Sacred Fire, more importantly Heatran, which is OHKOed and the common Water-types Kyogre and Palkia which are 2HKOed. Now, while Punishment may not seem like a good move with its base power of 60, it can really take down some huge threats. Any stat-boosting Pokémon will be afraid of it after using its move and with the grand majority of stat-uppers being Psychic-type, this move becomes a real menace. Nasty Plot/Swords Dance Mew, Calm Mind Mewtwo, Calm Mind Latios and Latias, Cosmic Power Deoxys are a few examples of what Pokémon this move is supposed to hit. Finally, Return is mostly a filler since Ho-oh's physical movepool isn't something to brag about. However, it still manages to 2HKO quite a few Ubers that don't resist it.

The EP spread is just the straightforward spread for your standard Choice Band sweeper. Adamant vs. Jolly depends on what you are afraid of. Adamant lets you tie with other neutral natured, base 90 Speed Ubers. Jolly makes you outrun Rayquaza, which rarely goes for max Speed, however it needs just one Dragon Dance to outrun Ho-oh. Generally, Adamant nature is recommended.

Calm Mind Sweeper

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Calm (+Special Defense, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Defense - 248 HP - 10 Speed

Special based Ho-oh can also be a pain. Since most Ubers are Special based as well, after a Calm Mind or two this bird will be impossible to take down. Of course, its Special Attack is also boosted along with its sky-high Special Defense, allowing it to sweep with its STABed Flamethrower. Thunder can be used to deal with Kyogre since it will change the weather. However, Hidden Power Ice is a better alternative as it takes care of the Lati twins, Giratina and Rayquaza. Of course, getting a good Ho-oh with Hidden Power Ice is a pretty hard task, so Thunder will be your option for an in-game Ho-oh. Roost is obviously here to make sure that Ho-oh lasts in the battle, as well as for dropping its 4x weakness to Rock during that turn.

Choice Specs Sweeper

Item Held: Choice Specs
Nature: Modest (+Special Attack, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 252 Speed - 6 Special Defense

Should a Special based Ho-oh be needed while you don't feel comfortable with Calm Mind, a Choice Specs set can always be used. Of course, the power of this set is kind of low when compared to the Choice Band one, but its ability to hit more opponents is quite important. Fire Blast is the suggested Fire-type move for this set due to its base power, but Flamethrower is an option for accuracy purposes. Shadow ball takes care of the wide variety of Psychic-type Ubers while Thunder deals with Kyogre. In the last slot, you can go with Hidden Power Ice for defeating Rayquaza or Earth Power for defeating Heatran.

Defensive Phoenix

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Careful (+Special Defense, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Defense - 248 HP - 10 Speed

Physical sweepers will be met with a burn from Sacred Fire (hopefully), while Special ones will be paralyzed by Thunder Wave, while seeing their power being reduced by Light Screen. That way, you can prepare an easy, late-game sweep with the rest of your team after having crippled most members of your opponent's team. Roost is here as it should be in any defensive minded set.

Toxistaller

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Careful (+Special Defense, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Defense - 248 HP - 10 Speed

Same set with the previous one, but with Toxic this time. After poisoning them, stall as much as you can with Light Screen and Roost as Pressure eats their PP turn by turn. Sacred Fire takes care of Physical sweepers again as well as Steel-types, immune to Toxic.

Other Possible Options

One would expect that an Uber has so many options that it doesn't know what to use. However, Ho-oh is one of the few Ubers that lack a fantastic movepool. Whirlwind is one of its other options, allowing it to phaze opponents as well as to spread paralysis/poison. Reflect can boost its average Defense. Overheat is an option on the Choice Specs set if you plan on switching out after every hit. Rest and Sleep Talk are also on Ho-oh's movepool and are worth consideration if you are afraid of Toxic users.

Counters

It's not really hard to understand that Kyogre is the best counter to Ho-oh, even if it carries Thunder. It can change the weather to rain, dropping Fire's power while hitting with its mighty Surf or even mightier Water Spout. Palkia also works similarly, resisting Fire, being neutral to Electric and having Surf to hit Ho-oh.

Rayquaza, Latios and Latias are all resistant to Fire and Electric, and immune to Ground too, making their switch into Ho-oh pretty easy. However, all of them stopped by Hidden Power Ice using Ho-oh versions while Latios and Latias are stopped by Shadow Ball as well. Of course, if the latter two carry Calm Mind, they can minimize damage and beat Ho-oh, though a boosted Punishment will destroy them. Heatran can switch into anything but Earthquake/Earth Power and it can even receive a Flash Fire boost. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any good moves to threaten Ho-oh. Same goes for Giratina, which is afraid of Hidden Power Ice and Shadow Ball.

Finally, if you want to have an easier job dealing with Ho-oh, Stealth Rock can chip off a nice 50% of its HP as it switches in.

Opinion & Notes

In D/P, the legendary phoenix got what it desperately needed. Its signature move, Sacred Fire, turned Physical now, allowing it to wreak some real havoc with its wonderful 50% chance of leaving the opponent with a burn. On the other hand, Stealth Rock arrived as well, completely ruining its day. Hence, Ho-oh isn't the most common Pokémon in Ubers, though its not bad at all. Nevertheless, Ho-oh is definitely worth a spot in a team as it's one of the few Pokémon that can do the job of Physical sweeper and a Special wall which can threaten even Physical sweepers.

Note that Earth Power is available to Ho-oh only via Platinum's move tutor.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Tyranitar

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-10-19T22:24:09+02:00

Sets

DD-Tar

Item Held: Life Orb / Leftovers
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

Straight from Advance, here comes the Dragon Dancer everybody loved. Once their physical Walls are taken down, bring in Tyranitar, Dragon Dance once or twice and proceed to sweep the rest of their team. Crunch and Earthquake are the most reliable moves Tyranitar can get for the Dragon Dance set. The move that makes Tyranitar a nasty Dragon Dancer though is Taunt. It can force opponents like Weezing attack it with their weak moves while gaining its Dragon Dance boosts. Of course, you can drop Taunt if you don't feel comfortable with it for a third offensive move, Stone Edge being your best option.

As far as the item goes, Life Orb turns some 2HKOs and 3HKOs to OHKOs and 2HKOs respectively while Leftovers will make Tyranitar last longer.

CB-Tar

Item Held: Choice Band
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 HP - 6 Speed

Huge Attack, pretty good defensive stats and a nice array of resistances make Tyranitar an excellent choice for a Choice Bander. Crunch, Stone Edge and Earthquake hit almost anything one would like to hit, getting OHKOs on Pokémon like Gengar, Heatran and Azelf. And of course, we've got Pursuit. If something fears that STABed Crunch and switches out, it will meet a painful hit by Tyranitar's Pursuit. Choice Band Tyranitar is certainly a really dangerous Pokémon, however it needs good prediction skills to be used effectively. For example, if your opponent predicts your Earthquake and switches to a Flying-type, you'll have to switch and since Tyranitar is slow, you'll have to take two hits to be able to attack again.

Tyraniboah

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Quiet (+Special Attack, -Speed)
Effort Points: 252 HP - 168 Special Attack - 60 Attack - 28 Speed

One more set coming directly from Advance. Crunch is a better option than the Special Dark Pulse, since Tyranitar's Speed won't help Dark Pulse's flinch effect. Ice Beam covers all those Ground-types that tend to switch in, like Donphan, Hippowdon and Gliscor while Thunderbolt takes care of the bulky Water-types, mainly Gyarados. The Sub-Punching combo is quite good on Tyranitar as it can make 101 HP Substitutes, able to survive a Seismic Toss by Blissey.

Brave nature (+Attack, -Speed) can be used, especially if you go for Crunch. The EPs on the two offensive stats can also be adjusted depending on what you want to hit the most.

Choice Specs Sweeper

Item Held: Choice Specs
Nature: Modest (+Special Attack, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 184 Speed - 74 HP

Tyranitar's Special Attack stat is average compared to its Attack, but the type coverage of this set is great, not to mention that it is going to surprise your opponent. Dark Pulse is there for STAB, Flamethrower for taking down Steel-types like Skarmory and Bronzong, Ice Beam for Hippowdon, Gliscor and the dragons and Thunderbolt for those bulky Waters. If you want to avoid being completely shut down by Blissey and Snorlax, Superpower is a good alternative for any attack on the set. If Platinum moves are unavailable, the usual Focus Punch will do.

Mix-Tar

Item Held: Life Orb
Nature: Hasty (+Speed, -Defense)
Effort Points: 248 Speed - 144 Special Attack - 118 Attack

Contributing to Blue's "surprise Pokémon", here's the most surprising way one could use Tyranitar, although this set's gaining quite a fame to be considered a common one. The general idea is to use Dragon Dance, making the opponent expect a powerful physical move like Earthquake. Then, they switch in their Tyranitar counter, let's say Hippowdon, and you slam them with an Ice Beam or Fire Blast, depending on their physical wall. Consequently, this set is better used late in the game, after the opponent has revealed most of their team. Fire Blast is here for the ever popular Bronzong and Skarmory, as well as Scizor, Metagross, Jirachi and Forretress. Ice Beam takes down the usual bulky Ground-types. Hidden Power Grass is an option for taking down Swampert and Rhyperior more easily, though Ice Beam is the superior choice most of the time.

Of course, the Dragon Dance boost shouldn't be totally wasted, so a physical move should be included in the moveset. Crunch is the best option, hitting hard stuff like Gengar (which may try to put you to sleep) and Dusknoir (which may try to burn you). Of course, its side-effect of lowering the foe's Defense is also welcome.

The Effort Points on this set are standard. A Speed stat of 242 (+Speed nature, an IV of 31 and 248 EPs) must be reached so that Pokémon like Timid Starmie, Raikou and Azelf are outrun after a single Dragon Dance. The 144 Special Attack EPs give you a stat of 262, which ensures the 2HKO on Bronzong with Fire Blast. If your IVs aren't perfect, take some EPs from Attack, but the stats above must be reached.

Other Possible Options

Tyranitar's movepool is the definition of the word "enormous". Using Ice Beam on the Choice Band set is an option that allows you to take out Tyranitar's counters like Gliscor and Hippowdon.

On the Physical side, Tyranitar doesn't really need any other moves, although it gets anything one may like. Outrage, Aqua Tail, AerialAce, Avalanche and the Elemental Punches are all available to Tyranitar for covering specific threats (like Heracross or Scizor). Although the combination of Stone Edge, Earthquake and Crunch is already quite good, one of these moves could fit in a moveset if you are really afraid of a certain Pokémon.

As far as Special moves go, apart from the ones mentioned above, Tyranitar can get Dragon Pulse, Surf, Focus Blast and most notably, Earth Power. A second special STABed move is available in the form of Ancientpower, however its base power is low.

Other than those, Tyranitar can go for different ways of setting up. Curse, whch works well with Payback and Avalanche is one and Rock Polish is another if you care a lot about Speed. Choice Scarf can be also used since Tyranitar's Speed is low, making it a good canditate for that role.

Finally, Tyranitar's vast movepool contains some support moves like Thunder+Wave and Stealth Rock but there are a lot of Pokémon with lower offensive stats able to use them, why waste Tyranitar's 403 Attack for setting some rocks down?

Counters

The general counters to any physical sweeper are bulky Ground-type and Water-type Pokémon as well as Skarmory and Bronzong. However, Tyranitar is that easy to counter.

While the likes of Donphan, Hippowdon and Gliscor can take the physical hits thrown towards them, they are easily taken down by an Ice Beam. Rhyperior fears Ice Beam less than the others, but repeated Choice Band boosted hits from Earthquake will take it down. Swampert isn't bad, but it lacks a reliable recovery move.

Bulky Waters are taken immediately out of the list as neutral hits from Stone Edge will stop them. Poliwrath is an exception as it resists both of Tyranitar's STABed moves and can hit with its STABed Fighting-type moves. Other than Poliwrath, Fighting-types like Machamp and Hariyama can switch in on Tyranitar's unboosted hits and bring it down. Lucario can switch in on Stone Edge or Crunch, but Earthquake kills it.

Skarmory and Bronzong can do something, depending on Tyranitar's set. Skarmory can switch in on an Earthquake and Whirlind Tyranitar's Dragon Dance boosts away, while Bronzong can use them to its advantage, powering up its Gyro Ball. Of course, both of them should watch out for Flamethrower.

Opinion & Notes

Tyranitar is a total beast, getting better after each generation. In Advance, it got Sand Stream, dealing passive damage to anything not immune to it. In D/P, Sandstorm's side effect of raising the Special Defense of all Rock-type Pokémon by 50%, in addition to Stone Edge and a physical Crunch. And now that Platinum's here, it adds moves like Superpower and Earth Power to its arsenal. Many claimed that Tyranitar should be considered an Uber, and we have to admit that they've got a point. However, Tyranitar remained an OU Pokémon (mainly due to its quad weakness to a common type) and will dominate in its tier forever. Definitely a threat one should watch out for.

Note that Pursuit and Dragon Dance are illegal on the same moveset. Also, note that Superpower, Earth Power, Aqua Tail and the Elemental Punches are available to Tyranitar through Platinum's move tutors. Fire Punch can also be taught to Tyranitar via Emerald's Battle Frontier move tutor.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Butterfree

Blue — 2008-10-12T20:34:03+02:00

Sets

The Surprise Way

Item Held: Focus Sash
Nature: Hasty (+Speed, -Defense) / Naive (+Speed, -Sp. Defense)
Effort Points: 252 Speed - 128 Attack - 128 Sp.Attack

Yes, it's Butterfree and yes, there is a way to use it in the OU environment although most of the people consider Butterfree a NU Pokemon. But fist, let's face the truth. Butterfree is not the Pokemon with gigantic stats like Salamense and his friends. In fact, its stats really suck. Butterfree is not a great Sweeper, neither a great Tank. So, you may ask, "why should I use Butterfree at all?". The first answer, is "Because you may like Butterfree as a Pokemon and you will use it no matter what." Fortunately for those who would give the first answer, there is a second one: "Butterfree has a great ability that allows it to use Sleep Powder and Stun Spore without fearing that they will miss and Butterfree will surprise a lot of people." As you may already know, the surprise factor is one of my favorites and I am going to analyse it a lot this year. But let's take a look at the moveset and how to use it. First of all, you are going to put Butterfree first on the team. You will mostly start with Sleep Powder in order to put your opponent's first Pokemon to sleep. If it is immute to sleep or you suspect a berry, go with Stun Spore. Buttrefree can potentially reach 262 Speed. It's not great but it's not bad either. You will be able to outrun some Pokemon, but if you don't, Focus Sash will help you survive in order to use your Sleep Powder. So most of the times the battle is going to start with one of your opponent's Pokemon asleep. Now, here is the part that needs a lot of prediction: Your opponent has two choices, he can change his Pokemon, or he can wait until it wakes up. For example, if your opponent starts with a Fire type he has nothing to fear so he will possibly keep his Pokemon in battle. In this case, use U-Turn and choose a Pokemon that needs to set up. You can send out Gyarados and do some Dragon Dances. If you suspect that your opponent is going to change his Pokemon, use Stun Spore and paralyze on the switch. After that use U-Turn and put an apropriate counter. You are going to put EPs on both Attack and Special Attack because Bug Buzz is a Special move and U-Turn is a Physical. You will propably use U-turn most of the times, but there will be times that you will need to stay in battle. Your opponent will be surprised when he will understand that you can actually defeat his Alakazam or Weavile with your STAB Bug Buzz!

Sets

The Surprise Way Round Two!

Item Held: CHoice Scarf
Nature: Hasty (+Speed, -Defense) / Naive (+Speed, -Sp. Defense)
Effort Points: 252 Speed - 252 Sp.Attack

This Butterfree was tested by me today (27/9/2009) and it fits the current metagame way better than the previous set does. The main concept here is to sleep the opposing lead. You outran every lead excpet Aerodactyl and Scarf Jirachi. The main problem is Aerodactyl because it can taunt you and then set up Stealth Rock, so a good rapid spinner is suggested (I used Starmie). Against Jirachi I used Dragonite because it can never flinch (Inner Focus) and it only fears Ice Punch which is not so common. As for Butterfree, you will find the last attack, Whirlwind, especially strange. It IS a strange attack but it helps in two very important situations. First of all it stops opposing Ninjasks from setting up dangerous situations. The second case is a trickier one. I usually had problems with Calm Minding Suicunes. The logic is this: You see a Suicune. You change to Butterfree. It Calm Minds. Simple untill here. now comes the tricky part. Usually the only thing tha you can do is to put Suicune asleep. Your opponent knows that, but he also has a Suicune with either a Lum/Chesto Berry or Sleep Talk. Considering that, he will try another calm mind most of the times. OOPs wrong move :P Whirlwind it and prepare your team to destroy it. Bug Buzz and U-Turn seem like fillers but the actually have their uses. U-Turn can be used to send in your counter. Bug Buzz on the other hand can 2HKO Celebi and Latias (providing that Latias has no defensive EPs).

Other Possible Options

Hidden Power Electric can be used against the leading Aerodactyl but I don't think it can do much.

Counters

Stealth Rock will cut Butterfree's HP to half. Pokemon that are immute to sleep or can benefit from Stun Spore (Like Pokemon with Guts) can easilly defeat Butterfree. Sandstorm can stop Butterfrees that use Focus Sash.

Opinion & Notes

I like Butterfree a lot and that's why I tried a lot in order to find a moveset that actually works. To be honest, I wouldn't recomend it in a serious competition except if you are a prediction freak. It is a pleasure though to defeat a guy with Pokemon like Gyarados and Salamense with the help of a little butterfly. Most people will underestimate Butterfree and that's their fault. So, if you are bored with all those commonly seen Pokemon, try out this set!

Pokemon of the Week DP: Ninetales

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-09-08T23:50:41+02:00

Sets

Nasty Plot Sweeper

Item Held: Life Orb
Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

Many Fire-type Pokémon would love to have Nasty Plot in their arsenal but Ninetales is one of the few that can actually get it. And if you can get it, you should abuse it, that should go without saying. Once their Special Wall is taken down, use Nasty Plot and start incinerating whatever comes your way with Life Orb boosting your hits even more. Energy Ball covers Ninetales' weaknesses to Water, Ground and Rock, scaring off Pokémon like Golem and Quagsire. Hypnosis is there in case you can't face something and works quite well with Ninetales' high Speed.

Choice Specs Sweeper

Item Held: Choice Specs
Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

Overheat
Dark Pulse
Energy Ball
Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Electric

If you prefer straightforward sweeping, a Choice Specs set is the way to go. With Overheat, Ninetales deals ridiculously high amounts of damage for a UU Pokémon, especially if you manage to activate its ability, Flash Fire. Dark Pulse hits the most common Walls in UU, Hypno and Grumpig. Energy Ball is for type coverage once again. Finally, if you are afraid of Altaria, go with Hidden Power Ice. If Mantine is the problem, go with Hidden Power Electric.

Other Possible Options

Fire Blast can be used over Flamethrower for more power. Will-O-Wisp is definitely useful but Hypnosis is even better most of the time. A double-status set is possible though. Confuse Ray can be used for annoying the opponent and Fire Spin for trapping them. Finally, Ninetales has access to Grudge, a fantastic move but it's hard to use it effectively. However, reducing Mantine's Surf or Hypno's Psychic to 0 is not bad at all.

Counters

Already mentioned once or twice, Ninetales' UU counters are Hypno, Grumpig, Mantine and Altaria. Hypno is immune to Hypnosis, can set Light Screen, can use Thunder Wave and cripple Ninetales but fears Dark Pulse. Grumpig's Thick Fat gives it a handy Fire resistance but it also fears Dark Pulse. Altaria's only worry is Hidden Power Ice, if it's absent, it can easily beat Ninetales. Same goes for Mantine except it is afraid of Hidden Power Electric.

In OU, things are getting tougher for the nine-tailed fox. Blissey, Heatran, Snorlax, Gyarados and the Dragons can all stop it, knocking it out with their Earthquake, Earth Power, Waterfall, etcetera. Of course, Gyarados, Salamence and Garchomp have to look out for a dangerous Hidden Power. And above all, let's not forget that Ninetales can put an incoming counter to sleep with Hypnosis.

Opinion & Notes

Ninetales is certainly one of the best UU Pokémon and, in some cases, it is able to compete in OU. Although Infernape came to overshadow it as well as many other Fire-type Pokémon, DP gave it a whole bunch of useful moves. Nasty Plot, Energy Ball, Dark Pulse and an improved Hypnosis will all help the fox dominate the UU metagame.

Do bear in mind that Ninetales cannot learn Energy Ball via the TM. Instead, Energy Ball is an egg move. Teach the TM to a male Stantler and breed it with a female Vulpix/Ninetales in order to get the move. This is actually good as Stantler can also pass Hypnosis to Vulpix.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Azelf

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-07-30T13:34:58+02:00

Sets

Nasty Plot

Item Held: Life Orb / Expert Belt
Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

Azelf's sweeping skills are certainly undeniable, to begin with. Coming from a Special Attack stat of 349, any hit this little creature throws will deal some good amounts of damage to Pokémon that don't resist it. Add the fantastic move that D/P brought, Nasty Plot, and you've got a real killer. Just think about it. Nasty Plot, Life Orb, a base stat of 125 and STABed Psychic can take down many Pokémon. Flamethrower covers Steel-type Pokémon as well as Celebi. Hidden Power Fighting is a great move as it covers Dark-type Pokémon, immune to Psychic, plus the three Pokémon resisting/being immune to both Psychic and Flamethrower - Tyranitar, Heatran and Houndoom. It also hits Weavile really hard. Grass Knot is an alternative if Hidden Power Fighting isn't accessible but that doesn't mean it's a bad move as it prevents Tyranitar from walling you.

Since boosting your hits as much as possible is a must, the best item choice is definitely Life Orb. Expert Belt is just a replacement if you hate the recoil damage, but its boost applies only to super-effective moves.

Regarding Azelf's EP spread, the one listed above is just the generic one. The Speed stat you must hit is 352 (requiring 216 EPs with a Speed IV of 31) so that Gengar and other +Speed, base 110 Speed Pokémon cannot outrun you. Of course, maxing Speed is suggested so that you can outrun some other base 115 Speed Pokémon who just stop at 352, like Starmie or Raikou.

Suicide Lead

Item Held: Focus Sash
Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

This Azelf set (as well as many other suicidal leading sets) are becoming more and more common day by day and there must be a reason for it. It's one of the few Pokémon that can mess up so easily with all those usual leads, while almost always setting Stealth Rock without failing due to Focus Sash. Setting those rocks is obviously your first priority, however, should a troublesome leading Pokémon appear, you can act accordingly. Gengar is OHKOed by Psychic, same goes for Roserade. Bronzong will fall to Fire Blast as will Yanmega, Abomasnow and Weavile. Non-offensive leads (such as Bronzong, Hippowdon and maybe even Gliscor) can be met with a fast Taunt, making them lose the first turn as well as the second since they'll have to either switch or get locked in an attack that won't knock Azelf out, giving you all the necessary time to set Stealth Rock. In the final slot, Explosion can replace Fire Blast since it is Azelf's only way of badly hurting leads like Gyarados and Zapdos after Stealth Rock has been set. Of course, you can keep both moves if coverage is what you desire, by giving up Taunt, although it's not really recommended.

As far as the Effort Point distribution goes, should you choose Explosion over Fire Blast, the nature should be Naive and probably you should add some Attack EPs. After all, since it's a suicidal lead set and not a sweeper, 252 EPs in Special Attack aren't so important.

Non Nasty Plot Sweeper

Item Held: Life Orb
Nature: Naive (+Speed, -Special Defense)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 216 Speed - 42 Attack

Same sweeping set as above, but without the Nasty Plot boost this time. Azelf's hits are already powerful enough to score some KOs and with Explosion, Blissey won't stop you. Hidden Power Fighting isn't really needed in this set, unless you are really scared of Heatran.

CS Azelf

Item Held: Choice Specs
Nature: Naive (+Speed, -Special Defense)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 216 Speed - 42 Attack

If you think Azelf is too frail to pull off a Nasty Plot, a set with Choice Specs is ideal. Once again, the same moves are here for maximum type coverage. U-Turn becomes and option in this set for scouting opponents' moves while switching a counter in. However, Explosion will be the superior option most of the time, mainly for dealing with Blissey.

Other Possible Options

As most of the Psychic-type legendary Pokémon, Azelf's movepool is quite vast. Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt are its other noteable choices as far as sweeping goes, for covering Pokémon like Dusknoir and Gyarados respectively.

Unfortunately, even though it has a respectable base stat of 125 in Attack, Azelf's only Physical options are Return, U-Turn and Iron Tail. As one can easily guess, a Physical moveset for Azelf isn't a great idea.

A moveset using Choice Scarf is certainly an option, mainly for dealing with Weavile and Choice Scarf Garchomp. Finally, Azelf can have a Focus Sash for surviving a Night Slash/Pursuit by Weavile and use Explosion.

Counters

Azelf is a Special Sweeper so send in your Blissey, Snorlax, Togekiss or Cresselia and either knock it out with Crunch/Pursuit or render it useless with Thunder Wave or Yawn. Nevertheless, a Life Orb boosted Explosion will definitely hurt.

Dark-type Pokémon, immune to Psychic, are quite good counters to Azelf. Houndoom is obviously the best one as it is immune to Flamethrower and resistant to Grass Knot as well. It should look out for Hidden Power Fighting and Explosion though. Weavile hates Flamethrower but if it switches in, it can knock out Azelf with Pursuit/Night Slash. Spiritomb with its immunity to both Psychic and Explosion can beat Azelf with Sucker Punch or Pursuit. Other Sucker Punch users like Absol and Banette can get a revenge kill if Azelf chooses to attack them. Dusknoir can also bring Azelf down with its Shadow Sneak.

Of course, Heatran is one of the best counters to any Azelf lacking Hidden Power Fighting. It resists all of its other moves and can easily take Azelf down with its STABed moves or the occasional Dark Pulse.

Opinion & Notes

This little fairy looking thing proves that, sometimes, looks are deceiving. This innocent creature will rip through whole teams with its Nasty Plot, Life Orb boosted hits. Try to stop it with a Special Wall, and then you get an Explosion coming from its quite high Attack stat. It looks like Game Freak loves those powerful Psychic-type legendaries. Of course, Azelf isn't an unstoppable sweeping machine. Its below average HP, Defense and Special Defense won't help it switch in easily and combined with Sandstorm, Stealth Rock and Life Orb recoil damage, it won't last long. However, in this short time of its reign in the field, it can easily take down a team, making it one of the most powerful Sweepers that D/P introduced to competitive battling.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Zapdos

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-07-20T00:05:00+02:00

Sets

Baton Passer

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Modest (+Special Attack, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 HP - 100 Defense - 100 Special Attack - 58 Speed

Agility
Baton Pass
Thunderbolt / Discharge
Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass / Roost

Zapdos is one of the best Agility Baton Passers in the game. Simply switch in on something that can't touch the mighty bird (like a Choice Bander locked in Earthquake), Agility as they switch, then Baton Pass to a sweeper that needs the Speed boost, like Marowak or Rhyperior. Thunderbolt is your standard attack for when you feel that Zapdos can take something down. Discharge is an alternative that makes Zapdos more of a team player by spreading paralysis to your opponent's team.

About the last moveslot, Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Grass cover those Ground-type Pokémon, immune to Thunderbolt, that come in to destroy Zapdos with Stone Edge. Roost is listed though due to the increased difficulty of getting a good Hidden Power on a Baton Passer Zapdos. Baton Pass is a move available only through Pokémon XD, so getting a useful Hidden Power seems impossible. Of course, Roost isn't that bad as it can help you Baton Pass Agility boosts more times.

The EP spread suggested is the standard one, that makes Zapdos quite bulky, letting it survive some hits while it pulls off its Agility. If an IV of 31 in Speed is not the case, some EPs can be taken from Defense or Special Attack for hitting 250 Speed, enough to outrun a Jolly, Choice Scarf using Garchomp after an Agility. With Garchomp now moving to ubers, you can adjust the Speed to your liking. Of course, the 252 HP EPs are standard and should always be there.

Bulky Zapdos

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Bold (+Defense, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 HP - 220 Defense - 38 Speed

Thunderbolt
Light Screen
Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass / Heat Wave
Roost

Zapdos needed one certain thing in Advance, and D/P brought it. A recovery move, not named Rest. With Roost being available now, Zapdos can continue its defensive job. Thunderbolt is its basic attack again, with Hidden Power providing type coverage. If a good Hidden Power is a hard task, Heat Wave can be used for covering the Grass-types at the cost of being walled by most Ground-types. Light Screen is used for making Zapdos even more bulky on the Special side, as well as for pseudo-passing Special Defense to the team.

Lead Zapdos

Item Held: Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

Choice Scarf lead Zapdos is a terror. It outruns many common leads (actually anything but Choice Scarf Gengar) and has the power to take them down. Thunderbolt messes with Gyarados and is Zapdos' main move for a late game sweep should you need it. Platinum's gift to Zapdos, Heat Wave, takes down Weavile and Bronzong leads. Hidden Power Ice beats the dragons and those bulky Ground-type Pokémon that tend to lead in order to set Stealth Rock early (Gliscor, Hippowdon, etc.). U-Turn is here in case the opposing lead isn't something that Zapdos can hit really hard. If getting Hidden Power Ice is hard, you can go for Thunder Wave, paralyzing a dangerous leading Pokémon that you can't knock out, like Tyranitar.

Toxi-Staller

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 HP - 176 Speed - 82 Special Defense

There are not many Pokémon out there that can do the job of Toxi-stalling better than Zapdos. Lay your Toxic Spikes down, and watch your Zapdos stall them till the poison knocks them out or till they are out of PP, abusing its Ability, Pressure. The combination of Toxic Spikes, Substitute, Roost and Leftovers will nearly never let your opponent attack while inflicting damage and recovering the Substitute's 1/4 of HP cost. If some Flying-types try to be clever and switch in, avoiding your Toxic Spikes, Thunderbolt will send them to the Underworld, with Hidden Power Ice being here for more specific threats like Salamence and Gliscor. Toxic is an alternative, if you plan on using Zapdos in a team without a Toxic Spikes user.

The recommended EPs give Zapdos a Speed stat of 308 (with a Speed IV of 31), allowing it to outrun Pokémon like Timid/Jolly Lucario, Modest/Adamant Salamence and neutral natured, base 100 Speed Pokémon generally. Of course, its Defenses are a bit neglected but after all this Zapdos is supposed to avoid hits with Substitute, not get them.

If you are going to use that Zapdos with Hidden Power Ice on a battle simulator, where you have the ability to set its IVs, be sure to go with 31/30/30/31/31/31 for Hidden Power Ice. The reason is that the standard 31/31/31/31/31/30 makes you lose a Speed point that drops your Speed to 306, letting Timid/Jolly Lucario outrun you 50% of the time.

Rest-Talk

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Bold (+Defense, -Attack) / Calm (+Special Defense, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 HP - 220 Defense - 38 Speed OR 252 HP - 220 Special Defense - 38 Speed

What was the standard set in Advance, is here for D/P, with the addition of Discharge being the only new thing. Since Zapdos is a defensive minded Pokémon, the 30% paralysis chance of Discharge makes it a great move for supporting its slow team-mates. However, after the arrival or Roost in Zapdos' movepool, the only reason to use this set is for absorbing Sleep inducing moves like a Hypnosis from a Bronzong or Milotic.

Other Possible Options

Zapdos faces the same problem that most Electric-type Pokémon do. Although it has great stats and quite good typing, its movepool is much more shallow than those of most OverUsed Pokémon. Most of its noteable moves were mentioned in the sets, leaving few other suggestions. Platinum came to kind of fix this, giving Zapdos some new moves through its move tutors, namely Signal Beam, Ominus Wind and Air Cutter. Especially the latter, which gets boosted by STAB and has a high critical hit ratio. Roar could be used for ruining the job of other Baton Passers. It can be also combined with Toxic or Thunder Wave for a Toxi-Shuffler or Para-Shuffler set. Alternative Hidden Power types are viable, mainly for hitting specific Pokémon like Hidden Power Ground for Heatran or Water for Camerupt. Rain Dance + Thunder is always an option, though never the best one. The rest of its sweeping moves are just Extrasensory and Ancientpower, none of which helps much. Well, if you feel lucky, you can aim for Ancientpower's side effect and Baton Pass those boosts to another Pokémon but the 10% of he effect's activation is too low. Another move that could possibly help Zapdos with its sweeping is Metal Sound which drops the foe's Special Defense by two stages.

Zapdos could possibly go for a Choice Band set, using Drill Peck, U-Turn and possibly Steel Wing, but as far as Physical sweeping goes, there are many Pokémon that do it better than the Electric bird.

Counters

Blocking Zadpos' sweeping attempts is as easy as with most Electric-type Pokémon. Any Special Wall like Blissey and Snorlax can receive its attacks and recover, either with Softboiled or Rest. Regice is another Pokémon able to stop Zapdos with its sky-high Special Defense and the ability to destroy it with Ice Beam.

Of course, instead of receiving hits, you can always use them to your advantage. Electivire and Lanturn will raise their Speed and HP respectively after switching in a Thunderbolt and are both capable of hitting Zapdos with Ice Punch or Ice Beam. Jolteon works in the same way but it doesn't have a really strong hit for Zapdos. Raikou can start using Calm Mind, hoping to sweep, but it has to look out for Toxic and Roar.

Ground-type Pokémon stop Zapdos once its Hidden Power is revealed. If Hidden Power Grass is absent, Swampert and Rhyperior are great counters and can hit Zapdos with Ice Beam/Avalanche or Stone Edge. With Hidden Power Ice missing, Gliscor and, to a lesser extent, Salamence can switch in easily.

As far as stalling Zapdos variants go, anything that can beat the stall war against Zapdos can counter it and force it to switch out. Venusaur (which is immune to Toxic) is just an example. It can break Zapdos' Substitute with Sludge Bomb, predict Roost and hit with either Sleep Powder or Leech Seed.

Opinion & Notes

The legendary bird of thunder was always considered to be the best one of the trio and there are some reasons for it. With Moltres being able to just sweep and Articuno to support, its ability to do both makes it shine. Plus, unlike them, it takes 25% damage every time it switches in Stealth Rock instead of 50%. The bad thing about Zapdos is that getting a "good" one is a real pain. And now that it got Heat Wave after Platinum came out, Zapdos is going to be used a lot more in standard battles. All in all, some more than a generation jump will be needed to make this Pokémon move out of the OU tier. And, by the way, I think Zapdos should have gotten Air Slash in D/P/Pt!

Note that Baton Pass, Metal Sound and Extrasensory are available to Zapdos only through Pokémon XD.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Spinda

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-07-13T11:06:33+02:00

Sets

Baton Passer

Item Held: Leftovers / Salac Berry
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Bold (+Defense, -Attack) / Impish (+Defense, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 HP - 200 Defense - 58 Special Defense

Spinda's only purpose is to Baton Pass a Calm Mind or two to a Pokémon that has the ability to sweep, unlike itself. Hypnosis on the first Pokémon, Calm Mind as they switch out, and Baton Pass away. Wish can be used to heal yourself if you think that Spinda can take two hits and survive (which is highly unlikely), or to heal your next Pokémon. Leftovers is just a generic item, but you can go with Salac Berry. If you are lucky and survive their hit, you may pass a Speed boost to your sweeper as well. A good set in theory that gets ruined by Spinda's terrible stats.

Endure + F(l)ail

Item Held: Salac Berry
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack) / Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

Spinda's surprising offensive potential becomes reality through this set. Use Endure to stay alive with 1 HP, laughing at your opponent for not being able to OHKO your Pokémon. Then, start using Flail until everything is taken down by Spinda's supernatural power. Sucker Punch takes care of the Ghost-type Pokémon that want to stop your mighty rampage. When you are finally done, Baton Pass the Speed boost of the Salac Berry to a sweeper that needs it.

Just as happens with any other Flail user, Sandstorm and Hail stop your sweep and render your Pokémon useless. So, if you want to add that "L" to "Fail", be sure to clear the skies before sending Spinda in.

Trick or Treat?

Item Held: Choice Scarf / Choice Band
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack) / Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

And for our next trick, we will need a volunteer. Preferably a Wall. Trick your Choice Scarf/Band to a Pokémon that will hate Spinda after that. Hypnosis to the incoming Pokémon. Return for STAB and Sucker Punch for hitting the Ghosts.

As the name of the set suggests, it may trick your opponent with an unwanted Choice Scarf on their Wall but it may also treat them with a great Choice Band on their Physical Sweeper. So, if you are not good at prediction, better leave this set.

Other Possible Options

Spinda's movepool isn't what one would call awful, but its stats are not helping it. Regarding offensive options, Focus Punch, Psycho Cut, Rock Slide and Fake Out are its Physical options while Shadow Ball and Psychic (boosted by Calm Mind of course) are its Special ones.

Of course, the Focus Sash + Counter combo is worth mentioning. Finally, it has access to moves like Snatch, Disable and Psych Up if you feel like using them, but they won't prove too helpful.

Counters

In UnderUsed, most Rock-types and Steel-types have no problem countering Spinda, especially those who don't care having a Choice Band tricked to them, like Relicanth. Steelix can stop the Baton Pass set using its Roar and if Spinda happens to Trick a Choice Band to it, a STABed, Choice Band boosted Earthquake is a real threat. And certainly, many other sweepers can KO Spinda easily, some of them are Scyther and Crawdaunt. However, don't forget that Spinda can put an incoming counter to sleep with its Hypnosis.

If you are planning to use Spinda in OverUsed, be prepared as almost anything can counter it. And by anything I mean that even Pokémon with below average Defense can switch in on Spinda without trouble.

Opinion & Notes

Spinda is one of my favorite Pokémon to use. In the Pokémon TCG that is. In competitive battling, the best that Spinda can do is pull off a Calm Mind and Baton Pass it to a sweeper. We've got just a generic Normal-type here like Aipom and Lickitung, apart from the fact that they got their respective evolved forms during the generation jump. If Spinda doesn't get its evolution soon, it will remain stuck forever in the NeverUsed tier, and its quite wide movepool will remain unexploited. Although I'm sure I will miss its retarded face if it gets an evolution...

Note that Baton Pass, Wish and Trick are all egg moves.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Heracross

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-07-06T11:51:06+02:00

Sets

Choice Bander

Item Held: Choice Band
Ability: Guts
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 152 Speed - 106 HP

Some simple calculations can show how extremely powerful Heracross can be. We've got two attacks with a base power of 120 which becomes 180 by STAB, fired from an Attack stat of 383, which becomes 574 due to the Choice Band, with a possibility of it rising to 861 if you switch in on a Will-o-Wisp. Obviously, those two STABed moves will be included in the moveset, as will Stone Edge which is useful for knocking out those Flying-type Pokémon like Salamence that come in to counter you. About the last moveslot, Pursuit hits slower Psychic-type Pokémon that flee, afraid of Megahorn. Night Slash is an alternative for hitting them if they predict Pursuit and stay in. But Pursuit is the superior choice most of the time. Let's see now how those Physical Walls like Skarmory (which is easily 2HKOed by Close Combat) are turned into wannabes by the power of this bug!

The Effort Points listed, assuming Heracross has a Speed IV of 31, give 244 Speed, enough to outrun Jolly Tyranitar. However, feel free to add as much as you like, depending on what other Pokémon you want to outrun. Jolly nature is also an option is you want to outrun some more Pokémon like Adamant Electivire but after all they won't be switching in on any of Heracross' moves.

Choice Scarfer

Item Held: Choice Scarf
Ability: Guts
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

Without the boost from Choice Band, Heracross is still proud of his pretty high Attack stat. With a Speed of 404 and a possible Attack of 574 due to Guts, this bug seems unstoppable. The moves suggested are the same ones as above with Pursuit being an even better choice than it was before as a Choice Scarf Heracross threatens even fast Psychic-types like Azelf and Alakazam.

Swords Dancer V1.0

Item Held: Salac Berry
Ability: Swarm
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 Defense

First of all, this Heracross needs an HP stat divisible by 4. An IV of 30 in HP will do. If that's not the case, just take the EPs you need from Defense and Attack. This is because Salac Berry must activate after 3 uses of Substitute, leaving Heracross with 25% of its HP instead of 4 which would leave Heracross with 1% of its HP.

Now, the whole idea of the set is quite simple. Hide behind your Substitute, getting to Swords Dance as many times as you can, until that Salac Berry is activated. Then sweep using your Megahorn which gets boosted by STAB, Swords Dance and Swarm, delivering ridiculously high amounts of damage to your opponent. Close Combat is an option for another STABed move but Stone Edge stops those Flying-type Pokémon that try to ruin your fun.

Swords Dancer V2.0

Item Held: Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

Switch in on something that will flee and Swords Dance as they switch out. After just one Swords Dance, no Pokémon can come in safely. The sheer power of Heracross' Close Combat and Facade are enough to OHKO most of its counters, like Skarmory and Gliscor to name but two, after a Swords Dance. Beware of revenge killers though, as Dugtrio can easily catch you off guard after a KO and OHKO Heracross with its Aerial Ace.

Rest-Talker

Item Held: Life Orb
Ability: Guts
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 204 HP - 153 Attack - 153 Speed

A bulkier Heracross set, which was pretty common in Advance, is now back in D/P. Heracross is one of the best Rest-Talkers in the game as Rest activates Guts, letting it sweep with a free boost while healing itself. Life Orb is a good item choice since you'll be etting the HP back with Rest.

Endure + Reversal

Item Held: Salac Berry
Ability: Swarm
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

The basic Reversal set here. Swords Dance as they switch, Endure their hit, which will also activate the Salac Berry and then sweep with a full power, Swords Dance boosted, STABed Reversal. However, with Tyranitar's and Hippowdon's Sandstorm being everywhere in OU, Heracross will have trouble pulling this set off effectively, unless you have a Sunny Day/Rain Dance user in your team.

Other Possible Options

With six sets listed above, Heracross doesn't even need any other options. And that's good, as it doesn't have any other noteable moves. Rock Slide and Brick Break get a mention in case you don't like the low accuracy of Stone Edge or the side effect of Close Combat. Earthquake, Aerial Ace and Shadow Claw can be found in Heracross' movepool but the bug has little to no use for them. Bulk Up could be used, replacing Swords Dance in a set but, generally, Swords Dance is the best choice.

Counters

Countering Heracross will not be easy as you can't be sure what it's going to throw at you. Gliscor is definitely the number one Heracross counter though as it resists Heracross' both STAB moves and knocks it out with Aerial Ace. Dusknoir and Weezing function similarly as they can both get some hits and KO with Fire Punch/Fire Blast. Of course, if you do the mistake to burn Heracross, things will get difficult.

Jirachi and Choice Scarf Metagross can get a hit an take Heracross down with their Zen Headbutt. Skarmory can also survive a hit and KO with its Flying-type move. Beware though as a Choice Band boosted Close Combat will 2HKO the steel bird.

Finally, Gyarados and Salamence with their Intimidate threaten Heracross but if it predicts them switching, it can OHKO them with Stone Edge.

Opinion & Notes

Whatever one says about Heracross, it is not enough. Its immense power and two STABed, 120 base power attacks, it can bring down whole teams as those Physical Walls cannot easily stop it. Of course, it can't only have advantages. Its 4x weakness to Flying and mediocre Defense mean that any Aerial Ace user will force a switch, causing it to lose all of its Swords Dance boosts. However, once again Heracross finds a way to counter that, and that way is called Stone Edge. All in all, if you don't take Heracross seriously, it can easily beat you.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Manectric

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-06-30T19:29:16+02:00

Sets

Pure Sweeper

Item Held: Petaya Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Static
Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP / Special Defense

With a base stat of 105 in both its Special Attack and Speed, Manectric's job is to sweep. STABed Thunderbolt will be your main offensive move, with Flamethrower being here for hitting those annoying Grass-type Pokémon like Meganium and Vileplume that think they can wall your Thunderbolt. Hidden Power is here mainly for covering Ground-type Pokémon, either if it's Grass-type or Ice-type. Hidden Power Grass is prefered in UU environment as it hits Quagsire, Lanturn and Golem hard. Hidden Power Ice is better in OU for knocking out the Dragon-types. Substitute protects Manectric from status inducing moves and activates the Petaya Berry, should you choose it. Note that you should make your HP divisable by 4 so that Petaya Berry activates after 3 uses of Substitute rather than 4. Check your HP IV and attach the Effort Points it needs. If the remaining 6 aren't enough, you can take some from Speed.

SpecsTric

Item Held: Choice Specs
Ability: Static
Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack) / Hasty (+Speed, -Defense)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP OR 252 Special Attack - 220 Speed - 38 Attack

Same as the set above but with Choice Specs boosting your hits this time. More or less the same moves as in the previous set, with Overheat replacing Flamethrower since you'll be switching out all the time. Hyper Beam is there for finishing off threats while knowing that your opponent will knock you out. On the other hand, Crunch can be used for hitting hard two of the most commonly seen Special Walls in UU, Grumpig and Hypno. Choose the second EP distribution with a Hasty nature if you are using Crunch.

Other Possible Options

Manectric doesn't really boast about his vast movepool. Charge Beam can be used for getting the Special Attack boost. Discharge has a nice 30% chance of paralyzing the foe. Rain Dance + Thunder is always an option but not the best one. Hidden Power Water takes out Camerupt but has no other purpose than that. Finally, Thunder Wave and Toxic are worth mentioning but after all Manectric isn't a defensive Pokémon.

As far as items go, Life Orb is always a great choice in a mixed sweeping set, used for taking down the aforementioned Special Walls.

Counters

If Crunch is missing from a set, Hypno and Grumpig can easily wall any move fired towards them, set up a Light Screen and hit Manectric with their Calm Mind boosted Psychic.

The rest of Manectric's UU counters depend on the type of its Hidden Power. If Hidden Power Ice is missing, Nidoking and Nidoqueen can easily take on Manectric. If Hidden Power Grass is missing, those bulky Water-Ground-type Pokémon like Quagsire can switch in without fear. If Hidden Power Water is missing, Camerupt can wall anything shot at it and hit back with Earthquake.

If you plan on using Manectric in OU, the list of counters becomes pretty wide, the most notable of which are Swampert, Garchomp and Salamence, again depending on the type of its Hidden Power. And let's not forget Dugtrio and Electivire who can easily switch in on predicted Electric-type attacks and KO Manectric.

Opinion & Notes

The base 105 stats of Special Attack and Speed make Manectric a quite good Special Sweeper, especially in UU play. However, its pretty shallow movepool hinders its capabilities. With Thunderbolt and those newly acquired Fire-type moves as its only options, it has to resort to Hidden Power for covering its weaknesses. The change of Crunch from Special to Physical wasn't welcome as well. However, the addition of Choice Specs and Life Orb certainly helps its sweeping potential. All in all, Manectric seems like it will need much more help in order to jump out of the UU tier.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Rampardos

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-06-23T19:40:45+02:00

Sets

Scarfpardos

Item Held: Choice Scarf
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack) / Jolly (+Speed, - Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 Special Defense

We have a beast here, with a base Attack stat of 165, able to hit 429 with Jolly nature and a base Speed of 58, stopping at 236 with Jolly nature. Obviously, the first set that one would think would be the Choice Scarf based one. The STAB boosted Stone Edge will obviously be your main offensive move and it will deal impressive amounts of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Earthquake offers the usual type coverage and works with Rampardos' ability, Mold Breaker, preventing Levitate users like Gengar from avoiding the move. Even though Head Smash is quite the high risk move, it's a great way of finishing off the likes of Milotic and Suicune if they're already weakened. As for the last move, it's mostly a filler. Choose Pursuit if you think you can catch some Pokémon off guard or Crunch for hitting Claydol and Dusknoir.

As far as the nature goes, both Adamant and Jolly are viable. Adamant packs a better hit to anything while Jolly lets you outrun those +Speed natured base 110 Pokémon like Gengar.

Choice Bander

Item Held: Choice Band
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 Special Defense

A Choice Band Rampardos is definitely a really heavy hitter. Expect to be outrun by nearly everything though. The moves work just like as in the Choice Scarf set, with Focus Punch being an option now as it can hit some Pokémon really hard on the switch. Of course, Rampardos' Speed won't help at all your attempt to sweep so Adamant nature is not an option here.

Rock Polish Rampardos

Item Held: Focus Sash
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 Special Defense

With such a pathetic Speed stat and a move like Rock Polish in its movepool, it is just obvious that a Rampardos user should use it. Rock Polish once, enduring any hit with your Focus Sash and getting ready to sweep. The moves work as described in the previous movesets. Just be sure to blow away any Spikes / Stealth Rock before switching Rampardos in. Losing your Focus Sash may be lethal.

Swords Dancer

Item Held: Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 Special Defense

Get yourself a skilled Baton Passer like Jolteon or Ninjask to pass some Speed boosts to Rampardos, then pull off a Swords Dance while standing on 1 HP and start sweeping. The most difficult set to use but the most powerful one once it sets up. Of course, once again, Rapid Spin support is essential.

Other Possible Options

Endeavor is probably the best move for Rampardos not mentioned in the sets. In a Focus Sash using set, like the Rock Polish one, if you cannot beat the Pokémon your opponent sent out, just lower its HP to 1, as it did to yours. Avalanche on the Physical side and Ice Beam on the Special one can be used for taking down threats like Garchomp and Torterra. Finally, Natural Gift with a Liechi Berry can grant you a Grass-type attack with a base damage of 80 for hitting Swampert and Hippowdon.

Counters

Defensive Ground-type Pokémon are the best way to go for countering this beast. Hippowdon is certainly the most effective counter out there, taking easily hits from Rampardos and healing itself with Slack Off. Rhyperior, Swampert and Skarmory can also take hits and strike back, either directly or indirectly (via Stealth Rock). Torterra can counter a Rampardos lacking the Ice-type move. Claydol can show up against a non-Choice Band Rampardos as well.

Opinion & Notes

Although its Attack stat is stellar, Rampardos stands in the BorderLine tier, unable to move up due to its awful Speed. Of course, Snorlax is slow too, but it isn't as fragile as Rampardos is. A base stat of 60 in Defense and 50 in Special Defense mean it will be going to down by any powerful move. Of course, let's not forget the great Mold Breaker, an ability cancelling other abilities. That means Gengar and Bronzong are weak to its Earthquake instead of immune to it. Even though, Rampardos is not the Pokémon that will satnd out much. You may get some lucky sweeps if you manage to set up, but that will rarely happen.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Machamp

Arty2 — 2008-05-11T13:21:16+02:00

Sets

Choice Scarf

Item Held: Choice Scarf
Ability: No Guard / Guts
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, - Sp.Attack)
Effort Points: 12 HP - 252 Attack - 244 Speed

Every generation brings something new to every Pokemon and, in my opinion, we should be taking advantage of it. Machamp can use Choise Scarf very effectively. Assuming you have 31 Speed IV, putting 244 Speed Eps means that you are going to have 340 Speed surpassing even Adamant Dugtrio. Watch out though, because Pokémon like Gengar, Alakazam, Weavile and Starmie can easily be faster than Machamp if properly trained. Machamp has access to two great abilities: No Guard and Guts. The first gives you and your opponent full accuracy and the second gives you a x1.5 bonus to your attacks when you are statused. If you are using guts, then chose Close Combat over Dynamic Punch and possibly Payback over Stone Edge (although if you want to have specific type coverage you can keep Stone Edge)

Choice Band

Item Held: Choice Band
Ability: Guts
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, - Sp.Attack)
Effort Points: 128 HP - 252 Attack - 128 Speed

The same moveset with a different item and EPs. Assuming you have a 31 Speed IV, put 128 on speed. If you don't, try to reach 178 Speed in order to outrun common Skarmory. The preferred ability here is Guts. After activating it, almost no opponent will be safe against one of Machamp's attacks. Having that in mind, you can actually put 252 EPs on HP and nothing on Speed, because being Paralysed is GOOD for you. Payback provides more Type Coverage, but again, you can use Stone Edge if you believe that it fits your team better. Although Guts is generally better for this set, there are times that No Guard can be helpful (for example, against a Garchomp in Sandstorm). If you use No Guard, change Close Combat to Dynamicpunch.

Bulk Up

Item Held: Leftovers
Ability: No Guard
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, - Sp.Attack)
Effort Points: 128 HP - 252 Attack - 128 Speed

This set is more difficult to use than the others, but can be very effective if used at the right time. Choose No Guard for this. Bulk Up and Dynamicpunch are the standard attacks. The others, depend on the rest of your team. When using this set, you must make sure that Special Sweepers are out of the way. Bring Machamp in and use as much Bulk Up as you can. Dynamicpunch's wonderful effect can buy you some time for that. It would be a great idea to support this set with Agility. If you do so, put all the EPs on speed in order to reach Max Speed.

Other Possible Options

Rest + Sleep Talk is a good combination, but in this generation, loosing so many terns is the worst thing you can do.

Fire Blast with No Guard is very good against Skarmory, Forretress, Scizor and Heracross.

Bullet Punch can do some work on the non-Choice Scarf sets, but it lacks STAB, so it's not THAT powerful.

Facade works greatly with Guts.

Mega Kick with No Guard, is a good idea, too.

Counter can surprise your enemy and get rid of an opposing Gliscor.

Counters

PREDICTION. That's the best counter for Machamp. If you see it using Dynamicpunch, it is safe to burn it, but unless you see that, don't dare use a Status move because activating Guts will be very painful. Weezing is a good counter, but if Machamp has Mega Kick or Facade, it can beat you easily. Dusknoir is good, if Machamp is not using Payback. Cresselia with Reflect is quite safe as well. Celebi can take some hits but it fears a boosted Payback. Gliscor is a good idea, but Ice Punch can destroy it, so watch out. A fast Special Sweeper, is probably the best choice using the technique: "Kill, to stay alive!"

Opinion & Notes

Machamp is a strong Pokemon that represents pure muscular power. It has a very good Defense stat and an excellent Attack stat along with very good moves. No Guard, its new ability, makes Dynamicpunch one of its most reliable and powerful attacks. Choice Scarf gave it the ability to be fast and it can now hit a lot of Pokemon before they are able to block it.

Note that the elemental Punches are egg moves or Emerald's Move Tutor moves. Close Combat is also an egg move.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Articuno

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-02-17T22:09:19+02:00

Sets

Supporter - Cleric

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Calm (+Special Defense, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 HP - 96 Defense - 96 Special Defense - 64 Special Attack

Articuno's got above average defensive stats so this set is quite good to use on the legendary bird of ice. Heal Bell is the move to choose if you want to use Articuno as a cleric but Reflect is a nice alternative if you cannot get an Articuno with Heal Bell. Roar is there to phaze any attempts of your opponent to boost their stats or just for sending away Pokémon that may pose a threat to Articuno. Of course, having some Spikes or Stealth Rock on the field is recommended. Ice Beam is here for STAB and Roost is obviously Articuno's best option for recovering - not only it gains half of its HP back, but also it loses that 4x weakness to Rock for that turn.

Articuno's EP spread totally depends on its IVs and personnal preference. The suggested spread is just a generally defensive one. You can allocate the EPs in the Defenses and Special Attack in any way you like, depending on what hits you plan to receive. But always keep those 252 EPs in HP.

Toxishuffler

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Calm (+Special Defense, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 HP - 96 Defense - 96 Special Defense - 64 Special Attack

Actually it's the same set as above but with Toxic replacing the supporting moves. Poison a Pokémon, send it away, poison the next one and so on. With Spikes/Stealth Rock around, passive damage will stack up quickly. Of course, Steel-types laugh at this set. Especially offensive ones like Metagross, which can OHKO Articuno.

Other Possible Options

Articuno's other options are limited. Tailwind can boost your team's Speed for just three turns. Blizzard is an option if Abomasnow's in your team. Protect can be used along with Toxic for PP stalling with Pressure while still inflicting some indirect damage. Rest and Sleep Talk are always good on defensive minded Pokémon. Finally, Mind Reader and Sheer Cold is a combo exclusive to Articuno (and Smearlge of course) and can be used where one-hit KO moves are allowed. However, if your opponent switches out, the effect of Mind Reader ends, thus dropping Sheer Cold's accuracy back to its normal 30%.

Counters

Pokémon that can switch in on an Ice Beam and have a way of damaging Articuno are considered counters to it. And unfortunately for the mighty bird, the list of them isn't short. Steel-types are your best bet as they are immune to the occasional Toxic as well. The aforementioned Metagross as well as Bronzong and Jirachi don't have trouble coming in on Articuno. Fire-types like Infernape, Blaziken and Heatran can also switch in and hit Articuno with their STABed Flamethrower/Flare Blitz/Lava Plume. STABed Electric-type moves will deal some good damage too. Any Rock Slide/Stone Edge makes Articuno think it has better get away as soon as possible. Stealth Rock also hurts it much so using it with Rapid Spin support is suggested.

Opinion & Notes

Sure D/P came with a nice gift to Articuno in the form of Roost. Being able to recover while leaving that quad weakness aside is great for a defensive Pokémon. Nevertheless, another move totally wrecked it. Stealth Rock, robbing Articuno of half its max HP every time it switches in will its already low popularity in battles go even lower. The problem with Articuno is that threre are better Pokémon at doing what it is supposed to do, like Blissey as a cleric or Suicune as a pseudohazer. But Articuno is still here for its fans, all it needs is a reliable partner with Rapid Spin and it can work wonders.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Blaziken

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-02-10T19:29:48+02:00

Sets

Choice Scarf Sweeper

Item Held: Choice Scarf
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

The only thing that prevents Blaziken for being an unstoppable sweeper is its rather mediocre Speed. Choice Scarf makes up for that, raising its Speed to 388 and allowing it to outrun Pokémon like Salamence and Alakazam that would otherwise cause a lot of problems. Flare Blitz and Sky Uppercut are two quite good STABed moves and along with Stone Edge, they cover a great many Pokémon that could smack Blaziken, including Gyarados and the aforementioned Salamence. Thunderpunch hits Gyarados harder while as well as Slowbro and Starmie. As with any Choice set, prediction is the key to success, so it's better to wait until your opponent reveals most of their team before sending Blaziken in.

Choice Band Sweeper

Item Held: Choice Band
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

A Choice Band variant of the previous set. Blaziken's Attack becomes stellar but expect to face some problems as far as Speed is concerned. The moves work just like as in the Choice Scarf set, with Focus Punch being a nice alternative to Thunderpunch now. Its damage output shouldn't surprise you if you consider the fact that it receives boosts from Choice Band and STAB.

Reversaler

Item Held: Salac Berry
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 Defense

With STABed Reversal being an option in Blaziken's movepool, this set is obviously one of the first that pop in the mind. It's concept is exactly the same as in every Reversal set. Endure their hit or Substitute down to 1 HP, activate the Salac Berry and start sweeping with Reversal. If you manage to pull off a Swords Dance, Blaziken can deal huge amounts of damage. Fire Punch is here to be used against Pokémon that resist Reversal and are not OHKOed by it. It works really nice as it is further boosted by Blaze when you are down to 1/3 of your max HP.

Blaziken's main disadvantage against fellow Reversalers like Lucario and Scizor is its weakness to Sandstorm. Tyranitar and Hippowdon can beat it just by appearing in front of it. So, using Blaziken with a Pokémon with Sunny Day on the team is always good. And of course, be sure to eliminate any possibility of Sandstorm/Hail appearing after Blaziken has been sent it. That means you have to take down Tyranitar, Hippowdon and Abomasnow before setting up.

Baton Passer V1.0

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Modest (+Special Attack, -Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Special Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

Two of Blaziken's new moves are used in this set, Agility and Baton Pass. Start up by boosting your Speed and then sweep as much as you can. Then, when they are about to beat you, Baton Pass your Speed boosts away to a counter. Fire Blast is here for STAB and Hidden Power Ice hits those Dragon-types that tend to switch in on Blaziken.

Baton Passer V2.0

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

Apart from the newly obtained Agility, Blaziken can also Baton Pass Swords Dance. Sure, Speed issues will arise but with some prediction, you'll be able to Baton Pass your Attack boosts away. Sky Uppercut may be chosen for STAB but Stone Edge hits Salamence and Gyarados which will otherwise stop you.

Other Possible Options

On the Physical side, Brave Bird is Blaziken's most noteable option but it won't offer much apart from knocking Infernape out. Other than that, Brick Break is a more accurate alternative to Sky Uppercut. While Blaziken has options like Earthquake or Shadow Claw, there's no resaon to use them unless you want to take down a certain Pokémon.

On the Special side, Flamethrower provides some more accuracy than Fire Blast. Focus Blast is Blaziken's alternative Special STABed move. Hidden Power Grass can be used for KOing Swampert.

Bulk Up is a viable option over Swords Dance sometimes, especially if you are planning to Baton Pass the boosts. Substitute may be also passed, but there are other Pokémon better at it. Finally, Will-O-Wisp will hurt some Gyarados that switch in.

Counters

The most obvious counters to an offensive Fire-type Pokémon would be those bulky Water and Ground-types. Namely, Milotic, Slowbro, etcetera, can receive its hits and knock it out with their STABed Surf. As far as Ground-types go, Hippowdon and Donphan are the best choices. Swampert, being both Water and Ground-type, is obviously a great counter to Blaziken.

Gyarados and Salamence can always come in, Intimidate Blaziken and beat it with their Earthquake/Hydro Pump. They also resist both of Blaziken's STABed moves. Arcanine with Flash Fire can come in on a Choice Band/Scarf Flare Blitz/Fire Blast and set up as Blaziken switches out. It can also come in with Intimidate and force a switch, but it's harder to bring it in then. Nevertheless, all of them fear some of Blaziken's moves, especially Stone Edge.

Finally, Roar/Whirlwind and Haze can stop Blaziken's attempts to Baton Pass any boosts. However, there are only a few Pokémon that can switch in and use those moves safely like Vaporeon and Suicune.

Opinion & Notes

Blaziken just wishes Infernape was never created. Infernape is just like an improved version of Blaziken and this fact will certainly reduce Blaziken's use in this generation. On the other hand, Blaziken gained a whole lot of new moves to toy with. Agility, Baton Pass, Flare Blitz and Stone Edge, to name but a few, will help Blaziken overcome some of its problems but its average Speed stat is still hindering it from becoming a great sweeper. However, that can be fixed to a certain extent with Choice Scarf. All in all, Blaziken will still remain stuck in the BorderLine tier, overshadowed by its D/P counterpart, Infernape.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Donphan

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-02-03T12:58:16+02:00

Sets

Rapid Spinner - Physical Wall

Item Held: Leftovers
Nature: Impish (+Defense, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 HP - 252 Defense - 6 Attack

Rapid Spin
Earthquake
Stealth Rock / Knock Off
Ice Shard / Stone Edge

Although Hippowdon is far better as a Wall since it has Sand Stream to wear down its opponents and Slack Off to recover, Donphan is still famous for one main reason. And that's Rapid Spin. In the current metagame, every team has a Spiker and Donphan is one of the best choices to Rapid Spin away those annoying pointy rocks or Spikes. Other than that, a STABed Earthquake coming off a base Attack stat of 120 isn't weak at all. Donphan can also set Stealth Rock itself, but if you already have a Spiker in your team, Knock Off is a nice move for sending away your opponents' items. In the last slot, there are two possible options. Ice Shard makes Donphan move first and covers Salamence and Garchomp but its low base power is a problem. On the other side, Stone Edge has more base power and hits Gyarados but it has less PP and it doesn't strike first like Ice Shard does.

Choice Band Sweeper

Item Held: Choice Band
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 172 HP - 86 Speed

Earthquake
Ice Shard
Stone Edge
Fire Fang

It may not have the Speed of other Choice Banders like Aerodactyl or even Heracross, but it has the Physical durability of all of them together. Perfect set for surprising those Ghost-types that come in just to block your Rapid Spin. Dusknoir is met with a powerful Earthquake and Gengar gets OHKOed by Stone Edge. Just be sure to know what Ghost is going to pop. Choice Banded Ice Shard is also great for hitting those notorious Dragon-types. Fire Fang hits Skarmory and Bronzong.

The EPs suggested let Donphan outrun any Swampert with no Speed EPs. Adamant nature is essential in this set. If you don't care about outrunning Swampert, just go 252 Attack - 252 HP - 6 Defense.

Other Possible Options

Roar is a nice option for the defensive Donphan and works great if Stealth Rock is down. Thunder Fang, Poison Jab and Body Slam are other alternative Physical moves. Assurance can work with Stealth Rock and hit Dusknoir for a lot of damage. Other that those, Rock Polish and Counter may prove useful at times but their use is situational at best.

Counters

Bulky Grass and Water-types are the best counters to Donphan. Suicune, Milotic, Swampert and Vaporeon can all come in and KO with Surf although they don't take Choice Band boosted Earthquakes with ease. Grass-types, like Tangrowth, resist Earthquake and don't take much damage by Ice Shard. Ludicolo, being both Water and Grass-type, is a nice counter too.

Levitate using Pokémon are quite good at countering Donphan. Cresselia can take a hit or two and knock Donphan out with Grass Knot or Ice Beam. Same applies for Bronzong which only fears Choice Band boosted Fire Fang. Azelf can switch in on an Earthquake and hit back with Grass Knot and so can Mesprit and Uxie if they carry Grass Knot.

While Skarmory laughs at Donphan's attacks, it can't do anything back apart from Whirlwinding Donphan away. Any Pokémon with a high Special Attack stat can KO Donphan but most of them have trouble switching in. Choice Band boosted Earthquake may knock out most of them as Special Sweepers rarely have a high Defense.

Opinion & Notes

Donphan got a new rival in this generation and its name is Hippowdon. While both of them are quite sturdy, Hippowdon seems to win the match-up with Slack Off, making it a better Wall. However, Donphan's access to Rapid Spin still keeps it popular in the OverUsed tier. Ice Shard, Stone Edge and Stealth Rock are all nice moves that Donphan acquired after the generation jump, letting it to hit more threatening Pokémon like Salamence and Gyarados. While Donphan is still excellent at Rapid Spinning, the lack of a reliable move for recovering really limits its defensive capabilities.

Note that Ice Shard is an egg move.

Pokemon of the Week DP: Staraptor

Ninjomewtwo — 2008-02-02T15:40:19+02:00

Sets

Choice Band Sweeper

Item Held: Choice Band
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack) / Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 252 Speed - 6 HP

Brave Bird
Return
Close Combat
U-Turn / Pursuit

With such stats and moves like Brave Bird in its movepool, Staraptor is a great candidate if you are looking for a Choice Band user. Thanks to its trait, Intimidate, Staraptor can easily switch in on Physical hits (of course not on super effective ones) and start hitting with any of its moves. Brave Bird and Return are there for STAB. Since both of them are resisted by Rock and Steel-types, Close Combat obviously deserves a place in this moveset. In the last move slot, U-Turn is always a nice move for Choice Band users, allowing them to both hit and switch out while Pursuit is the way to hit Pokémon like Celebi that will run away afraid of Brave Bird.

Scarfaptor

Item Held: Choice Scarf
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Effort Points: 252 Attack - 196 Speed - 62 HP

Brave Bird
Return
Close Combat
U-Turn / Pursuit

Same set as above but with Choice Scarf instead of the Band. The EP spread given allows you to outrun nearly any Choice Scarf user including Heracross and Medicham. If an IV of 31 in Speed isn't the case, take some EPs from HP, you'll want to hit 285 Speed. The moves work as described in the previous set.

Other Possible Options

Double-Edge is a quite nice alternative to Return as it ensures you OHKO Zapdos (with a Choice Band boost). However, having two moves causing recoil damage will decrease even more Staraptor's already limited survivability. Quick Attack is an option on the Choice Band set too. Endeavor can be used on a non-choice set. Well, Staraptor has access to some other moves that would usually attract our attention, like Roost or Substitute, but they are not effective on it. Generally, it hopes it could get a movepool similar to Salamence's.

Counters

Pokémon with a high Defense stat that resist both of Staraptor's STABed moves are quite good counters. Namely, Skarmory and Bronzong are excellent at countering it, with Metagross and Jirachi following them. All four of them take neutral damage by Close Combat as well. Rhyperior can also switch in and stop it with its Stone Edge.

Zapdos is a great counter too, resisting Brave Bird and Close Combat and being able to OHKO with Thunderbolt. Finally, Gengar, Dusknoir and other Ghost-types in general are immune to Return and Close Combat. Most of them can KO Staraptor or just use a move like Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp that will cripple it and render it useless.

Opinion & Notes

Pidgeot, Fearow and Swellow were never that popular but with the arrival of Staraptor, they are going to see even less use. It has access to anything a sweeper needs. Two powerful STABed attacks to take advantage of and a great move for hitting Pokémon that resist them in the name of Close Combat. With a base 120 Attack stat, it is sure to deal some good amounts of damage before going down. However, these are just the good points.

On the other hand, it is really easily worn down. Its Stealth Rock weakness destroys the hit-and-run concept of the Choice sets and Sandstorm also takes away some of its HP after every turn. And it's not only that. Its Brave Bird's recoil will bring its HP down even faster than opponents will sometimes so be sure to use it with caution. Anyway, Staraptor is certainly a nice Pokémon to use but it is outclassed by Salamence.

Note that Pursuit and Double-Edge are egg moves.