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Yes, I'm finally back
for all 3 people that read this with new issues! As before, they'll be posted once a week (though occasionally real life gets in the way, and occasionally I just don't meet the deadline - I am only human after all). The first issue is already up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=40)
Any future issues can be found here! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewcolumn&id=3)
Leave a comment here or on the article about what you'd like to see next, and I hope you enjoy! :>
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As always, I'll give it a cheeky little read. Good to see this back, one of the great features on the site atm =]
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Richard, I have a sylveon set if you're interested.
Also, we all know you're itching to do mega blaziken. Already read it, nice work as usual.
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Thanks, both of you! The new issue is up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=41)
I decided on Florges this time, as it's one that most people playing X and Y will have gotten early on in the game and stuck with all the way through to the end. Hope you enjoy!
@SB2K - I believe you're referring to Weakness Policy Aegislash? I know of it, but I find it unreliable overall. If anything, it's a possible slash for the item of choice on a set, but it's down to personal preference. Thanks though!
And to everyone else: feel free to use this topic to both discuss the current Pokemon of the Week, and to suggest future Pokemon you'd like to see covered! Any feedback and discussion is greatly appreciated! :>
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Not me, I got sylveon. It's really the only fairy useful in the standard metagame, seeing as Xerneus is banned
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Not me, I got sylveon. It's really the only fairy useful in the standard metagame, seeing as Xerneus is banned
....what?
Togekiss & Azumarill are way superior. Sylveon can do a SubCM and that's about it, and it's outclassed in this role massively. It's not even the best eeveelution, let alone the best fairy.
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Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Dick here. Mega Mawile, Azumarill and Togekiss are the only things I see running around in standard OU.
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Mega Mawile, Azumarill and Togekiss
Forgot those were fairies. My bad. *Facepalms*
Sylveon can do a SubCM and that's about it
Then the set I run must be gimmicky.
Sylveon @ Leftovers
Calm
Pixilate
252 SpD 252 SpA 4 Spe
Heal Bell
Calm Mind
Moonblast/ Hyper Voice (Hey, goes through sub, plus it becomes fairy with ability)
Draining Kiss
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I run a heal bell/wish/hyper voice/protect sylveon very successfully. It surprised me with how good it is tbh, not the best fairy by a long shot, but it's better than I expected.
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Forgot those were fairies. My bad. *Facepalms*
Then the set I run must be gimmicky.
Sylveon @ Leftovers
Calm
Pixilate
252 SpD 252 SpA 4 Spe
Heal Bell
Calm Mind
Moonblast/ Hyper Voice (Hey, goes through sub, plus it becomes fairy with ability)
Draining Kiss
Why would you ever use Moonblast? Like ever? Hyper Voice is more powerful (pixilate gives a power boost) and, as you said, goes through subs.
And this set dies to any physical attacks, general rule is if you're using CM you use defence EVs...
And this set is done generally better by Slurpuff, who also has access to Flamethrower and Cotton Guard.
I run a heal bell/wish/hyper voice/protect sylveon very successfully. It surprised me with how good it is tbh, not the best fairy by a long shot, but it's better than I expected.
Ah, I forgot it even learnt heal bell tbh, it's usually better to just use Blissey for the role of Special Wall come cleric. I mean, Blissey can pass bigger wishes and can take hits better. Sylveons more for if you have some sort of vendetta against Blissey xD ( or for if you're playing wifi and can't transfer a wish Blissey all the way up from emerald xD in which case use Vaporeon who also passes bigger wishes, has access to Heal Bell and Wish also, has better overall bulk and is much more stylish xD)
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Anyway, as for the actual article, it's nice to see you're giving ways of using pokemon that are used more ingame than competitively - especially given that a lot of people don't know what to teach pokemon ingame ^^
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Why would you ever use Moonblast? Like ever?
Moonblast - Power of 95, gets fairy stab
Hyper voice- Power of 90, gets fairy stab with pixilate
It's up to decision.
And this set is done generally better by Slurpuff, who also has access to Flamethrower and Cotton Guard.
Well, it works for me and I prefer using it. It adds a surprise factor to it. Not many actually see it coming in time to stop it. So.... slurpuff can become the next snorlax for all I care.
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Pixelate not only changes Normal type moves into Fairy type moves, it boosts their power by 30%, bringing Hyper Voice to a base power of 117. o:
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Sorry for the brief delay, but PotW will be posted tomorrow rather than today. I've gotten sick and writing is a slower process for me when I'm sick. :<
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Aaand posted (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=42)! Again, sorry for the delay, but pushing through an article when you're feeling under the weather can be difficult.
This one's on Chesnaught, and will be the first in the series of X and Y starters, so that everyone playing can get a good grasp on how to best use their first Pokemon in-game. Hope everyone enjoys! I promise you won't get sick from reading it! ^_^
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Are you planning on doing Greninja at any point?
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This one ... will be the first in the series of X and Y starters
It would appear so.
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Greninja will be 2 issues from now - Delphox is next! :>
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Issue Four is up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=43)
This week I discuss Delphox and try my best to think of Harry Potter puns, while also wishing I was writing about Greninja. Next week... Greninja! But for now, how about discussing Delphox? Have you used it in-game? What are your opinions of it?
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I just go all out offensive in-game tbh with delphox.
Come on next week.
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The new article is up! Finally we cover my personal favorite of the Kalos starters! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=44)
Feel free to discuss Greninja below! What do you think about Greninja? Is it competitively viable in OU, or do you find it to lack the muscle to get through certain threats? What about Protean? Is this fairly exclusive ability enough to make Greninja a force to be reckoned with?
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Greninja's a really nice pokemon. Thanks to Protean, he can make some really nice mid-late game sweeps with his decent coverage and STAB/life orb on everything. But he is a bit slow, and the amount of times choice scarf heracross has messed me up is a little too high.
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^base 122 isnt slow...
ive swept plenty of people with this guy. his defenses nip him in the butt, vulnerable to both physical and special attacks, but it doesnt matter with the SPEEEEED lol.
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Think you could do Hawlucha some time? It's a personal favorite of mine, so I wouldn't mind some pointers, and of course I'm wondering what you think of it as well! ;D
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Yes, absolutely! I've already begun on next week's, but Hawlucha will be right after that one! I'm always looking for suggestions for what you guys would like to see! :>
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Still waiting on milotic. A sylveon one would be cool though. I use it in OU. Much to some people's chagrin, I CM abuse and demolish everything.
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please dont do trevenant.
we dont need its usage increased. ;-;
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Trevenant? I barely ever see it. I see ferrothorn and greninja mostly
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i run into them a lot. leech seed/substitute gets on my nerves Dx
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i run into them a lot. leech seed/substitute gets on my nerves Dx
dont even get me started on mega-venasaur though.
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Sorry for the delay, work has been killing me. PotW will be posted tonight after I get home. I'll give you a hint: hugging this Pokemon might slow you down, as well as make you feel the need to shower.
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I know it! Although I'm not telling. All I can say is, its base form has been the basis of many jokes.
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And the new issue is up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=45)
So sorry about the delay guys, work is killing me. I stayed up all night writing this and I should have been in bed a while ago, but I think I've covered all of Goodra's viable options. So I hope you like the article, and feel free to discuss Goodra! Have you used it before? Has the lack of a reliable recovery let you down, or do you find Assault Vest Goodra to sate your team's needs? Post below about your thoughts on our newest Dragon friend!
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I'm not a big fan of Goodra (don't hate it either) but that Rest+Hydration set sounds tempting, since I have another 'mon who sets up rain on my team. Might be worth considering for it, since freeing up another moveslot is always nice.
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Glad I was able to spark some inspiration, Paul! And I think you'll be happy about this one as well, because this week we're covering your request: Hawlucha's issue is up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=46)
Discuss your thoughts about this rather unique Pokemon below! Is Hawlucha an under-utilized gem, or is the lack of Flying Gem or Brave Bird just too much for it to compete in OU right now?
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What's the final note? I'm curious about the final note.
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Huh... looks like some sort of incident happened when writing the article that cut some text... I don't even remember what I had written now. I've removed that bit and will add it back if I ever remember what it is I had in the first place. xD
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Nice article as always! I guess you hold the same contempt for Hawlucha that I do for Duosion... I swear, if I did Nuzlockes I'd be heartbroken :c
But yeah, thanks for reminding me about Acrobatics! Pretty much the only reason I haven't been running it is because we don't have Flying Gems yet. Didn't the gems get nerfed this gen, though? I suppose it makes no difference after a Swords Dance, but just asking to be sure.
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Aye, the gems boost is x1.3 now, down from x1.5
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Aye, the gems boost is x1.3 now, down from x1.5
VGC, are you OK?
At least one can still run Fake Out + Unburden Hitmonlee with decency.
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I don't like the fighting bird much anymore. Can't wait for something like avalugg, or something interesting that Rich hasn't done.
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I don't like the fighting bird much anymore. Can't wait for something like avalugg, or something interesting that Rich hasn't done.
Or something that will likely end in NU or UU. These tend to be good answers against inexperienced people if used properly *cough* Gollurk against Terrakion *cough*.
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I'd love to see something from UU. I use florges in it, damn that SpD is high.
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I've already done Florges, it was actually the second issue. I'm mostly just taking requests. Next up is Sylveon, as has been requested by SB2K.
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Although I haven't checked the list, it would be fine it there were Pokémon like Diggersby,
the Doge Wallfrou Furfrou and Tyrantrum, especially the latter, which could work as a bulky tank-SRsetter. No, I have not tested it yet.
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I've already done Florges, it was actually the second issue.
Sorry, I kinda derped.
Next up is Sylveon, as has been requested by SB2K.
Hell yeah.
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I'd love it if you'd do Slurpuff. You've heard about 50 billion sets for it off me, but I'd love to see what magc you can work on it xD
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Sylveon's issue has been posted! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=47)
How do you feel about Sylveon? What do you think about Eeveelutions in general? Discuss below!
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#RequestingHeliolisk
Although tbh I don't know how many viable sets you'll get out of him.
But yes I am requesting the sunny lizard yellow god thing because it is my baby and I love it loads
Pleeeeeeease?
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Challenge accepted! I think you'll be surprised, to be honest! Heliolisk is an interesting Pokemon, and I'd love to cover that one. Electric types are always fun. :3
I will try to get to all of the requests at some point or another, just don't want to do 2 Fairy types in a row and I like Heliolisk, so that's next. =P
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You know the one type combo i really want to see? Faery/steel, with levitate. If i recall my mechanics right, that's an immunity to poison and ground as well as neutral damage from steel. The only other thing it'd really gain would be a super effective typing against other faeries but still...
As to Slyveon, it sounds kinda... Outclassed by... Vappy and Espe, and.... Basically every other OU faery. Maybe that's just me.
Are you planning on doing mega evo pages at any point?
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Yeah, Fairy/Steel would be interesting defensively, especially with Levitate. Only really weak to Fire, but it would have pretty big problems with Heatran resisting both STABs, unless it had some effective means to combat it.
Yeah, Sylveon is having trouble at the moment. It's one of the better special attacking Fairy types, but that's not really... necessary at this point in the metagame. It's not bad, it's just not like there's a physical wall that Azumarill or Mega Mawile just can't get past that Sylveon can. Togekiss is probably the better choice if you want a special attacking Fairy, due to it having 2 STABs, ParaFlinching capabilities, Nasty Plot, Aura Sphere, Fire Blast... yeah, that's it, Togekiss actually has a movepool! That's pretty important.
Yep! They'll be included in their own section along with the regular Pokemon once I get to past generations, which will be fairly soon-ish. I'm just focusing on new Pokemon right now, but keep an eye out, it won't be too far off before we cover our first Pokemon with a Mega Evolution!
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I vote have it learn eq. Yeah. Most of the numbers would prolly be in defence, special defense and hp if it were to be a useful wall... Toxic, eq, recover (or something), fairy/steel stab of choice, protect (because EVERYTHING learns protect basically), scald (?)... I wanna design this thing now.
Almost all the big players have a diverse movepool/multiple viable sets. That's why they're big players.
Also... Don't hit me for this, but isn't mega blaziken basically the speed boost variety, without life orb access?
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Yeah, that was a jab at Sylveon's movepool =P
Mega Blaziken is marginally less powerful than LO Speed Boost Blaziken, but with higher Speed, slightly better bulk, and no Life Orb recoil.
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I know. But sarcasm doesn't come across well in text.
And fair enough. And honestly, a bit less power for the lack of recoil is a good payoff
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Speaking of Sylveon, I am surprised that you didn't mention Specs Sylveon. I've used it and honestly, it is insanely powerful. Hyper Voice backed by Specs and Pixilate hits incredibly hard, and Shadow Ball does dent the Steel types that may switch in on you (though you only get to hit Scizor on the switch or you risk dying).
Of course, the move pool can be a limitation, but I use Hyper Voice / Shadow Ball / HP Ground or Fire / Wish or Psyshock. You could use HP Fire over Shadow Ball and run Wish if you are desperate for a Wish user...
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Speaking of Sylveon, I am surprised that you didn't mention Specs Sylveon. I've used it and honestly, it is insanely powerful. Hyper Voice backed by Specs and Pixilate hits incredibly hard, and Shadow Ball does dent the Steel types that may switch in on you (though you only get to hit Scizor on the switch or you risk dying).
Of course, the move pool can be a limitation, but I use Hyper Voice / Shadow Ball / HP Ground or Fire / Wish or Psyshock. You could use HP Fire over Shadow Ball and run Wish if you are desperate for a Wish user...
The problem with specs sylveon is that, for the most part, Togekiss is just... better.
Firstly, Togekiss has 20 more base speed, letting it outspeed Blissey, Scizor & Tyranitar.
Secondlu, Togekiss has Fire Blast, letting it run HP ground without losing to Ferrothorn
Thirdly, Togekiss has a secondary STAB that has a 60% flinch rate.
Fourthly, It's more phyically solid thab sylveon.
Finally, Togekiss has 10 more SpA
Of course, Togekiss' primary STAB is significantly weakere (37 BP less), But it's better stats and movepool more than account for this.
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Aha! Great idea, Spriter, I don't know why I didn't think of that! And that marks a special occasion too! For the first time ever, I have edited the issue to include a new set, crediting you, Spriter! Thanks! ^_^
@Dick, it is an option, however, and Sylveon's easily spam-able Hyper Voice can make it an appealing one with the right support, so I very much encourage people to speak up with set ideas I may have missed! I still think Togekiss is the overall better choice, however, so I'm in agreement on most of what you've said. Still, Sylveon does lack a weakness to Stealth Rock, so that's handy.
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Togekiss is good, but without Roost, that SR weakness is a pain. So you lose out on running a coverage move (Aura Sphere / HP Ground), but it does have better stats and coverage. However, it doesn't like Ice type priority (Weavile / Mamoswine but Weavile is rare and Mamo beats both fairies anyways).
But in the end, Specs Sylveon mows down a lot of stuff.
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Can we just take a moment to leave theory and think about the implications of a steel fairy's design. I mean that thing could be absolutely awesome. Like a suit of armour type of thing maybe? Evolving from a good helmet (ie not shelmet)?
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*whispers* Shelmet was cute *whispers*
Also, no one has mentioned the fact that we already have Steel Fairies... or is this me missing out on part of the point altogether.
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but not one with Levitate. that was part of the point
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keep an eye out, it won't be too far off before we cover our first Pokemon with a Mega Evolution!
And I have a feeling I know who it is! I'm likely wrong, though.
I can't wait for the next issue.
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Sorry for the delay guys, this week I... just completely forgot! I'll have one written up asap! D:
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Sorry for the delay guys, this week I... just completely forgot! I'll have one written up asap! D:
Now that's an interesting plot twist!
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Sorry again for the delay! Heliolisk's issue is posted! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=48)
I really hope there aren't any typos or anything because I basically spent all night writing this and researching what Heliolisk can actually do because no one actually uses this in any competitive matches I've ever been in, and it's now 7 AM. I am quite ready for bed. My apologies once again.
That said, what do you think about Heliolisk? Is it too late to use a Pokemon that relies so heavily on weather to be effective? Do you wish he'd been around last generation too? Is looking badass enough of a justification to use him in OU? Post below!
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Well, I recommended some Pokémon some weeks ago just to avoid this analysis. It's hard to see a cool-looking lizard being outclassed like that. Darn, not even in Ubers does well, a tier where Ninjask and Ludicolo felt well. Its bane is being a Special Sweeper with no defences; hence, it is outclassed almost entirely by Jynx, who has a better STAB and Nasty PLOT, as well as the same ability. I am sure most Pursuit Trappers would likely kill it with no mercy, unless some shenanigans are applied.
Solar Power is like driving a Mercedes SL Gullwing; they are for sure some of the best sensations of the world, they are very powerful, but you know for sure you are going to easily die due to your own caprice. And, outside the Sun, Helio won't hurt that badly. The only niche I see for it is as a scout for Jellicent or bulky water types, since Helio does not mind getting burnt (it is going to die soon), usually carries two super-effective hits for it, is WAY faster and has a better beard (or at least Helio says so).
Thanks for your review, Richard.
PS: My requests are either Diggersby, Furfrou or Tyrantrum. Digger has been show to be dangerous if you don't know its item, Doge Furfrouer is as hard as a Hummer (although the Hummer is all-plasticky and cheap) and Tyrantrum can reliably lay rocks AND hit hard enough if given the chance (the problem is, of course, hitting).
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Delicious_Scout, your posts always make me laugh. In honor of that, one of those three will assuredly be the next PotW article.
After that, I have decided that it's time to branch out a bit! Gen 6 only introduced 69 new Pokemon, not counting event legends; what about the 649 we had before? What are they up to these days? I seem to recall seeing Charizard hovering around OU?! Politoed's usage has fallen? Venomoth is slaying Dragonite?! Keep an eye out for Pokemon of the Week #11, and every one after if you're interested in the state of the current metagame beyond the new Pokemon!
That said, I will still mix in new Pokemon every now and again too, but I'm kind of sick of just doing new mons every week. =P
/flies off to bed
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I'm very pleased to see that Heliolisk hovering around your sig. Looks fab.
Is looking badass enough of a justification to use him in OU?
I think we all know the answer to this question.
(the answer is yes.)
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I love Heliolisk, but I think the one change that would massively help it is if its base speed was inceased by 3 to 112, outspeeding Base 110's and whichever genie has 111 base speed.
That, and solarbeam xD
I really wish he was better though - why do GF make dinosaurs crappy? (Meganium, Heliolisk, Aurorus and Tyrantrum to extent)
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I really wish he was better though - why do GF make dinosaurs crappy? (Meganium, Heliolisk, Aurorus and Tyrantrum to extent)
I assume you don't count Tyranitar and Venusaur as Dinosaurs, and that GF =/= Girl Friend but Game Freak. But yes, Tropius is so Under Powered...
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I've heard that Charizards are lovely this time of year.
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Speaking of dinosaurs, Tyrantrum's issue is up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=49)
I hope you enjoy this issue, and look forward to next week when we begin discussing older Pokemon as well!
For now, what are your thoughts on Tyrantrum? How do you think he fairs in OU? Is his low Speed too much of a hindrance? Does his current lack of Rock Head make him not worth using? Is Rock Head even superior to Strong Jaw? Tell me what you think! :>
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On the first set, you've listed Earthquake "almost exclusively to deal with Aegislash", but Crunch has a higher base power on Strong Jaw sets (80*1.5 = 120). I know EQ eases King's Shield prediction, but Crunch has extra power and, although a small benefit, hits Levitate Bronzong and Air Balloon Metagross for SE damage.
Not saying replace it, more slash it.
On a side note, I actually don't run a Dragon move on Strong Jaw Tyrantrum, I find Ice Fang overall more useful, being able to deal with most Dragons Landorus-T and Gliscor better. But I'm weird like that and don't use STABs =P
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Aye, it's slightly more powerful, but being susceptible to King's Shield makes it a far worse option in my opinion. However, I do see your point, so I will slash it in, thanks!
Aaand yeah, I deliberated on that myself while building sets, but having a Dragon STAB is almost too useful to pass up, given the fantastic neutral coverage it nets. Fairy types aren't common enough to recommend going solo with Rock in terms of STAB. Ice Fang is a great option to deal with those two, however!
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Of course it had to be the dinosaur. Wanna walk it?
The analysis was what I expected from you, total and utter trash an excellent one; but I think you forgot some things.
For instance, Dick's point (the sky). Although I think any decent player would notice it without any help, it is nice to be written.
And you wrote about Bullet Punch, which bypasses Tyantrum's speed. You were just short about it. Not only Tyrantrum is weak to most powerful Bullet Punches, but also to Mach Punches, Ice Shards and, especially, Vacuum Waves (if one happens to see one in Standard, formulating a wish to it grants your desire).
Ah, bulkier sets. I have seen none, and it gets rocks and Dragon Tail with Stab. Although it is not very common, it can be very annoying if one happens to have removed Scizor and any special attacker some dangerous menaces.
gg
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Of course it had to be the dinosaur. Wanna walk it?
The analysis was what I expected from you, total and utter trash an excellent one; but I think you forgot some things.
For instance, Dick's point (the sky). Although I think any decent player would notice it without any help, it is nice to be written.
Crunch's limited use is the main reason I ignored it, given that there are so few common OU Pokemon that are hit harder by Crunch than Head Smash, and Earthquake's coverage for Steel types is more important than covering a few Pokemon that are mostly KO'd by either Head Smash or Earthquake anyway.
And you wrote about Bullet Punch, which bypasses Tyantrum's speed. You were just short about it. Not only Tyrantrum is weak to most powerful Bullet Punches, but also to Mach Punches, Ice Shards and, especially, Vacuum Waves (if one happens to see one in Standard, formulating a wish to it grants your desire).
I will edit in a small section noting his weakness to common priority, however Tyrantrum's physical defense is enough to take common priority that isn't backed by Technician, so it's not a huge concern. Vacuum Wave would be something to be worried about if anything common used it. With Mega Luke's ban from OU, I can't think of many things that would ever use this move, but feel free to let me know if you think of a Pokemon who commonly runs Vacuum Wave in OU!
Ah, bulkier sets. I have seen none, and it gets rocks and Dragon Tail with Stab. Although it is not very common, it can be very annoying if one happens to have removed Scizor and any special attacker some dangerous menaces.
No, this is simply not viable for what Tyrantrum is and does, and I'll not create a gimmick set that may sway someone into using something terrible in OU.
gg
Responses in bold.
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Just want to say that even if I'm not much of a battler these are always an interesting read! Thanks for doing them, Richard! ^.^
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Aww, thanks Claire! That's really nice to hear! ^_^
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You can safely assume that the other fossil pokemon is the next PotW
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You can safely assume that the other fossil pokemon is the next PotW
Implying it can be used in OU. Seriously, the only other three fossils that are viable in OU without any risk are Kanto's (all of them are suicidal), while Rampardos and Archeops can be used if one has SERIOUS GUTS.
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Aurorus has a kinda-useful niche with Snow Warning. It gains no benefits from it, given Hyper Voice is very slightly weaker than blizzard but ignores subs if it goes refrigerate. I don't think even snow warning compensates for 4x Fighting and steel weakness though =/
Implying it can be used in OU. Seriously, the only other three fossils that are viable in OU without any risk are Kanto's (all of them are suicidal), while Rampardos and Archeops can be used if one has SERIOUS GUTS.
I've used Archeops and Rampardos in the same team before xD
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Next week will not be Aurorus. If you've been keeping up with the updates here, you'll know that next week marks the first time we'll be taking a look at how some older Pokemon are doing in the current generation's metagame!
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*psst* crawdaunt? azumarill? im really a fan of these guys, theyre both interesting
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Well then, I was wrong. Let's see a mega evolver!
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It better be Shroomish
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Sorry to disappoint, Alex! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=50) This week we cover the Pokemon that defined the metagame last generation, but has had a rough transition with the change in instant weather abilities. Has the loss of infinite rain made Politoed a non-option in OU this generation, or are people overlooking a gem that can shine even stronger in this metagame without Gastrodon running around? Is Damp Rock enough to support a team that thrives on Rain? Discuss your thoughts on Politoed below!
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Greninja
Politoed@ Choice Scarf
Drizzle
Timid nature (+Speed, -Attack)
EVs: 252 Speed / 252 Sp. Attack / 4 HP
Hydro Pump
Surf
Ice Beam
Perish Song / Hypnosis / Encore
I lol'd at the name.
Seriously, there's people who still use both Ninetales and Politoed as reliable weather-inducers. Now they feel what hail teams felt in 5th gen; the weather they praise is gone after a few turns, but in 5th was because of the prevalence of rain and sun.
Politoed is still effective, perhaps not as much as it used to be, but can be quite useful; it can even be a partner with a fire type! Or you can use two weathers! However, I feel that those abilities should make weather last 7-8 turns without computing their rocks. Just my opinion.
Ah, scald is annoying.
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Hey guys. Things don't seem to working out very well for PotW this week. Got some stuff going on in my life that needs to be taken care of and I simply don't have the time or effort to get one up this week.
That said, a new issue will be up on the 30th, and will feature our first ever Mega Evolving Pokemon. Sorry for any inconvenience, guys.
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Well no one is gonna murder you for not having it up. You take your time, my friend.
I'm looking forward to it though. Here's hoping it's Mega Ampharos.
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Mega Amphy, Mega Luke, or Mega Blaze. One of the 3, please.
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show mega chomp some love because no one much gives it any ;~;
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Mega Amphy, Mega Luke, or Mega Blaze. One of the 3, please.
Not gonna happen for the last two; they are Über, remember?
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Well, speculation aside, I'm not against doing Uber reviews. Uber, as a tier, changes the least because nothing new is ever introduced to Uber - anything can be used in Uber, it's just chaos. It's a little easier to define than something like UU, RU, or NU, because those tiers fluctuate very frequently, and I'm just not interested in keeping up with them. Just clearing that up. ;)
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Then again, Milotic isn't really OU. So..... guess if you want RU NU or UU, you'll have to wait.
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Thanks for being patient everyone! This week, in celebration of my birthday week, we discuss my best buddy, Blaziken! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=51)
Yeah, yeah, I said PotW was for OU reviews, and for the most part it is, but here's the thing... I write this crap, I do what I want! xD
We'll get back to OU next week, and I promise it'll feature another Mega Evolution, for OU this time. I hope you enjoy! :)
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another great issue, and happy birthday! hope you had a good one!
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How about a Pokemon Spotlight on Clefable? I'd like to see what the one of the FIRST Fairy Pokemon that's been around since the beginning is capable of doing!
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another great issue, and happy birthday! hope you had a good one!
Bird-day? AKMkldmlakemdseeeeeeeee, I did not know. Crӕp.
Anyway, Blaziken, as many Übers, it keeps being very straight-forward and did not change a lot. Until one notices Groudon Freeman no longer gives ∞ Crowbars Sunlight; hence, the fact of choosing between the before-mandatory Fire Blitz and the before-forgettable Knock Off; since Übers is mostly full of non-Megas and Psy-types (HEEEEEEEY! SEXY MEW-TWO!), this is even more important.
In my opinion, Blaziken, being a base-80-speeded Pokémon, should have the priority to run Jolly if it choses to grab a round, hypnotic Purple Dragon Ball Life Orb. Too many Pokémon in Übers have a Choice Scarf, and some of them, although being base 90 with a positive nature, are still dangerous, so I, for one, would put "Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)/Adamant (+Att, -SpA)" instead of the current order.
I don't agree with Cpt. Jiggly. My gimmicky sets involving Clefable could be in danger if an issue is published. Please, don't. Instead, focus on Mega Heracross, the Mega who/wich/that needs no Attack Investment.
Regards.
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Adamant Mega Blaziken is faster and stronger than Jolly Life Orb Ken, hence why it's listed as the secondary option. The only reason you're using regular Ken in Ubers is either because Adamant LO has slightly more damage output (seriously, the difference is so minor it's not worth it), or you've got another Mega on your team. Not many Uber Scarfers sit at base 80 Speed, so you're not tying with a whole lot after one boost, honestly. After 2 boosts, Adamant and Jolly outspeed nearly all the same things. Even Kyogre sits at base 90, so it's really hard to justify Jolly in the Uber tier this time around.
another great issue, and happy birthday! hope you had a good one!
Thank you! It's actually this Thursday, and I have fancy plans for once! =3
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I for one, am hoping for a Landorus T issue. A premier physical wall in OU.
Then I read the article and your thoughts. You are really starting to scare me with how much we're alike. I'm really hoping you're not a clone of me, because, well..... for many reasons. This is creepy (Adding family issues at teen years to list of similarities.). I can see how you and blaziken are a part of each other, and if I were to face you in an ubers match.... well I'd lose as usual, but hey, at last I know what mega you're packing.
Birthday this thursday? The topic's mine, and none of you will get to make it! >:3
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Wouldn't you be a clone of me, since I was hatched around 9 years before you existed? v:
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Wouldn't you be a clone of me, since I was hatched around 9 years before you existed? v:
Time does not exist, it is a product of your imagination.
If Blazi gets two boosts, then it is unstoppable. If it gets one, or you are just too hasty to use it properly, Jolly should be used.
But if he is really a clone, then his name should be drahciR.
Unless there is any objection...
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Wouldn't you be a clone of me, since I was hatched around 9 years before you existed? v:
True. Ok..... if you lived in Ohio at one point, i'm checking myself into a mental hospital.
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Alright, enough! Blaziken is dumb and stupid! This week's Pokemon of the Week is me, Male Combee! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=52) Fear for your lives, mortal fleshbags!
(◣_◢) (◣_◢)
(◣_◢)
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Male Combee is so awesome that it is banned from Little Cup 8)
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ive not yet read it
but best issue
10/3
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This should be an official Smogon article. If you happen to like your articles posted there. Otherwise, the jewel of our crown.
Brilliant! How could I not see his utter magnificence!
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what's with the profile change? :wacko:
OH RIGHT YES OKAY APRIL FOOLS WHATEVER
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"The rapture is coming. And it smells like Honey."
I can't.
stay magnificent richard
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Well gosh, glad you all enjoyed it so much! Male Combee has gone to reap the souls of more victims, but perhaps he'll come back someday! PotW returns Sunday with regular issues! =D
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I know there were suggestions for which Mega to do for PotW, but I feel like this one is important for the time being. Mega Pinsir (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=53) is one of the biggest threats in the metagame, with very few counters available. This will help prepare you for what Mega Pinsir can do, and ensure that you're aware of how to retaliate when you encounter it. Hope you enjoy!
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I've always liked Pinsir but it is pretty hard to find one in the games that have it until this gen thanks to Friend Safari. I just really like it's design the most.
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Nice review. Is Aerilate spelled correctly? It looks wrong to me.
I also wonder if Talonflame can check him, or does Jolly Pinsir outspeed Adamant Talonflame?
Good read though, I've not looked much at mega pinsir since I had Y, so nice to see a bit about him.
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Nice review. Is Aerilate spelled correctly? It looks wrong to me.
I also wonder if Talonflame can check him, or does Jolly Pinsir outspeed Adamant Talonflame?
Good read though, I've not looked much at mega pinsir since I had Y, so nice to see a bit about him.
This is a question most battlers hate to argue about.
If Talonflame is running Sword Dance, no matter what Pinsir does, Talonflame will outspeed it, since Talonflame will be using 252 speed EVs.
339 is Pinsir's limit, and an Adamant (or neutral-speed-natured) Talonflame needs... 204 EVs in speed to speed-tie and 208 to get a trollish 340 speed.
However, Pinsir might run Feint, which is weak despite the +2 priority. Then, Talonflame will most likely win.
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Well, Delicious_Scout explained it as well as it needed to be. 208 Speed EVs are necessary to ensure you outspeed and check Pinsir with Brave Bird. It's not listed as a counter for obvious reasons, though.
Aye, Aerialate is spelled correctly (otherwise the ability wouldn't link to the page in the coding xD). :)
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! ^_^
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Aye, Aerialate is spelled correctly (otherwise the ability wouldn't link to the page in the coding xD). :)
Unless...the coding is wrong! *DUN DUN DUNNNN*
Excellent analysis. And nice one on the Combee analysis xD
Pinsir can be pretty terrifying. I've met my fair share and...it's nasty. SR could be mentioned as it does offer a way to wear it down to the point of uselessness.
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*googles Aerialate*
Did you mean: Aerilate
Looks like that database might be wrong.
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Huh, yeah, just checked in my own game, it is Aerilate! You learn something new every day! Ah well, I can't really change the database since I'm not the one that programmed it, but I'd be happy to do so if given permission (there are a few others I've noticed that are wrong as well, like Sand Rush and High Jump Kick now!). Either way, not a huge deal. :)
SR was mentioned briefly, but it's not as crippling because Pinsir only takes 25% from it and once Pinsir sets up, it usually doesn't switch out until it sweeps you or it dies.
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May I make a suggestion? RUN!
Mega-Pinsir does only have one set (being defensive is a gimmick I don't like for it), but that's a darn good one. You are most likely going to die in case you let it set up. I know because most of my Wi-Fi battles were won because of this Pokémon (and Garchomp and Cinccino). I would not even slash Close Combat, Rotom would still kill you. The difference in damage is very little, and Bronzong cannot touch Pinsir either, but this is my opinion.
Another suggestion: I would like to see a review for Infernape a defoger; they are just an odd mix. An example of Pokémon I would like to see more is Mandibuzz, which was access to Knock Off, as well.
Regards.
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Okay guys, this week, in honor of Charizard's triumphant return to Smash, we're going to be talking about our original favorite not-a-Dragon-dragon, Charizard (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=54).
Before reading, though, I want to say that due to a power outage, I lost half the article I was writing and had to stay up all night to rewrite it, which never turns out as well as the original. I'm extremely tired, so I hope the article came out alright anyway. Hope you guys enjoy!
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You must be very tired, not only because of your orthographic errors, but due to the fact there are more sets for both Charizards. We can work on them later on, if that is your wish.
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Gotta hand it to you, you always have something negative to say to me. :)
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Gotta hand it to you, you always have something negative to say to me. :)
*is given a coffee cup, Godot style*
*grabs it and shakes his head side to side*
(http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/296/7/d/objection_by_adamenvelope-d4dos33.png)
"Always" implies a continuation of given events, and I, as you know, have not known you since the beginning of the times! Moreover, I have not said anything negative related to you in my former post!
Your sarcastic smile: Gotta hand it to you, you always have something negative to say to me. :)
does not prove my intentions are bad. So, don Richard, do you have any evidence to prove that I am lying!
(I would like love to write Pokémon of the Week, if you were not being sarcastic, although with some help from, for example, you)
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Great article Rich, always good content from Pokémon Of The Week. I'm gonna have to go back and check out all the old articles soon, always learn a decent bit reading them.
Glad to see Charizard is doing better nowadays too, he's always been a really cool Pokémon.
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Charizard X's best set is a boosting one, it just is. It doesn't need additional coverage outside of 2 STABs and one situational coverage move for something like Heatran, so I'm not going to entertain that Charizard-X needs anything else. It could use special attacks, given the fantastic base 130 Sp. Attack, but there's not really much reason to do that when physical Charizard muscles through physical walls after a SD, and you're just better off using physical attacks.
Charizard-Y has a lot of options, but doesn't really need them. The only thing I didn't mention was Dragon Pulse/Hidden Power Ice, and that's mostly because the best Dragons are faster than Charizard and immediately threaten it, exception given to Dragonite.
There are other sets you could do, sure. You could do DD Charizard-Y, but it's inferior to Talonflame in many ways, and also inferior to Charizard-X. You could do weird Dragon Tail shenanigans or whatever, but these are the best sets for it in OU, and that's what I want to provide to the readers.
Your comments come off as condescending, especially that last one in parentheses. I put a lot of work into writing these articles every week for no other reason than to inform people of the best OU sets for Pokemon, in-game sets, and my thoughts, to sort of break the monotony of a wall of battling text and give the reader something that is hopefully at least mildly interesting to look forward to at the end. Your comments come off as ignorant. If you want to offer up suggestions for sets, that's fine, and has been done here in the past! I've even edited sets in and given credit to the person suggesting it. But arrogantly offering to take over PotW for me and possibly letting me help... that's pretty insulting, especially considering how much work I put into this for no personal payoff.
After posting my frustrations with losing half an article and losing an entire night of sleep, reading your comment as the first reaction to it was frustrating, and your following comment comes off as ignorant. If you don't have anything constructive to say about the current PotW issue at hand, take it to PM.
@Del: Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it :)
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Gotta hand it to you, you always have something negative to say to me. :)
Rich, please. If you went to school with the spoiled brats I call peers, you'd be used to it. Bonus points for the sarcastic smile, though.
I'm actually also glad that Chary got a revamp. I've used Charizard X before, it's really good (out of my top 5 megas, however. T-Tar beats it out.) and finally got the dragon typing everyone wanted for it.
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Well...
I could try to defend myself, but that would be pointless (no, I will in just one thing: my "you must be tired" was not written with sarcasm). Although I did not intend to hurt your in a way or another, I did, so I beg for your pardon. However, I can not ensure I will not do the same through time; I still believe Charizard can run other sets, but they are more... obscure.
I guess that I should have said it before closing my two other comments... good article. My fault and non-verbal communication's one.
@ShinyBlaziken How could you think I am a spolied brat! Everyone knows I am a Dolan! And, whenever you are done with the Blaziken, I would like to give your Cheryl to you.
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God, Scout. Don't you ever shut your fat nonsensical mouth? Let's get back on topic here instead of clashing horns like a bunch of frustrated Tauros. That means everyone.
Rich: another great article, although I have to really read it to understand what's going on most of the time that's only because I don't battle competitively. Your articles do help the learning process along though and I like reading it just to see what sets ought to be used and your opinions. IMHO there are probably only a few better competitive battlers/teachers but I don't know any of them obvs.
I'd like to see what you'd do with Carbink or Avalugg :-)
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@ShinyBlaziken How could you think I am a spolied brat! Everyone knows I am a Dolan! And, whenever you are done with the Blaziken, I would like to give your Cheryl to you.
1. You aren't a peer. A peer is someone of your age that you go to school or work with. You live in a different country and are 5 years older than me. Anyways, I was referring to the kids at my school.
2. I've been lazy and haven't raised the torchic yet.
I'd like to see what you'd do with Carbink
3. Thinking about breeding one of those.
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I think you've covered the main reasons to use charizard in the article well =) I'd like to see your take on Deoxys-s I'm finding it fits onto most of my teams because of how versatile it is.
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Following the theme of Fire/Flying Pokemon (This was actually completely unintentional and I just now realized it, oops), this week we'll be discussing Talonflame (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=55)!
How do you feel about Talonflame in the metagame? Do you get frustrated with it, or is it rarely a problem for you? How do you prepare for it? Should it be sent to the land of Ubers with his friend Ho-Oh? Let me know what you think!
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I'm a little disappointed that given the date it's not a grass type Pokemon
I guess given the flame in its name it's a fire type though so I guess it'll be blazing. It'll do.
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What's so special about - OH MY GOD WHY DIDN'T I DO DIGGERSBY OR LOPUNNY?! FFFFFFF... well I messed up. Forgive me ;-;
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shouldve done zekrom it gets turboblaze
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I agree with Richard up to some point. It was very annoying for me at first (now it is just annoying), but there are (a) few ways to deal with it. One can lure it and use a Rock-Move to take it down, but Rock-Type Moves tend to miss quite a lot, so it could not be as good as expected. Luring this way can be done with Pokémon either weak to one of its STAB or a Pokémon that forces another one out, like a Pokémon with Intimidate. Granbull can be useful here, but it requires gust, a lot of support and, again, not to miss with Stone Edge, although you can use Bulk Up over and over to try again. Oh, and if one find bulky variant of Talonflame, this does not work that well.
The other one is killing it with faster priority, but Talonflame MUST be very weakened. Arcanine's access to Intimidate just forces Talonflame out, and, in case Talonflame stayed, just would take very little from Extreme Speed.
The addition of the berry-powered attacks was excellent; very few people realise this deadly combo. Great job.
Ah, and ShinyBlaziken asked me to ask you whether I could sell in my store what I intended to sell you in yours. I am not very comfortable asking this, by the way.
I am so uncomfortable I will just add a dancing Miror B., the best character in all Pokémon series (for me) ;P:
(http://1-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/vp/image/1364/12/1364120847523.gif)
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but there are (a) few ways to deal with it. One can lure it and use a Rock-Move to take it down, but Rock-Type Moves tend to miss quite a lot, so it could not be as good as expected.
Skill link Cloyster may be able to tank a hit and use rock blast to OHKO.
Ah, and ShinyBlaziken asked me to ask you whether I could sell in my store what I intended to sell you in yours. I am not very comfortable asking this, by the way.
Actually, I only suggested asking. The real person asking is you, Scout. Don't drag me into this. I'm also kinda curious to when he'll open his store again, if he does.
What's so special about - OH MY GOD WHY DIDN'T I DO DIGGERSBY OR LOPUNNY?! FFFFFFF... well I messed up. Forgive me ;-;
It's cool, Rich. Birds that cook themselves are a lot cooler than some stupid rabbit.
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Skill link Cloyster may be able to tank a hit and use rock blast to OHKO.
Actually, I only suggested asking. The real person asking is you, Scout. Don't drag me into this. I'm also kinda curious to when he'll open his store again, if he does.
It's cool, Rich. Birds that cook themselves are a lot cooler than some stupid rabbit.
Cloyster has this ability, but you are not luring Talonflame with a Pokémon that has at least one Super Effective move against it. Furthermore, as far as I see, Cloyster would be heavily injured against that match, rendering it almost dead-weight within its team. Or if it makes the mistake to set-up, then it is dead, since Talonflame would not doubt and kill it; and even if both set up at the same time, Talonflame would just win unless Cloyster had a Focus Sash... and a critical hit in its own favour. Granbull is less obvious, and even Talonflame resists its STAB.
No, you asked me to ask, so I am asking in your name, the one who asked me to intend to ask him so I could ask myself if I could keep asking myself about asking customers to ask me to ask him to sell those Pokémon... yes, I just messed up...
ASK NICOLE.
And those rabbits have at least two effective sets with multiple slashes, they could deserve some attention, especially now because they were banned from UU some little time ago.
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To the above user, here's my direct quote:
Ask Rich about it, he may not mind you selling stuff he does, because he's not running his store now, I think.
Did I ask you to ask him? No. I just said you could ask, it was your decision to ask or not.
Getting back on topic, the self roasting birds was a joke.
@Rich, I use U Turn, Brave Bird, Flare Blitz, and Roost with a Life orb. It's been pretty good so far.
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Not sure what you're asking, but anything I sold in my shop may be re-sold in your shop. I don't mind that at all. My shop is unlikely to re-open, since I have or can get nearly everything I want and don't have much time for breeding anymore.
On topic: I agree somewhat D_C, but it's not a surefire way to deal with it, and if the lure isn't effective you're going to have a rough time dealing with Talonflame. Pursuit TTar can be pretty effective, especially after it already locked itself into a STAB.
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Well Rich, Scout will be delighted to hear that. Also, I may get a choice band for pursuit switches on my friend's Rotom-M who TrickScarf's my Aegislash.
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A tip for Rotom-W - Mega Venusaur stops anything it can do, including Trick, since Mega Stones cannot be removed. It doesn't mind Hydro Pump or Volt Switch, and special variants don't care that much about Will-o-Wisp either. Giga Drain, Sludge Bomb, Synthesis, HP Fire / Leech Seed. Try it out some time!
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Good to know. I've just got to breed one now, and hope someone actually uses Rotom W.
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A tip for Rotom-W - Mega Venusaur stops anything it can do, including Trick, since Mega Stones cannot be removed. It doesn't mind Hydro Pump or Volt Switch, and special variants don't care that much about Will-o-Wisp either. Giga Drain, Sludge Bomb, Synthesis, HP Fire / Leech Seed. Try it out some time!
........A USE FOR MY SHINY BULBASAUR!!!! xD
Anyway, great article as usual, and I know you've already told me the natural gift thing but it's still an awesome trick I wouldn't have thought of ^^
I think the thing stopping Talonflame being banned is not only stealth rock, but also it's mediocre attack (it HAS to boost it somehow) and it's reliance on recoil moves, which very often stop it's sweep early, especially if the opposing team has a pink blob.
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It'll die from recoil against Blissey, sure...but Blissey will also be dead, paving the way for powerful special sweepers. And of course, I don't think Blissey is around that much.
Scary thing is, if it runs fighting type Natural Gift and SD...not gonna end well.
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It'll die from recoil against Blissey, sure...but Blissey will also be dead, paving the way for powerful special sweepers. And of course, I don't think Blissey is around that much.
Sorry, what I'm trying to say is that the likes of Blaziken and MegaLuke could 6-0 sweep with ease after one turn of set up, Talonflame generally kills three things at best before succumbing to recoil, so whilst I do think it is too powerful for OU, I'm saying that I think this may be partially the reason it hasn't been banned as it's not capable of a 6-0 as easily as the things that have been banned.
...that probably made no sense xD
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^I got it. And Dick kinda has a point. The recoil will screw Talonflame over unless it roosts, when give a setup chance, or a chance to ohko with a powerful stab move with type advantage. Well, unless it has a sitrus berry.
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Healing (/) Wish support can allow it to punch holes into the opposing team multiple times as long as Stealth Rock is on the field. Latias can provide Defog, Dual Screens and Healing wish, which can allow you to weaken counters early in the game, then come in fully restored later and pull off a sweep. Sky Plate SD Talonflame can do this very well, feigning Choice Band early on, then coming in late and pulling off an SD sweep.
It's not that Talonflame is inherently overpowered, it's that we don't currently have enough good Pokemon in the metagame that take his STABs well, so you have to use one of a few counters if you want a serious OU team. It's over-centralizing and annoying.
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Talonflame is actually the third Pokemon I've ever caught and raised myself in one single game up to level 100. The return of the Exp. All made it possible.
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This week I'm covering one of my current favorite Pokemon to use in battling. Conkeldurr (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=56) is one of the better Fighting types this time around, and Assault Vest has helped it reach this level of popularity. What do you think about Conkeldurr? Can you get over his stupid name and clown nose to even consider using him? Is he a threat to your team, or is he a free switch to your Mega Venusaur? Let me know what you think!
Edit: I didn't include a Bulk Up set because it's impractical in the current metagame. Talonflame's Brave Bird deals upward of 80% after you've used Bulk Up, and it doesn't perform very well in the current metagame. I know it'll be brought up if I don't mention it, so I'm mentioning it. Don't use it.
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You know what's REALLY crazy? This week's Pokemon of the Week on blocked is ALSO Conkeldurr! Weird....
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You know what's REALLY crazy? This week's Pokemon of the Week on blocked is ALSO Conkeldurr! Weird....
You know what is really, really insaiyan? That in blocked Assault Vest is a secondary option, saying that Conkeldurr would be unable to use the guts set.
And Richard is laughing out loud right now…
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Very true. It could still be hit by Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, and even Thunder Wave while holding an Assault Vest. Guts STILL would be activated by then.
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blocked's POTW pales in comparison, honestly. They said that the punches are actually illegal as it is...which is actually untrue O.o
Iron Fist SubPunch didn't get much of a mention on that one either (and it's fantastic actually, I've used it before).
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blocked's POTW pales in comparison, honestly. They said that the punches are actually illegal as it is...which is actually untrue O.o
Iron Fist SubPunch didn't get much of a mention on that one either (and it's fantastic actually, I've used it before).
I beg to disagree up to some point. The reason why I am not using Conkeldurr in X/Y is because I can not access to the move tutors; hence, Conkeldurr has less mvoes than Flareon. A transfer is required, and perfect Pokémon from there -withouth RNG abusing- are darn hard to get.
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I run the conk with SheerOrb, yet the LO damage isn't negated. I was told the orb damage wouldn't happen. Why is that?
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Because Drain Punch does not have a secondary effect; hence, the damage is not negated. The only thing whose damage you are negating are the elemental punches and few things more.
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Well... this was an odd coincidence. Thanks for all the praise, guys! I put a lot of work and research into this, and I guess it shows! I don't really read blocked's PotW very often, but as we posted the same one I gave their's a read... how they could think that AV Conk isn't the standard set is a bit baffling, and not even giving it a set is silly. LO Sheer Force is an option that I forgot to mention, in all honesty. I don't think it's bad, but it's also susceptible to Burn and its STAB doesn't take advantage of it, and Knock Off is too good to not use on Conk, so... it's just not really worth it, imo. Rock Slide isn't overly useful when Talonflame is OHKOing you before you can use it.
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Because Drain Punch does not have a secondary effect; hence, the damage is not negated. The only thing whose damage you are negating are the elemental punches and few things more.
It's supposed to negate the damage from LO, then deal extra with the ability.
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Sheer Force doesn't effect moves with draining effects
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Yeah, sheer force negates LO recoil IF a secondary effect is present. Healing, like recoil, is a PRIMARY effect and so isn't counted.
On a more on topic note, I've already told you what I think of the article, Richard, but yeah, it's good as usual, especially as I'd never really used Conkeldurr before because, as you said in your 'my thoughts' section it's an ugly clown thing, but now I might see about using it at some point... Maybe next time I need a knock off-er I'll try it.
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I am still not convinced of Conkeldurr. Both with and without predictions, it dies too quickly in my hands and does not do what I expect it to do. Moreover, I do not have any 5th GEN game, so I can not have an Ice Punch one.
Of course, that implies I can deal with it by myself as well, and Tangrowth does this pretty well, as well as Gyarados, and suicide users.
But... NO WAY! Conkeldurr is a very good Pokémon! Use it!
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Yeah, sheer force negates LO recoil IF a secondary effect is present. Healing, like recoil, is a PRIMARY effect and so isn't counted.
Oh... Oh! Ok, thanks for explaining that.
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Thanks Dick! Yeah, Conk is best used on Bulky Offense teams with Wish support, which is why it works so well for me, but it wouldn't do too well in stall or hyper offense, since it doesn't have a reliable healing method and isn't fast enough for hyper offense. It depends on what kind of team you're using and your playstyle. :)
Also, a small note here, I've gone back and added base stats to every 6th Gen PotW article and will be adding them to all future articles as well, since they're just handy to know right off the bat when you're reading about a Pokemon.
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After realizing that I hadn't talked about any of the good Fairy types in OU, this week's focus is Azumarill! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=57)
What do you think about Azumarill? Is Water/Fairy type troublesome for your team, or do you pack one of Azumarill's hard counters? Is Mega Venusaur too big an issue for Azumarill to be used in the current metagame? Is Belly Drum even worth it? Let me know what you think!
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I'm not sure if this is worth noting anywhere, but with 244 Speed EVs, adamant Azumarill outspeeds 0 Speed Modest Venusaur, which especially on BellyJet let it deal with it much more effectively. Also, BellyJet OHKOs Venusaur with Play Rough on the switch, and has around 40% chance to OHKO mega Venusaur after rocks. So basically running 244+ Speed EVs pretty much nullifies Venusaur being a counter, as they can't switch into Aqua Jet followed by Play Rough after BD, and can barely switch into Belly Drum followed by play rough, and can't always if SR is up.
Not saying 244 speed EVs should be standard or anything because for the most part it prefers the bulk, and Rotom-W is often a bigger problem, but if you're using BellyJet there's not much you can do to stop Rotom-W anyway, sooooo...
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Oh, that's actually a very good note, Dick! I'll edit that in as something worth mentioning. As you said, it's definitely not the standard by any means, and that also makes it harder to setup, given that you have less of a chance to survive a hit and BD in the same turn, but ideally you're doing that on the switch anyway. Thanks!
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Itty-bitty nitpick. In the In Game Information, you said that Thick Fat helps against fire and water. Isn't it fire and ice? After all, isn't Thick Fat part of why Mega Venusaur is such a wall? Sorry to nitpick...
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Ah, yes, thanks for pointing that out! Just a slip of the mind on my part, I'm afraid. Water and Ice are similar and Azumarill resists both, so it was a mental slip up. But thank you, I appreciate it! :)
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You're welcome. Speaking of the giant dino-plant, is an issue for it coming up at any point? And would you say that there's a viable set for mega Blastoise in OU?
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Quite possibly, on both accounts! Mega Blastoise is a fantastic spinner, and one with an actual offensive presence! The problem with Blastoise is that it has no recovery outside of Rest and forces you to give up your mega slot for a Pokemon that neither excels offensively or defensively, and serves a niche on your team that is usually better filler by a Defogger. Still, offensive sets can be decent and Blastoise's offensive movepool isn't bad at all. I'll get into a Mega Blastoise article soon-ish, but it'll probably come after Venusaur. Might as well do all 3 of the Kanto starters!
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Alright. So I'll be looking forward to those. Still trying to decide what my core will be for when i (finally) get x or y.
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Well... this is Azumarill. Apart from other Azumarill who run more speed, most Rotoms, (Mega)Venusaur, Physically Defensive MegazardX (they exist, although they are scarce, they are a threat), Jellicent (I DO use it since I have means to keep Aegislash out), Aegislash (mindgames) and prosecutors, only imaginative way of defeating it can be applied. For example, a U-turn chain formed by Landorus-Simba is risky but worth of consideration, Jolly-Intimidate-Substitute Gyarados can set-up on it in case Gyarados is played by a smart player and can muscle Azumarill... anything else?
Nothing else to say.
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Been a crazy week, and I've been sick for half of it, and busy for the other half. PotW will be up by tomorrow night. It's half done, I'm just too exhausted to finish it. I'll say this though: it's on a Pokemon that can Mega Evolve! ;)
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Well... this is Azumarill. Apart from other Azumarill who run more speed, most Rotoms, (Mega)Venusaur, Physically Defensive MegazardX (they exist, although they are scarce, they are a threat), Jellicent (I DO use it since I have means to keep Aegislash out), Aegislash (mindgames) and prosecutors, only imaginative way of defeating it can be applied. For example, a U-turn chain formed by Landorus-Simba is risky but worth of consideration, Jolly-Intimidate-Substitute Gyarados can set-up on it in case Gyarados is played by a smart player and can muscle Azumarill... anything else?
Nothing else to say.
Hold on. Azumarill isn't typically a very fast pokemon, barring aqua jet. If we're talking about a choice band set, although azumarill is quite bulky, I don't think he's as strong as you seem to be making him out to be. For a start, Rotom-W is pretty damn common and can cause severe headaches for an azumarill, as you've mentioned already. Because it has choice band, its locked into one move, and this eases prediction by a ton. When the Azumarill uses any move other than Aqua Jet, then you can switch in all kinds of speedy sweepers, like Gengar or Alakazam, and threaten a Sludge Bomb or Energy Ball respectively.
Even against the Belly Drum variant, if Azumarill doesn't use Aqua Jet, then it should be easy to outspeed it for the KO. Even then, I feel like there's enough distribution of priority moves to deal with it. You've already mentioned Aegislash, but Dragonite is also a potential candidate. It risks getting hit hard by a Play Rough, but Dragonite can always get the first jump with Extremespeed. Since the Belly Drum set seems to be a lot less bulky than the CB set, that's bound to do some damage.
Meh, did some calcs, Play Rough does way too much damage and ES from Dragonite only does about 50-60% in return, with CB. That's almost enough to KO but with Sitrus Berry, Azumarill will be able to barely live. Scizor likewise just misses out on that KO. Jeez, even Ferrothorn gets one-shot by Superpower.
Still, the critical moment for beating a Belly Drum Azumarill comes from the turn in which it uses Belly Drum. A lot of pokemon with priority can 2HKO a weakened Azumarill, as I've hopefully demonstrated.
What I'm trying to say, is that Azumarill's weakness is its speed and its halved health/locked move. That's not a particularly hard wekaness to capitalize on, even though I might not have really done a good job of showing that.
And how does your U-turn chain work? Surely both of those pokemon are weak to water type attacks.
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Well, it happened again. I began writing this on Tuesday, but got sick on Wednesday, and finished writing today... and our Pokemon of the Week is the same as blocked's again. I swear, I couldn't plan this if I tried, I don't even visit their site or read their articles very often. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this week's slightly late PotW: Garchomp (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=58). Sorry again for the delay. :<
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Well, it happened again. I began writing this on Tuesday, but got sick on Wednesday, and finished writing today... and our Pokemon of the Week is the same as blocked's again. I swear, I couldn't plan this if I tried, I don't even visit their site or read their articles very often. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this week's slightly late PotW: Garchomp (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=58). Sorry again for the delay. :<
Would you say that the speed drop on mega-garchomp means that it's never worth using a mega evolution to pull off a fast sweeper type of set? I suppose if it had dragon dance it might be viable but... it doesn't.
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I think the tags got messed up a but on the SD set - Substitute appears really weirdly with the table row tags in ^^
But, as for the actual content, I thought it was really good, and after using SubSD Garchomp I kind of want to try out a new set, so this'll definitely be my first port of call.
I see MegaChomp as Kyurem-B for sand; Sand Force basically becomes life orb without recoil, and he has near identical stats, so that's just kind of how I'd use him.
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Richie, it happened again! Garchomp is ALSO blocked's Pokemon of the Week!
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Hahex - Yeah, LO regular Chomp is stronger and faster unless you have Sand up, but even so... it's a lot of maintenance to ensure MegaChomp is useful when you can just use a better Mega and regular Chomp.
Dick - Fixed, thanks! Yeah, the only thing is Kyu-B doesn't require Sand to retain its power. =/
Captain Jigglypuff - Yeah, like I said, complete coincidence. Hopefully mine's a bit more enjoyable. =P
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(http://i58.tinypic.com/2zdppv8.jpg)
man, I wish.....
good article rich! o/
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So reading this article has inspired me to go and EV train myself a Garchomp. The thing is, my one is Adamant natured, meaning it's too slow for a Choice Scarf set and not viable for a mixed Mega-Garchomp set, since it has -Sp.Atk. Do you reccomend a Swords Dance set or a Choice Band set? And do I keep the EVs at 252Atk/252Spd/4HP?
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So reading this article has inspired me to go and EV train myself a Garchomp. The thing is, my one is Adamant natured, meaning it's too slow for a Choice Scarf set and not viable for a mixed Mega-Garchomp set, since it has -Sp.Atk. Do you reccomend a Swords Dance set or a Choice Band set? And do I keep the EVs at 252Atk/252Spd/4HP?
No, no! Garchomp is still viable with Adamant nature! What you might mean is "outclassed"! It can still hit quickly, but not quick enough against many other threats, but MUCH harder. And for Mega-Chomp, it gets a non-redundant STAB compared to Kyurem-B. It needs much more support, but it is good. The Spread for Choice items is ideal, but I would go bulkier with Mega (I haven't found THE spread yet). Paired with Tyranitar, they can do serious damage.
Just remember; support it via paralysis, sticky web and Tyranitar and you'll have a very nice Pokémon in your hands.
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I'd actually recommend Choice Band or Scarf if you're going with Adamant, but that's just me. Choice Band with Adamant nature is pretty terrifying, and Adamant Scarf hits much harder as a revenge-killer than Jolly does. Jolly is still preferred in competitive, but Adamant does give you a significant boost in power in both of these roles. MegaChomp requires so much support, it's just not worth it imo.
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Just dropping in to say, I really enjoy reading these, even though I don't do much battling these days! It's always nice to hear other people's take on certain pokemon.
I liked the bit you had ages ago where Kay/Tim (iirc) talked about the pokemon's name or design.
I'd love it if you did Noivern at some point, or maybe some 3rd gen Pokemon to celebrate or/as release :3
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Just dropping in to say, I really enjoy reading these, even though I don't do much battling these days! It's always nice to hear other people's take on certain pokemon.
I liked the bit you had ages ago where Kay/Tim (iirc) talked about the pokemon's name or design.
I'd love it if you did Noivern at some point, or maybe some 3rd gen Pokemon to celebrate or/as release :3
Aww, thank you! These kind of comments really do mean a lot to me! The Unearthed section probably won't make a return unless someone else is willing to write it. Both Kay and Tim are far too busy these days, and I can't do that section justice (plus it usually takes me the full week for research and writing), but I wouldn't mind having others try to write that, or even submit their own idea for a new section in PotW. Seriously, I'm very open to having co-writers and new sections in the article if it's an appealing idea and fits with the article!
As for 3rd gen Pokemon, I've actually been trying to stay away from them until the OR/AS release because I have a feeling more megas are on the way. Once OR/AS hits, though, expect to see a bunch of our Hoenn friends being discussed!
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Aww, thank you! These kind of comments really do mean a lot to me! The Unearthed section probably won't make a return unless someone else is willing to write it. Both Kay and Tim are far too busy these days, and I can't do that section justice (plus it usually takes me the full week for research and writing), but I wouldn't mind having others try to write that, or even submit their own idea for a new section in PotW. Seriously, I'm very open to having co-writers and new sections in the article if it's an appealing idea and fits with the article!
As for 3rd gen Pokemon, I've actually been trying to stay away from them until the OR/AS release because I have a feeling more megas are on the way. Once OR/AS hits, though, expect to see a bunch of our Hoenn friends being discussed!
Okay, I'm still pretty new here so I had no idea there ever was a section like that in PotW, and I'm not really sure where to find it, but if you could link it to me so I can see how they did it and if I'd be able to do something similar, I'd love to do it.
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It was back in the 5th generation articles, and only a few of them were done. This (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=6) is the first one that was done. :)
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That looks pretty interesting, I'd love to try it. My writing style would probably be a little different, of course, but that's to be expected. It looks like it'd be a lot of fun to write.
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I'll PM you for a sort of trial run thing. :)
Likewise, if anyone else wants to contribute to PotW, any ideas are always welcome!
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How about a PotW on Mewtwo and its Mega Evolutions?
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I'll get to those at some point, sure. :)
PotW's main focus is the OU metagame, but I've been known to dip into Ubers every now and then too, so it wouldn't be a problem. One thing I will say is that hopefully OR/AS will give Mewtwo Superpower as a tutor, because Mega Mewtwo X sucks pretty badly, with only Low Kick as a means of Fighting STAB. It's not a bad move, but Superpower would be more reliable overall.
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This week we're going to be discussing the second of six Pokemon that I myself use in current OU, Venusaur! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=59)
How do you feel about Venusaur? Is Chlorophyll sweeping still an option? Is Mega Venusaur worth your Mega slot with things like Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, and Latios around? Is the butt flower too embarrassing to overcome?!
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There should be little doubt that Venusaur is very well worth the Mega slot. Having something that can take on even Fire types (not Talonflame though) or Ice types like Mamoswine and come out on top is neat, but when it takes on Azumarill and such so well...it's hard to not justify the slot on your team.
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Honestly, I have a lot more trouble with a very tanky, stall based venasaur. He takes little damage, and what damage you can dish out is neutralised by his leech seed and giga drain.
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Honestly, I have a lot more trouble with a very tanky, stall based venasaur. He takes little damage, and what damage you can dish out is neutralised by his leech seed and giga drain.
It's not very good with such offensive behemoths around, such as Mega Pinsir, Latios, etc. I prefer having the ability to actually deal with threats, rather than mildly pester them while immediately being forced out. Defensive M-Venu isn't bad, but it's not threatening whatsoever. It just sits there.
Anyway, it's a new week, and to round out the coverage of Kanto starters, we'll be discussing Blastoise (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=60) this week! Since my articles are about OU (unless the Pokemon in question is Uber), we'll be talking about how well Blastoise does in the OU metagame. What do you think of Blastoise? Is the lack of recovery too much of a problem? Is Mega Launcher backed by 135 Sp. Attack enough to carve a niche for it as an offensive Pokemon in OU, or is it too outclassed by Keldeo and Rotom-W in terms of overall usefulness? Discuss!
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To be honest, I almost never see Mega Blastoise in OU or UU. Oh, and Xatu this gen is NU at the moment, I use it in RU to troll.
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I love how mega blastoise is awful because I hate it so much xD
But, I think it's main problem comes in that if you're using it on an offensive team you're not using Pinsir or Charizard,and if you're using it on a defensive team you're not using Venusaur, so it doesn't have any reason to be used in OU, especially when there are much better ways of getting rid of rocks (See Latias, Excadrill, Starmie etc.)
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How about an issue dealing with Malamar? I think it'd be an interesting Pokemon to discuss.
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I may do Malamar some time in the near future, but you may not like what I have to say about its ability in OU. ^^;
Anyway! It is a new week, and we're covering a Pokemon I've been using a lot recently! This week we're discussing Bisharp! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=61)
This is also an important issue, because it marks the re-birth of Pokemon Unearthed, written by the wonderful Dragoncat (http://pkmn.net/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=53747), who has given some of her free time each week to help me out!
I hope you all enjoy the issue, and especially Unearthed! Discuss Bisharp below! :)
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Unearthed made a fantastic addition to the article. I loved it, Cat. This sort of stuff is always what I like to read. It also works well with the issue as it sort of 'coloured it in' as it were, it's easy to see a Pokemon using Night Slash with the little animation but now I can clearly picture Bisharp 'mincing' the competition. Assured to say, it made me smile :-)
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Bad Bisharp. Don't stab Richard. Or Dragoncat. I'll sick Blaziken on you. ...good. Now stay there. I SAID STAY.
Excellent issue. I'm glad to see the return of Unearthed. I may have to put a Bisharp in the team I might be making (along with SubToxicQuake Gliscor). ...hm. Bisharp, Gliscor, MoxieMence, Heatran, Rotom W and something else. Could be fun.
Also, if i were any good at sculpting, i'd say that i would make a Pokemon chess set.
Get away from my Venusaur. Now.
Rich, I'm borrowing your Blaziken. I'll even take a derpape.
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Hey, quick update here: PotW will be delayed for a while, and I can't be sure when it'll be posted. I've gotten violently ill and I can't even stand looking at my laptop because of the headache. Sorry to disappoint you guys. :(
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the flus the worst man =/ hope you feel better soon, though!
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Thanks for understanding, and for being patient with me. I finally got over my flu Friday, which lasted a total of 8 days. But with me being better now, let's get this back on track! This week we'll be discussing one of the most used Pokemon in the current metagame, Excadrill! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=62)
What are your thoughts on Excadrill? Is Rapid Spin worth dedicating a team slot to anymore? Does Excadrill provide more than just Rapid Spin to earn his team spot? Is Sand Rush still viable? Discuss!
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Too bad the current spinners have to be totally offensive and lack any kind of recovery, because that would make Excadrill perfect. If happens to have an almost perfect synergy with Talonflame: Excadrill resists x4 the Rock-Type attacks and is immune to Electric; in return, Talonflame is immune to Earthquake (bar Gravity) and resits Fire. Nevertheless, both are weak to Water. Defensively, the best spinner for it is Forretress (and yet both lose to Fire), but it needs heavy predictions to use Rapid Spin, Volt Switch or deploying hazards. Offensively, Excadrill (Megastoise is hard to fit in any team, but it is pretty good, too). The best thing is that it does not heavily need Wish support because it is meant to MURDER. If using Assault Vest, it will just it once (on average). If struck by a physical hit, it will be in such a low health that it won't mind dying. It is not walled by Azumarill, which is not bad.
Ah, it might survive a Choice-Banded Aqua Jet, so another Pokémon like Meganectric can use Intimidate and scare it away.
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 168 HP / 0 Def Excadrill: 360-426 (89.3 - 105.7%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
In return...
60+ Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 195-229 (48.2 - 56.6%) -- 89.1% chance to 2HKO
(An intelligent Azumarill should use Waterfall instead, which is always a clean OHKO)
Honestly, I prefer Spinning like a goat rather than Defogging. The question is: what other Hazard setters can be used along with Excadrill? Heatran must run Air Balloon and loses to Water as well, Skarmory is another bird (if counting Talonflame)... hard decision.
Talking about Sand Rush:
Per se, it loses to Gliscor, Azumarill, Rotom-W, and Skarmory, four common Pokémon (a Sand Rush Pokémon rarely invests in HP). Anything else gets maimed if played properly. Nevertheless, I would play it in another way since Tyranitar and Hippowdon don't offer a very desired defensive synergy. Instead, a Wall-Breaker or Stall-Breaker set could be very nice to try. If going for a sweep, better pass a speed boost and substitute before.
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This week is a bit of a special one for me. It's my girlfriend's birthday today, so I've decided to put the Pokemon I had planned on hold until next week to focus on one of her favorites. But fear not! This one is also important to discuss with the current metagame, given the most recent nerf to Baton Pass (http://pkmn.net/forums/index.php?topic=105645.0). This week, we discuss Espeon (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=63).
What do you think about Espeon? Has the recent nerf made it an unreliable choice for OU, or do you just have to work harder for the same results as before the ban? Is Espeon worth using on teams that don't revolve around 3 dedicated Baton Passers? Discuss!
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Well, if anything keeps it in OU, it's the fact that it have Magic bounce, and it's offensive, and fast. I tried it in out, it didn't work well for me, but overall it's my favorite eeveelution, and one of my personal favorite pokemon (#4 on my favorites).
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Hey, Rich, I just sent the next Unearthed, but I think your inbox was full and I clicked out too fast and didn't save it to my sent messages, so I'm not sure.
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^Um..... that may be my fault. Sorry. :wub:
If you can type it out and send it to me, I could relay it to him. Or you could save it again.
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Just cleared out my inbox, sorry about that.
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Sorry about the slight delay... Shovel Knight is an addicting game, even after you've beaten it. You guys should get Shovel Knight.
Anyway! This week we're discussing one of my favorite Pokemon to use in competitive battles, Rotom-Wash! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=64)
Given his ability to counter top OU threats, I'd say Rotom-Wash is one of the Pokemon you should always consider for your team. But what do you think about Rotom-Wash? Let me know below! :)
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Rotom-Wash is a good stopper to Talontroll when using bold. It can be a bulky sweeper and a trick scarfer as well. It's versatile and annoying to get rid of sometimes.
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I'd just like to also say thanks again to dragoncat (http://pkmn.net/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=53747) for her continued contribution of the Unearthed section. It's certainly nice to have something else to add to the article, and I enjoy reading what she comes up with myself. :)
That aside, yeah, Rotom-W is great for many things. Such a fun Pokemon to use, and it's on pretty much all of my teams, which I'm sure serves as some sort of testament to it being a consistently good Pokemon in the metagame.
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^I know, since I somehow got it in-game, it hasn't left my battle box (since I use my party to hatch eggs). It's mainly about prediction. If you can predict correctly, the derpliance can cripple a team before going down with high damage, burns and (hopefully) paralysis.
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Remember to give your Rotom-W Calgon to prevent limescale erosion over the years =]
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tide master race imo
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Pokemon of the Week might be delayed this week. I'm beyond exhausted from work, Independance Day, and my niece's birthday, and I don't really have much of an excuse, aside from the fact that I am just too tired to do it. Probably will be postponed until next week, but the Pokemon I'm doing has at least 6 viable movesets, so hopefully that'll make up for it? :(
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nah, take your time rich. these are good reads, and its beyond me how you write this stuff nearly every week. and 6 movesets...damn.
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Thanks for the kind words, bread, and I'm glad you enjoy the articles! :)
This week we're returning with one of the most important Pokemon in the OU metagame since it had been released in generation 4, Heatran! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=65)
After a lot of writing and revising, I've determined that most of the sets Heatran was able to run last generation simply aren't viable anymore. TormenTran, Weather trapper, Stallbreaker, they're all either not viable, or just not good in the current metagame, and I'd rather only write sets for what you guys should be using, rather than tacking on additional sets just to make it longer.
All that said, I hope you enjoy! Also, great job again, Dragoncat, your Unearthed section is always a fun read! ^_^
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Heatran Unearthed was definately a very imaginative look at his design. Never really saw Heatran as some sort of synthesis of two world views, but this spin makes him look like a much more interesting pokemon now.
@Rich, would you ever reccomend air baloon on tanktran?
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I'd say it's viable, but definitely would not recommend it overall. If your aim is to tank with Heatran, the steady Leftovers recovery is incredibly helpful. Rotom-W makes a great partner, immune to Earthquake and resistant to Water. Pack something that resists or is immune to Fighting (Mega Venusaur actually forms a potent FWG core here, and I myself use this in standard OU, laddering at around 1700 elo). It depends on your team, but I'd say just bring something immune to EQ, unless you really hate opposing Heatran.
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Hey guys! This week's gonna be an interesting one; for the next two weeks, we'll be discussing one Pokemon! For this two-part special, we'll be discussing the two forms of Landorus! Given that they play so differently, they deserve their own issues. So, for this week, let's discuss Landorus-Incarnate! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=66)
What do you think about Landorus-I? Should it be banned again this generation like it was last generation? How do your teams deal with it? Is it powerful enough to be effective? Let me know what you think! Also, Unearthed will be returning next week, since we'll be covering the same Pokemon twice. :)
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A little disappointed there was no description of it having a cloud coming out of it's arse tbh =[
Otherwise, good as usual Richard!
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Sorry for the delay, I've gone out of town and have had some unexpected things turn up. Next week is shaky on whether or not I'll be able to get PotW up, but I will try as hard as I can.
Anyway, this week closes our two-part special on Landorus, covering his Therian form! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=67) How do you feel about Landorus-Therian? Do you like the Therian forms in general? Let me know! :)
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Yeah, I couldn't get PotW written in time. I'm back in town now, so next week it'll resume on Sunday as usual. Thanks for being patient, guys. :)
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Hey guys! Sorry about the delay, but Mawile's issue is now up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=68)
The fact that it coincides with Mawilite's suspect test is pure coincidence, as I had planned this issue for last Sunday before the test had been announced, but now is a great time to discuss Mawile, and Mawilite. How do you feel about it? Should Mega Mawile be banned?
In my opinion, the answer is yes. It's not the most pressing issue in the metagame at the moment, but it really has nothing that can switch into both movesets, and the highest immediate Attack in the game with access to Swords Dance and Sucker Punch is just too powerful for the metagame.
Discuss! :)
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mawile isnt too hard to deal with imo if you spam eq ^ ^;
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It's not about that, you have to switch something into it, and you really can't do that without being 1-2HKO'd by any given move on any set. Impish Landorus-Therian is nearly 2HKO'd and has no recovery, so it takes like 2 of these to wear it down to not even being a counter anymore. Heatran is met by a swift Focus Punch KO. Skarmory is 2HKO'd by Fire Fang or Focus Punch. What are you switching into Mega Mawile to beat it when it comes in on a Pokemon that can't do anything to it? Are you leaving that Pokemon in and allowing it to SD or Sub?
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I was tempted to say not much likes switching into Nidoking.
I really have not had problems with Mawile in the past, I don't see why it should be banned. Maybe I just conveniently packed 4-5 checks to it on one time, but I really haven't had many problems with it.
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Mawile can't be switched into, except for things like defensive Chandelure, no. But I don't think it's necessarily ban worthy because of many things;
-> The amount of people who say they haven't had any trouble with it is absurd. Whilst personal experiences aren't usually considered, when it's this many it clearly isn't unhealthy.
-> It can't switch in itself, very little struggles to not OHKO Mawile or cripple it in some other way.
-> While many things are 2HKOd, Mawile's low speed means it has to fully rely on forcing switches to deal damage.
-> It has a lot of checks, which generally make it manageable.
Whilst none of those are massive reasons for it not to be banned, together they show that it's not that bad. Just because little can switch in doesn't make it inherently overpowered, much like Spriters example of Nidoking which is nowhere near overpowered but is still very difficult to switch into.
Mawile struggles a fair bit at dealing with Hyper Offense, which doesn't have an Earthquake fair away at any time, too.
I don't think this ban is clear cut either way, but I would be in favour of keeping it for now, as it's clearly not the biggest problem and maybe the removal of the bigger problems would better highlight whether it is ban worthy or not. In other words, smogon screwed up the order as usual.
Edit: Also, nice work on the article, it's good as usual ^^
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Blaziken and Mega Blaziken can switch in easily to attack Mawile without even trying. I've done it before and a Flamethrower will usually take it out in one hit.
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Blaziken and Mega Blaziken can switch in easily to attack Mawile without even trying. I've done it before and a Flamethrower will usually take it out in one hit.
Blaziken is uber bro. chill
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252+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Blaziken: 334-394 (110.9 - 130.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Focus Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Blaziken: 371-437 (123.2 - 145.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Yeah, no, that isn't gonna work. Nevermind the fact that Blaziken is banned, Blaziken absolutely cannot switch into two of the most common attacks Mawile uses.
Mawile can't be switched into, except for things like defensive Chandelure, no. But I don't think it's necessarily ban worthy because of many things;
-> The amount of people who say they haven't had any trouble with it is absurd. Whilst personal experiences aren't usually considered, when it's this many it clearly isn't unhealthy.
This isn't true or even an argument. Check the Smogon thread, tons of people have trouble with Mawile, especially stall/defensive teams, which Mawile runs through easily.
-> It can't switch in itself, very little struggles to not OHKO Mawile or cripple it in some other way.
It comes in on defensive Pokemon and Subs or SDs on the switch.
-> While many things are 2HKOd, Mawile's low speed means it has to fully rely on forcing switches to deal damage.
Or just Sucker Punch, which forces a 50/50 of Sucker Punch or Focus Punch/Play Rough/Iron head.
-> It has a lot of checks, which generally make it manageable.
So does Blaziken.
Whilst none of those are massive reasons for it not to be banned, together they show that it's not that bad. Just because little can switch in doesn't make it inherently overpowered, much like Spriters example of Nidoking which is nowhere near overpowered but is still very difficult to switch into.
I strongly disagree.
Mawile struggles a fair bit at dealing with Hyper Offense, which doesn't have an Earthquake fair away at any time, too.
Heavy offense is built around fast, powerful, frail sweepers. Sucker Punch generally deals well with these Pokemon unless they resist it. Add Stealth Rock and MMaw deals very well with heavy offense, especially given partners like Lando-T or Rotom-W that deal with common EQers. Everything has type weaknesses, this isn't an argument for it not being broken or else Ho-Oh would be OU.
I don't think this ban is clear cut either way, but I would be in favour of keeping it for now, as it's clearly not the biggest problem and maybe the removal of the bigger problems would better highlight whether it is ban worthy or not. In other words, smogon screwed up the order as usual.
Edit: Also, nice work on the article, it's good as usual ^^
Thanks bud xD
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Welcome to the segment we call "Richard should start writing these earlier so they're not 7 hours late in his timezone". I also like to refer to it as Medicham's issue is up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=69)
How do you feel about Medicham and Mega Medicham? Do you struggle with Mega Medicham at all? Would you like to call me out about it not being OP? Let me know what you think below!
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I am so sorry about not getting Unearthed in this week. My schedule was messed up and I haven't gotten much sleep this week... Just, things got in the way, really... I'm sorry.
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No worries, Dragoncat! You doing Unearthed isn't mandatory, and I appreciate the fact that you do it in the first place! You're more consistent than I am! :)
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It's up on time! How strange! Scizor's issue is up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=70), and it's a big one! The amount of things Scizor can do is crazy, and I can definitely say I learned a lot about Scizor myself just by writing it!
Big thanks to Dragoncat for writing Unearthed this week, especially given her phobia of flying ants and bugs in general (?), it's much appreciated! :)
What do you think about Scizor? How has the metagame shifted to help or hurt it? Is it still a big offensive threat, or has it shifted to more of a defensive focus? Let me know below!
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Oh, yes! Finally its issue is up!
Now that Aegislash is gone (and, somewhat, Megwile), it has a golden chance of not being walled, especially with the Dark Buff. Knock Off just makes it a better supporter, and the old Trapping Set (either by using Life Orb Standard or Megazor) is still very viable, especially with those pesky Psychic types gaining popularity in OU.
Thankfully, with its increase in bulk, now it can take one HP Fire, which is a great bonus for such a useful Pokémon.
Do you not want to use Defog? Don't worry, because Starmie (not Donphan) makes an excellent partner, covering its weakness for fire, while offering good Special Attack (further increased by a possible Analytic boost) and, perhaps, a status absorption, couresty of Natural Cure (and recover, if using the defensive set). Not to say it has blazi(ke)n(g) speed, so that it is, overall, very useful.
Give it a try, you will not regret this overgrown semi-crab in your team.
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Tyranitar's issue is up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=71)
Oddly enough, after checking, it's been one year and one week since I wrote Tyranitar's 5th gen PotW issue. Would have been strange if I'd posted this last week, huh? In any case, what do you think about gen 2's pseudo-legendary? How do you feel about Tyranitar in the current metagame? Has the de-buff to weather hurt it, or is it glad to be rid of infinite rain? Let me know below!
As always, a big thanks to Dragoncat for her excellent work on Unearthed! :)
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Suprised by the lack of Assault Vest Tyranitar. With the sand boosting his special defence as well, Assault Vest makes him ridiculously tanky on the special side. Fill out your EVs in HP as well, and Tyranitar even takes physical moves OK. But it's probably one of the more prominent move sets to have developed in the last generation at least.
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great ZardY counter with getting to get rid of its solarbeam spam
great article as always !
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Suprised by the lack of Assault Vest Tyranitar. With the sand boosting his special defence as well, Assault Vest makes him ridiculously tanky on the special side. Fill out your EVs in HP as well, and Tyranitar even takes physical moves OK. But it's probably one of the more prominent move sets to have developed in the last generation at least.
But... I did write a set for AV TTar. It's set 3! D:
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But... I did write a set for AV TTar. It's set 3! D:
well, i guess you can tell how closely i read that article o.o
is max spdef really that important though?
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Maxing Sp.Def isn't necessary, no, but for the purpose of the set, which is mainly to take as little damage from Latios as possible on the switch and kill it, I've decided this is the best spread for me to recommend. Even without investment, though, Latios isn't going to do /too/ much, only really fearing Specs HP Fighting.
If you're going to swap the EVs at all, you might as well drop some HP for Attack, 4 HP and 252 Sp. Defense grants you more Sp. Defense with Assault Vest than 252 HP / 4 Sp. Defense grants, though you'll lose out on overall physical bulk as a result. The EV spread I've given is just the most easy to play, punishing special attackers by freely coming into most of them and wearing them down with Pursuit or punishing the switch with Crunch/Stone Edge. :)
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This week, during an ongoing suspect test of Gengarite, I thought it would be important to discuss Gengar! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=72)
How do you feel about Gengar this generation? What about Mega Gengar? Should it be banned from Ubers? Does it make Uber uncompetitive, or should Uber be a sanctuary for every Pokemon? Can a Pokemon form ban be justified by comparing it to something like a Moody ability ban in Uber, or is it a different thing entirely? I really want to hear your opinions on this one, so let me know!
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i'm not a big competitive Pokémon fan (way too much RNG for me to enjoy it honestly) but the ongoing Mega Gengar thing is really intriguing to me.
i've always known Ubers as the banlist, essentially, and to hear of something being targeted for a ban from the banlist is pretty funny. i completely understand why though, based on what little i know about it. i'm curious as to why they're just outright banning the pokémon itself though, couldn't they do one of those complex bans they did for stuff like Baton Pass and just make it so Pokémon holding Gengarite can't then have Perish Song or something? I think that would be more preferable to banning the Pokémon itself outright, no? Or is it so uncompetitive that even removing a particular moveset would still ruin the Ubers metagame?
Great article as always though Rich, I read them from time to time despite not being too into the scene and I always enjoy them. Gengar has always been a staple of any competitive teams I've made purely because he's hella cool and can learn so many cool offensive moves. Plus, that Sub/Disable/S. Ball/Focus Blast Gengar in the team you helped me do is pretty sick, always does work.
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Good questions, Del! That's actually the main argument from both sides, more or less. Smogon tries to avoid complex bans unless there's no way around it (like Baton Pass), and crippling a Pokemon enough to make it usable isn't something they ever do. It's kind of comparable to saying that Kyogre without Water Spout isn't broken in OU (for the sake of argument anyway, not saying it is or isn't); they never take things from one Pokemon just to nerf it enough to be usable, and I can't see them doing that now, even for the Uber tier. It'll likely either be banned entirely, or not banned entirely, and either way it has serious consequences for the Uber tier, and for a future precedent to be set.
But hey, thanks bud, always nice to get comments like that! I encourage everyone else that's interested to join in on the discussion and throw in their two cents. This is one where I don't think the answer is clearly defined, so I'm very curious to see what people think about Gengarite's Suspect Test.
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The way it works, Del, is that a tier and all of the tiers above it are a banlist for the tier directly below it. OU is known as the standard metagame so Uber is portrayed as a banlist, but seeing what Mega Gengar is capable of is pretty crazy. Does any other Pokemon have Perish Song AND Shadow Tag? The only Shadow Tag/Destiny Bond I can even think of is Wobbuffet.
Though banning something from Uber is quite frankly the most odd thing I've heard.
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As someone who hasn't played Gen 6 ingame or Uber at this level I find this discussion always intriguing. I mean, I haven't actually seen first hand the damage that Mega Gengar can do but from what I've heard if you're a good player you can guarantee 2+ kills with it which to me seems extremely broken so I completely understand why. However, because of not seeing it I can't really go in depth as to why, sorry =[
oh and banning in Uber should happen if something (not just Gengar if something else arises) that can be too dominant in the same way as OU. I don't think there should be anything to stop them from banning any Pokémon because the scene needs to remain competitive and to have something unparalleled and overly dominant is too uncompetitive and even drains the fun out of it
sorry if this is drivel but bleh
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Wow, that Destiny Bond Mega Gengar set is horrifying. I'm thankful that it doesn't have the same sort of power in Doubles due to its frailty - Gothitelle is a more common Shadow Tag user - but Perish Trap remains such an unnerving strategy to notice in team preview, just in case the opponent can outpredict you.
It is very interesting that they're even considering banning Gengarite from Ubers but I can see it - I have to wonder, though, if it's that insanely broken, why has it taken this long to address it? Has that set only been discovered recently?
Either way, great article as always, Rich! ^_^ I liked the discussion of family favourite mons at the end haha.
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Haha, I can't image Gengar would be too great in doubles with that set, but I did see a few Mega Gengar at worlds! Doubles is a scary place where Gengar can't match up to Pachirisu, apparently.
Yeah, most people were too busy using Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Kangaskhan to notice how broken Mega Gengar was, and while those are still used quite a lot, neither of them are comparable to Mega Gengar in terms of utility. Being able to ensure you remove things is a pretty special talent!
And thanks guys, the best thing that can come from me writing these articles is discussion. The nice comments are much appreciated too! :)
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Yeah, it does seem to have switched back to the Mega being the more common form again now - standard Gengar saw a huge popularity boost after German Nationals, but the Mega has risen again now.
Is Mega Kang on a level with Mewtwo Y?! Geeeez.. I know they were hyping Kanga as competitive when they revealed it at Worlds 2013, but I wonder if they knew quite what they'd created. Makes me wonder, given that Masuda revealed Mega Slowbro at Worlds 2014 and claimed that he thought we'd see a lot of it in the new metagame =P
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Yeah, Mega Kang was one of the first things banned in Smogon OU, and it even holds up well in Ubers, thanks to Double Fake Out and Sucker Punch. In fact, in a 1v1 match between these two, Mega Kang is more likely to come out on top using those two moves! xD
Mega Slowbro is so interesting to me. It'll miss Regenerator, but any Pokemon that removes Critical Hits as a possibility is okay in my book!
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Rich, is that because of the many people that hax you to death?
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I wouldn't know anything about that.
In any case! It's a good thing I got PotW done early this week, Smash demo is addicting. This week, we discuss Heracross! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=73)
What do you think about Heracross, and Mega Heracross? Is having Deoxys-A level Attack enough to bypass the lower Speed and Brave Bird spam, or is Heracross all hype with no delivery? Do you have trouble against Mega Heracross? Let me know!
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Another week, another Mega! Gyarados's issue is up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=74)
How do you feel this generation has effected Gyarados? Is his Mega great, or disappointing? Is the Water/Dark typing a beneficial change, or something that bothers you? Tell me what you think!
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Haven't read the article yet but the typing really bothers me, Water / Dragon makes far more sense from a design aspect, plus battling wise no access to Crunch is somewhat frustrating
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Gyarados has always been a strange case. Some Pokémon do always get better or worse with time, but Gyarados fluctuates a darn lot. Say, it lacked Earthquake in Generations I and II (stay rekt, Alex!), and Generation III did not have the Physical/Special split. But then, in Generation IV, Gyarados gets even more useful... until Rotom-W is a thing. Generation V? Not so special, but in B2W2 introuduced Moxie, allowing it to go offensive with even Jolly, which is a nice feature. Generation VI? Gyarados is still there. As a heads-up, if going Jolly, 196 Speed IV allow to outspeed timid MegaManectric after a Dragon Dance, just in case it thinks it is the so-common Adamant version. Yes, the Mega Evolution is great, and it even has lot of use in Über, but... it sometimes falls short. With Pinsir one gets immediate results, but Gyarados requires smarter thought.
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Hey guys, before we get to this issue, I've got a bit of an announcement and a few things I have to address. There are just under 8 weeks until OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire are released in the United States, which means that, for the first time in Pokemon history, there will be a mid-generation influx of many new Pokemon forms. Because we're getting so many new Mega Evolutions, the metagame is going to change drastically, and I'd like to give it time to settle before going back to writing. After all, what good is an article on how to use a Pokemon in the current metagame when the metagame is unstable?!
This means that there will be 7 more issues of PotW this year ending on November 16th, and it will kick back up again around January. In the coming weeks, I'll be discussing the remaining relevant Mega Evolutions and Legendaries that are unlikely to receive Mega Evolutions. I hope you all understand that the break is so I can provide you with the best possible articles to keep you primed for the new OU we're sure to have after the release of OR/AS!
That out of the way, this week we're covering Alakazam! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=75) How do you feel Alakazam has transitioned over the years? Is he still the top threat he was back in the days of RBY, or is it time for this old fart to retire? What about Mega Alakazam, is it worth losing Magic Guard for Trace? Is Mega Alakazam worth your Mega slot when clearly broken things like Mega Medicham and Mega Pinsir are still OU? Let me know below!
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Riveting stuff! This week we'll be focusing on one of my personal favorite Pokemon just in terms of design. Manectric's issue is up! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=76)
I know these have been a bit sparse, but I've got limited options until OR/AS comes out. Hopefully they're at least somewhat interesting!
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I probably won't get chance to read the article until this evening but Mega Manectric from a design perspective is one of my favourites. It's really does look more threatening and powerful whilst being very true to the original
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Do you think it's every worth running flamethrower, or will manetric be switching so much it doesn't matter?
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Flamethrower misses some important KOs, such as OHKOing Excadrill and even doesn't KO standard Ferrothorn somehow, which makes it the inferior option, and since Manectric switches so often it's better to deal as much damage as possible.
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Well, it's that time of week again! Time to discuss the last OU Pokemon that can Mega Evolve until OR/AS. This week, we discuss Gardevoir (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=77).
What are your thoughts on Gardevoir? What about Mega Gardevoir? Is she worth using over other OU Megas? Are people going to constantly remind me that Gardevoir can be male? Will anyone say anything at all?! Discuss!
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Oh oh me me me! Pick me! I know this one!
Anyways, I wasn't a fan of gardevoir, especially after my mega of choice one shot the champion's mega gardevoir. Then I trained one. I can see why Rich likes it so much now.
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So guys, this is the last Mega Evolution I'm talking about until OR/AS, and I only did this one because Scout and Alex wanted to see it. I hope you enjoy Aerodactyl's issue! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=78)
I have to be honest, I didn't have much to say on this one. Aerodactyl's not the most viable thing to use in OU, so I apologize if this one's not so interesting, but nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it.
How do you feel about Mega Aerodactyl? You know the drill, discuss below!
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Good article Rich, it's a shame it's not been great over the years because in design it's probably my favourite fossil Pokémon =[
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Thanks Alex. I was always partial to Kabutops, but I will say that Aerodactyl saved one of my FireRed Nuzlocke runs once, so I grew to appreciate it because of that.
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I've always like Aerodactyl. I have always found it amusing that in GSC while the other fossil Pokemon weren't obtainable, you could get an Aerodactyl and breed as many as you wanted.
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^Guess that was a little poetic justice there.
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Well, I lied. We're doing another Mega Evolution this week. In honor of the Smash Bros. announcement, we'll be discussing Mewtwo! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=79)
Yeah, yeah, no Halloween theme, but what could really be scarier than a Mewtwo anyway?! Let me know what you think about Mewtwo below, as well as any childhood stories about catching him, traumatic movie experiences, or otherwise!
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Nothing will match the story and feeling of finding and catching Mewtwo
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Try having your fire red glitch to make it a shiny mewtwo on the first go (if it was possible, then luck) and you accidentally faint it.
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Try having your fire red glitch to make it a shiny mewtwo on the first go (if it was possible, then luck) and you accidentally faint it.
I don't know of any glitch, so... I'm sincerely sorry. o_o;
Anyway! We've discussed Mewtwo, so I see it only fitting that this week we discuss Mew! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=80)
What do you think about Mew? What do you remember about the rumor mill of the late 90's and early 2000's? Did you ever attend one of the original Mew events, or have a friend that did? Maybe you Gamesharked Mew into your Red and Blue cart back then? Maybe you've even done the Whitecat glitch? I'd sincerely love to hear all of your memories and experiences with this truly special Pokemon, so let me know your thoughts!
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Ah, Mew.
I'll be honest, my very first meeting with this was on my Diamond game - pre-owned, so we all know that if a Lv99 Mew is on a pre-owned game, it's probably hacked.
However, I was into the trading side of things during the middle of Gen 5, and I eventually found myself in possession of two Mew. One was from the Emerald Map Event thing, and the other was a PALCITY Mew iirc. But yep, both are now with me in X and Y right now.
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It has been a very long time.
Tyranitar actually has an easy time with its Mega if it gets rollin', because they will be hatin', and I find it more threatening than any other Tyranitar variant so far. And no, Weakness Policy is not a safe means of dealing damage.
Waifuvoir can be a male. Fortunately, RNG Abuse, Powersaves, and Pokémon Generators are a thing. Thanks to the sound-moves buff, now it has a chance of wallbreaking hard due to Hyper Voice and Pixilate. But I still wonder why its Attack has been buffed.
Mega Aerodactyl is excellent; its STAB moves are demolishing, it has enough Attack and Speed to act late game with ease and its imprived defences can come quite handy in a pinch.
Mewtwo is Mewtwo.
I du not understand why Mew has been Über for the first four Generations; I found it was justified in Generation I, but I do not grasp why it has been like that until Generation V, when it became a UU. Was it because of the nerf of Explosion? More offensive threats? Faster Taunts?
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In response to Mew, I believe the reason is that it was harder to kill until that point. I do find it curious that Latias was OU for quite a long time in gen 4 before finally being banned, but Mew was never really considered for OU back then. Things could have been somewhat different for gen 4 if it had been allowed to play, but I don't think it would have had a major impact in any case, but I agree that it likely should have dropped or at least been tested for OU in gen 4.
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Ah, Mew.
I'll be honest, my very first meeting with this was on my Diamond game - pre-owned, so we all know that if a Lv99 Mew is on a pre-owned game, it's probably hacked.
However, I was into the trading side of things during the middle of Gen 5, and I eventually found myself in possession of two Mew. One was from the Emerald Map Event thing, and the other was a PALCITY Mew iirc. But yep, both are now with me in X and Y right now.
Lucky. :( When the HGSS Mystery Gift happened, my DS Lite was taken away from me and I will never get it back. I missed out on a lot of the Mystery Gift Pokemon in Gen 4 because of this and I actually had the Pikachu Colored Pichu and Draco Meteor Jirachi on my Platinum game too! Now I'll never get Jirachi, Shaymin, Darkrai, or Mew because they aren't given out often and usually if they are, it's Japan only. Yeah. I missed the Darkrai event in Gen 5 so I won't get it ever I suppose....
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I remember the RBY Mew glitch where if you fly away from a certain battle before he can reach you you can end up finding it 'wild' but I never once caught it.
Always been a Mewtwo fan any way though =P
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Great stuff as usual Rich. I remember the Mew I had on my PS team when we battled in that UU tourney last gen.
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Just a quick note guys, PotW will be up tomorrow, not today. I've had a crazy work schedule and I'm sincerely just too exhausted to finish the article tonight. I have something special planned for the coming issues, though!
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Good to know, thanks for the heads up.
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Thanks for being patient! Now, in honor of our last 2 weeks of X and Y before we receive OR/AS, we'll be discussing the mascot legendaries of X and Y. This week we discuss Xerneas! (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=81)
How do you feel about Xerneas? Do you like the design? Do you think it needs more vowels in its name? Is Geomancy Xerneas the cause of your night terrors? Let me know!
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Um... Something went wrong with the article. The most recent one listed is still Mew
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Whoops! I messed up, but it's fixed now! The article is up! Sorry about that, I really have been running on fumes the past few days! ^^;
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It's fine. I just wanted to let you know. Get some food and some sleep.
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Xerneas is powerful, no doubt. I think that Xerneas was definitely my favourite cover legendary out of it and Yveltal, and I was pretty up for using it in Ubers.
I love mixed LO Xerneas the most out of all the sets, but I have been tempted to give that ResTalk Xerneas a go.
Good article though, very well covered :)
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Cleric Xerneas is a blessing for defensive teams. Seriously, I mean it. Are you running a Registeel with Three Attacks and Rest? Xerneas is your deer. Does Wallceus use Recover too Often? That. Even for balanced and bulky-offence teams, this Xerneas is one of the best members of one's team. Extreme Killer will appreciate it.
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Alright guys, this is it. Yveltal (http://pkmn.net/?action=columns&page=viewissue&id=82) is the last issue I'll be writing before OR/AS, and I will be taking a break from Pokemon of the Week for a while to allow the metagame to reform itself and balance out with the new changes from OR/AS.
I hope you've enjoyed Pokemon of the Week this year, guys. I've really been committed to trying to get an article up every week and make sure it's quality material every week, even with my frequently hectic schedule. I appreciate you guys reading it very much, and value any feedback and discussion it sparks. Here's to returning to Hoenn!
...But I'm getting ahead of myself! What do you think about Yveltal? Which version Legendary do you like best? Why is Xerneas's signature move so much more insanely overpowered? Comment below!
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So much more insanely overpowered? Geomancy? Hello, Roar and Whirlwind, I would like to nerf that Xerneas, could you please use Wallceus or Lugia? Thank you.
*EHEM*
I have always preferred Yveltal over Xerneas, as it synergises pretty well with my teams and preferences, and Dark Aura → Foul Play is outstanding for a tank/wall (ask Mega Mawile with Huge Power, for example). Yes, I usually use the Bold version, but if going nuts, the All-Out-Attacker is the way to go, as there are a lot of Choice Specs users around. Bonus Points for Double STAB Sucker Punch.
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I think Yveltal is so underrated in the Ubers tier because of Xerneas. I've seen it, if you don't stop the wyvern of death, you've lost. At least crippling it will help you chances. That's why I always run either toxic or T-wave on at least pokemon in my ubers team, before it was erased.
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I apologize for the double post, but do you know when this will continue?
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I've been thinking on it, and I don't want to set anything in stone as yet, because there is currently a suspect test and I'm fairly certain more will follow soon, but I'm tentatively going to say early March is what I'm looking at.
Thanks for the interest! :)
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They're focusing on getting Greninja banned, yet Mega Salamence hasn't even left UU.
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Mega Salamence was quickbanned day 1 :P
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Yet it is your Mega in your Secret Base :P
If I tell by experience, Richard can write now if he assumes some variables will be eventually banned. Megapunny is good already, for example.
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I know I can, but there are a few factors that are keeping me postponed until March, some of which are real life issues, and some of which are down to seeing how the metagame changes once Greninja is banned, and the last of which being that I just need a bit of an extended break before going back to doing weekly articles.
Don't worry though, I will announce the actual date of PotW's return next month, and it will return some time in March.