Topic: Unsuspected, "unviable" Niche Pokémon of the Day

[Spriter]

Please do leather whatever you want. ^Eww he won't do that.

[Delicious_Scout]

Stantler? I wonder how. And no, Will, I will not commit a crime against nature just for you. Talking about crimes…

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… today, because a baka has called the Antichrist (and I don't mean a Jynx bred using a Chimchar), I will cover Pelipper.

Yes, MetaSprite has made this Pelipper.

*sigh* ShinyBlazikenXPelipper. This is reality. In fact, I am the reverend of their weeding wedding ceremony, and I assure you that they will have many eggs.

All right, time for the serious article. Pelipper is one of the weirdest Bulky Water Types (BWT) around due to its Typing (Water/Electric), Abilities (Keen Eye and, as a Hidden Ability, Rain Dish), and stats, as you can check below:

Pelipper

HP: 60 | Attack: 50 | Defence: 100 | Special Attack: 85 | Special Defence: 70 | Speed: 65

What can Pelipper do in OU? Very little, as stated in the next set, courtesy of RubyRobin.



Can I BWT, please?

Pelipper @ Damp Rock/Leftovers
Bold Nature (+Def, -Att)
EV: 252 HP/252 Def/4 Spe
Ability: Rain Dish

Rain Dance/Roost
Hurricane
Scald
Roost/Ice Beam/Hidden Power Grass

This set, if played properly, is no joke. Very few things in OU resist Water and Flying STAB, and, with an added Burn, it can be even harder to take Pelipper down. But keep in mind that this Pokémon should be used if, and only if, Drizzle Politoed is in the battlefield (on your side). Raind Dance is to keep Rain up in case Politoed faints; if you feel that Politoed is sturdy enough, then you can opt to run a Leftovers set with Roost, thus healing a lot of health in just one turn, factoring Rain, Leftovers, and Roost. Scald is the main move to spam, as it can burn; addind Hurricane to confuse the enemy just adds banted to this combination. In the last slot, Roost should be chosen if you decide to use Rain Dance; otherwise, Hidden Power Grass deals solid damage to Rotom-W, while Ice Beam is general utility (especially against Dragons).

The EV and the nature of this set are natural for a physical "wall", and should be only be a physical wall due to its mediocre special-tanking capacity. In any case, 4 EV in Speed are used to try to score a status against Scizor before it mega evolves, or, in the worst case, the turn after it mega evolves, since they share the same Speed Tier.

Pelipper, the "waifu for ShinyBlaziken" Pokémon. Why!?

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I can not believe I have written this… what else can go wrong? What will happen in the next issue?

[SirBlaziken]

Well, even though it has type advantages over me, it sure beats the hell out of a jynx waifu, or worse infernape bred jynx or jynx bred infernape, or worst of all, striaght up infernape.

[The Shrub Dragon]

Can I BWT, please?

'Can I Bacon Wet Tomato, please?'

[Delicious_Scout]

Well, even though it has type advantages over me, it sure beats the hell out of a jynx waifu, or worse infernape bred jynx or jynx bred infernape, or worst of all, striaght up infernape.

Pelipper beats Infernape on the switch, but, naturally, Pelipper might not like to be against Infernape:

212 Atk Life Orb Iron Fist Infernape Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Pelipper: 307-364 (94.7 - 112.3%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Iron Fist Infernape Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Pelipper: 317-374 (97.8 - 115.4%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

"Might not".

0 SpA Pelipper Scald vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Infernape: 222-264 (75.7 - 90.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Life Orb should do the job, and Jynx has Dry Skin, as well as Sweet Kiss. Talking about completing jobs…

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Today's Pokémon has one duty: (con)trolling the support of its team. It might not look ideal at first, but it should never be underestimated. Say hello to Volbeat, readers.

Yes, Volbeat, drawn by MetaSprite.

This is not a joke; Volbeat is very dangerous if it does what it is supposed to mean, although its stats and pure Bug type might suggest otherwise.

Volbeat

HP: 65 | Attack: 73 | Defence: 55 | Special Attack: 47 | Special Defence: 75 | Speed: 85

With Illuminate and Swarm as its main abilities, laughing at it would seem a natural choice, but a closer look reveals that Volbeat has access to Prankster, which happens to be one of the best abilities of the game.

How can Volbeat exploit that niche? Read below.



Fegelbeat

Volbeat @ Leftovers/Sitrus Berry/Focus Sash
Bold Nature (+Def, -Att)
EV: 248 HP/252 Def/8 SpD
Ability: Prankster

Tail Glow
Baton Pass
Thunder Wave/Substitute
Thunder Wave/Encore

That's right, science. Volbeat has also access to one of the most powerful boosting moves of the game: Tail Glow, whch increases the Special Attack of the user by three stages, half of the maximum allowed. Combine this with Prankster and Baton Pass for a massacre in few turns. But, of course, even with this investment, Volbeat is quite weak, and thus Thunder Wave, Encore, and Substitute are considered in the last two slots. Thunder Wave is probably the most important of all three, as it slows down the opponent and you might even be able to move twice without the opponent doing anything. Substitute creates a barrier that protects Volbeat from status and some other moves that would end its run, and it pairs well with Thunder Wave, but perhaps even better with Encore… if anything wanted to use a Status move on Volbeat.

As other options, running an Impish Nature with U-Turn, Rain Dance/Sunny Day, Thunder Wave, and Encore, along the corresponding weather stone, is a nice idea, but others can do it as well, almost all of them outclassing Volbeat in some aspects (Typing, Stats, other Moves). The surprise of this set (and Volbeat in general), along with Prankster Thunder Wave, are what make Volbeat a real Prankster.

Volbeat, the flirting Pokémon.Do not feel discouraged by its aspect and give it a try, or else it will use a Prankster Attract on you, causing pain to you in the long-run.

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So, what do you think about Volbeat? Do Smeargle, Gliscor, and Bronzong seem more reliable? More in the next issue!

[Delicious_Scout]

Dang, Volbeat has not attracted you. Perhaps this one will.

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Today, I will present one of the Pokémon that was hyped the most during the early days of XY. Look at it and tell me it is not cute! Here is Galvantula!

Why do we keep missing sprites? We want more, MetaSprite!

Galvantula is a good Pokémon; Bug/Electric is a tricky yet effective STAB combination, and Bug covers the Ground Weakness this Pokémon would have otherwise. Stats? Here they are:

Galvantula

HP: 70 | Attack: 77 | Defence: 60 | Special Attack: 97 | Special Defence: 60 | Speed: 108

Its abilities are not bad at all. In order of importance (less to more), Galvantula has access to Unnerve, Swarm, and Compound Eyes, which all are excellent abilities.

Set time!



Not so fast!

Galvantula @ Focus Sash
Timid nature (+Spe, -Att)
EV: 252 SpA/4 SpD/252 Speed
Ability: Compound Eyes

Sticky Web
Thunder
Bug Buzz
Thunder Wave/Volt Switch/Hidden Power Ice

Sticky Web, in conjunction with Focus Sash, is what Galvantula is mainly used for. With this combination, and the fact Galvantula threats most Defog users in OU, Galvantula is free to be used as a lead or even mid-game in those cases Galvantula can be brought safely into the battlefield; remember that it is weak to Stealth Rock (its only other weakness being Fire), and, even if it were not, its Focus Sash would be worthless. In any event, Thunder (91% accuracy thanks to Compound Eyes) and Bug Buzz are a pain for most Defoggers: Mandibuzz, as well as other flying types, are hit hard by Thunder (Zapdos not that much), while Latios, Latias, and Mew do not want to switch into Bug Buzz at all. The last slot is filler, but detrimental to Galvantula's role: with Thunder Wave, Galvantula can paralyse those Pokémon that are unaffected by Sticky Web (barring Claydol, Landorus, Gliscor, Air Balloon Excadrill, and Thundurus), Volt Switch lets Galvantula act as a decent scout, and HP Ice hits Landorus, Thundurus, Gliscor, and most Dragon Types for heavy damage, thus not being helpless against them.

The EV spread is simple: hit as fast and hard as you can. The nature is non-negotiable, as 108 is an important Speed-tier, and Focus Sash should always be used, unless…



Trapping with webs is for losers!

Galvantula @ Choice Specs/Life Orb
Timid nature (+Spe, -Att)
EV: 252 SpA/4 SpD/252 Speed
Ability: Compound Eyes

Thunder
Bug Buzz
Volt Switch/Hidden Power Ice
Energy Ball/Hidden Power Ice/Hidden Power Fire

This approach is much more aggressive, and due to the few Electric Pokémon in the tier, this set is all right. Thunder is very easy to spam if all the Pokémon which resist or are immune to it are gone, dealing mastodonic amounts of damage. Bug Buzz, despite being resisted by seven types, hits Dark and Psychic types for Super Effective damage, a very rewarding feature. If you choose to go locked due to Choice Specs, Volt Switch is the preferred option, but Hidden Power Ice annihilates Pokémon that otherwise would cause trouble to Galvantula. In the last slot, Energy Ball usually eases prediction against Ground and Water Types, while aslo being a potent attack per se, Hidden Power Ice in case you chose Volt Switch before, or Hidden power Fire to, basically, terminate Ferrothorn, but you should be very wary due to the Speed drop of the 30 IV in Speed required for this given HP, thus being this the last option.

As before, the nature, EVs, and ability are almost sacred, but the item is another matter: choosing Choice Specs will easily struck fear in most opponents' heart because of its sheer power, but Life Orb allows you to switch moves, crucial considering Thunder can be walled, Bug Buzz is not very effective against seven types, and HP and Energy Ball being weak and exploitable, respectively.

Galvantula, the cute spider Pokémon. "Aww~♥", this is not what you will say after being hit by its Thunder.

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So, what do you think about Galvantula? Is it cute enough to out-cute Jolteon? Should it be used more? Next and more very soon!

[the bread dragon]

you should do one on chesnaught
except



special chesnaught

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I like both Volbeat and Galvantula. I was actually surprised that Volbeat wasn't part electric since it is a ligtning bug the first time I got one in Sapphire. You should do one on Volbeat's counterpart Illumise.

[Delicious_Scout]

Illumise? No. Chesnaught? Viable enough to be covered here. But do not worry, I have arrived with an updated. A corrupted one.

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Today, we will talk about what would have happened if viruses took place in the Pokémon world. May the h4x be with you, Porygon-Z.

Commit suicide… yes, please! (by MetaSprite)

Imagine that Dolan Duk turns into a headless and corrupted creature. Porygon-Z would be close to that nightmare, and its abilities (Download, Adaptability, and Analytic) and stats are the ones of a bad dream:

Porygon-Z

HP: 85 | Attack: 80 | Defence: 70 | Special Attack: 135 | Special Defence: 75 | Speed: 90

Yes, in order to defeat Porygon-Z, one must bring the best Special Walls of the game, or otherwise they shall fall before its might. Fortunately, this is not the exact case, as Porygon-Z has one of the worst cases of Four Move Slot Syndrome ever encountered.

Let's check the set out.



poori pls

Porygon-Z @ Life Orb/Lum Berry
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Att)
EV: 80 HP/252 SpA/176 Spe (if using HP Fighting, run 31/0/30/30/30/30 with 72 HP/4 Def/252 SpA/180 Spe)
Ability: Adaptability/Download

Agility
Tri Attack
Dark Pulse
Hidden Power Fighting/Psychic

Oh, boy, where should we start? Agility is quite hard to pull off, but if done properly, it will give a hard time to the opponent, especially if you got a Special Attack boost from Download. After the Speed Boost, Porygon-Z can attempt a sweep, but be careful with the typical Special wall, or else you will have to switch out and restart the process. Tri Attack causes a lot of damage, especially with a steady boost from Adaptability or a high risk-high reward upgrade from Download; the 20% chance of causing a status ailment can be very useful if you are supposed not to switch out. Dark Pulse might be even haxier, and 20% chance to make the opponent flinch might be essential in oder to land a final blow. Both attacks cover a lot of Pokémon for neutral damage, but Lucario, Terrakion, Tyranitar, Bisharp, and some other I genuinely do not remember. In order to eliminate them, Porygon can use HP Fighting to exploit their common weakness to Fighting, but, if you are sure they will not cause a lot of trouble, Psychic should be chosen: with Life Orb, it is able to OHKO it and Keldeo, two Pokémon that would, otherwise, eliminate Porygon-Z with relative ease.

The EV are not very complicated: 252 EV in Special Attack enhance Porygon-Z's capability to cause a lot of pain, 176 (or 180) EV in Speed are invested to outrun Choice Scarf, positive-natured base 108 Speed Pokémon, in particular Keldeo and Terrakion, while the rest is carefully in HP for overall bulk, but if the value is even, drop 4 EV into any Defence. Modest is used to maximum damage and good Speed after Agility. The item of choice should be Life Orb, which adds additional damage to Porygon-Z's attacks, but if one is scared of Paralysis or other status, use a Lum Berry; keep in mind, though, that Life Orb is what ensures the OHKO in Terrakion with Psychic if it does not get a boost in Special Attack. Talking about boosts, Adaptability is for those trainers who prefer reliability, but Download, if played properly, can greatly help Porygon-Z scoring some more KOs.

Porygon-Z, the properly updated Pokémon. Should you not praise this Pokémon, Steve Ballmer will send an army of Clippos and Los Angeles Clippers to make you reconsider your thoughts.

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So, what do you think about Porygon-Z? Should it get a Mega Evolution? Do you prefer this one instead of Porygon2? More during the next issue!

[Kerou 犠牲]

I enjoyed using Porygon-Z in the Gen IV days, don't think I ran Agility, think it was classic BoltBeam. Great read.

[Delicious_Scout]

BoltBeam works well, it really depends on what you want to cover, but, generally, BoltBeam grants more neutral, but less Super Effective hits. Talking about BoltBeam…

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Cute Girls Across Russia
Open the Way to Russia Girls. Blonds, Brunettes & Acres of Fun!

↑ This is a banner found in this site… Our Pokémon is one of the few mice that is approved by most women, even Russian ones that represent acres of fun. Say hello to… Pikachu.

Pika, Pika… MetaSprite.

The day has arrived, Pikachu is being covered. Who would not like to use Pikachu, after all? The great Pikachu, able to aim for the horn and resisting any attack!

Pikachu

HP: 35 | Attack: 55 | Defence: 40 (30 before Gen VI) | Special Attack: 50 | Special Defence: 50 (40 before Gen VI) | Speed: 90

Wow, Pikachu is so sturdy that the minimum damage required to OHKO is the equivalent of a Surf by Luvdisc in Rain! No, Pikachu can not stand a single hit. Its primary ability, Static, does not help it very much either; for its fortune, Lightningrod is its Hidden Ability, able to get a +1 in Special Attack every time it is hit by an Electric Move. 55/50/90 might seem horrible, but Pikachu has a special item, called Light Ball, that doubles its Attack and Special Attack; 90 Speed is not that bad either.

Let's see how Pikachu can try to its qualities!



Pingachu

Pikachu @ Light Ball
Timid/Modest nature(+Spe/SpA, -Att)
EV: 4 Def/252 SpA/252 Spe
Ability: Lightningrod

Thunderbolt
Hidden Power Ice
Grass Knot
Substitute/Encore/Nasty Plot

Easy to understand, very hard to use: Thunderbolt is the STAB move, and a very powerful one, able to 2HKO and OHKO most Pokémon, while HP Ice completes the BoltBeam combination, while heavily damaging Ground Types that might switch in, as well as Dragons. Grass Knot is a means to damage Tyranitar, Terrakion, and most Pokémon that would be hit by Thunderbolt or HP Ice in case one does not want to risk Pikachu with predictions. The last slot is chosen in base of how big your guts are: Substitute might exploit the switch of a fleeing Pokémon to attack twice, Encore forces opponents to use Status moves if used properly, and Nasty Plot ends with the majority of the metagame at the cost of an almost ensured death.

The EV written above are to ensure Pikachu hits as hard and fast as possible, while keeping an Anti-Stealth Rock number. Timid is the preferred nature to speed-tie with other maximum positive base 90 Speed, but Modest is listed if, and only if, Pikachu, somehow, receives Sticky Web and Paralysis support, thus dealing even more damage, which is necessary for Pikachu. Do not even try to use Pikachu without Light Ball, as it would not double its offences. A Jolly/Adamant set with Volt Tackle, Knock Off, Extreme Speed, and Brick Break/Focus Punch seems like a good idea, but the coverage granted by those moves, as well as their potence and/or side-effects, not to mention the lack of Substitute/Encore/Nasty Plot, make this Pikachu a bit lacking, and it has to use Static as its ability (Extreme Speed was gotten via event). And no, as far as I am concerned, Icicle Crash and Extreme Speed are illegal together.

Pikachu, the mascot Pokémon. It might want your cornflakes, and in case you do not give them to it, you will have a fried day.

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So, what do you think about Pikachu? No, I do not want to read your rants about its defences; these are everywhere. Ah, do not miss the next article, this time on a girl!

[SirBlaziken]

^There's also the puns for pikachu.

Anyway, any fast ground type can pretty much OHKO our beloved electric mascot. If they don't take an HP ice first.

[Spriter]

^Well no-one's gonna pikachu in the shower.

Lame jokes and shots fired aside, Pikachu is okay in lower tiers but the electric types down there are still generally better. Eelektross is an example of such, being slower but bulkier and with a better movepool. Good article again Scout, doing work once more

[E.C.A.M.B.S.]

So does your doing Pikachu rather than Raichu mean that Raichu is in fact a viable Pokemon?

[SirBlaziken]

^We never said that, now did we? In fact, Raichu is only a little bit better, but it can't use light ball.