POKEMON RBY ADVANCED BATTLING
Version 1.10
By Eric "t3h Icy" Liikala
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Table of Contents
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1 - Intro
a) Intro
b) Version History
2 - How to get Mew
3 - Exp, Stats, DVs and Other Various Formulas
a) Exp and Formulas
b) Stats, DVs and Formulas
c) The Damage Formula
d) The Critical Hit Formula
4 - Terminology and Rules
a) Terminology
b) Common Rules
5 - Tricks and Techniques
a) Basics
b) Tricks and Techniques
6 - Common Questions
7 - Analyzing Strategies
a) Type Analysis
b) Final Form Analysis
8 - Making a team
a) Selecting Your Pokemon
b) Advanced Battling
c) The levels of teams
9 - Pokemon Stadium
a) Intro
b) Battling Changes
c) Constructing Teams
d) Beyond Battling
10 - Guide Questions
11 - Outro
a) Legal Stuff
b) Outro and Credits
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1) Intro
a) Intro
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This is a massive ~180+ page, in-depth guide of how to play RBY to the highest
level of skill, and covers all of the hidden formulas, tricks and strategies.
This guide does not go over much of the actual in-game of RBY, only the battling
part of it. By reading this guide, you can increase your skill level at the
game, find out about how good every final form Pokemon is, and make yourself a
better overall player.
By reading this guide, I’m assuming you know what all the attacks do, what all 5
stats mean, status problems, and other basic stuff. If you need to see any
other guides for Gold/Silver/Crystal, or for the base stats (which will be
mentioned later), check GameFAQs or other major FAQ sites for information.
Everything else though, will be covered.
The content of this guide should help provide any player on a few tips, or just
a good, long read about competitive battling. I've been making, editing,
redoing, revising, etc. this guide for about 4 years on and off. I've done a lot
of testing on everything to see how everything is, and I've played competitively
for a long while to test different strategies, styles and how to predict the
opponent effectively. I would be considered highly skilled, although there are
other players much more skilled than myself. Many people have written excellent
guides and moveset lists over the years, but there hasn't been a whole guide on
competitive RBY battling for some time now. This is essentially an updated and
more in-depth guide, as compared to RJones' Strategy Guide on GameFAQs and other
FAQ sites. However, this doesn't cover the Gold/Silver/Crystal generation, but
has much more information and analyzing in Red/Blue/Yellow.
On with the guide.
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1) Intro
b) Version History
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1.0 - The initial release
1.01 - Nothing major, just some grammar and spelling mistakes corrected, and a
few edits. If you've already read the guide, there's not much new content to
check out now, but some errors were fixed. Future versions will most likely just
be more corrections.
1.02 - Re-did the "Recommended Uses" for each Pokemon, and fixed a few errors.
1.10 - Lots of changes, more corrections and I added to the type analysis. I've
also been busy with all sorts of other things, so this update took awhile, but
it's finally done. Another version won't be out any time soon, unless there's
lots of spelling and grammatical errors. The most noticeable change is I added
damage amounts for each Pokemon.
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2) How to get Mew
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This is the only RBY in-game section I will explain in depth for the players
unaware of the Mew glitch. This is the only way you can get Mew without using
Gameshark or any little tweaks to the game.
Above Cerulean City, past Nugget Bridge is a trainer that has a Slowpoke. He
faces upward on the game map and has two bushes behind him. Don’t beat this
trainer. Skip him until later in the game. Once you get Fly, find a second
trainer that can see and will fight you from 4 spaces away (the trainers that
will walk up to you from far away). Don’t battle him/her yet though. Go off the
screen, where that trainer won’t be visible. Walk to the spot where they will
see you and quickly press Start. You can sneak in pressing Start before that
trainer loads in the game, since they’re off screen. Choose to Fly to Cerulean.
Before you Fly, the trainer will try to battle you, but you’ll be gone before
he/she reaches you. You won’t be able to press Start now, since you aren’t
supposed to, because the game thinks it is preparing you for a battle, but you
can’t get into one. When you reach the Slowpoke trainer, don't walk right in
front of him, or he can’t walk to you, and the game will get stuck. Appear in
front of him at least 2 steps away. Beat him and then Fly to any city. Walk
around or out of the city until the pause menu pops up by itself and then close
it. You’ll then enter a battle against Level 7 Mew. Catch it, and you’ll have
your Mew.
This trick works because you trick the game by Flying when you’re supposed to
be ready for a battle. Also, this trick works only on 2 trainers: the Slowpoke
trainer and a Cerulean gym trainer because, the Level 7 that appears is based
on the Special of their Pokemon you fight. You can do this trick with a trainer
in Cerulean Gym, but it’s more convenient to fight the Slowpoke trainer. If you
battle someone else after flying, you can catch other Level 7s such as
Blastoise and Scyther, but this glitch is usually used for getting Mew.
The only other exception is getting a Gyarados in Mount Moon (with the use of
Escape Rope) early in the game. This is used for speedrunning. Otherwise, it’s
used mostly for Mew.
Now you have your Mew!
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3) Exp, Stats, DVs and Other Various Formulas
a) Exp
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This section is mostly formulas and stats about how to get your Pokemon at
maximum power. Most of these are irrelevant, so if you don’t feel it matters,
you can skip reading. If you do, and decide to do some of your own calculations
and such, remember to always round down the number, even if it’s 63.999, round
down to 63.
Level Exp
To gain Levels, your Pokemon need to beat the opponent’s Pokemon. Here’s quick
and easy formulas to find out how much you need. The final forms share the same
Exp type as their lower stages, so only the final forms are listed. Anybody can
tell you that having Pokemon at Level 100 are better than lower Levels, so it's
important to max out your Pokemon's Level to get the highest stats.
Exp = Experience points
L = Level you want to reach
Type 1
Type 1 are the slowest Pokemon to Level up, but most of them are the strongest
Pokemon in the game.
Exp = L^3 * 1.25
Snorlax, Tauros, Aerodactyl, Rhydon, Starmie, Exeggutor, Pinsir, Arcanine,
Lapras, Cloyster, Gyarados, Dragonite, Tentacruel, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres,
Mewtwo.
Type 2
Type 2 are average and the simplest to check how much they need. They are fairly
fast.
Exp = L^3
Ditto, Lickitung, Porygon, Raticate, Kangaskhan, Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon,
Farfetch’d, Butterfree, Fearow, Dodrio, Golbat, Dugtrio, Marowak, Sandslash,
Omastar, Kabutops, Mr.Mime, Hypno, Slowbro, Tangela, Parasect, Raichu,
Electrode, Magneton, Primeape, Ninetales, Magmar, Electabuzz, Rapidash,
Kingler, Seaking, Golduck, Jynx, Seadra, Dewgong, Beedrill, Arbok, Venomoth,
Muk, Weezing, Persian, Onix, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Scyther.
Type 3
Type 3 are parabolic as they fly through the Levels early on, but take forever
higher up. The formula is also by far the most complex.
Exp = ((1.2 * (L^3)) - (15 * (L^2)) + (100 * L - 140))
Pidgeot, Golem, Alakazam, Victreebel, Vileplume, Venusaur, Poliwrath, Machamp,
Charizard, Blastoise, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, Gengar, Mew.
Type 4
Type 4 are the fastest Pokemon to Level up, and only need 800000 to reach Level
100. Unfortunately, there are only 3 of them, and they are all Specialized
Normals.
Exp = L^3 * 0.8
Clefable, Wigglytuff, Chansey.
Here's some examples. I hope you are good at math, because these are some of the
easiest formulas. The ones later get quite long and tricky.
Example 1
You want a Magneton to reach Level 62.
Exp = L^3
Exp = 62^3
Exp = 238328
Example 2
Your freshly caught Clefairy is Level 11 and want to know how much Exp you need
to reach Level 15.
Exp = L^3 * 0.8
Exp = 11^3 * 0.8
Exp = 1064 (always round down)
Exp = L^3 * 0.8
Exp = 15^3 * 0.8
Exp = 2700
2700 - 1064 = 1636
Just like school.
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3) Exp, Stats, DVs and Other Various Formulas
b) Stats and DVs
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Stats
Every Pokemon’s stats vary but all of them need the same requirements to reach
their absolute maximum power. All stats can be up to the maximum (look in the
Pokemon section below or check Gamefaqs) and down to their minimum, which is 93
below maximum. The following is how the 93 extra points are achieved.
DVs
A DV (Deter Value) is a random number from 0-15 (or 0-F, if you know how to
use hexadecimals). Each stat of every Pokemon has one of these and the higher
the better. When you catch a Pokemon, these DVs are set already, and there is
no way of changing them (besides Gameshark). For each 50 Levels, each DV number
gives you an extra point. That means at Level 25, each DV number is worth half
a point and at Level 100, each DV number is worth 2 points, which is 30 extra
if the DV is 15. So that means there’s 5, 1 in 16 chances to get at least one
perfect stat. To get a Pokemon that is perfect in all 5 stats (if the other
stats are perfect, HP will be perfect), it’s 1 in 65536, so it’s best to just
get ones that are important stats (like Electrode’s Speed). In
Gold/Silver/Crystal, breeding determines some DVs by the parents, and even if
you use the best method, it’s a 1 in 512 chance, which is much better, but still
very low odds. However, some Pokemon don’t need one stat, which is Attack power,
such as Alakazam or Starmie (unless you end up Struggling). It’s pretty much
irrelvant though, so don’t worry too much about Attack when using Special
attacking Pokemon. For these Pokemon, to get the other 4 stats perfect, with
Attack being whatever (as long as it’s an odd number (see below)), it’s a 1 in
8192 chance, or with breeding, a 1 in 64 chance. If you want to learn how to
breed Pokemon, specifically for DVs, check out a breeding guide for
Gold/Silver/Crystal.
HP DV
HP is made up of the other 4 stats. If you know binary, you can find it by using
the last digit of Attack, Defense, Speed and then Special. If you don’t, here’s
an easier way.
If Attack DV is odd, add 8
If Defense DV is odd, add 4
If Speed DV is odd, add 2
If Special DV is odd, add 1
Example 1
Your Magikarp has the following DVs: Attack 5, Defense 11, Speed 6, Special 0
8 + 4 + 0 + 0 = 12
HP DV is 12
Example 2
Your Venonat has the following DVs: Attack 14, Defense 15, Speed 8, Special 5
0 + 4 + 0 + 1 = 5
HP DV is 5
This means that if all 4 DVs are 15 (perfect), HP will also be perfect, so it’s
possible to have DV 15 in all stats, resulting in Pokemon with the highest
stats possible in all 5 stats.
Stat Exp
Since 30 of the extra stats comes from DVs, the other 63 come from Stat Exp.
Every time you KO a Pokemon, you gain some points. Level and power of the
Pokemon is irrelevant, only the species is important. The Stat Exp you get
varies between each species, but if you beat a high defensive Pokemon such as
Cloyster, you get a little more Defense Exp than the other stats. With this
in mind, it’s quickest to boost Stat Exp up by going through the Elite Four.
The vitamins will give you 40 of these 63 points, but you are actually only one
third done (the formula is parabolic), the other two thirds which are the
extra 23 points you will have to get on your own. With all of this in mind,
explains the Rare Candy myth, where giving them to your Pokemon make them
weaker than a pure trained one. It’s not true, since "pure trained" Pokemon are
only better by already having Stat Exp. Rare candied Pokemon can still receive
these extra points, even at Level 100 using the box trick. Whenever you deposit
a Pokemon in a box, its stats are recalculated, so any new Stat Exp gained will
still be calculated. This works for all Pokemon of all Levels, so if you didn’t
finish maxing the stats of your Level 100s, you can still get the last few
points of your stats. This also means that Rare Candying your Pokemon and then
giving them vitamins is the quickest way to get the best Pokemon. Don’t waste
your time training your Pokemon unless they’re Level 100 and have vitamins
maxed out, because Rare Candies don't make your Pokemon weaker at all, they just
don’t have Stat Exp, which is still obtainable anyway.
It's a bit much to lay down all at once, but after you play with it a bit and do
some experimenting and such with it, it becomes very simple. The difficult part
is the invisible numbers all being explained.
Pokemon gain about 31.9 extra points in each stat every 50 Levels, but you must
always round down, so you can get 31 extra points at Level 50, 63 extra at
Level 100 and 15 at Level 25. However, at lower Levels you are still required
to do just as much training to max out your stat points, as you are to at Level
100, because the Level is included in the formula. If you would like to know how
many points you earn when defeating a Pokemon, take their base stats, (you can
find lists of base stats on various guides) of the Pokemon you just beat, and
add them to your Stat Exp. Add the Attack base to your Attack Stat Exp, the
Defense base to your Defense stat Exp etc. These numbers, like many others are
invisible.
Here’s the master formula.
Stat Exp is any number from 0 to 65025. The vitamins will give you 25600, and
you’ll earn about 2000 every time you go through the entire Elite Four if you
use only one Pokemon the entire way through. Yes, it is a lot of work to get
perfect stats. At Level 100, to have the extra 63 points, you’ll need 63002
Stat Exp. Also, the vitamins only work if the corresponding Stat Exp is less
than 25600. That means if you have 30000 Speed Stat Exp, Carbos won't boost the
Speed anymore. Also, if you have 25599 or less, the next vitamin will only give
1 point, meaning that vitamins can't make Stat Exp go past 25600.
Extra points in a stat = ((Square Root (Stat Exp - 1)) + 1) * Level / 400
Example 1
You use 10 Iron on a brand new Level 50 Moltres and want to know how many extra
points you have.
Extra points in Defense = ((Square Root (Defense Exp - 1)) + 1) * Level / 400
Extra points in Defense = ((Square Root (25600 - 1)) + 1) * 50 / 400
Extra points in Defense = 20
Example 2
Your Level 43 Nidoqueen has 16780 Speed Exp and want to know how many extra
points you have.
Extra points in Speed = ((Square Root (Speed Exp - 1)) + 1) * Level / 400
Extra points in Speed = ((Square Root (16780 - 1)) + 1) * 43 / 400
Extra points in Speed = 14
Here’s the entire Stat formula. If you need the list of base stats, check
Gamefaqs. The extra points are found with the above formula.
HP = (Base stat + DV + 50) * Level / 50 + 10 + extra points
Other Stat = (Base stat + DV) * Level / 50 + 5 + extra points
Example 1
Your Level 100 Starmie has DV 14 in Speed and has 52033 Speed Exp. Starmie's
base Speed stat is 115.
Speed = (Base stat + DV) * Level / 50 + 5 + extra points in Speed
Speed = (115 + 14) * 100 / 50 + 5 + extra points in Speed
Speed = 263 + ((Square Root (Speed Exp - 1)) + 1) * Level / 400
Speed = 263 + ((Square Root (52033 - 1)) + 1) * 100 / 400
Speed = 320
Example 2
Your new Level 17 Diglett only had a couple of battles and only has 73 HP Exp.
Its HP DV is 2. Diglett's base HP is 10.
HP = (Base stat + DV + 50) * Level / 50 + 10 + extra points
HP = (10 + 2 + 50) * 17 / 50 + 10 + extra points
HP = 31 + ((Square Root (HP Exp - 1)) + 1) * Level / 400
HP = 31 + ((Square Root (73 - 1)) + 1) * 17 / 400
HP = 31 (always round down)
Stat modifying attacks
Attacks such as Swords Dance or Withdraw change your stats temporarily in
battle. Attacks like Defense Curl and Meditate only boost your stats by +1, but
others like Agility or Barrier greatly boost your stats by +2. Likewise,
attacks that lower stats bring them in to the negatives. Growl lowers Attack
by –1, but Screech greatly lowers Defense, by –2. One thing to remember is that
the stat drops from Paralysis and Burn do not change this number (you can be
Paralyzed and have -6 Speed too).
Attack, Defense, Speed, and Special
-6 = 25%
-5 = ~27%
-4 = 33.3%
-3 = 40%
-2 = 50%
-1 = 67.7%
0 = 100%
+1 = 150%
+2 = 200%
+3 = 250%
+4 = 300%
+5 = 350%
+6 = 400%
Accuracy
0 = 100%
-1 = 75%
-2 = 60%
-3 = 50%
-4 = 43%
-5 = 38%
-6 = 33%
Evasion
+6 = 33%
+5 = 38%
+4 = 43%
+3 = 50%
+2 = 60%
+1 = 75%
0 = 100%
This means that Swords Dance doubles, then triples and then quadruples your
Attack, while Meditate does it much slower by 1.5, double, 2.5, triple etc.
Also Screech halves the opponent’s Defense, while Leer only does two thirds
after it’s first use. Sand-Attack after three uses halves your opponent’s
accuracy, Double Team boosts your Evasion, etc, etc, etc. However, if you
boost any stat beyond +6, or beyond 999, it won’t work anymore. So Hitmonchan
can use Agility three times, before reaching +6, and Kingler’s Swords Dance
can be used twice before passing 999.
For Accuracy and Evasion, the percentages are applied to the attack's Accuracy,
for example, Blizzard is 90% accurate, and if Accuracy is at -3, then Blizzard
becomes 45% accurate, etc.
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3) Exp, Stats, DVs and Other Various formulas
c) The Damage Formula
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The Damage Formula
This is the master formula, which does all the damage in the game. It’s pretty
long. Also, like the other formulas, you always round down the final number.
Damage = ((((Level * 0.4) + 2) * A * B / 50 / D) + 2) * M * R / 255
A - Attack power if you use a Physical attack, Special power if you use a
Special attack.
B - Base power of the move, such as 120 for Hydro Pump, 100 for Earthquake etc.
You can find these numbers on any major attack guide.
D - Defense power of the opponent if you use a Physical attack, Special power
if you’re using a Special attack.
M - All multipliers including 1.5 for an attack matching your type, 2 for each
weakness, 0.5 for each resistance, 0 for immunities, and 2 for Critical Hits.
Apply all of these as they occur, and multiply them all together. The result
is M (example, a Critical Hit that’s super effective brings M to 4, or another
example, an attacking matching your type, super effective on one type and not
very effective on another type is 1.5, etc).
R - A random number from 217 to 255. This creates the minimum and maximum each
attack can do. Roughly, the attack can do anywhere from 85% to 100% of its
expected damage.
That’s the formula. Chances are though that you’ll be using Level 100s most of
the time, so here’s a quicker formula if you do.
Damage (Attacker is L100) = ((0.84 * A * B / D) + 2) * M * R / 255
Again, like any formula, you always round down. If you check individual attacks
on individual Pokemon, such as Tauros’ Hyper Beam on Jynx, it’s good to check
the minimal damage too, to see if you can get a guaranteed KO, or if they have
a chance of survival. The formula, after using it often, becomes easy, so if you
have a calculator handy, you can check the damage for attacks as you battle.
Example 1
A Gengar uses Thunderbolt against Gyarados. For this example, we'll assume that
they both have perfect stats, so Gengar's Special will be 358 and Gyarados' will
be 298. They are also both Level 100. Thunderbolt's base power is 95.
Damage (Attacker is L100) = ((0.84 * A * B / D) + 2) * M * R / 255
Damage (Attacker is L100) = ((0.84 * 358 * 95 / 298) + 2) * M * R / 255
Damage (Attacker is L100) = ~97 * M * R / 255 (don't round down to 97 until the
formula is completed)
Thunderbolt is super effective against Water and Flying, so M is 4.
Damage (Attacker is L100) = ~97 * 4 * R / 255
Damage (Attacker is L100) = ~391 * R / 255
Damage (Attacker is L100) = ~1.5 * R
Since R is random from 217 and 255, we'll check both to find the minimum and
maximum that Thunderbolt can do.
Minimum = ~1.5 * 217
Minimum = 333
Maximum = ~1.5 * 255
Maximum = 391
That means that a Gengar using Thunderbolt against Gyarados can range from 333
to 391 damage. Since Gyarados' HP is 393, Gyarados is guaranteed to survive (but
watch out for Critical Hits).
Example 2
A Slowbro uses Surf on a Chansey after having used Amnesia. Again, we'll assume
that both Pokemon have perfect stats, so Chansey's Special will be 156 and
Slowbro's will be 131. Due to Amnesia though, this brings Slowbro's Special to
262. Both Pokemon are level 50 and Surf's base power is 95.
Damage = ((((Level * 0.4) + 2) * A * B / 50 / D) + 2) * M * R / 255
Damage = ((((50 * 0.4) + 2) * 262 * 95 / 50 / 156) + 2) * M * R / 255
Damage = ((((20) + 2) * ~3) + 2) * M * R / 255
Damage = ((~70) + 2) * M * R / 255
Surf is neutral on Normal, but matches Slowbro's type, so M is 1.5 here.
Damage = ~72 * 1.5 * R / 255
Damage = ~108 * R / 255
Damage = ~0.42
Minimum = ~0.42 * 217
Minimum = 92
Maximum = ~0.42 * 255
Maximum = 108
At Level 50, Chansey's maximum HP is 356, so Slowbro's Surf after 1 Amnesia does
about 26% to 30%.
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3) Exp, Stats, DVs and Other Various Formulas
d) The Critical Hit Formula
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Critical Hits occur randomly after most attacks and double the damage you would
regularly do. They also don’t apply any stat modifications such as the use of
Barrier or Swords Dance, which can be good and bad. However, they do apply Burns
if you are using a Physical attack. Here’s the formula. Again, if you need the
Base stats, check GameFAQs.
Chances = Base Speed / 512
That’s the formula, and for some quick notes, Electrode’s CH chance is 27.3%,
Tauros’ chance is 21.5% and Slowpoke’s is 2.9%. Through competitive battling,
you'll learn how important Speed becomes through Critical Hits.
Example 1
Zapdos' base Speed is 100
Chances = Base Speed / 512
Chances = 100 / 512
Chances = ~19.5% chance
Or if you prefer fractions.
Chances = 25 / 128
Example 2
Slowpoke's base Speed is 15
Chances = Base Speed / 512
Chances = 15 / 512
Chances = ~2.9%
For the often-Critical moves, Slash, Crabhammer, Razor Leaf and Karate Chop, the
formula is the same, except it’s divided by 64 instead of 512 (or making it 8
times more likely), giving anything with 226 maximum Speed (which is low) a
guarantee Critical. Remember though that the actual number of your Speed isn’t
applied, the base stats are, which are the same for Nidoking of Level 35, a high
Speed one, a Level 100 one etc.
The final move that affects Critical Hits is Focus Energy, which lowers 512 to
128 for any following attacks. This basically quadruples your odds of getting a
Critical Hit for any following attack. However, due to an error, when using
Focus Energy in the actual RBY games for Gameboy, the attack actually cuts your
odds of getting a Critical Hit. This is fixed in Stadium though, so if a player
is using Focus Energy, play on Stadium. If Stadium is not available, don’t use
Focus Energy.
Don’t worry about checking the chance for every Pokemon, they are all listed
in the main section of the guide, in the final form analysis. If you’re using
lower forms though for whatever reason, the formula is small, so it’s quick to
check.
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4) Terminology and Rules
a) Terminology
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Here’s a list of some terms used often in this guide and by players that usually
play with standards.
Sweeper - A Pokemon that can easily knock out many others quickly and surely.
They often require good Speed, a variety of different types of attacks and good
Special/Attack. These are common on elite player’s teams, and work by wearing
down most or the entire opponent’s team, and finishing them all off with a
sweeper. Some examples are Tauros, Starmie, Golem (requires the opponents to be
Paralyzed) and Zapdos.
Sleep and Stun - A Pokemon that learns a Sleeping move and a Paralyzing move.
This is an effective technique as smart trainers will switch a Sleeping Pokemon,
and gives you a chance to Paralyze the switch-in. Some Pokemon in this group
include Exeggutor, Hypno, Parasect and Venomoth.
STAB - Same Type Attack Bonus, which is the 1.5 multiplier to your attacks. When
you use an attack that matches your type (Raichu’s Thunderbolt, Charizard’s
Fire Blast etc), the attack does 1.5X more, which may not seem much, but is
often the strongest attack a Pokemon can use.
Standard Pokemon – Oftenly called OU Pokemon (Overused), this group of Pokemon
are the best choices and what the best players use. Some of the Pokemon among
them include Starmie, Tauros, Rhydon, Zapdos, Chansey and Alakazam.
Under-Used Pokemon – Commonly shortformed to UU, are Pokemon that are not quite
as good as standards, but are still effective. Against elite players, these
Pokemon are rarely used, but matches where the standard Pokemon are banned
(often called UU matches), is when these Pokemon are used. Some of the best
Pokemon that are UU are Charizard, Dodrio, Electabuzz and Kangaskhan.
Tank/Wall - A tank is a Pokemon that can take a few hits and still have lots of
HP. Most Pokemon in this category require high HP with good Defense, Special and
also a type with few weaknesses, which means there aren’t very many. Some
examples are Lapras, Clefable, Chansey, Golduck and Slowbro.
Staller/Stalling - Stalling is when your Pokemon is able to block out basically
anything the opposing Pokemon will have against you, such as Omastar stalling a
Flareon. A staller is a Pokemon that stalls. Common Special stallers are Chansey
and Alakazam and common Physical stallers are Golem and Cloyster.
Metagame - Metagame is a term used for strategizing. A metagame of something is
where all strategies and possiblities are taking into consideration of every
strategy or counter. In other words, it's countering strategies, countering what
a player is likely to do, and countering other counters. For example, if you put
a Pokemon to Sleep, they are likely going to switch. This means if you used a
Paralyzing attack, you could Paralyze the next Pokemon too. However, if the
opponent knows that you'll do this, they may stay and attempt to wake up their
Pokemon. This makes it tricky to decide if you should attack or use a Paralyzing
attack, and that is what a metagame is. This applies to any strategy game, and
not just Pokemon. A popular game with extensive metagaming is the Super Smash
Bros. series, where each character is highly analyzed. Google search Smash World
Forums for an example.
OHKO - One Hit KO moves are instant faint moves. These seem lethal, but to use
them you must attack first and it has a 30% chance of hitting. If the user's
Speed gets lowered or the Pokemon is slow like Rhydon, it will never hit. They
are also usually banned in standard matches, since they don't require any skill,
or strategy to use. These moves are Horn Drill, Fissure and Guillotine.
99.6 Rule or 255 Rule - In the actual games of Red, Blue and Yellow, each attack
has an accuracy out of 255, and moves that are 100% accurate are numbered 255,
the OHKO moves are numbered 76 (about 30% accuracy) etc. However, when an
attack is used, the game uses a random number between 0 and 255 and if it is
below the attack’s accuracy, it will hit. But if the random number is exactly
the attack’s accuracy, it will miss. So if the random number were 255, that
would mean any attack would miss, such as Surf, Thunderbolt and Flamethrower.
This means that realistically these attacks are 99.6% accurate. There is also a
smaller annoyance due to this bug, which is through Critical Hits. Normally,
Electrode has the highest Critical Hit rate, but it doesn't even come close to
100%. However, if you use an often-Critical move, such as Razor Leaf or Slash,
there is a maximum Critical Hit Rate, which is 63 / 64 (about 98%). This is
rarely seen, but most likely occurs when a Persian is using Slash. It's a small
annoyance, much like the bug regarding accuracy. This is all due to a small
error, but rarely occurs. Expect to find it happen at the worst times too.
Stall wars - These usually occur when two Pokemon just stall and can’t beat each
other, or the players are to stubborn/smart to switch. These usually result in
draining all of your PP and can cause matches to go on for awhile, which can be
fun, or terribly boring. One of the most common ones is Chansey vs Alakazam.
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4) Terminology and Rules
b) Common Rules
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Since RBY is slightly unfair in some aspects, rules were developed to still
battle without it affecting the game. Here are the rule sets.
Restriction Level 1 - Anything goes, no rules
-Very rarely played, usually by impulsive 8 year olds with 6 Mewtwos
Restrction Level 2 - No Mewtwo, Mew, no multiples of the same Pokemon
-Pokemon with minimal rules. Generally not played.
Restriction Level 3 - Restriction Level 2 rules and no using Horn Drill,
Fissure, Guillotine, Minimize, or Double Team (sometimes also Wrap, Fire Spin,
Clamp and Bind)
-The most common rule set. Most people play under these rules, but some don’t
mind the Wrapping moves.
Restriction Level 4 - With either Restriction Level 2 or 3 rules with bans on
Snorlax, Tauros, Zapdos, Exeggutor, Jynx, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres (sometimes),
Gengar, Alakazam, Starmie, Lapras, Slowbro, Golem, Rhydon, Dragonite and
Chansey (sometimes more too).
-Usually called UU matches, because the standards are banned, which means the
under-used Pokemon are used instead. Fun when you are bored of facing the same
12 or so Pokemon.
Here's the main reasons why all of the above are often not allowed.
Mew and Mewtwo are usually banned because they are both much stronger than any
other Pokemon. Mew has excellent stats and too many effective moves against just
about anything that can appear. Mewtwo is the same, but has even higher stats at
the cost of a large portion of attacks. However, once Amnesia is used, Mewtwo
can take down almost every Pokemon, and at 358 Speed, you won't be able to stop
it. Clearly, these two are in a league of their own and are almost always banned
from matches.
The next most common rule is using six Pokemon of all different species. If a
player is allowed to use the same Pokemon more than once, it becomes boring and
uncreative to play with or against. Four Alakazams and two Chanseys aren't fun
to play against. Diversifying adds fun to battling and making teams, as well as
expanding the depth of strategic battling.
Evasion moves are often banned because they take little to no skill to use. All
but six Pokemon learn Double Team, so if it was allowed, you would see it on
just about every Pokemon you'd face. On top, it would be comboed with Rest,
which is also learned by all but six Pokemon. This also extends the length of
the game drastically. While stall wars also do the same thing, they occur
because both players are smart and won't allow the opponent to beat them. With
Double Team, it's not a matter of being smart, all it is, is using Double Team
as often as possible and Resting when needed. This ban is debatable though, as
it can be looked at as a defensive strategy.
OHKO moves are also all often banned because of how they work. Like Double Team
and Minimize, instead of beating the opponent with skill, you beat them due to
luck. While there are only a few good OHKO Pokemon in the first place, the ones
that are good such as Tauros and Dugtrio just have to attack repeatedly with
them in hopes of taking out the opponent. Like the Evasion moves, this ban is
also debatable since it adds luck to the game, which the game is already heavily
based on.
Wrapping moves aren't banned as often as the above two groups, but are sometimes
still not used. Wrapping is also easy to counter, but if your team is heavily
Paralyzed and the opponent uses Wrapping Pokemon, there is little you can do
besides switching around until it misses, or else letting your Pokemon slowly
get sweeped. It's like the above two since they take luck rather than skill. The
reason why players are a little more flexible with Wrapping moves is that they
take skill to prepare, while OHKO moves and Evasion moves can be used any time.
Wrapping Dragonite with Agility is the odd one though that may feel "broken" at
times, since setting up isn't necessary, except for the one turn for Agility.
The final set of bans is just for fun. With all of the best Pokemon banned, it
allows for the next group below to be used. It creates some new strategies and
ways to play, to spice up the game. With Mewtwo and Mew banned, the next best
Pokemon are used, and with the best non-uber Pokemon banned, the UU Pokemon get
a chance to be used.
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5) Tricks and Techniques
a) Basics
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Power vs Accuracy
Most of the Special type moves have one attack that is strong but not perfectly
accurate, and one move that is perfectly accurate but a bit weaker. Electric
has Thunderbolt and Thunder, but since Thunder is 70% accurate, it isn’t very
reliable as you’d have to constantly be lucky to damage the opponent. Hydro
pump and Surf are very even as the accuracy of Hydro Pump is still useable
(80%), so it’s your choice, but Surf is more reliable. Flamethrower and Fire
Blast is tricky. Fire Blast has a 20% extra Burning chance, more power and not
too inaccurate at 85%. Again, it’s your choice, but remember that the status
condition, Burn, is only effective because of the Attack drop. Ice Beam and
Blizzard is a little unmatched as Blizzard is still 90% accurate but with more
power. It doesn’t matter which is picked between the Ice moves, but Blizzard is
more commonly used, since the accuracy is still reliable.
(Quick Note: Fire Blast is usually seen as having a 10% Burning chance, while
other sources say it has a 30% Burning chance. This is because it changes to 30%
on Pokemon Stadium, and also 30% on Netbattle.)
Remember not to double up on these moves. Having a Poliwrath with both Surf and
Hydro pump just wastes room for another attack. Choose only one of them so you
have more space for other moves. This doesn't apply to Normal moves though, as
many are completely different, such as Hyper Beam and Slash.
In conclusion, Blizzard and Fire Blast are good choices, Hydro pump is
alright, and Thunder is bad. Use Blizzard if it’s an offensive Pokemon or
faints fast and Ice Beam if it’s a long lasting defensive Pokemon (such as
Chansey).
Sleep moves
Because Sleep moves can keep the opponent from moving for several turns
(maximum of 7 on RBY and 3 on Stadium), there’s a good chance that it’ll faint
by the time it wakes up. This is why Sleep moves are limited to only one
Pokemon. Therefore, it’s often (not always) best to switch when you fall
asleep. If you leave a Sleeping Pokemon out, it will likely get knocked out and
then the opponent is allowed to put another to Sleep. This is also why the Sleep
and Stun combo works well (see below in the next section). Leading with a Sleep
move Pokemon is also good.
Best Sleepers
Gengar, Jynx, Exeggutor, Hypno, Venusaur, Parasect, Venomoth
Confusing
The most irritating status problem is confusion. When confused, you have a 50%
chance of attacking yourself, and that’s fairly likely. Only 5 final forms
learn Confuse Ray (Lapras, Gengar, Ninetales, Golbat and Magmar) and any other
confusing move like Supersonic is unreliable. Confusion is not permanent, it
will go away after 2-5 turns, or you can just switch, so it’s not hard to deal
with, but annoying if you have to. With the ease of switching away, Confuse Ray
loses some effectiveness, but can be used to force switching. Also of the
Confuse Ray Pokemon, only Lapras and Gengar are used often. Both of these
reasons is why confusing is rare.
Leeching
Leech Seed is a rare move learned by only 2 final forms (Exeggutor and
Venusaur). It doesn’t affect Grass types and has a 90% of hitting everything
else. It’s similar to normal Poison (not Toxic) except you heal yourself from
half the damage Leech Seed does. Usually, Leech Seed is a waste of a turn as
you will very rarely heal yourself or damage the opponent to a useful amount. It
could be used to force switching, but that means you have to stall out the
opponent, which is difficult with Exeggutor and even more so with Venusaur.
Flinching
Only a few attacks in the game cause flinching, which are Bite, Bone Club, Rock
Slide, Headbutt, Stomp and a few other weak moves. To make the opponent flinch,
you have to be quicker, use one of these moves and then get lucky (the most
likely ones are 30%). Even if you do all that, it just stops an opponent from
attacking for one turn. This will very rarely happen, as most of the moves are
bad. The only Pokemon that may ever get these are Aerodactyl and Jolteon if you
decide to give them Bite. Rock Slide from Golem and Rhydon rarely cause
flinching because they are slow and use Earthquake more than Rock Slide.
Paralyzing
The most effective status problem is Paralysis because of its effects combined
with how easy it is to use. When Paralyzed, your Speed is dropped to one
quarter and you have a 1 in 4 chance of not attacking. This is common because
Speed is important as you can rely on that Pokemon and finish anything off.
Being slow, you’ll always take a hit before you can do anything, and that adds
up quickly. Very fast Pokemon suffer the most, such as Electrode and Alakazam,
which are chosen because of their Speed. The common strategy with elite players’
teams is to Paralyze as many of the opponent’s Pokemon as possible, and then use
sweepers later in the game, and knock them out as they appear. With Paralyzed
opponents, slower Pokemon such as Exeggutor, Golem, Snorlax and others become
even more dangerous in battle, as they can begin attacking first. Thunder Wave
will Paralyze anything 100% of the time besides Grounds, Stun Spore works 75%
of the time on anything and Body Slam has a 30% chance but also does damage.
Most of the others aren’t used for Paralyzing, or suck like Lick or the rare
luck from Thunderbolt (10%).
Burning
Burning is a permanent status problem that doesn’t occur often. Fire Blast has a
10%/30% chance of Burning and Flamethrower, Ember and Fire Punch are at 10%.
When Burned, you lose 1/16 of your maximum HP each turn and your Attack is cut
in half. This is lethal to Physical Pokemon such as Tauros or Snorlax, but Fire
types are rarely used (explained later), so Physical Pokemon are still generally
safe from Burns. However, since Burns are not a stat drop per se, Critical Hits
are still weaker than usual when Burned, unlike when Attack has been lowered
which would be ignored when an attack is Critical. Burning anything else just
means that they can’t be Paralyzed or put to Sleep.
Freezing
A rare effect; 10% of Ice Beam, Blizzard and Ice punch will Freeze the opponent.
When Frozen, you’re as good as fainted, so just consider it gone. The main way
to defrost yourself is being hit by a Fire attack, which could happen if you
predict your opponent well. The common question is though if you should switch
or not from a Frozen Pokemon. Keeping it from fainting means you can’t get
another Frozen (only one is allowed to be Frozen), but that means that when you
switch, one of your Pokemon will take a hit. However, you can use the Frozen
Pokemon as a “sacrifice” to take an attack for your good ones, such as Sky
Attack or Explosion. Generally it’s best to let the Pokemon faint, as two
Freezes in one match is rare. If you are able to switch to something resistant
(likely an Ice type since you were just Frozen), then saving your Frozen Pokemon
may be beneficial.
Critical Hits
Critical Hits are attacks that do double damage and happen randomly. Pokemon
with higher base Speed (not Speed itself) have better chances at them. Electrode
has the highest at 27.3%. Also, Focus Energy quadruples the chance (on Stadium
only) and high Critical moves (Karate Chop, Slash, Crabhammer and Razor Leaf)
octuple your chance. Another point is that since the chance to get a
Critical Hit depends on base Speed, an Electrode with bad Speed or at Level 56
will have the same chance.
Critical Hits won’t apply any changes to Attack, Defense or Special, so if you
use Swords Dance or Amnesia and then get a Critical Hit, it won’t apply the
Attack boost. This can be good and bad. If the opponent is using Barrier (for
example), you can use Slash for high damage since the Defense boost isn't
applied. This is also why you shouldn’t double up on Swords Dance and Slash
because when using Slash, the Attack boost isn’t applied.
OHKOing
The three moves Horn Drill, Fissure, and Guillotine are instant KO moves. They
are all only 30% accurate though, so it’s a big gamble to use them. You also are
required to attack first, so slow Pokemon like Kingler won’t use these well.
These moves usually won’t work, but are okay as a final chance at knocking out
an opponent before fainting. Paralyzing is usually the best way to make sure
you’re faster or using Agility. These moves are basically to throw in the luck
part of the game, but are commonly banned in standard matches.
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5) Tricks and Techniques
b) Tricks and Techniques
********************************************************************************
Sleep and Stun Combo
This combo involves you to predict the opponent. Generally the opponent will
switch to avoid another Pokemon from falling asleep (if a Sleeping Pokemon gets
knocked out, another one can be put to Sleep), and then you can Paralyze the
next coming Pokemon. This is an excellent combo to get an early edge on the
opponent. However, if the opponent instead, doesn’t switch, you will waste your
turn, trying to Paralyze a Sleeping Pokemon. You have to predict the opponent.
Gengar is the only exception to the best Sleepers that can do combos, as it
confuses the switch in, and even if the opponent doesn’t switch, Confuse Ray
still works. Confuse Ray, however is not permanent, but is still a handy combo.
The only reason it’s not used often though is because Gengar has better moves.
Still, Hypnosis and Gengar’s 318 Speed, make it one of the most common Sleepers,
along with Jynx and Exeggutor.
Best Sleep Combos
Exeggutor, Venomoth, Parasect, Victreebel, Hypno, Gengar (Confuse Ray)
Best leads
When you start a match, it’s always important to lead off with a good Pokemon.
The best leads usually aren’t technical ones, as you want to save them for later
(like a Hazer). Good leads are also quick, hard to counter, and can do some
heavy damage too. The most common leads are Sleepers though, or Pokemon that
can survive later, after being put to Sleep, such as Chansey. Counters of common
leads are also used, such as Tauros to counter Jynx leads.
Pokemon that are often weak, but can possibly become dangerous are good choices
too to catch your opponent off guard, like Pinsir, Beedrill, Rapidash and
Dugtrio. Usually it doesn’t work though since the opponent can switch to
something that counters them.
Sweepers
Sweeper is a term used for Pokemon that can KO Pokemon quickly. Typical sweepers
learn many different types of either Special or Physical moves. They should also
have either high Attack or Special and high Speed is also good. These Pokemon
are best at the end or middle of the battle, to wipe out the remaining Pokemon
of the opponent’s.
Best Physical sweepers
Charizard (with Swords Dance), Sandslash (also gets Swords Dance), Machamp,
Victreebel (with Swords Dance), Golem, Dodrio, Kingler (also learns Swords
Dance), Rhydon, Kangaskhan, Scyther (with Swords Dance), Pinsir (with Swords
dance), Tauros, Snorlax, Dragonite, Mew (also learns Swords Dance)
Best Special sweepers
Poliwrath (With Amnesia), Tentacruel, Slowbro (usually with Amnesia), Alakazam
(although limited to Psychic), Exeggutor, Chansey, Starmie, Gyarados, Lapras,
Snorlax (with Amnesia), Dragonite, Mewtwo (also learns Amnesia), Mew
Thunder Wave and slow Pokemon
If you’re slower than the opponent, it’s almost necessary to use Thunder Wave
(or use Agility). Here’s an example why.
Battle 1:
Rapidash attacks
Slowbro uses Thunder Wave
Slowbro attacks
Rapidash attacks
Slowbro attacks
Rapidash attacks
Battle 2:
Rapidash attacks
Slowbro attacks
Rapidash attacks
Slowbro attacks
Rapidash attacks
Both scenarios have Rapidash attacking 3 times and Slowbro attacking twice.
The difference is that in battle 1, Rapidash is Paralyzed, slower, letting
Slowbro attack just as many times, and Rapidash possibly won’t be able to
attack. All of this makes Thunder Wave vital for slow Pokemon. This same
strategy applies with Agility and other Speed changing moves. With Stun Spore or
Glare though, it may be better to attack, as they aren’t 100% accurate, but with
Thunder Wave which is 100% accurate, should always be used if you’re slower. The
only downfall is Ground types are immune to Thunder Wave, while Glare and Stun
spore effect everything. If this is hard to understand, think of Thunder Wave as
a free turn for slow Pokemon that has additional benefits.
Toxic
Toxic seems like a good idea on paper, but it usually isn’t in real battles.
Toxic only takes away 1/16 of the opponent’s HP and increases by sixteenths each
turn (1/16, 2/16, 3/16 etc). This would take 6 turns to KO something, which
is very long and the opponent can always switch, which will make the Poison act
like normal Poison. On top, the opponent can possibly heal, and Poisoning means
the opponent can’t be Paralyzed. With all of these reasons, Toxic and other
Poisoning moves are very useless. Toxic is best against an opponent with one
Pokemon left, or something that gets Wrapped. Better yet, not at all.
Paralysis and Burn glitch
When you are Paralyzed, your Speed drops to 25% of the original value. A trick
to fix this is use a Speed boosting move, which is Agility. Instead of normally
doubling the Speed value, which would make the Speed at 50% of the original
value, Agility doubles the value, without including Paralysis, essentially,
undoing the Speed loss. The same thing can be done with Burn and Swords Dance,
or with other Attack boosting moves. When Burned, Attack drops to 50%, but after
Swords Dance, the Attack boost will not include the Burn, so it will reach
double the original value.
In other words, suppose a Dragonite with 200 Speed is Paralyzed, dropping the
Speed to 50. After Agility, the Speed will reach 400, which is what Agility
would normally do. This is because Attack boosting moves don't take Burn into
consideration, and Agility doesn't take Paralysis into consideration.
Wrapping
Wrapping seems like a good idea, as you can slowly wear down the opponent’s HP,
but there are many reasons you shouldn’t. First off, none of them are perfectly
accurate (obviously) and the strongest is Clamp, which is around the strength of
Water Gun. Also, the opponent can switch, giving them an opportunity to use
something better. Wrapping is also better if you’re faster, so you can
consecutively use it instead of getting hit first in-between turns, which makes
almost half of the Wrappers useless and the fast ones still not very effective.
You can use them, but you need a lot of luck to keep them Wrapped. Spreading
Paralysis before Wrapping helps greatly. Overall, Dragonite is the best Wrapper,
and can be difficult to counter with Agility, but the others are easy to beat.
Some good Wrappers are Cloyster (if the opponent is Paralyzed), Tentacruel,
Dragonite (with Agility or Thunder Wave), Rapidash, Victreebel (with Stun Spore)
and Tangela (with Stun Spore).
Fire Spin is often too inaccurate to use, so Ninetales and Charizard aren't very
effective with it. Rapidash and Moltres may be exceptions since they both learn
Agility, which helps greatly with Wrapping.
Wrapping PP Glitch
If you are using a Wrap move and the opponent switches back and forth (forcing
you to continue using Wrap), the amount of PP will reach 0, and since it's still
going down while using the move, it will roll over to 63. This is another small
note which helps make Wrapping Pokemon successful.
Hazing
Haze can be a handy move, but usually not that effective overall. Using it
neutralizes any stat increases and decreases for both Pokemon, and returns the
opponent’s status problem, if any, to normal. It’s helpful in Evasion wars, or
to neutralize the Speed loss of Paralysis, but it doesn’t have many other uses,
not to mention you should only use it on opponents that have no status problem.
On top, the only final forms that learn Haze are Vaporeon, Weezing and Golbat,
none of which are outstanding Pokemon.
Leech Seed/Toxic glitch
When you use Toxic, the damage increases each turn. Leech Seed, because it uses
the same damage variable as Poison, makes it increase too, resulting in large
damage, and more recovery too. Even then, it takes 2 turns to set it up and many
more to get it doing significant damage. There are only 2 final forms that can
use this (Exeggutor and Venusaur), and both have better movesets. It can be used
to do lots of damage, but very difficult to set up and make it effective. This
works nicely in-game if you have a Bulbasaur that's still leveling up, but is
essentially useless in competitive battling.
Recover/Softboiled Glitch
Due to a glitch, whenever your Pokemon has 255 or 511 HP off of the maximum,
Recover and Softboiled always fail. This is due to the game checking the
hexadecimal value of the HP, rather than the actual HP itself. Make sure if
you're using a Pokemon with a healing move, that you know what HP amounts you
aren't able to use it at.
Best OHKOers
Dragonite (with Thunder Wave or Agility), Tauros, Rapidash (also learns
Agility), Mew, Dugtrio, Arbok (with Glare), Seaking (with Agility),
Nidoking/Nidoqueen (with luck from Body Slam)
Best overall Pokemon (the standards or OU Pokemon)
Alakazam, Golem, Rhydon, Chansey, Jynx, Exeggutor, Zapdos, Tauros, Snorlax,
Lapras, Slowbro, Gengar, Dragonite (only when Wrap is allowed) and Starmie
Bans
Oftentimes, since the game isn’t perfectly balanced, bans are applied. The most
common are no Mew and Mewtwo and that you can’t use more then one of the same
Pokemon (example, no having two Kangaskhans), but other common rules also
include no Double Team/Minimize, no Wrapping moves, and no OHKO moves.
To spice the game up, sometimes the entire group of standard Pokemon are banned.
When this rule is applied, the lower standard Pokemon become the best choices.
These matches are known as UU matches.
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6) Common Questions
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Why is Jynx considered one of the best if it has lousy stats?
Jynx is one of two exceptions and although the stats are bad, the types and
Lovely Kiss makes up for it. Being Ice/Psychic, Jynx is weak to Rock, Fire and
Bug, which basically is like having no weakness. Also, Jynx has 288 Speed and a
Sleep move that is 75% accurate, which makes it very reliable to put an opponent
to Sleep. Most Specialists will take at least 2-3 turns to KO Jynx, giving Jynx
lots of time to attack. The only major problem is the low Defense, which is easy
to exploit using something like Tauros. Jynx is also lacking resistances, only
resisting Psychic and Ice.
What about Raichu?
Raichu has bad overall stats, like Jynx, but simply an Electric having Surf
makes it standard (or at least one of the best non-standards). Electric attacks
dominate everything except for Ground and the less commonly used, Grass. With
Surf, Raichu can do a good number on Grounds, and although it won’t KO them
(except Golem, Onix and most oftenly Rhydon), players don’t want to lose much HP
since Grounds are easy to KO due to having lots of common weaknesses. The only
Electric that can compete with Raichu is Zapdos (not actually battling though)
as it can dodge Ground attacks, has better stats and causes more damage, but
just can’t retaliate on Grounds. Still, Raichu is replaced by Zapdos (and
sometimes Jolteon) because other than Surf, it’s a weak Electric, and you can
always switch if a Ground Pokemon is sent out.
Why are Pokemon that use Rare Candies weaker?
This is only partly true. Since a good portion of a Pokemon’s stats come from
Stat Exp, you have to KO a ton of Pokemon to max it out. “Pure trained” Pokemon
get a huge head start, since to get to Level 100, they have to KO a lot of
Pokemon, which gives them Stat Exp. However, Rare Candied Pokemon only appear
weaker because they haven’t gotten any Stat Exp, which they can still get.
Therefore, use Rare Candies on your Pokemon, and get the Stat Exp at Level 100.
After getting the Stat Exp, Rare Candied Pokemon will be just as strong.
Are Dig and Fly good moves?
Not at all. Dig and Fly are bad moves, and only should be given to those that
don’t get anything better, such as Arcanine or Aerodactyl. First off, you take
a turn to Dig/Fly, making the opponent miss, and then you attack. Meanwhile,
the opponent can switch to something resistant (or immune for Dig), they can
power up with Swords Dance, set up Reflect, Recover, whatever. Using these moves
only allows your opponent to prepare ahead of time or give them an opportunity
to do something useful. Earthquake is identical to Dig, so use Earthquake
instead. If Drill Peck is available, use that instead of Fly. This is not just
for Fly and Dig, this is also the same for Razor Wind, Skull Bash, Sky Attack
(a bit better) and Solarbeam, so try not to use those either.
Is Mirror Move a good move?
That’s a tricky one, but usually no. Unless you plan on getting Dragonite’s
Blizzard or Gyarados’ Thunderbolt (both can happen since they both affect
Flying, which is the type of Pokemon that learn Mirror Move), Mirror Move is a
waste of a turn. Even if you get those moves, the highest Special for a Pokemon
that learns Mirror move is 238. If you are a smart player, you could lead with
an Electric to draw out Rhydon or Golem. When they try Earthquake, you can
switch to Pidgeot and use Earthquake. If you did that, you could hit Golem for
125 damage (max), but then you’ll get Rock Slided. Overall, it's a filler move
for Pokemon with poor movepools (which is mostly just Pidgeot).
Are the movesets in the analysis below the only good movesets?
Not necessarily. Most of the movesets that are given to the Pokemon in this
guide are standard sets. You could have a Cloyster with Surf, Clamp, Ice Beam
and Hyper Beam, and it’d still be fine. These movesets are just the main
movesets for each Pokemon. The movesets are usually the best ones overall, but
depending on the situation, you can sometimes modify them, and still be
effective.
Why is using Thunder Wave and spreading Paralysis in general a common strategy?
Paralyzing is one of the main things a competitive player will do. Speed is
extremely important in the game, and a Pokemon's Speed drops to one quarter
of the normal value when Paralyzed; even Electrode is slower than a
non-Paralyzed Slowpoke. If the entire opponent's team is Paralyzed, you will
always attack first. The reason why this is important is because switching is
common, to counter what the opponent uses. If you use Rhydon against a Paralyzed
Articuno, you're able to KO it before it can attack back. Many Physical Pokemon
such as Golem and Snorlax, and some Special Pokemon too, like Exeggutor gain a
large advantage when their main problem, Speed, is resolved.
Why aren’t Fire type Pokemon good?
Fire type Pokemon are good Pokemon, but their type isn’t necessarily good. Fire
can only get super effective hits on Bugs, which are usually weak, Grasses, that
have 4 other weaknesses and Ice types, but most of them are Water. Fire Pokemon
also have limited types of moves, which are Fire, Normal, some with Dig and
that’s usually it. Fire Pokemon are still good, but their type is bad. Because
Fire types are bad, this also makes Burns very rare, and makes Physical sweepers
slightly safer.
Why are Electrics and Psychics great Pokemon?
Both Psychic types and Electric types have only one weakness each. Psychic is
only weak to Bug, which basically has no meaning, and Electrics are weak to
Ground, which can cause problems. Normals, are not as good as Psychics and
Electrics, typewise, because they have no resistances like Electric and Psychic.
Keep in mind when planning a team to have a strong Normal to take out Psychics
and a Ground type for Electrics. If you have no Ground types, the opponent will
pound you with Electric power by Paralyzing and Thunderbolting you. If you have
no Normals, you’ll have to attack Psychics using Special attacks, which aren’t
very strong on them. Remember though, that there are other ways of dealing with
certain types, but it’s usually recommended having their main weaknesses.
Why is Swords Dance a good move?
Swords Dance doubles your attack power, which can bring it from 258 to 516 in
one turn. This can change the shift of battle, as long as you have enough time
to attack afterwards (or you’ll get knocked out before being able to use it).
The fastest Swords Dancer is Scyther at 308 Speed and the strongest one is
Kingler at 358 Attack.
Is Haze any good?
Haze is good because it cancels any status and stats changes such as Double
Team, Amnesia, Swords Dance, Confuse Ray, Agility, Reflect etc. Since these
moves are common, Haze is nice to have. However, Haze also returns the
opponent's status problem to normal if they have one. Haze is also learned by
only 3 final forms; Golbat, Vaporeon and Weezing, so you will rarely see it.
What is "setting up"?
Setting up a Pokemon is powering it up before it gets knocked out. This includes
Pokemon like Sandslash using Swords Dance, Slowbro using Amnesia, Chansey using
Reflect, etc. To setup without being KO'd or getting status problems, you have
to find a chance to. You can do this against Sleeping or Frozen Pokemon, another
Pokemon that is setting up, or having resistances to the opponent. Generally,
Pokemon that don't need to be setup (like Tauros or Starmie), are better overall
because they can be used at any time, while Pokemon that need to be set up have
to have an opening to become effective in battle. You're also forced to lose any
stat boosts if the opponent switches to something that can counter you (such as
a Cloyster against a Sandslash that is already setup).
What are the best stats for each type?
Here’s the list. I’m not listing Ghost and Dragon, as it’s obviously Gengar and
Dragonite for each stat.
HP
Normal - Chansey 703
Fire - Moltres, Arcanine 383
Water - Lapras, Vaporeon 463
Grass - Exeggutor 393
Electric - Zapdos 383
Ice - Lapras 463
Poison - Muk 413
Ground - Rhydon 413
Fighting - Machamp, Poliwrath 383
Flying - Gyarados 393
Psychic - Mewtwo 415
Bug - Venomoth, Scyther 343
Rock - Rhydon 413
Attack
Normal - Snorlax, Dodrio 318
Fire - Flareon 358
Water - Kingler 358
Grass - Victreebel 308
Electric - Zapdos, Raichu 278
Ice - Cloyster 288
Poison - Muk, Victreebel 308
Ground - Rhydon 358
Fighting - Machamp 358
Flying - Dragonite 366
Psychic - Mewtwo 318
Bug - Pinsir 348
Rock - Rhydon 358
Defense
Normal - Tauros 288
Fire - Moltres 278
Water - Cloyster 458
Grass - Tangela 328
Electric - Magneton 288
Ice - Cloyster 458
Poison - Weezing 338
Ground - Onix 418
Fighting - Poliwrath 288
Flying - Articuno 298
Psychic - Slowbro 318
Bug - Pinsir 298
Rock - Onix 418
Speed
Normal - Persian 328
Fire - Rapidash 308
Water - Starmie 328
Grass - Venusaur 258
Electric - Electrode 378
Ice - Jynx 288
Poison - Gengar 318
Ground - Dugtrio 338
Fighting - Primeape 288
Flying - Aerodactyl 358
Psychic - Mewtwo 358
Bug - Scyther 308
Rock - Aerodactyl 358
Special
Normal - Chansey 308
Fire - Moltres 348
Water - Tentacruel 338
Grass - Exeggutor 348
Electric - Zapdos 348
Ice - Articuno 348
Poison - Gengar 358
Ground - Nidoking, Nidoqueen 248
Fighting - Poliwrath 238
Flying - Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres 348
Psychic - Mewtwo 406
Bug - Venomoth 278
Rock - Omastar 328
********************************************************************************
7) Analyzing Strategies
a) Type Analysis
********************************************************************************
******
Normal
******
Normal is a good type in several ways. It does good damage to anything besides
Ghost and Rock, and it’s easy to find good STAB moves for Normal types (like
Body Slam or Hyper Beam). The problem with Normals is that they are easy to KO
because they aren’t resistant to anything (beside Lick). There are also two
kinds of Normal types; Specialists and Physical ones. The Special ones learn
tons of moves, have high HP and Special, and low other stats (Clefable, Chansey,
Wigglytuff). The Physical ones have high Attack, usually good Speed, and a mix
of moves (Dodrio, Kangaskhan, Snorlax, Tauros). The Physical Normal Pokemon are
usually the best anti-Psychics in the game, and the Special Normals (mostly
Chansey) are excellent tanks. The best Normal damaging moves are Body Slam,
Hyper Beam, Explosion and Slash. The best Normal types are Persian, Dodrio,
Snorlax, Chansey and Tauros.
Attacking: Weak against Rock and nothing against Ghost
Defending: Weak to Fighting and immune to Ghost
Normals are fairly neutral against everything, which is both good and bad. While
you'll be taking at least neutral damage from everything, you can return Normal
attacks that are neutral against about everything. Although Normals are weak to
Fighting, Fighting is a poor type, so Normals don't have to worry about taking
double damage often.
Overall, Normals are one of the better types in the game, both offensively and
defensively.
****
Fire
****
Fire is a tricky type to use. The Pokemon aren’t bad, but being Fire doesn’t
help them. They’re only good against Bug, Grass and the non-Water Ice types
(Jynx and Articuno). Fire types also have high Attack rather then Special. They
usually have good Speed too, but low Defense, so Rock and Ground types are
lethal on them. Fire types are good for Burning your high Attack powered
opponents like Snorlax and Rhydon (though you’ll get destroyed by Rhydon), which
will greatly lower Attack (although it’s a risky chance to take). The only good
Fire moves are Fire Blast and Flamethrower. Fire types are generally not used,
so it isn’t recommended using any of them. Moltres though, has the highest
Special if you want the strongest Fire attacker though, and Charizard is a
decent lead, as it can get super effective moves against all the main Sleepers.
Fire types are best for taking down the tough Physical Pokemon that are
otherwise tricky to beat, like Snorlax and Tauros because you will still do
massive damage and have a slight chance at Burning them. Overall, they’re fairly
useless, but many are good counters for common leads, like Jynx and Exeggutor.
Attacking: Strong against Bug, Grass and Ice and weak against Rock, Water, Fire
and Dragon.
Defending: Weak to Water, Rock and Ground and resistant to Fire, Grass and Bug.
Fire types have very poor matchups. Only effective against some of the weaker
types (or in the case of Ice, a common secondary type resistant to Fire), Fire
isn't a great type offensively or defensively. They also have terrible matchups
against Water and Rock, being both weak to and weak against to them, making
Omastar the best counter to Fire types (except Charizard which has Earthquake,
although still not being able to beat it).
Overall, Fire is a bad type, and one of the worst Special types.
*****
Water
*****
Water types are very common and are powerful. Most have high Special and HP and
a mix of the other stats. Water is usually the most effective type used to get
rid of your opponent’s Ground and Rock Pokemon (although Ice is more commonly
used). Waters are also only weak to two types; Grass and Electric, and there is
nothing that has double resistances against Water. Water is the ideal type for
beating Grounds, especially Golem and Rhydon, but because movesets can only be
so large, Ice is usually used over Water attacks, despite not being as effective
on Grounds. Overall, Water is one of the best types, and some of the best Water
types include Starmie, Lapras and Slowbro.
Attacking: Strong against Fire, Ground and Rock, and weak against Water, Grass
and Dragon.
Defending: Weak to Electric and Grass, and resistant to Water and Ice.
Since Fire types are poor, and most Rock Pokemon are also Ground, Ice usually
replaces Water (an example would be Starmie's standard moveset). Water is a good
defensive type though, as they have no Physical weaknesses, and often enough
Special to deal with Electric and Grass attacks. The nice thing is that Grass is
a bad offensive type, while Electric attacks can be countered by switching to a
Ground type.
Overall, Water is a good type, but better defensively. However, they aren't bad
offensively, as there isn't any Pokemon that has a double resistance against
Water, which is great help for Slowbro.
*****
Grass
*****
Grass types aren’t usually handy to have. They get beaten by many major types,
are all slow and only Razor Leaf is a good Grass move. Most of them have 298
Special (which is very high), good HP and average for the other stats. Most are
also Poison, so Psychic types pummel them too. The problem is that Grass types
don’t have many Grass moves except for Razor Leaf, and sadly Mega Drain.
Solarbeam is powerful, but the opponent can just switch, so it’s pointless. The
best Grass types are Exeggutor, Venusaur and Victreebel, but only Exeggutor is
commonly used, and isn’t mainly used for Grass attacks.
Attacking: Strong against Water, Ground, Rock and weak against, Grass, Bug,
Poison, Dragon, Flying and Fire.
Defending: Weak to Fire, Ice, Poison, Bug and Flying, and resistant to Grass,
Water, Electric and Ground.
For the most part, Grass is either good or bad against and resistant to. Grass
has a lot of weaknesses and poor against 6 different types. However, Grass is
resistant to many common types, and is also effective against common types. A
good example of this is Exeggutor, which has the most resistances in the game,
which is 6 (Water, Grass, Psychic, Ground, Electric, Fighting), but also having
several weaknesses (Flying, Fire, Ice, Poison, and Bug).
Overall, having a Grass Pokemon is nice to switch in against opponent, but not
very useful for actually using attacks.
********
Electric
********
Electrics are usually very fast Pokemon, good Specialists and low on the other 3
stats. The only type that is good against them are Ground Pokemon. If you are
able to KO your opponent’s Ground type(s), your Electrics can wreck havoc on
anything. That’s why it’s good to have a Ground type on your team. Electrics
are only good against Flying and Water, but regular damage on most of everything
else too. The best Electric move is Thunderbolt, since Thunder is too risky at
only 70% accuracy. The best Electric Pokemon are Raichu, Jolteon and Zapdos.
Attacking: Strong against Water and Flying, weak against Electric, Grass and
Dragon, and nothing against Ground.
Defending: Weak to Ground, and resistant to Electric and Flying.
Electric works similar to Normal, where it does good damage to most of anything,
but takes a lot back too. Because of that, Electric is a relatively good type,
and because of that Grounds which are by far the best counter become common.
Overall, Electric is one of the main Special types in the game, being useful
against just about everything. Grounds are an issue though, so if you choose to
use Electrics, make sure to have a counter against any Grounds. Grass types are
easily countered by Drill Peck and Pin Missile, learned by the best Electrics
(Zapdos and Jolteon respectively).
***
Ice
***
Ice types are only weak to Fighting, Fire and Rock, but since 4 of the 5 of
them are weak to Electric, Ice’s rare weaknesses are irrelevant. Ice is a very
common type of attack to use, as it’s strong on a large variety of Pokemon, and
only weak against Water and another Ice type. Ice attacks also offer a chance at
freezing the opponent, which is always helpful. One of the biggest benefits of
Ice is that the strongest Ice attack is 90% accurate, and when that is used by
Ice types (STAB), it deals good damage on anything not resistant. All but
Dewgong are great Pokemon.
Attacking: Strong against Grass, Flying, Dragon and Ground, and weak against
Water and Ice.
Defending: Weak to Fire, Rock and Fighting, and resistant to Ice.
Since there are no pure Ice types, most of the resistances and weaknesses are
irrelevant. Fire only work on Articuno and Jynx, but both have high Special,
while Fighting works on the other three Ice types. Rock is the only type that
beats all 5 Ice Pokemon, but most Rocks are Ground, which get demolished by
Blizzard and Ice Beam. Because of this, Electric is the main type to beat Ice,
minding Jynx. Ice is better used offensively, as they beat 4 different types,
which is tied for the most in the game. They're also only weak against another
Ice type or a Water type, so they are great for attacking with. On top, Blizzard
has 90% accuracy, and can also Freeze. The one flaw is that Ice types are only
resistant to Ice and get hit well by anything else, but since all Ice types have
a second type, they all at least get one extra resistance.
Overall, Ice is one of the best offensive types, and one of the best types in
the game.
*******
Psychic
*******
Psychics are the most dominant type, simply because they have virtually no
weaknesses, Special through the roof that goes nicely using Psychic attacks, and
the only type that can resist them is another Psychic. This also makes the types
weak to Psychic hard to use, which are Poison and Fighting, and that, makes some
Pokemon’s Psychic less useful, like Starmie’s or Chansey’s (since they have no
Pokemon to use them on). Psychics also usually have good Speed, and with that
they can quickly deliver heavy Psychic attacks and put holes in your Pokemon’s
HP. Since Bug won’t do, it’s hard to find an anti-Psychic. Usually high powered
Normal types work, or Pokemon with Thunder Wave to start off. The only good
Psychic move is Psychic, as Dream Eater is hard to use. Basically any Pokemon
that is Psychic is a considerably dangerous Pokemon (not as much with Hypno and
Mr.Mime though). Watch out for Alakazam, Slowbro, Jynx, Starmie and Exeggutor.
Attacking: Strong against Fighting and Poison, and weak against Psychic.
Defending: Weak to Bug, resistant to Psychic and Fighting, and immune to Ghost
Psychic is generally accepted as the best type in the game. They are only weak
to Bug, which is one of the worst types, while offensively, only weak to another
Psychic. This makes them extremely useful and viable. Another common trend is
that Psychics have high Special, which means they do more Special damage and
also take less Special damage, all in one stat. Psychics are the best types, and
this causes Pokemon weak to them (Fighting and Poison) difficult to use without
being beaten by half of the opponent's team.
Overall, Psychic is the best type. They are basically the best defensive type,
and also one of the top offensive types.
******
Poison
******
Poison is a bad type to use. They’re only effective against Grass and Bug, which
Fire can do (and more) and very few Pokemon can use Poison attacks effectively.
Poison is usually a secondary type that holds back Pokemon like Tentacruel and
Victreebel from becoming super powerful. Being weak to Psychic doesn’t help, and
Ground is frequent too. The only good Poison attack is Sludge, which is weaker
than Fire punch and has a 50% chance of Poisoning (which is actually bad, as
you’ll want to Paralyze the opponent, not Poison them). On top, Poison is only
strong against Grass and Bugs; many of which are Poison. There are some good
Pokemon that are Poison, such as Gengar, but as an attacking type, it's one of
the worst types.
Attacking: Strong against Bug and Grass, and weak against Poison, Ground, Rock
and Ghost.
Defending: Weak to Psychic, Bug and Ground, and resistant to Poison, Grass and
Fighting.
Poison is poor at everything. They are only good against 2 types, but since Bug
and Grass Pokemon usually have a secondary type, the few Pokemon weak to Poison
attacks decreases even more. In fact, there are only 6 Pokemon that are weak to
Poison. On top, there are 4 types that resist Poison, and you may Poison the
opponent, which is bad because then they can't be Paralyzed. Defensively, they
are not any better. They are weak to both Psychic and Ground; the best Special
type and one of the few good Physical types. Poison types are also resistant to
3 weaker types.
Overall, Poison is one of the worst types; possibly second worst, above Bug.
********
Fighting
********
Fighting types have good Attack, Defense and usually HP. They’re slow though and
can’t take many Special attacks. They’re only weak to Flying and the dreadful
Psychic type. Fighting can’t really beat any types either. Normal are weak to
Fighting, but the best move, Submission is weak, unreliable and on top, you take
recoil damage. Hi Jump Kick is better, but only Hitmonlee (which sucks) can
learn it. The only Fighting type worth using is Machamp, and Poliwrath (but as
a Water type). Because Fighting types are bad, Normals are more common, and
Psychic (the attack) is used less.
Attacking: Strong against Ice, Normal and Rock, weak against Bug, Psychic,
Poison and Flying, and nothing against Ghost.
Defending: Weak to Psychic and Flying, and resistant to Rock and Bug.
Fighting is another poor Physical type. They are bad at attacking 5 different
types, and only good against Normal and two types with only a few Pokemon. They
are also weak to Psychic and have no good resistances. The only desireable thing
about Fighting is being able to attack Normal types for double damage. However,
Submission is a poor move, and Hitmonlee is a bad Pokemon. It would be much more
viable to attack Normal types with another type.
Overall, Fighting is bad at mostly everything. The only use is that they can
beat Normal types.
******
Ground
******
Ground types have good Attack and usually high Defense, but are slow and weak
to Special attacks. They get beaten by Water and Ice, but Grass isn’t usually a
big problem. The only reason that they are used often is because they are the
best anti-Electrics, and without Ground types, you’ll get zapped badly. Beyond
knocking out Electrics, they work well on dealing heavy damage around to
everything (nothing is resistant to both Rock and Ground), and can last long in
battle if used carefully. Most are also partly Rock though, and that makes them
even easier targets for Special attacks. Earthquake is the best Ground move, and
Dig is the same in strength, but gives the opponent time to do something. Only
give Dig to Pokemon that don't learn Earthquake. The best Ground types are
Rhydon, Sandslash and Golem.
Attacking: Strong against Fire, Rock, Poison and Electric, weak against Grass
and Bug, and nothing against Flying.
Defending: Weak to Water, Grass and Ice, resistant to Rock and Poison, and
immune to Electric.
One of the few good Physical types, Ground covers a wide variety of Pokemon, but
most importantly, Electric. As the best counter to one of the best types, Ground
is important to beating Electric Pokemon. Although Grounds are weak to 3 Special
types, 2 of them aren't used offensively, and Grounds have no Physical
weaknesses, making them great counters to some Special Pokemon.
Overall, Ground competes with Normal for the best Physical type in the game.
******
Flying
******
Flying types are all different kinds of types, and almost always a secondary
type (you don’t pick a Pokemon because it’s Flying, they just come with the type
Flying). Flying is good on Grass, Bug and Fighting, which isn’t bad, but they
are weak to both Electric and Ice, which is a big minus. The best Flying Pokemon
for Flying attacks themselves are Zapdos and Dodrio, because they learn Drill
Peck, the only decent Flying move. They are handy for taking out Exeggutor.
Attacking: Strong against Grass, Bug and Fighting, and weak against Electric and
Rock.
Defending: Weak to Ice, Electric and Rock, resistant to Grass, Bug and Fighting,
and immune to Ground.
Flying is a common type, but for the most part, it holds Pokemon back. Being
weak to Rock, Electric and Ice means that most Pokemon will have an attack that
is good against Flying. Flying is also resistant to 3 lesser types, but an
immunity to Ground is nice (although most Grounds have Rock Slide). Offensively,
Flying isn't great, but increases the sweeping ability for Zapdos and Dodrio.
Overall, Flying is decent, but the weaknesses are awful.
****
Rock
****
Rock is always a secondary type, usually to Grounds. There are only two Rock
moves, and Rock Slide is always the better choice. They are good against many
types like Fire, Bug, Flying and Ice, which is a large range of Pokemon. The
best ones are Rhydon and Golem.
Attacking: Strong against Fire, Flying, Ice and Bug, and weak against Ground and
Fighting.
Defending: Weak to Water, Grass, Ground and Fighting, and resistant to Normal,
Fire, Poison and Flying.
Rock is one of the best Physical types, offensively, as it covers 4 different
types, and only overlaps once with Ground (against Fire). Rock is also only
weak to Fighting and Ground. However, Rock has a lot of weaknesses, despite also
having a lot of resistances, so Rock can easily be beaten. A resistance to
Normal is nice though.
Overall, Rock is one of the better Physical types, but is a smaller type; it's
always paired with another.
***
Bug
***
Bug is the worst type in the game. The only good Bug move, Twineedle (Pin
Missile requires too much luck) is weaker than Horn Attack, only learned by one
garbage Pokemon and isn’t even close to the solution to beating Psychics. There
are no good Pokemon in the game that is a Bug type, so I won’t recommend any Bug
type. They are the only type that can beat Psychics, but since they suck,
Normals are usually used to beat Psychics. The only exceptions are Bugs that are
more Normal users like Scyther and Pinsir, but they don’t learn Bug moves so
they don’t count, and even if they did they’re not great anyways. Don’t use
Bugs. If I had to pick one, Venomoth is probably the most useful, only because
it can survive any Psychic attack and delivers Sleep and Stun at 278 Speed. This
has nothing to do with the Bug type though.
Attacking: Strong against Grass, Poison and Psychic, and weak against Fire,
Flying, Ghost, Ground, and Fighting.
Defending: Weak to Fire, Poison, Flying, Rock, and resistant to Fighting, Grass
and Ground.
Bug has nothing going for it. Bug is weak to a variety of types, weak against 5
different types, and has poor resistances. The main thing for Bug is that they
are the only type that is strong against Psychic. But there are several
different factors that nullify that point. First off, Bugs have low Special and
can't resist Psychic, so that alone makes them only good against them, but not a
whole counter, such as Ground countering Electric. But also, Bug is often part
Poison, including Beedrill, the only Pokemon that learns a decent Bug move. Bug
completely fails at the only possible use it has.
Overall, Bug only makes problems and is the worst type in the game.
*****
Ghost
*****
Although Gengar is the only final form, Ghost is a great type. They’re immune to
Normal and Fighting moves (which is a ton of moves) and all the 3 Ghosts have
good Speed and Special. The only Ghost move that does damage (Nightshade is a
set-damage move) is Lick. Lick has a 30% chance of Paralyzing and is half as
strong as Scratch. On top, Ghost moves are only effective on other Ghosts, and
both Normal and Psychic types are immune to Ghost. Don’t use it. Ghost is a good
type, but unfortunately, Gengar is part Poison, which makes it worse than it
could be.
Attacking: Strong against Ghost, nothing against Psychic and Normal
Defending: Weak to Ghost, resistant to Poison and Bug, immune to Normal and
Fighting.
Gengar is a great Pokemon, but putting that aside, Ghost is only a decent type.
Ghost is only strong against another Ghost, and does nothing to at least 3 or 4
Pokemon on most player's teams. However, Ghost is one of the better types
defensively, having two immunities, and only one weakness. But when you factor
in that Lick is the only true Ghost attack (which is as strong as Absorb), it
means that Ghost essentially has no weaknesses.
Overall, Ghost is only good defensively, but loses its true touch since Gengar
is partially Poison.
******
Dragon
******
Dragon is a rare and powerful type, like Ghost. Likewise with Gengar’s Poison
type, Dragonite is held back because it is part Flying. Dragon itself is a great
type, only being weak to Ice, but resistant to Grass, Electric, Fire and Water.
Dragonite would be a good anti-Specialist (besides Ice). One thing though is
that Dragon attacks don’t exist, since Dragon Rage is a set-damage move, so
there are no real Dragon attacks. Dragonite, type-wise, isn't great due to being
part Flying, and Dragonair is too weak to show off the Dragon type.
Attacking: Theoretically strong against Dragon and neutral to anything else.
Defending: Weak to Dragon and Ice, and resistant to Electric, Fire, Water and
Grass.
It's theoretical as there are no true Dragon attacks. If there was, Dragon would
be a decent offensive type, since nothing resists Dragon, but that's not the
case. Defensively, Dragon is only weak to Ice, and has a ton of Special
resistances, making Dragon seem to be a counter to Specialists. But when you
notice that Dragonite is partially Flying, that takes away the main one, which
is Electric, makes the Ice weakness even worse, and throws in a Rock weakness as
well.
Overall, Dragon, like Ghost loses most of its potential because of the only
final form having a terrible secondary type.
********************************************************************************
7) Analyzing Strategies
b) Final Form Analysis
********************************************************************************
This bulk is very helpful for creating a team for Pokemon as it gives you the
max stats, type, weaknesses, resistances, immunities and a thorough amount of
information about each and every final form. The CHC and the number beside it,
is the chances of getting a Critical Hit. The faster the Pokemon, the more
likely to get Critical Hits. As for weaknesses and resistances, any that are in
all capitals are quadruples or quarters, like Electric on Gyarados, which is 4
times stronger or Grass on Charizard which is only a quarter of the strength.
Also, for the movesets, there are often slashes, which means pick one of those.
The best one is usually the first one anyways, but the other moves are possible
options. The different movesets are also different ways to play each Pokemon,
but many secondary ones are made to show common mistakes. Also, all Pokemon are
rated on effectiveness against the standards. UU Pokemon are not rated against
other UU Pokemon, they are rated against standards.
********
Venusaur
********
HP 363
ATK 262
DEF 264
SPD 258
SPE 298
CHC 15.6%
Type - Grass/Poison
Weaknesses - Fire, Ice, Psychic, Flying, BUG
Resistances - Water, GRASS, Electric, Fighting
Venusaur is sadly, the fastest Grass type at a mere 258 (which is tied with
Magikarp). Venusaur is an okay Grass type, probably your alternative to
Exeggutor, if not Victreebel. Venusaur gets some decent moves though, including
the most effective Grass move, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder, Swords Dance and Body
Slam. That’s not enough though. Exeggutor is better in every way, except for
lower Speed and no Razor Leaf. At least Exeggutor isn’t Poison, which makes
Venusaur an open target to all Psychics, which dominate the RBY series. Razor
Leaf is helpful though, especially on Slowbro and Omastar. Venusaur can also hit
the opponents hard with powered Normal moves with Swords Dance, but so can
Victreebel. In comparison, Venusaur is faster and more defensive than
Victreebel, but lacking Stun Spore holds Venusaur back. Overall, it's not bad.
My recommended movesets for Venusaur
1 - Standard - Razor Leaf, Body Slam/Hyper Beam, Swords Dance, Sleep Powder
Put the opponent to Sleep, and then pump up Attack or use Razor Leaf. This
Venusaur works decently being a Sleeper, and having lots of lasting power.
However, Venusaur doesn’t learn Stun Spore, and you’ll have to hope for
Paralysis by Body Slam. Afterwards, use Razor Leaf or pump up Swords Dance and
then use Body Slam or Hyper Beam. Growth is also a possibility, but to benefit
from it the most, you have to switch Razor Leaf for Mega Drain.
2 - Stalling - Growth, Reflect, Mega Drain, Rest/Body Slam
With boosts to both defensive stats, a healing move that also gets a Special
boost, and Rest to heal faster, Venusaur can become tough. The issue though is
that Venusaur has a lot of common weaknesses, so most Pokemon can cut through
the boosts and take out Venusaur during Rest.
3 – Leech and Toxic combo - Toxic, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Hyper Beam
This is a combo Venusaur. With Toxic and Leech Seed, you’ll be doing lots of
damage each turn. The only problem is, you have to do that to all opponents,
and Venusaur very rarely lasts that long. The opponent can always just switch
too. It fails.
Relative Strength
Razor Leaf vs Starmie - 289-246 (89%-76%)
Razor Leaf vs Slowbro - 332-282 (84%-72%)
Razor Leaf vs Tauros - 179-152 (51%-43%)
3x Swords Dance + Body Slam vs Chansey - 662-563 (94%-80%)
2x Swords Dance + Body Slam vs Alakazam - 300-255 (96%-81%)
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 353-300 (113%-96%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 286-243 (79%-67%)
Moltres' Fire Blast - 359-305 (99%-84%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 359-305 (99%-84%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 218-185 (60%-51%)
Mewtwo's Psychic - 314-268 (87%-74%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 123-105 (34%-29%)
How to beat Venusaur
Venusaur has high HP and defensive stats, so it will take at least two turns.
The best way is to use a Fire or Flying type. Not only will you have an
advantage, but Venusaur’s attacks will be weak too (unlike Ice Pokemon). Use
Charizard or Moltres with Fire Blast/Flamethrower or use Dodrio or Zapdos with
Drill Peck. An alternative is Ice, as long as it isn’t Water. Psychics work well
too, but watch out for Swords Dance. Gengar is probably the best counter against
Venusaur, overall, since it is resistant to anything Venusaur has, just watch
out for Sleep Powder.
Why you should use Venusaur
-One of two Razor Leafers, which is the best Grass attack
-The fastest Grass type, for whatever reason you would need that for
-Putting the opponent to Sleep, although slower than other Sleepers
-Hybrid sweeping, but it requires setting up with Swords Dance, and is also
limited on both Special and Physical attacks
*********
Charizard
*********
HP 359
ATK 266
DEF 254
SPD 298
SPE 268
CHC 19.5%
Type - Fire/Flying
Weaknesses - Water, Ice, Electric, ROCK
Resistances - Fire, GRASS, Fighting, BUG
Immunities - Ground
Charizard is a powerful Fire type with good overall stats. Very fast, and above
average for everything else. The only problem is that Charizard has many Special
weaknesses, and not so high Special. There isn’t very much that doesn’t do good
damage on Charizard. It gets really damaged up from Surf, Ice Beam and
Thunderbolt, not forgeting Rock Slide is almost always a KO. Charizard does get
a nice movepool though, including Slash, Swords Dance, Flamethrower and
Earthquake. Being the second fastest with Swords Dance can make Charizard a
Physical sweeper. Charizard is also an interesting lead, as it can damage 3 of
the most common leads, Gengar, Exeggutor and Jynx, with super effective moves.
However, Charizard is still iffy. You have to set Charizard up carefully to use
it well.
My recommended movesets for Charizard
1 - Standard - Swords Dance, Earthquake, Body Slam/Hyper Beam,
Fire Blast/Flamethrower
This Charizard beats on everything. The only Pokemon that can actually resist
all of these moves is Aerodactyl. Remember though that Earthquake and the
Normal move only run off of 266 attack, but Swords Dance can boost that. There
are other options too, such as Submission, which works nicely against the
Normals like Tauros, Snorlax and Chansey, but only when a Swords Dance or two
is used. Slash is also an option if you aren’t able to set up Charizard with
Swords Dance. Fire Spin is another possibility but it is inaccurate. Yet another
option is Counter if you feel you'll face many Normals.
2 - OHKO - Fissure, Body Slam, Fire Blast, Reflect
With 298 Speed, Charizard can be an effective OHKO Pokemon, but 298 isn't faster
than everything. Fissure also affects much less than Horn Drill does, and Body
Slam might not necessarily Paralyzed. It's usually a bad OHKO Pokemon.
Relative Strength
Fire Blast vs Exeggutor - 238-203 (61%-52%)
Fire Blast vs Jynx - 287-244 (86%-73%)
Fire Blast vs Tauros - 173-147 (49%-42%)
Flamethrower vs Jynx - 228-194 (68%-58%)
Earthquake vs Jolteon - 208-177 (64%-54%)
Earhtquake vs Gengar - 208-177 (64%-55%)
1x Swords Dance + Earthquake vs Golem - 253-215 (70%-60%)
1x Swords Dance + Submission vs Chansey - 666-566 (95%-81%)
Relative Defense
Articuno's Blizzard - 398-339 (111%-96%)
Jynx's Blizzard - 330-281 (92%-78%)
Starmie's Blizzard - 228-194 (64%-54%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 187-159 (52%-44%)
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 544-463 (152%-129%)
Machamp's Rock Slide - 363-309 (101%-86%)
Starmie's Surf - 272-231 (76%-64%)
How to beat Charizard
If your Pokemon has a type advantage against Charizard, you’ll usually win.
Electrics and Ice have to take caution though because Charizard can have type
advantages on them too. Ground types are also in slight danger, as Golem and
Rhydon are both partly Rock and also have to avoid getting Burned. Zapdos is a
good counter, and defensive Water types are safe too.
Why you should use Charizard
-The only Fire type with Swords Dance and Earthquake
-The only Fire type that is relatively versatile
-Countering common lead Pokemon (type-wise)
*********
Blastoise
*********
HP 361
ATK 264
DEF 298
SPD 254
SPE 268
CHC 15.2%
Type - Water
Weaknesses - Electric, Grass
Resistances - Water, Ice, Fire
Blastoise is a Water type, giving it lots of competition to be useful. Blastoise
can learn Earthquake, which helps deal with Electrics like Jolteon and Raichu,
and Blizzard/Ice Beam can cover for Grass types. Blastoise’s stats were sent to
Defense, which isn't great, having Special weaknesses. Try using Gyarados,
Cloyster, Lapras, Starmie or Slowbro. Blastoise is a mixed sweeping Water, but
only effective in UU matches. There's too many other Water types that are much
better than Blastoise, and Blastoise is only subpar.
My recommended movesets for Blastoise
1 – Standard - Surf, Earthquake, Blizzard/Ice Beam, Body Slam
A hybrid sweeping Blastoise. Although not as effective as Starmie, it works well
on dealing damage to anything. The damage isn't usually very high though, in
comparison to other Pokemon.
Relative Strength
Surf vs Sandslash - 314-267 (89%-76%)
Surf vs Tauros - 137-117 (39%-33%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 159-135 (40%-34%)
Blizzard vs Zapdos - 159-135 (42%-35%)
Earthquake vs Raichu - 217-184 (67%-57%)
Relative Defense
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 316-269 (88%-75%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 136-116 (38%-32%)
Snorlax's Self-Destruct - 352-300 (98%-83%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 187-159 (52%-44%)
Starmie's Thunderbolt - 181-154 (50%-43%)
How to beat Blastoise
Blastoise can’t take much, but both Grass and Electrics can be countered with
Earthquake and an Ice attack. However, they will still be fine as Blastoise's
offensive stats are only average. Counter with any Electric or Grass. Starmie,
Alakazam and Chansey are great counters too.
Why you should use Blastoise
-The only pure Water with Earthquake
-A hybrid sweeper, although not excelling in either
-A Physically defensive Water type
**********
Butterfree
**********
HP 323
ATK 188
DEF 198
SPD 238
SPE 258
CHC 13.6%
Type - Bug/Flying
Weaknesses - Electric, Ice, Fire, Poison, Flying, ROCK
Resistances - GRASS, FIGHTING, Bug
Immunities - Ground
Butterfree is garbage. It has terrible stats in all categories (258 Special, is
alright) and has 6 weaknesses, not to mention that they are among some of the
more popular types. Even if you survive everything (Geodude’s Rock throw knocks
it out), what can you accomplish? There are plenty of other Pokemon that are
good for putting your opponents to Sleep, Butterfree has no Bug or Flying moves,
and its most powerful attack, Psychic, can’t even get close to taking out a
Machamp. In comparison, Butterfree is worse in almost every way compared to
Venomoth, which will be evaluated later. Go to your PC and just release your
Butterfree. Butterflies weren’t meant to fight Dragons or even sparrows for that
matter.
My recommended movesets for Butterfree
1 – Standard - Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Psychic, Mega Drain
Sleep and stun. After that Butterfree’s garbage. Non-STAB Psychic and Mega Drain
coming from only 258 Special is much to low to be useful. Reflect, Mimic and
Hyper Beam could work to some degree, but Butterfree doesn't have much Attack
power or time to use them either.
Relative Strength
Mega Drain vs Rhydon - 192-163 (46%-39%)
Mega Drain vs Starmie - 62-52 (19%-16%)
Psychic vs Machamp - 175-149 (46%-39%)
Psychic vs Gengar - 112-96 (35%-30%)
Relative Defense
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 695-591 (215%-183%)
Moltres' Fire Blast - 413-352 (128%-109%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 322-274 (99%-85%)
Dodrio's Drill Peck - 329-280 (102%-87%)
Geodude's Rock Throw - 340-289 (105%-89%)
Muk's Sludge - 260-221 (80%-68%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 189-161 (59%-50%)
How to beat Butterfree
This is easy. If you have any Fire, Ice, Rock, Electric or Flying type, use it
and hit it. Butterfree should drop with little effort. If you don’t have any one
of those, use something else, as Butterfree can’t take much of anything at all.
Almost anything counters it, especially Psychics.
Why you should use Butterfree
-Realistically, there is no reason to ever use Butterfree when compared to
Venomoth and Exeggutor
********
Beedrill
********
HP 333
ATK 258
DEF 178
SPD 248
SPE 188
CHC 14.6%
Type - Bug/Poison
Weaknesses - Fire, Psychic, Flying, Bug, Rock
Resistances - GRASS, FIGHTING
Unfortunately, Beedrill is the only good Bug Pokemon (that’s not saying much)
and it’s pretty bad. This is why Psychics dominate, as their only weakness is
almost non-existant. Beedrill can learn Twineedle, Agility and Swords Dance,
which are okay. You shouldn’t use Beedrill, but if you were lucky enough to get
a huge opening, you could use Agility and Swords Dance, and then Beedrill is a
threat. Perhaps if the opponent is asleep or Frozen, and chooses not to switch.
After Swords Dance, Beedrill’s attack is at 516, and can take out many Psychics.
It’s unlikely you can pull that off though. Even if you do, the opponent can
always switch. Just stick to Tauros and Snorlax (and maybe Golem) for taking
care of Psychics.
My recommended movesets for Beedrill
1 – Standard - Swords Dance, Agility, Twineedle, Hyper Beam
The standard Beedrill. With perfect timing and a huge opening, this can become
deadly, especially to Exeggutor and Alakazam. With one Agility, you’re faster
than anything and after one or two Swords Dances, Twineedle can start to go to
work. If you were to pull all that off, the opponent can still just use
something that can take it, like Golem. Mega Drain could cover this, but you
would lose Hyper Beam, which you need. So Golem and Rhydon completely stop
Beedrill. Then when you switch out, you have to power up again. You need tons of
luck and timing for this to work, but if by a crazy chance that you get
everything together, you may take out 1 to 3 Pokemon. It’s probably never going
to happen though and you're better off using something better in the first
place, like Tauros which is much more consistant.
Relative Strength
Twineedle vs Alakazam - 178-152 (57%-49%)
1x Swords Dance + Twineedle vs Alakazam - 351-299 (112%-96%)
Twineedle vs Exeggutor - 254-216 (65%-55%)
1x Swords Dance + Twineedle vs Exeggutor - 497-423 (126%-108%)
Relative Defense
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 386-328 (116%-98%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 320-273 (96%-82%)
Exeggutor's Psychic - 425-362 (128%-109%)
How to beat Beedrill
Although Twineedle won’t do much, Psychics may lose some good HP. Fire and
Flying types work best against Beedrill, but most of everything else will also
get the job done too. Use Golem or Rhydon if Beedrill is already set up.
Why you should use Beedrill
-The only Pokemon with a chance to attack well with Bug attacks
-Physical sweeping after setting up, which will rarely happen
*******
Pidgeot
*******
HP 369
ATK 258
DEF 248
SPD 280
SPE 238
CHC 17.7%
Type - Normal/Flying
Weaknesses - Ice, Electric, Rock
Resistances - Grass, Bug
Immunities - Ground, Ghost
Pidgeot is fairly useless. Looking at the stats, the only good stats are a
pretty good Speed and an above average HP. The other stats are average. Pidgeot
also doesn’t get any good attacks, such as Drill Peck and Body Slam. Pidgeot is
popular among kids though, as it is the first Pokemon caught for a lot of them.
Usually by the time they get to Cinnabar Island they find out that Pidgeot is
bad. Pidgeot has nothing going for it at all. Dodrio is better and even Fearow
is better.
My recommended movesets for Pidgeot
1 – Standard - Double-Edge, Hyper Beam, 2 of Reflect/Mimic/Agility/Substitute
Pidgeot not only has bad stats, but has a terrible movepool. Don’t complain,
this is as good as it gets. And yes, you might consider not having a Flying
move, that is if you consider using Pidgeot. Fly and Sky Attack aren’t useful.
Relative Strength
Sky Attack vs Exeggutor - 345-294 (88%-75%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 454-386 (65%-55%)
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 262-223 (84%-71%)
Relative Defense
Artciuno's Blizzard - 448-381 (121%-103%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 356-302 (96%-82%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 210-179 (57%-49%)
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 278-237 (75%-64%)
How to beat Pidgeot
Pidgeot can’t do much to anything, so you don’t have to worry much about taking
damage. Electrics are generally the best due to Pidgeot’s low Special and their
high Speed and Special. Rocks also work too, as they are virtually immune to
anything Pidgeot will have, but may take an extra turn knocking it out. Gengar
counters well, as most Pidgeots don't have anything besides Normal moves, but
they may have Mirror Move, so avoid using Hypnosis or Confuse Ray.
Why you should use Pidgeot
-A defensive Normal-Flying type, but Dodrio is more useful, and Articuno is much
more defensive, and also offensive
********
Raticate
********
HP 313
ATK 260
DEF 218
SPD 292
SPE 198
CHC 18.9%
Type - Normal
Weaknesses - Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Raticate comes with one of the best moves in the game, Super Fang, which does
352 to Chansey, 208 to Mewtwo, 262 to Snorlax and 112 to Diglett. But to even
things up, Attack is okay, and Speed is high, but the other stats are terrible.
Raticate also doesn’t learn too many other good moves. With Raticate, you may
get a Super Fang in, if you’re quicker and then you’ll be lucky to survive. You
could narrow down a tough Pokemon to a quarter of it’s HP, like Snorlax, which
would help keep your good ones alive. If you’re faster, try to get two Super
Fangs in. If you’re slower, Raticate gets KO'd without doing much of anything.
Raticate can possibly deal some heavy damage if you lead off with it or you save
it when all of the opponent’s are Paralyzed, but otherwise, it's bad.
My recommended movesets for Raticate
1 – Standard - Super Fang, Hyper Beam, Body Slam, Bubblebeam/Blizzard
Your typical Raticate. Fang’em and then spit out Hyper Beam. Body Slam is to try
and Paralyze. STAB Hyper Beam and Body Slam isn’t terrible. The fourth move is
to KO Rhydon and Golem. Bubblebeam is better, but Blizzard is there to use on
other grounds too, since it’s stronger than Bubblebeam on Sandslash. Even if you
get a nice oppurtunity to use Super Fang, don't forget it can miss, since it is
90% accurate.
2 – Super Fang combo - Super Fang, Toxic, Dig, Hyper Beam
A Super Fang combo. Poison, Super Fang and then letting Poison do its job while
digging piles up on the opponent. Your opponent can switch though and Raticate
will probably never be able to pull this off. Don’t use it.
Relative Strength
Super Fang vs Any Pokemon - ~50%
Bubblebeam vs Golem - 215-183 (59%-50%)
Blizzard vs Golem - 195-166 (55%-46%)
Blizzard vs Sandslash - 195-166 (55%-47%)
Bubblebeam vs Sandslash - 107-92 (30%-26%)
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 264-224 (84%-72%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 213-181 (68%-58%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 213-181 (68%-58%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 149-127 (48%-41%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 126-107 (40%-34%)
Snorlax's Body Slam - 159-135 (51%-43%)
How to beat Raticate
Raticate is easy to KO, but since it will usually take at least two turns, you
have to risk half or even three quarters of your Pokemon's HP. Make sure that
your choice’s Speed is also 298 or greater or you might get Super Fanged three
times (or more likely, taken down). The best choice is probably Alakazam as it
doesn’t have much HP to lose anyways, can Recover it and blow Raticate away with
Psychic. Using Psychic and then stalling with Recover until Super Fang misses is
a surefire way to safely KO Raticate. Don't forget that Super Fang can hit
Ghosts, so don't counter with Gengar, despite it's immune to Normal attacks.
Why you should use Raticate
-Damaging high HP Pokemon with Super Fang
******
Fearow
******
HP 333
ATK 278
DEF 228
SPD 298
SPE 220
CHC 19.5%
Type - Normal/Flying
Weaknesses - Ice, Electric, Rock
Resistances - Grass, Bug
Immunities - Ghost, Ground
Fearow is basically a modified Pidgeot, having better Attack and Speed, but
sacrificing some HP, Defense and Special. Fearow does learn Drill Peck though,
so it sort of makes up for the stat loss. Fearow is easy to KO. You may be
able to get a decent attack, but with low stats in all the Defense categories,
Fearow will drop without effort. If you need a flyer, use Zapdos or Dodrio.
My recommended movesets for Fearow
1 – Standard - Drill Peck, Hyper Beam, Double-Edge, Agility/Mirror Move/Mimic
Drill Peck, Double-Edge and Hyper Beam. Mow down your opponents with them and
hope for Criticals. Dodrio does this better though, and also gets Body Slam
instead of Double-Edge, not to mention better Attack.
Relative Strength
Drill Peck vs Exeggutor - 215-183 (55%-47%)
Drill Peck vs Machamp - 217-184 (57%-48%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 489-416 (70%-59%)
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 282-240 (90%-77%)
Relative Defense
Articuno's Blizzard - 484-412 (145%-124%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 384-327 (115%-98%)
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 302-257 (91%-77%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 192-163 (58%-49%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 227-193 (68%-58%)
How to beat Fearow
Fearow is nothing tough. Any sort of Ice, Electric or Special attack will do
heavy damage. Rocks are the best though because they won’t take much damage back
themselves. Don’t underestimate it though, because it can do a good number on
Grass Pokemon and low Defense Pokemon. The best counters are Golem and Rhydon.
Why you should use Fearow
-In comparison to Dodrio, there is no realistic reason to use Fearow
*****
Arbok
*****
HP 323
ATK 268
DEF 236
SPD 258
SPE 228
CHC 15.6%
Type - Poison
Weaknesses - Psychic, Ground, Bug
Resistances - Grass, Fighting, Poison
To begin with, Arbok has bad stats. Arbok doesn’t learn any good Poison moves
and takes heavy damage from Psychic and another common type, Ground. Arbok is
also given a less accurate Thunder Wave which is Glare. Arbok can’t do much of
anything to anything at all. Earthquake can barely do 75% to Magnemite, Rock
Slide is bad too and giving Arbok Acid won’t do. Arbok is an okay OHKO Pokemon,
but that’s not a very good plan for Arbok, and also usually not allowed. Arbok
is only good for spreading Paralysis and Wrapping.
My recommended movesets for Arbok
1 – Standard – Wrap, Glare, Hyper Beam, Earthquake/Mega Drain
Spread Paralysis and start using Wrap. Finish off anything with Hyper Beam and
use Earthquake or Mega Drain against Golem and Rhydon. Earthquake is better and
you also can deal with Gengar too.
2 - Non-Wrapping Standard - Glare, Earthquake, Hyper Beam, Screech/Rock Slide
This is the moveset if Wrap is banned. However, Arbok can't do anything without
Wrap, so don't use Arbok if it's banned. Screech helps, but the opponent can
always switch.
3 – OHKO - Glare, Fissure, Body Slam/Earthquake, Rock Slide
A OHKO Arbok, which does occasionally work. Rock Slide is for flyers. Chances
are Arbok will get Paralyzed though, if not knocked out fast.
Relative Strength
Earthquake vs Golem - 129-110 (36%-30%)
Mega Drain vs Golem - 155-132 (43%-36%)
Earthquake vs Magneton - 160-136 (53%-45%)
Rock Slide vs Articuno - 234-199 (61%-52%)
Rock Slide vs Zapdos - 130-110 (34%-29%)
Acid vs Exeggutor - 106-90 (27%-23%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 372-316 (115%-98%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 388-330 (120%-102%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 216-183 (67%-57%)
Snorlax's Body Slam - 147-125 (46%-39%)
How to beat Arbok
Arbok gets beaten by everything, so it doesn’t matter what you pick. Faster
Pokemon, especially Psychics are the best though, as Arbok can still Paralyze.
Try not to use Golem or Rhydon, as they rely on Paralysis of the opponents to
sweep more effectively, but won't work if they're Paralyzed too. If Wrapping is
allowed, use Alakazam, and if OHKOs are allowed, use something faster, but not
valuable (since Arbok can Paralyze with Glare). Rhydon and Golem become useless
when Paralyzed, so only use them if you can take out Arbok before it uses Glare.
Why you should use Arbok
-Spreading Paralysis, including to Ground types
-Wrapping, which isn't bad having Glare
-A OHKO option, which works with Glare
******
Raichu
******
HP 323
ATK 278
DEF 208
SPD 298
SPE 278
CHC 19.5%
Type - Electric
Weaknesses - Ground
Resistances - Electric, Flying
Raichu is obviously not a defensive Pokemon, but has good Speed and not too
shabby Special. It also is tied for highest attack of Electric types, but
doesn’t serve Raichu too well. The only reason Raichu is even popular is because
it gets Surf. Raichu, otherwise is just a mediocre Electric type. Be careful
when using Raichu, as it can't take much, and if it's Paralyzed, then it can't
counter Grounds. If you need an Electric, Zapdos is generally better, but Raichu
is still acceptable, as Surf is nice against Golem and Rhydon.
My recommended movesets for Raichu
1 – Standard - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Surf, Body Slam/Reflect/Submission
Standard Raichu. Thunder Wave your opponents and then pump out Thunderbolts and
Surf. You get stalled on Grass types fairly well, but anything else will at
least take neutral damage. Body Slam is usually the best fourth move, but
Submission isn’t bad against Chansey, and Reflect is to increase Raichu’s
lifespan. If you unable to get Raichu with Surf, don't use it at all.
Relative Strength
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 229-195 (71%-60%)
Surf vs Golem - 434-369 (120%-102%)
Surf Vs Rhydon - 480-408 (116%-99%)
Surf vs Sandslash - 217-184 (61%-52%)
Submission vs Chansey - 349-297 (50%-42%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 153-130 (47%-40%)
Golem's Earthquake - 391-332 (121%-103%)
Sandslash's Earthquake - 367-312 (114%-97%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 244-208 (76%-64%)
How to beat Raichu
Raichu is tricky. Its only weakness is Ground, but Ground types can lose lots of
HP, if not KO (especially Golem and Rhydon). Grass Types work well, although
they do neutral damage, they can resist Raichu’s attacks. Normal types that
learn Ground moves also work well, but will take some damage from Raichu. If you
aren't being defensive and just attacking, most of anything will do good damage.
To counter Raichu defensively, use Exeggutor or another Grass type.
Why you should use Raichu
-An Electric that can somewhat counter Grounds, which is actually really useful
-Spreading Paralysis
*********
Sandslash
*********
HP 353
ATK 298
DEF 318
SPD 228
SPE 208
CHC 12.6%
Type - Ground
Weaknesses - Water, Grass, Ice
Resistances - Poison, Rock
Immunities - Electric
Sandslash is a good Ground type, and generally the best non-Rock Ground type.
Sandslash has good stats in HP, Attack and Defense, with Speed and Special
fairly high for a Ground type. Sandslash can actually take Surf from a Starmie
and still hang in. Also, Sandslash learns Swords Dance, which brings its attack
to 596 on the first turn. Sandslash is a Rhydon and Golem alternative. Sandslash
is a lot more defensive, but can still be brutally offensive. Rhydon or Golem
are more common though, as they resist Zapdos’ Drill Peck, Normal attacks, and
have better overall stats. Sandslash is faster and can take Water, Grass and
Ground attacks better though. Sandslash still works well, but requires to be
setup with Swords Dance.
My recommended movesets for Sandslash
1 – Standard - Swords Dance, Earthquake,
2 of Body Slam/Hyper Beam/Rock Slide/Slash
Swords Dance Sandlash. Power up and use huge Earthquakes and Normal moves. Slash
is if you can’t set up. Rock Slide isn't as strong as Rhydon or Golem's, since
Sandslash isn't Rock, but the boost from Swords Dance can help it take out
Flying Pokemon. Be careful when sending Sandslash out to use Swords Dance. If
you can, try sending out Sandslash against something Paralyzed.
2 - Anti-Double Team - Swords Dance, Earthquake, Swift, Body Slam/Hyper Beam
Using the combination of Swift and Swords Dance, along with high Attack power,
Sandslash can counter Double Team using Pokemon. Double Team is usually banned
though, so this Sandslash is rarely used.
Relative Strength
Earthquake vs Tauros - 133-113 (38%-32%)
Earthquake vs Jolteon - 350-298 (105%-89%)
1x Swords Dance + Earthquake vs Chansey - 698-594 (99%-84%)
Rock Slide vs Articuno - 260-221 (68%-58%)
Rock Slide vs Zapdos - 144-122 (38%-32%)
Slash vs Alakazam - 190-162 (61%-52%)
3x Swords Dance + Poison Sting vs Exeggutor - 223-189 (58%-48%)
Relative Defense
Starmie's Surf - 348-296 (99%-84%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 505-430 (143%-122%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 240-204 (68%-58%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 174-148 (49%-42%)
Victreebel's Razor Leaf - 409-348 (116%-99%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 91-77 (26%-22%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 234-199 (66%-56%)
How to beat Sandslash
Don’t underestimate Sandslash. Water, Grass and Ice attacks will do lots of
damage, but will often give Sandslash a chance to retaliate. Grass types,
Cloyster and Gyarados will take the least amount of damage while attacking.
Articuno works too, but Sandslash may have Rock Slide. Exeggutor is one of the
safest counters, but make sure you can KO Sandslash before it uses Swords Dance.
Why you should use Sandslash
-One of the best non-Rock Ground types
-Swords Dancing and Physical sweeping
-A Physical wall
*********
Nidoqueen
*********
HP 383
ATK 262
DEF 272
SPD 250
SPE 248
CHC 14.8%
Type - Poison/Ground
Weaknesses - Water, Ice, Ground, Psychic
Resistances - Rock, Fighting, Poison
Immunities - Electric
Nidoqueen is a very tough and defensive Pokemon, but has a really bad type
combination. Nidoqueen has good all-round stats, also having the highest
Special for a Ground type. It also learns plenty of good moves, including Surf,
Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Fire Blast and many other hard
hitting attacks. Nidoqueen is easy to KO though, as many Pokemon have a type
advantage, since it has weaknesses to many common types. In comparison to
Nidoking, Nidoqueen is more defensive, but has less Speed and Attack. Since the
extra defensive stats only help survive a few extra attacks, and Nidoking's
extra Speed and Attack always help out, Nidoking is generally perfered.
Nidoqueen is an alternative to Nidoking.
My recommended movesets for Nidoqueen
1 – Standard - Earthquake, Body Slam/Rock Slide, Blizzard/Surf, Thunderbolt
Hybrid sweeping Nidoqueen. There are tons of combos you can use, but this one
works nicely. It’s super effective on many different types, and can Paralyze.
Nidoqueen just needs better stats to use this moveset. Surf is for OHKOs on
Golem and Rhydon (often), and Rock Slide can be used for Flying Pokemon.
2 – Special sweeper – Blizzard, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, Surf
Attack with various Special attacks. It's not good coming from only 248 Special.
3 – Physical sweeper – Earthquake, Rock Slide, Body Slam,
Hyper Beam/Submission/Double Kick
This moveset actually isn’t terrible, but the first one can do more damage to
more Pokemon.
4 – OHKO – Horn Drill, Fissure, Body Slam, Earthquake
Pray for a Paralyzing Body Slam and then try to OHKO, or use this late in the
game, when the opponents are mostly Paralyzed. It's not terrible, but there are
more effective OHKO Pokemon.
Relative Strength
Earthquake vs Chansey - 308-262 (44%-37%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 136-116 (42%-36%)
Surf vs Rhydon - 429-365 (106%-91%)
Earthquake vs Gengar - 308-262 (95%-81%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 147-125 (37%-32%)
Rock Slide vs Articuno - 229-195 (60%-51%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 342-291 (89%-76%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 337-287 (88%-75%)
Starmie's Surf - 293-249 (77%-65%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 430-366 (112%-96%)
Gengar's Psychic - 222-189 (58%-49%)
How to beat Nidoqueen
Nidoqueen can cover for almost every weakness that it has. Psychics are usually
the best, but getting Earthquaked will hurt. Normal types with Ground moves are
okay, and won’t take too much damage either. Starmie or Alakazam are probably
the best choices, but watch out for all the different types of attacks. Remember
that Nidoqueen's Special isn't very high to seriously damage your Pokemon, but
it's the super effective attacks that do the damage.
Why you should use Nidoqueen
-Hybrid sweeping (decent at both)
-A OHKO option
-The best Ground type at taking Special attacks
********
Nidoking
********
HP 365
ATK 282
DEF 252
SPD 268
SPE 248
CHC 16.6%
Type - Poison/Ground
Weaknesses - Water, Ice, Psychic, Ground
Resistances - Rock, Poison, Fighting
Immunities - Electric
Nidoking is nearly identical to Nidoqueen, but with lower HP and Defense and
higher Speed and Attack. The Special remains the same, still being the highest
for Ground types. Similar to Nidoqueen, while not being the strongest Pokemon,
it has a variety of different attacks, and one of them will usually be super
effective. And like Nidoqueen, Nidoking is easy to KO, due to many common
weaknesses, making it tricky to use. Golem, Rhydon and Sandslash are usually
better, but Nidoking is more Special resistance and has more types of attacks.
My recommended movesets for Nidoking
1 – Standard - Earthquake, Body Slam/Rock Slide, Blizzard/Surf, Thunderbolt
Same deal with Nidoking. This moveset covers nearly every type and can be lethal
on many Pokemon. Again, there are several other moves that work well, but this
set is the most effective overall.
2 – Special sweeper – Blizzard, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, Surf
Like Nidoqueen, Nidoking isn’t a Special sweeper, so don’t make it one.
3 – Physical sweeper – Earthquake, Rock Slide, Body Slam,
Hyper Beam/Submission/Double Kick
This moveset, again, isn’t bad, and even better with the extra Attack. However,
the first moveset, again, does more damage to more Pokemon.
4 – OHKO – Horn Drill, Fissure, Body Slam, Earthquake
A slightly better OHKO Pokemon, due to Speed. Still will require the opponents
to be Paralyzed because of only 268 Speed.
Relative Strength
Earthquake vs Chansey - 332-282 (47%-40%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 136-116 (42%-36%)
Surf vs Rhydon - 429-365 (106%-91%)
Earthquake vs Gengar - 331-282 (102%-87%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 147-125 (37%-32%)
Rock Slide vs Articuno - 246-209 (64%-55%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 342-291 (94%-80%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 364-309 (99%-85%)
Starmie's Surf - 293-249 (80%-68%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 430-366 (118%-100%)
Gengar's Psychic - 222-189 (61%-52%)
How to beat Nidoking
Nidoking, like Nidoqueen is tricky to beat. Nidoking will do more damage, so
slightly more caution should be taken when trying to KO. Again, Psychics work
the best, just watch out for heavy Earthquakes and a mix of Special attacks if
using something else. Starmie and Alakazam are the main counters.
Why you should use Nidoking
-Hybrid sweeping (better than Nidoqueen)
-A OHKO option (faster than Nidoqueen)
-One of the best Ground types at taking Special attacks (18 HP less than
Nidoqueen only allows very specific attacks to beat Nidoking but not Nidoqueen)
********
Clefable
********
HP 393
ATK 238
DEF 244
SPD 218
SPE 268
CHC 11.7%
Type - Normal
Weaknesses - Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Clefable is one of the Normal Specialists, having above average Special, and a
huge movepool. Clefable also has nice HP and the other stats are alright.
Clefable is a dangerous foe, and with a mix of Psychic, Thunderbolt, Thunder
Wave, Ice Beam, Fire Blast, Blizzard, Light Screen and Body Slam, you can cover
many different types. Use Clefable when you are unsure of what the opponent has,
instead of risking another Pokemon that could suffer from super effective
attacks. Clefable has to compete with Chansey though and is on the losing end,
as it has worse overall stats and no Softboiled. Overall though, Clefable is on
the borderline of standard and UU, and although it can't heal like Chansey, it's
still difficult to KO without taking much damage. The difference in Defense
makes Clefable tricky to KO safely, even with Physical Pokemon.
My recommended movesets for Clefable
1 – Standard - Blizzard, Body Slam, 2 of Hyper Beam/Thunder Wave/Thunderbolt
Clefable uses Thunder Wave, then works like Chansey, except also having a Normal
move. Psychic isn’t recommended, as Poison and Fighting types are rarely used.
Also if you want a Sleep and Stun Clefable, you can replace one of the moves
with Sing, but it’s only 55% accurate. Rest is also a possiblity.
2 - Staller - Light Screen, Reflect, Rest, Body Slam/Thunderbolt
Make Clefable even harder to KO and PP drain your opponent. There's a couple
problems though, which are Critical Hits which ignore Reflect/Light Screen, and
this moveset allows the opponent to setup while Clefable is Resting. It's not
bad later in the game though.
Relative Strength
Body Slam vs Chansey - 239-203 (34%-29%)
Blizzard vs Dragonite - 370-315 (96%-80%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 159-135 (40%-34%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 147-125 (45%-39%)
Psychic vs Gengar - 117-99 (36%-31%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 158-135 (40%-34%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 133-113 (34%-29%)
Machamp's Submission - 301-256 (77%-65%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 187-159 (48%-40%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 199-169 (51%-43%)
How to beat Clefable
Clefable’s only weakness is Fighting, so you’ll have to use heavy hits from
Special attacks or Normal attacks. Clefable is like Chansey, except much easier
having less HP, less Special, no Softboiled and damages you less. Attack with
anything, but even some of the game’s most powerful attacks can take 3 hits to
KO. Chansey, Alakazam and other Specialists can stall Clefable.
Why you should use Clefable
-Spreading Paralysis
-Hybrid sweeping (average at both, and also slow)
-A Special wall
-Slightly better at taking Physical attacks compared to Chansey
*********
Ninetales
*********
HP 349
ATK 250
DEF 248
SPD 298
SPE 298
CHC 19.5%
Type - Fire
Weaknesses - Water, Ground, Rock
Resistances - Fire, Grass, Bug
Ninetales is similar to Arcanine, but instead of being Physical, Ninetales has
better Special and Speed. Ninetales also is one of the 5 final forms that learn
Confuse Ray, which can be effective since it has 298 Speed. Overall, Ninetales
isn't great, but due to the correct stats, type and moves, Ninetales is a great
lead, as it counters common Sleeper leads like Jynx and Exeggutor. Confuse Ray
drops their chance of successfully putting a Pokemon to Sleep, and Fire Blast
does high damage to both. After that, Ninetales isn't as effective, as most
standards can withstand Ninetales' attacks. After leading, it can be used to try
to Burn Tauros or other Physical Pokemon, but other than that, not much.
My recommended movesets for Ninetales
1 – Standard - Confuse Ray, Fire Blast/Flamethrower, Body Slam,
Fire Spin/Reflect/Dig
Confuse the opponent and then use a Fire attack. Fire Blast is better, as
Ninetales is a good Pokemon for trying to Burn. If Wrapping is banned, use
Reflect or possibly Dig.
2 – Status Combo - Confuse Ray, Fire Spin, Toxic, Dig
A Ninetales combo. It’s not too likely you can pull this off, and it requires
luck. Confuse the opponent, Poison and then Fire Spin or Dig. If the opponent
switches, spread more Poison. Usually Poisoning the opponents is useless though
in comparison to Paralysis, but it could be effective if Ninetales gets lucky
and lasts long enough.
Relative Strength
Fire Blast vs Exeggutor - 264-225 (67%-57%)
Fire Blast vs Jynx - 318-271 (95%-81%)
Flamethrower vs Exeggutor - 211-179 (54%-46%)
Flamethrower vs Jynx - 253-215 (76%-65%)
Fire Blast vs Tauros - 192-163 (54%-46%)
Fire Blast vs Golem - 109-93 (30%-26%)
Dig vs Gengar - 196-167 (61%-52%)
Relative Defense
Tentacruel's Hydro Pump - 348-296 (99%-85%)
Starmie's Surf - 245-208 (70%-60%)
Jynx's Blizzard - 149-126 (43%-36%)
Golem's Earthquake - 329-280 (94%-80%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 369-314 (106%-90%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 205-175 (59%-50%)
How to beat Ninetales
Ninetales has high Special, so Water attacks will take 2 hits or more to KO
Ninetales. Ground moves are usually the best because Ninetales has low Defense.
The problem is that Grounds are slow so they can be confused. Ninetales’ Fire
attacks will still do good damage on Ground too, since the difference in Special
is always high. Water is probably the safest, though not the quickest at
knocking out Ninetales. Paralyzing Ninetales helps greatly. Omastar is the best
counter overall.
Why you should use Ninetales
-A Wrapper
-Confusing
-Arugably the best Jynx counter
-A fast and powerful Fire type
**********
Wigglytuff
**********
HP 483
ATK 238
DEF 188
SPD 188
SPE 198
CHC 8.7%
Type - Normal
Weaknesses - Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Wigglytuff has the third highest HP, but all of the other stats are terrible.
Wigglytuff is so slow, that freezing is more likely than getting a Critical Hit.
You should also use Physical moves, over Special moves, since Special is too
low. Wigglytuff is like Chansey, but with HP and Special way lower, to boost
Attack and Defense. Wigglytuff is a bad Clefable, which is a bad Chansey.
My recommended movesets for Wigglytuff
1 - Standard - Thunder Wave, Body Slam,
2 of Hyper Beam/Thunderbolt/Blizzard/Bubblebeam
Paralyze the opponent, which helps make up for the 188 Speed. Body Slam is the
main attacking move, and the other 2 are your choice. Hyper Beam is Wigglytuff’s
most powerful move, which is also STAB, Thunderbolt is for general damage, and
Blizzard and Bubblebeam are for Rocks. Wigglytuff's Special is bad though, so
Physical moves are generally better. Other choices are Counter and Sing.
Relative Strength
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 419-356 (60%-51%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 110-93 (34%-29%)
Blizzard vs Golem - 195-166 (54%-46%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 118-101 (30%-26%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 213-181 (44%-37%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 172-147 (36%-30%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 242-206 (50%-43%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 268-228 (55%-47%)
How to beat Wigglytuff
Wigglytuff is like Clefable, except Wigglytuff takes more damage, but has more
HP. Again, you should just hit Wigglytuff with heavy attacks. It may take even 3
hits, because of the massive HP, but you won’t take too much in return. Healing
Specialists like Alakazam and Chansey work very well against Wigglytuff.
Why you should use Wigglytuff
-None really as Clefable is better in almost every way, and Chansey has more HP
than Wigglytuff if you choose to use Counter
******
Golbat
******
HP 353
ATK 258
DEF 238
SPD 278
SPE 248
CHC 17.5%
Type - Poison/Flying
Weaknesses - Psychic, Electric, Ice, Rock
Resistances - GRASS, FIGHTING, Poison
Immunities - Ground
Looking at Golbat’s stats, it’s very averaged, but still okay. Golbat can learn
Confuse Ray and Screech, which can be useful moves. Golbat is also the fastest
Hazer in the game, which can come in handy if you’re battling something with
Double Team, Amnesia or Swords Dance. Golbat’s problem is being weak to the
three most popular Special types, and having next to no offensive powers. Golbat
is going to get beaten by nearly everything the opponent will have. Although it
is actually able to survive from Alakazam’s Psychic, it can't do anything back.
It’s still a nice Pokemon to have to ruin someone’s plan of Double Team, but
Vaporeon is better, not to mention Haze is rarely worth your time. Golbat is
terrible and should be released.
My recommended movesets for Golbat
1 – Standard – Confuse Ray, Hyper Beam, Screech, Double-Edge/Mega Drain/Toxic
Confuse the opponent, and attempt at doing damage. Screech helps, but both that
and confusion are gone if the opponent switches. The fourth move doesn’t really
matter; Golbat can’t do anything. Mega Drain is for Golem and Rhydon, which does
some damage. Wing attack is a possibility, but it has no real base power.
2 – Technical – Confuse Ray, Toxic, Haze/Screech, Bite
Confuse and Toxic combo. Bite is to try to flinch the opponent, as Golbat’s
Speed isn’t that bad. Haze is there if you want to use it, but otherwise, use
Screech to power up the other 3 moves. Good luck on surviving and not having the
opponent switch. If you get past that, then maybe you can do mild damage.
Relative Strength
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 303-257 (43%-37%)
Mega Drain vs Rhydon - 185-157 (45%-38%)
Wing Attack vs Exeggutor - 90-77 (23%-20%)
Relative Defense
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 202-172 (57%-49%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 342-291 (97%-82%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 430-366 (122%-104%)
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 290-247 (82%-70%)
How to beat Golbat
Golbat is more of a technical Pokemon, and takes very little to KO. Golbat is
weak to the game’s three most common types, Psychic, Electric and Ice, so you’re
very likely to have something to beat Golbat with. Even if not, Golbat can get
pummeled by nearly every Pokemon. 278 is fairly fast though, and if you’re
slower, you’ll get confused. Besides that though, Golbat is just there to mess
up your stat boosting strategies. Almost anything can counter Golbat, except for
Pokemon like Venusaur and Hitmonlee, but even they can beat Golbat after a few
Normal attacks. There is almost no Pokemon that Golbat can beat. Maybe Onix.
Why you should use Golbat
-The fastest Hazer
*********
Vileplume
*********
HP 353
ATK 258
DEF 268
SPD 198
SPE 298
CHC 9.7%
Type - Grass/Poison
Weaknesses - Fire, Flying, BUG, Ice, Psychic
Resistances - GRASS, Fighting, Electric, Water
Vileplume has nice stats, except for bad Speed. Vileplume also gets the usual
Grass moves, and they include Sleep Powder, Stun Spore and Solarbeam.
Vileplume’s unique move, Petal Dance is tricky, because although it is
semi-powerful, you’re stuck using it and you confuse yourself after. If the
opponent switches to a Fire type, you’re stuck and going to get pummeled, or the
opponent can just set up while you’re using it. Vileplume also gets Critical
Hits as often as freezing and has many weaknesses. Use Exeggutor, or at least
one of the Razor Leaf Grass types. If you want a better Poison that doesn’t use
Acid, use Muk or Weezing.
My recommended movesets for Vileplume
1 – Standard - Sleep Powder, Stun Spore/Swords Dance, Mega Drain, Body Slam
Sleep and Stun. Afterwards, attack with either Mega Drain or a Normal move.
Petal Dance isn’t really recommended, as your Vileplume is basically finished
once you start using it. If you don't need Stun Spore, use Swords Dance.
Relative Strength
Petal Dance vs Starmie - 182-155 (56%-48%)
Petal Dance vs Sandslash - 258-220 (73%-62%)
1x Swords Dance + Body Slam vs Chansey - 343-291 (49%-41%)
1x Swords Dance + Acid vs Exeggutor - 200-170 (51%-43%)
Relative Defense
Articuno's Blizzard - 359-305 (99%-86%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 286-243 (81%-69%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 215-183 (61%-52%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 122-103 (35%-29%)
How to beat Vileplume
Vileplume is tough, having decent stats in all categories but Speed. Often
Vileplume will hit you with Sleep Powder or Stun Spore and you want to avoid
that. Vileplume has lots of weaknesses though, so use one of those. Alakazam,
Chansey and other Pokemon with super effective attacks work well.
Why you should use Vileplume
-Sleep and Stunning
-Using Petal Dance, for whatever reason
-Swords Dancing
********
Parasect
********
HP 323
ATK 288
DEF 258
SPD 158
SPE 258
CHC 5.8%
Type - Bug/Grass
Weaknesses - FIRE, Poison, FLYING, Ice, Rock, Bug
Resistances - Water, GRASS, Electric, GROUND, Fighting
Parasect is a one move wonder. Having Spore costs a lot. Parasect has bad stats
except for Attack, which is okay. Parasect is terribly slow, that even when you
use Slash, the Critical Hit chance is ~47% (high Critical moves octuple the
Critical Hit chance). On top of that, Parasect has the most 4X weaknesses and is
tied with a few other types at having 6 weaknesses. It would be a lot better to
use a more inaccurate Sleep move, like Jynx’s Lovely Kiss or Gengar’s Hypnosis,
since they’re faster and aren’t useless after using those.
My recommended movesets for Parasect
1 – Standard - Spore, Mega Drain, 2 of
Stun Spore/Body Slam/Hyper Beam/Swords Dance
Sleep and Stun. Otherwise, attempt at using Swords Dance and then using a
Normal move. Mega Drain isn’t really strong enough to do anything useful, but
is the only thing to hit Rocks.
2 - Anti-Mewtwo - Spore, Substitute, Swords Dance, Leech Life
A possible tactic that only works in highly situational battles. If you happen
to use Parasect against a Mewtwo one-on-one, and it doesn't get any luck with
moves (as in having something effective) or in getting a Critical Hit, Parasect
can potentially beat Mewtwo. The moves are used in order, first putting Mewtwo
to Sleep, followed by a Substitute, Swords Dance a couple times and then Leech
Life. Substitute is protection for when Mewtwo awakens and Leech Life can
provide enough recovery. Surprisingly, it can actually work, but the chances of
landing in such a situation is slim. It could be used against other Psychics
though, but a quick switch to something that can counter Parasect ends it.
Relative Strength
2x Swords Dance + Leech Life vs Mewtwo - 162-138 (39%-33%)
2x Swords Dance + Leech Life vs Exeggutor - 336-286 (85%-73%)
Slash vs Alakazam - 184-156 (59%-50%)
Mega Drain vs Rhydon - 288-245 (70%-59%)
Relative Defense
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 446-379 (138%-117%)
Muk's Sludge - 403-343 (125%-106%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 164-140 (51%-43%)
How to beat Parasect
Parasect is extremely slow and weak too. To take out Parasect, use a Fire or
Flying type, or just about anything you have. Ice works too, but you want to
avoid being Spored. Don’t let Parasect last long because it can also use Swords
Dance. Don't forget that although Parasect has a ton of weaknesses, it also has
many resistances. Gengar and Fire types counter Parasect the best.
Why you should use Parasect
-Using Spore
-Swords Dancing
-A decent switch-in against Ground types, although slower
********
Venomoth
********
HP 343
ATK 228
DEF 218
SPD 278
SPE 278
CHC 17.5%
Type - Bug/Poison
Weaknesses - Fire, Bug, Flying, Psychic, Rock
Resistances - GRASS, FIGHTING
With similar stats, moves and a type change from Butterfree, Venomoth is only
an improved Butterfree. It does have the highest Special for Bugs, so it can
survive from Psychic attacks, even from Mewtwo (but not Moltres’ Fire Blast).
Venomoth still gets destroyed by all sorts of attacks and can’t do much in
return. The one thing Venomoth does have going for it, is being the fastest
Pokemon that can Sleep and Stun (not counting Body Slam). It’s actually useful,
but afterwards, Venomoth is left to be destroyed. A good lead in UU matches, but
not in standard matches.
My recommended movesets for Venomoth
1 - Standard - Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, Psychic, Mega Drain
Just like Butterfree, Sleep and Stun, and then attack. Venomoth does this better
since it is faster and can deal decent damage.
Relative Strength
Mega Drain vs Golem - 187-159 (52%-44%)
Mega Drain vs Starmie - 66-56 (20%-17%)
Psychic vs Gengar - 121-103 (37%-32%)
Psychic vs Chansey - 70-59 (10%-8%)
Leech Life vs Exeggutor - 97-83 (25%-21%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 306-260 (89%-76%)
Moltres' Fire Blast - 378-322 (110%-94%)
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 316-269 (92%-78%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 90-76 (26%-22%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 149-127 (43%-37%)
How to beat Venomoth
Venomoth is tough for a Bug, but it’s still weak. Fire, Psychic and Flying will
make quick work of Venomoth. Avoid getting stunned, but if you do, then the
worst is over. Venomoth has no STAB moves (besides Leech Life), so you’ll take
minimal damage. Alakazam, Chansey and other Specialists work the best.
Why you should use Venomoth
-The fastest Sleep and Stunner
*******
Dugtrio
*******
HP 273
ATK 258
DEF 208
SPD 338
SPE 238
CHC 23.4%
Type - Ground
Weaknesses - Grass, Ice, Water
Resistances - Rock, Poison
Immunities - Electric
Dugtrio is a very unique Ground type having excellent Speed. Dugtrio is the
quickest Ground, beating Nidoking by 70 and the fastest OHKOer, beating Tauros
by 20. Dugtrio is very bad besides its Speed though. Its HP is tied with Onix
for the lowest HP of all final forms. With its high Critical Hit chance though,
Slash is guaranteed to be Critical, and all of the other moves are close to 1
quarter of the time, which can make Dugtrio potentially dangerous, but it relies
on luck. Unfortunately, the most common reason a player chooses a Ground type is
to deal with Electrics, and Dugtrio has problems with that. With only 258
Attack, Earthquake can’t take down any Electric in one hit. The Speed makes up
for that though, but Dugtrio will still get seriously damaged, due to very
little defensive stats. Dugtrio overall isn’t bad, but it has to be played
carefully, and has to rely on Critical Hits.
My recommended movesets for Dugtrio
1 – Standard - Fissure, Body Slam, Earthquake, Rock Slide/Slash
Pray with Fissure and stun anything faster with Body Slam. Earthquake and Rock
Slide or Slash are just there. Rock Slide is pretty useless with low attack, but
helps somewhat against Flying types. Use this over the set below if it isn't
banned. 338 is the highest Speed for OHKO Pokemon and Dugtrio is immune to
Thunder Wave, making it one of the most effective OHKO Pokemon.
2 – Non-OHKO Standard – Earthquake, Slash, 2 of Body Slam/Rock Slide/Hyper Beam
Earthquake is your main move, and Body Slam is to try to Paralyze. Of the other
moves, Rock Slide covers some more types, but doesn’t hit for very much damage.
Slash hits most of anything for decent damage, and Hyper Beam is a possible
finisher. Other possible moves are Substitute and Mimic, if you don't need all
those attacks. Sand-Attack is also a possibility, although the opponent can just
switch. Dugtrio is crippled without Fissure.
Relative Strength
Earthquake vs Alakazam - 175-149 (56%-48%)
Earthquake vs Gengar - 304-258 (94%-80%)
Earthquake vs Chansey - 304-258 (43%-37%)
Rock Slide vs Zapdos - 125-106 (33%-28%)
Relative Defense
Starmie's Surf - 305-260 (112%-95%)
Jynx's Blizzard - 371-316 (136%-116%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 210-179 (77%-66%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 178-151 (65%-55%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 137-117 (50%-43%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 153-130 (56%-48%)
How to beat Dugtrio
Dugtrio is unorthodox. It’s really easy to KO, since it has under 300 HP and low
Defense stats too, so hit it with any Water, Ice or Grass type. Dugtrio,
although not powerful, has a good chance to get Criticals, no matter what
attack. Take the damage, deal with the Speed and get one heavy hit in. If OHKO
moves aren't banned, Paralyze Dugtrio if you can using Body Slam. Alakazam is a
good counter if Dugtrio has Fissure.
Why you should use Dugtrio
-The fastest Ground type
-The fastest OHKOer, and immune to most Paralysis, making Dugtrio one of the
best OHKOers (arguable with Tauros)
*******
Persian
*******
HP 333
ATK 238
DEF 218
SPD 328
SPE 228
CHC 22.4%
Type - Normal
Weaknesses - Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Looking at Persian’s stats, besides Speed, they are all bad. Persian also
doesn’t get many moves, but because of one move it becomes dangerous, and that
is Slash. Being one of two STAB Slashers (and Farfetch’d won’t do) STAB and
always Critical means you’ll do triple damage with every Slash. Persian will do
heavy damage on almost anything it hits. Persian can’t take much damage though,
so after one or two huge Slashes, it’ll get taken out. With its high Speed,
Persian can be a surprise switch-in and can finish any tough Pokemon. Overall,
Persian is close to being standard, but requires to be played well to be
effective. Avoiding Paralysis is the key.
My recommended movesets for Persian
1 – Standard - Slash, Hyper Beam, Bubblebeam, Thunderbolt/Body Slam/Screech
Slash away, and Hyper Beam as a finisher. Due to the chances of getting
Criticals, Hyper Beam is very effective as a finisher, but it takes luck if
you’re hoping for Criticals. Bubblebeam is for Golem and Rhydon, which does
enough damage to counter them. Body Slam can help Paralyze, but Screech
increases Hyper Beam’s damage, or may cause the opponent to switch. Thunderbolt
is also a possibility for Cloyster and Gyarados. Mainly, use Slash.
Relative Strength
Slash vs Chansey - 394-335 (56%-48%)
Slash vs Alakazam - 229-195 (73%-63%)
Slash vs Tauros - 151-129 (43%-37%)
Bubblebeam vs Golem - 247-210 (68%-58%)
Thunderbolt vs Gyarados - 252-214 (64%-55%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 149-127 (45%-38%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 186-158 (56%-47%)
Golem's Earthquake - 186-158 (56%-47%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 109-93 (33%-28%)
How to beat Persian
It doesn’t matter what you’ll use, Persian will almost always do heavy damage.
Slash being a STAB move will hurt anything that isn’t Rock or Ghost, but Rocks
will take damage from Bubblebeam. Also, having attacks that are often Critical,
that means Reflect from Alakazam won't help. On the other hand though, Persian
isn’t very resistant to anything, so anything of your own will also do heavy
damage, but the problem is Persian is usually faster. Omastar and Gengar are
your best choices, but if they're not available, use a strong Physical Pokemon.
Paralyze Persian if you can.
Why you should use Persian
-The fastest Normal type
-Physical sweeping with Slash and Hyper Beam, which although limited, is useful
*******
Golduck
*******
HP 363
ATK 262
DEF 254
SPD 268
SPE 258
CHC 16.6%
Type - Water
Weaknesses - Electric, Grass
Resistances - Fire, Water, Ice
Golduck is the most mediocre Pokemon in the game. All of the stats are exactly
or very close to average (HP 363, other 258). But keeping Golduck from being
just average is Amnesia. With Amnesia and only Special weaknesses, Golduck can
become a tank. Although not as good as Slowbro, which has Thunder Wave, more
Defense, and a better type, Golduck has more Speed which helps. Golduck is good
overall, but could use higher stats.
My recommended movesets for Golduck
1 – Standard - Amnesia, Surf, Ice Beam/Blizzard, Rest
Power up with Amnesia and then attack. If you can’t set up Golduck, it will get
beaten fast. Once Amnesia has been used, Rest if necessary, and then sweep. Ice
Beam is generally better than Blizzard since it has more PP, which you’ll need.
Dig is a possible choice, but it’s unnecessary because it’s a bad move, and Surf
will do plenty after Amnesia to Electrics. Like Surfing Raichu, if you are
unable to get Golduck with Amnesia don’t use it.
Relative Strength
3x Amnesia + Surf vs Chansey - 391-332 (56%-47%)
3x Amnesia + Surf vs Alakazam - 327-279 (104%-89%)
3x Amnesia + Surf vs Starmie - 202-172 (63%-53%)
3x Amnesia + Ice Beam vs Victreebel - 539-458 (148%-126%)
2x Amnesia + Ice Beam vs Victreebel - 418-356 (115%-98%)
Relative Defense
Victreebel's Razor Leaf - 332-282 (91%-78%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 328-279 (90%-77%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 194-165 (53%-45%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt vs 3x Amnesia - 89-76 (24%-21%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt vs 3x Amnesia - 53-45 (15%-12%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 128-109 (35%-30%)
How to beat Golduck
Golduck is just your average Water Pokemon, unless it uses Amnesia, and then
it’s trouble. Razor Leaf is the best attack, as it’s almost always Critical,
which cancels out the Special boost, but don’t forget it can still hit you hard
back. Golduck isn’t tough, just make sure it doesn’t set up. Venusaur and
Victreebel both have high Special that can take the powered Ice attacks, but a
Pokemon that can stall like Alakazam and Chansey can work too. Although it's
difficult to penetrate through Amnesia, once you get a Critical Hit, Golduck
will take significant damage. Another way is waiting for Golduck to get a
Critical Hit, which will do less damage since Amnesia isn't applied. Stalling is
generally the best method of beating Golduck.
Why you should use Golduck
-The fastest Water type that has Amnesia (which isn’t a bad combo)
-Special sweeping after using Amnesia
-A Special wall after using Amnesia
********
Primeape
********
HP 333
ATK 308
DEF 218
SPD 288
SPE 218
CHC 18.5%
Type - Fighting
Weaknesses - Psychic, Flying
Resistances - Rock, Bug
Primeape is similar to Machamp, but with less Attack, and Defense and Special,
and HP, but has 80 extra Speed. Primeape does get Thunderbolt, but with 218
Special, it’s pointless. At least after Focus Energy, your Critical Hit chance
will be 74% (when playing on Stadium) and using Karate Chop guarantees it. But
Machamp learns both of those too. So, even if it’s the fastest Fighting type,
Primeape is almost replaced by Machamp in every way. Judging Primeape, by not
comparing it to Machamp, it’s not very good at doing anything. Damage is
average, it has very low defensive stats, and can’t do anything besides trying
to sweep. 308 attack is high, but it isn't super effective against many Pokemon,
and only gets STAB from Submission, which has lots of problems. Primeape isn't
really good.
My recommended movesets for Primeape
1 – Standard – Body Slam, Rock Slide, Submission/Low Kick,
Counter/Seismic Toss/Screech/Hyper Beam
A sweeping Primeape, sort of. Coming from 308 attack, Primeape’s attacks are
actually powerful, but it lacks diversity and defensive stats. Low Kick is
actually a reasonable possiblity, since it’s 100% accurate and doesn’t give
recoil, like Submission. The fourth move is basically filler. If you’re playing
on Stadium give it Focus Energy, otherwise pick one of at least half a dozen
possible moves. Unlike Machamp, Primeape doesn't learn Earthquake. Thunderbolt
is also only helpful for Gyarados, Cloyster and a couple other Waters. It's
basically useless coming from 218 Special.
Relative Strength
Submission vs Chansey - 580-494 (82%-70%)
Submission vs Tauros - 221-188 (63%-53%)
Rock Slide vs Articuno - 268-228 (70%-59%)
Thunderbolt vs Gyarados - 241-205 (61%-52%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 149-127 (45%-38%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 388-330 (117%-99%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 263-223 (79%-67%)
How to beat Primeape
Either Physical or Special, Primeape can’t take much. With terrible defensive
stats, and low HP, you should worry more about being faster, since Primeape can
deal damage. Psychics work the best, but most of anything is good. Gengar works
well and defensive Specialists like Slowbro are good counters too.
Why you should use Primeape
-The fastest Fighting type, but at the expense of just about everything when
compared to Machamp (twice as likely to get a Critical Hit isn't bad though)
-A Fighting type that can somewhat counter Gyarados and Cloyster better (even
though Thunderbolt from 218 Special is poor)
********
Arcanine
********
HP 383
ATK 318
DEF 258
SPD 288
SPE 258
CHC 15.6%
Type - Fire
Weaknesses - Water, Ground, Rock
Resistances - Fire, Bug, Grass
Arcanine has good stats, and similar to Ninetales, except being more Physical,
instead of Special. Ninetales would be better then, since Fire is a Special
type, but Arcanine is still fine. The main problem with Arcanine is the moves.
Arcanine gets very little diversity, and is very predictable. Although Ninetales
isn't much better, it has 10 extra Speed, which is just enough to counter Jynx
more effectively, not to mention having extra Special for more damage. Arcanine
is a good example that a good Pokemon needs both stats and moves. Arcanine has
very nice overall stats, but the movepool sucks. Ninetales is more effective.
My recommended movesets for Arcanine
1 – Standard – Fire Blast/Flamethrower, Body Slam, Hyper Beam, Reflect
Hit the opponent heavily. Fire Blast is better than Flamethrower for Arcanine,
but both are useable. Reflect is for Arcanine's Defense, and the 318 Attack
helps support the Normal moves. Dig is a possible choice, but not recommended.
Relative Strength
Fire Blast vs Exeggutor - 230-195 (59%-50%)
Fire Blast vs Tauros - 166-142 (47%-40%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 373-317 (53%-45%)
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 215-183 (69%-58%)
Relative Defense
Golem's Earthquake - 316-269 (83%-70%)
Starmie's Surf - 282-240 (73%-63%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 198-168 (52%-44%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 126-107 (33%-28%)
How to beat Arcanine
Arcanine is tough, but easy to predict, so expect Fire and Normal moves. Rocks
and Waters work well, but pure Grounds are more vulnerable. Omastar, Golem,
Rhydon, and high Defense Water types work the best. If none of those are
available, beat Arcanine defensively, as you can lose lots of HP. Watch out for
Burns on Physical Pokemon.
Why you should use Arcanine
-A powerful, well-rounded Fire type
*********
Poliwrath
*********
HP 383
ATK 268
DEF 288
SPD 238
SPE 238
CHC 13.6%
Type - Water/Fighting
Weaknesses - Electric, Grass, Psychic, Flying
Resistances - Fire, Water, Ice, Rock, Bug
Poliwrath is more Fighting than Water. Poliwrath has good HP, Attack and Defense
but Speed and Special are lacking. Special at 238 is actually the highest it
gets for Fighting types. Poliwrath has a large range of moves, including
Amnesia, Psychic, Blizzard, Surf, Earthquake and Hypnosis, allowing it to be
played several ways. However, since there are stronger Physical Pokemon,
Poliwrath is better as a Special Pokemon. Overall, Poliwrath has too many
common weaknesses, has low Special, and requires to be setup with Amnesia before
being able to do much. Poliwrath is similar to Golduck, and Slowbro usually
replaces both.
My recommended movesets for Poliwrath
1 – Standard - Amnesia, Surf, Blizzard/Hypnosis, Submission/Earthquake
After Amnesia, start sweeping with Surf. Speed is an issue though, and
Water/Fighting isn’t the greatest type either. Poliwrath is trickier to setup,
compared to Slowbro and Golduck, and those two are more usable. Earthquake isn't
as strong as Submission, but it helps cover Electrics. Hypnosis is if you want
Poliwrath to be a Sleeper, which can be useful when setting up to draw out a
strong Pokemon to put to Sleep, which is one thing Poliwarth has over both
Golduck and Slowbro.
2 - Stalling - Amnesia, Surf, Ice Beam/Submission, Rest
Use Amnesia to boost Special and then use Rest when needed. For this moveset,
you'll want Ice Beam over Blizzard, for extra PP. This can work, but if a Flying
Pokemon attacks, such as Zapdos or Dodrio, Poliwrath has problems. Also if a
Psychic gets a Critical, like Alakazam, Poliwrath will drop. Otherwise, this set
isn't that bad.
3 – Hybrid sweeper - Surf, Blizzard, Earthquake, Submission
Body Slam and Hyper Beam can also be put in, depending on how you want your
Poliwrath. This doesn’t do much damage and can’t take much, but you’re very
likely to get super effective attacks in.
Relative Strength
3x Amnesia + Surf vs Chansey - 372-317 (53%-45%)
Submission vs Chansey - 506-430 (72%-61%)
Earthquake vs Jolteon - 206-175 (62%-53%)
1x Amnesia + Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 279-238 (71%-61%)
Relative Defense
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 356-302 (93%-79%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt vs 3x Amnesia - 93-79 (24%-20%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 356-303 (93%-79%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 113-96 (30%-25%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 210-179 (55%-47%)
How to beat Poliwrath
Poliwrath has fairly low Attack for a Fighting type, and that lets Psychics
attack Poliwrath with no worry. As long as you can keep Poliwrath from powering
up with Amnesia, it’s easy to beat. Be careful on what you choose to face
Poliwrath though, since it has a wide range of attacks, and chances are that one
of those attacks are super effective. Starmie and Alakazam are good counters,
but if Poliwrath is already setup, use Zapdos or Dodrio. Starmie is still able
to stall after a setup too.
Why you should use Poliwrath
-The only non-pure Fighting type
-Hybrid sweeping (average at both)
-A Special sweeper after using Amnesia a lot
-A Sleeper, although not excelling in it, it is a handy addition for Poliwrath
-Stalling after using Amnesia, but Poliwrath isn't a great staller
********
Alakazam
********
HP 313
ATK 198
DEF 188
SPD 338
SPE 368
CHC 23.4%
Type - Psychic
Weaknesses - Bug
Resistances - Fighting, Psychic
Immunities - Ghost
Alakazam is one of the most common Pokemon you will see on teams (battling kids
or pros), along with Tauros, Exeggutor and Chansey. Alakazam has Speed and
Special through the roof, but has low Physical stats. Alakazam just has to
worry about the tough Normal types, exploders and the Sleepers. Alakazam has
many attacks that help its weaknesses and can survive any Special attack, even
if it’s Critical. It stalls well too, and is a great counter to many final forms
in the game. The main reason Alakazam is so useful, is that it can easily stall,
can Paralyze, Special sweep and has no type disadvantages. Alakazam is one of
the best Pokemon in the game, so expect to battle against it often.
My recommended movesets for Alakazam
1 – Standard - Thunder Wave, Psychic, Recover, Reflect/Counter/Seismic Toss
Standard Alakazam. The first three are basically mandatory, but the fourth move
is tricky to decide. Reflect is usually the most effective, to help Alakazam
stall, but Seismic Toss is used incase Alakazam runs out of Psychic. The great
thing is that you can switch in any time, as Alakazam is the fastest standard
Pokemon, so you can switch to it whenever you need to. That also means late in
the game when both teams are heavily Paralyzed, a Paralyzed Alakazam can still
be used to attack quickly.
2 - Sleep Bait - Thunder Wave, Psychic, Seismic Toss, Recover/Mimic
Although this set is more or less identical to the standard set, it plays
entirely differently. Since Alakazam is faster than any Sleeper (and Starmie
which is another Pokemon for baiting Sleep), Alakazam can always Paralyze or
attack a Sleeper. Gengar loses a chunk of HP from Psychic, while Exeggutor and
Jynx lose a lot of effectiveness when Paralyzed. On top, if the opponent is
either Paralyzed or their attack misses (especially with Gengar), Alakazam has a
chance to add damage or even take out the opponent (mainly with Gengar). Mimic
is gimmicky if you want to try to get their Sleep move, but it's not
recommended. If Alakazam gets to awaken later in the match, it will be
unParalyzed, meaning it can Recover right away after, since no other standard
Pokemon is faster.
Relative Strength
Psychic vs Chansey - 138-117 (20%-17%)
Psychic vs Tauros - 178-151 (50%-43%)
Psychic vs Gengar - 239-203 (74%-63%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 172-147 (55%-47%)
Tauros' Hyper Beam - 302-257 (96%-82%)
Snorlax's Body Slam - 184-156 (59%-50%)
Snorlax's Hyper Beam - 322-274 (103%-86%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 68-58 (22%-19%)
How to beat Alakazam
Often you will lose if you’re using Specialists. The only Special type Pokemon
that can safely stop Alakazam are part Psychic, part something else, where they
can attack for neutral plus STAB damage, and take half from Alakazam. The
alternative is powerful Normal types like Tauros or Snorlax. You’ll take heavy
damage yourself, but with Alakazam’s low Defense, the Normal moves will be
powerful too. Snorlax’s Hyper Beam has a chance on taking out Alakazam in one
hit, and can also use Amnesia. If you use Body Slam and also Paralyze Alakazam,
you’ll have an easier time taking it down. Chansey and Starmie can stall out
Alakazam, as well as another Alakazam. Overall, Persian is one of the most
effective counters. Persian can do more damage than Alakazam can heal, Reflect
doesn't protect Alakazam from Slash, and Persian is fine being Paralyzed because
after Alakazam faints, Persian is still faster than any other Paralyzed Pokemon
(besides some occasional Jolteons, Dugtrios, etc). Persian only works well
though if Alakazam is already Paralyzed, so if you use it, save it for later.
The problem that makes Alakazam tricky is that there isn't anything that can hit
Alakazam hard without being hit hard back. Even with Starmie and Chansey,
Alakazam can lower Special and get Critical Hits frequently. For starters,
always Paralyze Alakazam if you can.
Why you should use Alakazam
-Special sweeping, although limited to Psychic
-A Special wall
-Spreading Paralysis
-Stalling
*******
Machamp
*******
HP 383
ATK 358
DEF 258
SPD 208
SPE 228
CHC 10.7%
Type - Fighting
Weaknesses - Psychic, Flying
Resistances - Bug, Rock
Machamp is the Pokemon to pick if you need a Fighting type. Machamp has the
highest hit points and Attack for Fighting types. Machamp can also learn
Earthquake and Rock Slide that can do high damage, coming from 358 attack. The
only reason that Machamp isn’t very common is that it’s weak to Psychics and
that Submission sucks. Even then, only Mewtwo’s Psychic can beat it in one hit,
and that’s not a guarantee either. If you need a Fighting type for whatever
reason, choose Machamp, but be aware that Submission can do up to 96% on
Chansey, not to mention the recoil from that and that Submission is only 80%
accurate anyways. It is still effective against Chansey and other Normals
overall though, but difficult to pull off, as there are many Psychics in
standard matches. Machamp is best used late in the game, with most of the
opponents Paralyzed and when some of the opponent's Psychics are beaten. In one
on ones, it can usually beat Chansey and Snorlax, but the Speed of Tauros gives
it the win over Machamp.
My recommended movesets for Machamp
1 – Standard - Submission, Earthquake, 2 of Hyper Beam/Body Slam/Rock Slide
Physical sweep the opponents. Hyper Beam can be replaced with Focus Energy or
Karate Chop, to satisfy however you play. Keep in mind that Machamp’s best move
isn’t very good. Rock Slide isn't too useful, as Machamp’s other moves cover
most of everything anyway. It helps against Flying Pokemon though. Fire Blast is
also a possiblity for Exeggutor, and Low Kick is a possible choice if you
really dislike Submission.
Relative Strength
Submission vs Chansey - 674-573 (96%-82%)
Submission vs Tauros - 256-218 (73%-62%)
Submission vs Snorlax - 322-274 (62%-52%)
Earthquake vs Jolteon - 279-238 (84%-71%)
Rock Slide vs Articuno - 310-264 (81%-69%)
Fire Blast vs Exeggutor - 136-115 (35%-29%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 372-316 (97%-83%)
Dodrio's Drill Peck - 254-216 (66%-56%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 233-198 (61%-52%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 109-93 (27%-24%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 126-107 (33%-28%)
How to beat Machamp
Machamp is a powerhouse, but if you can avoid using a Normal, you should be
fine. Any Psychic, Zapdos, and many other Specialists can take out Machamp with
ease. The problem is that many Specialists have low Defense, which is an easy
exploit against Machamp. Exeggutor and Slowbro work the best by attacking
Machamps with heavy hits, while taking little back.
Why you should use Machamp
-Overall, the best Fighting type (although Fighting isn't a great type)
-Physical sweeping, although slow
**********
Victreebel
**********
HP 363
ATK 308
DEF 228
SPD 238
SPE 298
CHC 13.6%
Type - Grass/Poison
Weaknesses - Ice, Fire, Psychic, Flying, BUG
Resistances - Water, GRASS, Fighting, Ground
Looking at the stats, Victreebel is a powerhouse, having the highest Attack of
all Grass types, and tied with Muk for Poison types, while also having 298
Special. Victreebel can also be played in many ways including a Wrapper, Sleep
and Stun, sweeping, Swords Dancing and hybrids of those. What's lacking is
Victreebel has many weaknesses, and is fairly slow. Still, Victreebel is one of
the better Grass types, but not quite as good as Exeggutor. As for Wrapping,
Victreebel is one of the better ones. Overall, Victreebel is pretty good, and
the next best Grass type.
My recommended movesets for Victreebel
1 – Standard - Wrap, Stun Spore, Hyper Beam, Razor Leaf
Wrap the opponent and then you can also spread Paralysis. The other moves are
your choice. This is alright, except Victreebel is slow, so it requires the
opponents to mostly be Paralyzed in the first place. This can be used for
spreading Paralysis though. Razor Leaf and Hyper Beam are finisher moves.
2 – Sleep and Stun - Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, Body Slam, Razor Leaf
Sleep and stun, and then attack. Works not too badly, but lacks Swords Dance.
Victreebel could use more Speed to make this more effective, but it is faster
than Exeggutor.
3 – Hybrid Sweeping - Razor Leaf, Body Slam/Hyper Beam, Swords Dance,
Sleep Powder/Stun Spore
A hybrid sweeper. Victreebel has good offensive stats and Swords Dance brings
Swords Dance up to 616 in the first use. Both Sleep Powder and Stun Spore work,
but there are better Sleepers.
Relative Strength
Razor Leaf vs Starmie - 289-246 (89%-76%)
Razor Leaf vs Slowbro - 332-282 (84%-72%)
Razor Leaf vs Tauros - 179-152 (51%-43%)
3x Swords Dance + Body Slam vs Chansey - 662-563 (94%-80%)
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 414-353 (132%-113%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 286-243 (79%-67%)
Moltres' Fire Blast - 359-305 (99%-84%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 359-305 (99%-84%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 251-214 (69%-60%)
Mewtwo's Psychic - 314-268 (87%-74%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 142-121 (39%-33%)
How to beat Victreebel
Victreebel is just like the other Grass types, which are easy to beat. Just use
Psychic, Ice or Fire moves to take it out. The best choice is probably Gengar
because it can resist anything Victreebel has and has Psychic too. However,
anything with a type advantage is strong enough to beat it. Watch out for heavy
hits and Paralysis. If Victreebel is Wrapping, use Gengar or try to Paralyze
Victreebel. If Victreebel is Swords Dancing, take it out quickly with sweepers,
or faster Pokemon. Gengar is the best counter to all variants, but Alakazam can
work most of the time as well.
Why you should use Victreebel
-One of the two Razor Leafers
-Sleep and Stunning
-Hybrid sweeping, although limited, Victreebel also has Swords Dance
-Wrapping
**********
Tentacruel
**********
HP 363
ATK 238
DEF 228
SPD 298
SPE 338
CHC 19.5%
Type - Water/Poison
Weaknesses - Ground, Psychic, Electric, Bug
Resistances - Water, Ice, Fire, Poison, Fighting
Tentacruel is a Specialist, having good Speed and the highest Special for Water
types, giving it the strongest Water attacks. Tentacruel's type could be better
though, as it gets hit hard from Psychic and Ground attacks. Even though it has
Barrier for Grounds and 338 Special for Psychics, it will lose lots of good HP.
Tentacruel is a good Wrapper though with 298 Speed, and can hit Rocks and Gengar
with powerful Special moves. There are better Water types still, and Cloyster is
usually a better Water Wrapper. Tentacruel has Wrap which is often better though
and much more Speed than Cloyster.
My recommended movesets for Tentacruel
1 – Standard - Wrap, Surf, 2 of Hyper Beam/Blizzard/Barrier
Wrap the opponent and Surf any Grounds or Ghosts. The other moves are used
depending how you want your Tentacruel. Swords Dance is also effective for
Wrapping and supports Hyper Beam for finishing opponents off. Blizzard adds more
type coverage, and Barrier is a possibility for extra lasting power.
2 – Non-Wrapping Standard - Surf, Mega Drain, Barrier, Blizzard
Special sweeping Tentacruel. Barrier is to cover Tentacruel’s Ground weakness.
338 Special let's this set work, but other Water types are better at Special
sweeping because Tentacruel has a bad type. Use this set if Wrap is banned.
Relative Strength
Surf vs Tauros - 172-147 (49%-42%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 199-170 (51%-43%)
Mega Drain vs Starmie - 80-68 (25%-21%)
2x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 833-708 (118%-101%)
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 321-273 (103%-87%)
Relative Defense
Rhydon's Earthquake - 401-341 (110%-94%)
Golem's Earthquake - 357-304 (98%-84%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 252-215 (69%-59%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 142-121 (39%-33%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 223-190 (61%-52%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 252-214 (69%-59%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 149-127 (41%-35%)
How to beat Tentacruel
Tentacruel is tough to beat, because of its high Special and ability to counter
Grounds with no trouble. Electrics and Normals can work, but they’ll lose good
chunks of their HP. Alakazam, Starmie and Gengar counter both sets well. If
Tentacruel is Wrapping, try to Paralyze it, as that will make Wrapping
more difficult. After Paralysis, Grounds are able to attack safely, assuming
that Tentacruel didn't use Barrier.
Why you should use Tentacruel
-The most powerful Water Pokemon (offensively)
-Wrapping, which isn't bad with both high Speed and Swords Dance
-Special sweeping
*****
Golem
*****
HP 363
ATK 318
DEF 358
SPD 188
SPE 208
CHC 8.7%
Type - Rock/Ground
Weaknesses - WATER, GRASS, Ice, Ground, Fighting
Resistances - Fire, Rock, Poison, Flying, Normal
Immunities - Electric
Golem is a super Physical Pokemon. While Rhydon has higher HP, Attack and more
moves, Golem is slightly faster and has higher Special. However, due to extra
HP, Rhydon is still better at taking Special attacks. Golem learns Explosion
though, and beats Rhydon one on one, due to the extra Speed. Because of those,
Golem is usually prefered, but both have their benefits. Golem has lots of
weaknesses, so it has to be played carefully. Its job is to stall out Normal
and Electric attacks, and deal heavy damage to anything. Explosion can take out
a lot of Pokemon, so use it on something strong. Golem has trouble against
most Specialists, but with Paralysis support, Golem can sweep. Golem is a
standard Pokemon, but be sure to use it at the right times and know when to use
Explosion.
My recommended movesets for Golem
1 – Standard - Earthquake, Rock Slide, Explosion, Body Slam/Substitute
Not much else you can give Golem, but it works like a charm. Earthquake, and
Rock Slide when needed, Body Slam is for Paralyzing, especially when the
opponent is switching. Explosion is when Golem is about to faint, which will
usually deliver a KO. If you want to ensure the opponent doesn't switch ahead of
time, use Explosion early. This is where mindgames come into play. Substitute is
also a possibility against switching Pokemon, but works better on Paralyzed
Pokemon. Fire Blast is not useful since Exeggutor only takes 9 extra damage from
it compared to Rock Slide.
Relative Strength
Earthquake vs Jolteon - 373-317 (112%-95%)
Rock Slide vs Zapdos - 230-195 (60%-51%)
Earthquake vs Tauros - 142-120 (40%-34%)
Earthquake vs Alakazam - 216-183 (69%-58%)
Earthquake vs Chansey - 374-318 (53%-45%)
Rock Slide vs Exeggutor - 115-97 (29%-25%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 203-173 (56%-58%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 234-199 (64%-55%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 143-122 (39%-34%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 240-204 (66%-56%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 511-435 (141%-120%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 349-297 (96%-82%)
How to beat Golem
Golem isn’t much trouble to take down. Any major Water or Grass attack will take
it out and Ice moves will leave Golem with little HP left. Make sure you don’t
get caught using Electrics or Fire, or you’ll get beaten. Usually you'll have to
switch to a Golem counter and Exeggutor and Slowbro do this well. When switching
against Golem, you have to predict your opponent well, as you don't want to get
exploded against. Likewise, when you see an Explosion coming, switching to
Gengar is risky, since Golem may use Earthquake instead.
Why you should use Golem
-Exploding
-A powerful Ground and Rock type
-Physical sweeping (with Paralysis)
-Switching in against exploders (and also Thunder Wavers)
-A Physical wall
********
Rapidash
********
HP 333
ATK 298
DEF 238
SPD 308
SPE 258
CHC 20.5%
Type - Fire
Weaknesses - Water, Ground, Rock
Resistances - Fire, Grass, Bug
Rapidash is the fastest Fire type, and has good Attack power, but Rapidash is
low on all of the defensive categories. Rapidash is also one of the two Fire
types that don’t learn Flamethrower (the other is Moltres), which limits
Rapidash’s already small movepool. Rapidash does learn Horn Drill and Agility,
but it’s not good to rely on luck to win, since it’s inconsistent. Rapidash
shouldn’t be used for much.
My recommended movesets for Rapidash
1 – Standard - Agility, Body Slam, Horn Drill, Fire Blast
Speed up or slow down the opponent and then OHKO. Fire Blast is there for
whatever reason. Sadly, this is Rapidash’s best moveset, and it's often banned.
2 – Wrapping - Hyper Beam, Fire Spin, 2 of Fire Blast/Body Slam/Agility
Wrapping Rapidash. Not too bad, but Rapidash’s defensive stats are an issue. The
Speed is the reason this moveset actually works occasionally, but Fire Spin has
poor accuracy at only 70%. Again, this moveset is sometimes banned.
3 - Non-banned - Agility, Body Slam, Fire Blast, Reflect/Hyper Beam
Similar to the standard set, except not being able to OHKO. It plays similarily
to Flareon, except at the cost of some Attack power is a lot of extra Speed,
along with Agility. The Critical Hits can make up for the lower Attack power.
Overall, it's not great, but a possibility.
Relative Strength
Fire Blast vs Exeggutor - 230-195 (59%-50%)
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 201-171 (64%-55%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 349-297 (50%-42%)
Relative Defense
Starmie's Surf - 282-240 (85%-72%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 385-327 (116%-98%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 137-116 (41%-35%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 214-182 (64%-55%)
How to beat Rapidash
Having a type advantage is usually all you need to beat Rapidash, but the
tricky part is Horn Drill. It should take you two turns to beat Rapidash, but
that will risk one of your Pokemon. The best choices are Dugtrio or Starmie,
because of Speed. Gengar works well too. If OHKO moves are banned, use a tough
Water type. Omastar and Starmie work well.
Why you should use Rapidash
-The fastest Fire type (although not really useful)
-A OHKO option, which is good with 308 Speed, Body Slam and even Agility
-Wrapping, which is also handy with high Speed and Agility
*******
Slowbro
*******
HP 393
ATK 248
DEF 318
SPD 158
SPE 258
CHC 5.8%
Type - Water/Psychic
Weaknesses - Grass, Electric, Bug
Resistances - Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Psychic
Immunities - Ghost
Slowbro is obviously slow and gives it a bad Critical Hit chance, but it has a
huge moveset with many different moves, very high HP and very high Defense,
which is the highest for Psychics; a big plus in a Specialized metagame. Special
could be better, but it’s still pretty good. Slowbro can learn Surf, Amnesia,
Psychic, Ice Beam, Earthquake, Thunder Wave and many other various moves. It’s
also one of two final forms that may actually benefit from a low Critical Hit
chance, if you use Amnesia more than once (the other Pokemon is Snorlax).
Slowbro's main problem is Speed, so use Slowbro later in the game when the
opponents are mostly Paralyzed. Once setup, Slowbro is tough to take down, and
one of the better Pokemon in the game.
My recommended movesets for Slowbro
1 – Standard - Thunder Wave/Blizzard, Amnesia, Surf, Rest
Stun the opponent, power up and attack the opponent. This moveset takes some
time to setup, but works well if you manage to. Thunder Wave anything not
Paralyzed, pump up with Amnesia, and then heal and attack where necessary. This
is a famous moveset, named the "TobyBro" after the player that first made it.
The main purpose it was made for was to counter Mewtwo, which it does, as well
as many other Pokemon. Blizzard is a possible alteration for Exeggutor, but
Thunder Wave is really beneficial on such a slow Pokemon. If a player is
expecting Thunder Wave and uses Exeggutor to stall, Blizzard can throw off the
opponent really well.
2 - Stalling - Amnesia, Reflect, Rest, Surf/Psychic
Setup Slowbro and then stall out. This can work, but if the opponent gets any
Critical Hits, especially from Zapdos or Jolteon, Slowbro will drop. If the
opponent only has Physical Pokemon or Psychics, it can work. This Slowbro works
best late in the game.
3 – Hybrid sweeping - Psychic, Earthquake/Amnesia, Surf, Blizzard/Ice Beam
Hybrid sweeping Slowbro. It doesn’t work as well as it looks. Converting it into
a 3 Special move plus Amnesia Special sweeper also doesn’t work, because it
can’t heal and Slowbro is too slow to be effective. Without Amnesia, the
offensive stats are too low to support the moves. Earthquake running off of 248
Attack isn't very strong.
Relative Strength
3x Amnesia + Surf vs Chansey - 391-332 (56%-47%)
3x Amnesia + Surf vs Alakazam - 327-279 (104%-89%)
3x Amnesia + Surf vs Exeggutor - 173-147 (44%-37%)
2x Amnesia + Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 452-384 (115%-98%)
Earthquake vs Gengar - 195-166 (60%-51%)
Relative Defense
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 328-279 (83%-71%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 194-165 (49%-42%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 103-87 (26%-22%)
Victreebel's Razor Leaf - 332-282 (84%-72%)
How to beat Slowbro
Slowbro is always tricky because it can cover all of its areas of weaknesses.
You also need to take it out quickly because of Amnesia, which is hard since it
has high defensive stats, can heal itself, and can Paralyze you too. Tauros can
counter with some luck, but it usually will be KO'd or close to. Zapdos also
works if it gets a Critical Hit, but the best counters are Victreebel and
Venusaur since they learn Razor Leaf. Starmie and Chansey can stall Slowbro, but
will get Paralyzed. If Slowbro is setup and you don't have any good counters,
use Exeggutor.
Why you should use Slowbro
-Special sweeping with Amnesia, although slow
-Spreading Paralysis
-Stalling with Amnesia and Rest (useful against many Special types)
-A hybrid wall, but requires Amnesia for Special attacks
********
Magneton
********
HP 303
ATK 218
DEF 288
SPD 238
SPE 338
CHC 13.6%
Type - Electric
Weaknesses - Ground
Resistances - Flying, Electric
Magneton is a defensive Electric, having the highest Defense and the second
highest Special for Electrics. Unfortunately, Magneton has terrible HP so it
loses effectiveness, but Magneton can still survive Golem's Earthquake and often
survive Rhydon's as well. Magneton can hit with heavy Thunderbolts, but it can’t
do much else. You’ll find Zapdos or Raichu as better Electrics. Maybe even
Electrode. The movepool is too small, and too many Pokemon can stall Mangeton,
especially Golem and Rhydon.
My recommended moveset for Magneton
1 – Standard - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, 2 of
Supersonic/Reflect/Thunder/Mimic
Magneton can Paralyze and use powerful Thunderbolts, but can't do much else.
One unique thing about Magneton though is the combo of Thunder Wave with a
confusing move, which drops the chance of the opponent attacking to 37.5%,
although difficult to pull off. Supersonic is inaccurate though. I also don't
recommend any attacking move besides Thunderbolt (possibly Thunder), because
if you need to be using a Normal move, you should instead be switching.
Relative Strength
Thunderbolt vs Tauros - 172-147 (49%-42%)
Thunderbolt vs Alakazam - 112-96 (36%-31%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 277-236 (86%-73%)
Hyper Beam vs Rhydon - 41-35 (10%-8%)
Relative Defense
Golem's Earthquake - 284-241 (94%-76%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 319-271 (105%-89%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 126-107 (42%-35%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 177-151 (58%-50%)
How to beat Magneton
If you have a Ground type, there is virtually no chance of losing. Magneton is
used for its powerful Special, and you’ll get hurt heavily by Thunderbolts.
If a Ground type isn’t available, other high Specialists or Grass or Electric
types will do. Remember that Magneton does have high Special, and survives 2
of Mewtwo's Psychics.
Why you should use Magneton
-A powerful Electric type
-The only Pokemon with a confusion move and Thunder Wave
-Spreading Paralysis
-The most Physically defensive Electric (although only handy against Normal
attacks)
**********
Farfetch’d
**********
HP 307
ATK 228
DEF 208
SPD 218
SPE 214
CHC 11.7%
Type - Normal/Flying
Weaknesses - Rock, Electric, Ice
Resistances - Grass, Bug
Immunities - Ground, Ghost
Looking at Farfetch’d’s stats, you can see that it sucks. Farfetch’d can deal
some damage with Slash because it’s a STAB move, but Persian can do more than
that. Don’t use Farfetch’d, except for Petit Cup or filling your Pokedex.
My recommended movesets for Farfetch’d
1 – Standard - Swords Dance, Agility, Body Slam, Slash/Fly
Powerup and attack. Or at least try to. Remember that unlike Persian, Slash
isn't guaranteed to be Critical, at around 94% of the time. Still not bad, but
Farfetch'd isn't as strong or as fast as Persian. Farfetch'd also can't counter
Golem and Rhydon and has much worse weaknesses than just Fighting. STAB Swords
Dance and Agility is a powerful combo, but Farfetch'd can't last long.
Relative Strength
2x Swords Dance + Body Slam vs Chansey - 681-579 (97%-82%)
2x Swords Dance + Body Slam vs Alakazam - 392-334 (125%-107%)
2x Swords Dance + Fly vs Exeggutor - 456-388 (116%-99%)
Slash vs Alakazam - 219-187 (70%-60%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 198-168 (64%-55%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 233-198 (76%-64%)
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 331-281 (108%-92%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 156-133 (51%-43%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 395-336 (129%-109%)
How to beat Farfetch’d
Almost anything will do serious damage to Farfetch'd, so it doesn't matter what
you use. However, Slash can still do decent damage, so Defense is still
important. Golem, Rhydon and Gengar are the best counters.
Why you should use Farfetch’d
-You shouldn't
******
Dodrio
******
HP 323
ATK 318
DEF 238
SPD 298
SPE 218
CHC 19.5%
Type - Normal/Flying
Weaknesses - Electric, Ice, Rock
Resistances - Grass, Bug
Immunities - Ghost, Ground
Dodrio is about as close to pure offense as you can get. With the combination of
Snorlax's Attack power, and nearly Tauros' Speed, Dodrio can sweep teams easily.
Unlike Tauros and Snorlax, Dodrio gets an additional type, which adds more
offensive power against Exeggutor and the occasional Fighting type. However,
unlike Tauros and Snorlax, Dodrio can't take hits at all, and has some
weaknesses. With low defensive stats, especially Special, Dodrio will drop in 2
or 3 hits, while Snorlax and Tauros can usually still hang in. Dodrio is still a
powerhouse though, and one fifth of the moves it uses are Critical Hits too.
Although Dodrio is like a faster Snorlax (in attacking terms), Dodrio's poor
defense holds it back from being one of the top Physical Pokemon. Dodrio still
makes a devastating Pokemon late in the game, but Tauros is still better
overall.
My recommended moveset for Dodrio
1 – Standard - Drill Peck, Body Slam, Hyper Beam, Reflect/Mimic/Agility
Physical sweep. Dodrio has tons of power to use its attacks well, but it doesn’t
last long. Golem and Rhydon shut it out completely. Reflect can be switched for
Agility if you want more Speed, or Mimic if you want to get another attack.
Relative Strength
Hyper Beam vs Jynx - 360-306 (108%-92%)
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 322-274 (103%-88%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 559-476 (80%-68%)
Drill Peck vs Exeggutor - 245-208 (62%-53%)
Body Slam vs Tauros - 121-103 (34%-29%)
Relative Defense
Jynx's Blizzard - 405-345 (125%-107%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 194-165 (60%-51%)
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 290-247 (90%-76%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 229-195 (71%-60%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 388-330 (120%-102%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 224-190 (69%-59%)
How to beat Dodrio
Dodrio is easy to KO, but it’ll take big chunks out of your health with its
Attack and Speed, so try to use a Rock type. Anything with a type advantage
will do, because Dodrio’s defensive stats are all low. Golem, Rhydon and high
defensive Pokemon are the best counters. If none are available, take some damage
with a Specialist and take out Dodrio.
Why you should use Dodrio
-Physical sweeping, which is incredibly useful being a Normal type
-Stronger than Tauros, and faster than Snorlax, but not as good overall
-Using powerful Flying attacks (which is basically Drill Peck vs Exeggutor)
*******
Dewgong
*******
HP 383
ATK 238
DEF 258
SPD 238
SPE 288
CHC 13.6%
Type - Water/Ice
Weaknesses - Rock, Electric, Grass, Fighting
Resistances - Water, ICE
Dewgong is an averaged out Pokemon, but with high Special and HP. If you
compare Dewgong to Lapras, Lapras is better in every way, except for Speed. It
also has a smaller moveset than Lapras, so Dewgong is rendered useless.
Dewgong’s alternative plan, OHKOing can also be done with Lapras. Dewgong is a
bad Lapras, and a bad Pokemon overall, since it can’t do much of anything. Its
Special is high enough to do some decent damage, but it has a limited movepool,
especially compared to other Water Pokemon. Dewgong isn't great.
My recommended movesets for Dewgong
1 – Standard – Blizzard/Ice Beam, Surf, Body Slam, Horn Drill/Rest/Mimic
Not much else to do. Hope for Paralyzing and hope for OHKO. It probably won’t
work. If Horn Drill is banned, use Mimic or Rest. This Dewgong is only average
at attacking compared to other Water Pokemon, but there's not much else
available.
Relative Strength
Blizzard vs Zapdos - 256-218 (67%-57%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 256-218 (65%-55%)
Blizzard vs Tauros - 185-158 (52%-45%)
Surf vs Sandslash - 337-287 (95%-81%)
Relative Defense
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 295-251 (77%-66%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 174-148 (45%-39%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 127-108 (33%-28%)
How to beat Dewgong
Dewgong isn’t anything extraordinary. 2 or 3 good Thunderbolts will do it in.
Be careful of its 288 Special and its Water and Ice moves as they can do some
good damage. Other Water types are great counters, since they stall out Dewgong,
and can use effective moves, such as Starmie and Lapras.
Why you should use Dewgong
-None, in comparison to Lapras (minding a tad bit higher Speed)
***
Muk
***
HP 413
ATK 308
DEF 248
SPD 198
SPE 228
CHC 9.7%
Type - Poison
Weaknesses - Ground, Psychic, Bug
Resistances - Poison, Fighting, Grass
Muk has the highest HP for Poisons and tied with Victreebel for Attack. Muk
also learns some unique moves like Explosion, Sludge and Acid Armor and is also
guaranteed to survive from Mewtwo’s Psychic and any other attack in the game,
because of its high HP. It is a Poison type though and that makes it easy to
KO from Earthquake and Psychic. Muk is one of the best Poison types, but even
then, Sludge is about as strong as Swift, and Poison only beats Bug and Grass,
most of which are also Poison, so they aren’t destroyed by it anyway. In fact,
the only Pokemon that can be knocked out in one hit by Sludge is Parasect.
However, Muk’s Explosion is deadly against many low Defense Pokemon and is one
of the stronger overall moves in the game, but it still is fairly useless due to
type. Overall, Muk isn’t too bad, but can't cover many types of Pokemon, and is
still easy to KO. Muk's HP combined with Explosion and Attack make it a great
exploder, but it doesn't have much else going for it.
My recommended movesets for Muk
1 – Standard - Sludge, Explosion, 2 of Mega Drain/Body Slam/Acid Armor/Screech
Standard Muk. Attack with Sludge and then explode. Use Acid Armor to survive
against Grounds better or Body Slam to try to Paralyze. Using Sludge is also
risky because Poisoning an opponent means it can’t be Paralyzed. Mega Drain
is for Golem and Rhydon, while Screech adds to the Physical damage or can be
used to make the opponent switch.
2 – Hybrid sweeping - Sludge, Explosion, 2 of Thunderbolt/Fire Blast/Mega Drain
Attack with whatever is super effective. 228 Special isn’t high enough though.
Relative Strength
Sludge vs Exeggutor - 194-165 (49%-42%)
Sludge vs Alakazam - 137-116 (44%-37%)
Sludge vs Chansey - 236-201 (34%-29%)
Sludge vs Tauros - 90-77 (25%-22%)
Explosion vs Chansey - 816-694 (116%-99%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 372-316 (90%-77%)
Exeggutor's Psychic - 352-299 (85%-72%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 369-314 (89%-76%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 205-175 (50%-42%)
How to beat Muk
Don’t underestimate Muk. Except for Critical Hits, stat boosting moves etc, Muk
can survive any attack you use. With this in mind Muk can always use Explosion
on you with its 308 attack power. That will likely leave your Pokemon with
little to no health after that. Don’t rush with Muk. The best choices are
Gengar, any Ground types and high Defense Pokemon. Most Psychics have low
Defense and get beaten by Explosion. Muk is a good anti-Alakazam (only because
of Explosion), so be careful using it against Muk. A safe method to beating Muk
is to use something to lure Explosion like Chansey or Alakazam and then switch
to Golem or Gengar. Even if the opponent predicts that, Muk won't do much with
Sludge or Body Slam to them. Acid Armor is another tricky tactic to get around,
since Tauro's Earthquake takes 2 hits normally, Acid Armor leaves Muk with 3
more turns. Overall, Gengar is the main counter, but anything other than that
has to be played cautiously.
Why you should use Muk
-The most offensive Poison type (but that's not saying much, especially when you
accidently Poison the opponents)
-A powerful exploder, that can also survive any non-boosted attack
-A Physical wall with Acid Armor
********
Cloyster
********
HP 303
ATK 288
DEF 458
SPD 238
SPE 268
CHC 13.6%
Type - Water/Ice
Weaknesses - Electric, Grass, Fighting, Rock
Resistances - Water, ICE
Cloyster has a ton of Defense, the highest in the game, high Attack, good
Special and Explosion. Cloyster also has the highest combined stats (besides
legendaries) in the game at 1555. Cloyster is almost a standard Pokemon, but HP
is too low and it gets knocked out quickly. Cloyster is also a little bit slow,
but Cloyster can be a dangerous Specialist and a tough Exploder. The main
reasons Cloyster is a good Pokemon though are because of the effectivenss of
Clamp, and that it can take attacks from Tauros and Snorlax with its massive
Defense. Clamp is fairly accurate at 75%, it's strong and STAB, plus it works on
Gengar. Cloyster is also one of the very few Pokemon that can stall Snorlax and
Tauros, but not for long since Cloyster lacks a recovery move. Overall, Cloyster
isn't bad, but you have to avoid Thunderbolt which can be difficult.
My recommended movesets for Cloyster
1 – Standard - Clamp/Surf, Explosion, Blizzard/Ice Beam, Hyper Beam
Use Cloyster late in the game against Paralyzed Pokemon and Clamp everything. If
Wrapping is banned, replace it with Surf. Explosion from 288 attack can take
down a good portion of Pokemon. Cloyster's Blizzard is great against Tauros and
Snorlax, but short of taking out Tauros in 2 hits and will almost never take out
a Snorlax in 3 hits. If you're specifically using Cloyster to stall those two
for a bit, Ice Beam may be more useful due to accuracy. Doubling up on the Ice
moves and dropping Hyper Beam is also viable if you're using Cloyster for
countering.
Relative Strength
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 238-203 (61%-52%)
Blizzard vs Tauros - 173-147 (49%-42%)
Blizzard vs Snorlax - 180-153 (34%-29%)
Ice Beam vs Tauros - 137-117 (39%-33%)
Ice Beam vs Snorlax - 143-122 (27%-23%)
Relative Defense
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 136-116 (45%-38%)
Snorlax's Body Slam - 77-65 (25%-21%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 72-61 (24%-20%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 316-269 (104%-89%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 187-159 (62-52%)
How to beat Cloyster
You obviously don’t want to use Physical attacks, so use Special moves. Cloyster
also has good Special, but its HP is horrible, so a quick KO is easy to get.
Any Electric can take it down quick, but if you fail to do that, you’ll get a
nasty Explosion. Starmie, Slowbro and Lapras can stall it out, but you have to
be unParalyzed or you'll get Clamped. This is one of the few Pokemon that give
Tauros and Snorlax some trouble KOing. Although Exeggutor can beat Cloyster with
Mega Drain, if Cloyster Clamps first, Exeggutor won't be able to heal enough HP
to survive a second Blizzard. Alakazam and Chansey also can't face Cloyster
safely since Cloyster can use Explosion. Stalling with Waters is the best
tactic.
Why you should use Cloyster
-Exploding
-Wrapping with the strongest Wrapping attack (which is also STAB)
-Hybrid sweeping, but only average at both
-One of the few Pokemon that can somewhat stall Snorlax and Tauros
-A Physical wall, which is useful against many Pokemon
******
Gengar
******
HP 323
ATK 228
DEF 218
SPD 318
SPE 358
CHC 21.4%
Type - Ghost/Poison
Weaknesses - Psychic, Ground, Ghost
Resistances - Grass, Poison, BUG
Immunities - Normal, Fighting
Gengar is unique, being a Ghost type, which is one of the useful types. Gengar
has super high Special, very high Speed and lots of good moves, including
Hypnosis, Mega Drain, Confuse Ray, Thunderbolt, Psychic and Explosion. Gengar is
the fastest Sleeper, and if you count Body Slam, it’s also the fastest Sleep and
Stunner. Gengar is a good lead, but you have to watch out for the popular
Psychics, and the common Ground types. Gengar is also a nice Pokemon to switch
to when you’re battling a low HP Cloyster, Exeggutor or Golem to cover an
Explosion. One of the only things that holds Gengar back is its type, where
not only does it get beaten by Grounds and Psychics, it also doesn’t get any
STAB moves (besides Lick). Thunderbolt and Psychic running off of 358 Special
still does good damage, but not as much as others with STAB attacks. Gengar is
still a standard Pokemon though, but it has trouble against many other
standards. Gengar takes a lot of skill to play effectively, but is great for
using against Explosion, and countering a huge variety of Pokemon. Practice with
Gengar and great mindgaming are required to use it well.
My recommended movesets for Gengar
1 – Standard - Hypnosis, Explosion, 2 of
Thunderbolt/Psychic/Mega Drain/Confuse Ray
Sleeper Gengar is a great lead, although Hypnosis is only 60% accurate. This
Gengar is used early to put something to Sleep, and then can be saved later to
take Explosion. Gengar can then use an Explosion of its own, and also use high
powered Special moves. Confuse Ray helps combo with Hypnosis. Psychic is only
good for other Gengars and a few other Pokemon, so try to avoid using it.
Seismic Toss is another possibility if you want to attack Exeggutor.
2 – Non-Sleeper – Confuse Ray, Explosion, Mega Drain/Psychic, Thunderbolt
Gengar with no Hypnosis, and more room for powerful attacks. Best used later in
the game to Special sweep the opponent and then explode after. It's not a bad
set, and can take Explosions in a stealthy way, as the opponent suspects teams
with Gengar in them lead with it. It can be a surprise switch-in.
Relative Strength
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 195-166 (60%-51%)
Thunderbolt vs Tauros - 122-103 (38%-32%)
Explosion vs Chansey - 604-514 (86%-73%)
Mega Drain vs Golem - 263-224 (72%-62%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 239-203 (74%-63%)
Exeggutor's Psychic - 226-192 (70%-59%)
Golem's Earthquake - 373-317 (115%-98%)
Tauro's Earthquake - 233-198 (72%-61%)
How to beat Gengar
For many Pokemon, Gengar is trouble. Being Ghost creates problems for many
Physical Pokemon, exploders and OHKO Pokemon. Psychics, such as Alakazam work
well as they can take out Gengar in two turns, but only Starmie and Alakazam are
faster than Gengar, and Starmie usually doesn't have Psychic. Exeggutor is great
for stalling, as Gengar's attacks are weak against it. Golem and Rhydon can take
it down, but it's safest if Gengar is Paralyzed first. Exeggutor is generally
the best counter, but if no Pokemon on your team is asleep, Gengar will use
Hypnosis.
Why you should use Gengar
-The fastest Sleeper
-The fastest Pokemon with Confuse Ray
-Exploding
-Switching in against Exploders
-Special sweeping, although non-STAB
-Immunity to Normal attacks (which stalls many Pokemon)
****
Onix
****
HP 273
ATK 188
DEF 418
SPD 238
SPE 158
CHC 13.6%
Type - Rock/Ground
Weaknesses - WATER, Ice, GRASS, Fighting, Ground,
Resistances - Fire, Rock, Poison, Flying, Normal
Immunities - Electric
Looking at the stats right away, Onix is garbage. Defense is the second highest
in the game, but Special and HP don’t get any lower for final forms. Speed is
okay, but Attack is lower than Alakazam’s. You would think that a giant snake
made of rocks would have at least decent Attack. Onix also has a ton of
weaknesses, and with 158 Special, any water drops or scary leaves destroy it.
Onix can still stall most Electrics, but so can Golem and Rhydon. For UU
matches, Graveler usually fares better than Onix.
My recommended movesets for Onix
1 – Standard - Earthquake, Rock Slide, Explosion, Bind/Screech/Body Slam
It's like Golem, except a different Normal move. Bind is great when you have
to stall, and Screech is if you want extra damage. However, most Pokemon will
KO Onix before it can do anything. Explosion from 188 Attack does less than 75%
on Chansey.
Relative Strength
Earthquake vs Mangeton - 170-145 (56%-48%)
Explosion vs Alakazam - 287-244 (92%-78%)
Rock Slide vs Articuno - 250-213 (65%-56%)
Relative Defense
Oddish's Mega Drain - 328-279 (120%-102%)
Moltres' Fire Blast - 168-142 (62%-52%)
Tentacruel's Hydro Pump - 1305-1111 (478%-407%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 33-28 (12%-10%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 221-188 (81%-69%)
How to beat Onix
Onix is easy to beat. If you have any Ice, Water or Grass types, Onix is as good
as gone. However though, if you an Electric you’ll still get beaten (Fire types
can still pierce through Onix due to it’s super low Special). Onix is nothing
difficult, so long as you don’t use something that gets stalled by it, like
Dodrio or other Normal-Flying Pokemon. Even Moltres can take out Onix in 2 hits,
and takes less than 70% from Rock Slide. That's just sad.
Why you should use Onix
-Getting Steelix
-Having the longest Pokemon
-Impersonating Brock
*****
Hypno
*****
HP 373
ATK 244
DEF 238
SPD 232
SPE 328
CHC 13%
Type - Psychic
Weaknesses - Bug
Resistances - Psychic, Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Hypno is more of a defensive Alakazam. HP is much higher and Attack and Defense
are a bit higher, but Special is lower, and Speed is much lower. Hypno is a
decent Psychic, but lacks a good recovery move, like most other Psychics. One
appealing thing is that Hypno is the only non-Bug or Grass that works as a good
Sleep and Stunner. Hypno is mostly average, as it can take attacks and deal
them, but nothing great. Alakazam is more useful, and there are better Sleepers.
Hypno isn't a bad choice though, but runs out of usefulness pretty quickly.
My recommended movesets for Hypno
1 – Standard - Psychic, Thunder Wave, Hypnosis,
Reflect/Rest/Counter/Seismic Toss
After Sleep and Stunning, attack with Psychic, and use the fourth move when
necessary. With Rest, Hypno can last long in battle, but gets stalled on
Psychics. Seismic Toss can deal with Psychics, but then Hypno can't heal itself.
2 – Non-Sleeper – Psychic, Thunder Wave, Rest, Reflect/Counter/Seismic Toss
This Hypno can last long in battle with Rest, and even longer if you choose to
give it Reflect. Counter helps against Tauros and Snorlax, while Seismic Toss
is for damaging other Psychics. Offensively, this Hypno is lacking, but takes
Physical attacks much better than Alakazam. It can often survive 3 Body Slams
from Tauros, and even more with Reflect.
Relative Strength
Psychic vs Tauros - 159-135 (45%-38%)
Psychic vs Gengar - 213-181 (66%-56%)
Psychic vs Chansey - 123-105 (17%-15%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 137-116 (37%-31%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 192-163 (51%-44%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 74-63 (20%-17%)
Tauros' Hyper Beam - 239-203 (64%-54%)
How to beat Hypno
Generally, Hypno will only hit you with Psychic attacks, so using another
Psychic works well. Chansey is nice to use as it can take those heavy hits with
ease and then return some damage. Hypno can’t be taken out quickly except for
OHKO Pokemon and lucky Critical Hits, so it’s good to take your time. Tauros and
Snorlax work well, but some Hypnos have Counter or Reflect. The best counters
are Alakazam, Starmie and Chansey, but you might end up in a stall war.
Why you should use Hypno
-Spreading Paralysis
-A Sleeper
-Stalling with Rest
*******
Kingler
*******
HP 313
ATK 358
DEF 328
SPD 248
SPE 198
CHC 14.6%
Type - Water
Weaknesses - Electric, Grass
Resistances - Fire, Water, Ice
Kingler has the highest Attack for Water types and for Swords Dancers, tied for
the second highest overall. After one Swords Dance, Kingler’s attack reaches
716, which is enough to OHKO Chansey with Hyper Beam, guaranteed. Kingler also
has really high Defense and the best Water move, Crabhammer. The thing that
makes Kingler rough to use is the poor Special, along with the HP. Most Special
attacks that aren't Water or Ice will take 2 and sometimes 3 hits to KO. It
doesn't help that Kingler is relatively slow too. However, once Swords Dance is
used, Kingler can become a threat to many Pokemon. Kingler can also help stall
on Tauros and Snorlax due to its massive Defense, but will still usually be
beaten by Snorlax. Kingler isn't bad, but requires the opponents to mostly be
Paralyzed to work. Kingler is also a possible counter to all of Starmie, Chansey
and Alakazam, but you need them to be Paralyzed first, and to use Swords Dance.
Why you should use Kingler
1 – Standard - Swords Dance, Body Slam, Hyper Beam, Crabhammer
Power up with Swords Dance and unleash Normal moves. The tricky part is finding
a time to set Kingler up, as it can’t take most of any Special attacks,
especially Thunderbolt. Don’t consider Blizzard or Ice Beam, because 198 Special
is too low, and the Normal moves are more important. Don't forget about
Crabhammer, which is always Critical and a powerful Water attack, even if
Kingler's Special is low.
Relative Strength
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 837-712 (119%-101%)
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 481-410 (154%-131%)
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Starmie - 338-288 (105%-89%)
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Exeggutor - 338-288 (86%-73%)
Crabhammer vs Tauros - 194-165 (55%-47%)
Crabhammer vs Snorlax - 202-172 (39%-33%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 213-181 (68%-58%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 426-363 (136%-116%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 252-214 (81%-68%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 100-85 (32%-27%)
Snorlax's Body Slam - 106-90 (34%-29%)
How to beat Kingler
Kingler isn’t tough, but if you give it time to build power with Swords Dance,
you’ll lose good chunks of HP. Attack with any Electric or anything that has
Thunderbolt, exploiting its low Special. Make sure you aren’t Paralyzed, or at
least Kingler is Paralyzed, or you’ll get hit hard by the Normal attacks. Gengar
and Cloyster are the best counters, if Kingler is already setup. If not, use
Zapdos or another Electric.
Why you should use Kingler
-The strongest Swords Dancer
-Using Crabhammer
-A Physical wall (although lacking HP)
*********
Electrode
*********
HP 323
ATK 198
DEF 238
SPD 378
SPE 258
CHC 27.3%
Type - Electric
Weaknesses - Ground
Resistances - Flying, Electric
Electrode has the highest Speed in the game at 378, which also means having the
highest Critical chance, at over 27%. Looking past the Speed, Electrode has poor
stats, although Special is average. Besides spreading Paralysis and Exploding,
Electrode doesn’t have much going for it, and can’t hit anything very hard, and
even Gyarados has a chance to survive Thunderbolt. Leading with Electrode also
doesn’t work, because if the opponent has Golem or Rhydon, they can switch to
them immediately (although this can be used since you can predict them and
switch to something like Slowbro). Fast Paralyzing and fast Exploding is nice,
but Electrode can't do much else. If Electrode gets Paralyzed, it loses all
usefulness. Overall, Electrode isn't great, and if you need very high Speed, use
Jolteon.
My recommended movesets for Electrode
1 – Standard - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Screech, Explosion
Although Screech doesn’t have much use, if you have any need to use
Double-Edge, you might as well switch. Get a guaranteed Thunder Wave,
Thunderbolt or Screech the opponents and then blow up. Explosion is weak but
with the highest Speed and Screech, it can be useful. With the high Critical
rate, Explosion and Thunderbolt are nice when doing double damage. Make sure
there are no Grounds left on the opponent’s team before using Electrode.
Relative Strength
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 213-181 (66%-56%)
Thunderbolt vs Articuno - 183-156 (48%-41%)
Thunderbolt vs Gyarados - 426-362 (108%-92%)
Explosion vs Alakazam - 302-257 (96%-82%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 164-140 (51%-43%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 137-116 (42%-36%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 214-182 (66%-56%)
Golem's Earthquake - 342-291 (106%-90%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 385-327 (119%-101%)
How to beat Electrode
Of course, being the fastest Pokemon, Electrode is going to Paralyze you or
Thunderbolt you before you can do anything. Obviously Grounds will stop
Electrode from doing anything (Explosion from 198 attack is nothing for high
Defense Pokemon), but if don’t have Grounds, accept Paralysis and use a Grass
type or almost anything else. Electrode isn’t hard to beat, as it’s more of a
technical Pokemon, but it is annoying to be assured Paralysis. Exeggutor is the
best non-Ground counter, but if you're worried about Explosion, Tangela can work
as well.
Why you should use Electrode
-The fastest Pokemon
-Exploding
-Spreading Paralysis
*********
Exeggutor
*********
HP 393
ATK 288
DEF 268
SPD 208
SPE 348
CHC 10.7%
Type - Grass/Psychic
Weaknesses - Fire, Flying, Poison, BUG, Ice
Resistances - Water, Grass, Electric, Ground, Fighting, Psychic
Immunities - Ghost
Exeggutor is a great Pokemon to choose. Exeggutor has the best HP and Special
for Grass types, which are both very high, Attack is very good, Defense is above
average, but it has really low Speed. Exeggutor is short of Razor Leaf, but it
comes with Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Leech Seed, Explosion and Psychic.
Exeggutor has a lot of weaknesses, but most of them are either uncommon, or can
be covered. The huge number of resistances makes up for the weaknesses, having
6, which is higher than anything else. Grass/Psychic has lots of common
resistances too, including Water, Ground, Psychic and Electric. Psychic and Mega
Drain coming from 348 Special does heavy damage to Pokemon with low Special and
Explosion coming from 288 Attack can do heavy damage to just about anything
else. Exeggutor is one of the trickiest Pokemon in the game to counter, since it
can beat a good chunk of other standards, and can be annoying for many others
too. The only real problems about Exeggutor is that it's slow, and has a lot of
weaknesses. Exeggutor is definitely one of the best Pokemon in the game, and
you'll face many of them when playing competitively.
My recommended movesets for Exeggutor
1 – Standard - Sleep Powder, Psychic, Explosion/Rest, Stun Spore/Mega Drain
Sleep and Stun. Use Psychic or Mega Drain until you’re about to faint and then
explode. Exeggutor is a decent lead, but other common Sleeper leads are faster,
such as Jynx and Gengar. Exeggutor is a great backup Sleeper though. Rest can
actually work effectively because Exeggutor has high defensive stats and HP.
Another possible option is Double-Edge or Hyper Beam, which helps against
Alakazam and Chansey, and Exeggutor has enough Attack power to use it too. Leech
Seed, while useless, can be used to force switching.
2 – Leech and Toxic combo - Leech Seed, Toxic, Mega Drain/Rest, Psychic
Leech and Poison combo. It takes too long to setup and doesn’t do much anyway.
Don't waste one of the best Pokemon in the game with a bad moveset.
Relative Strength
Psychic vs Chansey - 131-111 (19%-16%)
Psychic vs Tauros - 168-143 (48%-41%)
Mega Drain vs Golem - 349-297 (96%-82%)
Mega Drain vs Starmie - 123-105 (38%-33%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 338-287 (48%-41%)
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 195-165 (62%-53%)
Relative Defense
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 215-183 (55%-47%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 308-262 (78%-67%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 145-123 (37%-31%)
Starmie's Blizzard - 176-150 (45%-38%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 122-103 (31%-26%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 141-120 (36%-31%)
How to beat Exeggutor
Exeggutor is one of the toughest opponents. It’s a tank, can do tons to you and
can stun or put you to Sleep. It has 5 weaknesses though, but most of them are
uncommon or weak. Zapdos works the best with Drill Peck and taking a lot less
damage than most opponents. Dodrio, Moltres and Flareon are all good counters
too, but all of them risk Paralysis. Exeggutor will probably be taken down
slowly by a mix of different moves, such as Chansey’s Ice Beam and Tauros’ Body
Slam. Most of the time, Exeggutor will faint due to it using Explosion.
Why you should use Exeggutor
-Sleep and Stunning
-Exploding
-Stalling (which leads to Explosion instead of Rest most of the time)
-Resisting the most types, making Exeggutor an excellent switch-in against many
Pokemon and different types
-A Special wall
*******
Marowak
*******
HP 323
ATK 258
DEF 318
SPD 188
SPE 198
CHC 8.7%
Type - Ground
Weaknesses - Ice, Grass, Water
Resistances - Rock, Poison
Immunities - Electric
Marowak is just a below average Ground type. Defense is good, but the rest of
the stats are bad. The only thing that separates Marowak from most Ground types
is that it can learn Blizzard, Ice Beam and Fire Blast. Even though they can
cover some of Marowak’s weaknesses, its Special is at 198. Bonemerang is also
useless, as it does the same as Earthquake, but it’s less accurate. Marowak
doesn’t even get Rock Slide, which is a big minus. At the very least, Marowak
can still beat Electrics, as their Normal attacks have trouble against Marowak's
318 Defense. For pure Grounds, use Dugtrio or Sandslash.
My recommended movesets for Marowak
1 – Standard - Earthquake, Seismic Toss/Hyper Beam, Body Slam,
Blizzard/Fire Blast/Ice Beam
A sweeping Marowak. Well, not really, considering Marowak has no offensive
stats. Attack is 258, but so is Dugtrio’s, who at least has Speed and decent
moves. Marowak's unique moves, Bone Club and Bonemerang are also bad moves, and
are replaced by Earthquake (maybe even Dig).
Relative Strength
Earthquake vs Jolteon - 304-258 (91%-77%)
Blizzard vs Dragonite - 275-234 (71%-61%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 118-101 (30%-26%)
Fire Blast vs Parasect - 317-270 (98%-84%)
Relative Defense
Starmie's Surf - 366-311 (113%-96%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 537-457 (166%-141%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 183-155 (57%-48%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 213-181 (66%-56%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 246-209 (76%-65%)
How to beat Marowak
Marowak isn’t very tough. Your usual Water, Ice or Grass will be enough. Marowak
can attack Grass and Ice though with Fire Blast and Ice Beam, but you still
won’t take much damage since Marowak's low Special doesn't support them.
Defensive Water types like Cloyster and Starmie are your best choices.
Why you should use Marowak
-A Ground that can learn Blizzard and Fire Blast, that isn’t Rhydon, Nidoking
or Nidoqueen (essentially a worse Sandslash)
*********
Hitmonlee
*********
HP 303
ATK 338
DEF 204
SPD 272
SPE 168
CHC 16.9%
Type - Fighting
Weaknesses - Psychic, Flying
Resistances - Bug, Rock
Hitmonlee is the only Pokemon that learns the best Fighting move in the game.
Although it’s not much more powerful than Submission, it’s more accurate and
doesn’t have recoil. Hitmonlee also has very high Attack and decent Speed, but
the 3 defensive stats are awful, and lets Hitmonlee get KO'd by everything.
However, Hitmonlee shouldn't be underestimated, as it can still KO Normals, even
Chansey, Tauros and Snorlax. It's not as good as Machamp overall, but can work.
The defensive stats are the problem.
My recommended movesets for Hitmonlee
1 – Standard - Hi Jump Kick, Body Slam, 2 of Meditate/Double Kick/Counter/Mimic
Don’t underestimate this moveset as it works really well on slow Normals, even
the super Normals. Use Hi Jump Kick on the Normals, and Body Slam for those that
resist it. Meditate is to boost attack, making High Jump Kick able to KO most
Normals in one hit (not guaranteed). Double Kick is a possible finisher, since
it’s accurate, and Body Slam is mainly for Paralysis. Seismic Toss works too if
you have to deal with Gengar. Remember that like Machamp's Submission, Hitmonlee
can't beat Chansey, Tauros or Snorlax in one hit without Meditate. Good luck
setting up with it though.
2 - Kicking - Hi Jump Kick, Rolling Kick, Jump Kick, Double Kick
All more effective than Submission, but 3 of them are only learned by Hitmonlee.
This is a good example of what kids think is an awesome moveset; another theme
or gimmick moveset. Mega Kick is also sometimes used.
Relative Strength
Hi Jump Kick vs Chansey - 676-575 (96%-82%)
Hi Jump Kick vs Tauros - 257-219 (73%-62%)
Hi Jump Kick vs Snorlax - 323-275 (62%-53%)
Relative Defense
Exeggutor's Psychic - 475-404 (157%-133%)
Gengar's Psychic - 326-277 (108%-91%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 159-135 (52%-45%)
Snorlax's Body Slam - 166-142 (55%-47%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 316-269 (104%-89%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 280-238 (92%-79%)
How to beat Hitmonlee
Hitmonlee can be beaten with anything. It has low stats in all 3 Defense
categories, so anything will take about 2 hits. Even something simple, like
Moltres’ Fire Blast has a chance at getting a OHKO. It’s more important just to
be faster. Gengar, Flying and Psychics work the best.
Why you should use Hitmonlee
-The most offensive Fighting type (as Submission is a poor move)
-The only Pokemon that is offensively effective against Normal types (although
minding recoil and accuracy, Machamp's Submission is fairly good too)
**********
Hitmonchan
**********
HP 303
ATK 308
DEF 256
SPD 250
SPE 168
CHC 14.8%
Type - Fighting
Weaknesses - Psychic, Flying
Resistances - Bug, Rock
Hitmonchan is a slight variation of Hitmonlee, but it's even worse. Attack and
Speed are both lowered, only to bring the useless Defense stat to mediocre.
Hitmonchan is unique however, being the only Fighting to get the punch attacks.
Ice punch is the only unique type (unless you count Poliwrath) though, as
Machamp can learn Fire Blast and Primeape can learn Thunderbolt. Most of the
punches are already useless, and even Ice punch is garbage coming from 168
Special. It can’t even do 40% damage to a Dragonite. It can still help somewhat
on Flying Pokemon such as Dodrio, but it still sucks. Hitmonchan can’t do much
of anything, to anything, and gets knocked out really easily. One of the worst
Pokemon.
My recommended movesets for Hitmonchan
1 – Standard - Submission, Body Slam, Agility, Seismic Toss/Mimic/Ice punch
Use Submission for some damage and then do whatever else. Ice punch is there to
attack flyers a little bit or to attempt for a Freeze if you’re desperate (which
you are, using Hitmonchan). Other possible moves are Seismic Toss, Counter,
Mimic, but honestly, just don’t use Hitmonchan.
2 – Greatest moveset ever - Fire punch, Thunderpunch, Ice punch, Mega punch
If you’re 8, this moveset looks really good. It only takes 3 (possibly 4)
Thunderpunches to beat Gyarados, and only 7 or 8 Fire punches to beat Exeggutor.
This is one of the most common movesets that shows how little a player knows.
Some alterations include Comet Punch and Submission.
Relative Strength
Ice Punch vs Zapdos - 64-55 (17%-14%)
Thunderpunch vs Starmie - 75-63 (23%-20%)
Fire Punch vs Exeggutor - 64-55 (16%-14%)
Submission vs Chansey - 580-494 (83%-70%)
Relative Defense
Gengar's Psychic - 326-277 (108%-91%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 128-109 (42%-36%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 316-269 (104%-89%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 226-192 (75%-63%)
How to beat Hitmonchan
Hitmonchan isn’t tough. Like Hitmonlee, the defensive categories are low, except
for Defense which is average. Hitmonchan is slower though and less powerful
though. Again, just attack with whatever you got, but make sure that you don't
use something weak to Fighting.
Why you should use Hitmonchan
-To prove that sweepers needs good offensive stats
*********
Lickitung
*********
HP 383
ATK 208
DEF 248
SPD 158
SPE 218
CHC 5.8%
Type - Normal
Weaknesses - Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Lickitung has good HP, and that’s it. Lickitung is basically a much weaker
Snorlax that can’t explode, can’t use many good attacks and also has lousy
stats. Sadly, Lickitung is better off using Special moves, rather than Physical.
Lickitung is easily replaceable with Snorlax, unless you use Lickitung for
Wrapping. Even then, there are better Wrappers and even then, Wrapping isn’t
often a good strategy on slow Pokemon. Swords Dance on a Normal isn’t too shabby
though, but Lickitung can’t really pull it off. You might as well try to Freeze
the opponents, since you’re not going to get any Critical Hits either. Scrap
Lickitung.
My recommended movesets for Lickitung
1 – Standard - Swords Dance, Body Slam, Hyper Beam, Earthquake
Swords Dance and STAB Body Slam is strong, but it’s hard to use with Lickitung’s
Speed and lasting power. Rarely will this work, not to mention you’ll need the
opponents Paralyzed too. For even more power, Screech is also available.
Surprisingly, Lick isn't, but it's not useful anyway.
2 – Wrapping - Wrap, Hyper Beam, Swords Dance, Earthquake/Surf
Swords Dance plus STAB Wrap is nice, but Lickitung won’t last long enough. It
requires most of the opponents to be Paralyzed as well.
3 – Hybrid sweeping - Body Slam, Surf, Earthquake, Blizzard/Ice Beam
While it does work on many types, Lickitung’s stats are way too low to support
it, not to mention Speed is the worst for final forms, nearing the bottom of
everything, (tied with Snorlax, Parasect and Slowbro).
Relative Strength
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 731-622 (104%-88%)
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 421-358 (135%-114%)
1x Swords Dance + Body Slam vs Tauros - 157-134 (44%-38%)
1x Swords Dance + Earthquake vs Gengar - 324-276 (100%-85%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 131-112 (34%-29%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 194-165 (51%-43%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 244-207 (64%-54%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 184-157 (48%-41%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 114-97 (30%-25%)
How to beat Lickitung
Lickitung is weak, but may take a couple turns to KO. Also, although Lickitung
isn’t strong, it can still often get super effective attacks in, which still
will do some damage. You also want to make sure Lickitung doesn’t set itself up
with Swords Dance. Just attack Lickitung with anything and it should take 3
hits.
Why you should use Lickitung
-A Normal type with Swords Dance
-A Swords Dancing STAB Wrapper (although not as good as it sounds)
*******
Weezing
*******
HP 333
ATK 278
DEF 338
SPD 218
SPE 268
CHC 11.7%
Type - Poison
Weaknesses - Psychic, Ground
Resistances - Poison, Fighting, Grass
Weezing has very high defensive stats, good Attack and some good moves. HP is
alright and Speed is low, but for a Poison type, Special is really good. Weezing
can survive from any attack, except Mewtwo’s Psychic, so exploding is very
possible, similar to Muk. Weezing has the smallest movepool for final forms
(excluding Ditto), but they are good moves including Sludge, Explosion, Haze,
Thunderbolt, Fire Blast and Hyper Beam. With Weezing, you can get at least one
strong attack in, or explode immediately, without worry. Weezing is a good
Pokemon and an alternative (although not worse) to Muk, but Weezing can’t do
much against standards. Since offense is all Weezing can do, it’s comparable to
Tauros and Snorlax, which are more effective than Weezing. Not bad overall, but
if either are used, Muk is usually more effective due to the extra Attack power.
My recommended movesets for Weezing
1 – Standard - Sludge, Thunderbolt, Explosion, Hyper Beam/Fire Blast/Haze
Attack and explode. It’s alright, but Muk does better with this moveset.
However, if you want Speed and more power for Special attacks, Weezing is
better.
Relative Strength
Sludge vs Exeggutor - 175-149 (45%-38%)
Sludge vs Chansey - 213-181 (30%-26%)
Sludge vs Tauros - 82-69 (23%-20%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 147-125 (46%-39%)
Fire Blast vs Exeggutor - 159-135 (40%-34%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 317-270 (95%-81%)
Mewtwo's Psychic - 349-297 (105%-89%)
Golem's Earthquake - 243-206 (73%-62%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 152-129 (46%-39%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 93-79 (28%-24%)
How to beat Weezing
Weezing has good defensive stats and it can survive from nearly anything. With
that, it’s very likely you’ll get exploded on and coming from 278 attack, it’ll
put a hole in your HP. Attack Weezing with a Psychic or another Specialist.
Grounds are the best though, as they can take most of any attack, but they may
take a few turns to KO Weezing because of its high Defense. Gengar, Golem and
Rhydon are great counters for Weezing.
Why you should use Weezing
-Hazing
-Exploding
-Using Poison attacks (Sludge)
******
Rhydon
******
HP 413
ATK 358
DEF 338
SPD 178
SPE 188
CHC 7.8%
Type - Rock/Ground
Weaknesses - WATER, GRASS, Ice, Fighting, Ground
Resistances - Normal, Fire, Rock, Poison, Flying
Immunities - Electric
Rhydon is an all-out Physical Pokemon. It has very high HP, the highest for both
Rock and Ground and the exact same goes for the massive Attack power. Its huge
Defense is one of the highest in the game too. With its Defense and its many
Physical resistances, Rhydon is effective at stalling Physical attackers (about
the same as Golem). Rhydon easily falls to Specialists though, whether they
have a type advantage or not. Rhydon is also very slow, so use it later in the
game when the opponents are Paralyzed. Otherwise, Rhydon deals heavy damage to
everything, doing STAB Physical attacks, coming from 358 attack. Golem is
generally prefered over Rhydon, because of Explosion, but Rhydon is a more
powerful alternative, and can survive some things that Golem can't. Rhydon is
also capable of taking out Chansey and Starmie in two Earthquakes, and is
somewhat better at finishing off damaged Pokemon, which Golem can't claim.
Still, Golem is used much more often than Rhydon, but that's not to say that
Rhydon is a bad Pokemon.
My recommended movesets for Rhydon
1 – Standard - Earthquake, Rock Slide, 2 of Body Slam/Substitute/Rest
The first two moves are essential, and the other two moves are optional.
Substitute is to give you a turn to attack anything, which is useful against
switch-ins. If you aren’t sure what they will select, Substitute lets you attack
after the switch, but it costs HP. Body Slam can work on switch-ins as well as a
chance to Paralyze, and do neutral damage on most opponents. Rest can be
difficult to pull off with Rhydon’s typing, but if you can stall on an Electric
or sometimes Fire, you’ll be able to recover. Surf is also a possiblity for
Golem, which does a little extra damage than Earthquake. Hyper Beam is another
choice for maximum Physical offense, but since Earthquake is STAB, it's only
stronger on Pokemon that have a resistance (or immunity) to Ground.
2 - Hybrid Sweeping - Earthquake, Rock Slide, 2 of Blizzard/Thunderbolt/Surf
You can have a type advantage all you want, but 188 Special isn't going to be
hurting anytyhing. Rock Slide and Earthquake are fine doing neutral plus STAB.
Relative Strength
Earthquake vs Chansey - 420-357 (60%-51%)
Earthquake vs Starmie - 171-145 (53%-45%)
Earthquake vs Alakazam - 242-206 (77%-66%)
Earthquake vs Tauros - 159-135 (45%-38%)
Rock Slide vs Zapdos - 258-219 (67%-57%)
Earthquake vs Golem - 258-219 (71%-60%)
Surf vs Golem - 296-252 (82%-69%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 224-191 (54%-46%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 265-225 (65%-54%)
Starmie's Blizzard - 323-275 (78%-67%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 385-327 (93%-79%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 259-220 (63%-53%)
Golem's Earthquake - 243-206 (59%-50%)
Raichu's Surf - 480-408 (116%-99%)
How to beat Rhydon
Rhydon isn’t tough to beat using Specialists, almost any of them can win (even
low Defense ones like Alakazam). If you use a Physical Pokemon or an Electric
one though, you’re in trouble. Fire types can get Burns and still do decent
damage since Rhydon only has 188 Special. If you use an Electric other than
Raichu, switch out. Water and Grass types are your best choices, and Exeggutor
is the best to switch to against Rhydon.
Why you should use Rhydon
-An excellent Ground and Rock Pokemon
-The stongest Ground and Rock attacker
-A Physical wall
-Switching in against exploders (and also Thunder Wavers)
*******
Chansey
*******
HP 703
ATK 108
DEF 108
SPD 198
SPE 308
CHC 9.7%
Type - Normal
Weaknesses - Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Chansey is a tank having the highest HP, which is colossal and having the
highest Special of all Normal types. Chansey’s Attack and Defense are the lowest
in the game (including lower forms) and has fairly low Speed. Chansey also has
the biggest movepool (besides Mew) in the game and learns tons of various
attacks such as Softboiled, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Fire Blast, Light screen,
Psychic, Seismic Toss, Thunder Wave, Minimize and lots more. In battle, Chansey
can stall any Specialist by having massive HP, high Special and the ability to
heal itself, and with its own Special attacks, you’ll be dealing damage back. It
takes 5 or 6 of Mewtwo’s Psychics to beat, so you only have to worry about
Physical Pokemon like Machamp, Golem, Tauros and Snorlax. Chansey is probably
the best at stalling Special attackers (not including Mewtwo) because of its HP
and Special and having that ability gets it far in battle. Even Starmie and
Alakazam have tons of trouble against Chansey. Chansey does have trouble with
Physical Normals though, because its Defense is very little. On Physical
Pokemon, you have to switch or attempt to fight back, but Chansey will get
bruised badly. Overall, Chansey’s ability to take Special attacks with ease
makes it a standard Pokemon that should be on your team. Specialists dominate
the RBY series, so having the one of the best Special walls is highly effective.
My recommended movesets for Chansey
1 – Standard - Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave/Reflect, Softboiled
The standard Chansey. Thunder Wave the opponents and then attack. It struggles
against the Physical sweepers, but everything else is fine. Chansey doesn’t
always beat Starmie or Alakazam, but is able to go into a stall war with them,
and Chansey usually wins stall wars, since it has high HP and STAB Struggle.
Reflect is a possible choice against Physical Pokemon, if your team already has
enough Paralyzers. With Reflect, Chansey can beat Tauros and Snorlax, provided
they don't get any Critical Hits. Softboiled is the staple move for Chansey,
healing over 350 HP per use.
2 – Special Sweeping - Thunderbolt, Psychic, Blizzard/Ice Beam, Counter
Special sweeping Chansey. Counter is for Tauros or Snorlax (and Fightings if you
see them). This isn’t as effective as the standard set, since it’s missing the
two important moves, Softboiled and Thunder Wave.
3 - Stalling - Reflect, Light Screen, Softboiled/Rest, Thunderbolt
Making Chansey even more of a tank can PP drain your opponents easily. This set
isn't great offensively, but can hang in for a long time. Minimize and Thunder
Wave can also be put into the set, if prefered.
Relative Strength
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 168-143 (52%-44%)
Ice Beam vs Tauros - 105-89 (30%-25%)
Ice Beam vs Alakazam - 68-58 (22%-19%)
Ice Beam vs Snorlax - 109-93 (21%-18%)
Ice Beam vs Golem - 240-204 (66%-56%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 138-117 (20%-17%)
Starmie's Blizzard - 99-84 (14%-12%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 298-254 (42%-36%)
Tauros' Hyper Beam - 524-446 (75%-63%)
Snorlax's Body Slam - 318-270 (45%-38%)
Snorlax's Hyper Beam - 559-476 (80%-68%)
Golem's Earthquake - 374-318 (53%-45%)
How to beat Chansey
Chansey is tough to beat, with its HP at 703 and Special at 308. Softboiled
makes things harder, healing 352 HP a turn and since it also can learn Thunder
Wave and pummel you with hard hitting Special attacks, Chansey is a dangerous
adversary. If you use a Specialist, even Alakazam or Starmie, the odds are
usually against you. With Rhydon or Machamp, you can beat Chansey in about 2
hits, but then it can just use Softboiled and attack back with high powered
Special moves. The best ways to beat Chansey is to take a chunk out of its
health and then use something with Explosion, or to use a Specialist with
Thunder Wave. One common way to beating Chansey is switching out your own
Chansey and trying to get a Freeze. This is common because Chansey stalls
another Chansey, and if you get your Chansey Paralyzed, you’ll either force a
switch or gets a chance to Freeze the opponent’s Chansey, without worrying about
your’s. This is one of the only Pokemon you want to intentionally get a Freeze,
so try to avoid Paralyzing Chansey. With your own Chansey, try to switch into a
Thunder Wave so you can try for a Freeze against the opponent's Chansey. Chansey
isn't very fast anyway, so being Paralyzed isn't a huge loss; infact, it means
your Chansey can't get Frozen, and Chansey's Speed is already pretty low to
begin with. The best counter overall would be Snorlax, but it won't beat Chansey
without losing some HP, and getting Paralyzed. Alakazam is another possible
counter if you can get enough Special falls with Psychic, but make sure you
don't Burn up all its PP.
Why you should use Chansey
-Special sweeping
-Spreading Paralysis
-One of the best Special walls (extremely useful in a game full of Special
Pokemon)
-Freezing (since Ice Beam is used frequently, Chansey Freezes a lot)
-One of the best stallers
*******
Tangela
*******
HP 333
ATK 208
DEF 328
SPD 218
SPE 298
CHC 11.7%
Type - Grass
Weaknesses - Fire, Ice, Poison, Bug, Flying
Resistances - Grass, Electric, Water, Ground
Tangela is a very defensive Grass type, having the highest Defense for Grass
types and high Special too. However, HP, Attack and Speed are all lacking, and
Tangela has a fairly small movepool. While it does get moves like Sleep Powder,
Stun Spore and Swords Dance, it has very few actual attacking moves. Tangela
is somewhat tricky to KO, by only having Ice attacks to worry about, as Fire is
uncommon, and Tangela is well protected against Physical attacks. Tangela can't
do much back though. Overall, Tangela is a decent Pokemon, but nothing amazing.
My recommended movesets for Tangela
1 – Standard - Stun Spore, Bind, 2 of
Mega Drain/Swords Dance/Hyper Beam/Sleep Powder
A Wrapping Tangela. It’s not very good, because Tangela is too slow, and has
low Attack and Bind is only 75% accurate. If it's setup properly, it can be
effective though, as Tangela is difficult to KO and has lots of moves to support
Bind.
2 – Non-Wrapping Standard - Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, Mega Drain/Swords Dance,
Body Slam/Growth
Sleep and Stun the opponent, and then attack. It’s unfortunate Tangela’s
defensive stats go to waste on a bad movepool. Growth increases Mega Drain's
power, but Swords Dance boosts quicker. If prefered, you could go without either
boosting move for extra type coverage.
3 - Hybrid Sweeping - Swords Dance, Mega Drain, 2 of Body Slam/Growth/Hyper Beam
Dropping the powders for Swords Dance and Growth isn't great. Tangela won't have
enough lasting power to use both and the attacking combination of Normal and
Grass isn't exactly stellar.
Relative Strength
Mega Drain vs Starmie - 106-90 (33%-28%)
Mega Drain vs Golem - 300-256 (83%-71%)
1x Swords Dance + Body Slam vs Chansey - 277-235 (39%-33%)
3x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Tauros - 366-311 (104%-88%)
5x Growth + Mega Drain vs Starmie - 343-292 (106%-90%)
Relative Defense
Moltres' Fire Blast - 359-305 (108%-92%)
Dodrio's Drill Peck - 201-171 (60%-51%)
Alakzam's Psychic - 143-121 (43%-36%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 168-143 (50%-43%)
How to beat Tangela
Tangela has good defensive stats, and mainly weak to Ice and Flying. Articuno,
Moltres and Jynx can take it down easily, and Chansey can stall Tangela. You
have to watch out for Stun Spore and depending on what kind of Tangela it is,
Sleep Powder and Bind as well. If you don't have a type advantage, use Special
attacks. If Wrapping is banned, let something take Stun Spore, and attack with
anything that isn't weak to Grass, since Tangela has no realistic offense.
Why you should use Tangela
-Sleep and Stunning
-Wrapping
-A great switch-in against Grounds
-A Physical wall
-Hybrid sweeper (although lacking in both, Tangela can pump up either Physical
or Special power)
**********
Kangaskhan
**********
HP 413
ATK 288
DEF 258
SPD 278
SPE 178
CHC 17.5%
Type - Normal
Weaknesses - Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Kangaskhan is a powerful Normal type, having good stats, especially HP. Special
is very low, but the other stats are at least average. When compared to Tauros,
Kangaskhan is very similar, being a Physical Normal Pokemon, and Tauros is much
better. The only things Kangaskhan has over Tauros is more HP, and Surf. Both
don't help though, as Tauros' defensive stats make up for the HP, and although
Blizzard isn't as effective against Golem and Rhydon, the extra Special makes
it only slightly weaker than Kangaskhan's Surf. So Tauros completely replaces
Kangaskhan, but Kangaskhan is great for UU. Kangaskhan is a good Pokemon, but
Tauros is better in all aspects.
My recommended movesets for Kangaskhan
1 - Standard - Body Slam, Earthquake, Hyper Beam, Surf
Physical sweep. It’s similar in attacks (and stats) as Tauros’ standard moveset,
but with Surf instead of Blizzard. However, with the lower Special, it still
can’t KO Golem and Rhydon. Counter is also useable if wanted, and Rock Slide is
a possibility, although the Normal moves are generally stronger due to STAB.
Relative Strength
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 292-248 (93%-79%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 507-431 (72%-61%)
Body Slam vs Tauros - 110-93 (31%-26%)
Earthquake vs Gengar - 225-192 (70%-59%)
Surf vs Golem - 281-239 (77%-66%)
Relative Defense
Hitmonlee's Hi Jump Kick - 286-243 (69%-59%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 126-107 (31%-26%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 237-202 (57%-49%)
How to beat Kangaskhan
Kangaskhan is a tough Pokemon, but its Special is very low. Use any kind of
Specialist and you’ll beat it in about 3 turns. It’s best if you’re faster
because Kangaskhan’s Normal moves hurt and if it uses Body Slam, you can also
get Paralyzed. Exeggutor is a great counter, as it doesn't have to worry about
Blizzard like Tauros, and Cloyster works well too.
Why you should use Kangaskhan
-Although a fairly good Pokemon, it is replaced by Tauros in just about every
way
******
Seadra
******
HP 313
ATK 228
DEF 288
SPD 268
SPE 288
CHC 16.6%
Type - Water
Weaknesses - Grass, Electric
Resistances - Water, Ice, Fire
Seadra has good defensive stats, but no HP to go with it. Speed is okay, and
Attack is below average. Seadra also lacks a movepool, having nothing great for
attacks. It's just an average Water Pokemon. Seadra can do some damage with 288
Special, but there are many more effective Water types. Seadra isn't great at
all, and has nothing going for it against the competition in the Water type.
My recommended movesets for Seadra
1 - Standard - Surf, Blizzard/Ice Beam 2 of
Agility/Smokescreen/Hyper Beam/Double-Edge
Your typical Water type. Surf, an Ice move and filler moves. Smokescreen may
help force switching, and Agility can be used for a Speed boost. Seadra doesn't
have anything else useful.
Relative Strength
Surf vs Tauros - 147-125 (42%-35%)
Surf vs Alakazam - 96-82 (31%-26%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 268-228 (38%-32%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 170-145 (43%-37%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 147-125 (47%-40%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 295-251 (94%-80%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 174-148 (56%-47%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 113-96 (36%-31%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 127-108 (41%-35%)
How to beat Seadra
Seadra is fairly defensive having 288 in both Special and Defense, but with its
HP at 313, it usually only takes 2-3 hits. If you have a type advantage, you can
KO it fast. You have to be careful though because Water attacks from 288 Special
are still powerful. If you use a Water type, you won’t take much damage at all.
It’s even better if it has Thunderbolt, like Gyarados, Lapras or Starmie.
Chansey and Alakazam also counter Seadra well.
Why you should use Seadra
-A somewhat defensive Water type, but easily replaced by other Water types
*******
Seaking
*******
HP 363
ATK 282
DEF 228
SPD 234
SPE 258
CHC 13.2%
Type - Water
Weaknesses - Electric, Grass
Resistances - Water, Ice, Fire
Seaking has above average HP and good Attack, but the rest of the stats are bad.
Attack also isn’t necessary for a Water type and Seaking can’t learn a good
variation of moves. It could be used for OHKOing though, only if they aren't
banned. Just like Seadra, there are many Water Pokemon, and Seaking can't
compete against them.
My recommended movesets for Seaking
1 - Standard - Surf, Agility, Horn Drill, Blizzard/Ice Beam
OHKO Seaking. It’s not terrible, but it’s pretty bad, and isn't always allowed
to be used. Agility helps though.
2 - Hybrid sweeping - Surf, Double-Edge/Agility, Hyper Beam, Blizzard/Ice Beam
Attempt to use the 282 attack. It just doesn't work well with only Normal moves
and poor Speed. Kingler is a much better Physical Water type.
3 - Unique moves - Waterfall, Peck, Supersonic, Horn Drill
Surf is better than Waterfall in every way, Ice moves can deal with Grass types
and Supersonic is too inaccurate. Horn Drill also requires Agility. Just because
these moves don't appear on other Water Pokemon, or other Pokemon at all (which
is Waterfall), doesn't make a Pokemon useful. Simply a novelty, but it has no
place in competitive battling.
Relative Strength
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 191-162 (61%-52%)
Surf vs Tauros - 132-112 (37%-32%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 153-130 (39%-33%)
Peck vs Exeggutor - 65-56 (17%-14%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 164-140 (45%-39%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 328-279 (90%-77%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 142-121 (39%-33%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 194-165 (53%-45%)
How to beat Seaking
Seaking isn’t strong. It has low Defense and average Special, so any attack will
do good damage. Seaking has high Attack, but can only be used for Normal moves.
Use an Electric or Grass type to beat Seaking quick. Waters can stall Seaking
really well too. If OHKO moves are allowed, make sure you're faster, which is
likely.
Why you should use Seaking
-A OHKO possibility
*******
Starmie
*******
HP 323
ATK 248
DEF 268
SPD 328
SPE 298
CHC 22.4%
Type - Water/Psychic
Weaknesses - Electric, Grass, Bug
Resistances - Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Psychic
Immunities - Ghost
There are 16 final forms that are Water, and Starmie is probably the best one of
them all. Starmie has great stats, with high Special, very high Speed, and above
average Defense. It also has a great movepool, including moves like Recover,
Thunder Wave, Psychic, Surf, Light screen, Thunderbolt and more. It stalls many
Pokemon, and sweeps effectively. The mix of Speed and Special, along with a
great moveset makes it one of the most diverse Special sweepers in the game, and
with its defensive stats and Recover (and Speed and Thunder Wave), Starmie is
also one of the best stallers. Being weak to Electric is the only major issue.
My recommended movesets for Starmie
1 - Standard - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Recover, Blizzard/Surf
Thunder Wave, and then attack. Blizzard is useful for Zapdos, Exeggutor and
other Flying or Grass Pokemon, while Surf takes out Golem and Rhydon in one
shot. Surf is Starmie's best attacking move, but isn't as effective as Blizzard.
If you want a late-game Special sweeping Starmie, you could drop Thunder Wave
and have both Blizzard and Surf. Light Screen and Reflect could also be used if
you want to sacrifice some offensive ability to stall better.
2 - Special sweeping - Psychic, Surf, Thunderbolt, Blizzard/Ice Beam
Pure Special sweeping carnage. This moveset hits everything, but this moveset is
lacking Recover and Thunder Wave. Psychic also isn't used very often, but at
least when it needs to be, it is STAB. The first moveset is better overall.
Relative Strength
Thunderbolt vs Lapras - 169-143 (37%-31%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 176-150 (45%-38%)
Blizzard vs Golem - 292-249 (80%-69%)
Blizzard vs Rhydon - 323-275 (78%-67%)
Blizzard vs Tauros - 128-109 (36%-31%)
Blizzard vs Zapdos - 177-150 (46%-39%)
Relative Defense
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 285-243 (88%-75%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 123-105 (38%-33%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 168-143 (52%-44%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 122-103 (38%-32%)
How to beat Starmie
Often, Starmie will be the toughest Water Pokemon to face (maybe Slowbro).
Starmie has high Special, very high Speed, good Defense and can learn 4 types
of Special moves, Thunder Wave and Recover. That’s a lot to deal with. Remember
though, the HP is low so Recover isn't as strong as many other healing Pokemon.
Chansey is one of the few Pokemon that can beat Starmie effectively, but
Alakazam can stall it out too. If the Starmie doesn't have Blizzard, Exeggutor
is also a great staller, especially ones with Mega Drain. Usually, Starmie will
have Blizzard and Thunderbolt, which is at least neutral to every Pokemon.
Another possible strategy is to drain out Blizzard and then beat Starmie using
Golem or Rhydon. Chansey is the best counter overall as it easily absorbs any
attack that Starmie will have, while being able to beat it in 2-3 turns.
Why you should use Starmie
-One of the best Special sweepers
-Spreading Paralysis
-A hybrid wall (above average in both)
-Stalling
-One of the best Water types
*******
Mr.Mime
*******
HP 283
ATK 188
DEF 228
SPD 278
SPE 298
CHC 17.5%
Type - Psychic
Weaknesses - Bug
Resistances - Psychic, Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Similar to Hypno, Mr.Mime is a lesser Alakazam, that also can't Recover. This
holds Mr.Mime back. The stats are decent, with Speed good and Special high, and
the movepool is interesting for a pure Psychic, including Thunderbolt, Barrier,
Light screen and various Fighting moves. Mr.Mime is a decent Pokemon, but there
are other Psychics, which are better. In fact, Mr.Mime is often considered the
worst final form Psychic, yet still being decent in battle. The HP (or lack of)
is what holds Mr.Mime nack the most.
My recommended movesets for Mr.Mime
1 - Standard - Psychic, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave,
Barrier/Seismic Toss/Light screen
Attack with Psychic or Thunderbolt and then protect yourself. Spreading
Paralysis helps, and Barrier can somewhat deal with Physical Pokemon. Seismic
Toss is great for other Specialists, especially Exeggutor.
Relative Strength
Psychic vs Gengar - 194-165 (60%-51%)
Psychic vs Tauros - 144-123 (41%-35%)
Thunderbolt vs Alakazam - 66-56 (21%-18%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 163-139 (50%-43%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 142-121 (50%-43%)
Golem's Earthquake - 178-152 (63%-54%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 84-71 (30%-25%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 71-60 (25%-21%)
How to beat Mr.Mime
Mr.Mime can’t take much. With its low HP and low Defense, any Physical Pokemon
can beat it fast. Specialists may have some trouble getting through 298 Special.
That also means that Mr.Mime’s Thunderbolt and Psychic will do good damage.
Attacking Mr.Mime with anything will do, just don’t let it get a chance to
protect itself, or Paralyze too many Pokemon. Exeggutor and Chansey are great
counters, and other Psychics can at least stall against Mr.Mime.
Why you should use Mr.Mime
-A pure Psychic that can learn Thunderbolt (otherwise use Alakazam or Hypno)
*******
Scyther
*******
HP 343
ATK 318
DEF 258
SPD 308
SPE 208
CHC 20.5%
Type - Bug/Flying
Weaknesses - Fire, Ice, Electric, ROCK, Poison, Flying
Resistances - GRASS, Bug, FIGHTING
Immunities - Ground
Scyther has nice stats, having great Speed and Attack, good Defense and HP, and
okay Special. Scyther has a terrible type though, being weak to 6 different
types. Scyther also doesn’t learn any STAB moves besides Wing attack, which
sucks. Scyther is at least a dangerous Slasher and the fastest Swords Dancer in
the game. After a Swords Dance though, Scyther can become a Physical sweeper
with 636 attack and 308 Speed too. Scyther can be good if the opponent isn’t
one of Scyther’s weaknesses, which is rare. Scyther has lots of trouble against
all of the Specialists with 208 Special, and the Physical Pokemon all hit hard
too, especially Golem and Rhydon. It's difficult to use Scyther effectively.
My recommended movesets for Scyther
1 - Standard - Swords Dance, Agility, Hyper Beam, Slash/Wing attack
Power up and unleash. Unfortunately, Wing attack is garbage and the Normal moves
are better. You only get STAB on Wing attack and Scyther needs to find time
to use Agility and Swords Dance, which is hard to do having 6 weaknesses. Slash
is there if you are unable to setup Scyther.
Relative Strength
1x Swords Dance + Wing Attack vs Exeggutor - 215-183 (55%-47%)
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 744-633 (106%-90%)
Slash vs Alakazam - 202-172 (65%-55%)
Slash vs Tauros - 133-113 (38%-32%)
Relative Defense
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 406-345 (118%-101%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 203-173 (59%-50%)
Golem's Rock Slide - 477-406 (139%-118%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 234-199 (68%-58%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 240-204 (70%-59%)
How to beat Scyther
Scyther is a tough Physical Pokemon, but you should be fine. Most of all of
Scyther’s moves won’t be effective or STAB so the multiplier is usually just 1X.
Scyther also has so many weaknesses, that you can probably get super effective
moves with most Pokemon. Just pick one of Fire, Ice, Electric, Flying and
especially Rock (also they’ll take minimal damage). Scyther is quick and has
good Attack, but it can’t take much damage and almost everything will get super
effective hits. Gengar, Golem and Rhydon are great counters, and any Specialist
can usually beat Scyther in 2 hits.
Why you should use Scyther
-The fastest Swords Dancer, but that doesn't make up for everything bad about
Scyther (type, Special, HP, movepool, etc)
****
Jynx
****
HP 333
ATK 198
DEF 168
SPD 288
SPE 288
CHC 18.5%
Type - Ice/Psychic
Weaknesses - Fire, Rock, Bug
Resistances - Ice, Psychic
Immunities - Ghost
Jynx is by far the weakest Pokemon that is standard. The two things keeping
Jynx in OU is its typing and the attack, Lovely Kiss. With 288 Speed, it's one
of the two main Sleep leads (the other being Gengar). With Jynx's type, its only
weaknesses are uncommon ones and the only Ice Pokemon that isn't weak to
Electric, which helps against Zapdos and Jolteon. Jynx, however has low Defense
and HP, low enough that Tauros and Snorlax may KO it in one Hyper Beam. This
can be dealt with, with Counter. Jynx also has few resistances, so most Pokemon
can hit it with something. These make Jynx easier to stall on too. Overall, Jynx
is a great lead Pokemon, and very popular in standard teams, but isn't as
effective later in the game. STAB Blizzard with 288 Special can help put holes
in most Pokemon though.
My recommended movesets for Jynx
1 - Standard - Lovely Kiss, Blizzard, 2 of Psychic/Body Slam/Mimic/Counter
Sleep the opponent and then attack. This is a great lead, which is why Body Slam
is there. Body Slam is for other Jynx’s or if you’re attempting a Sleep and
Stun combo. Counter works against Tauros and Snorlax, and Mimic is good for
Starmie if you can get Recover. Although Jynx still won't beat Starmie, you can
stall it out and drain PP, but don't count on it happening to often. Mimicking
Thunder Wave is also nice though, or Thunderbolt too. Psychic is a possiblity
against Gengar or for wider attacking power against Water and Ice types.
Relative Strength
Blizzard vs Zapdos - 256-218 (69%-57%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 256-218 (65%-55%)
Blizzard vs Tauros - 185-158 (52%-45%)
Blizzard vs Snorlax - 193-165 (37%-32%)
Blizzard vs Alakazam - 121-103 (39%-50%)
Blizzard vs Ninetales - 149-126 (43%-36%)
Psychic vs Gengar - 188-160 (58%-50%)
Body Slam vs Starmie - 54-46 (17%-14%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 192-164 (58%-49%)
Tauros' Hyper Beam - 338-287 (102%-86%)
Snorlax's Body Slam - 205-175 (62%-53%)
Snorlax's Hyper Beam - 360-306 (108%-92%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 169-144 (51%-43%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 87-74 (26%-22%)
Ninetales' Fire Blast - 318-271 (95%-81%)
How to beat Jynx
Jynx is usually a hassle at the beginning of the match. If you face it in the
middle or the end, Jynx isn’t as deadly. Pokemon that have Speed over 288 are
the best choices or else you’ll get Lovely Kissed. Since Jynx is usually a lead,
Gengar works, as it's faster, but not as accurate with Hypnosis. If not a lead,
Tauros and Snorlax can OHKO Jynx with Hyper Beam, but it isn't guaranteed, and
some Jynxs have Counter. Starmie is good at stalling it and so is Chansey. Using
Tauros and Snorlax against a Jynx without Counter is still risky as STAB
Blizzard from 288 Special hurts. Ninetales is a nice counter, and Slowbro can
setup against Jynx.
Why you should use Jynx
-One of the best Sleepers
-Special sweeping
**********
Electabuzz
**********
HP 333
ATK 264
DEF 212
SPD 308
SPE 268
CHC 20.5%
Type - Electric
Weaknesses - Ground
Resistances - Electric, Flying
Electabuzz is a below average Electric. It has good Speed, as most Electrics do,
but the rest of the stats are average or below, even Special. Electabuzz may
appeal to some people though, as it can learn Psychic, which is unique to
Electrics, but even then, Special is 268 which is average. The one thing it
does excel in, is UU matches, as it can hit most of the weaker Pokemon hard, and
hit Grounds with Psychic, while having 308 Speed to deal with Sleeper leads.
In standard, Electabuzz doesn't have much too offer.
My recommended movesets for Electabuzz
1 - Standard - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Psychic, Seismic Toss/Reflect
It’s like a bad Electric with Psychic. The moveset explains itself, and looks a
lot like Mr.Mime’s main set.
Relative Strength
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 221-188 (68%-58%)
Thunderbolt vs Tauros - 137-117 (39%-33%)
Psychic vs Gengar - 117-99 (36%-31%)
Psychic vs Golem - 99-84 (27%-23%)
Relative Defense
Golem's Earthquake - 384-326 (115%-98%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 153-130 (46%-39%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 240-204 (72%-61%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 158-135 (47%-41%)
How to beat Electabuzz
Electabuzz is no different than the other Electrics. Grounds are the best and
Normal’s with Earthquake like Tauros or Snorlax are good too. The only real
difference is Electabuzz is faster than some of the Electrics and it can
somewhat counter Grounds using Psychic, which does some damage; more than Normal
or Electric attacks anyway. Exeggutor, Chansey and Alakazam all counter it well.
Why you should use Electabuzz
-An Electric that learns Psychic
-Spreading Paralysis
-A somewhat Physically offensive Electric (contradictory)
******
Magmar
******
HP 333
ATK 288
DEF 212
SPD 284
SPE 268
CHC 18.1%
Type - Fire
Weaknesses - Rock, Ground, Water
Resistances - Fire, Bug, Grass
Much like Electabuzz, Magmar has bad stats, but pretty good Attack and Speed.
It’s also the only Fire type that learns Psychic, and also learns Confuse Ray,
which is good. Magmar compared to Arcanine and Moltres sucks. Same as
Electabuzz, don’t use Magmar unless you want a Fire type with Psychic. If you
want one with Confuse Ray, use Ninetales. The movepool is lacking and Magmar
doesn't have the stats to do much, not to mention Fire types aren't great in the
first place.
My recommended movesets for Magmar
1 - Standard - Confuse Ray, Body Slam, Fire Blast,
Hyper Beam/Seismic Toss/Psychic
Like Ninetales, but with Psychic for whatever reason. This moveset is about as
good as it gets for Magmar. It does have decent offensive stats, but nothing
outstanding. At least Ninetales is faster than Jynx and has more power.
Relative Strength
Fire Blast vs Exeggutor - 238-203 (61%-52%)
Fire Blast vs Tauros - 173-147 (49%-42%)
Psychic vs Gengar - 117-99 (36%-31%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 338-287 (48%-41%)
Relative Defense
Starmie's Surf - 272-231 (82%-69%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 150-128 (45%-38%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 236-200 (71%-60%)
Golem's Earthquake - 384-326 (115%-98%)
How to beat Magmar
Magmar isn’t good at countering its weaknesses. Grounds will destroy Magmar,
but you have to watch for getting Burned. Water types can beat Magmar easily and
take low damage from Psychic (even Poliwrath and Tentacruel). Use one of its
weaknesses. If you can’t, Magmar also has low Defense for Physical Pokemon to
strike. Starmie, Slowbro, Chansey and many others all effectively counter it.
The best overall is Omastar.
Why you should use Magmar
-A Fire confuser that isn’t Ninetales
-A Fire type that can learn Psychic
******
Pinsir
******
HP 333
ATK 348
DEF 298
SPD 268
SPE 208
CHC 16.6%
Type - Bug
Weaknesses - Fire, Rock, Poison, Flying
Resistances - Grass, Fighting, Ground
Pinsir is a prime example of what having low Special and no STAB moves can do to
you. Pinsir has excellent Attack, very high Defense, okay Speed and HP, and good
moves. Pinsir has no STAB moves though. Being pure Bug is very helpful for
Pinsir though, as its only main weakness is Fire, but they’re rare anyway.
Pinsir can do heavy hits with Normal moves, and can do tons after Swords Dance,
but it’s difficult to keep Pinsir long enough. Pinsir is a good Pokemon, but far
from being one of the best. Pinsir is very similar to Scyther, and after one
Swords Dance, the Attack will be 696, and Speed at a not too shabby 268. Still,
with no multipliers, besides Submission, Pinsir can’t KO much.
My recommended moveset for Pinsir
1 - Standard - Swords Dance, Body Slam, Submission, Hyper Beam
Pump up the Attack power and fire away. It probably won’t work, and Kingler at
least has a backup move. Pinsir has very few resistances, so setting up Pinsir
is very difficult. Seismic Toss is an option for Gengar.
2 - Non-Swords Dance - Slash, Seismic Toss, Body Slam, Submission
Battle like crazy with 348 attack, even though you will very rarely get any
multipliers. Pinsir really needs Swords Dance.
Relative Strength
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 814-692 (116%-98%)
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Tauros - 306-260 (87%-74%)
1x Swords Dance + Submission vs Tauros - 328-279 (93%-79%)
1X Swords Dance + Submission vs Rhydon - 280-238 (68%-58%)
Slash vs Alakazam - 221-188 (71%-60%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 203-173 (61%-52%)
Zapdos' Drill Peck - 194-165 (58%-50%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 110-93 (33%-28%)
Golem's Rock Slide - 207-176 (62%-53%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 255-217 (77%-65%)
Moltres' Fire Blast - 511-435 (153%-131%)
How to beat Pinsir
Pinsir is trouble for some Pokemon. Pinsir’s weaknesses aren’t common ones, and
if you don’t use Specialists, it’s hard to get past its 298 Defense. Pinsir can
also retaliate with super high Attack power that can even get higher with Swords
Dance, and Pinsir also has some Speed too. Fire types work the best, as you’ll
break through its HP and Special easily, and if you’re lucky you can get a Burn.
The best choice is Gengar though since Pinsir can only hit you with Seismic Toss
(set damage moves don’t apply types). Generally though, as long as you can get
offensive before it uses Swords Dance, Pinsir isn’t that terrible. Exeggutor and
Zapdos work well too.
My recommended use for Pinsir
-Physical sweeping when you can
-The strongest Slasher (except for Persian)
******
Tauros
******
HP 353
ATK 298
DEF 288
SPD 318
SPE 238
CHC 21.4%
Type - Normal
Weaknesses - Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Tauros is arguably the staple Pokemon. Tauros has very high Attack, Defense,
excellent Speed, above average HP and Special is good enough. Tauros dominates,
as most of all Pokemon take Normal attacks without resisting them, and Tauros,
only being weak to Fighting, has virtually no weaknesses. With very high Attack
and very reliable Speed, Tauros is the best Physical sweeper in the game and the
best Pokemon for finishing off low Defense Pokemon. Furthermore, 1 in every 5 of
Tauros’ attacks is going to be Critical, which adds the damage. Tauros is also
the fastest Pokemon that learns Horn Drill and the combo of Fissure and Horn
Drill, and since it has lasting power, it’s probably the best OHKOer (excluding
Mew and sometimes Dugtrio). The only real flaws are that it takes damage from
almost anything, especially Special attacks, and a Paralyzed Tauros loses a lot
of effectiveness. Tauros is one of the main Pokemon in competitve battling and
one of the few Pokemon that can effectively beat Specialists. The Speed in
combination with the Attack is what makes it all work.
My recommended movesets for Tauros
1 - Standard - Body Slam, Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Blizzard
The standard moveset for Tauros. Blizzard is for Grounds and the occasional
Dragonite. Body Slam is more useful against Exeggutor as it can Paralyze, but
Blizzard does more damage. If you're specifically expecting Kingler or Cloyster,
Thunderbolt beats both of them a turn faster than Body Slam, but the Paralysis
is one of the key reasons why Body Slam is used so often.
2 - OHKO - Horn Drill, Fissure, Earthquake, Body Slam
If you like to spin the roulette wheel, try this moveset instead. Tauros is
probably the most effective OHKO Pokemon, and still has Body Slam, not only to
Paralyze but also to do some damage. Earthquake is there too, mostly for Ghosts.
Relative Strength
Body Slam vs Alakazam - 172-147 (55%-47%)
Body Slam vs Chansey - 298-254 (42%-36%)
Body Slam vs Starmie - 122-103 (38%-32%)
Body Slam vs Cloyster - 72-61 (24%-20%)
Body Slam vs Articuno - 110-93 (29%-24%)
Body Slam vs Kingler - 100-85 (32%-27%)
Body Slam vs Exeggutor - 122-103 (31%-26%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 141-120 (36%-31%)
Earthquake vs Gengar - 233-198 (72%-61%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 178-151 (50%-43%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 224-190 (63%-54%)
Cloyster's Blizzard - 173-147 (49%-42%)
Kingler's Crabhammer - 194-165 (55%-47%)
Snorlax's Self-Destruct - 364-310 (103%-88%)
Golem's Earthquake - 142-120 (40%-34%)
How to beat Tauros
Tauros is tough and there’s no easy way to beat it. Fighting types are all
slower and Machamp’s Submission only does around 70% damage (plus you’ll take
recoil, it may miss and Tauros will get to attack before you). Most Specialists
work well since its Special is 238, but they also have low Defense and Tauros
does tons with STAB moves coming from 298 attack. Even exploders can’t take out
Tauros in one hit. Generally you’ll want to Paralyze it for starters and then
you’ll also want to be able to resist its tough Normal moves. Slowbro works
well with high Defense, Thunder Wave and its Special attacks. Cloyster works
nicely too. Fire types can also try to go for a Burn which will wreck Tauros.
Even If you try to counter Tauros with something that can actually beat Tauros
before your Pokemon, such as Articuno or Alakazam, you have to remember that
Tauros may Paralyze them with Body Slam, or get a Critical Hit. Tauros is one of
the hardest Pokemon to beat safely. Mainly, you'll have to accept Tauros will
hurt your Pokemon, which is why you should get one yourself. The closest thing
to a counter would be Articuno and Kingler, both beating Tauros in two hits and
surviving 3 Body Slams. Cloyster can do the same, but is a bit short of 2HKO, so
Explosion or Clamp (with Paralysis support) will do. Slowbro can also stall and
take down Tauros in one hit with enough Amnesia. Ultimately to counter Tauros,
you'll need something that resists Blizzard (Water or Ice) and high enough
Defense to survive Body Slams, while also having enough offensive power to KO
Tauros at least 2 turns before it can (since it's faster). Even with that, if
Tauros can get a Critical Hit somewhere in those 3 turns, or Paralyze your
Pokemon, or possibly uses Hyper Beam, your Pokemon will drop. The best method is
to start with Paralyzing Tauros.
Why you should use Tauros
-Usually the best Physical sweeper (very important against all the Specialists)
-One of the best OHKOers
-Spreading Paralysis (as you'll be using Body Slam frequently)
-A Physical wall, of sorts
********
Gyarados
********
HP 393
ATK 348
DEF 256
SPD 260
SPE 298
CHC 15.8%
Type - Water/Flying
Weaknesses - Rock, ELECTRIC
Resistances - Water, Fire, Fighting, Bug
Immunities - Ground
Gyarados has dominating stats. With excellent Attack, HP and very high Special,
Gyarados can attack with Physical and Special attacks. Defense and Speed are the
two lowest ones, but are still average. Gyarados has its Attack go to waste,
on only Normal attacks though. The main reason Gyarados isn’t as popular as it
could be is the 4X weakness to Electric, one of the most common types in the
game. Gyarados is still tough enough to take Electric attacks with its high HP
and Special, but it takes out a lot from Gyarados. Gyarados can actually survive
any non-STAB Thunderbolt (except Mewtwo's which also isn't guaranteed). At
attacking, it's similar to Starmie, but slower and having powerful Physical
moves. Starmie has a better type though, Thunder Wave, Recover and is faster.
Overall, Gyarados isn't terrible, but the Electric weakness holds it back. Even
if you can get past that, Gyarados has great defensive stats, but can't heal any
damage. The main use for Gyarados would be to switch to against Golem and
Rhydon, where they'll do no damage with Earthquake. Rock Slide is still an issue
though.
My recommended movesets for Gyarados
1 - Standard - Thunderbolt, Body Slam, 2 of Surf/Blizzard/Hyper Beam
Standard Gyarados. Attack with whatever you need. Don't underestimate Gyarados,
because its Special attacks are just as strong as Starmie's. Body Slam and Hyper
Beam add to Gyarados' offensive abilities.
Relative Strength
Surf vs Tauros - 152-130 (43%-37%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 176-150 (45%-38%)
Blizzard vs Golem - 292-249 (80%-69%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 165-140 (51%-43%)
Body Slam vs Chansey - 232-197 (33%-28%)
Body Slam vs Alakazam - 134-114 (43%-36%)
Relative Defense
Gengar's Thunderbolt - 391-333 (99%-85%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 571-486 (145%-124%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 143-121 (36%-31%)
How to beat Gyarados
Gyarados is tough stat wise and has an okay type too. Electrics work the best by
getting 6X damage, but with its 298 Special and 393 HP, if you’re not electric,
Gyarados won’t faint in one shot. That’s just how tough it is. On top of that,
Gyarados can pummel you with either Normal attacks or Special moves, so you’ll
take good damage too. If you don’t have an Electric, it could take out one or
more of your Pokemon. Gengar, Starmie and Lapras are the best counters, as well
as any Electric. Alakazam and Chansey could possibly stall if they're able to
last long enough from the Normal attacks.
Why you should use Gyarados
-Hybrid sweeping (decent at both)
-A great switch-in against Grounds, typewise (but may be hit by Rock Slide)
-A powerful Water type
******
Lapras
******
HP 463
ATK 268
DEF 258
SPD 218
SPE 288
CHC 11.7%
Type - Water/Ice
Weaknesses - Electric, Grass, Fighting, Rock
Resistances - Water, ICE
Lapras is a tough Water type. With super high HP (the highest for all Ice types
and tied with Vaporeon for Waters) and Special and good Defense too, Lapras can
take tons of damage before fainting. Lapras also has decent Attack, but doesn’t
usually matter, and Lapras has a huge movepool. Lapras works well as an
offensive Pokemon and as a defensive Pokemon. Lapras is also capable of healing
itself with Rest, if the opponent can't hit Lapras very hard. Lapras is a
standard Pokemon, but still competes with Starmie. Lapras may be more defensive
than Starmie, but Starmie has a much better healing move and much higher Speed.
Lapras can survive up to 4 of Tauros' Body Slams though, and is a better counter
against Physical Pokemon than Starmie. STAB Blizzard and Confuse Ray are the two
main things Lapras has over other Water Pokemon.
My recommended movesets for Lapras
1 - Standard - Confuse Ray, Blizzard, 2 of Body Slam/Rest/Thunderbolt
Confuse the opponent and then attack. If you think Lapras can live long enough,
throw in Rest. Blizzard is capable of taking out Golem and Rhydon in one hit, so
Surf isn't necessary. Thunderbolt is mainly for other Waters, and Body Slam is
for Paralysis and low Defense Pokemon. Confuse Ray is usually the reason why
Lapras can survive when using Rest, but keep in mind that if the opponent
switches, the confusion is gone.
2 - Special Sweeping - Surf, Blizzard/Ice Beam,
2 of Thunderbolt/Body Slam/Psychic
Sweeping Lapras. You're better off sweeping with other Pokemon, as Lapras is too
slow and while it does have good offensive stats, they could be higher. Starmie
is much better with this set.
Relative Strength
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 256-218 (65%-55%)
Blizzard vs Tauros - 185-158 (52%-48%)
Blizzard vs Rhydon - 469-399 (114%-97%)
Blizzard vs Zapdos - 256-218 (67%-57%)
Blizzard vs Alakazam - 121-103 (39%-33%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 158-134 (49%-41%)
Body Slam vs Chansey - 179-152 (25%-22%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 126-107 (27%-23%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 174-148 (38%-32%)
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 268-228 (58%-49%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 295-251 (64%-54%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 127-108 (27%-23%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 147-125 (32%-27%)
How to beat Lapras
Lapras is tough and will always take more than one hit. Rock and Fighting all
have too low Special so it’s best to beat Lapras with Electrics attacks. Zapdos
is the strongest, taking out Lapras in 2 Thunderbolts, but is weak to Ice, and
takes a lot of damage. Starmie is a decent counter, as it can Recover, as well
as with Chansey. Gengar is probably the best at taking the attacks, but still
takes 3 Thunderbolts to beat Lapras. You want to avoid stalling if possible
because Lapras has a lot of PP. The safest way to take out Lapras is using
Starmie and trying to get a Critical Hit with Thunderbolt. Confuse Ray can cause
problems, no matter what you use.
Why you should use Lapras
-Special sweeping (although slow)
-Hybrid wall (above average at both)
-Stalling with Rest
-Confusing
*****
Ditto
*****
HP 299
ATK 194
DEF 194
SPD 194
SPE 194
CHC 9.3%
Type - Normal
Weaknesses - Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Ditto isn’t good at all. First off, the stats are so low, you’ll faint or
nearly, by any type of attack. With Ditto, you have to take a hit, Transform and
then it’s fifty-fifty who goes first, and if it isn’t you, Ditto will often be
finished off. It could work on something that stalls itself out, such as Starmie
or Alakazam, but then PP is an issue, not to mention you will have to heal right
away. Transforming on Paralyzed Pokemon may work better, but remember that Ditto
then gets the stat drop. Transforming just isn't a good strategy.
The only moveset for Ditto
Transform, 3 blanks
Transform and then use their attacks. I strongly recommend this set.
Relative Strength
Starmie's Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 163-139 (50%-43%)
Tauros' Body Slam vs Tauros - 113-96 (32%-27%)
Relative Defense
Articuno's Blizzard - 274-233 (92%-78%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 218-185 (73%-62%)
Tauros' Hyper Beam - 293-249 (98%-83%)
How to beat Ditto
Ditto isn’t hard to beat. With 194 for both defensive stats and 299 for HP, any
attack will do heavy damage, if not KO it. Even if it does Transform, there’s a
50% chance you attack again and finish it off (probably). Even if it gets to
attack, you probably won’t take much damage unless you have a Gyarados with
Thunderbolt or Dragonite with Blizzard etc. Ditto is more of a first stage; it’s
like pummeling a Weedle. Remember not to use something that has a healing move
though, such as Alakazam, Starmie or Chansey, but avoid switching if possible,
or you won't get to attack while Ditto's stats are low. Chansey is acceptable,
because you'll have 404 more HP, and much more PP. The main problem with Ditto
is that to survive, it needs to Transform into something with a healing move,
but that means that you can stall out Ditto. Anything works well, but Starmie
and Tauros are the two Pokemon you don't want Ditto to Transform into (among
other lesser Pokemon).
Why you should use Ditto
-Transforming (since Mew is usually banned)
********
Vaporeon
********
HP 463
ATK 228
DEF 218
SPD 228
SPE 318
CHC 12.6%
Type - Water
Weaknesses - Electric, Grass
Resistances - Water, Ice, Fire
Vaporeon has excellent HP and Special, learns some nice moves and can take tons
of damage. Vaporeon is low on Defense, Attack and Speed, which drags it down.
Vaporeon is usually a good Water type though, dealing out decent damage from
Surf and Blizzard. It’s also the only Pokemon that learns both Mist and Haze,
although not useful, just a fact. Acid Armor is also a nice addition, to make up
for Vaporeon’s low Defense. Vaporeon is like a weaker Lapras, and Lapras already
competes against Starmie. Vaporeon isn't terrible, but not great, mainly due to
low Speed and low offensive power.
My recommended movesets for Vaporeon
1 - Standard - Surf, Body Slam, Blizzard/Ice Beam, Rest/Mimic/Acid Armor
Standard Vaporeon. Vaporeon can attack with Water and Ice, like every other
Water Pokemon, and Body Slam is for Paralysis. The fourth move can be any of a
few. Haze is a possiblity, and Focus Energy is a must if playing on Stadium.
2 - Stalling - Surf, Acid Armor, Rest, Ice Beam
Raise your Defense and then heal. With Acid Armor, Vaporeon is an even better
tank, having 318 Special, 463 HP and then at least 436 Defense. It’s tough to
KO. If you use this set, use Ice Beam instead of Blizzard, to avoid running out
of PP. There is no easy way to beat this Vaproeon and even Zapdos' Critical Hit
Thunderbolt isn't a guarantee KO (although very unlikely not to). The only
Pokemon you'll have issues with are stallers, especially Starmie. If preferred,
Body Slam could replace Ice Beam if you want to attempt to spread Paralysis.
Relative Strength
Surf vs Tauros - 162-138 (46%-39%)
Surf vs Chansey - 126-107 (18%-15%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 188-160 (48%-41%)
Blizzard vs Zapdos - 188-160 (49%-42%)
Relative Defense
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 158-134 (34%-29%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 267-228 (58%-49%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 149-127 (32%-27%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 116-98 (25%-21%)
Victreebel's Razor Leaf - 271-231 (59%-50%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 134-114 (29%-25%)
How to beat Vaporeon
Vaporeon has 463 HP and 318 Special, so even using Electrics with Thunderbolt,
it still may take 3 hits. If you aren’t using an Electric or Grass, you need to
use Physical moves, because neutral Special moves are garbage against Vaporeon.
Vaporeon has low Defense, but again, the HP covers for it. The best choices are
Razor Leafers, which KO Vaporeon in 2 hits or Electrics with high Special, or at
least other Pokemon that can stall it, like Chansey and Starmie. Overall,
stalling is the safest method, but if Vaporeon has Rest, you'll end up in a
stall war.
Why you should use Vaporeon
-Special sweeping (above average)
-Hybrid wall (with Acid Armor)
-Hazing
-Stalling (With Acid Armor)
*******
Jolteon
*******
HP 333
ATK 228
DEF 218
SPD 358
SPE 318
CHC 25.3%
Type - Electric
Weaknesses - Ground
Resistances - Electric, Flying
Jolteon is similar to Vaporeon, except the higher stat is in Speed, not HP.
Jolteon can’t take or deal any Physical attacks, but its Special is very high
and its Speed is the second best in the game (tied with others). Jolteon can be
beaten quickly by Grounds, so you have to watch out for those. If you can get
past them, Jolteon is a great sweeper late in the game. You have to make sure
Jolteon isn't hit or worse, Paralyzed, before it sweeps or it will be taken
down fast. Pin Missile is helpful, as it can deal with Grass types, especially
Exeggutor, but isn't a great attack. Double Kick can help somewhat on Rocks, but
most of them have Earthquake, which will OHKO Jolteon. Jolteon is a fairly good
Pokemon, but needs to be saved until later. The Critical Hit rate is an
essential part to its sweeping ability. Overall, Zapdos is more effective, but
Jolteon is a possible alternative. Jolteon's main points over Zapdos is 60 extra
Speed and taking neutral damage to Ice.
My recommended moveset for Jolteon
1 - Standard - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, 2 of Pin Missile/Double Kick/Body Slam
Stun the opponent and attack. Thunderbolt is the main move, Pin missile is for
Grass and some Psychics, and Double Kick is for Normal Specialists, like Chansey
and Clefable. Pin Missile may not be very useful though since it is heavily luck
based and it's not perfectly accurate. The Critical Hit rate does balance that
out though. Several Pokemon can take high damage from this unique set of
attacks, but if you want extra Paralyzing abilities, you can use Body Slam along
with Thunder Wave. When playing on Stadium, be absolutely sure to have Focus
Energy, since Jolteon is guaranteed Critical Hits after using it. STAB and
Critical Thunderbolts running from 318 Special will wipe out most of everything.
Relative Strength
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 261-222 (81%-69%)
Thunderbolt vs Tauros - 162-138 (46%-39%)
Thunderbolt vs Gengar - 109-93 (34%-29%)
5x Pin Missile vs Alakazam - 146-124 (47%-40%)
5x Pin Missile vs Exeggutor - 208-177 (53%-45%)
Double Kick vs Chansey - 216-184 (31%-26%)
Double Kick vs Golem - 68-58 (19%-16%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 149-127 (45%-38%)
Tauro's Earthquake - 233-198 (70%-59%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 134-114 (40%-34%)
Golem's Earthquake - 373-317 (112%-95%)
How to beat Jolteon
Jolteon is one of the tougher Electrics, but again, Grounds will solve your
problem. Grass Types have to take caution, even though Jolteon has low Attack,
Pin Missile will do 4X damage against most of the Grass types, like Exeggutor.
Jolteon does have high Special and Speed, and is very capable of sweeping.
Gengar can stall and Chansey is relatively safe. Paralyzing Jolteon helps a lot
since Jolteon works mostly due to its Speed. Overall, like most Electrics,
Rhydon and Golem are the best counters. Although Jolteon has Double Kick, it's
not nearly as effective as Raichu's Surf.
Why you should use Jolteon
-Special sweeping (limited, but works well with the massive Speed)
-An Electric that can counter Grass types, but not as well as Zapdos
-Spreading Paralysis
-The best pure Electric (if prefered over Raichu)
*******
Flareon
*******
HP 333
ATK 358
DEF 218
SPD 228
SPE 318
CHC 12.6%
Type - Fire
Weaknesses - Water, Ground, Rock
Resistances - Fire, Grass, Bug
Flareon is an offensive Pokemon, being the only Pokemon to have over 300 in both
offensive stats (excluding Mewtwo). Flareon also has the highest Attack for all
Fire types. Unfortunately, Flareon can’t use the stats to the max, as it can
only learn Smog, Fire attacks and Normal attacks. Against Grounds, especially
Ground/Rocks, Flareon is going to get finished quickly, having low Defense and
HP. You could counter them though, if you’re lucky to get a Burn. Flareon is
best as an offensive Pokemon, though with Fire moves pretty powerful, the 358
Attack is only good for Normal moves and Smog. Like every other Fire type, Fires
are not effective in battling. Flareon isn't very good.
My recommended movesets for Flareon
1 - Standard - Body Slam, Hyper Beam, Reflect, Fire Blast
Attack with either Fire or Normal moves. You’ll be doing good damage (based on
stats), but you won’t be doing excellent damage, since most Pokemon only take
neutral to Fire. This is also easily stalled by many Pokemon, and only effective
against a few as well. Other possible options include Mimic, Sand-Attack and of
course, Focus Energy when playing on Pokemon Stadium.
Relative Strength
Fire Blast vs Exeggutor - 282-240 (72%-61%)
Fire Blast vs Jynx - 339-289 (102%-87%)
Fire Blast vs Tauros - 205-174 (62%-52%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 419-357 (60%-51%)
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 241-205 (72%-62%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 149-127 (45%-38%)
Tauro's Earthquake - 233-198 (70%-59%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 134-114 (40%-34%)
Golem's Earthquake - 373-317 (112%-95%)
Starmie's Surf - 230-196 (69%-59%)
How to beat Flareon
Flareon quickly falls to Grounds, but with its 318 Special, Water types aren’t
fast at taking out Flareon. Golem and Rhydon work well, but risk getting Burned.
Omastar and Kabutops are the best counters, while the best standards against
Flareon are Tauros, Snorlax, Golem and Rhydon. Starmie can also stall, and also
counter if your Starmie has Surf. Be cautious if you use Alakazam or Chansey
since Flareon has 358 Attack.
Why you should use Flareon
-Hybrid sweeping (limited at both)
*******
Porygon
*******
HP 333
ATK 218
DEF 238
SPD 178
SPE 248
CHC 7.8%
Type - Normal
Weaknesses - Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Porygon has lousy stats. Porygon can’t do very much, but is more of a technical
Pokemon. Conversion is somewhat helpful, as the opponent will use moves that
isn’t effective against itself. Sharpen also is a low stat boosting move, but
even with it, you can get Porygon’s attack to 327, which makes Normal moves
dangerous. It also learns Agility, Recover, Thunderbolt, Psychic, Ice Beam and
Thunder Wave. Porygon gets beaten easily and isn’t very strong, but if you use
it carefully, it can sweep. Generally though, Porygon is a terrible Pokemon.
My recommend movesets for Porygon
1 - Standard - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Recover, Blizzard/Ice Beam
It’s like Chansey, but worse. Paralyze the opponent and attack. Agility can be
thrown in too if you want to actually try to sweep.
2 - Physical attacker - Recover, Sharpen, Agility/Thunder Wave, Hyper Beam
With Sharpen, Porygon gets high attack, and STAB Hyper Beam does really good
damage. Unfortunately, it's hard to setup and limited to one move.
Relative Strength
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 147-125 (37%-32%)
Blizzard vs Golem - 244-207 (67%-57%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 136-116 (42%-36%)
1x Sharpen + Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 331-282 (106%-90%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 171-145 (51%-44%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 101-86 (30%-26%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 137-116 (41%-35%)
Golem's Earthquake - 171-145 (51%-44%)
How to beat Porygon
Judging by the stats, Porygon’s 248 Special is its best stat, which is bad.
Attack Porygon with whatever you have, but if you’re using STAB moves, there’s a
chance Porygon will Convert to a type that is resistant. Porygon can also
Paralyze and Recover, so it may be tricky to take down. Gengar is the best
counter to a Physical Porygon, and Chansey and Alakazam are the best counters to
a Special Porygon.
Why you should use Porygon
-Technical strategies (although, usually ineffective)
-Hybrid sweeping (average at both)
-Spreading Paralysis
-Wasting money and coins (and time)
*******
Omastar
*******
HP 343
ATK 218
DEF 348
SPD 208
SPE 328
CHC 10.7%
Type - Water/Rock
Weaknesses - Electric, GRASS, Fighting, Ground
Resistances - FIRE, Ice, Normal, Flying, Poison
Omastar has very high defensive stats, also being the only Pokemon that has over
300 in both of them. The HP is fine too, which is necessary, but Attack and
Speed are poor. Omastar can hit hard with Water and Ice moves, but it can’t do
much else. Omastar should be a tank, but with the weaknesses to Electric, Ground
and especially Grass, it messes Omastar up. Against Fires, Omastar dominates.
Use Omastar offensively and look at it’s defensive stats as an extra treat.
Omastar is also good at stalling certain Pokemon, like Normal and Fire types, as
they can’t do much of anything to Omastar. Overall, Omastar lacks offense, and
its Defenses aren't as useful because of all the weaknesses. Omastar is a great
counter to many Pokemon though, but not against many standards. A UU staller,
but lacking a healing move.
My recommended movesets for Omastar
1 - Standard - Surf, Blizzard/Ice Beam, Seismic Toss, Mimic/Body Slam/Rest
Omastar has well over 300 in defensive both stats, so Rest can work against Fire
and some Normal Pokemon. Generally, you'll want to just sweep with Special
attacks, and use Seismic Toss on Waters. Hydro Pump, while somewhat inaccurate,
is able to KO Tauros in 2 hits guaranteed, making is a possible choice.
Relative Strength
Surf vs Tauros - 167-142 (47%-40%)
Hydro Pump vs Tauros - 211-179 (60%-51%)
Surf vs Alakazam - 109-93 (35%-30%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 194-165 (49%-42%)
Blizzard vs Zapdos - 194-165 (51%-43%)
Relative Defense
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 259-221 (76%-64%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 153-130 (45%-38%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 265-225 (77%-66%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 147-125 (43%-36%)
Exeggutor's Mega Drain - 225-192 (66%-56%)
Victreebel's Razor Leaf - 527-449 (154%-131%)
How to beat Omastar
Omastar is one of the most defensive Pokemon in the game. It will often take 2
Electric STAB attacks to KO Omastar, which means that anything else will take
longer to beat it. Fortunately, Omastar gets beaten badly by Grass moves, even
enough to pierce through that mighty 328 Special. Besides Grasses and Electrics,
Omastar is difficult to beat safely. Omastar is Fire types and Physical Normal
types best counter (minding any with Earthquake). Chansey, Starmie and Lapras
can stall effectively, and hit Omastar with Thunderbolt. Victreebel and Venusaur
with Razor Leaf can beat Omastar in one hit, making them the best counters.
Why you should use Omastar
-A powerful Water type
-A hybrid wall (which, with Omastar's type, counters a large amount of Pokemon)
********
Kabutops
********
HP 323
ATK 328
DEF 308
SPD 258
SPE 238
CHC 15.6%
Type - Water/Rock
Weaknesses - GRASS, Electric, Ground, Fighting
Resistances - FIRE, Poison, Normal, Flying, Ice
Kabutops is good at using Physical attacks with a nice 328 Attack. It’s also
fairly fast for a Rock, good Defense, but it has bad HP and Special. With low
Special, Kabutops is going to get destroyed by Electric attacks and even Psychic
attacks. Kabutops also can’t use its Attack very well, without Rock Slide.
Slash is nice though, but Persian can do it better. Swords Dance also helps too,
but only for Normal attacks. Coming from 328 Attack isn't bad, but there are
still stronger Swords Dancers, like Kingler. Kabutops is actually fast though,
so it can be a potential sweeper. It's average overall, but can setup on a few
standards, and sweep them with lots of Paralysis support. Kingler is a better
Pokemon overall though.
My recommended movesets for Kabutops
1 - Standard - Surf, Swords Dance, 2 of Hyper Beam/Body Slam/Slash
As soon as you can, use Swords Dance and attack with Normal moves. Surf is for
Grounds, Rocks and Gengar. Hyper Beam and Body Slam coming from 656 Attack is
powerful, and can take out many low Defense Pokemon. Ice attacks aren't strong
enough from only 238 Special. Kabutops is basically like a modified Kingler.
Relative Strength
Surf vs Tauros - 122-104 (35%-29%)
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 441-375 (141%-120%)
1x Swords Dance + Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 767-652 (109%-93%)
Relative Strength
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 356-302 (110%-93%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 210-179 (65%-55%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 178-151 (55%-47%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 298-254 (92%-79%)
Tauros' Earthquake - 166-141 (51%-44%)
How to beat Kabutops
Kabutops isn't tough, unless you allow it to use Swords Dance. Gengar is the
best counter, but Starmie, Electrics and Grass types work too, at the cost of
some HP. If you can, attack Kabutops before it sets up. If it already has, take
it down with Special attacks, but be careful of the boosted Normal moves. Like
Omastar, Victreebel and Venusaur can take out Kabutops in one hit with Razor
Leaf, but Victreebel is slower and Venusaur is Speed tied with Kabutops, so it's
risky.
Why you should use Kabutops
-Physical sweeping (although limited to Normal moves, Swords Dance helps)
**********
Aerodactyl
**********
HP 363
ATK 308
DEF 228
SPD 358
SPE 218
CHC 25.3%
Type - Rock/Flying
Weaknesses - Water, Electric, Ice, Rock
Resistances - Normal, Fire, Bug, Poison, Flying
Immunities - Ground
Aerodactyl has good stats in every category, except for Special and Defense.
With 358 Speed, Aerodactyl has the highest Speed for Rock and Flying types.
Being Rock and Flying, it’s the only Pokemon that can take Normal and Ground
moves, which gives Physical Pokemon some trouble. Aerodactyl isn’t very good
though, because of its bad typing and its bad movepool. Being Rock and Flying,
it resists mostly Physical types, but very open to Special attacks, which
Aerodactyl can't take much of. Aerodactyl would still be able to pull through,
but Aerodactyl has no real attacks at all. Aerodactyl doesn't learn Rock Slide,
Drill Peck, and the Normal moves it learns aren't good either. A terrible
movepool holds Aerodactyl back, and the defensive stats could be much better.
My recommended movesets for Aerodactyl
1 - Standard - Hyper Beam, Fire Blast, 2 of Wing attack/Fly/Mimic/Double-Edge
A collection of some random moves. Fire Blast is good but not on a non-Fire
Pokemon with 218 Special. Aerodactyl’s type resistances are the only advantage
you will have. Hyper Beam coming from 308 Attack isn't bad, especially with a
Critical Hit rate of over 25%, but Aerodactyl can't rely on one attack.
Relative Strength
Fire Blast vs Exeggutor - 130-110 (33%-28%)
Wing Attack vs Exeggutor - 107-91 (27%-23%)
Fly vs Exeggutor - 208-177 (53%-45%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 361-307 (51%-44%)
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 215-183 (69%-58%)
Relative Defense
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 388-330 (107%-91%)
Starmie's Surf - 333-283 (92%-78%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 229-195 (63%-54%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 194-165 (53%-45%)
Snorlax's Body Slam - 76-64 (21%-18%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 224-190 (62%-52%)
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 302-257 (83%-71%)
How to beat Aerodactyl
Aerodactyl has an annoying type. Pokemon like Snorlax and Dodrio get stalled on
it, as well as some Fire types. Most of everything else beats Aerodactyl easily
though. Defensive Water types work well, Gengar takes little to no damage and
Golem and Rhydon can resist everything. Aerodactyl doesn't take much to KO with
either.
Why you should use Aerodactyl
-Extremely fast Pokemon (although not useful when everything else sucks)
-Resisting a unique set of types (but at the expense of terrible weaknesses)
*******
Snorlax
*******
HP 523
ATK 318
DEF 228
SPD 158
SPE 228
CHC 5.8%
Type - Normal
Weaknesses - Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Snorlax is a very popular Pokemon and is definitely standard. Tied at 318 for
highest Attack for Normal types, tons of HP and a huge movepool, Snorlax is
dangerous. Snorlax has poor defensive stats and bad Speed though, but the HP
makes up for that. Snorlax is a common Physical sweeper, despite the low Speed.
With STAB Normal attacks coming from 318 Attack, not very much can KO Snorlax
while taking low damage. Snorlax can also be a Special wall and Special sweeper
with Amnesia, giving it more offensive power and some unpredictability. On top
of all that, the HP is high enough that Snorlax is essentially a tank, taking at
least 3 hits to KO from the game's strongest attacks. Snorlax is a great
Pokemon, but due to Speed, Tauros is still used more often, as it gets Critical
Hits much more often. Snorlax is stronger though and has Self-destruct. Dodrio
has the same Attack power, but Snorlax can last much longer in battle. Snorlax
is an excellent Pokemon.
My recommended movesets for Snorlax
1 - Standard - Body Slam, Self-Destruct, 2 of Hyper Beam/Earthquake/Surf
Attack with Body Slam and the other two moves, and then explode. Since
Self-Destruct is STAB, it is the most powerful Physical attack in the game, able
to KO almost anything not Rock or Ghost. Earthquake is mainly for Gengar, and
Surf is for Golem and Rhydon. Bubblebeam is also an option over Surf, since it
still beats Golem and Rhydon in 2 turns like Surf, but may lower Speed.
2 - Specialist - Amnesia, Rest, 2 of Ice Beam/Reflect/Body Slam/Thunderbolt
Amnesia and then Rest. Afterwards, attack and Rest some more. It does huge
damage with Special moves, and Body Slam is for Specialists. Reflect is to cover
Physical attacks to stall even more, but then lacks offense. This Snorlax is
difficult to KO, but tricky to setup.
Relative Strength
Hyper Beam vs Alakazam - 322-274 (103%-86%)
Body Slam vs Alakazam - 184-156 (59%-50%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 559-476 (80%-68%)
Body Slam vs Chansey - 318-270 (45%-38%)
Self-Destruct vs Mewtwo - 377-321 (91%-77%)
Body Slam vs Tauros - 121-103 (34%-29%)
Earthquake vs Gengar - 249-211 (77%-65%)
Surf vs Golem - 357-304 (98%-84%)
Bubblebeam vs Golem - 247-210 (68%-58%)
Relative Defense
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 185-158 (35%-30%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 233-198 (45%-38%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 200-170 (38%-33%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 186-158 (36%-30%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 142-121 (27%-23%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 109-93 (21%-18%)
How to beat Snorlax
Snorlax is tough to beat. While you’ll take big hits from its Attack, you also
have to deal with the amount of attacks it takes to KO it. Snorlax is slow
though, so Critical Hits are rare, and you can also strike first. Gengar works
on Snorlax without Earthquake, and Cloyster well at taking its attacks. Tauros
usually will beat Snorlax, at the price of most of its own HP. There is no real
safe way to beat Snorlax, and on top, it can explode, taking out almost any
Pokemon. Switch to Gengar or a Rock if you predict it's going to explode.
Why you should use Snorlax
-Having the most powerful attack in the game (STAB Self-Destruct)
-Exploding
-A hybrid wall (mostly due to HP and Amnesia)
-Hybrid sweeping (Amnesia is required for Special sweeping)
-An excellent Normal type
-A Tauros alternative (both are good in their own ways)
********
Articuno
********
HP 383
ATK 268
DEF 298
SPD 268
SPE 348
CHC 16.6%
Type - Ice/Flying
Weaknesses - ROCK, Fire, Electric
Resistances - Grass, Bug
Immunities - Ground
Articuno obviously has great stats, being a legendary bird. HP, Special and
Defense are very high, and Attack and Speed are still above average. This helps
make Articuno a tank. Articuno has nasty Ice moves that hit hard on almost
anything. The only thing that Articuno is bad with is that it has a low
movepool, and is easily stalled by Water and Ice Pokemon. Articuno also lacks a
good recovery move. Articuno can counter lots of Pokemon that are usually tricky
to, such as Snorlax, Exeggutor and Tauros. This is mostly because Blizzard is
better than Fire Blast and Thunder, letting Articuno do great damage, while
still actually hitting. Overall, Articuno is pretty good, but you have to take
out Water and Ice types in the same fashion as taking out Grounds so you can
use an Electric type.
My recommended movesets for Articuno
1 - Standard - Blizzard, Agility, 2 of Ice Beam/Reflect/Hyper Beam/Mimic/Rest
Articuno is dangerous, but it has no moves. Blizzard is the main move, and
Agility helps Speed up Articuno. The last 2 moves aren't completely important,
but help support Articuno. Doubling up on the Ice moves may be a choice, since
Articuno lacks many other effective attacks. Flying moves aren't recommended.
Relative Strength
Blizzard vs Tauros - 224-190 (63%-54%)
Blizzard vs Snorlax - 233-198 (45%-38%)
Blizzard vs Alakazam - 145-124 (46%-40%)
Blizzard vs Chansey - 173-147 (25%-21%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 308-262 (78%-67%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 314-267 (45%-38%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 110-93 (29%-24%)
Snorlax's Body Slam - 117-99 (31%-26%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 122-104 (32%-27%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 145-123 (38%-32%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 245-208 (64%-54%)
Golem's Rock Slide - 415-353 (108%-92%)
How to beat Articuno
Articuno is tricky, as it beats many standards. The easiest way to beat Articuno
is to use a Water Pokemon such as Starmie or Lapras and stall it out. Chansey
works too. Generally, you'll want to beat Articuno defensively, because 348
Special and STAB Blizzard hits hard on anything that can't resist it well. Try
not to take too long though because while doing heavy damage, Articuno may get a
Freeze on one of your stallers. Lapras is probably the safest counter since it's
immune to being Frozen and can attack back with Thunderbolt and Confuse Ray. It
also only takes one quarter of the regular damage from Ice attacks. Avoid using
Physical Pokemon like Snorlax and Tauros since they actually have difficulty
taking down Articuno.
Why you should use Articuno
-The most offensive Ice type (but of the 5, has the most useless second type)
-A hybrid wall (decent at both)
-Special sweeping (excellent with a 120 base power move (Blizzard) and a chance
to Freeze with each attack, although limited to Ice attacks)
-Freezing (along with Chansey, you're bound to Freeze often)
******
Zapdos
******
HP 383
ATK 278
DEF 268
SPD 298
SPE 348
CHC 19.5%
Type - Electric/Flying
Weaknesses - Rock, Ice
Resistances - Grass, Bug, Flying, Fighting
Immunities - Ground
Zapdos is usually the best bird of the three, having Drill Peck and the best
type. Zapdos has very high HP, Speed and Special, with Attack and Defense above
average. Zapdos works well at having the strongest Electric attacks, and being
able to hit other types hard with Drill Peck. This makes Zapdos a possible
sweeper, but like many Electrics, it requires Ground types to be KO'd first.
However, pure Grounds like Sandslash or Dugtrio may not have Rock Slide, so
Zapdos only has to worry about Golem and Rhydon. Being Flying, Zapdos still has
to worry about Ice attacks as well, but has nice Special to cover those for
awhile. Zapdos is one of the best Pokemon, but needs Golem, Rhydon and Ice
Pokemon taken out first.
My recommend movesets for Zapdos
1 - Standard - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Drill Peck,
Light screen/Reflect/Agility/Rest/Mimic
Thunder Wave any opponents you need to, and attack with Thunderbolt or Drill
Peck. Zapdos is one of the few effective hybrid sweepers, taking out both low
Special and low Defense Pokemon. Pure Electrics like Jolteon or Raichu may cause
some trouble though. Thunder is a possible move since it can KO Slowbro and
Starmie in one hit, but due to accuracy and minimum damage, Thunderbolt will
generally KO faster. The fourth move is entirely optional, as either one works,
as long as you know how to use it properly.
Relative Strength
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 285-243 (88%-75%)
Thunderbolt vs Tauros - 178-151 (50%-43%)
Drill Peck vs Exeggutor - 215-183 (55%-47%)
Drill Peck vs Chansey - 262-223 (37%-32%)
Drill Peck vs Alakazam - 152-129 (49%-41%)
Drill Peck vs Jynx - 169-144 (51%-43%)
Relative Defense
Alakazam's Psychic - 122-104 (32%-27%)
Jynx's Blizzard - 256-218 (67%-57%)
Starmie's Blizzard - 176-150 (46%-39%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 141-120 (37%-31%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 145-123 (38%-32%)
How to beat Zapdos
Zapdos is often the best Electric, but Zapdos is just the same. As always,
Grounds are your best choice, but they need Rock Slide, so mainly Golem and
Rhydon. If you have a pure Electric of your own, they can stall Zapdos a bit,
while dealing neutral Thunderbolts. Chansey and Alakazam can also work by
stalling, but are in risk of being Paralyzed and hit by Drill Peck. Jynx can
also hit Zapdos hard with Blizzard, being the only Ice Pokemon that isn't weak
to Electric attacks.
Why you should use Zapdos
-Arguably the best Electric type
-Spreading Paralysis
-A Special wall (running off of the 348 Special)
-Hybrid sweeping (limited at both, but covers a wide range of types)
-An Electric immune to Ground types (useful, but not against Golem and Rhydon)
*******
Moltres
*******
HP 383
ATK 298
DEF 278
SPD 278
SPE 348
CHC 17.5%
Type - Fire/Flying
Weaknesses - ROCK, Water, Electric, Ice
Resistances - Fire, GRASS, BUG, Fighting
Immunities - Ground
Moltres is statistically the best bird, but generally the worst of the 3 because
of the bad movepool. Moltres is also Fire, which means it has limited
effectiveness, and more weaknesses. It can still hit most Pokemon hard with huge
Fire Blasts coming from 348 Special. Moltres can actually take on tough Physical
Pokemon, because most have to worry about being Burned. Tauros gets KO'd in 2
Fire Blasts, and if the first one is a Burn, Tauros loses almost all of its
usefulness. Likewise, Golem and Rhydon can lose a large portion of their HP if
they switch into Moltres, and might get Burned, which cripples them both.
Remember though that Moltres can't do much else, and Fire Blast is still only
85% accurate, but still makes Moltres one of the only good Fire types. In
standard matches, Moltres can suprise Physical Pokemon, but still has trouble
with Specialists. It's probably the only Fire type worth using.
My recommended movesets for Moltres
1 - Standard - Fire Blast, Agility, Hyper Beam, Fire Spin/Reflect
Scorch your opponents and that’s about it. Agility can increase Moltres' Speed
and Hyper Beam has potential against some low Defense Pokemon. Fire Spin is
very effective in Wrapping, despite the 70% accuracy. If Wrapping is banned, use
Reflect.
Relative Strength
Fire Blast vs Tauros - 224-190 (63%-54%)
Fire Blast vs Snorlax - 233-198 (45%-38%)
Fire Blast vs Chansey - 173-147 (25%-21%)
Fire Blast vs Exeggutor - 308-262 (78%-67%)
Fire Blast vs Jynx - 371-316 (111%-95%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 349-297 (50%-42%)
Relative Defense
Tauros' Body Slam - 117-100 (31%-26%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 141-120 (37%-31%)
Chansey's Thunderbolt - 145-123 (38%-32%)
Zapdos' Thunderbolt - 245-208 (64%-54%)
Golem's Rock Slide - 444-378 (116%-99%)
Starmie's Surf - 211-179 (55%-47%)
How to beat Moltres
Golem and Rhydon can both take out Moltres in one shot, but both risk getting a
Burn. Moltres is best taken out by Waters, but it may take a few turns. Starmie
and Omastar are great counters, being able to take Moltres' Fire Blasts and
endure Fire Spin. If Moltres uses Agility and starts using Fire Spin, try to get
a Water type out and wait until it misses. Moltres isn't too tough overall, but
is risky to attack with many Physical Pokemon. If you're lucky, Moltres will
Burn one of your Specialists, which will keep them from being Paralyzed. Chansey
and Alakazam are good counters, as long as you keep their HP high enough from
being Hyper Beamed. If you can drain out Fire Blast's PP with them, then Moltres
becomes nearly useless.
Why you should use Moltres
-The most powerful Fire type (but not necessarily the best)
-A Special wall
-A Wrapper
-Burning (can be useful)
*********
Dragonite
*********
HP 385
ATK 366
DEF 288
SPD 258
SPE 298
CHC 15.6%
Type - Dragon/Flying
Weaknesses - Rock, ICE
Resistances - Fire, Water, GRASS, Fighting, Bug
Immunities - Ground
Dragonite is the only final form Dragon in the game. Being Dragon/Flying, that
specialty is somewhat less useful. Dragonite is tied in second with Mew for
highest stats in the game, and has the highest Attack in the game. Dragonite
also has a huge movepool, including attacks like Thunder Wave, Agility, Wrap,
Surf, Blizzard, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, Body Slam, and many more. Dragonite has
a few problems though. The main one is that Dragonite doesn't get any STAB
moves, as Dragon Rage is a set-damage move, and learns no Flying attacks. It
also doesn't get anything besides Normal attacks to use the 366 attack on. And
the reason why Dragonite can be easily KO'd in standard matches is that it has
a 4X weakness to Ice attacks, which are very abundant. Because of these,
Dragonite isn't used very often, but can be a powerful Wrapper, and a decent
Special sweeper. It can be an effective switch-in against Golem and Rhydon since
Earthquake can't hit Dragonite. Dragonite is pretty good and considered an OU
Pokemon, but there are better standards. If Wrapping moves are allowed though,
Dragonite is one of the best Pokemon, simply due to the broken technique of
Agility with Wrap, but otherwise, Dragonite is just a modified Gyarados.
My recommended movesets for Dragonite
1 - Standard - Wrap, Agility, 2 of Hyper Beam/Blizzard/Thunder Wave/Surf
Wrapping Dragonite. Dragonite has 366 attack for Wrap, Agility, and can finish
off many weak Pokemon well. Dragonite is also the only Wrapper with Thunder
wave, which could spread Paralysis if wanted. Hopefully while spreading, the
opponent doesn't switch to an Ice Pokemon. If you're lucky enough though, you
can sweep an entire team with this moveset, once Dragonite gets going. So long
as you are faster, and have spread enough Paralysis, Dragonite is very unlikely
to be stopped. Don't forget that Dragonite isn't done after being Paralyzed
since Agility can negate the Speed loss, but being fully Paralyzed will slow it
down.
2 - Hybrid Sweeper - Hyper Beam, Blizzard/Surf, 2 of
Thunder Wave/Agility/Thunderbolt/Body Slam
Sort of a hybrid sweeper, having great offensive stats, but no multipliers. It
can still hit many Pokemon hard, but not necessarily KO them. Surf is a possible
choice, as it's a OHKO on Golem and Rhydon.
3 - OHKO - Horn Drill, Blizzard/Surf, 2 of Thunder Wave/Agility/Thunderbolt
OHKO Dragonite. Blizzard and Surf can help cover Grounds that have Rock Slide,
Thunder Wave and Agility are for the required Speed, and Thunderbolt helps with
most Ice Pokemon. Jynx and Gengar are an issue to this set, and don't forget
that OHKO moves are often banned.
Relative Strength
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 163-139 (50%-43%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 176-150 (45%-38%)
Blizzard vs Golem - 292-249 (80%-69%)
Surf vs Golem - 465-395 (128%-109%)
Hyper Beam vs Chansey - 429-365 (61%-52%)
Relative Defense
Starmie's Blizzard - 411-349 (107%-91%)
Chansey's Ice Beam - 337-287 (88%-75%)
Rhydon's Rock Slide - 240-205 (62%-53%)
Alakazam's Psychic - 143-121 (37%-31%)
Tauros' Blizzard - 330-280 (86%-73%)
How to beat Dragonite
Dragonite is very powerful. It can use all sorts of attacks, has great stats,
but has the 4X weakness to Ice attacks. Jynx is a good counter, and Starmie,
although weak to Thunderbolt, can Recover repeatedly, and likely to OHKO it with
Blizzard. Chansey can counter Dragonite, as long as you watch over its HP. If
Ice attacks aren't available, slowly take down Dragonite's HP using Alakazam, if
it has Reflect. Tauros can also work if Dragonite is causing trouble for your
team. For Wrapping and OHKO Dragonites, use Gengar or fast Pokemon with Thunder
wave. For sweeping Dragonites, try to stall it out. Paralysis is a must for
Wrapping Dragonites, and then you have to KO it as quickly as possible.
Why you should use Dragonite
-Hybrid sweeping (above average at both)
-Spreading Paralysis
-Hybrid wall (above average at both, minding the Ice 4X weakness)
-The only Pokemon with Thunder Wave and a OHKO move
-The best Wrapper (effective with Agility and/or Thunder Wave)
******
Mewtwo
******
HP 415
ATK 318
DEF 278
SPD 358
SPE 406
CHC 25.3%
Type - Psychic
Weaknesses - Bug
Resistances - Psychic, Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Mewtwo has its stats too high. Speed and Special are perfect (except Electrode’s
Speed), HP is excellent, Defense is above average, and even Attack is very high.
Mewtwo can pump up its insanely high Special even more with Amnesia. That and
the ability to Recover make Mewtwo nearly impossible to KO after setting up.
On top, Mewtwo is Psychic, which is the most dominant type in the game. All of
this is why Mewtwo is almost always banned in matches.
My recommended movesets for Mewtwo
1 - Standard - Amnesia, Psychic, Recover/Rest, Thunderbolt/Ice Beam/Blizzard
Pump up Special even more and then unleash Mewtwo’s power. Ice Beam is more
useful than Thunderbolt, but Slowbro is a common anti-Mewtwo, so Thunderbolt
covers Slowbro. Blizzard and Ice Beam are for Chansey if it tries to stall
Mewtwo.
2 - Stalling - Amnesia/Thunder Wave, Barrier, Psychic, Recover/Rest
A defensive Mewtwo. Even with all these Defenses, Mewtwo can still use Amnesia
with Psychic. It may run out of PP quickly though.
Relative Strength
Psychic vs Tauros - 196-167 (56%-47%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 221-188 (68%-58%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 239-203 (61%-52%)
1x Amnesia + Psychic vs Snorlax - 406-346 (78%-66%)
1x Amnesia + Blizzard vs Alakazam - 224-190 (72%-61%)
1x Amnesia + Thunderbolt vs Slowbro - 526-448 (134%-114%)
1x Amnesia + Thunderbolt vs 1x Amnesia Slowbro - 265-225 (67%-57%)
2x Amnesia + Psychic vs Chansey - 370-315 (53%-45%)
Relative Defense
Snorlax's Self-Destruct - 377-321 (91%-77%)
Slowbro's 3x Amnesia + Surf - 297-253 (72%-61%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 132-112 (32%-27%)
Beedrill's 3x Swords Dance + 5x Pin Missile - 426-363 (103%-87%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 117-100 (29%-24%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 165-140 (40%-34%)
Dodrio's Hyper Beam - 219-186 (53%-45%)
How to beat Mewtwo
Fortunately, Mewtwo is banned in most battles, as there are very few Pokemon
that can beat Mewtwo. If Mewtwo is partially damaged already, a Self-destructing
Snorlax can KO it, doing up to 91% damage, and Mewtwo has no way to OHKO a
Snorlax. Slowbro can stall Mewtwo if Mewtwo hasn't setup already, but otherwise
Slowbro has no chance. Chansey is another possiblity, as Mewtwo's Psychic at 999
Special can barely do over 50%, and Critical Hits do a maximum of 43%, so
Chansey can stall out Mewtwo with Softboiled or try for a Freeze with Ice Beam,
but Psychic may lower Chansey's Special. Alakazam can also stall for a short
while, but needs to lower Mewtwo's Special repeatedly to work. Blizzard is also
an issue to Alakazam, because it won't be able to Recover very long then.
However, if Mewtwo has Blizzard, then it won't have Thunderbolt, so Slowbro can
stall with Amnesia and Rest. Starmie could also use Recover repeatedly if you
don't have Slowbro. Besides these Pokemon, Mewtwo is basically impossible to
counter, but with them, Mewtwo can be stalled out long enough to drain its PP.
A decent attack followed by Snorlax's Self-destruct is the best method, but the
opponent may switch Mewtwo out and you'll lose your Snorlax.
Why you should use Mewtwo
-Special sweeping (and even gets better after Amnesia)
-A hybrid wall (even better with both Barrier and Amnesia)
-Stalling
***
Mew
***
HP 403
ATK 298
DEF 298
SPD 298
SPE 298
CHC 19.5%
Type - Psychic
Weaknesses - Bug
Resistances - Psychic, Fighting
Immunities - Ghost
Mew is banned like Mewtwo, but for a different reason. Mew has very high stats
for all and learns every HM and TM. Compared to Mewtwo, Mew has much lower stats
though, except for extra Defense. Mew doesn't get Amnesia, so it can't dominate
as much as Mewtwo, but with the entire list of TMs and HMs available, Mew can
create more movesets. Mew, like Mewtwo, is banned from most matches.
My recommended movesets for Mew
1 – Standard - Thunder Wave, Psychic, Earthquake, Softboiled
Standard Mew. Psychic and Earthquake are the best of Physical and Special (for
Mew), mixed with Softboiled and Thunder Wave. This Mew is deadly, but can be
stalled by a few Psychic Pokemon, particularily Exeggutor.
2 - Hybrid sweeper - Psychic, Thunderbolt, Earthquake, Blizzard/Ice Beam
Mew can hit almost any type of Pokemon with this moveset. Rock Slide, Surf or
Body Slam are all possible choices as well. This moveset, has great offense, but
lacks Softboiled and Thunder Wave.
3 - Physical sweeper - Swords Dance, Earthquake, Body Slam/Hyper Beam,
Softboiled/Explosion
Physical sweeping Mew. Swords Dance plus Explosion will beat anything that isn’t
Rock or Ghost, and until then, you can use powerful Earthquakes and Normal
moves. Although the Earthquakes aren't as strong as Sandslash's, Mew has better
surviving capabilites, especially if you prefer Softboiled. If you use Swords
Dance 3 times and then Explode, only Gengar (and Haunter and Gastly), can
survive due to their immunity. Golem and Rhydon are the only other two Pokemon
that can still last, but neither of them are even guaranteed. Even Omastar is 6
HP off of lasting, but that's only for the minimum damage.
4 - OHKO - Thunder Wave, Fissure, Horn Drill, Softboiled/Surf/Blizzard/Ice Beam
OHKO Mew. It works very well, but can stalled on by faster Pokemon that use
Thunder Wave, like Starmie or Alakazam. Grounds can counter Mew, especially
Dugtrio, so the fourth move could also be an anti-Ground attack. Although OHKO
movesets are usually banned, if you're using Mew, chances are that OHKOs are
also allowed.
Relative Strength
Psychic vs Tauros - 144-123 (41%-35%)
Blizzard vs Exeggutor - 176-150 (45%-38%)
Thunderbolt vs Starmie - 163-139 (50%-43%)
Earthquake vs Jolteon - 233-198 (70%-59%)
1x Swords Dance + Explosion vs Mewtwo - 614-522 (148%-126%)
3x Swords Dance + Explosion vs Rhydon - 423-360 (102%-87%)
Relative Defense
Snorlax's Self-Destruct - 352-300 (87%-74%)
Articuno's Blizzard - 179-152 (44%-38%)
Tauros' Body Slam - 110-93 (27%-23%)
Rhydon's Earthquake - 154-131 (38%-33%)
Dodrio's Hyper Beam - 204-174 (51%-43%)
How to beat Mew
Like Mewtwo, Mew is often banned. Mew has what is considered high (403 HP, 298
other) in every stat. That alone is good enough to make any Pokemon dangerous.
Mew also is the best type and gets almost every good move. Mew can Paralyze,
explode, use Softboiled, use an attack of every type except for Poison, Bug and
Ghost (no major loss) and Mew can be both types of sweepers and both types of
tanks. Mew has unlimited uses. To the point, Mew is tons of trouble to face.
There is no safe way to face it as you are almost guaranteed to be weak to
something Mew has. The best way to start is to Paralyze Mew. Electrode and
Jolteon do this nicely. From there, it’s best to just attack. Hope for Critical
Hits and Mew being fully Paralyzed. An alternative strategy is to use Chansey
and hope for a Freeze, or put Mew to Sleep with Exeggutor or Gengar. However, if
Mew has the correct moveset, it can counter all of those. The unpredictability
of Mew makes countering it in general, nearly impossible to always beat.
Why you should use Mew
-Hybrid sweeping (great at both, and also gets Swords Dance)
-The best OHKOer (Tauros and Dugtrio when Mew is banned, which is often)
-Hybrid wall
-Stalling
-A colassol range of attacks to choose from
-Spreading Paralysis
********************************************************************************
8) Making a team
a) Selecting your Pokemon
********************************************************************************
Well, after going through the analysis, you can narrow down the Pokemon to about
13 which are the top standards in the game (excluding Mew and Mewtwo of course).
Most teams consist of 6 of these 13 and occasionally something in the
lower-standard category. In total, you'll usually see these 21 Pokemon, and only
on rare occasion will you see any others.
Alakazam, Chansey, Exeggutor, Gengar, Golem, Jynx, Lapras, Rhydon, Slowbro,
Snorlax, Starmie, Tauros, and Zapdos.
There’s a few others that may make the cut for your team.
Articuno, Cloyster, Dragonite, Jolteon, Moltres, Sandslash, Persian, and
Victreebel.
Jynx - One of the two most common leads. Having 288 Speed and a 75% accurate
Sleep move, Jynx can usually ensure the opponent is put to Sleep. Afterwards,
Blizzard can hit hard on most of the other standards, or possibly Freeze. Jynx
can also be saved later as a late game sweeper, if you avoid it being Paralyzed.
Gengar - The other common lead. With more Speed than Jynx at 318, Gengar is more
likely to put an opponent to Sleep, but Hypnosis is more inaccurate. Gengar is
relatively weak, not getting STAB on any major attacks, but Confuse Ray and
Explosion can be used to do further damage. Thunderbolt is helpful for Waters.
The main use for Gengar later is sweeping and switching against Explosions.
Exeggutor - The backup Sleeper. Exeggutor is arguably the 3rd best Pokemon in
the game. Having several resistances, Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, Explosion, two
types of Special moves, and huge stats, Exeggutor is a great addition to any
team having multiple uses. Exeggutor is a bit slow though, which is the main
weakness.
Chansey - Having 308 Special and 703 HP, Chansey is the game's best Special wall
and can attack back with Thunderbolt and Ice Beam too. Chansey doesn't usually
KO many Pokemon besides Starmie and occasionally Ice-weak Pokemon, but Chansey
is great for spreading Paralysis, forcing switching (or otherwise stalling the
opponent), and draining PP of Pokemon, particularily Starmie and Alakazam.
Physical Pokemon or exploders beat Chansey, but at the cost of damage and/or
Paralysis. Using another Chansey and stalling each other, while attempting to
Freeze the other is a common technique to beating Chansey. The only risk is that
your Chansey may get Frozen instead. Chansey is the one Pokemon you will want to
intentionally get Paralyzed, but make sure you don't face Tauros or Snorlax
while it is.
Alakazam - Similar to Chansey in stalling, Alakazam has high Special, Reflect
and Recover. Although Alakazam's Psychic isn't strong against too many Pokemon,
it gets many Critical Hits and may lower Special. Alakazam also spreads
Paralysis easily and being the fastest standard at 338 Speed, Alakazam makes for
a good sweeper. Alternatively, you can lead with Alakazam as Sleep bait since it
is able to survive after waking up being fast and having Recover. It can also
Paralyze or attack Jynx and Gengar before falling asleep.
Tauros - Because Specialists dominate the game, but have low Defense, Tauros is
a staple Pokemon to teams. Having 318 Speed and 298 Attack, while having a nice
mix of moves and good defensive stats, Tauros can beat almost any Pokemon one on
one and can sweep easily. Body Slam's Paralysis chance and Tauros' Critical Hit
rate only improve it further. Tauros is the ultimate counter to Alakazam,
Chansey, and others, as well as cleaning up Paralyzed teams late in the game.
Snorlax - Snorlax is like Tauros, but with small changes. Snorlax sacrifices a
lot of Speed, but has better defensive stats, more Attack power and a much
larger movepool. Self-Destruct on Snorlax is the strongest move in the game and
can KO almost any Pokemon. The extra Attack from Snorlax isn't important, but it
does certainly help. Snorlax plays as a sweeper like Tauros, but requires
Paralysis to be at its full potential. Snorlax can also be played like a Special
staller with Amnesia and Rest, but Snorlax requires setup first, which is
tricky for a slow Pokemon. Use Snorlax to beat Physically weak Pokemon, but the
Critical Hits and Speed from Tauros make it more popular than Snorlax.
Starmie - Another Special staller, except Starmie has a larger movepool of
attacks and 328 Speed, compared to Chansey and Alakazam. Starmie can spread
Paralysis nicely and KO several Pokemon. The one thing holding Starmie back is
the Electric weakness though, and Chansey completely stops Starmie. At least
Alakazam can lower Special and take neutral damage to Chansey.
Lapras - Although Lapras can't heal easily, Lapras can take attacks much better.
With Confuse Ray paired with Paralysis or Paralyzing Body Slams, the opponent is
usually forced to switch, or Lapras can strike with heavy Blizzards and
Thunderbolts. Lapras can take much more damage than many other Pokemon, but
unlike Chansey or Starmie, Lapras relies on Rest to heal.
Slowbro - Slowbro has the potential to become a dangerous opponent, and is the
most common Pokemon that sets up. With Amnesia and Thunder Wave, it can usually
survive long enough to use Rest and the 318 Defense can protect it from Physical
Pokemon. STAB Surf can beat or highly damage anything that isn't Water, Grass or
Dragon, so it's very viable, but it's tricky to use. You have to avoid both
Pokemon that can beat it (Chansey, Zapdos and possibly Starmie), and also take
out Pokemon that can resist Surf (Exeggutor, Starmie, Dragonite, Lapras, etc).
Although Surf can still damage up Water resistant Pokemon, Blizzard is sometimes
in place of Thunder Wave to deal with Exeggutor and Dragonite. Slowbro is
usually played late, and used at a time to force your opponent to panic (such as
against a Golem, making them decide to stay before Slowbro uses Amnesia, or
risking their Golem, etc).
Zapdos - Being the only common Electric type paired with Drill Peck to counter
Exeggutor, Zapdos makes a great hybrid sweeper. Thunderbolt takes out Waters,
Physical Pokemon, while Drill Peck takes out Specialists and Flying-weak
Pokemon. The only issue is the Ice weakness, but Zapdos is faster than anything
that can beat it in two hits. Zapdos is an excellent late sweeper, but is
useless if the opponent has Golem or Rhydon.
Golem - And due to Zapdos' sweeping power, Golem is popular. Golem completely
stops Zapdos. Aside from that, Earthquake and Explosion help against Specialists
and other Golems or Rhydons. Golem can possibly work as a sweeper if the
opponent's team is heavily Paralyzed, but most of the Specialists take out
Golem.
Rhydon - Golem's alternative choice. At the cost of Speed and Explosion, Rhydon
has extra Attack power, Surf and better defensive stats (the HP covers the lower
Defense and Special). However, the Speed and Explosion are exactly what makes
Golem better. With Explosion, Golem is able to take out tough stallers like
Chansey and Alakazam. Rhydon can beat Chansey in two hits and Starmie usually in
two, while Golem can't, and the extra Attack increases the chances of finishing
off other Pokemon. The Speed though, means Golem will beat Rhydon one on one,
and the lack of Explosion means Rhydon can't take out Pokemon in single hits.
Still, Rhydon is an alternative, and is still certainly standard.
Articuno - One of the two Physical counters, Articuno packs a punch with
Blizzard and has very high Defense. Often, Articuno can beat Tauros and Snorlax
one on one (unless Snorlax ties it with Self-Destruct). Articuno can also beat
Exeggutor and try to Freeze other Pokemon. The problem is that Articuno is
completely stalled by Water, Ice and especially Water/Ice Pokemon.
Cloyster - A variation of Articuno, Cloyster is the other Physical counter. With
the highest Defense in the game and a STAB 120 Base Power move that's 90%
accurate, Cloyster has the potential to beat Tauros and Snorlax, although a bit
less likely than Articuno. Cloyster makes up for that with Clamp, Explosion,
and Water moves, since Articuno can only use Blizzard for the most part.
Cloyster is moderately slow though, but Explosion is interesting on a Water type
since it threatens any Golem or Rhydon switch-ins. Cloyster overall, works as a
mixed sweeper and can threaten most Pokemon, including the main counter, Zapdos.
Persian - Another Physical sweeper, but different again than Snorlax and Tauros.
While Persian is much more fragile, Persian is even faster than Tauros and it
learns Slash which tears apart opponents. Although it's only slightly stronger
than Tauros' Body Slam, Slash ignores Reflect on Alakazam, and the 10 extra
Speed makes Persian tied with Starmie. The problem with Persian though is that
it has much weaker defensive stats. Use Persian like a Tauros; a late game
sweeper. Persian gets stalled on Gengar though, so make sure you take it out
first.
Jolteon - Jolteon is weaker than Zapdos in more than one way, but Jolteon has
the second highest Speed, no Flying type and unique moves. Jolteon's added Speed
means that it can safely take out Starmie, it can take Ice attacks much better
and can still cover Exeggutor with Pin Missile. The extra Critical Hit rate is
also handy. Jolteon though, lacks the sweeping power due to being stalled
easier. While Zapdos just has to worry about Golem and Rhydon, Jolteon also has
to avoid Sandslash, Alakazam (often), Snorlax, Tauros and usually Gengar.
Moltres - Moltres is the only Fire type that you should realistically use in a
standard match. The reasons for that is 348 Special, making Fire Blast very
powerful, beating Tauros and Exeggutor in two hits. Burning is the toss-up that
makes Moltres an interesting pick. Moltres threatens Physical Pokemon with
Burning, but Waters still stop Moltres with ease. Moltres also lacks a healing
move so Starmie, Chansey and Alakazam can all stall it out. If Moltres Burns a
Specialist, that means that they're immune to Paralysis. The most important
thing is to avoid thawing a Frozen Pokemon. Moltres can be good, but it's hard.
Sandslash - Sandslash is the least likely Pokemon you will see of the above
choices. Sandslash is similar to Slowbro, except Physical. Sandslash can become
dangerous with Swords Dance, but it requires setup, and Sandslash can't attack
faster, unless with Paralysis support. Sandslash also has worse weaknesses and
can't heal. However, Sandslash can beat through Physical and Special Pokemon.
Still, Sandslash doesn't counter Zapdos nicely like Rhydon and Golem do, so it's
usually a waste using Sandslash.
Victreebel - One of the effective Wrappers. Victreebel does all the same,
offensively as Exeggutor, except instead of Psychic and Explosion, Victreebel
has Wrap and Razor Leaf. Razor Leaf is strong enough to beat Starmie in two hits
and can pierce Amnesia on Slowbro. Wrap can ware down opponents well since
Victreebel can Paralyze, threaten with Sleep Powder, and has high HP along with
good defensive stats. Victreebel has bad weaknesses though, and due to Speed,
Victreebel usually requires a lot of Paralysis. After that though, Victreebel
can go to work on anything that appears. Gengar beats Victreebel though, and if
a Golem or Rhydon tempts Razor Leaf into a switched Pokemon, Victreebel might
get attacked following that (such as Alakazam). Swords Dance and Hyper Beam can
also be useful for Chansey. Countering against Lapras and Starmie can become
interesting, since both Pokemon can beat each other, either trainer may stay or
switch, making Victreebel a tricky Pokemon.
Dragonite - Dragonite's usefulness depends entirely on the rules. If Wrapping is
allowed, Dragonite is arguably the best Pokemon under Mew, Mewtwo and the four
staple Pokemon (Exeggutor, Chansey, Alakazam and Tauros). However, without Wrap,
Dragonite is just a poor hybrid sweeper and shouldn't be used in serious games.
With Agility and Wrap, along with Surf and Hyper Beam, Dragonite can't be hit
until Wrap misses, since switching won't stop Agility. Dragonite can also
threaten finishing off Pokemon with Hyper Beam, so multiple switching might be
forced. Dragonite though is better off with Paralysis support, although it's not
absolutely necessary. Watch out for Gengar, Golem and Rhydon bait (to try to
force Surf), and Ice Pokemon waiting for Wrap to miss. Otherwise, Dragonite can
wipe out anything and entire teams, so play it carefully.
********************************************************************************
8) Making a team
b) Advanced battling
********************************************************************************
Most teams will consist of 1 or 2 Sleepers, 1 to 3 Physical sweepers, and the
rest Specialists. Understanding what each role of your Pokemon is very important
to winning. Now, of course, without battle experience, you aren't likely going
to win, but knowing common strategies are very helpful. The best way to get
better at the game is knowing how to play, and practicing against a variety of
different opponents.
The Sleep Metagame
The three most common Sleepers are Jynx, Gengar and Exeggutor. Gengar is the
fastest of the three, but learns Hypnosis which is only 60% accurate. Jynx and
Exeggutor both learn a 75% accurate Sleep move, but Jynx is faster. This makes
Jynx and Gengar the two most common leads. However, Exeggutor is the most useful
of the three, but the worst lead of the three. Also, if both players lead with a
Sleeper, that means you can only put another Sleeper to Sleep, instead of a
tougher Pokemon like Chansey or Tauros. This is why some players save their
Sleeper until later, and since they don't lead with one, Gengar and Jynx don't
need to be used, giving an extra slot to more useful Pokemon. The question is
what would you lead with then, if not Jynx or Gengar. Often, it's Alakazam,
because Alakazam does the least amount of damage to the least amount of Pokemon,
and is also one of the most likely to survive. On top, Alakazam is faster than
any other standard (minding the occasional Jolteon), so Alakazam can Paralyze
the opponent's lead Sleeper. However, the downside is that you lose one of your
stalling Pokemon early on, but there aren't many other good replacements. Also,
it's strongly recommended you try to wake up your Sleep Pokemon after all of the
opponent's Sleepers are beaten, or you might get another Pokemon asleep later,
or just get stalled by being repeatedly put to Sleep. It's also recommended that
any Pokemon that could set themselves up be taken out first, or you'll give them
a huge chance to. The main one is Slowbro, but Sandslash and others have to be
taken out too.
This is a very important part of the game to consider, as a Sleeping Pokemon is
almost like a free KO. Leading is less likely to put a good Pokemon to Sleep,
but saving a Sleeper for later might get KO'd or the opponent may switch to a
Paralyzed Pokemon, preventing Sleep. Since Exeggutor is the most common Sleeper
for later in the game, and Chansey is one of the better counters, not to mention
that it often gets Paralyzed, a switched Chansey can disrupt the strategy of
putting a Pokemon to Sleep later.
Both Sleep strategies work, but you have to know the advantages of each one.
Since Sleep leads are more common, it's good to have a backup Sleeper incase the
opponent puts you to Sleep instead. Exeggutor is usually the best backup Sleeper
since it can do much more than just using Sleep Powder. Likewise, the best
non-Sleeper lead is usually Alakazam. If you can have Alakazam wake up later in
the game, that also means Alakazam won't be Paralyzed and be able to sweep, but
you may have to use the head start to use Recover. Being the fastest standard
and not Paralyzed is a big jump late in the game.
Specialists vs Physical Pokemon
As most players know, from the experts to the new players, Specialists dominate
the RBY series. There are several reasons for this. First of all, Special types
all have good attacks. Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, Blizzard, Psychic, and
others are all great attacks. When you look at other types having Rock Slide,
Sludge, Twineedle, Lick and Submission as their best moves, Physical Pokemon
don't have any power in their attacks. Even Machamp with 358 Attack can't beat a
Chansey with Submission. The second reason is type effectiveness. Generally,
Physical types have worse advantages and have worse weaknesses than Special
types. Electric and Psychic have virtually no weaknesses, Water is only weak to
two other Special types, Ice types are mostly weak to Electric and Fire, etc.
Physical types all have trouble in some place. Ghost has no offense, Poison is
only good against types Fire already beats, Fighting has only a few types it's
good against, etc. And the final and most important note is that Specialists
that have good Special potentially have a good double stat. High Special means
that they can deal good Special damage, while resisting it as well. Alakazam can
deal heavy damage with Psychic to most Pokemon, but at the same time, it can
survive a Critical Hit of any Special attack. Having low Special, which is
common among Physical types means that they can't attack well with Special
attacks, and they also can't take too much from Special attacks. There are only
two types that are Physical and are effective in standard play, which are Ground
and Normal. Normal can hit almost any Pokemon hard, have great attacks like Body
Slam, Hyper Beam, Slash and Explosion, and only have one weakness. Grounds are
the only real counter to Electrics (minding Grass stalling), and completely wall
out the type. Grounds also get Earthquake, which is stronger than even the
Special type attacks so Grounds are able to do damage, unlike Poison or Fighting
types, etc.
With Thunder Wave, recovering moves, and high Special stats, Chansey, Alakazam
and Starmie are great at stalling the opponents, and attacking when safe. The
easiest way to KO these Pokemon are using Physical Pokemon, which is why Tauros
and Snorlax are common. To counter this, Alakazam and Chansey may have Counter,
Reflect, or just attack back. Tauros and Snorlax can take both of them down in
2 hits, but may get Paralyzed or take high damge in the process. This is why
Tauros is used more though, because Critical Hits are much more common, and
Tauros is faster than Chansey, but Snorlax isn't destroyed by Thunder Wave, and
has slightly higher attacking power. Snorlax can also explode for a guarantee KO
(without Reflect), if they give Snorlax any trouble.
If Tauros or Snorlax are unavailable, Golem and Exeggutor are usually the second
choices. Exeggutor can stall somewhat on Alakazam, Paralyze them, and explode.
Golem can do high damage to them, and explode, but easier to KO. Golem requires
the Specialists to be Paralyzed to work. Now, while Rhydon can't explode, like
Golem, Rhydon's higher Attack gives Earthquake a chance to KO Starmie in two
hits, and a guaranteed chance at beating Chansey in two Earthquakes. Of course,
Rhydon is slower, so they would have to be Paralyzed, and Rhydon would lose lots
of HP. Starmie can OHKO Rhydon with Surf, but if it has Surf instead of
Blizzard, Exeggutor can stall Starmie. Tauros, Snorlax, Golem, Exeggutor and
Rhydon are the best for taking down these three, but others can work too if used
properly. Gengar and Cloyster can explode, Slowbro can stall and setup with
Amnesia (although risky against Thunderbolt), and Persian can cut through
Reflect on Alakazam. Ultimately, you'll need a couple of the good Physical
Pokemon, or at least exploding Specialists, or you will get stalled by Starmie
Alakazam and Chansey.
Stall wars
And of course, if you can't beat those three with Physical attacks, you can
stall them out with your own Alakazam, Chansey and Starmie. Two Starmies will
eventually KO each other with Thunderbolt, Chansey stalls Starmie better having
Thunderbolt, but the other variations are all stall wars. When in a stall war,
never use all of the PP of your attack, as you can save some when the opponent
runs out of Recover or Softboiled. Waste away other PP, and save your good PP
for attacks and for your recovery move. Alakazam is more likely to win stall
wars because Psychic lowers Special, often has Reflect, and faster than the
other two stallers. Chansey has the highest HP though, and STAB Struggle, and
Starmie has more PP for attacking moves than Alakazam, so it's easier to drain
Alakazam's Recover. Electric attacks are the main reason Starmie is not part of
the common 4 Pokemon, unlike Chansey and Alakazam. Starmie is still one of the
best stall Pokemon in the game though, and although Starmie gets beaten by
Thunderbolt, it can stall Articuno, Jynx, Slowbro and beat Golem and Rhydon,
which Chansey and Alakazam aren't as good at (or at least not as good at).
Reflect Alakazam beats Chansey
Non-Reflect Alakazam may beat Chansey
Seismic Toss Alakazam beats Reflect Alakazam
Reflect Alakazam may beat Starmie
Non-Reflect Alakazam often beats Starmie
Chansey beats Starmie
Reflect Chansey beats non-Reflect Chansey
Starmie eventually beats Starmie (through Critical Hits)
Remember that these may vary due to Critical Hits, the amount of PP of the other
moves, and how badly damaged they are to begin with. Usually when played right,
these are the results.
Zapdos
Zapdos is one of the best offensive Pokemon in the game, but with Golem and
Rhydon being very common, Zapdos gets stalled on them. Zapdos takes out all 3
of the stalling Specialists, but usually requires them to be Paralyzed. This is
easier to get though, as Zapdos is used later, when Rhydon and Golem have been
knocked out anyways. Zapdos almost always beats a Paralyzed Starmie, it may
beat a Paralyzed Alakazam, and occasionally Chansey. Zapdos may take 2 or 3 hits
to beat them, but Criticals are common for Zapdos. On top, Zapdos can also beat
Exeggutor, usually Lapras, Slowbro, and beat most of the other Pokemon of the
best 21. Only Golem, Rhydon and Jolteon can beat it late in the game, without
taking much damage. But remember, although Zapdos is capable of beating most of
the standards, Zapdos can't heal itself, so it's usually limited to 1 or 2
Pokemon per match. That's still very helpful, especially if they're some of the
stallers. Chansey may last long though, depending on if it uses Thunder Wave,
Ice Beam or Softboiled. Against Alakazam, you need Drill Peck to get Critical
Hits to get through Reflect.
Exploding
Usually the most common way to take out the Specialists. Exeggutor, Snorlax,
Golem and Gengar (as well as Cloyster), are the the exploders of the standard
Pokemon. They can take out the Specialists with much ease. The problem is, since
the opponent can see it coming, they may switch to their own Gengar, or Golem
(or Rhydon), so Explosion does very little damage. Again, you have to predict
what the opponent might do. Sometimes, to be less predictable, you may want to
explode early, even if your Pokemon has lots of HP left. This may work better,
but again, if the opponent sees it coming, they can switch to Gengar, Golem or
Rhydon. This creates another common metagame, along with Sleeping. This is also
more support why Golem is used over Rhydon, and why Tauros is one of the 4 most
common Pokemon, because it can take them down without exploding, meaning that
a player doesn't have to predict the opponent as much when using Tauros. Snorlax
is still more effective at taking them down, but Tauros is consistant and can
beat any switch-ins to Gengar, Golem or Rhydon.
Speed and Paralysis
The power of Speed is one of the ways to win in RBY. Speed provides who attacks
first and the chances of getting Critical Hits, which makes faster Pokemon very
desireable. A good example of how important Speed can be is Golem versus Rhydon.
Both of them can KO each other in two hits, guaranteed. However, since Golem is
10 points faster than Rhydon, Golem will almost always win, unless Rhydon gets a
Critical Hit. But that's the other part, Golem is more likely to get a Critical
Hit on top of already beating Rhydon almost all the time. One important point as
well is in the case of Critical Hits, Golem will still be at full health, where
if Rhydon avoids a Critical Hit and then gets one of its own, Rhydon will have
beaten the odds by taking out Golem, but Rhydon will have a good portion of its
HP gone, while Golem would be at perfect health. The difference in 10 Speed
entirely shapes how Golem versus Rhydon plays out.
And since Freezing and Sleeping is limited to one opponent at a time, Paralysis
is the next best option. Paralysis means that slow Pokemon are more likely to
start winning. If Golem was Paralyzed, Rhydon will almost always beat Golem, and
get all of the advantages Golem had over Rhydon (minding the Critical Hit rate).
If two Pokemon clash and they can both beat the other in three hits, the faster
Pokemon almost always wins due to attacking first and a better chance of
Critical Hits. Paralyzing Pokemon is a vital strategy to wiping out the
opponent's teams, and anything with Thunder Wave and Body Slam (or Stun Spore),
can help with this greatly. Fast Pokemon also get Critical Hits more often,
making sweeping even easier. Tauros combines both of these, and also has nice
Attack, which is what makes Tauros an excellent Pokemon.
Conclusion
These are the main strategies of the game, along with smaller strategies, such
as just attacking the opponent. Now let's see what most teams will have.
Alakazam, Chansey and Starmie to stall. They are also all good Special sweepers.
Exeggutor to put the opponent to Sleep, Special sweep and explode.
Tauros to help take out the Specialists.
Golem or Rhydon to deal with Zapdos, and Golem to explode, while Rhydon KOs the
Specialists with stronger Earthquakes. Both also to take Explosion.
Snorlax to take out Specialists and explode when needed.
Jynx as the most effective Sleeper lead.
Gengar as a lead, weaker exploder, and can take Explosions.
Zapdos to help deal with the Specialists and many other common standards.
Lapras and Slowbro as more offensive stallers, but not quite as effective.
Now you have to pick 6 of them. It's difficult to get a perfect balance, since
everything would help. Don't forget that experimenting can work too, if you
know how to get them to work. An Exeggutor with Rest instead of Explosion could
become another staller, or a Starmie with Light screen could stall Chansey much
better. Likewise, Pokemon like Dodrio can be surprise finishers. Although very
easy to KO, due to a bad type, Dodrio is very fast, and its Attack is as high
as Snorlax. It could pop up at the end of a match and use Hyper Beam on what's
left of the team, not to mention the high Critical Hit rate. Other possibilities
like Machamp or Hitmonlee could be used to take out weak (and hopefully
Paralyzed) Normal types like Chansey, Snorlax and Tauros. There's 79 non-banned
final forms, and most of them can have many different types of movesets, so you
can always find new ways to win matches. But don't forget that RBY has a lot of
luck involved, so even great strategies can crumble to multiple Critical Hits,
unlucky Freezes, or good prediction. It's all part of competitve battling.
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8) Making a team
c) The levels of teams
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This section is to give a brief idea of how varying skill affect what a player's
team looks like, and also an idea of how to improve. Each level also has an
example team to demonstrate.
Level 1A
This is where a brand new player plays. Likely, a player will believe good
Pokemon in-game will work well competitively. Generally, these teams have good
Pokemon that can be caught early in the game, that have random movesets, and
probably levels around 50-70; about when you beat the Elite Four for the first
time. These teams are often filled with HMs, random TMs, and anything that works
well in-game (despite that anything works well in-game).
Charizard - Fire Blast, Fire Spin, Flamethrower, Strength
Butterfree - Psybeam, Whirlwind, Sleep Powder, Bide
Raichu - Thunder, Thunderbolt, Flash, Double Team
Nidoking - Fury Attack, Fissure, Earthquake, Surf
Pidgeot - Fly, Agility, Whirlwind, Mirror Move
Gyarados - Hyper Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Rage, Surf
Level 1B
After using random Pokemon, players might start picking up on using Pokemon that
have some use in battle. This is usually when a player discovers Psychics, and
Specialists in general. They still suck, but are somewhat of an improvement to
before.
Mewtwo - Psychic, Mist, Swift, Recover
Zapdos - Thunder, Fly, Drill Peck, Thunderbolt
Articuno - Blizzard, Ice Beam, Fly, Double-Edge
Venusaur - Solarbeam, Sleep Powder, Razor Leaf, Toxic
Alakazam - Psychic, Reflect, Recover, Dig
Dragontite - Hyper Beam, Dragon Rage, Thunder, Fire Blast
Level 2A
Unless players became interested in competitive battling, or got Pokemon
Stadium, they won't reach this level. This is when players go through Pokemon
Stadium with their teams and start learning that Special sweepers are the best
Pokemon. However, what they don't notice is that Stadium has very different
gameplay than the classic RBY, so players become a bit drifted away from what
works. The big change is to stop using Physical Pokemon, stop doubling up on
moves and almost never use slow Pokemon. Hopefully, this is also when players
stop using Mewtwo and Mew, but often they will make the mistake of thinking that
Zapdos, Articuno and Moltres are also broken.
Starmie - Hydro Pump, Thunder, Blizzard, Psychic
Nidoking - Earthquake, Fire Blast, Thunder, Surf
Clefable - Thunder, Psychic, Blizzard, Fire Blast
Alakazam - Psychic, Dig, Recover, Hyper Beam
Gengar - Mega Drain, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Explosion
Snorlax - Surf, Thunder, Fire Blast, Psychic
Level 2B
This is just a small change over 2A. Players may start to get annoyed with the
lack of accuracy of some of the moves, and also Electrics. Players will look at
the match-up and notice that Electric is weak to Ground (which they likely don't
have much of), so they'll get one; likely Dugtrio since it's fast. A lack of
defense is still a problem and players will still try to beat Alakazam using
moevs like Surf and Thunderbolt, rather than Physical attacks.
Starmie - Surf, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam
Alakazam - Psychic, Dig, Hyper Beam, Recover
Dugtrio - Earthquake, Fissure, Rock Slide, Slash
Raichu - Thunderbolt, Surf, Seismic Toss, Hyper Beam
Lapras - Surf, Thunderbolt, Solarbeam, Ice Beam
Jynx - Psychic, Ice Beam, Bubblebeam, Hyper Beam
Level 2C
And the final step of Stadium players is finding out about other options than
attacking everything with anything. Players may discover Amnesia, Reflect and
Swords Dance. Also, despite the dislike of Physical Pokemon, a player might get
rid of Dugtrio for being weak and use Rhydon, since it's incredibly powerful.
However, switching isn't frequent yet, so Rhydon will likely end up against
Water and Grass types. Another noticeable mistake is that players may think a
type advantage is all you'll need to be a Pokemon, so players will feel safe
with using Thunderbolt and Fire Blast on Rhydon against Water and Grass Pokemon.
Starmie - Surf, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Recover
Alakazam - Psychic, Reflect, Recover, Dig
Rhydon - Earthquake, Rock slide, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast
Arcanine - Fire Blast, Reflect, Dig, Hyper Beam
Jolteon - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Double Kick, Pin Missile
Venusaur - Razor Leaf, Hyper Beam, Reflect, Sleep Powder
Level 3A
The majority of people that have ever played Pokemon RBY have never reached this
step. This is when a player becomes aware of competitive playing and better
battling techniques. Player usually reach this stage after losing badly as a 2C
player to a much better opponent. After reading and doing a little research, a
much better team is formed.
Exeggutor - Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, Psychic, Explosion
Chansey - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Softboiled
Tauros - Body Slam, Blizzard, Earthquake, Hyper Beam
Alakazam - Thunder Wave, Psychic, Reflect Recover
Starmie - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Blizzard, Recover
Zapdos - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Drill Peck, Light Screen
Level 3B
From here on, team variation doesn't dramatically change over time, only the
mindset. After some practice in competitive battling, players begin to be more
creative, and try out different movesets, different Pokemon and different
combinations. Balance is still a bit offset, but players become somewhat of a
challenge to defeat.
Level 4
Once a player has a solid team, they do very few tweeks to it unless they
consistantly have difficulty countering a certain Pokemon. From here, the
improvements are all mindgames. Players begin to bait Pokemon, predict ahead
with switches, countering counters, and so on.
Level 5
This is realistically the final stage a player can reach. Players begin to use
multiple teams for whatever they need, knowing that different mixs of teams may
be able to beat opponents easier than others. They also become as close as they
can get to with good prediction. For the most part, unless they don't know the
opponent's team, players will be able to anticipate almost every move and be
able to counter it in some way. Mistakes will still occur, and luck begins to
become the major determining point. Beyond this stage in the game, a player
only improves by perfecting their team and perfecting prediction.
To conclude, try all the standards a few times to see what you like battling
with and what combinations work. Modify a few movesets to test out different
strategies and become less predictable. After battling a few times, you'll begin
to pick up on patterns and learn how to figure out what the opponent is planning
to do. If you are unsure how to get started, try out Team 3A and practice with
it for awhile. It's simple to use and still effective. Once you learn how to
play better, try some of the other Pokemon or even non-standards. Practice is
the best method to get better.
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9) Pokemon Stadium
a) Intro
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Pokemon Stadium is a whole N64 game dedicated to battling. It was a hit because
it allowed being able to play with your own Pokemon against much better
computers, quick and easy multiplayer, and the 3D models of all the Pokemon. It
was also criticized for only having the battling part of the RPG, and nothing
else. From a perspective of a competitive player, it offers many useful
features, which are all covered in the sections below.
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9) Pokemon Stadium
b) Battling Changes
********************************************************************************
The main reason why people bought the game initially, was to test their skills
against the "best of the best". However, the rules were changed around, and some
other smaller things were changed, so being good at Pokemon Stadium doesn't
directly mean you would be good competitively. Here are the main differences.
3 vs 3 Battles
Assuming that the programmers didn't want battles to take too long (since
Pokemon started to stoop down to a kid's game), they changed battles from 6 vs 6
to 3 vs 3. How this works is you have all 6 of your Pokemon and each trainer
selects 3 for battle. This makes part of battling more luck based, but also
builds on the strategy of having to predict your opponent more. The main thing
is that since there are only 3 Pokemon per battle, spreading Paralysis and other
strategizing is less useful, and it's more effective to get quick KOs using
sweepers. This is also one of the reason most kids playing have never even
considered Chansey or Golem as a good Pokemon. So now that battles are 3 vs 3,
you should reconstruct your team for Pokemon Stadium.
Focus Energy
Changing this attack made Pokemon with this move much more improved. It makes
attacks 4 times more likely to be Critical, which is a big boost. These are all
the Pokemon that learn Focus Energy.
Beedrill, Raticate, Nidoking, Primeape, Machamp, Marowak, Hitmonlee,
Hitmonchan, Scyther, Pinsir, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon
Quite a few Pokemon get a boost, but remember that sweepers are more useful, so
Pokemon like Machamp and Scyther are still not great. The main ones are the
Eevee evolutions. Jolteon is guaranteed to get Critical Hits, and STAB Critical
Thunderbolts coming from 318 Special every turn does huge damage. The 358 Speed
supports this very well too, and you might even consider Jolteon over Zapdos now
because of Jolteon's power. Don't forget though that Zapdos is still stronger in
stats and doesn't require setting up, but Jolteon is definitely a choice to
consider now. As for Flareon and Vaporeon, they're only improvements, but Fire
types are still poor in Pokemon Stadium, and Starmie is still more effective
than Vaporeon. Focus Energy definitely helps them though.
Hyper Beam
A slight alteration; if Hyper Beam misses or KOs a Pokemon, you still have to
recharge, unlike in RBY. This takes away some potential from Physical Pokemon,
such as Tauros, but it is still effective.
Sleep
Bumped down from 7 turns, Sleep moves can only last 3 turns now. This means you
will have to use Sleep moves more often to keep the opponent asleep. However,
since it's only 3 turns, the opponent is more likely to leave their Sleeping
Pokemon out, which means you can get a KO and then put another to Sleep right
after. It also means you're more likely to miss though, so you have to factor
those in. Overall, Sleep moves are less effective, but still useable. Jynx and
Gengar get knocked a little down, but both are still effective in the game.
Wrapping
Easily, the most nerfed part of the game. In Stadium when the opponent switches
while being Wrapped, the Wrapper actually loses a turn, rather than vice versa.
This means, that you will have to be faster than every Pokemon on the opponent's
team to be able to Wrap consistantly without stopping. But due to this, the
Wrapper is also much more likely to miss. On top of everything, the PP glitch
that caused Wrapper to have essentially infinite PP was fixed, so stalling with
Wrap is much more difficult now. Simply put, Wrapping is very ineffective,
making Pokemon like Victreebel, Cloyster and especially Dragonite much worse.
Round 2
Not a battle change, but different than RBY. After you finish the game, you get
Round 2, where you do everything again, except the trainers are somewhat better.
Even then, don't expect much of a fight.
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9) Pokemon Stadium
c) Constructing Teams
********************************************************************************
Now that there are changes in the game, creating a team for Pokemon Stadium is
much different than creating a team for competitive RBY. Chansey, Rhydon and
others have less use. Chansey is still an effective wall, but if the opponent
has something that is good against Chansey such as Tauros or Snorlax, you only
have 2 other Pokemon to switch to. This can be a hassle, but if you look at it
from a different perspective, if the opponent chose nothing effective against
Chansey, then you can sweep all 3 Pokemon with just Chansey. Still not overall
effective, and sweepers are safer, but Chansey is still a possible choice. As
for Golem and Rhydon, they are mainly used to take down Electrics, Fires and
some Normals. Selecting them for battle may not be useful, since the opponent
might not even select their Electrics for battle, and instead pick their others.
Like Chansey, Golem and Rhydon are still effective, but they have a very
exploitable weakness, and it's much easier to do in Pokemon Stadium. Also, since
Paralysis support isn't as effective, they will usually take hits before getting
to attack. Pokemon Stadium is the reason why many players never go beyond Level
2C in the last section and think Special sweepers are the best Pokemon.
Prime Cup and Gym Leader Castle
In these two, you are allowed to pick anything at any Level, including Mewtwo
and Mew. If you want to, choose them, but here is a good and effective team for
battling in these two places.
Starmie - Surf, Thunderbolt, Blizzard, Psychic/Thunder Wave/Recover
Starmie is a great Special sweeper. You may want to drop Thunder Wave since you
can Paralyze the opponents, but it's not as helpful since your other Pokemon
don't really need it as much. Battles are much shorter since they're only 3 on 3
so just unleash attacks with Starmie.
Tauros - Body Slam, Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Blizzard
The same as in RBY, and for the same reasons. Tauros is a great Physical sweeper
and can deal with Grounds still too. Tauros doesn't get to sweep a whole team as
often since switching is less common, but Tauros can make quick work out of
whatever is left. Also, try to limit how often you use Hyper Beam.
Zapdos - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Drill Peck, Reflect/Light screen/Rest/Mimic
Same Zapdos. Zapdos is a powerhouse and Grounds are less common now. If they do
show up, you can make a quick switch to Starmie and take them down in one hit,
leaving the opponent with only 2 Pokemon left. Or, if they switch out, Starmie
gets some free shots on the next Pokemon, again, leaving them down to 2. Zapdos
can do the same type of thing, but also use a Physical attack.
Alakazam - Thunder Wave, Psychic, Recover, Reflect/Seismic Toss
The only real staller left, only because Alakazam doesn't have any other moves,
unlike Starmie and Chansey. Alakazam also doesn't have to worry as much about PP
so you can usually get through a battle with just Psychic. 368 Special and 338
Speed make Alakazam a great sweeper.
Golem - Earthquake, Rock Slide, Explosion, Body Slam
Despite Golem having less usefulness, Ground is still the only type to take out
Electrics. Have Golem in your team, but don't expect to need it often. When you
do though, you can take out most of the opponent's team by beating an Electric
and then exploding.
Exeggutor - Psychic, Mega Drain, Sleep Powder, Explosion
Exeggutor is one of the most annoying Pokemon now. With only 3 Pokemon to select
per match, you're more likely to have lots of trouble with Exeggutor. You can do
that to your opponent with your own. Sleep Powder is risky, but it's there for
when you need it. Attack and then explode.
With these 6, and smart battling choices, the game is a breeze. The opponents
don't use the greatest Pokemon, or the best movesets, not to mention all of the
stats are relatively low. If you have lots of sweepers and they have good stats,
you'll be fine. When battling, be careful what you pick, and make sure you're
able to beat any of the 6 the opponent chooses. If for example, you pick Golem,
Zapdos and Exeggutor, you're able to get beaten easily by the opponent's Jynx
They may not pick it, but incase they do, don't leave yourself open to that.
Poke Cup
Essentially like the above two, except with a Level restriction and no Mewtwo or
Mew. It's pretty much the same deal. The rules are you have to have all your
Pokemon at Levels 50 to 55, and the 3 you select each match much be 155 or less.
With that, you can have a 53 and two 51s, or a 54, a 51 and a 50, etc. Remember
though that you'll want sweeping power, so the best combination is 55 and two
50s. Of your 6 Pokemon, have 2 at Level 55 and 4 at Level 50 for the most
balance and possiblities. At the beginning of the damage formula, the first
multiplier is 0.4 x Level + 2. With Level 50, 51 and 52, that reaches 22, with
Level 53 and 54, it reaches 23 and with 55 it reaches 24. These are only 1 point
differences, but remember that it's a multiplier. The damage difference for a
Level 50 and Level 55 is about 10%. Although you can use other Levels, a 55 and
two Level 50s offer the highest damage increase. On your whole team, if you have
two 55s and four 50s, you have the most possibilities of selecting a team and
having the max Levels allowed. Other common Level styles are four 51s and two
53s, or four 52s and two 51s, despite not offering the greatest possible
offense.
Starmie - Surf, Thunderbolt, Blizzard, Psychic/Thunder Wave/Recover
Tauros - Body Slam, Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Blizzard
Zapdos - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Drill Peck, Reflect/Light screen/Rest/Mimic
Alakazam - Thunder Wave, Psychic, Recover, Reflect/Seismic Toss
Golem - Earthquake, Rock Slide, Explosion, Body Slam
Exeggutor - Psychic, Mega Drain, Sleep Powder, Explosion
As for picking your Level 55s, you want the most power, and the least amount of
problems. If you were to have Golem at Level 55 and the opponent beats it quick
with a Water attack, you're left with two Level 50s. So you'll want something
that can beat anything you need to. Also remember that your two Level 55s can't
be in the same match, so don't pick two that have different uses or you'll have
less options. In other words, if you chose Tauros and Starmie to be your Level
55s and chose Starmie for a match, you are left with Golem and other Special
sweepers, meaning you can't use much Physical attacks. This is why you'll want
two that are similar, such as Alakazam and Starmie. The choice is your's. If you
want even more selection per match, you can have four 52s and two 51s, so you
can select more possibilities at the expense of some power. Although you can't
pick 3 52s, if you made Starmie a Level 51, you have can select almost anything
since Starmie will be one of the Pokemon you'll want each round. Selecting
Starmie will allow you to select any other two, and once you start playing with
Starmie's sweeping abilities, you'll realize you'll be selecting Starmie almost
every round.
There are lots of ways you can create a team for Poke Cup, but remember that the
opponents aren't the best in the world. Any team with strategy and power put
into it will get through fine.
Fun facts: The final two trainers you'll face in Poke Cup (Master Ball and Round
2) have major problems. The semi-finalist, Tamer only has 2 moves on each
Pokemon, probably because the AI isn't smart enough to use the high-Critical
moves (since the game is based on theme-teams for the most part), and Charizard
is at Level 52, where it could be Level 53 and still be used as often. As for
the final trainer, Psychic, the Slowbro is Level 50, while the highest level for
the rest of the team is 52, meaning Slowbro should be at least Level 51. It's
embarrassing that the final trainers don't even have all of the basics down yet.
Pika Cup
Levels 15 to 20 with a total maximum of 50 per battle. The same Level mindset
applies with Poke cup, but the damage difference is even greater since the
Levels are lower. A Level 20 will do about 25% more damage than a Level 15. You
are also legally allowed to use any Pokemon besides Mew and Mewtwo, as long as
it is 15 to 20. This means that Pokemon like Gengar and Exeggutor can be used,
and also means that if you hack your game or cheat in anyway, you are allowed to
use Zapdos, Dragonite, etc. For this, sweepers are extremely important.
Dragon Rage
Since it's a set damage move at doing 40, and most Pokemon are only Level 15 to
20, you can KO almost anything with just 2. This makes this attack crucial. The
only Pokemon that you can legally have that survive 2 Dragon Rages are below.
Level 20 Nidoqueen, 19+ Clefable, 17+ Jigglypuff, 16+ Wigglytuff, 20 Arcanine,
20 Poliwrath, 20 Machamp, 20 Slowpoke, 19+ Slowbro, 20 Dewgong, 18+ Muk,
20 Hypno, 19+ Exeggutor, 20 Lickitung, 18+ Rhydon, Chansey, 18+ Kangaskhan,
19+ Gyarados, and 16+ Lapras
Of course there are a few more, but these are all the legal ones. Looking at the
list, except for Chansey, everything has to at least have a Level above 15, so
not only do you have to use one of the few that can survive, you also have to
use some of the extra Level points on them. Clearly, Dragon Rage dominates Pika
Cup. Chansey is also the only Pokemon that can survive 3, but only at Level 17
or above.
Level 20 Starmie - Surf, Psychic, Blizzard/Ice Beam, Thunderbolt
Level 20/15 Arcanine - Fire Blast, Dragon Rage, Body Slam, Hyper Beam/Swift
Level 20/15 Alakazam - Psychic, Seismic Toss, Thunder Wave, Reflect
Level 20/15 Chansey - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Softboiled
Level 15 Lapras - Surf, Blizzard/Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Dragon Rage
Level 15 Dugtrio - Earthquake, Rock Slide, Body Slam, Fissure/Hyper Beam
Essentially, you'll use Starmie and win every round. Arcanine, Chansey and
Alakazam are all candidates for your other Level 20, but Alakazam is probably
your best bet. With 2 Speed higher than Starmie and only Psychic, Starmie will
still be chosen more than Alakazam anyway. Arcanine at Level 20 is an effective
Dragon Rager and has enough HP to survive 2 back. Fire isn't the greatest type,
but at least Arcanine can get quick KOs. If the opponent has 45 HP (for example)
use one of the other moves first and finish off with Dragon Rage. Since it will
take two turns, why not go for Paralysis, a Burn, or even a Critical Hit? If the
opponent only has slightly above 40, 80 or 120, use another attack first.
Chansey is the same as always, but used as an anti-Dragon Rage Pokemon. It can
heal more than Dragon Rage does and can hit anything decently back. However,
Chansey is slow and Speed is important in a field full of fast sweepers. Lapras
is like Starmie but comes with Dragon Rage, and Dugtrio is there for a quick KO
on the occasional Electric. However, since the only legal Electrics are Raichu,
and Electrode, don't expect to use it often. Actually, you'll probably never use
it. Lead with Starmie, sweep, and do the next battle. Repeat until all of Pika
Cup is done. Also, the opponent does cheat in some of the matches. The final
trainer in Round 2 has a Level 15 Golem, Machamp and Kangaskhan, which you can't
get (and not even Golem in GSC), unless you count the Mew glitch.
Petit Cup
Levels 25 to 30 here, and only Pokemon that are of specific weight and height
are allowed. Basically, weaklings and no evolved Pokemon, dropping the number
of legal users to 45. This also takes away Starmie, Chansey, and other common
Pokemon. Since you probably never cared about height and weight, this is the
list of legal Pokemon.
Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Caterpie, Weedle, Pidgey, Rattata, Spearow,
Ekans, Pikcahu, Sandshrew, Nidoran (F), Nidoran (M), Clefairy, Vulpix,
Jigglytuff, Zubat, Oddish, Paras, Diglett, Meowth, Psyduck, Growlithe, Poliwag,
Abra, Machop, Bellsprout, Geodude, Magnemite, Farfetch'd, Shellder, Gastly,
Krabby, Voltorb, Exeggcute, Cubone, Koffing, Horsea, Goldeen, Magikarp, Ditto,
Eevee, Omanyte, Kabuto, and Dratini
You can already eliminate some of the Pokemon such as Weedle, Magikarp and Zubat
leaving a lot less. Like Pika Cup, there's a few Pokemon that dominate
everything.
Level 30 Abra - Psychic, Seismic Toss, Reflect, Thunder Wave
Level 30/25 Farfetch'd - Swords Dance, Body Slam, Fly, Reflect
Level 30/25 Omanyte - Surf, Blizzard, Body Slam, Reflect/Ice Beam
Level 25 Growlithe - Fire Blast, Dragon Rage, Body Slam, Reflect/Dig
Level 25 Sandshrew - Earthquake, Rock Slide, Body Slam/Slash, Swords Dance
1 of
Level 25 Magnemite - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Reflect, Thunder/Swift
Level 25 Dratini - Dragon Rage, Blizzard/Ice Beam/Surf, Thunderbolt,
Thunder Wave/Wrap
One of the fastest Pokemon and having the highest Special, Abra destroys just
about everything that isn't Exeggcute, another Abra, and not much else. Use Abra
and you're good to go. Farfetch'd is there as a Physical sweeper, and Omanyte is
another Special sweeper. The reason why Omanyte is even a choice is that a
common Pokemon in Petit Cup, Dratini, is only weak to Ice. Since there's no Ice
Pokemon, you have to use Omanyte to beat it in one hit. Besides that, Omanyte is
just another Special sweeper. Either Farfetch'd or Omanyte at Level 30 will do,
but with Abra, you won't use either one much. Growlithe works like Arcanine in
Pika Cup, and Sandshrew is your Physical sweeper, having Swords Dance, high
Attack, and a mix of Physical moves. Geodude is an alternative. Your final
Pokemon is either Magnemite as another Special sweeper and anti-Water, or
Dratini for additonal Dragon Rage and a mix of Special moves. Don't put much
thought into it. Use Abra and you'll be fine.
Final Battle
This is one of the most pathetic matches you'll have in the game. You can use
anything you want, any Level, and all 6 in the battle. The final battle is
against Mewtwo, and nothing else.
R1 Mewtwo - Blizzard, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Rest
R2 Mewtwo - Amnesia, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Rest
Round 2 actually has a decent moveset and it also has perfect stats (which would
have been nice to see in the rest of the game). It's still incredibly easy.
Team 1 - 3 Turn win
Electrode - Explosion, 3 filler moves
Snorlax - Self-destruct, Body Slam, 2 filler moves
(At least one additional Pokemon)
Explode with Electrode and Self-Destruct with Snorlax. This is impossible to
lose (assuming your stats are at least decent). Electrode outspeeds Mewtwo and
even 999 Special and Psychic is short 24 damage of beating Snorlax, much less
Psychic with Amnesia. The only possible way to lose is if Mewtwo uses
Thunderbolt and Paralyzes Snorlax and is fully Paralyzed long enough, or
Blizzard Freezes, but since the AI isn't great, Mewtwo will be too busy using
Psychic or Amnesia.
Team 2 - Gambling
Dragonite - Thunder Wave, Horn Drill, 2 filler moves
Tauros - Horn Drill, Fissure, Body Slam, filler move
Rapidash - Horn Drill, Agility, Body Slam, filler move
Seaking - Horn Drill, Agility, 2 filler moves
Dugtrio - Fissure, Body Slam, 2 filler moves
Nidoqueen - Horn Drill, Fissure, Body Slam, filler move
Paralyze and go for a OHKO. With 6 Pokemon, you should be able to get 1 in
eventually, unless you end up having terrible luck. If so, try again.
Team 3 - Stalling
Chansey - Thunder Wave, Light Screen, Softboiled, Thunderbolt
Alakazam - Thunder Wave, Psychic, Recover, Seismic Toss
Exeggutor - Stun Spore, Mega Drain, Rest, Psychic
Hypno - Thunder Wave, Psychic, Seismic Toss, Rest
Slowbro - Thunder Wave, Amnesia, Surf, Rest
Gengar - Seismic Toss/Night Shade, 3 filler moves
Stall and drain PP, and then switch to Gengar when Mewtwo has to use Struggle.
Easy to use. Also if you don't mind Double Team/Minimize, throw those in there.
Okay, so you get the point. The final battle is really easy, and almost
anti-climactic. You can also try for a Freeze, beating it with Physical sweepers
and many other options. What a let-down.
Now that you know how to beat everything, you can make secondary teams, and go
back to RBY. If you have friends to play in multiplayer with you, it can create
some new battling strategies and aspects, but if you don't, move on. The
trainers in the game are easy and only support all the kids that believe 4-move
sweepers are the best Pokemon.
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9) Pokemon Stadium
d) Beyond Battling
********************************************************************************
So the battling part of this wasn't very difficult. Pokemon Stadium still offers
some useful tools and has a few bonuses as well.
Surfing Pikachu
To get Surfing Pikachu (and also Raichu with Surf), you have to finish Round 2's
Prime Cup on Master Ball with a few specifications.
-You must use Pikachu in every battle
-You may use continues, so long as you finish the cup
Even with the games poor trainers, this is still tough to get done. Chances are
you'll want to use Mewtwo and Mew each round, and possibly Alakazam. Here's what
you'll want.
Mewtwo - Amnesia, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Recover
Mew - Blizzard/Ice Beam, Earthquake/Body Slam, Swords Dance, Softboiled
Pikachu (low Level) - Any 4 moves
Mew is highly modified, but needed to cover what Mewtwo can't. Mewtwo will get
stalled on Exeggutor, and have trouble with Gambler (a OHKO junkie). Mew can
beat the Grounds easier than Mewtwo can, and can also cover Exeggutor. The rest
of Mew's moves are almost entirely for Trainer 6's Alakazam. Mew is still
useable for the rest of the cup, but not as much as usual. It doesn't matter
though since Mewtwo will take care of just about everything. Pikachu can also
make a surprise appearance if Trainer 5's Ditto is used. You definitely do not
want Ditto becoming Mew or Mewtwo, so sacrifice Pikachu if it appears.
Alternatively, you could have a more standard Mew and use one of your other
three Pokemon against Gambler. Realistically though, Mewtwo should have little
to no problems taking care of everything itself.
Amnesia Psyduck
This one is extremely time-consuming. The Hall of Fame keeps track of your
Pokemon that were on your team when you completed Gym Leader Castle or finished
any of the four cups. To get Amnesia Psyduck, you need to get all 151 in there.
Mewtwo you will have to get on your own, but the other 150 are all available as
rentals (Mew is unlocked for Round 2 of Prime Cup). The quickest method of doing
this is pummeling the Elite Four over and over again, but even if you used six
different Pokemon each time, you have to finish it 26 times. Chances are, you
will use at least 2 of the same ones (likely Mewtwo), so that raises it even
more. All this for Amnesia Golduck, which is just a bad Slowbro. Definitely not
worth your time, but if you feel that you have to complete everything, you
better get a really nice Mewtwo. Better yet, get a Gameboy Gameshark.
Prize Pokemon
Everytime you finish the Elite Four, you receive one of the 8 Pokemon that are
"choice Pokemon" in RBY. These are Eevee, Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur,
Kabuto, Omanyte, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. It's nice if you need to complete
your Pokedex, but all of them aren't great Pokemon, minding Jolteon, but chances
are you evolved Eevee into Jolteon anyway.
Gameboy Tower
If you have a Transfer Pack (which you should if you bought this game), you can
play RBY on Pokemon Stadium. Instead of draining batteries, you can jack up the
bills. It is nice though if you decided to buy one or more of RBY and don't
actually have a Gameboy (which is hilarious).
Dodrio Tower
Finally, something awesome. When you finish the Master Ball difficulty for
either Prime or Poke Cup, you unlock Doduo Tower which allows you to play RBY on
Pokemon Stadium at twice the speed. After finishing both, you can play at triple
speed, with Dodrio Tower. This is very useful for mass catching, training, and
just about anything.
Pokemon Lab
This actually offers lots of nice little things. The first being that you can
deposit up to 12 boxs worth of Pokemon in the N64 boxes, almost doubling the
amount of Pokemon you can keep. You can also trade Pokemon if you have a second
transfer pack (although it's much quicker just to deposit to N64 boxes and then
withdraw them). One of the more useful features is the list of Pokemon you can
view. You can see stats, moves, identification and other info for each of your
Pokemon in a big list. This is very helpful when you're catching 100s of the
same Pokemon to check the stats really quickly, instead of manually checking
each individual one.
Mini-games
Well, if you like the games this can be fun. It really has nothing to do with
competitive battling though. Personally, I would just buy one of the seventy
Mario Party games.
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10) Guide Questions
********************************************************************************
Should Magneton never be used since this guide said it’s bad?
Not necessarily as all Pokemon are good in their own way, but some Pokemon are
better in more ways than others. The best overall Pokemon are offensive, tough
to KO and have a wide range of moves. This doesn’t mean they’re perfect, as they
all have flaws (except Mewtwo and Mew which are both nearly perfect). The
Pokemon are good, but lack a few things. Anything that didn’t make the list have
a lot of problems, but that doesn’t mean they’re useless. Magneton has very high
Special and can do tons of damage with Thunderbolt, and has the highest Defense
for an Electric. However, since it has poor Speed, HP, Attack and a bad
movepool, it doesn’t work too well in battle.
This guide said Rhydon is good, but it always faints, what’s wrong?
All Pokemon have flaws and if the opponent can exploit them, even the best
Pokemon will get knocked out quickly. It’s just as easy to KO a Rhydon as it is
for Charizard to Physical sweep everything. Rhydon is a great Pokemon, but if
you use it on Waters, you’re done. Rhydon’s role is to get rid of Electrics, low
Defense Pokemon and to resist Physical Normals.
I can't use Starmie because the opponent just uses Chansey! What should I do?
Pressure and prediction are key in the game. Chansey is a common Pokemon, and
is almost on every team, so you have to expect it. Since Starmie can't beat
Chansey, you have to KO it first. After any Sleepers, the best Pokemon
following that are difficult Pokemon to counter. If you use Zapdos right away,
you're only asking your opponent to use Golem, or if you lead with Sandslash,
Lapras is probably going to come out next. Use Alakazam, Chansey and Tauros
early on, and not Pokemon like Starmie.
I'm using OU/Standard Pokemon, but I still can't win! Why?
Chances are that you're just slapping together a team and not doing some
thinking. Remember that you need to know what each Pokemon is good for and when
to use them in battle. If you're doing that, then you're just having bad luck.
Remember that luck plays a good part of RBY, whether it be Critical Hits, the
damage range, effects from attacks working, and all sorts of other things.
I still think Magmar is great and I don't care what you say!
There isn't really an opinion on the matter. Pokemon is a turn-based game, and
not dynamic such as a First Person Shooter game, or one of the Smash Bros games.
There simply are facts and this guide explains and point out these facts. Magmar
cannot effectively defeat opponents due to a lack of offensive stats. Magmar
can't consistantly beat an Alakazam for example. It's not an opinion that Magmar
is bad, Magmar IS bad. Of course, if you're discussing specific teams and the
possiblities, opinions may differ, such as Snorlax being a great Physical
sweeper, but that's situational for the most part. If you're playing against
good players, Magmar will rarely serve you well. If you start winning due to
Confuse Ray, that's just ridiculous luck and also means you could have done even
better if you used Ninetales.
What ranks are all the Pokemon?
Since Pokemon all have different uses and strategies, and you won't always face
the same teams, it's difficult to accurately rank Pokemon. Mewtwo and Mew are
definitely first and second, and following that are Exeggutor, Chansey, Alakazam
and Tauros in some order. After that it gets opinionated and situational, and
the exact order of Starmie, Zapdos, Snorlax, Dragonite (with Wrapping allowed)
and Gengar gets difficult. However, people have created tiers, which are groups
of ranks. Mewtwo and Mew are Uber/Banned, the main 13 Pokemon are OverUsed (OU),
or Standard, and following those is the Borderline tier, the UnderUsed (UU)
tier, and beyond, depending on how much effort a player put into it.
Can Pokemon that aren't fully evolved be good?
Well, if they're not fully evolved, that means they aren't at their full
potential. However, in UU matches, Graveler, Kadabra and Haunter aren't too rare
since they're still good, have the same moves as their evolved forms, and are
allowed to play with that ruleset. Otherwise, there is no reason to play with
Pokemon that aren't fully evolved.
What are some battling tips?
Along with general knowledge, there are some small things you can do to make
playing easier. Firstly, never rush into selecting a move. You aren't in a
hurry, and you can take your time, so think about all the options and what your
opponent will do. One of the most underrated things I've learned is timing. If
you wait a few seconds before selecting a move, your opponent may think you're
switching or planning, and may alter what they do themselves. Too many times,
I've predicted a switch, simply because for that turn, they took a little extra
time deciding on a move. If you always wait though, your opponent can't read you
like that. Lastly, even though it's a bit overdoing it, I always have a
calulator nearby (or at least the one on my computer) to calculate damage as I
go. With that, I can estimate how likely I am to KO the opponent, and such. The
damage amounts in the analysis can help, but most people only have a rough
memorization of them, not to mention those are all for 100% healthy Pokemon.
What's your team?
Generally, I change my team every now and then, and modify it depending on who I
am facing. I have a few teams, but this is my main one.
Jynx - Lovely Kiss, Body Slam, Blizzard, Counter
Alakazam - Thunder Wave, Psychic, Reflect, Recover
Chansey - Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Softboiled
Tauros - Body Slam, Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Blizzard
Exeggutor - Sleep Powder, Psychic, Mega Drain, Explosion
Golem - Earthquake, Rock Slide, Substitute, Explosion
Of course it has its flaws like any other team, but it works well for me and is
pretty close to perfect balance as you can get. It has two Sleepers, Physical
power through Explosions and Tauros and stallers. My method of playing is
starting with Jynx and seeing how the intro begins. If Jynx is healthy and well,
I may go for a Freeze or Counter a Body Slam from Tauros. Alternatively, I can
use Chansey as bait for a Thunder Wave (beginning a Freeze war). I begin
spreading Paralysis between Alakazam and Chansey and then after one of them
faints (often Chansey), I start to attack back. Exeggutor is my backup Sleeper
for the most part, and used for Explosion if I can't get rid of a Chansey.
Ultimately, the main weakness with the team is Water Pokemon, such as Slowbro
and Lapras, but I try to keep Chansey around longer if I see them. I also like
to hide Golem since it can be a surprise Exploder and puts pressure on the
opponent. I also like to see if I can lure Zapdos out and then pressure the
opponent with Golem. Again with Waters, Exeggutor's Mega Drain helps balance
that out, and I dislike the risk of two 75% accurate moves, especially since
Alakazam and Chansey do all the Paralyzing anyway. For the most part, my
playstyle is consistency. I dislike using Gengar since I can't really rely on
Hypnosis, and I also dislike using Starmie since Ican't quite fit all the moves
I want and end up annoying myself when I realize I should have had a different
move on Starmie (usually Surf or the move Surf replaced). One of the things
about my team is that almost every Pokemon can handle anything that comes out. I
don't like being forced or even pressured into switching, and instead I try to
manipulate my opponent by doing it myself. If I used Starmie, I would be forced
to switch when I see Chansey and if I used Zapdos, I would be forced to switch
if I saw Rhydon. Although Golem is like that, the way I play usually keeps Golem
from any dangerous Waters and Exeggutor.
This isn't to say that my team, preferences and/or playstyle are superior, it's
just my way and view on the game. Players using Snorlax, Slowbro and Gengar may
have a different perspective on playing, yet my losses are often to these types
of players.
What other generations do you play?
I played Pokemon Stadium 2 and the GSC games for Gameboy, but I've never even
touched the other generations. I just lost interest in where Nintendo was taking
Pokemon after GSC and just stuck with RBY, which were made before all the
marketing and franchise existed. In a battling perspective, I'm a mediocre
player in GSC due to coming from Pokemon Stadium 2 (where I used a Sunny Day
team) and only copying common movesets for online battles. I've always liked
RBY because of the simplicity and the zany luck in it. I also don't know nearly
as much about GSC than RBY, and I don't even know what all the Pokemon in RSE
and beyond are.
Who are you?
You're reading a huge guide that's been worked on for ages now, but it's by some
guy that nobody's ever heard of. Not a big name such as Jolt, GGfan or Smogon,
and not even much of a small name either, I'm simply just another player. I
wanted to write a guide about advanced battling in RBY since there never was one
besides RJones' Strategy Guide (which is a bit outdated and also not as in-depth
now). His guide goes over both RBY and GSC generations though, and covers a lot
more. I chose to cover only the RBY generation, but with extensive information
on it.
Basically I'm some guy that goes by "t3h Icy" online that you may have briefly
seen on a few sites (not to be confused with another Ice, a big name at Smogon
University; I'm someone else). I'm somewhat known on Netbattle for being a good
RBY player.
But, since the last few updates, I am somewhat recognizable and known now. Still
not a big name, but players do know who I am now. Thanks. =)
Why should I take your word for becoming a better player?
I believe that I know all there is to RBY. I've been playing RBY since Yellow
came out, and got Pokemon Stadium when it came out as well. It's been about a
decade and I've learned tons over this time. Of course the first few years were
all using 4 move sweepers, neglecting anything Physical, and other common traits
of impulsive kids, but I eventually learned about competitive battling. I made
my first RBY guide, although never released it. It was really poor, since it was
from the perspective of someone who never even played competitively and highly
recommended Toxic on almost everything. Once I learned more, I did lots of
reading and my own little experiments. I made another RBY guide, but it was
still lacking, since I was just a "paper player", never actually having a
quality match. So eventually I played NetBattle and finally became a good
player. I am one of the better RBY players, but there are still players above
me. So I started working on the guide again, added formulas, tricks and tips,
and various other parts to help any new player. I know a lot and have read
popular analysis' such as THE Alternative's, and Smogon's. With those and my own
tinkering, I made this guide.
This guide was stale. Could you freshen it up and give it some life?
Well, that can be hard to do. When it comes to a colassol guide, there's only so
many words you can use and things you can cover. It does get boring. However, if
you have interest in becoming a better player, chances are you looked more at
how useful the information was and learned a few techniques. The audience that
would want this guide the most are also the ones that will be the most
entertained. If you found this guide boring, then competitive battling is
probably not something you'd like in the first place. I put a bit of humor and
such in this guide, keeping it rated E, like the game. If you want some laughs
with quality information as well, read GGFan's analysis', or RJones' Strategy
Guide.
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11) Outro
a) Legal Stuff
********************************************************************************
Copyright 2008-present t3h Icy
You know the drill, don't steal my stuff.
Websites allowed to have this FAQ on their site are Gamefaqs and Gamespot.
********************************************************************************
11) Outro
b) Outro and Credits
********************************************************************************
So, hopefully you’ve gotten better at RBY, or at least got a little bit of
practice with math. If you want to play online, check out NetBattle, which has a
full Pokedex, online community, tons of cool features, RBY, GSC, RSE and DPP
series and more. You instantly create teams just punching in what you want and
you’re ready to battle people. There's also many popular sites, dedicated to
competitive battling in Pokemon, such as Smogon and the Pokemon Netbattle
website. RBY competition has died over the years, but there are still people
playing, and there are pro players for the generations after RBY. This entire
guide is dedicated to just RBY. GSC, RSE and the following ones are only getting
bigger and with a lot more metagaming. If you enjoyed what this guide and what
competitive battling in RBY has to offer, you should check out the future
generations for not only brand new metagaming and strategies, but they're all
much larger than RBY, extending the amount of battling styles and number of
effective Pokemon in battle. For the players that like things more simplistic
and more luck based (which can be funner), RBY is the generation of choice.
Credits
Me - For typing all of this.
My mom - For buying Yellow, Stadium and Silver for me when they came out.
You - For reading this.
Nintendo and Game Freak - For Pokemon, despite dumbing it down for kids.
RJones - For a huge strategy guide for both RBY and GSC.
Smogon, THE Alternative and other sites - For great Pokemon analysis' and tips.
cJayc/Gamefaqs - For many useful FAQs and hosting this FAQ.
Samthedigital (aka Sticky Topic), Nerd, and many other players for discussion
about the game.
Thanks for reading.
Pokemon RBY FAQ created by t3h Icy
Version 1.10, Last Updated September 7th, 2009
