Know Your Pokemon

[Lorshinator]

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#450: Hippowdon

Type: Ground

Ability: Sand Stream / Sand Force (Dream World)

Base stats: 108/112/118/68/74/47

Difficulty: Intermediate

Hello desert hippo! Hippowdon is famous in gen 4 and onwards for being the second sandstorm inducer! That means that Hippowdon was a very common pokemon due to it's hefty bulk, strength, some interesting moves and above all, sand stream, making it a viable option for any weather team. In gen 5, however, it's lost it's status as an OU and now is treading the path of UU, unfortunately.

What? Why? Well, let's start of with it's strengths. First and foremost, look at it's physical stats. Pretty nice eh? This thing is probably, in Gen 5, amongst the bulkiest pokemon in all of UU with it's high HP and defence, making it bulkier than Donphan, the most common UU. Hippowdon's goodiness doesn't stop there, since it has an impressive base attack of 112, allowing it to hit things it doesn't like very well. It's ground typing is excellent and doesn't have too many weaknesses either. With it's ability, sand stream, it induces a semi-permanent sandstorm. This is the primary reason for using it. Being a great inducer of weather, sending it out will support your entire team, if need be. Unlike the underestimated DW Politoed, however, Hippowdon can still serve well after summoning weather. It hits hard, can set up stealth rocks, be a great phazer with roar/whirlwind, and my personal favourite, immediate recovery with slack off! I also would prefer Sand Stream over Sand force, since Hippowdon requires a sandstorm to make use of it, unless you have a Tyranitar in tow or something. Hippowdon is used primarily as a phazer or defensive instead of a utility/offensive such as Donphan. If you need a physical UU pokemon that can take hits very well and hit back well physically or need a pokemon with sandstream, here you go!

But like all pokemon, it's far from perfect. In OU, which is trolled by many physical attackers in the past, Hippowdon's entrance to UU brings many, and I mean many, special attackers. This is his sore spot, as Hippwdon has a bit of trouble dealing with special attackers. Many of them can easily come in and shy Hippowdon away, since unlike Tyranitar, he does not get a special defence boost from weather. Also, poisoning him can easily cause him to perish over time, and if taunted, he cannot phaze at all. Hippowdon is very scared of any water type special attacker faster than it or able to take a hit. Empoleon may be weak to ground, but if timed right, can jump right in and destroy it. Grass pokemon scare it a lot too, such as Venusaur, Lilligant, Whimsicott, the list could go on. Also, many electric pokemon can take a huge chunk of his HP with a super effective hidden power. It's also tremendously slow, and this can be a problem. If he tries using rocks, DW Xaut/Espeon can come in and wall him very well, unless he has crunch or stone edge. Pretty much any nameable special attacking water, grass, or ice type cause him to flee in terror. As mentioned earlier, toxic and burns really cripple Hippowdon without a cleric. However, despite this, Hippowdon is a fearsome new addition to UU and caution should be taken when you see one, for this sand hippopotamus can cause a lot of problems for any team, and serve well on your team, regardless if you need the weather or not.

Notable moves: Stealth rock, Earthquake, Crunch, Ice fang, fire fang, Rock Slide, Stone Edge, yawn, Curse, Slack off, Toxic, roar, whirlwind, Revenge, Super Power, Stockpile,

Useful Items: Leftovers, rocky helmet, sitrus berry, lum berry, ground gem,

Counters: Empoleon, Slowbro, Vaporeon, Milotic, Roserade, Sceptile, Jellicent, Blastoise, Ferrothorn, Starmie, Quagsire, Torterra, Whimsicott, Lilligant

[Lorshinator]

I swear, this is the last one I'm going to do, whether anybody likes it or not. Truth be told, I really like this kind of thing so that's why I add so much to it. But, until everyone gets up and going with it themselves, I'm not going to add until then. I feel like I'm scavenging everything. But since I love Rampardos (see Avatar and sig) here it is.

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#409: Rampardos

Type: Rock

Ability: Mold Breaker/ Sheer Force (Dream World)

Base stats: 97/165/60/65/50/58

Difficulty: Advanced

When fourth gen was on the horizon and pokemon were leaked, initially Rampardos was widely feared. These were the days were Rhyperior's 140 attack was considered way too high, and perhaps when Machamp was still considered "good". But like many fourth gen Pokemon, including Rhyperior, Porygon-Z and so on people were soon to find out that Rampardos was an over hyped pokemon, having a massive attack stat, movepool, and abilities to pull it off, but it's dire speed and fragility got the better of it. In Gen 5, it is outclassed by pokemon such as Haxorus for having better bulk (relatively) and speed, so Rampardos bit the dust, unfortunately. Rampardos can still pull of being a physical sweeper, but it is hard to do.

Rampardos is an awesome pokemon. If you pull it to it's strengths, you better watch out. Even if Rampardos could potentially die from a STAB mud slap, it's massive attack stat of 165 is nothing to scoff off. Even if it hits you once, it'll dish out plenty of damage. This is what Rampardos is well known for... Being a battering ram. It's got a great ability too. That Bronzong got levitate? BAM! That pokemon has sturdy? Bye! Multiscale? I don't even need to go on. Mold breaker is an awesome ability, and whether you admit it or not, makes switching into Rampardos tricky. On top of that, it's got a great movepool. Stone Edge or Rock Slide give it horrifying coverage already, and Earthquake is going to hurt those steels who try to switch in or potentially attack. On top of that, Zen Headbutt allows it to hit fighting types such as Machamp who switch in or, if you're lucky, destroy it, as well as coverage on poisons (I guess). It can learn Fire and Thunder Punch, although the former is more useful considering that it hits steels and grassers pretty hard. Counters such as Ferrothorn are no longer reliable if you have Fire Punch, for instance. Although not as reliable as it is for Honchkrow, Pursuit is there as well for fleeing foes. Crunch hits psychic users hard, as well as ghosts that may be able to counter the dinosaur. You can use Brick Break to get rid of light screens and to hit dark types/steels. Some dragon types can get annoying too, so Outrage! Indeed, it's hitting power is amazing. But wait, it's frail, and it's speed is terrible for sweeper standards! Well, there's a tricky to use but effective remedy in the form of Rock Polish. Invest fully in speed, and with Adamant nature, one use will make his speed jump up to 430! Problem solved... Almost. If you want more speed to outrun scarfers, have jolly to reach 472. Rampardos also serves well in trick room, where it could use Swords Dance, although... It's Rampardos. Oh, and it's once signature move, Head Smash, is brutal if it hits, but it'll take down Rampardos too, so if you don't mind going suicidal, well, the strongest head smash user in front of you. It's got Curse, but due to that horrid special defence, well, good luck living. It has sheer force as it's dream world ability, which sounds nice at first. However, you lose out on great coverage with the elemental punches, crunch, and so on, so it's not even worth it in the long run. However, if you really want Stone Edge to hit ludicrously hard and you want Zen Headbutt to demolish everything, well, be my guest.

There's still a really good reason why incredibly frail pokemon such as Weavile, Durant and Alakazam still see usage. Unlike Rampardos, these three may be ridiculously frail but at least have a type that allows resistance to others and switching opportunities, and have really high speed. Yes, Rampardos may have Rock Polish to boost it's already bad speed to Accelgor levels, but there are some detriments. On top of losing on coverage, it takes a turn to use. This is a lot harder than it sounds. Since Rampardos is so fragile even despite of it's base 97 HP, anything super effective can take it out with ease. Rampardos has a very hard time switching in thanks to it's bad defensive typing, and priority, the main killer here, will just eat up the poor dino, as it is only normally effected by ice shard and sucker punch, whereas all other forms of priority will just destroy it. As a result, name any fighting type with priority, and Rampardos won't even get to use Zen Headbutt. Also, due to it's bad defenses, most people will just try to take it out before it can attack twice. Bulky waters such as Alomomola and Slowbro provide excellent checks, but should watch out for a random thunder punch and Crunch. As said earlier, priority users shy Rampardos away easily. Keep in mind that if Rampardos doesn't take out it's target,it's very, very likely it'll get taken down the same turn. However, Rampardos is the second strongest pokemon in the game legitimately, it's ability is amazing, it has a versatile movepool, and it's type is amazing offensively. If you want a specialized power house, well, Rampardos may want to be your battering ram.

Notable Moves: Head Smash, Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Crunch, Pursuit, Zen Headbutt, Outrage, Rock Polish, Swords Dance, Super Power, Brick Break, Endeavor

Useful Items: Life Orb, Focus Sash, Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Lum Berry

Counters: Slowbro, Alomomola, Skarmory, Heracross, Hitmontop, Conkeldurr, Torterra, Lucario, Infernape, Scizor, Metagross, Blastoise

[Lorshinator]

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#197

Umbreon

Type: Dark

Ability: Synchronize / Inner Focus (Dream World)

Base stats: 95/65/110/60/130/65

Difficulty: Hard

Ah, Umbreon, one of the most annoying Pokemon you could ever meet. Ever. Well, back in the golden days, Umbreon was probably one of the greatest walls around, boasted thick-as-a-brick defences with a great support movepool, Umbreon was where it was at. It's use has somewhat deteriorated from it's golden place back in previous generations, but it still maintains to be a great ideal team support and wall in the lower tiers. Are you in need of something with good bulk? Are you in need of something to revitalize your team's health, or something to be a bulky baton passer? Umbreon might be able to fit somewhere in those lines...

Umbreon's unique from a majority of the other eeveelutions as being primarily defensive, preferring to pester her foes with status and the like. Umbreon's primary selling point is it's support movepool boasting moonlight for a reliable recovery, wish for her team, heal bell, baton pass, curse, and roar, just to name a few. Umbreon, in my obviously non-smogon unprofessional opinion, is best as a team support, not necessarily a stall. Wish support and heal bell is perhaps the most practical set, as Umbreon can heal her entire team from status and heal Pokemon otherwise incapable of healing themselves. Umbreon can also use toxic to badly poison her foes, and payback is a reliable option for an attack, although you mustn't expect it to deal intense damage. Umbreon's type, despite her fear of fighting types, is pretty good defensively, as it stops psychics and is a good aid for her fighting friends. Ghosts may find it difficult to get past her without the proper movepool, and if anything sets up on them a good roar will send them scurrying. Her fantastic bulk distribution allows her to either specialize in one category of defence, or mix and match the two, making her rather sturdy. Umbreon can halt Sigilyph's typical cosmic power set, being one of the few to actually do so. Her Dream World ability, Inner Focus, isn't all that bad, as she is rather slow and some flinches can ruin her performance, although I personally would rather her getting Pressure instead.

Umbreon isn't all sugar and spice though. Like many support Pokemon of her kind, steel types completely incapacitate her, preventing her from doing anything. Toxic is the only real damage she will inflict on her foes, as the rest is usually team support (although a curse set could eventually hurt). Also, taunting Umbreon can completely shut her down, preventing her status moves from being used. Umbreon is fairly predictable once you are aware of the type of set, which is more often than not going to be wish support. Dealing with Umbreon can be a nuisance, but ultimately it grinds down to using a fighting, bug, or steel type. Name any fighting type with high attack, it'll get the job done. Our amazing little ant friend Durant completely ignores Toxic, and can easily set up on the poor creature (as can Scizor and Heracross). Bringing in any steel type, regardless if it's strong offensively or not, will stop her in her tracks.

Notable Moves: Toxic, Wish, Heal Bell, Roar, Mean Look, Baton Pass, Moonlight, Curse,Yawn, Taunt, Payback, Protect

Useful Items: Leftovers, Lum Berry

Counters: Durant, Scizor, Scrafty, Houndoom, Conkeldurr, Ferrothorn, Forretress, Registeel, Toxicroak

[Lorshinator]

Yet another post. I want to call Emboar though.

#500

Type: Fire/Fighting

Ability: Blaze / Reckless

Base stats: 110/123/65/100/65/65

Difficulty: Advanced

When Tepig arrived and it was speculated that it was going to be a defensive fire type, there was an eruption of joy. Finally, a fire type that stood out from the bunch, some hoped, and the likelihood (or what was once thought) of there being a new fire combination would have been truly marvelous. However, when a webmaster found images of the new starters, many were enraged by the sight of Tepig's evolve forms. It seemed apparent that it was another fire/fighting. Some still clung to their false hope, and eventually the message was delivered: Tepig's family is another fire/fighting type. Not only that, but it is not specifically defensive, as it's a slower (yet in some ways more powerful) version of the past starters. People began abandoning Tepig, and the starter was alone. One day, however, one man picked up the chubby piglet, and found reason to pair up with Emboar...

Alright alright, enough history lessons. However, Emboar was loathed for it being another fire/fighting and still is. Not only that, but it's stats are strange. It suggests that it's bulky and hard hitting, but it's defences are quite low. It also suggests it could go mixed, but it's attack is much higher and has a better movepool to boot. It can learn Scald and Wild Charge, although the former sees much less use. Why would you still want to use Emboar? Actually, Emboar just needs a helping hand, and if given rock-solid support, Emboar can become a saving grace.

Emboar's a little different from the other fire/fighting brothers. He's slow but hits hard, and has some HP to boot. To his credit, Emboar is in some ways more versatile in possible sets than the other two, as he can be bulky with bulk up or he can be a special attacker or a mixed or a flame charge user. Emboar also has the highest attack of all the starters, too, which is neat. Emboar's speed is also not bad for something of it's type, since most bulky fighting types are unfortunately sluggish. Now, for the most obvious set, Emboar can use bulk up to bolster his defences, and increase his already hulking attack. Make sure you invest fully into HP and some defences so that he can take hits. If you actually managed to pull some off, Emboar can become pretty durable, and with STAB Flare Blitz/Super Power, he can become a monster on the battlefield. Wild Charge can be used against those pesky waters, but beware of Suicune, that thing can still stop Emboar flat. If you don't like the stat drops for Super Power, there's also Hammer Arm and Brick Break. Stone Edge is also pretty nifty, but there's also Head Smash, if you want to go kamikaze. He can also use Flame Charge, which is more commonplace, to become a ninja pig, and with life orb, he can hit hard. His D/W ability, Reckless, is pretty dang good actually, as he has quite a few recoil moves. Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, Head Smash, and filler make him quite easy to take out, but if he hits you, it'll hurt. Emboar is also a viable option for Trick Room, and for some reason has curse, if you ever felt like using him in Double Battle Trick room combinations. Unlike most fighters, Emboar cannot be burned because of his fire typing. He also has quite a few resistances as well.

Emboar's not all sugar and spice, and that's why it's not even in UU. Emboar's lackluster defences for something with that HP really don't do it justice, and it's movepool is rather awkward. Pig that sets it's fists on fire with it's beard can't learn fire punch, so if you don't want recoil, too bad. His signature move, Heat Crash, sounds cool, but it's actually pretty pointless in reality. Due to the abundance of water/rock/ghost types in many of the lower tiers, Emboar can find himself struggling to keep the pace. Emboar doesn't usually last too long, and sometimes he'll finish himself off before the foe even uses two attacks against him. Emboar also has no drain punch which infuriates me, and so, if you use bulkier sets meant for walling, be sure to include a wish passer. Emboar's main flaws include his low defences (with high HP), slow speed, and his common weaknesses. Countering Emboar isn't too hard, as water types are usually the first option. Suicune I find is the number one counter, because a physically defensive Suicune can still take a hit from a +1 Bulk Up Wild Charge and still be in good condition. If there's a sandstorm about, Rhyperior can take a hit from grass knot, and even if that's not in the list, Rhyperior's ridiculous physical defence can save it easily. Donphan is another option, and can retaliate with Earthquake, and sturdy will save him as well. Ghost types, especially Jellicent, completely wall him minus Wild Charge. Swampert can easily sustain hits, but must beware of Grass Knot. Quagsire with unaware can take hits all day pretty much, but again, grass knot must be avoided at all costs. Emboar isn't all bad either, he just has some pretty neat perks and some pretty unfortunate drawbacks, but if given support, which is the primary thing you must look out for, Emboar can become quite a monster indeed.

Notable Moves: Flare Blitz, Head Smash, Superpower, Hammer Arm, Brick Break, Wild Charge, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Head Smash, Grass Knot, Earthquake, Bulldoze, Bulk Up, Curse, Flame Charge, Scald

Useful Items: Leftovers, Quick Claw, Life Orb, Lum Berry, Focus Sash

Counters: Suicune, Donphan, Swampert, Rhyperior, Jellicent, Quagsire, Gliscor, Landorus, Rotom-W, Blastoise

[Lorshinator]

#563 Cofagrigus

Type: Ghost

Ability: Mummy

Base stats: 58/50/145/95/105/30

Difficulty: Hard

Cofagrigus is an atrocious name. It's just terrible, and I think you know why. As a result, I will refer to it as "coffy" (pronounced like coffee, but refers to Coffin) throughout this entry. Coffy is an awesome pokemon. Isn't it interesting that this is actually was a human being in the past? (Read Yamask's entries).This guy is scary stuff, mate. Moving on, this guy is known to be a solid counter to many dangerous threats like Throh and Heracross. It is also unique in that it has a useable special attack and has a nifty special movepool, which it can use for offensive sets. This ghoul, however, is most popular to be used as a stall.

Coffy is outright dangerous. Don't let it's abysmal health worry you, that staggering physical defence of 145 is no joke. It's body is made of gold for crying out loud! It's also got some special defence to back it up. Aside from this, it seems like just an ordinary wall, but there's one thing that it has that makes it stand out, and that is it's ability, Mummy. This ability is like a virus, and when Coffy is hit by a contact move, the user will receive this ability as well in exchange for the previous one. To illustrate, having Coffy hit by a Pokemon with guts turns them from a formidable physical attacker to something down right pathetic, and completely shuts them down in an instant. Like most ghosts, Coffy is fitted with some dangerous sabotage moves, such as the classic Will-o-wisp and Toxic, to haze, which can further weaken foes and can sometimes prompt switching, disable. It can also learn mean look, although it's speed is so low that it may work against you. Aside from the obvious moves that inflict status, Coffy is equipped with some neat offensive moves, such as Shadow Ball, Energy Ball, Calm Mind, Trick Room and even Nasty plot. Coffy is infamous for being the soul counter to a lot of threats, particularly fighting and bug types. If you use this zombie to your advantage, he'll reward you greatly.

Despite the obvious fact that Coffy is an awesome Pokemon aesthetically and competitively, that's not to say it doesn't have drawbacks. It's most obvious problem are related to health. First, it's health rating is incredibly low even with investment, and two (which is the big killer) is that it lacks reliable recovery. As a result, although it can resist plenty of damage, it cannot sustain some for too long. It's only method of healing itself is through rest, which is unreliable. Wish support is strongly recommended. Coffy can use some moves to increase it's attack prowess, but unfortunately it does not have amazing coverage. In order to hit steels who would be a big problem, the strongest attack he has is hidden power fighting. Coffy's biggest counters, though, are dark and fire types. Dark types resist his STAB and can pose a problem, particularly special attackers. Fire types resist will-o-wisp, and usually pose a threat with their powerful stab attacks (flare blitz and fire blast). Houndoom stands out as one of the most prominent counters due to it's dark/fire typing and powerful special attack. It can set up on this zombie as well with nasty plot, and can seriously wreak havoc. (Although, there's an odd chance that Coffy could use disable on his stabs if it miraculously survives both dark pulse and fire move). Chandelure can be a potent threat, but if invested in sp. def, the coffin could endure at least one attack unless it is equipped with life orb. Fire types of all shapes and sizes can be a nuisance to this guy, particularly special attackers, although physical users can also be a potent threat. Other walls can seriously pester this guy, like Blissey/Chansey, since it can poison and heal any status it receives. In essence, countering Coffy ultimately is based on using either special attacking variants (unless that Coffy has a calm mind set), dark types and fire types. Coffy has some serious perks with mummy and it's movepool, but it's drawback's primarily situate in health and special defence.

Notable moves: Will-o-Wisp, Toxic, Haze, Disable, Calm Mind, Nasty plot, Hex, Shadow ball, Energy Ball, Hidden power Fighting, Safeguard, Trick Room, Swagger, Grass Knot, Psychic

Useful Items: Leftovers, Chesto Berry, shell bell, Lum Berry, Sitrus Berry

Counters: Zoroark, Houndoom, Chandelure, Chansey, Blissey, Hydreigon

* It's hard for me to say counters because anything that is dark/special attack is useful.

Edited April 21, 2012 by Lorshinator
Forgot counters and items X(

[Lorshinator]

604 Eelektross

Type: Electric

Ability: Levitate

Base stats: 85/115/80/105/80/50

Difficulty: Advanced

Eelektross is a very unique Pokemon. It is pure electric, and has the ability levitate, thus giving it no weaknesses, aside from mold breaker users or smack down. Nonetheless, it is backed up by a very good spread of stats, and is rather bulky for an electric type, and boasts high attack stats. It has a very large movepool, and as a result, can be very intimidating when it is set on the field, because it can be either offensive physical, defensive special, offensive special, defensive in general, phaser, or mixed. Despite this, like many Pokemon, it's movepool seems to prefer special attack; his special attack is lower but has more of a spread, and the physical stat is higher, but has a weaker movepool. Furthermore, Eelektross's lack of resistances despite it's bulk makes it easily deteriorated from constant attacks, and it's speed, while promising in trick room teams, hinder's it's effectiveness offensively. At first glance, Eelektross appears quite promising, but it can only be a saving grace if you have the team and the skill to pull it off. Sit back and relax, this will be rather long.

Eelektross is versatile, and as a result, it can do quite a variety of things. Upon first looking at his statistics, and seeing the move coil, it is likely that he could be a physical attacker. Having wild charge as his signature physical move, it can pull off quite the damage whenever it hits. Some other notable moves include Brick Break, which although has low power, can destroy reflect and light screen, and is a viable fighting move against steels and darks. It also has rock silde, but it is not preferable, since Wild Charge will deal more damage all around. Crunch can hit ghosts and poisons, particularly Golurk who would otherwise be a counter to the eel. It hits hard, but the recoil may be unappealing to some, and for certain, the lack of moves to back up it's physical movepool are disheartening. As a result, there are some that might want to go mixed. If using a coil set, the advantage of using the usually inaccurate Zap Cannon could be fixed with a turn or two of coil. Zap Cannon catches most foes off guard, especially on mixed sets. While there is an inaccuracy problem even after one boost, after two it is safe to say it will be accurate. Using this move will grant instant paralysis on the foe, which can be a saving grace. It also hits very hard, and if you predict well, could seriously destroy any foe. Besides, even if you hit another electric type or a swift grass type, it will still deal damage, and throw in a free paralysis. For those who worry about the accuracy, there is Thunder as well. Otherwise, those moves are unreliable by themselves. Some people may want to go the special route, and despite it's lower special attack, it has a wider movepool in that area, and has seen more use because of it. Likeable moves such as Flamethrower, Grass Knot, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power, Volt Change and Acid spray are just a few, and completely walling Eelektross can be a bit of a pain, at least in terms of super effective and ineffective damage. Eelektross, however, cannot raise his special attack, except through charge beam, which is unreliable. With Flamethrower, Grass Knot, and Thunderbolt, he will put a dent in most foes, especially if he carries a life orb. Eelektross can be a useful phaser as well, and boasts both dragon tail and roar, and with stealth rocks, can continually use these moves, and OHKOing Eelektross is not easy either, due to his impressive durability for an electric type. If you are using a more supportive variant, have a wish user ready, because rest is not very useful for this 6' 11" Eel.

Despite it's perks, it's weighed down by it's flaws, and as a result, is in the NU tier. Eelektross is very versatile, but it's safe to say it doesn't do everything it can do all that well. While it is strong, it has problems with ground, grass and dragon types in particular, and the latter is usually filled with rather powerful creatures. Grass types should be weary of flamethrower, but otherwise can resist most other moves. Special tanks should be weary of acid spray, and although steel types have a complete immunity, it can weaken other walls rather easily, and cause them to switch. To deal with Eelektross, it ultimately depends on the variant that is being used, and as a result, there is no sure fire counter to any set. For physical sets, physical walls do very well. Hippowdon comes to mind, as it is immune to his STAB, and can use slack off to restore any damage, and roar if it gets greedy with coils. If mixed, Rhyperior should beware of grass knot, but otherwise should have no worries, even with brick break. Swampert is also useful, but should beware of grass knot. Flygon is neutral to grass knot and likely will not take to damage from it, and can deal some damage with outrage or draco meteor. However, beware of hidden power ice. For Garchomp, it is the same case scenario, as Garchomp is bulkier and more powerful, but hidden power ice is a threat. Cryogonal can deal damage through toxic on special variants, and can spam recover to restore health after each hit, but be cautious of acid spray, and using this pokemon on a physical set is suicide. Snorlax can handle special variants, although should steer clear of physical variants. Tangrowth can handle physical variants, but should be cautious of special variants, especially with flamethrower. Ferrothorn can handle physical variants, but again, should steer clear of flamethrower. Leafeon can handle physical sets and resist with Leaf Blade and the like, but special variants ensure her demise. Burning physical variants destroy it, and Toxic can quickly dampen it's health. To counter Eelektross, simply find out what variant it is, and deal with it respectively.

Notable moves: Wild Charge, Brick Break, Crunch, Acid Spray, Thunder, Thunderbolt, Zap Cannon, Flamethrower, Volt Change, Coil, Discharge, Roar, Dragon Tail, Acrobatics, Thunder Wave, Grass Knot, U-turn, Gastro Acid, Hidden Power Ice

Useful Items: Leftovers, Quick Claw, Lum Berry, Electric Gem, Flying Gem, Life Orb

Counters: Flygon, Raikou, Hippowdon, Snorlax, Lanturn, Cryogonal, Steelix, Tangrowth, Golurk, Garchomp

[Lorshinator]

Mandibuzz

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630 Mandibuzz

Type: Dark/Flying

Ability: Big Pecks / Overcoat / Weak Armour

Base stats: 110/65/105/55/95/80

Difficulty: Hard

Hey look, a vulture! My dreams have been answered! When one looks at both Braviary and Mandibuzz, one would think the former is better. A weakness to stealth rock is not all that great for a defensive Pokemon, and there are other options. However, Mandibuzz actually sees much more use, for the upcoming reasons.

Take a gander at Mandibuzz's stats. Look at that bulk! With access to the coveted roost and a plethora of moves such as taunt, whirlwind, substitute, knock off, and even great offensive moves such as brave bird and foul play! Despite it's bad base attack, it's powerful stab attack will still leave a dent in some more fragile foes, particularly sweepers. It can roost off the recoil, and it shouldn't deal enough damage to seriously cripple Mandibuzz's position. It's typing is perfect for special defence support, making it very effective to use when countering pokemon such as Sceptile, Lilligant, and perhaps Alakazam, as the latter's stab is entirely ineffective and focus blast will not do all that much damage with special defence emphasis. If things are getting hairy, you can easily whirlwind an opponent outta there to remove their boosts! Mandibuzz can also stallbreak to an extent: Toxic in conjunction with taunt or substitute means it can poison a number of other walls as well without being poisoned or taunted back. It's got a low attack stat, but this can be somewhat mitigated by Foul Play, a move which uses the foes attack. This can be handy for sweepers who are attempting to set up. Of course, if you don't want that either, you can also just use Whirlwind.The goodiness doesn't stop there, though! It's ability, overcoat, is especially useful on Hail and Sand teams, as it will resist the residual damage, making it a good consideration when making a team of one of the two elements. Eat that, Skarmory! Knock off is good for getting rid of some pesky eviolite Pokemon such as Porygon-2. Substitute is strongly recommended as it prevents poison, and Mandibuzz can roost off any prior HP loss. Mandibuzz also, for some reason, has access to Nasty Plot, and can use moves like Dark Pulse, Snarl, Heat Wave, and Air Slash. However due to a measly 55 base special attack it's hardly worth considering.

Well, Mandibuzz isn't OU, and there's reasons for that. Despite being a (theoretically) canyon/desert oriented Pokemon, it is a shame it cannot learn many ground or rock type moves such as Spikes and Stealth Rock, which would make quite a bit of sense. For one, it's typing, while good, does not grant as many resistances as one would like. It is weak to common Ice, Electric, and Rock type moves, all of which are incredibly common attack moves. Furthermore, it's walled entirely by Steel type Pokemon and Rock Type Pokemon. The former can ignore poison, while the latter are better as they can deal some serious damage. Putting the two together in this case actually grants Mandibuzz's demise. Aggron is ideal, as the only thing it could fear is an odd hidden power fighting, but since special sets aren't worth it, it should laugh at anything Mandibuzz throws at it. Gliscor's poison heal ignores residual damage, and has great physical durability. However, it may have some issue striking back with it's base 95 attack. Steelix is one the same page, but it does not have Rock Stab and still has a low attack stat. Mandibuzz will probably waste time hiding behind substitutes, wasting it's HP and so on. Fast electric Pokemon such as Jolteon and Raikou resist Brave Bird and can hit very hard with their STABS. Taunt shuts down Mandibuzz almost entirely, and it will resort to either running away or using one of it's stabs. However, a specially defensive Mandibuzz is still likely to survive these hits. Bulky poisons can cause some trouble, such as Muk, for their immunity to toxic and ability to inflict it with stabs. It's a thought. Ultimately, though, bring out a steel type, like Magnezone. There is virtually nothing mandibuzz can do to such a Pokemon. However, if you're playing by tiers, Steelix, Gigalith, Escavalier, Aggron... It could go on. If you're in need of a bulky taunt supporter, wall, Mandibuzz may lend you some of it's stored bones for extra defence.

Notable Moves: Roost, Brave Bird, Substitute, Toxic, Whirlwind, Bone Rush, Nasty Plot, Taunt, Torment, Knock Off, Payback, Snarl, Foul Play, Rest, Sleep Talk

Useful Items: Leftovers, Sitrus Berry

Counters: Ferrothorn, Steelix, Escavalier, Aggron, Bastiodon, Gigalith, Zapdos, Empoleon, Raikou, Jolteon, Gliscor (any steel/rock type)

Archeops

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#567 Archeops

Type: Rock/Flying

Ability: Defeatist

Base stats: 75/140/65/112/65/110

Difficulty: Advanced

Fun facts from Lorsh: This Pokemon's base stat total of 567 equals it's pokedex number, and Gamefreak lowered the accuracy of this Pokemon as it seldom hits with Stone Edge. Well, the latter is not really true, but it feels like it. Well, Archeops is weird, because it's got almost unnecessarily high stats for it's appearance (it's as strong as Rhyperior), and has an absurdly varied movepool as well. It's one of those Pokemon Arceus created during fossil times, and once it realized that it made Archeops too powerful, it cursed it with a terrible ability, and that's why Archeops went extinct. This ability halves it's attack stats, dropping that impressive 140 base attack into something lower than 90.

If you're looking for a somewhat gimmicky powerhouse similar to the likes of Slaking and Rampardos, look no further than Archeops. Archeops has offensive stats that make Gengar cry in shame. Seriously, I don't need to dwell on it's stats. It hits hard, it hits fast, and has great coverage. Yes, it's got excellent coverage, with moves like Stone Edge, Acrobatics, Earthquake, Crunch, Outrage, Dragon Claw, Head Smash, Earth Power, Focus Blast, Heat Wave, Aqua Tail, Dragon Pulse, Stealth Rock, U-Turn Roost, Knock Off... Well, enough that you need, and enough to choose from. Archeops is interesting in that, for some reason, it has very high special attack for being a raptor, and for some reason knows how to discipline itself and use mental blasts of energy with Focus Blast, and can shoot waves of fire with Heat Wave (but I digress, a lot of birds can learn this move). It's STABs are usually only together on flying gem sets, where it is arguably the best non-legendary gem abuser, particularly of Acrobatics, as it will dish out unrelenting hurt. That measly attack power of 55 will skyrocket to a beastly 247 on the turn it is used, and afterwards it will be a very reliable power of 165. It also has Stone Edge to cover up for anything that resists flying, like electric. It knows Earthquake and aqua tail to cover some pesky grounds, rocks and other things. When given a scarf, it's speed will become a great 525 with jolly or another nature, but since it is already quite fast, you may as well give it a choice band. Choice band sets probably see quite a bit of use, since it is reliable and hits incredibly hard, whereas the Gem sets focus around one move. With choice band, it's attack will become 624 with an Adamant Nature, so it'll hit hard, don't worry. With B2/W2, you could attempt a subroost set, although I haven't tried this myself. You could play around with Head Smash, which would kill a lot of things incredibly easily, especially with choice band, but you'd lose health quicker than Rampardos would, and would activate Defeatist instantly. To demonstrate, Head Smash from Archeops with Adamant nature max attack deals 67% of damage to Alomomola with Max HP/Def, Impish nature! For those unacquainted, Alomomola is ridiculously durable physically.This is quite staggering, but life Orb Rampardos does equivalent damage, despite missing a lot of attack power. While Archeops is scared of bulky waters and steels, ample team support and Earthquake/Earth Power should give it an easier time. Archeops is simple to use in theory, due to it's unnecessary stats and movepool.

GameFreak is probably trying to find the best non-legendary, double edged sword Pokemon which isn't too hard to use but if used incorrectly it will be almost a waste. Archeops isn't quite there yet, but it is close. Archeops is like Slaking and Rampardos in the sense that it has insane offensive prowess but carries a handicap which is almost too severe. Archeop's handicap is that when it loses half of it's health it's attack stats drop in half. This is incredibly easy to do considering it's low defences and terrible defensive typing. Anything with priority can easily cripple it. Seriously. Anything with Aqua Jet, Sucker Punch or Mach Punch or Ice Shard will destroy this thing. You remember that mighty attack stat of 625? Well, that went to 312 in one turn, and that's with a choice band. It may as well have 35/30/30 defenses, because it's practically gone at that point. Anything faster than Archeops will also scare it away, and sometimes this easy to tell, and sometimes... not so much. Pokemon like Registeel, however, are bound to survive a hit, and can hit back with STAB steel moves such as Iron Head to seriously weaken it. To make matters worse, it's weak to common attack types, like rock, which means stealth rock already gives it small amounts of time to stay in. If, for any reason, you lack a Pokemon with priority, do not fret. You may still survive. Bulky waters are everywhere, and will be your saving grace. Slowbro mainly fears crunch, but can still hit back with... Well anything, but Scald will remove it from play. Keep in mind that if you take down half of it's health, it's nigh useless. Stone Edge and Head Smash will hurt, but not nearly as much for choice sets. Swampert is also highly effective and is probably the most recommended counter as it resists it's Rock Stab and can easily OHKO it any stab water move. Ground types such as Steelix, while frightened by Earthquake, Heat Wave, Focus Blast, or Earth Power, have sturdy and can resist it's Rock stab. Donphan will easily wall it as well, and can hit back with just about any super effective move. Ferrothorn needs to be weary of Heat Wave, but can survive pretty much all else. Alomomola will take severe damage from Head Smash and Stone Edge, but can easily cripple it with waterfall, dealing 72% of damage. Registeel is weary of super effective moves, but otherwise can easily take it out. Skarmory only has to worry about a few moves, and can poison it or switch it out with whirlwind, and roost off the damage. Most importantly though, is speed. If you can outrun this monstrously weird powerhouse, you can make it pummel to the ground before it even has the chance to leap. However, if you're looking for raw power and have the team to back it up, Archeops will gladly work in synchronization and will work to take down the target, be it prey or predator.

Useful Moves: Stone Edge, Head Smash, Acrobatics, Earthquake, Crunch, U-Turn, Focus Blast, Dragon Claw, Heat Wave, Stealth Rock, Roost

Useful items: Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Flying Gem, Sitrus Berry

Counters: Swampert, Gastrodon, Slowbro, Skarmory, Alomomola, Registeel, Ferrothorn, Steelix, Bronzong, Gliscor, Donphan, Weavile, Starmie, Jolteon, Raikou, Hitmontop

Edited February 26, 2013 by Lorshinator

[Lorshinator]

332 Cacturne

Type: Grass/Dark

Ability: Sand Veil / Water Absorb

Base stats: 70/115/60/115/60/55

Difficulty: Advanced

Seeing Cacturne would be petrifying. They follow you close in a mob through the night and wait for you to no longer move. What do they do afterwards? It's a mystery. However I do find it odd they move in mobs, considering that it's previous dex entry where it waits night to fall does make it confusing. It made me think it moves alone... But whatever. Cacturne is definitely one of the more ghoulish dark types, if not the most ghoulish and ghost-like. It's got sand for blood!

That aside, is Cacturne really that terrifying? Potentially. Grass/Dark typing is decent offensively, giving it some much-appreciated moves that regenerate health, like Giga Drain, Leech Seed and the like, as well as some really potent dark type moves such as Dark Pulse and Sucker Punch. It's attack stats are nothing short of scary, both clocking at 115 each, making this monster capable of going one or the other, or mixed. Some moves are quite handy, like Sucker Punch, which offsets it's poor speed, and it's one of the more potent users of the move. It also has access to Giga Drain, a rather helpful and not necessarily weak move. If using Sub-Sets, this move is recommended. He also has access to Seed-Bomb, a more reliable physical attack STAB. But that's not all - it's got quite good coverage, as well as an assortment of power boosting attacks in the shape of Swords Dance, Growth, and Nasty Plot. So, all of these options allow it to go one or the other, making it a tad unpredictable. It has coverage moves in the likes of Drain Punch, Focus Blast, Super-power, thunderpunch (kinda useless, but nifty nonetheless), Payback, and Hidden Power. While it's coverage is not universal, it's most certainly impressive, and deadly. It also has access to spikes, which in Gen 3 was one of the main reasons it was used in lower tiers.

So what gives? This guy is down in NU/RU tiers. Well, first and foremost, it's typing is terrible defensively. 4x Weak to bug, weak to fighting, weak to ice, fire, flying, the works. It's resistances are not bad, but another issue is it's terrible defences. Gen 3 had a thing for slow moving, rather frail Pokemon (looks at Banette). Cacturne relies on it's formidable ability, Sand Veil, to really shine. If you pop it in a Sand Team and give it brightpowder (which mind you is a comibation that is banned, both the ability and the item), it'll avoid a lot of attacks, and I had a horrific experience with double team... Not pretty. As a result Cacturne needs a lot of support to pull off well - if it goes out in the open it's dead-meat. Luckily, Smogon is kinda stupid, and really hates Sand Veil, so they banned it. Now, Cacturne is forbidden on Sand Teams, which could serve as a testament to how dangerous it is (although methinks it largely is thanks to Garchomp). But Game Freak was friendly, and decided to give it Water Absorb. This is a rather good ability, no doubt. Having an immunity to water, and being able to heal itself. The concern does arise though that many water types carry ice type moves, so it cannot stay in for very long. In fact, that's sort of how Cacturne plays - it needs to be under the cover of something to shine, be it an asleep enemy, paralyzed enemy, or substitute, or bolstered defences.

Team support is essential for Cacturne. Ninjask, though atrociously predictable, can support it by boosting it's speed and attack, and pass on a substitute. Venemoth may work better, as a quiver dance pass can make it bulkier, slightly faster and just more dangerous.

If you use Cacturne as something thrown onto a team with no real purpose, you'd probably be wasting a precious team slot. Better choices in standard-play are Sceptile, Lilligant, Whimsicott... Even Venusaur. But, if you want to use it in a sandstorm team, or a team that needs spikes in weather, Cacturne will happily oblige. Just know that Cacturne is very luck-based. Sand Veil can easily be useless, and Water Absorb could set you up. To use properly, team support is needed, and proper care is necessary.

To counter it, Heracross would probably scare it away. Any bulky fighting type would destroy it, and any Bird with Aerial Ace (if you were bored) would destroy it. Yanmega could also take it down very easily. Bug types in general will utterly destroy Cacturne. Fire types such as Arcanine can Intimidate Cacturne, and easily take it out. Having weather to counter Sand is also recommended, if you encounter it online. Any super-effective attack will easily destroy it, but be careful of substitute + sandstorm + double team combos, those are dreadful. (And banned in competitive play).

Notable moves: Seed Bomb, Giga Drain, Drain Punch, Low Sweep, Focus Blast, Dark Pulse, Payback, Spikes, Swords Dance, Growth, Nasty Plot, Leech Seed, Substitute ,Focus Punch, Encore, Hidden Power (for coverage)

Useful Items: Leftovers, Brightpowder, Focus Sash, Lum Berry