Competitive Battling Spotlight #6: Item One

This is the first Spotlight of a Competitive item. It will address the particular item's usability in the metagame, what it does, who it affects, and some of the best Pokemon to utilize it. So without much delay, here is the first spotlighted item, Choice Specs. 

Choice Specs 

Nice Glasses, what do they do?

          Like all “Choice” items in the Pokemon universe, Specs locks the holder into one move, and one move only, as long as it is out on the battlefield. Of course, this is only the down side to this wonderful item. It also boosts the holder’s Special Attack stat by 50%, the equivalent of a +1 Special Attack raise. This means that a Pokemon with Choice Specs equipped will hit destructively hard from the Special side from the get-go, without needing to use a valuable turn to set up. It is also important to consider that once the holder switches out, they will be able to choose a different move when switching back in, however they will then be locked into that move until they switch out again. For this reason Choice Specs, as well as the other Choice items, seems to require a lot of switching and prediction skills for it to be used to its fullest effectiveness. Also, if the holder runs out of PP of the move they are locked into, they will be forced to use Struggle until they either switch out or faint. 

What benefits from this item?

          The most successful users of the Specs usually tend to be Pokemon with a good Special Attack stat (anywhere between base 75 and base 180) and good speed (anything base 90 and above). Also, Pokemon that have naturally high Special Attack stats and decent bulk, but lack the speed, are also great users. An example of this might be Reuniclus, who has base 110 HP and base 125 Special Attack. For the former qualification (users with good Speed and Special Attack), usually a Timid nature is run, for it lowers the holder's possibly useless Attack stat while boosting their Speed. For this reason, the majority of the Pokemon sights I will be detailing today will run a Timid nature with 252 Special Attack Evs and 252 Speed, although some do have the potential to run bulkier spreads.

 So finally it is time to delve into the paradigm that is efficient Choice Specs users. Some of these sets may be more "standardized", as in they may tend to follow general trends in the current metagame, while some are a slight more original and possibly unseen/unheard of until now. Please enjoy. 

Good Specs users:

Raikou

            Raikou is an excellent user of the Choice Specs mainly because of its respectable stat spread. 115 Special Attack and Speed are awesome on a Pokemon with STAB Thunderbolt and Volt Switch, though the remainder of its coverage tends to rely on inferior options such as Extrasensory, Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Ice. Still, with the newly added ability Volt Absorb in its repertoire of competitive options and manageable defensive stats, Raikou will be able to scout, outpace and destroy a great number of things with its welcomed boost in the form of Specs. 

           

            4HP/252 Sp.Atk/252 Spe –Timid

            -Volt Switch

            - Thunderbolt

            - Hidden Power Ice/Hidden Power Fighting

            - Shadow Ball/Extrasensory

           

Sceptile

            My personal favorite of all the Grass-type starters, Sceptile is easily the most potent of all the starters to utilize Specs. 105 Special Attack and 120 Speed are more than enough to help Sceptile decimate its foes with STAB Leaf Storm and other powerful moves like Focus Blast and Dragon Pulse.

           

            4HP/252 Sp.Atk252 Spe –Timid/Modest

            -Leaf Storm  

            - Focus Blast

            - Dragon Pulse           

            - Hidden Power Fire

Lati@s 

            Sometimes a good Choice user is not only a Pokemon that can use it offensively, but one that can use it defensively as well. This is definitely the case for Latios and Latias who are both swift, bulky, and powerful enough to be superb Choice Specs Pokemon. In addition to that, STAB Draco Meteor makes these two arguably the best Specs Pokemon in the current metagame! As if these weren’t awesome enough reasons to use these two, they also both have access to Trick, allowing them to relinquish the confinement of the one-choice-move onto an opposing Pokemon, passing the burden and (hopefully) crippling a wall, tank, or physical attacker. If you’re looking for a Pokemon that really gets the most out of Choice Specs, why not give one of these a try.

*Note*: Though their stat spreads are slightly different (only the Special Attack and Special Defense of each is switched), the Choice Specs set will be the same for both Latios and Latias.

            4HP/252 Sp.Atk252 Spe –Timid

            -Trick

            - Draco Meteor 

            - Ice Beam/Psyshock/Psychic            

            - Hidden Power Fire

           

Volcarona

 

            While Volcarona is more commonly used with a standard Quiver Dance set, it possesses quite a few factors that might help it benefit from using Specs, namely its good 100 base Speed and 135 base Special Attack stats. STAB Fiery Dance is also an excellent option for this set for its potential to boost Volcarona’s gargantuan Special Attack stat even further. Among these, one of my favorite aspects of the Choice Specs variant Volcarona is the “element of surprise” that it constitutes. As Volcarona is definitely one of the most threatening Pokemon in the new metagame, many of your opponents will assume that you are running the ever-present Quiver Dance set. For that reason, as soon as you switch Volca in they will act accordingly, switching out, using Taunt, etc, to prevent you from setting up. Imagine their surprise when their Whimsicott is hit with a STAB boosted Fiery Dance TO THE FACE! Hurricane is also an excellent option for this set for its power, coverage, and potential to confuse the foe.

4HP/252 Sp.Atk252 Spe –Timid

            -Fiery Dance

            - Bug Buzz

            - Hurricane     

            - Hidden Power Ground

Good for Specs in certain conditions:

           

The following Pokemon have potential to utilize Choice Specs in any given situation, but tend to use them much more effectively if certain conditions are met.

Rain:

 

Dragonite

            Dragonite’s Special Attack stat is inferior to its physical Attack stat, but that doesn’t mean a Specs set isn’t going to be effective with him. Especially with two very powerful STAB moves in Draco Meteor and Hurricane, the latter of which become 100% accurate in the rain. Combine this with an excellent ability in Multi Scale and overall good bulk and you’ve got yourself a Pokemon that can abuse rain efficiently without Swift Swim. Also, with Thunder in its arsenal it becomes even more deadly. Superpower is another excellent option for this set as, despite the fact that it's a Specs set, Dragonite's Attack will still be abnormally high even with no investment. Fire Blast may be used on this set as well, if out of Rain.

4Atk/252 Sp.Atk252 Spe –Rash

            -Draco Meteor

            -Hurricane

            - Thunder/Fire Blast     

            - Superpower

Kingdra 

            This set seems a little more obvious than the Dragonite one. Naturally, Kingdra’s typing and ability, Swift Swim, seem to show that this Pokemon’s greatest potential lies in rain abuse. STAB Draco meteor alongside a STAB, rain-boosted Hydro Pump (or Surf) will easily decimate anything that stands in Kingdra’s way. Also, in rain Kingdra outspeeds nearly everything, allowing for a much easier sweep. Unfortunately, however, Kingdra’s coverage options seem to be limited to its two STABs, Ice Beam and Hidden Power (or even Clear Smog, if you want to stop your opponent setting up against you).

4HP/252 Sp.Atk252 Spe –Modest/Timid

            -Draco Meteor

            - Hydro Pump

            - Ice Beam    

            - Hidden Power Electric/Clear Smog 

Sun:

Charizard 

            Charizard’s stats have always been good enough for Choice Specs, and its movepool really isn’t all that bad either. Fire is an excellent STAB type, and the ability to learn Dragon Pulse and Focus Blast only helps it more. As if that couldn’t get any better, Charizard acquired a massively powerful ability in 5^th gen (Solar Power), via the Dreamworld, making it nearly 1.5 times as devastating. While this ability only activates in the sun, with the capacity to even further boost its Fire-type STAB I don’t think Charizard is complaining.

4HP/252 Sp.Atk252 Spe –Timid/Modest

            -Fire Blast

            -Dragon Pulse

            - Focus Blast   

            - Solar Beam

Other Pokemon that can wear the glasses:

Porygon Z- One of the highest Special Attack stats in the game, decent 90 base Speed and Adaptability to boost its already powerful STAB Tri Attack. If anything Adaptability with Tri Attack is one of the main reasons to employ a Specs set. Otherwise, Agility/Nasty Plot sets seem work better with this one.

Hydreigon- In terms of Special offense, Hydreigon is inferior to Latios (130 Sp.A/110 Spe vs. 125 Sp.A/98 Spe). Run Specs Hydreigon over Specs Latios if you are going to use it for what Latios doesn’t have; STAB Dark Pulse, Earth Power, and Fire Blast/Flamethrower over HP Fire. Otherwise, Hydreigon is better used Mixed or Scarfed.

Chandelure- A jaw-dropping 145 Special Attack? STAB Fire and Ghost? Shadow Tag/Flash Fire?? Is this not the best Pokemon to run Specs ever? Well, despite the fact that each of these factors sounds extremely promising, it is not the best. Below average Speed and weakness to Stealth Rock and Pursuit (not to mention sub-par bulk) relegate Chandelure to one of the best Pokemon to utilize Choice Specs IF, and only if, its hindrances are accounted for. Otherwise, Scarf is ideal to make up for its below average Speed.

Yanmega- 117 Special Attack and Speed Boost. Nuff said. 4x weakness to Stealth Rock and overall lack of good coverage tend to ask for more of a lead position for this Pokemon.

Magnezone- The most powerful Steel-trapper in the game (Shadow Tag Chandelure don’t count!!!!), Magnezone gains a lot of credibility with its amazing 130 base Special Attack, good bulk overall, and a decent defensive typing. Not to mention Magnet Pull+ Hidden Power Fire is an excellent way to take down opposing Ferrothorn, Scizor, Forretress and Skarmory (though Thunderbolt is ideal in killing Skarm). However, this is not without its flaws. Shed Shell on Ferro/Tress and U-Turn on Scizor allows the opponent to gain the advantage over Zone. Also, as it is 4x weak to Ground and 2x weak to Fighting and Fire really brings down the glory of this U.F.O. The fact that it’s slow doesn’t help it much, either.

Serperior-  One of the weirdest stat spreads in the game allows for this very fast, yet not entirely offensively potent, Pokemon to rest in the limbo between Tank and Sweeper, along with its lackluster movepool. You really wouldn’t want to slap a Choice Specs on a Pokemon with 75 base Special Attack, no matter how fast it is. But…what’s this? Contrary? That ability sucks! No it doesn’t. plain and simple, with Serperior’s Dream World ability it becomes one of the best sweepers to ever lack the coverage needed to be a sweeper. After a Leaf Storm, with this ability Serperior’s Special Attack in fact does not drop two stages, but instead increases by two stages. That is correct, after Serperior uses the second most powerful STAB grass move in existence, it gets a free Nasty Plot boost. Suddenly the grass snake isn’t looking so bad at all. With Specs this Pokemon will be hitting harder from turn one. After that its damage output will increase each turn until, three turns later, it is at +6 and outspeeding a good portion of the metagame that is unscarfed and unboosted. Even Heatran, who 4x resists Grass moves, would be hard pressed to take a STAB, +6 Leaf Storm from a Choice Specs Pokemon. While this might seem like one of the best things to ever happen to a Grass-type starter since…ever, this set does come with its flaws. First and foremost, as I’ve stated numerous times throughout this analysis, its nearly barren movepool makes it necessary to use Hidden Power in order to have anything close to coverage. Hidden Power Fire or Ground are probably the best options. Also, the only type of offensive move that Serperior learns that isn’t Grass-type is Wring Out, which really isn’t good by any means. To add to that, Leaf Storm only garners a mere 8 PP, limiting its fun in decimating teams and subjugating you to use Struggle when you run out of turns.

            

Competitive Battling Spotlight #5: New Pokemon Three

Here is the third B/W Pokemon to be spotlighted, Cofagrigus.

Cofagrigus

Stats:

H.P.: 58

Attk: 50

Def.: 145

Sp.A: 95

Sp.D: 105

Spe: 30

Abilities: Mummy: If the opponent uses a move that makes physical contact with Cofagrigus, their ability will also be changed to Mummy. This effect lasts until the affected Pokemon switches out.

            This ability, while odd at first glance, can prove to be exceptionally useful for a Pokemon as bulky as Cofagrigus. As of now, this sarcophagus is the only Pokemon with the ability, making it unique in that sense. It is a great way of stopping powerful sweepers and other Pokemon that rely heavily on their ability in their tracks (this is a great way of shutting down speed boost Blaziken). It is also important to note that once the opponent’s ability has been changed to Mummy, any Pokemon that makes physical contact with them will then have their ability changed. In that sense, Mummy is spread throughout teams until its possessor is switched out.

            With this new ability, as well as a great amount of bulk, Cofagrigus is definitely an asset to any team, offensive and stall alike. Its movepool is not vast, but it has what it needs to perform as a great tank/wall, and can even take on the role of sweeper if circumstances permit. 95  base Special Attack is great, especially on a Pokemon with these kinds of defenses, not to mention access to Calm Mind to boost its lower, but still awesome, Special Defense, as well as Nasty Plot to attack with heavily-powered STAB Shadow Balls and a few other decent coverage options like Energy Ball, Psychic, and Hidden Power. It goes without saying that after looking through all of this Pokemon’s strengths, it has easily become one of my new favorites in competitive play. 

            Though this Pokemon is not as mainstream or as overhyped as its new defensive rivals Jellicent and Ferrothorn, it has the stats and the moves to do what is needed of it. To put it in perspective, in comparison it is essentially a better Skarmory, in terms of stats (Cofagrigus has greater Def and much greater Sp. Def, as well as a higher offensive stat), though pure Ghost might be argued as an inferior typing to Steel/Flying.

            Regardless, Cofagrigus is definitely a new Pokemon with a lot of potential in the forthcoming metagame, and it is very capable of contributing to any team that may ask for what it can do best.

Potential Sets: 

1.      The Mummy’s Curse (standard wall)

252 HP/252 Def/4 Sp. Def
   Bold @ Leftovers
   -Protect/Toxic
   -Will-O-Wisp
   -Hex/Shadow Ball
   -Haze  

This is the set I’ve used to the most success with Cofagrigus; it is ideal for absorbing hits from almost any physical threat. Mummy is an excellent partner with 145 Defense, rendering many effective abilities useless and shutting the opponent down with Will-O-Wisp/Protect stall. Hex is for more power when the opponent has a status condition inflicted, which is ideal when used in tandem with Will-O-Wisp. Shadow Ball may be used in its place, however, for more outright power, although its 80 base power is retained regardless of the opponent’s status condition. Haze is a great addition to this set as well, with the ability to erase any boosts the opponent might have unfortunately obtained. I’ve found this set is a superb counter to Speed Boost Blaziken, with the ability to nullify its gradual boosts in speed and completely erase any Swords Dances it might have acquired. As seen above, Toxic can be used in place of Protect to more effectively stall out more bulky Pokemon, though it can also be used in place of Will-O-Wisp.

**A good partner for this set would be Scrafty, who is also quite bulky and offensive at the same time, while Dark and Ghost are an excellent pair for synergy. I’ve also found that a trio of walls in Ferrothorn-Cofagrigus-Porygon2 is very effective as they each serve different roles for the team aside from just absorbing hits.**

2.      Plotting Coffin

252 HP/252 Sp. Atk/4 Sp. Def

   Modest @ Leftovers/Life Orb

-Nasty Plot

            -Shadow Ball

            -Hidden Power Fighting

            -Energy Ball/Psychic/Protect

95 base Special Attack, while nothing in particular to brag about, is definitely not something to be ignored, especially on something with access to Nasty Plot and great overall bulk. The trick here is simple, get Cofagrigus in on something that it can’t touch it, forcing the switch, then proceed to set up a NP. After one or two of these, with good coverage in S-Ball and HP Fighting, Cofagrigus will become a powerful force, as well as a decently potent sweeper. Also note that with an awful 30 base Speed this set will perform well (perhaps even better) with Trick Room support. Leftovers is ideal, with the ability to recover off some damage taken, while Life Orb will allow for much more powerful hits (as we all know). While probably not the best Nasty Plot sweeper out there, this is definitely a set with potential for the Coffin, if used correctly.

**Since this set isn’t nearly as bulky as the previous one, or even the Calm Mind set, a good partner for this is anything that can set up Trick Room safely, such as Reuniclus or Bronzong. Both have their pros and cons, and both are amazing Pokemon to use; Reuniclus is bulky and Specially-offensive (not unlike Cofagrigus himself) and Bronzong is much less offensive, but has the ability to set up Stealth Rocks and the Screens, all of which can greatly aid Cofagrigus’s attempted sweep.**

3.      Calm Coffin

252 HP/252 Def/4 Sp. Atk

Bold @ Leftovers

 -Calm Mind

-Rest

-Shadow Ball

-Hidden Power Fighting

This set functions roughly like the Curselax set, where the smaller defensive stat is boosted to easily take hits from both sides of the spectrum and retaliate with some very powerful attacks. Of course, while Cofagrigus lacks a good amount of HP, its defenses are outright monstrous, allowing it to survive a great number of hits without any boosts. Once it has a few Calm Minds under its belt (or…lid, rather) it can Rest off the damage taken and proceed to sweep a good portion of the opponent’s team. This set comes at a bit of a risk, though, as with Generation 5’s new sleep mechanics Cofagrigus must endure the two turns of Rest sleep without switching out, otherwise its sleep counter will be reset. Overall, this is a very effective set that should not be underestimated.

**A good partner for this set is any form of powerful sweeper that can take down any of the opposing team’s strong Special Attackers who would otherwise hit Cofagrigus’s weaker defensive stat before it is able to boost it up.**

4. Zoroark’s Death Box

252 HP/136 Def / 120 Sp. Def

Calm @ Leftovers

-Nasty Plot

-Shadow Ball

-Toxic

-Hidden Power Fighting

With an immunity to Fighting and a resistance to the Bug-type, Cofagrigus absorbs Dark-type Pokemon’s weaknesses very nicely. Namely, it absorbs Zoroark’s weaknesses, which works nicely in tandem with its ability Illusion. This set is crafted to absorb hits from both physical and special attackers, and to utilize moves that Zoroark can also learn, leading the opponent to believe that this actually is Zoroark. This set works very well with Cofagrigus’s numerous assets, but it works best when the opponent knows that you have a Zoroark on your team, that way they will be confused as to which Pokemon they are truly facing, and won’t know whether to hit you with a Fighting/Bug type move or a Ghost/Dark type move. Either way, if played well, you can keep your opponent guessing, perhaps giving you the edge to set up a few Nasty Plots and attempt a sweep.

**A great partner for this set is, obviously, Zoroark, but any of the above mentioned Pokemon can help here as well. Something that can set up a lot of entry hazards, like Ferrothorn or Scolipede or Forretress, will also help out a lot since if the opponent knows you are trying to trick them with Zoroark, they will likely be switching in and out a lot to attempt to remove its guise.**

            Cofagrigus is definitely a unique Pokemon in its own right and it seems to take some characteristics from the metagame’s best Ghosts, such as a good Special Attack stat, like Gengar, and good bulk like Jellicent. Its exclusive ability in Mummy is also a great advantage over many other walls, for it stops a lot of good Pokemon with good abilities from doing what they do best. I give Cofagrigus two thumbs up for being an overall great Pokemon and, while it is not excellent in any sense, it still gets the job done and is not outclassed by anything due to its individuality.

Competitive Usability: 8.5 out of 10 

            In terms of aesthetic design, Cofagrigus is actually really cool. It’s got four arms that remind me of those sticky hands that used to be sold in those little vending machines and the idea of a cursed coffin Pokemon is definitely very original and very welcome in a generation where yet another two-stage cat Pokemon evolutionary line and another Fire/Fighting type starter Pokemon exist. It is also the only Ghost-type Pokemon whose main coloration is not a dark or cool color like purple, black or blue. Also, it does legitimately resemble an Ancient Egyptian sarcophagus. The evil eyes and grin also keep the typicality of the Ghost-type, making this perhaps one of the coolest and most unique designs of the 5^th Generation.

Aesthetic Design: 9 out of 10 

Competitive Battling Spotlight #4: Old Pokemon One

FLYGON!!!! 

Flygon

Tier: UU (as of July 2012)

Stats:

H.P.: 80

Attk: 100

Def.: 80

Sp.A: 80

Sp.D: 80

Spe: 100

Abilities:  Levitate: This Pokemon is immune to Ground type attacks. Maybe if Flygon got a good Dream World ability like Sand Rush or Sand Veil it would have stayed OU, but alas it must remain with Levitate. Levitate is a great ability for Flygon because it grants it a free switchin to a very powerful type, but of course the other two options would have been amazing.

          Today we are going to spotlight one of my personal favorite Pokemon, introduced in the 3^rd generation, Flygon. In RSE it was a fantastic Pokemon; fast, offensive, with a pretty good typing (bar its 4x Ice weakness) to go along with its good movepool. In 4^th Gen it only got better, with the optimization of scouting moves like U-Turn, the ability to obtain Firepunch and Thunderpunch, and a new onslaught of powerful special Dragon moves to add to its mixed arsenal. In Black and White, however, this cool bug/dragonfly desert spirit has dropped a great deal in usability, losing more than it has gained.

            It is difficult to decide whether to begin with the bad news or the good (or at least, the little good there is), but with the introduction of various new threats in the metagame, Flygon does not seem to fare well against them all. Its stats are good, but for a Dragon type, they seem to beg for more. Its typing is not bad at all, netting two effective immunities, as well as a few notable resistances to take hits decently well with its 80/80/80 defensive stats, though as we all know a 4x Ice weakness is a hindrance. Its 100/80/100 offensive stats seem to call specifically for a Choiced item in this generation, where almost every team will have its fair share of fast and powerful sweepers.

          In terms of movepool, however, Flygon really soars. It has all the coverage it needs in just its two STABs, and with powerful options such as Stone Edge, Fire Punch (or Fire Blast), U-Turn, and now Superpower thanks to BW 2, it is sure to have an attack to deal with just about any threat in OU or UU.  It also has at last acquired a long sought after boosting move in the form of Hone Claws, but as it is still incapable of Dragon Dancing (or even Swords Dancing, for that matter), it finds itself in second place to many familiar faces like Dragonite, Salamence, Kingdra, and even Haxorus.

          And while this ability to finally boost its attack stat on its own seems like a reason to cheer for the Mystic Pokemon, it doesn’t effectively play to its true strengths. Flygon is a Pokemon best used with a Choice Scarf and U-turn, neither of which work in tandem with Hone Claws. Besides that fact, the only moves that can effectively use an accuracy boost in Flygon’s arsenal are Stone Edge, which is reasonable, and Draco Meteor, which is already decently accurate and is a special move to top it all off. Also, while almost everything and their Pokemon mother has acquired a new Dream World ability, Flygon has not, though its original ability is not bad at all.

            With all of this it becomes clear that Flygon has ideally stayed in place this generation, while everything it used to be able to compete with has advanced much further.  Competition from Salamence and Dragonite, who are top OU powerhouse Dragons, doesn’t help it any, either.  But don’t take this all as bad news; Flygon has not gotten worse, it just hasn’t gotten much better. It is still a great Pokemon if used correctly,  and will forever remain as one of the coolest Pokemon in my eyes.

Potential Sets: 

1.      1. ScarfGon

40 HP/252 Atk/216 Spe or
Jolly @ Choice Scarf 
   -U-Turn
   -Outrage
   - Earthquake
   -Superpower

      A standard Scarf Flygon set. The Jolly nature give Flygon the edge over just about every unboosted Pokemon in UU (since anything with higher natural Speed rarely carries a Scarf), and the phenomenal coverage here plus U-Turn help force switches and get some of your more powerful Pokemon in against your foes. Because the next fastest things that commonly carry a Scarf are Darmanitan and Krookodile, 216 Speed EVs are used here to guarantee a faster Speed stat over both. This grants you a few more Hit Points, which may come in handy when switching into Stealth Rocks and/or weaker attacks. Of course,you could run standard 252 Atk/252 Spe and still be able to outspeed both, with the inclusion of the rare but effective Choice Scarf Victini, but that's up to you. An Adamant nature can also be used to trade some Speed for more power.

2.      2. FlyBand

252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP

Jolly/Adamant @ Choice Band

-Outrage

-U-Turn

-Earthquake

-Superpower

      Banded Flygon is useful because of its higher powered physical stat, alongside its great coverage and the sustention of U-Turn and its effectiveness in scouting. Jolly is the ideal nature here, to outspeed anything below Base 100 Speed (which isn’t a lot, these days), while Adamant will allow Flygon to hit a lot harder. Again, the coverage moves and U-Turn are essential, while Superpower is good for hurting Steel and Normal types. You may use Fire Punch here, if you wish.

3.      3. A Special Dragon

252 Sp.Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
Timid/Modest @ Life Orb
   -Draco Meteor
   -Fire Blast
   -Earth Power
   - Roost/U-Turn/HP Ice

      With 80 base Special Attack and good speed, why not try a Special set? This set spotlights one of Flygon’s most devastating toys, Draco Meteor, at its fullest potential, though the Sp. Atk drop is a harsh detriment. For that reason U-Turn can be used to escape such a situation, while Roost can be employed to replenish lost health from Life Orb. Hidden Power Ice is displayed on this set as an option for better coverage, though STAB Draco Meteor is still ideal in hitting Dragons. 

4.      4. Hone Your Claws

160 Atk/96 Sp. Atk/252 Spe

Hasty/Lonely @ Life Orb

-Hone Claws

- Earthquake

-Outrage

-Fire Blast/Roost/Stone Edge

      This set makes use of Flygon’s only new addition in the 5^th gen, its only stat-boosting move. Just like the other sets, the powerful STAB options of Earthquake and Outrage are needed to fully optimize the strength of this set, while the last slot can ideally be filled by Fire Blast as a means of surprise for opposing threats that would otherwise wall Flygon’s STABs. Again, Roost can be used to recover Life Orb damage and other damage taken from attacks, while Stone Edge also welcomes the accuracy boost from Hone Claws, and adds great physical coverage. Of course, if Stone Edge is chosen in the last slot, the nature can be changed to Jolly or Adamant, and the EV spread can utilize max attack and max speed.

      As this set does not have U-Turn, prediction is the driving factor for its effectiveness. Flygon is not extremely fragile, but it definitely won’t be able to take many (if any at all) super effective hits. With that being said, it is best to send this Flygon in on an opponent who might be scared out by an Earthquake or Draco Meteor. If a switch can be foreseen, Flygon can proceed to boost with Hone Claws. With Jolly and 252 EVs, it will hit 328 Speed, which is not slow by any means.

While Flygon continues to beg the Dragon gods for a blessing in the form of Dragon Dance, this is all it has for now, and if Flygon is to be used solely for its unique typing, Garchomp is a much better choice all around. Also, as a bit of foreshadowing, Flygon has (in my opinion) been almost entirely replaced by the new Dark/Dragon Hydreigon.

Competitive Usability: 8 out of 10 


Aesthetic Design: 9

Pokemon Black and White: Useful Pokemon in-game, Part 1

          Pokemon Black and White have been out in the U.S. for exactly two weeks now, and as I believe many are probably very far in the game at this point, I would like to go into some detail of the many useful new Pokemon to be encountered in the games throughout your journey. I myself have only just reached the Pokemon League, so I have yet to beat the game. With that being said this list will cover useful Pokemon up until this point. I will edit it as I progress, and I will hopefully continue to post more in-game guides, etc in addition to my Competitive posts. I apologize for my absence; I was very busy with school, but now I am on Spring Break and will try to post as much as I can!

Without further adieu:

1. Lillipup

Useful for its ability to acquire rare items early on.

          Literally one of the first useful Pokemon to be encountered in the game is the cute little puppy Lillipup. By catching one of these little guys, you get a 50% chance of it having the ability Pickup which, as you may know, provides a 10% chance of acquiring an item after each battle (trainer or wild Pokemon battle). The best way to go about this is by catching as many Lillipups in your party as you can early in the game. Catch 5 or 6 if you'd like (but make sure they have Pickup, as some might have Vital Spirit)! This will increase your chances of getting rare items like Nugget, Hyper Potion and Ultra Ball, which are all very helpful to have at an early point in your journey. A slight downside to this is that Pickup's effectiveness is based on a Pokemon's level, like previous generations. Also, Lillipup is the only 5th Generation Pokemon to have this ability. This means if you want to use this tip to its fullest potential, you'll have to carry around high leveled Lillipups to acquire these rare items (when it evolves, it loses this magnificent ability). Still, this is a very useful strategy for getting a lot of Nuggets early in the game to help you in the long run. Try it out!

Here is a list of the in-depth Pickup mechanics for Black  and White: http://www.serebii.net/blackwhite/pickup.shtml

**Credit goes to serebii.net for its useful information. I am not claiming this as my own**

2. Audino

The Pokemon with the 3rd highest Experience yield in the entire game!! 

 

 

          Audino is perhaps the most useful Pokemon in all of Black and White. It doesn't have Chandelure's Special Attack, nor does it have Hydreigon's versatility. In fact, it really isn't very useful at all in battle. So then... what's the deal with this thing? First of all, it appears in almost every route in the game where there is grass. In that sense, it is quite common. Second, and easily most importantly of all, it gives any Pokemon that defeats it a ton of experience points. Literally, a ton. Some lower-leveled Pokemon might be crushed by the amount of experience it gives; they won't know what to do with it all. If its experience were a Pokemon itself, it would be as large as Wailord, with Deoxys A's Attack stats and Deoxys D's Defense. And it would learn every move in existence.
          Ok, so maybe I've made too big a deal of this thing. But seriously, it helps. As long as your Pokemon is around the same level as Audino, it will receive a great amount of experience to help it grow. Slap on a Lucky Egg and a couple Exp. Shares and your Pokemon will have no trouble training for anything. I once raised a Level 1 Pokemon twenty levels just by defeating a level twenty-something Audino with one of my other Pokemon. It received somewhere around 5900 exp.
          One of the most significant factors to consider about this is that in Black and White the entire mechanic of experience yield has been changed. Now, experience points received are dependent on the difference in your Pokemon's level and the Pokemon it is battling. This means if your Pokemon is level 15 and you defeat a level 26 Pokemon, you will receive much more experience than if your own Pokemon was at level 26 as well. Combine this with Audino's superior-to-Arceus experience yield, and you've got yourself one of the easiest means of raising Pokemon. Beat that, Pokemon Trainer Red!

**Note: Audino is only battled in a special way. You must move around outside any patch of grass until you see one square shaking. Once it shakes, walk over to that spot. This is also a way to get certain rare Pokemon in different routes, such as Emolga, the three "Pan" monkeys, Unfezant, etc. Make sure you have some Repels as well!**

I hope this partial guide has helped! As I've said, I will continue to update and post more about Black and White and the new Competitive Battling scene.

Enjoy your Pokemon!

~Scarecrow