Looking at Pokemon: Lileep

March 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Lileep

Lileep is a Rock/Grass Pokemon from the third generation of Pokemon games. Introduced in the Ruby and Sapphire games for the GBA Lileep sits at number 345 on the National Dex and is only available as a fossil that must be brought back to life by visiting a certain scientist. This Pokemon can be found in the Underground on Diamond, Pearl and Platinum in its Root Fossil form.

Lileep comes with the ability Suction Cups: Prevents moves that make you switch Pokemon from working. Increases catch rate while fishing.

Lileep can be acquired via game play by searching the Underground for a Root Fossil and bringing said fossil to the Oreburgh Mine Museum. Once revived this Pokemon will be at level 20.

Once you revive Lileep you can breed it or evolve it at level 40 into its final stage of Cradily. Its HP (66), Defense (77) and Special Defense (87) are very nice while its Speed (23) is quite low. Lileep’s high Sp Atk (61) and low Atk (41) put it securely in the role of a Special Attacker. Its Grass/Rock typing makes it weak (x2) against Ice, Fighting, Bug and Steel moves but it is not super weak (x4) against anything.

Lileep in Adventure Mode

A freshly hatched Lileep will come with the moves Astonish and Constrict. A freshly revived Lileep will be at level 20 and have the moves: Astonish, Constrict, Acid and Ingrain. For purposes of this discussion we will assume a level 1 freshly hatched Lileep.

Being part Rock Lileep is known for having good defensive numbers. While its Attack score suffers its Special Attack does not. Because of this we will focus on using Lileep’s Special Attack when leveling up. Lileep has five Special moves in its level up pool and only two Physical ones. These two are known at hatching.

A level one Lileep does not get any sort of STAB move. With Acid at level 8 we need to wait until Lileep reaches level 15 before the first Grass move is learned; Ingrain. Not a damaging move, Ingrain does help keep Lileep in the battle by restoring lost HP at the end of each turn. Ingrains built-in defense against being forced to switch out is clearly wasted on Lileep.

The first hard choice comes at level 22 when Confuse Ray becomes available. Take it. Astonish is not a very good move and Acid already does more damage AND can hit both enemy Pokemon in a Doubles Battle. Amnesia at level 29 is a bit of a mixed bag. It is a Status move that increases Special Defense. Since Lileep already has a good Sp. Def. you might not want to bother with this move.

At level 36 comes the Status move Gastro Acid. This move negates the ability of the enemy Pokemon is can be extremely useful. I can’t even count the number of times this move has saved my bacon in the game!

At level 43 we encounter our first STAB move, Ancient Power. Not only does this move provide us with a Rock STAB move it also has a slight chance of improving all of your scores when used. No Lileep should be without this move. Level 50 brings us our Grass STAB move, Energy Ball.

Upon making it to level 57 Lileep get the option to learn the triple move known as Stockpile/Spit Up/Swallow. The up side to this move set is that it allows you to increase charge up power and then either use it to attack or to heal. The downside is that it is three moves out of your four allowed.

The very last move that Lileep can learn by leveling up is Wring Out at level 64. The damage for this move is based on the foe’s remaining HP.

Adventure Mode Move Breakdown:

Move 1: Astonish -> Confuse Ray
Move 2: Constrict -> Gastro Acid
Move 3: Acid -> Ancient Power
Move 4: Ingrain -> Energy Ball

Competitive Battling Lileep

Lileep is the basic form of a two-stage Pokemon. As such it does not see much play in competitive battling. It does see use in the Little Battle Tier.

Long Lasting Lileep

EV: Sp Def:252 / HP: 252 / Sp Atk: 8
Nature: Calm (SpD+/Atk-)

Move 1: Giga Drain (Grass 60/100 TM19)
Move 2: Substitute (Normal/Status TM90)
Move 3: Ancient Power (Rock 60/100 Lvl 43)
Move 4: Recover (Normal/Status Egg)

With this Pokemon you start by using substitute and then follow it up with either Recover or one of your offensive moves. In subsequent turns you can use Giga Drain to cause damage and restore lost HP. Ancient Power performs admirably as a secondary STAB move for those Pokemon that resist Giga Drain.

Remember, this Pokemon will not be facing the power hitters of the competitive battling scene. Some might wonder why I have not placed Toxic on this Lileep. The simple answer is that because Lileep will be running in the level 1 – 5 range the effectiveness of Toxic will be lowered to the point where it is not as effective as it is at higher levels.

Other types of Lileep

I request that if you have any other ideas for a Lileep move pool to please leave them in the comments below. As good move pools are suggested I will update this article accordingly.

Looking at Pokemon: Elekid

February 14, 2009 | 3 Comments

Elekid

Elekid is an Electric-type Pokemon from the second generation Pokemon games. Introduced in the Crystal, Silver and Gold games Elekid sits at number 239 of the National Dex and falls into the Baby Pokemon group. This Pokemon can be captured in Pearl and Diamond by having a copy of Fire Red in the GBA slot while visiting Route 204-South Valley Windworks. If you are lucky the Elekid may even be holding an Electirizer!

Elekid comes with the ability Static: 30% chance of opponent becoming Paralyzed after using a direct attack.

Unless you have planned to use Elekid in your starting party you are not likely to get one in the early part of the game because the GBA trick only works after you defeat the Elite Four. The only way to get one prior to completing the single player portion of the game is through trading.

Because Elekid is a baby Pokemon you can not use it for breeding. It can evolve into an Electabuzz at level 30 and an Electivire at any point thereafter. Believe it or not its scores as actually quite good. Its base scores are even better than those of a Pikachu!

With Attack and Special Attack scores in the 60’s and a Speed of 95 Elekid can be a very good pick for your Pokemon team.

Elekid in Adventure Mode

Because Elekid is a baby Pokemon and the base stage for a third stage Pokemon a little bit of planning can go a long way in making this Pokemon a permanent addition to your battle roster.

A base Elekid will come with the moves Leer and Quick Attack. Even though you can’t catch one (and you are likely to breed better moves for it) for the purpose of this article we are going to assume you started with a base Elekid.

Because Elekid’s Attack and Special Attack are very close it pays to keep a mixture of attacks on this guy.

Thundershock (level 7) and Low Kick (level 10) will quickly become two of your main moves. Swift (level 19) is a very nice replacement for Quick Attack. With Elekid being one of the fastest Pokemon around at this point in the game it is more useful to have a move that can hit both opposing Pokemon in a double battle than having a weaker move that always strikes first but only hits one opposing Pokemon.

Shockwave (level 19) will replace Thundershock and Light Screen (level 25) can replace Leer. At level 28 we begin to enter the realm of hard choices.

When Thunderpunch (level 28) becomes available we find ourselves at the first crossroads. Up to now all of our electric attacks have been Special Attacks. Thunderpunch is the first physical Electric move that becomes available. It is more powerful than Shockwave but Shockwave is an automatic hit move. Thunderpunch is also the only physical Electric move in Elekids level-up move pool. I usually hold on to Shockwave at this point.

Discharge (level 34) is another hard choice. More powerful than Shockwave and also has the added effect of hitting all other combatants on the field, that includes your other Pokemon! If you normally have Elekid partner up with a Volt Absorb or a Ground-type Pokemon then Discharge is a good choice. If you don’t take Discharge (or even if you do) Thunderbolt (level 37) soon becomes available. This is followed by Screech (level 43) and the ever powerful (but not always accurate) Thunder (level 46).

Adventure Mode Move Breakdown:

Move 1: Leer -> Light Screen -> Screech
Move 2: Quick Attack -> Swift
Move 3: Thundershock -> Shockwave -> Thunderbolt
Move 4: Low Kick

Competitive Battling Elekid

Elekid is legal for the Little Battle format.

It is highly unlikely that you will ever find yourself in a situation where you choose to field a Elekid in a competitive situation. The only time you will have one of these guys on your team is when a tournament restricts you in some manner. With that in mind I offer the following move set.

Punched-Up Elekid

EV: Atk:252 / Spd: 252 / Def: 8
Nature: Adamant (Atk+/SpA-)

Move Pool:

Move 1: ThunderPunch (Electric 75/100)
Move 2: Ice Punch (Ice 75/100)
Move 3: Fire Punch (Fire 75/100)
Move 4: Brick Break (Fighting 75/100)

All of the moves on this guy are Physical and they are all 100% accurate with a base damage of 75. Thunderpunch is the only one that gets STAB. Ice Punch is there to take out those pesky Ground-type Pokemon who can do Elekid in quite quickly.

Other types of Elekid

I request that if you have any other ideas for an Elekid move pool to please leave them in the comments below. As good move pools are suggested I will update this article accordingly.

Pokemon Battle Revolution: Little Battles

February 2, 2009 | 3 Comments

Pokemon Battle Revolution

Sunny Park Colosseum is a special place in Pokemon Battle Revolution. While it is a normal battle spot the first time through it becomes something far more interesting afterwards. Why do I say this? Because Sunny Park Colosseum becomes the place to battle with Little Pokemon.

Little Pokemon are defined as unevolved Pokemon that are level 5 or lower. This means those big basic Pokemon such as Skarmory and Heracross can not compete. Nor can any Pokemon that evolves with a stone such the evolved forms of Eevee.

Most competitive Pokemon Battlers never even look at the unevolved Pokemon. They only look at the Uber and Over Used tiers. Here at the farm we like to be different. One way we are different is that we encourage the use of Pokemon that many battlers would shy away from.

In the past we have held tournaments where participants could only use level 1 Pokemon. This sort of battle is very different from the high powered battles most players are familiar with. For one thing set damage moves are banned (they would be OHKO moves in this format) and their is less of an emphasis on EVs and IVs. In fact a Pokemon may have terrible IVs but if their starting scores are higher than a Pokemon with better IVs then they will see battle before their better does.

    Basic Rules

  • Any unevolved Pokemon that can evolve can be used in this format. This includes Pokemon that have gained an evolution in 4th gen.
  • Pokemon must be level 5 or lower. This is due to early generations hatching Pokemon at level 5.
  • No set damage moves allowed. Most set damage moves would be an instant kill in this format.

Creating a team for this format is not much different than building a team for the normal formats. The only big difference is that it is all about the breeding skills of the trainer. Though you could burn a ton of TMs on your low level Pokemon it is much better to breed the moves into your Pokemon. There are numerous articles on the site about breeding and you can also check out out the forum.

When choosing Pokemon to use in your Little Battle team it is important to note that most Pokemon that fit into this tier will not be dual-type. There are some dual-types but they are few and far between. Available move pools is also something that you need to take into consideration. Some Pokemon you might never think of using become very desirable in this format.

Let’s take Munchlax for example. If you can get one with the Thick Fat ability you have already gained a huge advantage in that your Pokemon will only suffer 50% damage from Fire and Ice type moves.

Unlike the sleepier Snorlax Munchlax is a real hustler. He also has a wide variety of moves available (even more when Platinum comes out). Why not breed your Munchlax to have: Focus Punch (150 Fighting), Earthquake (100 Ground), Zen Headbutt (80 Psychic) and Rock Slide (75 Rock)? All of those moves are Physical due to Munchlax having a high base Attack score.

Why not give Little Battles a chance? It’s not that hard to make a team of Legendary Pokemon and kick butt in the competitive battle scene with them. It’s a lot harder to take a bunch of unevolved Pokemon and forge a competitive team out of them.

Looking at Pokemon: Bidoof

December 26, 2008 | 5 Comments

Bidoof is a Normal type Pokemon who evolves into the Normal/Water type Bibarel at Level 15. Bidoof is Pokemon number 399 in the national dex and is one of the most common Pokemon found in the early parts of Diamond, Pearl and Platinum. It is most often used as an HM slave by players and then tossed back into the box once the player reaches the Elite Four.

Bidoof comes with one of two possible abilities: Simple (The effectiveness of all stat modifications is doubled) and Unaware (Foe’s stat modifications are ignored).

Bidoof can be acquired in the 4th generation Pokemon games rather quickly. Soon after earning your starter Pokemon you will find yourself unable to take ten steps without one of these buck-toothed critters popping out of the tall grass to harass you.

Bidoof does not have any amazing base stats. Its best score is HP that clocks in at a whopping 59 points. Even though you will be hard pressed to field this little guy in a competitive environment it is not without some redeeming features. For one thing this Pokemon has only one real weakness; Fighting type moves. Bidoof suffers x2 damage from Fight moves but only x1 damage from the rest of the typings with the obvious exception for Ghost moves that can do no harm to a Normal type Pokemon.

Some might compare Bidoof to Rattata but it is important to note that while Rattata has high Speed and Attack scores (while everything else suffers) Bidoof has a very even spread of base scores with nothing really high and nothing really low

When used as an HM slave Bidoof will need to be evolved at the earliest possible moment. While Bidoof can only learn HM01 Cut and HM06 Rock Smash the evolved form can learn six out of the eight HM moves.

Bidoof in Adventure Mode

Let’s be honest for a minute here. Most players only use Bidoof because they can catch one early on and it serves admirably as a throw away HM slave. That does not mean this Pokemon has no other purpose.

When you find (or hatch) your Bidoof it will most likely come with the move Tackle and possibly Growl (level 5). Defense Curl comes along at level 9 and Rollout comes along at level 13. (Rollout is very important because Shinx does not learn an offensive Electric move until level 17.)

HM06 Rock Smash will soon be added to your Pokemon and because it is an HM move you will not be able to replace it with anything else until you find the Move Deleter.

At level 17 Headbutt becomes available and even though bidoof’s speed is not likely to allow it to attack first Headbutt does cause more damage than Tackle and is worth taking. This move will be replaced with Hyper Fang at level 21. Super Fang becomes available at level 37 but that move is best used as a first strike and then not used again due to its diminishing returns. It is also very likely that your Bidoof will have evolved long before Super Fang becomes available. It is also very likely that after evolving your pokemon will be sporting four HM moves.

Adventure Mode Move Breakdown:

Move 1: Tackle -> Headbutt -> Hyper Fang -> Super Fang
Move 2: Growl -> Rollout
Move 3: Defense Curl -> Cut
Move 4: Rock Smash

Most likely you will evolve your Bidoof at level 15 and Rollout will be the last move your Pokemon learns on leveling up.

Competitive Battling Bidoof

It is highly unlikely that you will ever find yourself in a situation where you choose to field a Bidoof in a competitive situation. The only time you will have one of these guys on your team is when a tournament restricts you in some manner. With that in mind I offer the following move set.

Annoying Bidoof

Bidoof’s top score is its HP of 59 followed by an Attack score of 45. Nothing to write home about but within its class it’s not so bad.

EV: HP:252 / Atk: 252 / Spd: 8
Nature: Adamant (Atk+/SpA-)
Ability: Unaware

Move Pool:

Move 1: Super Fang (Normal ??/90)
Move 2: Toxic (Poison –/85 TM06)
Move 3: Substitute (Normal –/– TM90)
Move 4: Rest (Normal –/– TM44)

This particular Bidoof is designed to annoy your opponent. A quick Super Fang will knock half of the HP off of the defending Pokemon. Follow this up with Toxic and the Substitute/Rest combo and this little beaver can go for a long time! A Steel or Poison Pokemon will put the breaks on this strategy.

Other Bidoof

Have some ideas for how to use a Bidoof in battle? Post them in the comments and if they look promising I’ll add them to the article.

“Keying” in on Rotom’s new forms!

September 30, 2008 | 34 Comments

“Its body is composed of plasma. It is known to infiltrate electronic devices and wreak havoc” – Pokédex

Pokémon Platinum, released in Japan on September 13th, gives new meaning to those faithful words that our pokédex’s once spoke. As many of you may already know Rotom will be getting a whole new bag of tricks when household appliances run aMUK in Shinnoh!

Starting on September 28, 2008 and lasting until November 4, 2008, Nintendo is giving away a secret key to all Pokemon Platinum owners with WIFI access. The secret key unlocks a hidden room in Team Galactic’s hideout in Eterna City and can be downloaded once you have unlocked the mystery gift function.

Obtaining the Secret Key…

To receive the secret key you first have to unlock the mystery gift option. Just like in Diamond & Pearl you simply go to the 3rd floor and tell the news reporter…Everyone / Happy…and then…WI-FI / Connection. This was a little difficult since it’s all in japanese, but I simply checked on my Pearl game to see where the words where located in english and then found them in japanese!

After you have unlocked the mystery gift function, select the Get Via Wireless button and TA-DA!!!

Obtaining Rotom…

Just like in Diamond & Pearl you can only find Rotom inside a TV in the Old Chateau at night. Once you have captured him in platinum or traded him over from Diamond or Pearl you can head to Team Galactic’s hideout.

Taking on new forms…

After you have beaten Team Galactic in Eterna City, go back to the first room. In the upper left hand corner of the room is a hidden entrance that leads to a new room containing 5 household appliances. Simply go up to the wall and press the A button and your secret key will open the hidden entranceway. With Rotom(s) in your party simply stand in front of the appliance that you want Rotom to posses and press the A button. If your Rotom already knows 4 moves then it will ask you if you want to learn a new move depending on which Appliance you pick.

Here is a chart of each of Rotoms’s new forms and the moves it can learn when it posses the appliances…

Additional Facts…

  • Rotom will change back to its original form if you select the spot where the appliance it possessing once sat or if you try and trade Rotom while it is possessing an appliance.
  • Rotom’s base stats get a boost when it posses the various appliances return to his old stats when it reverts back to its original form.

  • All of the Rotom’s transformations are still Electric and Ghost types.

  • If you missed out on the secret key event there is still hope!!! Ask a friend who does have the secret key to share the key with you. They can share the key up to 4 times! All they have to do is do is go to the wonder card share the key. All you have to do is go into your Mystery gift function and select the Get From A Friend option. The only draw back is that this is not over WIFI, you have to be close by.

Looking at Pokemon: Chimchar

September 24, 2008 | 5 Comments

Chimchar

Looking at Chimchar

Chimchar is a Fire Pokemon that is one of the three starter Pokemon from the Diamond and Pearl games. Chimchar sits at spot 390 in the National Pokedex and can evolve into Monferno (Lvl 14) and then Infernape (Lvl 36). Many compare Chimchar to Torchic from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald. More specifically they refer to Infernape as the Pokemon Blaziken always wanted to be.

Chimchar (and his higher evolved forms) are unusual in that they can perform equally well as Physical Attackers or Special Attackers. Their base Attack (58/78/104) and Special Attack (58/78/104) scores are equal through each evolution. Similarly their Defense (44/52/71) and Special Defense (44/52/71) scores are also equal across evolutions. This allows Chimchar to work as either a Physical or Special Attack Pokemon.

Chimchar has the ability Blaze (Boosts power of Fire moves 50% when at 1/3 HP or less).

Chimchar can be acquired either as your starter Pokemon or via trading with a friend or over the GTS. Unlike in previous games there is a third trainer you encounter who takes the Pokemon neither you nor your rival took at the beginning of the game. Once you have seen a Chimchar you will be able to get one off of the GTS (provided you have made it far enough into the game to unlock the GTS).

Chimchar has a good mix of moves in its move pool that allow a trainer to easily mold it into the role of Physical or Special Attacker (though its complete move pool sets it up better as a Physical Attacker). Flame Wheel (Lvl 17) is the only Physical Fire move this Pokemon learns while leveling up but it does have access to the moves Fire Punch and Blaze Kick via its pool of Egg moves.

On the Special Attack side Chimchar can learn several Fire moves beginning with Ember (Lvl 7), Fire Spin (Lvl 33) and Flamethrower (Lvl 41). Its Egg move pool only contains Heat Wave for Special Attacks while it’s TM/HM pool contains Flamethrower, Fire Blast and Overheat.

Chimchar in Adventure Mode

Most players will find that Chimchar is a very rewarding Pokemon to pick as a starter. Among the starter selection Chimchar is the one who becomes dual type the fastest (Monferno, Lvl 14, Fire/Fighting). Fire Pokemon are also extremely rare in Sinnoh during the early part of the game. Ponyta is the Fire Pokemon you will first encounter in the wild and it only becomes available after you have defeated the Grass/Poison Gym in Eterna City.

A fresh Chimchar (with no special breeding) will know the moves Scratch and Leer. Not a Fire move on the list but that comes quickly with Ember at level 7.

I realize that most players will want to evolve their Chimchar at the first opportunity but there are those who like to keep their Pokemon from evolving and the rest of this article will be written with that idea in mind.

At Level 9 Chimchar will learn the move Taunt and (assuming you have not used any TMs/HMs on him) all further moves learned beyond this point will require replacing an existing move already known.

It is important to understand that Chimchar’s level up moves put him in a better position to be a Special Attacker than they do a Physical Attacker. I say this because the move Nasty Plot becomes available at level 23 while Swords Dance is only available via a TM. These moves do essentially the same thing though one applies to Attack and the other to Special Attack. If you choose not to learn Nasty Plot you can always regain it by going to the Move Maniacs house in Pastoria City but only as long as your Pokemon remains a Chimchar. Nasty Plot is not in the move pool of his later evolutions.

When it comes to Physical moves your first option is to replace Scratch with Fury Swipes at level 15. After that comes Flame Wheel at level 17 and Facade at level 31. Personally I would opt for Fury Swipes at level 15 and replace Ember with Flame Wheel at level 17. If I have not acquired a better Physical move by level 31 Facade will replace Fury Swipes.

When it comes to Special moves Fire Spin at level 33 and Flamethrower at level 41 are your only options. Fire Spin is low power (15) but it also prevents the opponent’s Pokemon from fleeing for 2-5 turns. Fire Spin is also only 70% accurate. Flamethrower is a power house at 95 with a 100% accuracy. It also has a 10% chance of inflicting a Burn condition on your opponent.

Taking a quick look at the Status moves in Chimchar’s move pool we find Nasty Plot (Lvl 23), Torment (Lvl 25) and Slack Off (Lvl 39). We have already discussed Nasty Plot above but what about these other two? Should we drop Taunt (Lvl 9) or Leer to learn these?

Taunt and Torment are similar moves. While Taunt forces the opponent’s Pokemon to only use Attack moves for the next 2-5 turns Torment prevents them from using the same move two turns in a row. Pulling these two off can really annoy an opponent but is it worth setting up? Slack Off is a healing move and restores up to ½ of your max HPs. If you want to go the annoying way then pick Taunt and Torment. If you want to go a little more all-purpose than stick with Nasty Plot and Slack Off.

Adventure Mode Move Breakdown:

Move 1: Scratch -> Fury Swipes -> Facade
Move 2: Leer -> Torment
Move 3: Ember -> Flame Wheel -> Flamethrower
Move 4: Taunt

You might be wondering why I have not bothered to learn Nasty Plot in the above breakdown of moves and why I have instead gone with the Taunt/Torment option. The simple reason is that Nasty Plot is not really useful until you learn Flamethrower. With the low power (15) of Fire Spin it’s simply not worth having Nasty Plot taking up a slot. You could keep Ember until you learn Flamethrower but Flame Wheel has 20 more points of power behind it before boosting with a Nasty Plot/Swords Dance.

Remember, the above breakdown assumes no TM/HM usage during game play.

Competitive Battling Chimchar

As an un-evolved Pokemon Chimchar is not a major player in the competitive battling scene. His fully evolved form Infernape is a major player and it sits in the OU (Over Used) tier. It is at this point that you are likely wondering why anyone would want to field a Chimchar in competitive play.

There are occasions where you will find yourself in a tournament or league with special rules in place. That is where you will find yourself battling with a Chimchar. The un-evolved three stage Pokemon tournament is where you will find Chimchar in use. If the tournament rules allow for non-evolving Pokemon don’t use Chimchar. Pokemon who do not evolve are almost always stronger than un-evolved three stage Pokemon.


All-Purpose Chimchar

This Chimchar does a little bit of everything. It makes good use of its Blaze ability and has a few tricks up its sleeves.

IV: Atk: 252 / SpA: 252 / Spd: 8
Nature: Lonely (Atk+/Def-), Naughty (Atk+/SpD-), Mild (SpA+/Def-), Rash (SpA+/SpD-), Hasty (Spd+/Def-), Naive (Spd+/SpD-)

Move Pool:

Move 1: Heat Wave (Fire 100/90 Egg move)
Move 2: Fire Punch (Fire 75/100 Egg move)
Move 3: Hidden Power (Ice TM10)
Move 4: Thunder Punch (Electric 75/100 Egg move)

Yes, this variant requires proper breading to create but it covers all but one of Chimchar’s weaknesses, Rock. You can swap Brick Break (TM31) in place of Hidden Power (TM10) but then you will still find yourself weak against Ground types and you will no longer have the 50/50 split among Special and Physical moves.

Even though Chimchar has access to Grass Knot (TM86) most Pokemon in his class will be light, thus negating the effectiveness of Grass Knot.


Special Attack Chimchar

This Chimchar focuses entirely on Special Attack and Speed. He hits hard and he hits fast!

IV: HP: 8 / SpA: 252 / Spd: 252
Nature: Modest (SpA+/Atk-), Timid (Spd+/Atk-)

Move Pool:

Move 1: Nasty Plot (Dark Status Lvl 23)
Move 2: Fire Blast (Fire 120/85 TM 3 / Flamethrower (Fire 95/100 Lvl 41/TM 35)
Move 3: Hidden Power (Ice TM 10)
Move 4: Torment (Dark Status Lvl 25)

The option to use Fire Blast or Flamethrower is based on personal preference and risk taking. While Fire Blast is more powerful it is also less accurate. If you have a hold item that increases your Pokemon’s accuracy than feel free to go with Fire Blast. If you find yourself getting “burned” by attacks that miss you can go with flamethrower.

Hidden Power Ice should help take out those pesky Ground types while Torment lets you annoy those Pokemon who only have one attack that can hurt you.


Attack Chimchar

This Chimchar focuses entirely on Attack and Speed. He hits hard and he hits fast!

IV: HP: 8 / Atk: 252 / Spd: 252
Nature: Adamant (Atk+/SpA-), Jolly (Spd+/SpA-)

Move Pool:

Move 1: Swords Dance (Normal Status TM 75)
Move 2: Fire Punch (Fire 75/100 Egg move)
Move 3: Thunder Punch (Electric 75/100 Egg move)
Move 4: Focus Punch (Fighting 150/100 TM 1)

This Chimchar is very similar to the Special Attack Chimchar except he is a little bit better. By starting off with a Swords Dance you set in motion a nearly unbeatable Chimchar. With his high speed Focus Punch is practically guaranteed to result in a series of OHKOs in battle. The only thing this Chimchar can not defend against is a Ground type who is faster than he is.

Other Chimchar:

There are many options for Chimchar and being in the un-evolved tier most competitive battlers are not familiar with it. Some may consider him to be a smaller version of Infernape but that would be a mistake. Many of the power moves associated with Infernape are not in Chimchar’s move pool.

Pickup

September 20, 2008 | 3 Comments

When Ruby and Sapphire hit the Pokemon scene a new ability came with them. This ability is known as Pickup.

Diamond and Pearl also allow for the Pickup ability and the following Pokemon can have this ability: Aipom, Ambipom, Linoone, Meowth, Munchlax, Pachirusu, Phanpy, Teddiursa and Zigzagoon.

Most players of Ruby and Sapphire made it a point to use their Zigzagoon/Linoone as an HM machine as well as an item finder. Even know I keep a Linoone in my party when training so that I can collect rare stones used for evolution.

If you keep a Pokemon with the Pickup ability in your party there is a 10% chance he will “pick something up” at the end of each battle.

Lv. 30% 10% 4%

2%
1 – 10
11 – 20
21 – 30
31 – 40
41 – 50
51 – 60
61 – 70
71 – 80
81 – 90
91 – 100

Be aware that some of the rare items only appear if a Pokemon is within a certain level range. For example TM01 Focus Punch can only be found if your Pokemon is between levels 71 and 90. Once your Pokemon turns level 91 he can no longer Pickup a Focus Punch TM.

What Pokemon Are You? – Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Time and Darkness

April 20, 2008 | 279 Comments

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness

When the first set of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games were published we posted a What Pokemon Are You article to help you get the exact Pokemon you wanted. Now that the new games are out (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness) we present to you a new guide!

There are 16 Pokemon that you can get from answering the quiz questions. Unlike the previous game each of these Pokemon can be acquired whether you choose to be male or female. The natures are different for male and female but you can get them all

Pokemon Male Nature Female Nature
Bulbasaur Lonely Docile
Charmander Docile Brave
Squirtle Quirky Bold
Pikachu Brave Hasty
Meowth Sassy Relaxed
Chikorita Calm Quiet
Cyndaquil Timid Calm
Totodile Jolly Sassy
Treecko Quiet Hardy
Torchic Hardy Rash
Mudkip Rash Lonely
Skitty Hasty Naive
Turtwig Bold Timid
Chimchar Naive Impish
Piplup Impish Quirky
Munchlax Relaxed Jolly

After you get your starting Pokemon you then select a partner Pokemon from the same list but you can not take one that matches your type. So, if you end up with Piplup you can not select another Water type as your partner.

There are a lot of questions in this game and you don’t always get the questions you want. When faced with questions that lead to natures you are not looking for try to spread out your answers among all of the other natures you do not want. Once the question session is over the nature you have the most points in will be the deciding factor for which Pokemon you get. In the case of a tie it will choose randomly between the natures you have tied in.

Question Answer Score
You’re in the final mile of a marathon, but the last stretch is exhausting! What will you do?
Hang in there and finish Hardy +4 Brave +2
Stop running Quirky +4
Find a shortcut Bold +4 Rash +2
Would you even consider sticking to a plan to do ten sit-ups a day?
Yes! That’s easy! Impish +4 Sassy +2
Yes, hard work, though. Hardy +4
No! Who’d want to do that?! Quirky +4
You attend a fine dinner at a friend’s house. How do you behave?
Devour the food heartily. Impish +4 Naive +4
Enjoy the meal in polite moderation. Hardy +2
Ask to take the leftovers home. Bold +4
What do you do with your allowance?
Save it! Hardy +4
Spend it! Quirky +4 Hasty +2
I don’t get an allowance! Lonely +4
You want to reveal that you like someone a whole bunch! What do you do?
Show it a little by playing together. Jolly +4 Calm +2
Make it obvious by… playing a prank! Lonely +4 Naive +2
State it clearly for all to hear! Brave+4 Impish +4 Bold +2
Keep it to myself! It’s too risky! Timid +2
You see a cake that is past its expiration date, but only by one day. What do you do?
Not a problem! Chow time! Brave +4 Relaxed +2
Think about it briefly, then decide. Timid +2
Get someone to try it first. Bold +4
You’re daydreaming… when your frind sprays you with water! What do you do?
Get mad! Hasty +4
Get sad. Lonely +4
Woo hoo! Water fight! Jolly +4 Naive +4 Impish +4
Your friends seem to be having a fun chat out of earshot. What do you do?
Join them and chat along! Naive +4
Nothing… I’m not interested. Lonely +4
Eavesdrop from a distance! Timid +2
You have to move a heavy suitace. What will you do?
Carry it by myself. Hardy +4 Brave +2
Ask someone to help. Docile +2
Make someone else do it! Bold +4 Sassy +2
You’re on a stroll when a TV crew pounces on you for an interview. What do you do?
Run away! How embarrassin! Timid +4
Answer questions properly. Brave +4 Sassy +4
Yuck it up! Woo-hoo! I’m on TV! Naive +4 Bold +2
If you don’t know something, do you come clean and admit it?
Of course. Docile +4 Bold +2
That’s not easy to admit! Timid +4 Lonely +2
You’re in a play with friends. What kind of role do you prefer?
Staring role! Bold +4
Supporting role. Jolly +4
Just a bit part. Quirky +4
you’re on a walk when you smell something delicious. What do you do?
Try to imagine what it is. Docile +4
Find out what it is! Naive +4 Rash +2
Think about how hungry I am… Impish +4
You feel a burst of happiness! How about expressing it with a little dance?
Yes! Jolly +4 Lonely +2
No. Calm +2
A fortune teller says that you have a bad future ahead of you. How do you react?
Worry about it! Docile +4 Timid +2
Forget about it. Jolly +4 Relaxed +2 Bold +2
You see a parade coming down the street. What do you do?
Stay on the sidelines. Calm +2
YJoin the parade! Jolly +4 Naive +4
Walk away. Sassy +4 Lonely +2
Have you ever wanted to communicate with aliens from another planet?
Yes! Naive +4
No. Quiet +4
You hear a rumor that might make you rich! What do you do?
Keep it all to myself. Bold +4 Timid +2
Share it with friends. Docile +4 Rash +4
Spread a different rumor! Impish +4
How do you blow up a balloon?
As close to breaking as possible! Brave +4 Impish +4
Big… but not too big! I don’t… it could pop! Timid +4 Quiet +2 Docile +2
Do you state your opinion even when it’s not what everyone else thinks?
Yes! Brave +4 Bold +2
No. Lonely +4 Timid +2
It depends on the situation Calm +2 Quirk +2
Your friend tells a joke that is horribly corny! How do you react?
Roll around the floor laughing! Jolly +4 Naive +2
Just let it go by… Impish +2 Docile +2
Slap my forhead and groan. Brave +4
Have you ever upset a friend when you were just kidding around?
Yes! Naive +4 Impish +2
No. Calm +4
Can you strike up conversations with new people easily?
Yes! Jolly +4
No. Bold +4 Docile +2 Timid +2
Do you get injured a lot?
Yes! Rash +4 Impish +4
No. Calm +2
You see a ball on the ground. What do you do?
Kick it! Hasty +2 Sassy +2
Throw it! Impish +4
Spiff it up, shiny and new! Lonely +4
The phone’s ringing. What do you do?
Answer right away! Hasty +4 Lonely +4
Wait a bit before answering. Quiet +2
Ignore it and let it ring. Timid +2
What do you think of jungle exploration?
Sounds fun! Impish +4 Naive +2
Not interested. Quirky +4 Timid +2
Do you find yourself humming or singing often?
All the time! Relaxed +4 Jolly +2
Never. Quiet +2
You discover a secret passage in a basement. What do you do?
Go through it! Impish +4 Brave +4 Hasty +4 Rash +2
Stay away from it. Timid +2
You’re eating at a restaurant when you abrupty realize that everyone’s gone! What do you do?
Alone?! I look for an employee Lonely +4 Docile +4
Who’s worried? I keep eating. Jolly +4 Relaxed +4
I swipe food from other tables! Bold +4
Your friend takes a spectacular fall! What do you do?
Help my friend up! Brave +4 Lonely +2
Laugh! It’s too funny! Naive +4 Impish +4 Rash +2
You’re in class when you realize that you really have to go to the restroom! What do you do?
Ask for permission to leave. Brave +4 Bold +4
Sneak out. Hasty +2
Hold on until class ends! Timid +2
Do you like being the center of attention?
Yes. Lonely +4 Sassy +4
No. Relaxed +2
You’re told to wait in a big, empty room. What do you do?
Wait quietly. Docile +4
Search for something to do. Naive +4
Wander outside. Rash +4
Cradle my knees and sit in the corner! Lonely +4
You have a really important test tomorrow. What do you do?
Study all night long. Hardy +4
wing it! I’m sure it will be fine! Relaxed +4
Test?! I think I have a fever… Naive +4
Have you ever accidentally revealed a personal secret that someone shared with you?
Yes. Rash +4 Lonely +4
No. Hardy +2
Do you have lots of stuff you bought, thinking it was all cool, but don’t use anymore?
Yes. Quiry +4 Rash +2 Hasty +2
No. Quiet +2
Hey, what’s that? There’s someone behind you! So… did you look just now?
Don’t do that! It scared me! Timid +4
OK, I admit it. You tricked me. Docile +4
No way. I didn’t fall for it. Sassy +4 Lonely +4
Huh? What? Relaxed +4
Do you often forget to lock the door when you go out?
Yes. Rash +4 Bold +2
No. Quiet +2
Have you had any hobbies for a long time?
Yes. Hardy +4
No. Quirky +4 Hasty +2
Do you often cancel plans to meet others at the last second?
Yes. Quirky +4 Rash +4
No. Calm +2
You muster your courage and go to a graveyard at night… and see a woman soaked to the skin just standing there! What do you do?
Run away at full speed! timid +2
So what? It’s just a lady. Naive +4 Sassy +2
Drop down and play dead! Rash +4
Do you like to do things according to plan?
Of course! Hardy +4
I’m not good a planning. Quirky +4 Rash +2
Plans? who needs plans? Relaxed +4
Your friend says that your shirt is inside out. What do you do?
Get embarrassed Docile +4
Laugh out loud! Rash +4
Say that it’s the latest fashion! Jolly +4
Your friend is crying right in front of you! What made that happen?
Someone bullied my friend! Hasty +4
My friend fell down, no doubt! Quiet +4
I wonder if it’s my fault? Timid +2
Do you think that lies are sometimes necessary?
Yes. Quiet +4 Bold +4
No. Brave +4
I don’t know.. Docile +4
Do you think that anything goes when it comes to winning?
Of course! Quiet +4 Sassy +4
No way! Brave +4
You spot a deserted ship on the high seas! What do you think the ship holds?
Precious loot! Naive +4 Jolly +2
Ghosts! Timid +2
Nothing! The ship is merely a mirage! Quiet +4
You run into a new person that you haven’t talked to very much before. What do you do?
Make small talk. Calm +2
Say nothing! Quirky +2
Make an excuse to get away! Timid +4
Someone who works at a store suggests an item that isn’t quite what you are looking for. But you like this person. What do you do?
Say you don’t want it. Brave +2 Quiet +2
Say thanks… but say no. Calm +4 Lonely +2
Cave in and buy it. Rash +2 Timid +2
You’ve just stuffed yourself with a good meal when a great dessert arrives. What do you do?
Eat it. Who cares if I’m stuffed? Hasty +4 Rash +2
Turn it down. It’s too fattening! Hardy +2
Yum! I love dessert the most! Bold +4 Jolly +4 Relaxed +2
you think you hear someone call your name. But no one’s around… so what was it?
Just my imagination. Relaxed +4
Someone fooling around. Naive +4 Bold +2
A ghost! Timid +4
Do you get bothered by noise and ruckus around you?
Yes. bold +4 Relaxed +2
Not at all. Lonely +4 Hasty +2
Do you find yourself jumping to the wrong conclusion a lot of the time?
Yes. Hasty +4 Rash +4
No. Docile +2 Quiet +2
Do you change the channels often while watching TV?
Yes! Hasty +4
No. Calm +2
You’ve spent forever stacking dominoes… one more and you’re done… Oh, No! you’ve knocked them over! What do you do?
I’m too crushed to start again. Hardy +4
I unleash my full fury! Docile +4
I setup the dominoes again… Calm +4 Bold +4
Are you a city person or a country person?
I like the city! Lonely +4 Sassy +2
I like the country! Calm +4
I like them both! Quirky +4
You find something at a great bargain. What do you do?
buy it right away! Hasty +4
Think about whether you need it. Quiet +2
Demand an even bigger discount! bold +4
you’re packing your classroom’s snacks for a picnic when you get hungry. What do you do?
Eat just a tiny bit. Hasty +4
Hold my self back and pack it all up. Hardy +4
what snacks? They’re in my belly! Rash +4
You’re about to take the last cookie when your friend wolfs it down! What do you do?
Whatever. It’s just a cookie. Calm +4
I unleash my cookie fury! Relaxed +4 Jolly +4
I weep for my lost cookie. Lonely +4
Are you a rebel at heart?
Totaly! Sassy +4
Of course not. Calm +2
When walking in a group do you tend to be the one at the front?
Of course! Sassy +4 Lonely +2
No. Calm +4 Quirky +2
Do you think that you might be a genius?
Certainly! Sassy +4 Naive +2 Jolly +2
Well, not really. Hardy +2
Would you feel comfortable stating your opinion to a very important person?
Of course! Sassy +4 Brave +4 bold +2
Not really. Timid +2

All you have to do is look up and find the questions the game is asking you to find out how many points each answers adds to your nature totals. As long as the nature you want gets the most points you will become that Pokemon.

Looking at Pokemon: Heracross

April 16, 2008 | 12 Comments

Heracross

Looking at Heracross

Heracross is a Bug/Fighting Pokemon that was introduced in the Gold/Silver/Crystal editions of the game. Heracross sits at the 214th position in the National Dex and does not evolve. This Pokemon is often compared to Pinsir (ND:127 Bug-type) as they are both among the strongest Physical Attackers of the Bug group.

Heracross comes with one of two possible abilities: Swarm (Boosts power of Bug moves 50% when at 1/3 HP or less) and Guts (Attack is increased 50% when statused).

Heracross can be acquired in the Diamond and Pearl games via the Honey Tree system. You can also Pal Park it from one of your GBA games after completing the single player mode.

One of the main problems with Heracross is its severe weakness to Flying-type Pokemon. Because it is both a Bug and a Fighting Pokemon Heracross suffers 4X damage from a Flying attack. This quickly becomes 6X if a Flying Pokemon uses a Flying attack! The Bug typing does help in regards to Fighting’s normal weakness to Psychic Pokemon.

Heracross has a very high Base Attack (125) and its Speed (85) and Special Defense (95) are both above average. Sadly its Defense (75) is not so good and its Special Attack (40) is even worse. Heracross does not have any Special moves in its Level-up and Egg move pools. It can learn a few Special moves via TM (Hidden Power, Hyper Beam and Focus Blast). However, because it can already learn Close Combat and Megahorn as level-up moves (and Giga Impact via TM) there is no reason to ever give a Heracross a Special move.

Heracross in Adventure Mode

Using Heracross in your adventuring party can be very rewarding. When it comes to Bug Pokemon in Diamond/Pearl you do not have a lot of good ones to choose from early on. You could use a Wurmple or a Burmy in your group but Heracross is just so much better than them. Wurmple is easier to catch while Burmy also requires some Honey Tree action to acquire. Because Heracross does not evolve it will be stronger at lower levels than its evolving counterparts.

A freshly hatched Heracross (with no special breeding) will know four of the following five moves: Night Slash, Tackle, Leer, Horn Attack, Endure. Night Slash is a much better move than Tackle and Horn Attack so don’t expect to start with it!

As Heracross gains levels more moves will become available and all of them are Physical Attacks. Yes, you read that right. As Heracross levels up it only ever learns new attacks. Sadly the coveted Megahorn move does not become available until Heracross reaches level 55, no moves are learned after that one.

As Heracross begins to gain levels you will be forced to pick which attacks to keep and which ones to replace. If you are lucky enough to gain Night Slash right from the start keep it. That is the only Dark move Heracross learns without the aid of a TM.

Be sure to learn Aerial Ace at level 13 and Brick Break at level 19. Aerial Ace is a very nice Flying move for Heracross to learn and it never misses. Its Power of 60 is on par with the other “never miss” moves but Heracross gains no type bonus for using it. Brick Break is a great Fighting move that also destroys some defensive moves. Its Power of 75 is very respectable given Heracross gains the STAB. You will keep Brick Break until level 37 when you replace it with Close Combat.

Close Combat is a very good move but you need to be fast to use it. It is a Power 120 Fighting move that also reduces your Defense and Special Defense after use. Heracross is not known for high Defense numbers so don’t use this move if you don’t have a Speed advantage. Close Combat also suffers with a very low number of Power Points. Like most high power moves it only has a base of five power points which can be increased to eight by way of the PP Up potions.

Adventure Mode Move Breakdown:

Move 1: Tackle -> Aerial Ace
Move 2: Leer -> Brick Break -> Close Combat
Move 3: Horn Attack -> Counter -> Reversal
Move 4: Endure

Odds are that you will not reach level 55 (Megahorn) before beating the Elite Four. Endure followed by Counter is a great combination if you are fast enough to pull it off. If you are lucky enough to get a Heracross with a maxed out Speed you might consider keeping those two moves and replacing Aerial Ace with Megahorn when the time comes.

Competitve Battling Heracross

Heracross is very popular in the competitive battling circuit and finds itself in the Over-Used tier. Its Base Attack puts it in the top Ten for its tier and among those it places fourth in terms of speed. The only Pokemon that are faster and have a higher Base Attack in its tier are Azelf, Salamence and Garchomp. When equiped with the right items and moves it is a very formidable opponent able to knock out even legendary Pokemon in one hit. (Most legendary Pokemon are Psychic.)

When it comes to battling with Heracross you will find two types of opponents; Those who understand the threat he posses and those who do not. If you are battling against inexperienced opponents many of them will ignore your Heracross thinking he is not much of a threat. When you face an experienced battler they will target your Heracross for quick destruction.

All-Purpose Heracross

A while back I farmed what I consider to be the all-purpose Heracross. This particular mixture of moves is designed to allow Heracross to lay waste to the inexperienced battlers out there. Rather than specialize in one strategy this Heracross is designed to take on all attackers with OHKO (One Hit Knock Out) moves.

IV: Atk:252 / Spd: 252 / Def: 8
Nature: Adamant (Atk+/SpA-), Jolly (Spd+/SpA-)

Move Pool:

Move 1: Night Slash (Dark 70/100)
Move 2: Close Combat (Fighting 120/100)
Move 3: Megahorn (Bug 120/85)
Move 4: Stone Edge (Rock 100/80 TM71)

Two of the moves are 100% accurate while the other two can miss on occasion. Both Close Combat and Megahorn are STAB moves. Rock Slide is another TM move that you can use on Heracross but it is less powerful than Stone Edge and only slightly more accurate. It is better in a Double Battle as it hits both enemy Pokemon.

Other Heracross:

You can also try and capitalize on the Endure/Reversal strategy but you need to be sure your Pokemon holds a Salac Berry (Raises Speed in a pinch). As long as your opponent hits you hard on the first hit Endure should knock you down to one HP. Heracross will then eat the Salac Berry and gain enough Speed (hopefully) to launch Reversal before your opponent can strike you down.

I always keep a Heracross in my main line of battle Pokemon. I find Heracross to be very versatile in filling holes in my team. The fact that many battlers underestimate it makes it even better!

Looking at Pokemon: Absol

March 20, 2008 | 21 Comments

Absol

Absol, the disaster Pokemon, was introduced in the Ruby and Sapphire series of GBA games. Absol is a single type Pokemon (Dark) and does not evolve. Absol sits at the 359th spot on the National Pokedex.

Absol has a very good Attack score (Max 394 which puts it in the top 10 if you ignore legendary Pokemon, spot 13 if you don’t) and above average Special Attack and Speed. Its other three scores are only average. This Pokemon comes in both genders and has either the ability Pressure (When this Pokémon is hit by a move, the opponent’s PP lowers by 2 rather than 1/ If the Pokémon is in the lead spot, chance of encountering wild Pokemon increases) or Super Luck (Raises the critical-hit ratio of moves; allows simultaneous use of Dire Hit and Focus Energy) .Both abilities can prove very helpful in battle.

Absol is able to use a wide variety of TMs and HMs. Its egg moves are mostly of the Dark type. None of which fall in the Special category. Its level up moves are heavy on Normal (9) and Dark (5). There is also one Fighting move on the list and two Psychic moves.

Absol is catchable in both Diamond and Pearl games (Mass Outbreaks on route 213) as well as being transferable from the previous GBA games via the Pal Park.

Now that the basics are out of the way I’m going to tell you a little bit about how to effectively use this Pokemon in your game. Right off the bat you are probably thinking that the only use you will ever have for this Pokemon is in the arena of battling, this is not so. It is quite possible to have someone trade an Absol to you when you first begin your Pokemon journey. Due to the wonders of Wi-Fi it is very easy to avoid the built-in Pokemon restrictions of Diamond and Pearl.

One of the problems with adventuring in Sinnoh is the lack of certain types of Pokemon until you defeat the Elite Four and complete your Sinnoh Pokedex. When it comes to Dark Pokemon you will be limited to Murkrow, Stunky, Spiritomb, Drapion and Sneasel.

Murkrow can be encountered early on but Stunky only appears in Diamond. Spiritomb is near impossible to get unless you have a lot of friends. Drapion requires evolving its earlier form and Sneasel does not appear until you have acquired several badges and head towards Snowpoint. Having access to a strong Dark-type Pokemon early in the game can change the single-player game experience for you.

Adventure Mode Absol

If you get a freshly hatched Absol with no special breeding you can expect it to only know the move Scratch. This is a rather weak Physical move but it is on par with what you will encounter in the early part of the game. At level 12 it will learn the much better move Quick Attack. This move is just as effective as Scratch but it is faster.

The first damage-inducing Dark move Absol learns is Pursuit at level 20. Pursuit gives you a STAB attack with the added benefit that it can damage a foe when they try to switch out. Because of its low power you will be replacing it with bite upon attaining level 28.

Sucker Punch is also a Dark-type attack that Absol can learn upon reaching level 44. Even though Sucker Punch has a higher power rating than Bite it only works if your foe uses a Physical Attack against you. This is a nice back-up move but you need to keep Bite as your main Dark-type attack.

You will continue on with Bite until Absol gets the chance to learn Night Slash at level 52. Odds are you will have already defeated the Elite Four by this point and unless your Absol has the Super Luck ability I would have to advise that you stick with Bite.

What about the non-Dark moves in Absol’s level-up move pool? Most of them are Status moves. I generally avoid Special Attack moves on an Absol due to their high Attack score. Still, having a Special Attack waiting in the wings can prove beneficial. Future Sight and Razor Wind are the only Special Attacks that Absol learns while leveling up.

Razor Wind pops up at level 17 and should be learned. Even though Razor Wind is a two-turn move it will hit both opponents in a Double Battle. Its Base Power of 80 makes it the most powerful Attack you will learn until Sucker Punch at level 44. Future Sight is also a Power 80 Attack but it hits several turns later and is not 100% accurate the way Razor Wind is.

In the Status department Absol has several good moves for the adventure mode of the game. Between Swords Dance and Double Team you can either knock out your foes faster or make yourself last longer in battle.

My preferred order of moves in adventure mode are as follows:

Move 1: Scratch -> Razor Wind
Move 2: Leer -> Swords Dance
Move 3: Taunt -> Pursuit -> Bite
move 4: Quick Attack -> Slash

After this point I have usually defeated the Elite Four, transferred my Pokemon out of the game and reset the game for a new go with a new team.

Battle Mode Absol

Using Absol in adventure mode is far different from breeding an Absol for competitive battling. When battling competitively Absol falls in the Under Used Tier. This grouping is based off of Absol’s Base Points (465) and Move Pool. Some tournaments also exist where you will be forced to only use Pokemon of a certain evolutionary type. In Absol’s case it fits in the “non-evolving category”.

Even though Absol falls into the Under Used tier the only other Pokemon with a Base Attack of 130 are Kingler and Flareon, both of which are “evolving” Pokemon. This means Absol has the highest Attack score for the non-evolving Under Used tier Pokemon. When it comes to Speed, Absol is just about in the middle with a Base Speed of 75.

Absol 1: Baton Passer

Some people over look Absol as a Baton Passer because it does not have an ability that leads to passing on heightened stats. Absol is not one of the best Baton Passers out there but it can learn the move and if it has Pressure it can lay some hurt on the opponent’s Pokemon if they use high Power low Power Point moves.

IVs: HP:252, Def:8, Spd:252
Nature: Jolly (Spd+/SpA-)

Move 1: Baton Pass (Egg Move)
Move 2: Double Team
Move 3: Psych Up (TM)
Move 4: Swords Dance / Calm Mind (TM)

The choice between Swords Dance and Calm Mind depends on what Pokemon you are setting up for. If the next Pokemon is a Physical Attacker go with Swords Dance. If they are a Special Attacker go with Calm Mind.

Absol is far from the best Baton Passer around but when a tournament restricts the better Baton Passers it is good to know that an Absol is an option.

Absol 2: Speed Kills

Absol has a very nice Attack score and its Speed is not that far behind. Absol is faster than many Pokemon in its class and with the Super Luck ability you can make short work of your opponent’s Pokemon by landing a few Critical Hits before they even get a chance to attack you.

IVs: Atk: 252, Def:8, Spd:252
Nature: Adamant (Atk+/SpA-), Jolly (Spd+/SpA-)

Move 1: Stone Edge (TM)
Move 2: Night Slash
Move 3: Assurance (TM)
Move 4: Psycho Cut Thanks Jhamin!

Yes, I know some of these moves are not very powerful and others are not 100% accurate. What they all have in common is that they are Physical moves. They will all use Absol’s high Attack score to their advantage.

Absol is weak against Fighting and Bug-type moves. Psycho Cut (Psychic 70/100) is a good hedge against those pesky Fighting-type Pokemon. Stone Edge (Rock 100/80) is effective against the Bug-type Pokemon you will face.

Other Absol Uses

There are many other uses for an Absol in your party. For one thing the Ability Pressure causes wild Pokemon to appear more often. Couple this with teaching Absol False Swipe and you can do some Pokemon hunting.

You can also teach an Absol Perish Song, Baton Pass, Substitute and Mean Look. Start with Mean Look, drop a Perish Song down and Substitute until you need to pull off a Baton Pass to get your Absol out of danger. This tactic can be very deadly in a Double Battle situation.

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