Metamorphosis Complete

May 31, 2008 | 12 Comments

Image created by Tim Newton ©
Image created by Tom Newtown

Before I go into details I feel I should start at the beginning. When I first bought Pokémon Red, I was hooked by the bug. No it was not the Pokémon bug, but the bugs in the game.

I remember the first time seeing a little Caterpie turn into a Butterfree or a Weedle into a Beedrill and thinking it is not the size of your Pokémon but how you use it. Well ever since that day I wished that Pokémon bugs would get stronger, enter Heracross and who could forget Scyther and Pinsir, among a few others who also made a huge impact! Also bug fans got an upgrade to Scyther and a multi-talented Forretress.

With this love for bug Pokémon something was missing, it was not until the Azalea Gym in the Johto League that I got my dose of an all bug gym. Later on there would be an Elite 4 Member in Sinnoh that would relight that fire that was burning in me for bugs.

By this time I was now the Beacon Gym Leader. I loved this position and loved defending the gym, but something was still missing. I missed my bugs and wanted to do more than just defend a badge and beat my opponents. I got into trying to teach other members how to breed and battle, but there again something was missing. How could I combine all that I love into one event?

Well, I took a new idea and started building it up with details and goals. Then one day the Pokémon League Judge saw fit to make my idea reality. So, I went into building the structure of a new gym; a gym that would challenge members and help them learn.

The concept behind this new gym was to take on new battlers, or caterpillars, and let them challenge the gym. As they progressed the gym would let them, the pupa, build their battle experience and harden their tactics. When everything is said and done, the new battler would emerge from the gym as a Battle Butterfly.

I know that this may sound cheesy, but I like to help people learn and I think that anyone can learn how to battle Pokémon. Battling is a mental game. I believe a lot of members new to battling get themselves psyched out before they even battle. Taking on the League gyms can be very overwhelming. I mean the gym leaders beat people on a daily basis.

So, how can this gym teach new members without breaking their confidence? Well, I will be using two things I love in the world of Pokémon. First off I will have three Bugs and three random Pokémon. Secondly I will only be using Pokémon from the NU and UU Tiers. Any trainer battling in the Chrysalis Gym can use any Pokémon that is not Legendary or Uber; so, any Pokémon from the NU to the OU Tier would be fair game to use.

How can I be sure that I will win battles this way? The goal of this gym is not to dominate my opponents, but to help them get ready to face the League. This gym will simply be a teaching endeavor for the trainers. I have three things to add before I forget, they are the following: the gym will be called the Chrysalis Gym and will award the Chrysalis Badge, I will try to keep changing my team to get different types and strategies in for new tactics, and lastly I ask that you do not be afraid to try.

I have talked to members that thought they stunk at battling, but I have helped many of them with their battling and this gym is here to do just that, help teach, and not to beat you down. Some tactics I would like to show in the gym would be the Rain Dance teams, Sunny Day teams, and weakness coverage. The main goal is to show how some of the NU/UU Pokémon can be used effectively.

So in closing, if you wish to try your hand at battling, want to see if you are ready to take on the League, or just want to beat on an old League Gym Leader, come to the Chrysalis Gym.

Posted by Buzz | Filed Under News 

Looking at Pokemon: Heracross

April 16, 2008 | 9 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!

Posted by HMTKSteve | Filed Under Tips 

Pokemon Farming: Leftovers

December 8, 2007 | 67 Comments

HeracrossZangooseTotodile

Back, by popular demand!

This morning is a surprise leftover session of Pokemon Farming. I have a small quantity of Heracross, Zangoose and Totodile from previous breeding sessions.

Heracross

    These Pokemon will come with one of two nature:

  • Swarm: When HP is below 1/3rd, Bug’s power increases to 1.5 times.
  • Guts: Attack raises to 1.5 times when induced with a status (BURN, PARALYZE, SLEEP, POISON, FREEZE). BURN’s effect of lowering Attack is not applied.
    Move Set

  • Stone Edge - Rock - Power 100, Accuracy 80%: The user stabs the foe with a sharpened stone. It has a high critical-hit ratio.
  • Night Slash - Dark, Power 70 and Accuracy 100%: The user slashes the foe the instant an opportunity arises. It has a high critical-hit ratio.
  • Close Combat - Fighting, Power 120 Accuracy 100%: The user fights the foe in close without guarding itself. It also cuts the Defense and Special Defense after use.
  • Megahorn - Bug, Power 120 Accuracy 85%: Utilizing its tough and impressive horn, the user rams into the foe with no letup.

Zangoose
All Zangoose have the Immunity ability which means they can never be poisoned. This plays into their life-long hatred of Seviper.

    Move Set

  • Swords Dance - Normal, increases your Attack power.
  • Crush Claw - Normal, 75 Power and 95% accuracy.
  • Close Combat - Fighting, 120 Power and 100% accuracy. It also lowers your Defense and Special Defense after use.
  • Shadow Claw - Ghost, 70 Power and 100% accuracy.

Totodile

    Move Set

  • Superpower - Fight This is a great physical attack with a power of 120! However it also lowers your Attack and Defense, use it as a finishing move.
  • Ice Fang - Ice What better attack than this for getting back at those Grass Pokemon that you know your opponent is going to throw at you?
  • Aerial Ace - Flying As if Ice Fang was not good enough I even passed on the “never miss” move Aerial Ace!
  • Aqua Tail - Water Not as powerful as Hydro Pump but it is more accurate.

Rules
1. I will take any Pokemon you want to give me.
2. The Pokemon you trade to me should be holding something.
3. I prefer berries over all other items.
4. The only exception to berries are the two items that Magby/Elekid hold when caught in the wild.
5. When you leave your information in the comments below your trainer name must be correct. When I do the trading I refer to the comments on the site to see who gets what.
6. When you enter the Wi-Fi zone select the trade option and wait for me to select you.
7. If you can, be early. I am sometimes on early.
8. Don’t be afraid to trade amongst yourselves.

My information:
Trainer: Betty
Friend Code: 1590 3184 8073

    Instructions

  • Have something to trade to me
  • Be in the Wi-Fi zone Sunday December 9, 2007 at 9:00 AM New York Time
  • Be ready




Posted by HMTKSteve | Filed Under Farming 

Pokemon Farming: Heracross

December 1, 2007 | 61 Comments

Heracross

Today we bring you the Bug Fighting Pokemon Heracross!

Heracross has long been a popular Pokemon. With the release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl he has seen his move set increase to make him even more useful in battling.

The thing about Heracross that stops many newcomers from using him is that all of his real good moves are learned much later in his life. The only Bug move he can learn by leveling up is the very effective move Megahorn learned at level 55. Yes, level 55!

In order to give these Heracross an awesome move set I had to level up both a male and a female to level 55. It took me some time to do my preliminary farming on these little buggers but I think you will find it well worth it when you see how they will be coming to you. In fact, I would be willing to bet that the moves they hatched with are the best possible moves for a Heracross.

    These Pokemon will come with one of two nature:

  • Swarm: When HP is below 1/3rd, Bug’s power increases to 1.5 times.
  • Guts: Attack raises to 1.5 times when induced with a status (BURN, PARALYZE, SLEEP, POISON, FREEZE). BURN’s effect of lowering Attack is not applied.
    Move Set

  • Stone Edge - Rock - Power 100, Accuracy 80%: The user stabs the foe with a sharpened stone. It has a high critical-hit ratio.
  • Night Slash - Dark, Power 70 and Accuracy 100%: The user slashes the foe the instant an opportunity arises. It has a high critical-hit ratio.
  • Close Combat - Fighting, Power 120 Accuracy 100%: The user fights the foe in close without guarding itself. It also cuts the Defense and Special Defense after use.
  • Megahorn - Bug, Power 120 Accuracy 85%: Utilizing its tough and impressive horn, the user rams into the foe with no letup.

When selecting the moves I looked at Heracross and his weaknesses. The one that stuck out is Flying. With a 4X weakness to Flying attacks I knew Heracross had to have something to deal with those pesky Flying Pokemon. Stone Edge is the answer. As long as you can get the first attack in Heracross should be able to use Stone Edge to knock those pesky birds out of the sky.

Aside from Stone Edge the other attacks are designed to take Heracross’s high Attack score and use it to pummel your foes into the ground. Between guts and Swarm a wounded Heracross becomes a truly dangerous Heracross. His 120 power attacks can quickly become 180 power attacks!

You can acquire a Heracross from a sweet honey tree but that may take some time. It is far easier to get one right here!

Rules
1. I will take any Pokemon you want to give me.
2. The Pokemon you trade to me should be holding something.
3. I prefer berries over all other items.
4. The only exception to berries are the two items that Magby/Elekid hold when caught in the wild.
5. When you leave your information in the comments below your trainer name must be correct. When I do the trading I refer to the comments on the site to see who gets what.
6. When you enter the Wi-Fi zone select the trade option and wait for me to select you.
7. If you can, be early. I am sometimes on early.
8. Don’t be afraid to trade amongst yourselves.

My information:
Trainer: Betty
Friend Code: 1590 3184 8073

    Instructions

  • Have something to trade to me
  • Be in the Wi-Fi zone by 7:00PM EDT (New York Time) on Monday December 3, 2007
  • Be ready




Posted by HMTKSteve | Filed Under Farming 

Pokemon Farming: Heracross

August 23, 2007 | 83 Comments

For today’s Farmer’s Market, I will be offering one of the strongest little bugs around, Heracross

Heracross was first introduced back in Gold and Silver and right away made a name for itself by being one of the best bug-types around. This beetle is gifted with great typing (Bug/Fighting), great moves and high Attack and better than average Speed and Special Defense stats. However, it has also been on the rare side. Starting in Gold and Silver and continuing into FireRed and LeafGreen, it’s found in the Safari Zone and is usually one of the hardest ones to find. This time around, in Diamond and Pearl, it can be found by slathering Honey on the Honey Trees, and even then it doesn’t show up that often. The only Honey Tree Pokemon that is even harder to find than this one is Munchlax!

Normally I’m not a fan of Bug-types but from the beginning I’ve always really liked Heracross. I’ve always liked it’s superior Strength and the fact that it’s Fighting-type helps balance out some of its Bug-type weaknesses. In fact, in my game on Diamond, Heracross was part of the team that I brought to fight the Elite Four the first time around, and I must say it did a splendid job!

So, today I will be giving away this tough little guy for all who want one!

What you need to do:

  • Leave a comment below with your Trainer name and info, and please make sure it is correct! I’ve had a problem with the past few farming events with people leaving incorrect info. If it’s not correct I can’t trade with you!
  • Have something to trade. I will take anything, but I am still working on my ‘dex so I do prefer non-Sinnoh Pokemon. Also, it’s not necessary but it’d be appreciated if it is holding something. I could really use a few extra Moon Stones and Water Stones, and I still need Berry #’s 53, 59, and 61-64.
  • Be in the Wifi Room by 8:00 EDT/7:00 CDT today, Thursday August 23rd. I may be a bit early so feel free to check in early.
  • Be waiting in Trade Mode (Invite -> Trade). I will come to you when I am ready.
  • Also, don’t be afraid to trade amongst yourselves!

My trainer name is Bott and my Friend Code is 2320 2629 3165. I’ll see you all tonight!



Posted by Robottnik | Filed Under Farming 

Pokemon Farming: Scyther

July 18, 2007 | 40 Comments

ScytherToday’s Farmer’s Market Favorite: Scyther!

Continuing on with our theme this week of farming out our favorites, today I will be giving away an old staple of mine from back in the Gold/Silver days, Scyther. When I first encountered Scyther in my copy of Gold, I didn’t think too much of it: ‘Eh, just some bug’. I quickly found out how wrong I was, that there was more to it than being ‘just some bug’. The fact that it’s dual-type makes it far less vulnerable to Bug-type’s usual Achilles’ Heel of Flying-type moves, it’s high Attack and Speed stats, a diverse move set, and it’s very cool evolution into the Bug/Steel type Scizor (a trade evolution with the Metal Coat - a pain but ultimately worth it) very quickly made this one a favorite and a staple of most of my parties!

Unfortunately, in Diamond and Pearl, catching one of these bad boys is easier said than done. First off, you need to have beaten the Elite Four before you can even consider going after it. You need to go to the Battle Area (the little island in the Northeast of the map) and work your way around to Route 229, past all the trainers and the high-level wild Pokemon (all of which are well over level 50), before you can encounter it. Oh, and that’s assuming that you’re playing a copy of Diamond. If you have Pearl, forget it. However, today, you don’t have to go through all of that; instead, I’ll be giving away this amazing little Flying Bug for all who want one!

The steps are simple:

  • Leave a comment with your name and Trainer code. Make sure the code is correct! If it’s not I can’t enter it.
  • Be in the Wifi Room by 8:00 Eastern/7:00 Central (I’m trying out a later time, see how well it works out).
  • Have something to trade. I prefer non-Sinnoh Pokemon, though I will take anything! Also, if it can be holding something, that would be fantastic! I’m trying to collect all of the berries, I currently need berry #s 31, 34, 35, 48, 53, and 58 on up (this list has not been updated - I did get new berries last time, but I immediately planted them and now I don’t remember which ones I got). They’d be nice, but they are not necessary.
  • Be waiting and ready in Trade mode (Invite -> Trade), and I’ll come to you.
  • My info is - trainer name: Bott friend code: 2320 2629 3165

There’s a chance that I’ll be on early, so if you can make it early keep an eye out for me. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Posted by Robottnik | Filed Under Farming 

Another Use for Bug Pokemon

September 9, 2006 | 7 Comments

As a long time fan of the GBA Pokemon games I’ve learned a few tricks in regards to raising Pokemon. One of those tricks I’m going to reveal to you right here.

All Pokemon, when you beat them, give your Pokemon a certain amount of experience points. What they also give you is effort points. Effort points can also be gained by feeding vitamins to your Pokemon.

· Calcium – Raises Special Attack
· Carbos – Raises Speed
· HP Up – Raises Hit Points
· Iron – Raises Special Defense
· Protein – Raises Attack
· Zinc – Raises Defense

The vitamins give you a flat 10 effort points to the statistic when given to a Pokemon. However, once your Pokemon’s statistic passes 100 effort points you can’t feed it any more vitamins of that type. There is also a limit of 510 effort points a Pokemon can accumulate before no more can be gained.

If you use the EXP Share the Pokemon will also receive the full effort points for the battle. Using the Macho Brace will double the effort points gained.

When a Pokemon gains a level, through battling, they get a statistic increase of 1 point for every 4 effort points they have earned in that statistic!

Now, you are probably looking at the title of this article and wondering where the bug Pokemon comes in. Well, I’ll tell you.

In Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald GBA games you have the ability to make a “secret base” and then trade that secret base to your friend’s game. If you, like me, have several copies of the games (or at least one of each) you can use the secret base feature as a “training base” feature.

The idea behind the training base is to make a series of secret bases with Pokemon that give you a high number of effort points but a low number of experience points when battling them. Now, what sort of Pokemon fits this bill? Why bug Pokemon of course!

Bug Pokemon are the only Pokemon that can reach their highest evolved form at level 10.

The bug Pokemon I favor are:

· Beautifly – 3 EP to Special Attack
· Dustox – 3 EP to Special Defense
· Butterfree – 2 EP to Special Attack and 1 EP to Defense
· Beedrill – 2 EP Attack to and 1 EP to Special Defense

All of the above Pokemon make their final evolution upon reaching level 10 and give 3 effort points when battled. Most non-bug Pokemon that give 3 effort points are in the level 36+ range.

What I have done is create two training bases. Training base one has 6 Beautifly in it and the other has 6 Dustox in it. Each Pokemon has had all but the String Shot move removed so there is no danger to my freshly hatched Pokemon. They typically give about 510 experience points when beaten so I suggest you give your Pokemon a few vitamins before going to the training base.

The training bases give my Pokemon a minimum of 18 effort points after beating the base and it can be bumped up to 36 effort points by using the Macho Brace!

Using this technique I have seen my Pokemon gain six points in a single statistic when going up a level. This has proven to be a tremendous boom for me in creating very tough low level Pokemon.

I have not populated all of the secret base spots on my games yet, but I am working towards it.

For more information on Effort Points and proper Breeding of Pokemon I suggest you visit serebii.net.

Your comments are always welcome.

Posted by Jolly | Filed Under Tips