Scourge

This is a question for any of the developers: is there anything significantly new or changed in the story/game prior to the upcoming content? I want to do a new run, but I would like to wait if there is anything new that will be changed in the upcoming update to get the new experience. If there are secrets related to this, feel free to ignore this question. Thank in advance.

Hello, I am looking for a magikarp. It just has to be a magikarp (no other stats matter). Thanks in advance.

Hello all, I am looking for a Snivy. Level does not matter. Gender does not matter. Neither do IVs or ability. I just want one for my in-game team and to add to my pokedex collection. I am willing to trade almost anything in my boxes, so just let me know if you are looking for something particular in return. Thank you in advance.

So, is anyone else hyped for potential split evolutions based on version? It almost seems very hard to deny given the tidbits of information given here and there for the past few months. It would also alleviate some people's worry about being stuck with a final evolution design they do not enjoy, though really, I like all of them so far.

Still gives me the odds, so 10% change is whatever in my opinion.

I definitely agree with most of these. Milotic is the one that confuses me the most: not only does most of its pokedex entries scream fairy type, but Gamefreak had a big opportunity to redo the Hoenn region and make changes, yet they still glanced over a pretty popular pokemon. They keep redoing typings when they could be more ambitious and open up more opportunities for players by introducing unique type combinations. Oh well . . .

Hello all. I am looking for a Froakie. IVs do not matter. EVs do not matter. Gender does not matter. PM me if you are interested. I do have some worthwhile trades and always add in something extra for the convenience.

50% due to speed tie, with 20% added with quick claw. 70% chance to move first regardless.

I wanted to post my team to show people that you don't need legendaries to do well in the OU environment. For this team, I specifically only chose pokemon available in Reborn (save for the mega on my team). I have been doing well so far on the ladder, with only one loss out of 33 matches. Feel free to criticize anything you want about it. AT A GLANCE/TEAM BUILDING: Here they are. Lets go into my team-building process: So this guy right here is my favorite pokemon. The ability to become any pokemon is pretty cool, but what makes him special is that he just craps on your stupid overpowered/annoying pokemon. Dragonite boosted up with dragon dance? Send this guy on a free switch and watch your opponent humiliatingly relearn the definition of irony. Landorus-T lowering attack? Switch this guy in and watch Landorus-T flee from himself. Mega Sableye trying to burn your powerful attacker? Switch this guy in and watch Sableye get burned. Ditto's utility is quite amazing to say the least. He is essentially my sweeper, by becoming my opponent's sweeper. Venusaur is my mega and it basically checks/counters a lot of powerful things roaming around in the OU tier. Many grass, water, fairy, and electric types just can't do jack against this guy, which allows me to double switch often to my more powerful mons and usually get off a free attack. He also functions as my status absorber, since only full paralysis really hinders him. His fantastic recovery moves allow him to stay in the fight longer. He also functions as a lure for bulky grass, bug, and steel types, such as Scizor, Ferrothron, Forretress, etc., who expect to boost or set hazards but instead get 1HKO'd (except for Ferrothorn who gets 2HKO'd). Bisharp synergizes fairly well with Venusaur, being immune to Psychic moves and taking Flying attacks relatively well. His main purpose to cripple the enemy team with the use of his knock off. He also functions well as a late game sweeper, able to pick off weakened enemies with sucker punch. He also acts a lure for common dark type/steel type switch-ins, namely Tyranitar and Heatran, who give my some trouble. They never expect a low kick from Bisharp, which makes it even more satisfying when it turns out that that pokemon happened to be their hazard setter. Azumarill functions as my special tank, being able to stomach hits due to her fantastic typing, HP stat, decent defenses, and Assault Vest. She somewhat forms a core with Bisharp and Venusaur, being able to take fire and dark type attacks for Bisharp, while in return Venusaur and Bisharp cover her weaknesses pretty well. Her primary mission in most matches is to eliminate the powerful dragon types in OU, and in return, my team clears a path for her to start spamming her powerful moves. She also serves as a finisher, eliminating weakened threats before they get a chance to recover or move. Rotom-A is my utility mon, trickster, and my defensive pivot. He ensures that whatever cheap moves or walls the opponent has, will not function anymore. His fantastic resistances allow him to switch into attacks often, and then proceed to cripple them either with trick, paralysis, or burn. His most important job is to allow ditto to come in on a powered-up sweeper so that Ditto can wreck the other team or at the very least punch some holes through it. His weaknesses are easily covered by Venusaur and Bisharp, and in return, he takes hits intended for them well. He checks (and usually counters) top OU threats, such as Talonflame, Mega-Altaria, Heatran, etc. Too bad about stealth rocks though. At this point, it becomes apparent that my team is pretty weak to ground and electric moves. So enter the Gliscor. Immune to both, Gliscor finds plenty of opportunities to come in and help my team out. He functions well as an overall wall and pivot. He also absorbs status and knock off (which can also power his Acrobatics up if I decide to run that set). I'll be frank about this guy though- I feel ashamed for using him. Not because he is a terrible or cheap pokemon (though some might disagree), but because he is also my stealth rocks setter. I hate stealth rocks so much. It is a low risk, high reward move that centralizes the game around it. Its not even a freaking necessary evil. Spikes does the same thing, and does it in a more balanced way. Nonetheless, I still have Gliscor use stealth rocks because meta. Now onto the specifics. ANALYSIS: Ditto @ Quick Claw Ability: Imposter EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd Impish Nature (+Def, -SpAtk) - Transform - - - The only EV that really matters is HP, since that's the only one that does not copy the opponent's stats. Only reason why defense is raised is for the hypothetical Ditto vs Ditto battle (which will probably never happen). You might scoff at Quick claw, but it does its intended purpose well: to tip the odds in your favor. Since most higher level opponents expect a Ditto to be choice-scarfed, they often unknowingly screw up big time by switching to an appropriate check/counter, which will fall to one of the coverage moves so delightfully given to ditto. After that, Ditto pretty much starts ripping through the opposing team. Whatever it cannot finish, the rest of my team can cover for it. However, the quick claw comes in the second scenario from above. If the opponent does not switch out (either due to poor strategy or uncertainty whether ditto is choice-scarfed), the quick claw gives him a 70% chance to strike first (which has worked out in my favor often). If I can finish the opposing sweeper first, then the opponent then switch in their appropriate counter expecting me to be choice locked, which doesn't end well for them. I really enjoy his karma like playstyle, and have nicknamed him "Irony" in-game. And for those of you who will criticize how much chance plays into this, I say don't bother convincing me. Competitive Pokemon isn't really competitive anyway and I find a lot of of fun in those high-tension chance moments. Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite Ability: Chlorophyll Mega Ability: Thick Fat EVs: 252 HP/ 252 SAtk / 4 Spd Modest Nature (+SpAtk, -Atk) - Hidden Power [Fire] - Giga Drain - Sludge Bomb - Synthesis 252 HP allows Mega Venusaur to tank hits from both sides relatively well, and the investment in Spatk allows him to actually threaten the things he's supposed to check/counter. Giga Drain and Synthesis allow longevity and are helpful for stalling out turns for whatever reason. Sludge Bomb is another STAB move that hits most fairy-types hard and hits fairly hard otherwise. Hidden Power (Fire) is there to destroy Scizor, Ferrothorn, and many other steel types. Bisharp @ Blackglasses Trait: Defiant EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpAtk) - Low Kick - Knock Off - Sucker Punch - Iron Head The Attack EVs are invested to ensure he hits as hard as possible, while the Speed EVs ensure he is faster than Jolly Azumarill as well most variants of Heatran, Tyranitar, and a few variants of Magnezone. Since two of his moves are Dark-type and are the most used, blackglasses seemed like a decent option (although occasionally I will switch to life orb). Defiant allows him to get a free attack boost from defoggers as well as sticky web teams. It also helps with moves that lower stats, especially resisted ones (like Gengar's shadow ball or Magnezone's flash cannon). Knock is the staple move here, crippling switch-ins as well pokemon silly enough to stay in. Sucker punch gives Bisharp priority and creates interesting mind games which can sometimes net a free kill. Iorn head is there for STAB as well as for fairies with low defense i.e. Sylveon, Gardevoir, and Florges. Low kick is there to take out many unexpecting steel types, especially those akward Bisharp vs Bisharp moments. Azumarill @ Assault Vest Trait: Huge Power EVs: 252 HP / 184 Atk / 72 SpDef Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpAtk) - Aqua Jet - Waterfall - Play Rough - Superpower/ Knock off Assault vest is chosen since Azumarill can functions fairly well without boosting moves thanks to its ability, Huge Power, doubling its Attack stat. 252 HP EVs allow Azumarill to tank hits well from both sides. 184 EVs with and Adamant Nature allow it to reach an effective 400 Atk stats, which is nice because I like multiples of 100, so deal with it. Everything else is dumped into SpDef in order to take special attacks better. Aqua Jet is priority and pretty powerful against weakened opponents. Waterfall is a STAB move and enables Azumarill to hit things harder. Play rough is there as the second STAB and to destroy the Dragon and Dark Types that can hurt my team. Superpower surprises some steel types like Ferrothorn and Magnezone if they switch-in, though Knock Off has better utility. Unfortunately, if Azumarill runs knock off, it risks neutering Bisharp's power a bit, so whatever situation seems better I go with the appropriate move. Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf Trait: Leviate EVs: 248 HP/ 212 Def/ 48 Spd Bold Nature (+Spd, -SDef) - Trick - Volt Switch - Thunder Wave - Overheat/Will-o-Wisp/Pain Split Rotom-H functions here as a pivot very similar to Rotom-Wash but also is invested enough to do some work with trick. Choice Scarf allows for crippling walls, prankster users, and setup sweepers. It also enable Rotom-H to outrun some threats and cripple with another move that is apprpriate for the situation. 248 HP EVs is max investment while achieving a good not-getting-crapped-on-by-stealth-rocks odd number. 48 Speed EVs allow it to run Jolly Base 100 pokemon and cripple them before they can move. everything is put into defense to allow it to tank hits better, especially from powerful fire types. Trick enables the crippling to happen and also rewards Rotom-H with a useful item, such as leftovers. It can also gain items that it can use later to cripple other pokemon, such as Toxic Orb, Flame Orb, other choice items, etc. Volt Switch allows momentum and hits most Water-type switch-ins pretty hard. Thunder Wave is necessary to ensure Ditto can outspeed some very large threatening sweepers. The last option is completely decided on a whim. Will-o-wisp cripples physical attackers making it easier on my team to take hits. Overheat hits very hard due to STAB. Pain Split is useful with Choice Scarf to get fast healing, especially with stealth rocks in play. Pain Split also deals with high HP opponents rather well, such as Chansey. Gliscor @ Toxic Orb Trait: Poison Heal EVs: 252 HP/ 184 SpDef/ 72 Spd Careful Nature (+SpDef, -SpAtk) - Stealth Rocks - Earthquake - Roost - Swords Dance/Acrobatics/Toxic Finally we have Gliscor. This is the basic SpDef set that makes him very good in the OU metagame. Toxic Orb with his ability allows him to recover health rapidly. 252 HP EVs allow better tanking capabilities while 184 SpDef EVs takes Special Attacks pretty well (even water type moves from some notable OU pokemon). 72 Spd allows it out speed most common walls, pivots, and potential targets, like Heatran. Stealth Rocks is apparently mandatory to be good, so whatever. Earthquake is there for STAB as well as being a pretty good move to spam once flyers are taken down. Roost increases longevity and helps with stalling. The last slot depends: Swords Dance is great for wallbreaking but only if all the opposing ground-immune pokemon are down. Acrobatics takes advantage of knock off spam and opens up a second powerful STAB to hit the opponent with. Toxic somewhat conflicts with Rotom-H's status job, but it is helpful for pokemon that don't give a crap about being paralyzed or burned, such as specially inclined electric and ground types. Well there is my team. Now on to the annoying part. THREATS: The following list is based off OU mons, though I have not run into any lower tier mons that have really threatened my team as much. Conkeldurr This guy is annoying to face. He's not exactly hard to defeat, but if I have the wrong pokemon out against him, it can be hard to find a good switch-in because he either hits ridiculously hard with STAB, or usually carries the right coverage moves. More of a tedium to defeat than an actual threat. Mega-Gyarados Mega Gyarados is not really terrifying to my team unless it has substitute up (which it can often pull off). With substitute up and Mold breaker, it can plow through my team with a Dragon Dance under its belt. The only two stops I have are Azumarill (which take huge chunks of damage from breaking its substitute) and Venusaur (which gets destroyed by it only if it carries Ice Fang, which luckily so far, most don't seem to). Otherwise, Venusaur serves as a pretty good counter so long as it isn't packing an ice move. Excadrill This guy is dangerous. Well, no- I take it back. This guy is only dangerous if he is a Mold Breaker variant with Choice scarf. Only Gliscor can switch on him easily, and if Gliscor is down, nothing takes a hit well from this guy. Venusaur and Azumarill can usually 1v1 with him, but it usually leaves them too crippled to switch-in again and take a hit. Kyurem-Black Another threat that really is only threatening because of his unpredictability. The faster I figure what variant he is, the easier it is to prepare for. Choice scarf variants can really harm Venusaur due to Teravolt and make it hard for anything to switch in on him. Choice scarf is easy to deal with usually though. The substitute variant is the scary one since he can't be statused and has great defensive stats. It also means I can't use ditto while he is up, so that becomes very annoying. Landorus This form isn't as common as his Therian self, but it still is devastating to unprepared teams. For my team however, its a matter of figuring out what moves he has. Most Landorus run Psychic, Hidden Power Ice, Earth Power, Sludge Wave, and maybe replace one move with Rock Polish now and then. Its like this thing was designed to specifically crap on my team, since Venusaur, Azumarill, Gliscor, Bisharp, and sometimes Ditto don't take hits well from this guy at all. Rotom-H is the hero here, for if he can trick him a choice scarf or at least get rid of his life orb, Landorus becomes relatively easy to finish off. Though without Rotom, Azumarill and Bisharp can both use their priority moves to take him down, though at the cost of one of their lives. Zapdos Its typing gives it good resistances and few weaknesses, which happen to be the weaknesses I can't really exploit since none of my Pokemon carry Ice-type or Rock type attacks. Wearing it down really isn't an issue until it starts roosting which can make it aggravating to defeat. On the positive side though, it usually can't do much to my team since its usual moves don't affect my team too much. Thats all folks. For your viewing pleasure.