Moveset Help & Other Questions (FAQ in first post)

[Howmander]

I am having a really hard time figuring out what ability to give Chatot. Tangled Feet, Big Pecks and Keen Eye all seem like kind of "meh" abilities, and even competitive sites seem to suggest all of them pretty evenly (which I read as "they're all equally bad") so I'm totally stumped. I've got a 5iv Chatot ready to start breeding (Boomburst, Nasty Plot, Defog and Encore egg moves, although I'll have to give up one of those because you lose 1 move as you level up in daycare) but I have no idea what ability to breed for (the final moveset will likely be Boomburst, Chatter, Heat Wave and Nasty Plot, Enocore or Defog, if that helps the ability suggestion any)

 

[PlatinumDude]

I am having a really hard time figuring out what ability to give Chatot. Tangled Feet, Big Pecks and Keen Eye all seem like kind of "meh" abilities, and even competitive sites seem to suggest all of them pretty evenly (which I read as "they're all equally bad") so I'm totally stumped. I've got a 5iv Chatot ready to start breeding (Boomburst, Nasty Plot, Defog and Encore egg moves, although I'll have to give up one of those because you lose 1 move as you level up in daycare) but I have no idea what ability to breed for (the final moveset will likely be Boomburst, Chatter, Heat Wave and Nasty Plot, Enocore or Defog, if that helps the ability suggestion any)

None of these abilities matter on Chatot. They're all situational.

As for moves, Chatot should use:
-Nasty Plot
-Boomburst
-Chatter
-Heat Wave
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Focus Sash

Chatot needs Nasty Plot because it's not that strong unboosted.

 

[Juxapose]

Okay, I got m hands on my own Suicune (Nicknamed Izelude), Modest nature. I really hate my opponents when they decide to use one against me, but since I've caught one, I figured I put it to good use and give opponents a taste of their own medicine.

So now need a recommended build for my Suicune. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

(Not to mention that with my own Suicune, I can use it against myself and teach me how to handle super buff tanks.)

 

[Nah]

Okay, I got m hands on my own Suicune (Nicknamed Izelude), Modest nature. I really hate my opponents when they decide to use one against me, but since I've caught one, I figured I put it to good use and give opponents a taste of their own medicine.

So now need a recommended build for my Suicune. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

(Not to mention that with my own Suicune, I can use it against myself and teach me how to handle super buff tanks.)

Bold is the optimal nature, but since getting one with the perfect nature is annoying on cartridge we'll just work with that. The most common and one of the best Suicune sets is the ol' Crocune set:

-Suciune w/Leftovers
Nature: Modest (since that's what you got)
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Defense, 4 Sp.Attack
Moves: Scald, Calm Mind, Rest, Sleep Talk

That's probably the stally Suciune you've run into before. Just watch out for stuff with Water Absorb/Dry Skin/Storm Drain.

 

[Juxapose]

Bold is the optimal nature, but since getting one with the perfect nature is annoying on cartridge we'll just work with that. The most common and one of the best Suicune sets is the ol' Crocune set:

-Suciune w/Leftovers
Nature: Modest (since that's what you got)
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Defense, 4 Sp.Attack
Moves: Scald, Calm Mind, Rest, Sleep Talk

That's probably the stally Suciune you've run into before. Just watch out for stuff with Water Absorb/Dry Skin/Storm Drain.

Thank you, I'll put some thought into this.

One thing I keep finding involving Suicune is Toxic Spikes. Toxic Spikes is supposedly a Great counter against Suicune's threats such as special defensive walls. But in my experience with Toxic spikes, things didn't go well. Poison type Pokemon remove toxic spikes, and many special walls can just refresh toxic off (I do it all the time).

Any advice on the use of Toxic Spikes?

 

[Nah]

Thank you, I'll put some thought into this.

One thing I keep finding involving Suicune is Toxic Spikes. Toxic Spikes is supposedly a Great counter against Suicune's threats such as special defensive walls. But in my experience with Toxic spikes, things didn't go well. Poison type Pokemon remove toxic spikes, and many special walls can just refresh toxic off (I do it all the time).

Any advice on the use of Toxic Spikes?

Tbh I have little experience with Toxic Spikes, so I don't have much advice for you on that. Sorry =(

All I can think of is to eliminate opposing Poison types before laying down Toxic Spikes. I don't really get why Toxic Spikes is supposed to be good against special walls when most of them carry some sort of status recovery or a teammate does like you said.

Idk maybe someone else can help you out with this one.

 

[Juxapose]

New question: How does anyone use Landorus?

I have one, but Landorus seems to be way too slow, has that annoying yet common 4x weakness to ice, and despite being a Flying/Ground type it learns no Flying moves.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[PlatinumDude]

New question: How does anyone use Landorus?

I have one, but Landorus seems to be way too slow, has that annoying yet common 4x weakness to ice, and despite being a Flying/Ground type it learns no Flying moves.

Any advice is appreciated.

Landorus doesn't need a Flying STAB to function. Its move pool is just good enough for it to function well, offensively or defensively.

Landorus comes in two flavors: Incarnate and Therian.

The Incarnate form utilizes the Sheer Force ability to power up Earth Power (and other coverage moves that benefit from it) to powerful levels. However, cartridge users will have a hard time getting a hold of this kind of Landorus, as it's only obtainable via Pokemon Dream Radar (when the Therian genies captured there are turned to Incarnate form with the Reveal Glass, they'll have their Dream World/Hidden abilities). While it may seem tempting to use Incarnate Landorus with Sand Force, this forces you to run Pokemon that share its weaknesses to make that effective (Tyranitar and Hippowdon).

The Therian form of Landorus has the Intimidate ability, which is a major help against physical attackers. It's versatile; it can run offensive or defensive sets.

Here are possible move sets for both forms if you're interested:

Incarnate:
-Rock Polish
-Earth Power
-Hidden Power (Ice)
-Sludge Wave/Knock Off
Nature: Modest/Rash
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force

or
-Earth Power
-Sludge Wave/Knock Off
-Hidden Power (Ice)
-Stealth Rock/Focus Blast
Nature: Timid/Naive
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force

or
-Calm Mind
-Earth Power
-Focus Blast
-Psychic/Hidden Power (Ice)
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force

Therian:
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-U-turn
-Knock Off/Superpower/Explosion
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Item: Choice Scarf

or
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-U-turn
-Stone Edge/Knock Off/Rock Slide
Nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP/240 Def/8 SDef/8 Spe
Item: Leftovers/Rocky Helmet

or
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge/Knock Off
-U-turn/Explosion
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
EVs: 72 HP/252 Atk/184 Spe
Item: Soft Sand/Earth Plate/Focus Sash

or
-Swords Dance
-Rock Polish
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 56 HP/220 Atk/252 Spe
Item: Soft Sand/Earth Plate/Leftovers

(for the last set, you don't try to set up both boosts at once; you pick the boost based on the team you're up against; Rock Polish for offensive teams, Swords Dance for defensive ones)

 

[Juxapose]

Landorus doesn't need a Flying STAB to function. Its move pool is just good enough for it to function well, offensively or defensively.

Thanks for your advice. However knowing my Battle Spot cousins, these builds will not work. It's rather sad when the absolute hatred for threats like Garchomp, Dragonite, and Gliscor; Landorus never had a chance in battle. People laugh whenever we see it being used in Battle Spot, and even I have no trouble taking care of it. Only successful build I have ever seen is an Adamant choice scarf/bulk mix that outspeeds and sweeps anyone unprepared. Landorus may have a place with Smogon rules, but it looks like this Pokemon will remain in my PC box.

Besides, Landorus's intimidate can suck on an ice beam.

Last time I encountered one, it took a leaf storm to the face, and I lost respect for this so-called Legendary Pokemon.

 

[PlatinumDude]

Thanks for your advice. However knowing my Battle Spot cousins, these builds will not work. It's rather sad when the absolute hatred for threats like Garchomp, Dragonite, and Gliscor; Landorus never had a chance in battle. People laugh whenever we see it being used in Battle Spot, and even I have no trouble taking care of it. Only successful build I have ever seen is an Adamant choice scarf/bulk mix that outspeeds and sweeps anyone unprepared. Landorus may have a place with Smogon rules, but it looks like this Pokemon will remain in my PC box.

Besides, Landorus's intimidate can suck on an ice beam.

Last time I encountered one, it took a leaf storm to the face, and I lost respect for this so-called Legendary Pokemon.

Then you're using Therian Landorus wrong.

For Choice Scarf variants, you only bring it in after a teammate is KOed or on physical attackers. You don't bring it in on special attackers. Choice Scarf versions use max Attack/max Speed.

As for defensive variants, you only bring them in on physical attackers to weaken them.

For all Therian Landorus sets, switch as soon as it's up against faster special attackers. A good player never leaves Therian Landorus in against Pokemon that use Water and Ice moves (or powerful special attacks in general).

 

[Juxapose]

Then you're using Therian Landorus wrong.

For Choice Scarf variants, you only bring it in after a teammate is KOed or on physical attackers. You don't bring it in on special attackers. Choice Scarf versions use max Attack/max Speed.

As for defensive variants, you only bring them in on physical attackers to weaken them.

For all Therian Landorus sets, switch as soon as it's up against faster special attackers. A good player never leaves Therian Landorus in against Pokemon that use Water and Ice moves (or powerful special attacks in general).

I am not sure why would you say this considering I HAVE NEVER USED ONE. I have one, but it's untrained and burning a hole in my PC box since generation 5. And in Battle spot, they just plain suck in my opinion because nobody has trouble beating them.

 

[PlatinumDude]

I am not sure why would you say this considering I HAVE NEVER USED ONE. I have one, but it's untrained and burning a hole in my PC box since generation 5. And in Battle spot, they just plain suck in my opinion because nobody has trouble beating them.

I'm saying this because those people aren't using Therian Landorus right. It's mainly a check for physical attackers.

The overview of its revamp should sum up its good points nicely. Sure, it's for its OU analysis, but it should apply to Battle Spot as well:

Landorus-Therian has become one of the most recognised faces of OU, and with its great versatility, utility, and noteworthy prowess both offensively and defensively it's not difficult to see why. Landorus-T's superb typing gives him immunity to Electric and Ground, two very potent offensive typings, as well as further providing resistance to Bug, Fighting and Poison. Landorus-T's defensive potential is also commendable, primarily his physically defensive capabilities which are further helped by his fantastic ability, Intimidate, which helps his abilities to perform physically defensive roles to soar. His incredibly high attack and very workable offensive movepool make him a potent offensive threat against many as well. This combination of Intimidate, offensive and defensive presence has allowed him to establish himself as one of the best pivots in the meta due to his ability to force switches with ease. To top it off, Landorus-T is very versatile, being able to successfully play various roles to fit almost any playstyle; offensive roles, defensive roles, revenge killer, defensive pivot, late-game sweeper, wall-breaker, are all great possibilities with Landorus-T.

Edit: here are its flaws as well, which can be addressed if you have the right teammates to take care of said flaws:

While a diverse and effective Pokemon he may be however, there are still faults that do hold him down. Most notably his 4x weakness to Ice is the largest initial flaw many might see, this is problematic for Landorus-T due to the abundance of Hidden Power Ice seen on Electric type Pokemon who Landorus would otherwise counter or check much more effectively. His weakness to Water and no coverage in his movepool to effectively handle a fair many does leave him at a loss in a match-up against the likes of Keldeo, Rotom-W and Slowbro just to name a few. His speed tier has also fallen behind in the fast-paced OR/AS metagame; he does have quite a workable speed tier which is by no stretch useless, but it does often leave a lot to be desired in many situations. Finally, lack of any form of reliable recovery makes him much more susceptible to residual damage and he can be worn down considerably easier than other potential walls or sweepers.
While it is undoubtedly not a perfect Pokemon, Landorus-T's popularity is certainly a testament to its relatively low risk high reward nature and his versatility allows him to effectively function on almost any team.

 

[Juxapose]

I'm saying this because those people aren't using Therian Landorus right. It's mainly a check for physical attackers.

The overview of its revamp should sum up its good points nicely. Sure, it's for its OU analysis, but it should apply to Battle Spot as well:
Edit: here are its flaws as well, which can be addressed if you have the right teammates to take care of said flaws:

After reading the reviews, I can clearly say that this person who wrote this has no idea how the game works outside of Pokemon simulators. Once again, this Pokemon only works when you ban a whole bunch of stuff to Ubers and are facing others mainly of it's own tiers. But when you play in Battle spot where you have 3v3 as opposed to 6v6 singles, Landorus is now at a HUGE disadvantage where all the other pokemon who cover it's weaknesses are now reduced to a cornering contest. How many times did I corner a Landorus because it literally cannot switch because the other 2 teamates were already KO'd, and it was up against a speedy threat like Mewtwo or Greninja. In battle spot, it cannot hide behind 5 other Pokemon like in simulators like Pokemon Showdown. In Battlespot singles where there are no restrictions on what pokemon are up against, and you had no choice but to pick 3 Pokemon carefully out of the six you brought into the internet.

I also forgot to mention that since I do not play in Pokemon Simulators, other players have a much harder time getting a 6IV Landorus of any type legitly. Yeah, you can hack one in, but many legit players find that non breedable pokemon such as Landorus cannot perform at the same level as the ones used in the simulators. You can get a legit 6IV landorus, but it takes weeks of soft resetting to achieve that, and there are way better Pokemon that can be used in it's place such as Garchomp.

 

[Nah]

How does Flash Fire and Storm Drain work in doubles in regards to spread moves? Like let's say that I have a Pokemon with Flash Fire/Storm Drain on my side, and the opponent uses Heat Wave/Surf. Obviously the Flash Fire/Storm Drain 'mon will be unaffected and get the boost, but will it also prevent my other Pokemon from taking damage as well?

 

[PlatinumDude]

After reading the reviews, I can clearly say that this person who wrote this has no idea how the game works outside of Pokemon simulators. Once again, this Pokemon only works when you ban a whole bunch of stuff to Ubers and are facing others mainly of it's own tiers. But when you play in Battle spot where you have 3v3 as opposed to 6v6 singles, Landorus is now at a HUGE disadvantage where all the other pokemon who cover it's weaknesses are now reduced to a cornering contest. How many times did I corner a Landorus because it literally cannot switch because the other 2 teamates were already KO'd, and it was up against a speedy threat like Mewtwo or Greninja. In battle spot, it cannot hide behind 5 other Pokemon like in simulators like Pokemon Showdown. In Battlespot singles where there are no restrictions on what pokemon are up against, and you had no choice but to pick 3 Pokemon carefully out of the six you brought into the internet.

I also forgot to mention that since I do not play in Pokemon Simulators, other players have a much harder time getting a 6IV Landorus of any type legitly. Yeah, you can hack one in, but many legit players find that non breedable pokemon such as Landorus cannot perform at the same level as the ones used in the simulators. You can get a legit 6IV landorus, but it takes weeks of soft resetting to achieve that, and there are way better Pokemon that can be used in it's place such as Garchomp.

I hope you also realize that you can also conduct 6 on 6 battles on the PSS as well. Battle Spot isn't the only format available in Wi-Fi.

Now while I also realize that Battle Spot kind of limits the teammates that Landorus can utilize to cover its flaws, this doesn't automatically make it bad. You're still underestimating its versatility. 6 IV Landorus in-game doesn't really matter, IMO, as some people settle for IVs in the 20-31 range, like me. Special Attack also doesn't matter.

How does Flash Fire and Storm Drain work in doubles in regards to spread moves? Like let's say that I have a Pokemon with Flash Fire/Storm Drain on my side, and the opponent uses Heat Wave/Surf. Obviously the Flash Fire/Storm Drain 'mon will be unaffected and get the boost, but will it also prevent my other Pokemon from taking damage as well?

In the case of Flash Fire, your partner will still take damage on Heat Wave.

In the case of Storm Drain, the user will receive the Special Attack boost if its partner uses Surf, but Surf will still hit the opponents.

 

[Lickage]

Kabutops

My Mega beedrill is suffering a lot from Gale Wings Talonflame so I was thinking of putting a kabutops in my team so I can also get rid of those pesky stealth rocks. just not sure how I should run the Kabutops. all tips welcome :)

 

[Detox]

My Mega beedrill is suffering a lot from Gale Wings Talonflame so I was thinking of putting a kabutops in my team so I can also get rid of those pesky stealth rocks. just not sure how I should run the Kabutops. all tips welcome :)

If you're set on using Kabutops, I'd advise you to use it in rain, otherwise it will be a very iffy choice. The standard set for Kabutops is:

Kabutops @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin
- Aqua Jet

Hope it helps.

 

[Golurks Were Meant to Fly]

If someone (i.e. me) wanted to get back into competitive battling, where would be the best place to learn the current meta?

 

[PlatinumDude]

If someone (i.e. me) wanted to get back into competitive battling, where would be the best place to learn the current meta?

For starters, you can check out Smogon's main website and its forums.

 

[Sirfetch’d]

If someone (i.e. me) wanted to get back into competitive battling, where would be the best place to learn the current meta?

You can ladder but the lower part of the ladder is literally aids and you won't learn anything. It's really dependent on where you left off. If you haven't battled ORAS competitively you need to read up on the tier changes, banlists, threats etc. Smogon has some good guides.

Essentially just teambuild, experiment, and learn by trial and error. Pick a mega(broken ones are gardy, zards, and meta. other good ones are megados, mega sableye, mega zam, etc) and then build a team around it. Pick good supporting mons and just practice. ORAS is a fun meta but a really unbalanced meta.