two things, can someone explain what a skarmbliss combo is
:knockedou!!
Just what it sounds like. It's a Pokemon combo involving Skarmory and Blissey that was invented way back in the GSC era. Skarmory is the best physical wall and Blissey is the best special wall. Together, they can wall many physical AND special attacks in the game.
and how usefull are stat raising moves such as calm mind, i cant bring myself to teach them to my pokes, it feels like im wasting valuable variety in offensive power.
Stat-boosting moves can be VERY helpful, but only if you know when to use them.
Offensive stat boosters like Swords Dance, Dragon Dance, and Nasty Plot can ensure you a win if you use them at the right time and on the right Pokemon. "The right time" usually refers to near the end of the battle, when your opponents have been mostly weakened and are easy to finish off. And by this time, you've already seen all or most of your opponents, so prediction is easier because you know what to expect.
You can also use these boosters against an opponent that can't handle you or is so scared of you that he will have to switch out, since switching gives you a free turn to do whatever you want.
Speed boosters (Agility mostly) are mostly really useful in preparing for a specific set, like a Baton Pass set or a Reversal set. Pokemon like Metagross, who have amazing attack but low speed, can also use Agility to help them sweep better.
You almost never want to use pure defense boosters like Iron Defense or Amnesia. There's no point in boosting only your Defense or only your Special Defense. Critical hits bypass defense boosts and happen more often than you think. Defense boosts are only useful if you are using them in a Baton Pass chain.
ESPEON
Timid
Syncronise
Leftovers
Psychic
Calm Mind
Substitute
Baton Pass
EVs: 196 HP / 122 SDef / 192 Spd
If a Synchronize Pokemon Burns themself with Flame Orb or Poisons themself with Toxic Orb, the opponent will NOT get statused. Synchronize only works when the opponent uses a status move on you.
Do NOT use Sunny Day if you do not have at least two of the following things that benefit from the sun: Fire attack, Solarbeam, Chlorophyll ability, or Forecast ability. If you don't, you are just wasting your time. Synthesis, Morning Sun, and Leaf Guard ability don't count since their effects are too insignificant to make a big difference.
Sunny Day is a risky move and discouraged on most Pokemon simply because Tyranitar and Hippowdon are used by so many people. Simply by switching in, they can erase all of your weather effects and replace it with their own sandstorm. So if you use Sunny Day, they'll switch in, Sandstream instantly overrides Sunny Day, and you'll only heal 1/4th of your health instead of 100% health.
What Espeon does best is Calm Mind and Baton Pass. Espeon is fast and can quickly pull off a Calm Mind, boosting its already good Special Attack and Special Defense. Baton Pass to any of your other special attackers (Gengar will love you for it). Add in a Substitute for good measure so that you won't get statused and your team mate won't either.
SCIZOR
Jolly
Swarm
Silver Powder
X-scissor/U-Turn
Iron Head
Agility
Aerial Ace
HP:6, AT:252, SPEED:252
Don't use both X-Scissor and U-Turn. Use one or the other. Agility can go in one of those slots.
Techinician is the better ability since it takes advantage of your Aerial Ace.
FLYGON
Jolly
Levitate
Leftovers
U-turn
Earthquake
Roost
Dragon Claw
HP:6, AT:252, SPEED:252
You did a good job of making Flygon stand out from Garchomp by using U-Turn and Roost. But King's Rock is one of those crap items whose effects have such a low chance of happening that you will hardly ever benefit from it.
GENGAR
Modest
Levitate
Bright Powder
Hypnosis
Shadow Ball
Explosion/Sludgebomb/Destiny Bond
Thunderbolt
HP:6, Sp.AT:252, SPEED:252
The age-old Hypnosis + Dream Eater combo is actually bad. First of all, Hypnosis is too inaccurate to be relied upon for a combo. Besides, the HP healed from Dream Eater won't help much even if you manage to get a supereffective hit. That doesn't mean Hypnosis is a bad move. It's great for Pokemon who can't learn other sleep moves. Just don't use a move that relies on Sleep to go with it. There are much stronger attacks to use when the opponent is sleeping.
For instance, your Gengar could be doing way more damage with Shadow Ball than it could ever do with Dream Eater.
In fact, just why doesn't your Gengar know Shadow Ball? With a Ghost type and that awesome Special Attack stat, it's a federal crime not to know it.
Almost NO Ghost type (besides Sableye) benefits from using Night Shade instead of other attacks. At best, you'll only be doing 100 damage, which is nothing compared to what your other attacks are capable of.
Think about it. Besides a STABed Shadow Ball, what is another of Gengar's best attacks? If you're thinking of Thunderbolt, you are correct!
EMPOLEON
Calm
Torrent
Leftovers
Surf
Ice Beam
Grass Knot
Stealth Rock
HP:252, DEF:6, Sp.DEF:252
Ice Beam is the only good attack here.
You should avoid using Flash Cannon. Steel-type moves aren't that great since they don't provide coverage against many opponents (they are only supereffective against Ice and Rock after all). Steel is also resisted by many different types, including Water, Steel, Fire, and Electric. The only Steels attacks you should be using are those with over 100 power (like Meteor Mash) or those that allow you to strike first (Bullet Punch and Vacuum Wave). Flash Cannon fulfills neither of these categories.
Aerial Ace is just useless on a special based Empoleon. It won't do much damage. Grass types will take way more damage from Ice Beam and it's so weak that Fighting types won't be OHKOed (not even Heracross).
Why use Brine when Surf is so much better and far more consistent? With Surf, you don't have to worry about opponent's that are above half health or being able to recover HP.
Grass Knot is good on many Pokemon who can learn it because it has a high power against a lot of the common heavyweights that you often see.
50.1kg - 100.0kg: 80 Power
Starmie *
Tauros
Aerodactyl
Swampert *
Flygon
Empoleon
Grachomp
Cresselia
100.1kg - 200.0kg: 100 Power
Machamp
Cloyster *
Mewtwo
Ursaring
Donphan *
Raikou
Suicune *
Slaking
Claydol *
Milotic *
Dusknoir
200.1kg + : 120 power
Regirock *
Groudon *
Kyogre *
Rhyperior *
Gyarados
Lapras *
Snorlax
Steelix
Tyranitar *
Mamoswine *
Hippowdon *
* = Grass weakness
As you can see, Grass Knot can be as strong as Energy Ball to as strong as a Solarbeam on many popular Pokemon. Plus a lot of them have a Grass weakness, so they'll take even more damage.
CHARIZARD
Calm
Blaze
Heat Rock
Flamethrower
Air Slash
Sunny Day
Solarbeam
HP: 6 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Charizard doesn't even have the right nature or EVs for this sort of set. Why are you trying to make it defensive, when Charizard is all about Speed and offense? Max out its Sp Attack and Speed right away!
