Using buffing abilities, and surviving.

[PowerCat]

I often see people suggesting to use moves that raise sp atk or atk, but when is it useful to use those moves, and how to survive long enough to use it?
If I use swords dance, the opponent will get a free attack or be able to get a pokemon out to counter mine, so it feels like a waste. What do you guys think?

 

[Eureka1]

I often see people suggesting to use moves that raise sp atk or atk, but when is it useful to use those moves, and how to survive long enough to use it?
If I use swords dance, the opponent will get a free attack or be able to get a pokemon out to counter mine, so it feels like a waste. What do you guys think?

personally, i agree with you :P

they can effectively be used, but i'd rather just smack the enemy hard

 

[Lumine]

agreed, like once i was battling my bros frends salamence and i had my milotic out, he used dragon dance i used ice beam, gg kthxby

 

[Azonic]

Even though they get a free attack, after you use Swords Dance, You can dent the hell out of most pokemon.Its nice to use on a speedy pokemon or a bulky one. Groudon and Rhyperior love Swords Dance. And they can take several hits before fainting. When you use Swords Dance, it is nice to have a recovery move along with you.

And if you use Swords Dance 3 times max, a Wurmple can 1HKO a Groudon... OK I exaggurated a little... or a lot... but it is actually a good choice.

It should be used with good prediction too. Say you are locked in a battle, you send out Rhyperior and your opponent has Magnezone. You probably know that Magnezone is going to switch out, so that is a good time to use Swords Dance.

It should also be used with an opponent with a defensive background, a pokemon that owns a poor attacking power like Shuckle, that is a time to use Swords Dance.

 

[c_dog]

There's a time and place for those. One of the best ways to use stats up is when you predict a switch. For example if a swampert switch into a jolteon that doesn't know grassknot(reminds me a lot of my own jolteon O_O) then it can choose to set up as if it uses earthquake, jolteon is going to switch out anyway and the turn will be wasted(even more so on a pokemon with leviate). Instead, set up swampert with curse and you may actually stand a chance against whatever counter they have. Now this isnt the best example because swampert is slow and a fast pokemon like sceptile can easily switch in and ruin it, but you get the point.

Another way to use it is if you use a move such as yawn that may cause a switch, or if you make a pokemon fall asleep, or when you have an extra substitute up. There are many ways to set up if you play it right. Having good anticipation helps.

 

[Shiraishi]

Swords Dance=200% atk. Nuff' said.