RarelyUsed Pokemon Showcase

[Chase]

RU Showcase

In which, Hilda attempts to talk about competitive battling and seem like she knows what she is talking about...

Pokemon of the Week: Doublade

The leading Pokemon for this series is indeed a NFE (not fully evolved, for those of you that are not familiar with competitive jargon) Pokemon. Much like its fully evolved colleague Aegislash, this Pokemon can serve a variety of roles, and it does so well enough to have three tiers in it's Smogon entries under it's belt (Under and even OverUsed, along with the obvious RarelyUsed). The Pokemon is most effectively known for forcing physical attackers to switch out, but it's turn to make a move, who know's what's going to happen?

Viability in RU - S Rank - This thing is a winner and if you like making your opponent play "guess the set", This is the 'Mon you're looking for.

Favorite Held Item - With most "viable" NFE's you will want to think about slapping a unique item known as an "Eviolite" on them, and Doublade is not an exception. This makes it's defenses, including it's already spectacular physical defense, even more potent, ensuring that it will be able to take some blows. You really shouldn't be giving this Pokemon any other held item at all. (Seriously, If you're going to use Doublade, Eviolite, or evolve it and play Ubers.)

Doublade has the ability to make for a very good mixed wall with investment into it's special defense and the Eviolite providing universal defenses on top of it all. Smogon suggests the following set:

Doublade @ Eviolite

No Guard (There's no other option ability-wise, and with Doublade it doesn't really matter unless you like innovation)

252 HP/ 4 Attack / 252 Special Defense

Gyro Ball

Toxic

Pursuit

Rest

The EV spread allows for Doublade's weaker defensive type to receive some support, as the physical defense is already getting a boost from the Eviolite, making this thing able to take almost anything. The lack of speed investment is also useful as Doublade has Gyro Ball in this set, to give it some knockout potential. Toxic is the go to move early game and is great to use after a forced switch to hinder your opponent with residual damage. If a Pokemon is weak to Dark type attacks, Pursuit is another great move here, as it is a punish for switching out, and Rest allows it to recover from it's own status afflictions as well as restore HP, enabling it to prolong battles.

The mixed wall set is recommended for use in the OVERused tier by Smogon, which means if you use it in UU and RU, you'll have even less potent checks to remove it from play. However, this thing doesn't just have the ability to be a riot shield for your team, it has a whole spectrum of sets, and can even go over the top and snag some knockouts as an attacker. Smogon recommends this set for an offensive Doublade:

Doublade @ Eviolite

No Guard

212 HP/ 252 Attack /44 Speed

Swords Dance

Shadow Claw

Iron Head

Shadow Sneak

Previously established, Doublade forces switches often, usually always when opposing a physical attacker, making it the ideal turn to use Swords Dance and start getting threatening. Shadow Sneak gives it priority, and Shadow Claw and Iron Head give it a couple of "stabs"....(sorry, had to) it can use to wreck house. This Pokemon has the potential to sweep late game assuming it's special attacking checks are dealt with, and the Eviolite possibly can benefit "greedier" players, allowing them to take physical attacks all day long as they set up to downright vile attack potency. (Of course, that's if your opponent isn't good enough to realize physical attacks are a bad idea, but it happens.)

This set is recommended for RarelyUsed play. While you can use Doublade in higher tiers effectively, this set finds itself too frail to face off with special attackers in those tiers.

My first encounter with competitive Doublade was a rather unsatisfying one for me (playing the opponent), and it's left a profound mark on me as a trainer, springboarding my competitive career to "meta" expectations. The story goes as follows. One day, Hilda found herself facing off against Kamina in a PZA battle. She had picked RU thinking that she would even the playing field a bit, because RU is a tier that isn't as popular as the tier below it (NU) or the commonly seen Little Cup or OverUsed matches on the server during the contest. For a short while, she had some momentum going...until the twin blades took Kamina's side of the field. Her Pokemon out was Druddigon, with a priority move that she was certain would hit Doublade hard....until she spammed it 4 times to no effect. That day, Hilda learned the consequences of using Sucker Punch at the wrong time. Throughout the nonsense on her end, Kamina had that Doublade Swords Dance multiple times, effectively ending the battle while I had five Pokemon left.

Kiddies, Sucker Punch will not hit if your opponent isn't attacking you.

I hope you guys enjoyed this first installment of 'RU Showcase', and I hope to see you guys putting your Talonflames and Tyranitars away in order to experience the real blast RarelyUsed 'Mon matches can be. ~ Hilda

[Chase]

What do you mean I was going to forget this series, what GIVES I KNOW WHAT-...we're live?...oh-

Pokemon of the Week: Druddigon

(lol special attack animation that -looks- baller but really means you ain't doin' it right.)

Viability in RU: A+ Rank - this pokemon does a couple of things dangerously well and can fit on several teams.

Ooh, Druddigon. Basically. when you see your opponent use this thing, you should just forfeit the battle, because you aren't going to stop it......okay, maybe you can stop it, but this thing can cause a lot of problems with it's fantastic ability and coverage moves. If your opponent thinks they can switch in -any- Fairy type on this thing (and it will force some switches) they're going to be in for a very unpleasant surprise. Druddigon is all about click and attack, so if you're like Hilda and "ain't got time for that settin' up business", this is the pokemon for YOU. One of my absolute favorites after using it competitively, and my favorite 'mon in RarelyUsed.

Ideal Item: Depends on the set you want. Druddigon is a BULKY pokemon that can dish out some damage, so it's an excellent user of the Assault Vest. What about damage? You can have that too. Pick your poison though: Choice Band Druddigon pairs well with it's vastly superior attack stat (over it's Special Attack) and avoids a pricey HP loss, but locks you into a move until you switch it out. Life Orb Druddigon however gets access to it's entire moveset, which enables the prediction game to be opened up for the price token HP loss. But WAIT...there's MORE. Druddigon can even be run a little defensively. Leftovers can be used on Stealth Rock (Yes, this monster even can serve as your Hazard setter) sets, while you can go with the Rocky Helmet and pair it up with one of Druddigon's abilities to make touching the thing with physical attacks a costly decision. Ya know, kinda like what some people do with Ferrothorn up in OverUsed, except...it's not Iron Barbs...

VIABLE Abilities: Druddigon get's three abilities (Two to choose from out in the wild, and a third "Hidden")...and two of those abilities are great to use in RU play. The first one is the common ability Rough Skin - which gives opponents who attack it recoil damage from any physical attack. This pairs well with the Rocky Helmet on the defensive set you'll see in a bit. The Hidden Ability is Sheer Force - which boost's it attacks' power in exchange for omitting the possibility for secondary effects on moves that have them. This makes some attacks -really- hurt and pairs well with the Choice Band and Life Orb. If you were going to ask ME which set you should use, it's a Sheer Force All-Out-Attacker set, but Druddigon's a 'mon of many talents.

Lets go with the defensive set. Druddigon is a pokemon that will be doing a lot of it's damage in this set, by -taking- direct attacks. (I'll try to copy past the exportable here, and -not- tamper with it this time.) It get's acess to pretty fun utility moves, as you'll see:

Druddigon @ Rocky Helmet

Ability: Rough Skin

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

Careful Nature

- Glare

- Dragon Claw

- Rest

- Fire Punch

Glare is a 100% accuracy move that paralyzes the target, which helps out it's teammates set up for the sweep (although, -this- pokemon is good enough to sweep itself why would, oh, I guess I have to be someone open-minded....-sigh-....) and Druddigon is one of the few pokemon that is graced with being able ot use it. Dragon Claw is optimal over Outrage because you want to be able to freely use the entire moveset. Rest is a move that can prolong this pokemon's life and is by far the most interchangeable move in set unless you want to subsitute coverage move Fire Punch for Sleep Talk.

(If you want to get rid of Rest, a good replacement is Stealth Rock (to set up entry hazards), Dragon Tail (to assist in crippling the opponents team with Glare by shuffling the opposing pokemon in and out.), or third coverage move GUNK SHOT.....for those pesky fairies you want catch off guard upon switching in.

Then there's THIS monstrosity...

Druddigon @ Assault Vest

Ability: Sheer Force

EVs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Dragon Claw

- Sucker Punch

- Fire Punch

- Gunk Shot

Assualt Vest gives this thing some pretty good bulk in case it gets into a scrap, but you can also put in the Choice Band or Life Orb here just to pack an incriminating amount of heat in all four slots. Sucker Punch enables Druddigon the ability to deal with Psychic types and gives it a priority move (and it's always good to keep this move hidden untill late game), Dragon Claw is suitable enough, especially with the boost items to grant Druddigon a STAB, Fire Punch and Gunk Shot are both boosted by Sheer Force so that they do massive amounts of damage, even without the boosting items.

Well, you guys may legitimately have nightmares about this pokemon now....and you SHOULD. I hope you enjoyed this weeks installment of 'RU Showcase', and until next time, "GL:HF?"...(why do people SAY THAT, It's a POKEMON BATTLE I -AM- GOING TO HAVE FUN.....oh.....we're still rolling...Jimmy, we can edit all of this out right?....Right?)

[Chase]

"Jimmy...why does this script say something about Sabley-...that's not funny. I don't pay you for this.."...

RU Pokemon of the Week: (Mega) Banette

So, as I was saying, we are -not- talking about Sableye, nor will we ever talk about Sableye so don't ask me about Sableye, alright? Alright. Glad that's out of the way. This week's Pokemon however is a mixture of what makes Sableye threatening, and a little bit of my own soul....well, that is before I outgrew dolls and threw this thing in a dumpster somewhere. Banette, the abandoned plaything that has a vendetta for it's previous owner, is one of just a few megas in the RarelyUsed tier. In fact, before ORAS, the Mega community's representation in RU consisted of Banette and Abomasnow. This pokemon has two main selling points, and the two sets I'm going to go over function with either or. The first thing that makes M-Banette appealing is it's terrifying face Prankster ability, which is paired with a vicious selection of utility moves, including Destiny Bond (which you'll see in both sets because PranksterBond is very good as a nuke when needed.) and it's very high attack stat, which, if compensated accordingly, can make Banette a late game problem for opponents. My first ever attempt at laddering was in RU, and during that time period, this thing was literally everywhere. Let's see what makes it so popular...

Viability in RU - A Rank - This Pokemon, in my opinion, is a very good "glue mon" - or a pokemon needed to complete a team of six, filling the last slot during the building process - and the bottom tiers are where you start to see mega evolutions working as such due to there being so few of them to choose from and the fact that many don't adaquately fill the role of "win condition" very well at all. Banette works well with just about any type of team idea due to it's two slightly different sets....Hopefully you guys are seeing a trend here. I'm slowly moving down the viability list by sub-rank, and will start back up at "s" when I get the point where NeverUsed pokemon are being suggested.

Abilities - Banette gets three to choose from prior to Mega-evolving. Frisk allows Banette to reveal the opposing pokemon's held item upon entering the battlefield. Cursed Body causes a move that hits Banette directly to occasionally be disabled, and Insomnia prevents Banette from being put to sleep. The most useful ability before Mega-Evolution is quite obviously Frisk, because it activates immediately upon entering the battlefield, meaning you can find out the opponents item (and often entire set if you're inquisitive enough to check smogon for sets after seeing the item) before using a turn and risking Banette getting disposed of. Cursed Body and Insomnia don't really help Banette much at all. After Mega-evolving Banette picks up Prankster - which allows it to use utility moves such as Will-o-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Taunt, and Destiny Bond before the opponent every single time regardless of stats and buffs/debuffs in place.

Hilda recommends Frisk highly here.

Appropriate Item: Banette's mega-stone - the Banettite

So, the natural claim to fame M-Banette has is a rather unorthodox statline given it''s ability. Sableye, especially it's Mega evolution, outclasses Banette in staying power, but what Sableye -doesn't- have is the ability to fight for itself, which Banette has in SPADES given it's absolutely wonderful attack stat. It has a few great offensive moves to pick from, and after reading this offensive set through, you'll know just how much priority this thing -really- has.

Banette @ Banettite

Ability: Frisk

EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Destiny Bond

- Knock Off

- Sucker Punch

- Shadow Claw

One of Banette's better stats not named 'Attack' is it's speed stat, and the sizable amount of investment gives it the ability to outspeed uninvested -or Zero speed EVs, because it usually doesn't run those- Cresselia and hit it with Shadow Claw. Sucker Punch hits anything that's trying to attack you first, giving "the Prioritizer" more priority and in the form of an attacking move. Knock Off is great on presumed opposing switches, permanently removing items and doing lots of damage, and the nail in the coffin being PranksterBond. These give Banette a loose niche of revenge killer (a pokemon who comes in after losing one of your teammates and is able to outspeed the opponent), and can potentially function as a cleanup sweeper if it's checks and counters are gone. Here, Destiny Bond is used for emergencies only, such as when you have a pokemon that has been allowed to set up and you have no other way to clear it.

The other set Banette can run is the All-Out-Prankster set. 1 Attack, 3 Utilities.

Banette @ Banettite

Ability: Frisk

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

Adamant Nature

- Taunt

- Will-O-Wisp*

- Shadow Sneak*

- Destiny Bond

Other options: Thunder Wave; Knock Off, Sucker Punch, Shadow Claw

Taunt and Destiny Bond are absolute "musts" on this set, as Taunt can be used instead of the status move or Destiny Bond to prevent setting up and is a crucial set-up breaker, and Destiny Bond allows you one shot at rectifying an earlier mistake of allowing a set-up to happen. I -like- Will-o-wisp over Thunder Wave, but I would recommend Shadow Sneak over the other three attacking moves due to getting stab AND priority if going with the Wisp. T-Wave allows for Banette to use Knock Off or Shadow Claw for raw power, because it will cripple the opponents speed. Sucker Punch is a last resort option here if you're interested in a -powerful- attack to counter things like Delphox, which are usually scarfed.

Basically, this set is the Sableye "annoy the other team into submission" set, without the critical "Recover" and bulk.

New to the series is a small insight on good teammates to pair pokemon up with, as requested by the one post that wasn't mine (and has been deleted to make the thread look cleaner, Jericho, it's been read. Alomomola is indeed a good partner for Druddigon.) Banette isn't a pokemon that can sweep on it's own, and depends HEAVILY on it's team members for support. It likes to cause opponents to go for dark type moves, so a Musketeer (Cobalion or Virizion in the order given due to Cobalion's reliable bulk) makes for a great partner and both benefit due to the musketeers having the ability 'Justified' - which will boost their attack after taking dark type attacks, while Banette gets a safe exit as well as pressuring Psychic types. Other Pokemon it works well with is Delphox and Jolteon, which hit pokemon extremely hard, as well as entry hazard support to help with it's inability to win stall wars.

This series is moving on quite nicely. In order to start speculation on the next RU 'mon, I'll go ahead and say this. It's listed as an A- Rank Pokemon on the viability list. We will go back to the best of the best - the S rank Pokemon - as soon as we get to around B- viability. See you all next time...and hopefully your abandoned doll doesn't know where you live....

[Chase]

Disclaimer: The following weeks viability ranks were compiled based on the X/Y viability list, and not the ORAS list. My apologies! Doublade is coming in at a A-, Druddigon at B+, and M-Banette at C.

RU Pokemon of the Week: Moltres

Alright, to make up for the muff in the viability rankings, we're going to start by throwing up a legitimate threat in the tier. Moltres is a phenominal special attacker, with access to Hurricane, a myriad of equally stab special Fire attacks such as Fire Blast and Flamethrower, and even SolarBeam/Sunny Day (which is it's own set, and I'll throw it up just for fun along side what -I- see often.) It is one of those pesky Fire/Flying types that almost BEG you to bring Hazard removers, but once Rocks are out of the way, this thing is downright terrifying, with a huge arsenal of things that I simply wont be able to cover in this thread. Just expect to see things like Agility and All-Out-Offensive Moltres, because I'm not covering -those- sets, but they -are- there.

Viability in RU - S - You won't know what this thing will want to do until it tips it's hand. So many options.

It's only choice in ability is Pressure, which could help you quickly stall out a savvy Destiny Bonder's PP or something, but isn't terribly consequential as Moltres will likely try to incinerate everything else.

Items for the given sets - Choice Scarf makes Moltres a very fast Hurricane spammer and it's ability to come in and revenge kill is phenominal. The other set calls for maximum damage output -and- the ability to switch moves without switching out, which means you're looking to slap on a Life Orb

Moving right on to the sets, here's ScarfTres:

Moltres @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Pressure

EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Fire Blast

- Hurricane

- Flamethrower

- U-turn

Moltres is going to be utilizing U-turn to escape stick switch-outs and thus give you the leverage in the switch game department - early game. Once Tres' threats are gone, you can start your engines.....Mr. Hurricaaane....(No Jeff Dunham fans here? Okay...okay...sorry.) Fire Blast and Flamethrower round out the set. Power vs. Accuracy. Take your pick.

The fun set of the day is the Sunny Day Moltres, which you won't see very often.

Moltres @ Life Orb

Ability: Pressure

EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Sunny Day

- Fire Blast

- Solar Beam

- Morning Sun

Moltres will be banking on forcing a switch in this instance, so that it can get a free Sunny Day off. Once it does, it will likely be able to take out whatever switches in with SolarBeam...which is 100x more fun then Hidden Power Grass due to hitting much harder, and only needing a one turn set up in the sun. The only trade off with this set is that it loses it's ability to damage fighting type pokemon. It still gets acess to the nice and power Fire Blast, and gets a nice recovery move in Morning Sun, which is most effective during sunny weather. Not a common set by any means, but can be used earlier in the match, because Moltres don' need not teammates to get rid of it's checks.....(not true. Don't heed that statement - just know that this is a surpise set.)

That's this week's hasty version of RU Showcase, and I'll make edits whenever I get the chance. Thank you all for staying tuned.

~Hilda

With this, the only NECESSARY teammate is a hazard remover. You might go Rapid Spin here, and if so, go with Hitmontop *thereyagoJericho*

[Reignited'Light]

Nice! I like Moltres a lot since its high special attack stat burns everything. My favorite is the Agility set!

Also, I would maybe have a Heat Rock, instead of Life Orb for the Solarbeam+Sunny Day set.

Having more HP recover with Morning Sun, and the sun last longer.

[slant]

i remember there was also a toxic stall moltres set: flamethrower/roost/sub/toxic, is that still used anymore?

[Jelly]

it's actually a pretty good set since moltres has surprisingly good defenses. it's used to pressure stall stuff too which is nice.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

It actually is Slant, just it needs serious Defog/Rapid Spin Support. It is sorta something that doesn't thrive too well on it's own imo.

The Agi set is really good too, running STAB Hurricane and Fire Blast/Flamethrower for damaging moves rounding off with Roost and Agility ((cause uh... it is an Agi set... kinda has to have agi no?)). It can also take HP Grass, but I prefer to let teammates do the Ground/Rock/Water type removal. It pretty much outspeeds everything alive and can put a serious dent in a lot of the RU tier. ((Scarf variants of Pokes with base 105 or higher speed are faster, be aware of this.)) It is not something to take lightly. I personally think Hitmonlee is a waaaaaaaaaay better Rapid Spinner with Moltres than Top ((sorry Jeri, but bleh...)) and Shiftry is a very good Offensive Defogger that backs it up nicely. Hitmonlee destroys things things that don't resist it's HJK, being able to OHKO most Druddigons and Escavalier. ((and therefore it surely offs anything it hits super effectively. and it even demolishes some things that resist it.)). Lee can't spam it if there are enemy Ghost types though, so make sure to click Knock Off when there are some of those. Shiftry scares off pretty much all Water/Ground/Rocks. I feel those 2 complement Moltres waaaaaaaaaay better than Hitmontop as top really doesn't add anything to a team. It doesn't threaten anything nearly as much as Lee, and kinda doesn't do enough imo. RU is a dangerous tier all about serious damage and sweeping, Hitmontop can't really take many hits in the tier and doesn't really have damage of it's own to boost and ends up being super mediocre at best.But, hey at least it is 7000x better than Hitmonchan....who is weak and can't even hit ghosts...so it terrible... yea let's forget Chan exists....

[Chase]

Man, my circumstances really need to get better so it's not heck and a half to get these out...the formatting for the foreseeable future will be atrocious. Bear with me.

RU Pokémon of the Week: Hitmonlee

Hitmonlee is a Pokémon with two very unique sets that function based on the way it's abilities work. It's also a fantastic user of Rapid Spin in the tier, because it doesn't outdo it's usefulness afterwards.

Viability in RU - A+ - This Pokémon has guesswork behind it. Ability? Moveset? Are my answers threatened by it?....it's a hazard remover, so it can fit on most teams and find lots of success.

Abilities - Reckless is an ability that increases the damage of moves that have a potential to cause recoil damage to the user. Unburden sharply increases Hitmonlee's speed after it loses/uses it's held item. Hitmonlee can use both of these abilities effectively.

Items: Depends heavily on what ability Hitmonlee is using. If running Reckless you will want to focus on using Choice Scarf to increase Lee's respectable speed stat (in order to revenge kill opposing Pokémon.) or Life Orb for sheer power. Unburden users might want to consider the Liechi Berry - which increases attack by one stage after consumption along with the speed boost from the ability - or the Normal Gem if running Rapid Spin just for....fun I suppose.

I recommend the following two sets, largely because 1. I enjoy massive damage output, and 2. It provides the best idea on how each ability makes Hitmonlee a threat.

Hitmonlee @ Life Orb

Reckless

4 HP/ 252 Attack/ 252 Speed

Jolly

- High Jump Kick

- Knock Off

- Rapid Spin

- Mach Punch

For those of you that didn't know - Reckless actually -does- boost the power of High Jump Kick, due to the massive recoil chance if the attack misses. This set is powerful enough to OHKO Druddigon and Escavalier. You're going to want to hit HJK every time your opponent doesn't have a resist up. Knock Off is good to use on a predicted incoming Psychic type, as well as removes held items. Rapid Spin helps out your team by removing hazards, and Mach Punch gives Lee a priority STAB.

Usage: Kick it to Win it.

Hitmonlee @ Liechi Berry

Unburden

4 SpeD/ 252 Speed/ 252 Attack

Adamant

- Endure

- Reversal

- Knock Off

- Mach Punch

Sacrificing Lee as a spinner may mean something to you, but this set I would use after safely switching him in. Open up with Endure to encourage usage of the Liechi Berry to get that Attack and Speed boost, and go for as low amount of HP as possible. Reversal is a 200 BP move when Hitmonlee's hp is knocked down to 1. Knock Off again takes care of Psychic type responders, and Mach Punch again gives Lee the right to move first. This set does a better job at preventing recoil damage than the previous set.

Bonus Round:

Hitmonlee @ Normal Gem

Unburden

252 Speed/ 252 Attack/ 4 SpeD

Adamant

- Rapid Spin

- Mach Punch

- High Jump Kick

- Knock Off

This set isn't nearly as effective as the Endure->Reversal set, but allows for Rapid Spin to actually do a considerable amount of damage to your opponent while also removing hazards. The Speed boost will allow Lee to get it's kicks off faster, along with knocking off potential psychic types and items.

Hitmonlee is a very versatile Pokémon team-wise. Because it has the ability to check psychic types, you can bring along another fighting type should you so choose, such as Virizion, Cobalion, and Sawk. If running Rapid Spin on Lee, you can bring Talonflame Junior (Fletchinder) and M-Pidgeot into the fray, as they appreciate Lee's services greatly. Finally, to get rid of threats from the Slurpuff and Aromatisse, you will want to look into Doublade or.......-sigh-...Durant.

Catch you all on the flipside.

got your back w/ the formatting. ~BG

[Cowtao]

I would suggest removing mentions of M-Pidgeot. Or if you have them, M-Sceptile or Dragalge.

All of these mons, along with Gligar due to a tier shift, were move away from RU to BL. (Exception again is Gligar which got moved to UU)

[Shadow Tack]

I would suggest removing mentions of M-Pidgeot. Or if you have them, M-Sceptile or Dragalge.

All of these mons, along with Gligar due to a tier shift, were move away from RU to BL. (Exception again is Gligar which got moved to UU)

Scept is UU as well, and serp is BL.