Pokemon of the Week - Mantine

Mantine

Hallo, fellow members of the Hive! Yes, I'm back! I've been away for a while, but now I'm back to kick some butt in Wild Ca-- I mean... The Pokemon Hive! I figured that I may be able to manage posting at least a PotW post each week, along with other major things. I can't deny it, I've been lazy! ><" Anyway, I thought I'd do an entry for Mantine. Not the most powerful thing in the world, but I like him either way. And he steals Octillery's babbies! D8 (Yogscast fans will understand the "babbies" thing) Anyway, for my reasoning for this choice, click here. That's right, click right here!


Serebii.net - Mantine Pokedex Entry

Overview:
Now, today's lesson is set upon a very large manta ray. And as very happy-looking one at that! Mantine has Special Defenses to match even those of the physically-oriented Skarmory! Now as high as that may be, Mantine has a few fatal flaws. It's typing of Water/Flying leaves it vulnerable to Stealth Rock and come common weaknesses, as well as a crippling weakness to Electric. Without Electric and a resistance to Psychic, Mantine doesn't make too good of a wall for a team, but he has his upsides as well. Mantine's Special bulk allows him to easily switch into a Water-Type attack and be healed. And due to his Flying dual-type, he is an excellent switch-in to Grass or Water users like Gorebyss, and can even be safely witched into the oft-powerful Fighting-Type opponent! With immunity to non-rocky traps (the Spikes moves), Mantine can play a pivotal role on your team, if you play him right. Just remember, outside of Rest, he has no healing options, and low HP doesn't welcome that...


Base Stats:
HP - 65
Atk - 40
Def - 70
SpAtk - 80
SpDef - 140
Spd - 70

Movesets:
Mantine @ Leftovers

Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP, 4 Def, 252 SpDef
Nature: Calm
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Hidden Power Flying/Toxic

I found this set over on the Smogon site (loving their new BW analyses!), and I really liked the idea! Rest, as Mantine's only healing move, allows you to toss Status Ailments to the side as if they were nothing, and shrug off any non-Electric Special attack to come your way! Sleep Talk with Rest is an age-old strategy, and works well to keep Mantine alive during his nap. In the 5th Generation, Mantine gets a shiny new toy in the form of Scald, which is a godsend to this... ahem... physically-impaired manta ray. Scald gets nice STAB for decent power, and has a very attractive Burn rate. Any Physical Pokemon trying to take advantage of our friend will have to pray to Mew (I don't accept Arceus in that regard...) that they don't get Burned! If they do, Mantine may as well be facing a Special Luvdisc... Now, the last slot is your choice, but I prefer option #1 due to the lack of variety otherwise. Hidden Power Flying gives Mantine a fun tool against enemy Grass and Fighting Types, as well as select others. It will also do more damage to said Grass-Types than Ice Beam would, because of STAB. Toxic is still a great option nonetheless, and will tear through defensive walls and sponges that would normally tank Mantine to no end! So consider your options and your other teammates as per the usual, and make your decision. Honestly, a very fun set to use if you like Mantine! :3




I was thinking of doing another set here, but the thing is... Mantine's movepool is ginormous (did I really just say that?), but he lacks the offensive powers to utilize many of the moves in there. Signal Beam, Ice Beam, some great defensive moves that I would only recommend in a non-Sleep-Talk set, and many more. Just look through his movepool, and if your team has a specific problem with a Pokemon or two, see what Mantine can do to help! I mean, look at that happy/chubby face! He loves you! <3

Oh, and if you're using him in Pokemon Colosseum like in the beginning of my LP, then just go with your most powerful moves, since he's a bit lacking in that game. Blizzard works wonders with his typing as well!




I hope you guys have enjoyed my mini-comeback, and I look forward to hearing from you all! Have a nice day~! Gute nacht, y'all! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Donphan

Donphan

Hallo everyone, and welcome back to another Pokemon of the Week! I know I've neglected the blog for the last week (hell, this post is a day late), but I've been busy with college, and my other projects. Now I'm not making excuses, so don't take it as that, ok? I just haven't felt that motivated to write as much lately, but I'll make one thing clear. This blog will not die off...


Serebii.net - Donphan Pokedex Entry

Overview:
Ok, today's little lesson on Pokemon will be directed at the most badass elephant you will ever know! Yeap, we got Donphan here! Now, Donphan is one of the (rare-to-be-good) pure Ground-Types, and he does his job extremely well, and is very well-rounded. Donphan is very slow (though the anime has always taught us otherwise), and his Special stats are both pretty abysmal.  Outside of that, he has a pretty decent HP stat, and his Attack and Defense are both very good! Basically, any physical attacker will have trouble with Donphan. Its movepool starts off slow, but eventually shine through to his great assets.


Base Stats:
HP - 90
Atk - 120
Def - 120
SpAtk - 60
SpDef - 60
Spd - 50

Movesets:
Donphan @ Leftovers

Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP, 188 Atk, 68 Def
Nature: Adamant
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
- Assurance
- Ice Shard/Stealth Rock

Donphan has the potential to be one of the most useful Rapid Spinners in the game! As one of the few Pokemon who viably use it, he can even excel in an OU environment. Donphan is a UU Pokemon, but is capable of walling and crushing a lot of common attacker of the OU environment. If used against a physical opponent, his job is set. Even the infamous Tyranitar, Scizor, and Metagross can't hit him hard enough to be a major threat. Earthquake is his strongest STAB (and if that wasn't obvious, learn about Pokemon!). Assurance halts the Spin-Blockers like Rotom-A super-effectively. Rapid Spin is the bane of a lot of common Pokemon, especially in OU. Donphan resists Stealth Rock, and can send it away easily. I couldn't decide between Ice Shard and Stealth Rock. With his ability to end SR on the other side, he can just as easily do it here too. Ice Shard gives more coverage, and gives priority that helps with his low Speed (especially since the Pokemon weak to it are likely Specially-oriented). Overall, it's up to you, so try it out~!




I will not actually go into a 5th Generation set here. The only real difference I can say (besides any combination of the above set's moves) is to use a Custap Berry. This will make any attack that brings it to low health (easy with Sturdy, as long as you don't get hit by Icicle Spear) cause Donphan to get a priority for its next attack. Using this, you can get in at least one more devastating attack to your enemy! Uhm... just watch out for Pranksters.. o3o"




Hope you guys had fun reading this, and I'll see you next time! So comment! 8U

Gute nacht! Ja ne, oyasumi! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Suicune

Suicune 

Hey guys! Welcome to today's Pokemon of the Week~!I wanted to do a 2nd Gen Pokemon so I thought for a bit and thought "Hmm... Suicune might be fun!" And so... well... here I am! Hehe... Anyway, I hope you all like today's post, and comment on what you'd like me to talk about here!


Serebii.net - Suicune Pokedex Entry

Overview:
Suicune (for a non-Uber) is a very good Pokemon in all aspects of the phrase. It has a defensive spread of 100/115/115 which is simply incredible! It is somewhat slow at 85 speed, but its other statistics make up for its faults. It's pure Water typing gives it great defensive capabilities, and is very easy to set up. The 4th Gen metagame may have given it some stiff competition in some points, but those who underestimate this lupine creature will be drowned in its watery torrent. Sadly, it is very predictable in its main set, but used right it can be the star of the show! ...And harbinger of doom to the opponent's.


Base Stats:
HP - 100
Atk - 75
Def - 115
SpAtk - 90
SpDef - 115
Spd - 85


Movesets:
Suicune @ Leftovers

Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpAtk, 4 SpDef, 252 Spd
Nature: Timid
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Calm Mind
- Hidden Power [Electric]

A defensive Pokemon with offensive set? Huuuuuh...? Now due to its defenses, Suicune has a very easy time setting up, even if the opponent has some sort of type advantage. Using this, Calm Mind raises your Special Attack and Special Defense, further boosting this defensive wall's capabilities! If you can set up on a Special Attacker, then nothing will be able to easily stop your setup without risk. After a couple Calm Minds, your attacks will be able to KO a vast majority of the metagame! The EVs and Nature help you accomplish this, and Leftovers complements it perfectly! It helps keep you alive while they try and stop your setup, and helps assure your survival once you begin your sweep~! The combination of Surf, Ice Beam, and HP [Electric] gives Suicune here almost perfect coverage from all but a couple Pokemon. If you can get him out right, you'll have a fun time with this. Oh yeah, if you want more immediate power, a Life Orb is another option, though I prefer Leftovers.




Suicune @ Life Orb

Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpAtk, 4 SpDef, 252 Spd
Nature: Modest

- Tailwind
- Hydro Pump/Brine
- Icy Wind/Ice Beam
- Signal Beam

Now, this set isn't quite as competitively-based as the last one, but can be used in a variety of play. I got the idea from a set used by the maker of a Pokemon Battle Revolution guide on GameFAQs, but tweaked it around and added the EVs and Nature and stuff. Tailwind helps if you have a slow team, and helps Suicune's less-than-spectacular Speed become better. Hydro Pump is for maximum damage to the enemy, or you can use Brine for its effect. Icy Wind will slow down your opponent further, which is great for when you need to slow a fast opponent. Ice Beam of course is a solid replacement. Finally, Signal Beam can easily help against common Ubers or OU Pokemon weak to it. Given the right setup and support, Suicune can probably OHKO a Mewtwo or others with it! Life Orb and the various spreads help for maximum power and Speed with Tailwind.





I hope you guys enjoyed my Suicune post, and use it to your own advantage! If you have any comments or replies, let me know via that little comment button!


Anyway, until next time, have a good day~ Ja ne, und guten tag! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Mightyena

Mightyena 

Hey guys! Welcome back to Pokemon of the Week~! In apology for neglecting this blog the last couple weeks (since enrolling in Mt. SAC and starting my Let's Play project), I'm gonna do another obscure PotW analysis here! We have Mightyena, one of my favorite Pokemon around 3rd Gen, and I'm gonna teach you a few things here, including how I've used it viably in OU play! Enjoy~


Serebii.net - Mightyena Pokedex Entry

Overview:
Mightyena is a strange Pokemon in a way. Its higher offensive stat is Attack, but it is used more viably in a Special set. Mightyena kind of lacked back in 3rd Gen before the Physical/Special split, especially given the strange choice of Nintendo and Game Freak to make Dark a Special typing, which is weird given that the only Dark Types at its release were Houndoom and Tyranitar. But the only good Dark attacks were Physical or support! Anyway, while its Special Attack isn't the best, it has good enough attacks in its movepool to somewhat make use of it. Plus, it gets 3 of the best abilities of the game! Read on~


Base Stats:
HP - 70
Atk - 90
Def - 70
SpAtk - 60
SpDef - 60
Spd - 70


Movesets:
Mightyena @ Toxic Orb

Ability: Quick Feet
EVs: 252 Atk, 4 Def, 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Facade
- Sucker Punch
- Crunch
- Howl

I'm starting off here with a physical set despite what I was talking about before. Now, Mightyena has incredible abilities, one of which is Quick Feet. What Quick Feet does is basically give Mightyena an immunity to almost every status condition. When it has any status (sans Paralysis), his below average Speed gets doubled! Now that helps this weak attacker very well! With the Poison from the Toxic Orb, Mightyena also gets a doubled boost to Facade as well, making it easily his strongest attack. Sigh... If only it was STABed... Anyways, Crunch is for the STAB, and Sucker Punch works since most enemies will be attacking this low-Defensive 'mon. I chose Taunt over Howl for a couple reasons. Mightyena isn't seen as strong, so they may try and set up on it, plus the Speed boost will help Taunt better. Also, Taunt can force them to use moves they'd rather not be using with Mightyena, which is awesome bait for Sucker Punch! If you need Howl's Attack boost though, by all means go ahead!




Mightyena @ Life Orb


Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 252 Atk, 40 SpAtk, 216 Spd
Nature: Naive
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake

- Stone Edge
- Overheat

This set it still Physically oriented, but has a bit of power in Special Attack. Sucker Punch is the normal priority attack if you can predict an opposing one. Earthquake hits Steels and other resistors. Stone Edge can take on Gyarados, Salamence, and anything else that doesn't appreciate Rock. Now for the final puzzle piece, and as to why there is some Special-ness on this set. Overheat on this Naive set can actually OHKO a Skarmory (well... some variations of it). Stealth Rock support helps immensely, including with Skarmory-killing. If you run Jolly over Naive, then Stealth Rock is necessary for the kill. Overall a nice set, for what a Mightyena can give~





So, how was this one? Help any OU or UU fans? I hope you guys have fun reading my work, honestly... Comment if you read~! X3


Anyway, stay tuned next time for the next post, and another Pokemon of the Week! And don't forget to click here to check out my new Let's Play channel on YouTube! :3


Ja~ Catch ya' all later then~! Guten tag! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Sigilyph

Sigilyph

Hey, guys! Hope your day and summer is going great so far! I know mine is, and I just officially got my first college classes the other day! Anyway, ramblings aside... Welcome! This is my next Pokemon of the Week~ I thought about who to do and... I got a little idea. I'm gonna go off the wall and recommend movesets for friendly battling~! I know this is mostly a competitive kind of analysis, but many of my friends (who are hopefully the most common readers of my posts) do not contend in competitive battling, so I chose to give something mainly for them~ :3 Plus, Sigilyph does well in-game, and in competitive with lots of usable niches~!


Serebii.net - Sigilyph Pokedex Entry

Overview:
Sigilyph is an ancient Pokemon who used to guard an ancient city of old. It is said that it will continue to fly the same path without change, as its memories of guarding the long-torn city still remain vigilant in its mind. Behaviors aside, this is a very nice Pokemon! I never thought too much into it, but it's true~ While its defenses at 72/80/80 are a bit shaky at best, its Special Attack is very respectable at 103~ Plus, a 97 Base Speed is by no means horrid. Other than that, it has a nice typing that, even with an assortment of weaknesses, it hits a lot of Pokemon very hard! Plus its movepool is pretty good, and it's extremely useful for in-game purposes!


Base Stats:
HP - 72
Atk - 58
Def - 80
SpAtk - 103
SpDef - 80
Spd - 97


Movesets:
Sigilyph @ Flame Orb/Toxic Orb

Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP, 252 SpAtk, 252 Spd
Nature: Modest/Timid
- Psychic/Psyshock
- Air Slash
- Charge Beam/Shadow Ball
- Ice Beam/Energy Ball/Shadow Ball

Description:
This is my own idea for a set, and I think it would work out pretty nicely~ The Nature and EVs shouldn't have to be explained here (look at its Base Stats!), I would hope. Psychic and Psyshock are your STAB moves of choice here, and if you don't mind the slightly lower-powered attack to be able to hit a Pokemon with low Defense~ Air Slash complements this nicely as a STAB and allows you to hit Darks and Bugs, the latter for super-effective damage. Next, I would choose between Charge Beam or Shadow Ball. Charge Beam allows you to hit Steels that wall your other attacks, as well as potentially getting a boost to your already good Special Attack! Shadow Ball is more powerful with nice complements, but you lose the ability to hit Steels hard enough. For the last slot, Ice Beam, Energy Ball, and Shadow Ball (if you didn't choose it before) are prime choice, depending on what you may need coverage on. Finally, Sigilyph gets Magic Guard, which is one of the best abilities in the game! It makes all Weather and indirect-damage moves do zero damage to Sigilyph! This helps it defend from a lot of things that normally cripple it, and allow for a sneaky yet useful strategy, even if used on a weather team. Holding a Flame Orb makes it so that any contact attack will have a chance to burn (and thus cripple) your opponent! And if you don't fear physical attack, who cares? Use a Toxic Orb, which badly poisons (more damage each turn) the enemy! I like the idea of this strategy, honestly~

Other Option:
I chose that set above since many people who don't go into competitive battling rarely use stat/non-damaging moves except for a few of them, and Sigilyph can access quite a few, some that help it and the team~ Sigilyph can provide Dual Screen support, which even helps itself due to its mediocre to low defensive stats which are also aided within Roost. Have a slow team? You can even use Tailwind to speed you all up! Great for teams like mine (I have Emboar, Gigalith, Beartic, and Haxorus, though Haxorus isn't that slow). Or even Gravity if you have a lot of Earthquake users and don't want anyone to avoid your strategy. Finally, if your team calls for it, Sigilyph can even be a set-up Pokemon for Rain Dance and/or Trick Room! Sheesh... I'm starting to like this guy even more! xD




So, whatcha thinkin'~? I know it may not be what everyone is looking mostly for, but I hope this can be of use to people who don't have much need for my usual PotW entries. As I said, if I can make one person happy with my info or anything, that would make my day!


So I hope to see you all again soon! And please comment... I would love to hear from readers, truly~


Good night! Guten tag! Ja oyasumi! :3 NiGHtsBeta09, signing out~

Pokemon of the Week - Froslass

Froslass

Hallo, und guten tag! (Hello, and good day!) I'd like to welcome my fellow Hive Inhabitants (should really get an "official" name for that...) to my latest Pokemon of the Week! Again, I had my best friend help me choose my Pokemon, though she didn't know how she did it this time~ I asked random questions and picked Froslass~! So anywho, I hope you all enjoy my work~
Serebii.net - Froslass Pokedex Entry

Overview:
I'm not the biggest fan of entry hazards such as Spikes or Stealth Rock, but I have to say using Froslass is one of my favorite users/leads of it. One reason is though its weaknesses are common, its Ghost typing helps it set up Spikes and block Rapid Spin very successfully almost every time, if played right! And unlike some Spikes leads, it also can stop set-ups with Taunt, and is faster than other Pokemon of the same use like Skarmory or Forretress. Its Ghost-Type also allows it to work the same use in Uber, and pretty effectively at that! I hope to see this Pokemon get a nice revamp soon~


Base Stats:
HP - 70
Atk - 80
Def - 70
SpAtk - 80
SpDef - 70
Spd - 110


Movesets:
Froslass @ Focus Sash

Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 SpAtk, 4 SpDef, 252 Spd
Nature: Timid
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Ice Beam
- Destiny Bond

This is actually a pretty fun set to use, honestly~ I know it's from Smogon, but I like this one! I used it on one of my teams, and once I got better with prediction, I was able to set it up against most leads fairly efficiently! The Nature and Focus Sash help to guarantee a safe spot if you make a mistake or your prediction fails. The goal here is to lay down as many layers of Spikes as you can manage, and do it effectively. If you know your opponent can Taunt you, use your Speed to Taunt it first so it doesn't cripple your strategy. Ice Beam is the typical STAB to take down some Pokemon that will go against you. Despite her low Special Attack, it can pull of a OHKO or 2HKO on certain Pokemon with the listed spread. Lastly, the move that adds some flair to this set: Destiny Bond. It may take a little strategy and timing to do, but with the Focus Sash, you are guaranteed at least one layer of Spikes, then a KO of what can be one of your opponent's most-needed ones! If you play right, you can cripple them~ And one good thing I've found about Froslass is that even if it faints, it's usually not a major loss to your team, overall~ Plus, on Hail Teams, Snow Cloak will help obliterate opponents if you're lucky with evasion hax! Have fun with this~




5th Generation

What is pretty interesting about Frolass is that in 5th Generation, it got very few new things, but adapted to the game pretty well nonetheless. In fact, the above set works just as well in the new metagame as before, with a few differences.

First, an EV spread of 160 HP, 98 Def, 252 Spd works nicely, as you can still outspeed and work against your possible counters. The HP and Defense points allow you to survive a wall's attacks to get more Spikes in, or whatever you need, from particularly hard-hitting walls.

Lastly, the move Ice Beam can be kept, or you can use Shadow Ball if you need that STAB more, as it's still reliable. Another option (mostly due to the power that Froslass lacks) is Icy Wind, which can slow your enemy, making it easier to set up and run off.

Now enter this new, more powerful metagame, and play~!




Hehe, how do you guys like this one? I love writing about the lesser-known or -used Pokemon that can still hold their own in the right hands.

Again, I'm waiting for my lapop to return from repair, so sorry for the day-late PotW! Hope I'm not being hated... Yeah right, I rarely get comments, and I dunno who even reads these... I just hope I can help someone with these, and maybe make Pokemon a funner place for everyone to play in!

Anyway, have a good day! Ja ne~! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Tauros

Tauros

NOTE: READ THE BOTTOM AFTER YOU READ THIS POST!!!


Hey, guys! Here's the usual Pokemon of the Week post~! This time I chose Tauros, as I wanted a First Generation Pokemon and he is one of my favorites! Beyond computer trouble, not much else to say. I hope you guys all have fun, as usual~! :3
Serebii.net - Tauros Pokedex Entry

Overview:
Tauros~ The Bull Pokemon~ Represented by the astrological sign Taurus~ 30 of which caught by Ash at once~! Jeez... This Pokemon has some nice history and recognition! Back in RBY (1st Gen), Tauros was the alpha, the king of the herd. Yet while everyone was given new toys to play with among the next four generations, Tauros got little to none, and the things he did get weren't the best. He does have two epic abilities in Intimidate and Anger Point! Intimidate is the well-known one (Salamence? Gyarados, anyone?), and Anger Point is situational but devastating! If a critical hit is landed on Tauros, his Attack is raised by +6! That's around 3 to 4 times its normal Attack~! After that, little can stand in his way~ Couple these with nice attacks and you have a viable Pokemon, yet it's sadly outclassed outside of NU or UU battle.


Base Stats:
HP - 75
Atk - 100
Def - 95
SpAtk - 40
SpDef - 70
Spd - 110


Movesets:
Tauros @ Choice Band

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Double-Edge
- Payback/Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

Let me make this clear now. I've never been much of a fan of Choice Items. I mean, you're stuck on one attack, and if they bring in a full counter to the attack, then they get a free switch out of you if you don't have a counter to it. I prefer flexibility. But anyway, with this set, even I have to admit, Choice Band works better than Life Orb with these attacks. Double-Edge with Life Orb recoil spells death for this bullish beast, and Choice Band with Adamant lets him 2HKO bulky Pokemon like Slowbro, Articuno, some Moltres, and more. Payback and Pursuit are preference, and I see both as fitting options. Payback can kill most Ghosts that switch in, OHKOing most. Or you can bring him in on a Ghost and Pursuit when it flees. But note, without entry hazard support, healthy Ghosts can survive if they stay in. Stone Edge takes down Fliers and Ice-Types, even defensive ones. Lastly, Earthquake is the standard that de-walls Steels and Rocks, who otherwise watch idly as you tickle them... Fun. This is actually a nice set, and you can always Return if you like Life Orb more, but choose wisely, and go rampage stuff!





Tauros @ Salac Berry/Leftovers

Ability: Anger Point
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Spd
Nature: Jolly
- Return
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Payback

Anger Point... A devastating ability with the chance to bring on annihilation, hindered by its situationality... Return is your strongest attack available here, as Double-Edge's recoil is too fatal for this set to work. Earthquake wails on walls of stone and metal (Rock and Steel, for the oblivious), as before. Payback is for those nasty Ghosts that think they're better for you, and due to their speed (though you as Jolly may outrun them), you may get the hard hit, lest on a switch in. Finally, Substitute is the focal point of this set~ What you do is Sub until the opponent gets a critical hit, which maximizes your Attack! No one can stop you now! A Salac Berry works nicely to add Speed to complement your imminent team sweep, but Leftovers can allow one more Substitute, giving you more time to activate Anger Point. Some may use a Liechi Berry, as while Anger Point makes it useless, it does give a nice Attack boost if Anger Point should fail. All in all, this is a fun set, but will not accomplish what's all possible if the bull won't get Angry~!





Yay~ Another PotW done~! I hope you guys liked this one, as it was troublesome to make! I can't begin to expressmy frustration, but I'm doing alright...

My posts maybe delayed for a while, as my laptop has crashed... again... *sigh* Anyway, while I'm getting it repaired, I'm on my uncle's laggy (yet not completely bad) laptop. For a while, posts may be slow, so head up! Anywho~

Gute nacht! Ja oyasumi! Have a good day~ :3

Pokemon of the Week - Dragonite

Dragonite

Pokemon of the Week is here! On the 4th of July, nonetheless! Now there isn't really a reason that I chose Dragonite other than the fact that he's a favorite of mine, and he's underrated when compared to Salamence. I don't mean Salamence is bad, he's just really overused sometimes. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the Pokemon of the Week today, and have fun~! :3

Serebii.net - Dragonite Pokedex Entry

Overview:
Dragonite... Doesn't he look too kind to be a big, powerful Dragon? Well, why not both~? Dragonite boasts a very high Attack stat (one of the highest among non-Legends), and very nice stats all-around! While he may be horridly cast aside by the uber-popular Salamence, Dragonite makes of for the lower Speed and worse Ability. Dragonite has very nice bulk compared to Salamence, as well as a much more diverse and fun movepool. Is Speed really bothering you that much? Dragonite can learn ExtremeSpeed, a +2 Priority Attack~! :3 Try that on for size~


Base Stats:
HP - 91
Atk - 134
Def - 95
SpAtk - 100
SpDef - 100
Spd - 80


Movesets:
Dragonite @ Life Orb

Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 56 Atk, 252 SpAtk, 200 Spd
Nature: Mild
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Superpower
- Roost/ExtremeSpeed

Dragonite can actually run a mixed set very well! With his incredible Attack and respectable Special Attack, this chubby powerhouse can take down a lot of Pokemon. One of the highest ranking uses for this is as a very nice wallbreaker, as he can take down very common ones like Blissey and even Tyranitar~ Draco Meteor badly damages anything that isn't Steel or Blissey, OHKOing many of them! Flamethrower will have enough power to take down just about any Steel-Type thrown at you. Superpower can OHKO Blissey and Tyranitar, while lowering your Attack and Defense, so watch out for a surprise revenge kill! For the last slot, a bit of thought may be needed~ Roost can allow Dragonite to live much longer, so the residual damage of Stealth Rocks, Sandstorms, and your own Life Orb won't kill you, when combined with any attacks your opponent may get in. ExtremeSpeed gives you another attack, and a +2 Priority one, at that! While not as useful as Roost is sometimes, it allows you to bypass Dragonites only big flaw: his lower-than-others Speed! It also allows Dragonite to be an effective lead and revenge killer~ Keep on your toes, and you can devastate your enemies with this set~!




Dragonite @ Life Orb

Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk, 4 Def, 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- ExtremeSpeed
- Earthquake

Dragonite's typing gives it many resistances and an immunity, and his natural bulk gives him some stall time. Using this, Dragonite is a viable user of Dragon Dance. With Adamant and max Attack, this Pokemon reaches phenomenal Attack power, and enough to outspeed any nonboosted Pokemon with base 125 Speed, after just one Dragon Dance! For a Dragonite, that's incredible~ I chose Dragon Claw over Outrage as it is more reliable, and only a few Pokemon (such as Suicune) will need to be worried about without Outrage. Besides, a move lock and confusion can lay waste to your hard-earned DDs! Next, ExtremeSpeed lets you outspeed the Pokemon that you can't normally, and would give you problems (Flygon, anyone?). Earthquake nicely fits into the last slot and kills non-floating Steels that wall your other attacks. With these moves and all of your different boosts, the only Pokemon to completely wall you are Skarmory and Bronzong. Play this right and watch out for your counters, and you will annihilate all in your dragon's path~!




Well that's the end of that chapter~ Hmm? What? Too cliche? o3o" Whatever, anyway! I hope everyone enjoyed this, as I know I did! Well, except a couple formatting problems that really annoyed me... So, I guess that's it for today~ Stay tuned next time for another nice update!

Guten tag! Ja ne! Good bye~! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Volcarona

Volcarona

Here we are, guys~ The generic and weekly Pokemon of the Week! I decided to do another 5th Generation Pokemon. I asked someone close to me, and she said that one of her new favorites is Volcarona~ So I figured, meh, might as well~ So here you go, you have the uniquely-typed Bug/Fire Pokemon, and a strong one at that! As one of the top Special Attackers besides Legends, it would be no surprise if Volcarona is useable in the OU tier. (still not sure if "official" tiers have been announced, though I know Smogon has one, no?)

Serebii.net - Volcarona Pokedex Entry

Overview:
Volcarona, the Sun Pokemon~! There was confusion as to whether this Pokemon was a Legendary at first, similar to Lucario in 4th Gen, but it seemed to be quickly dispelled with its pre-Evo. In the games, you can get a hidden Volcarona late in game, and somewhat earlier, you can recieve an Egg holding its premature form, Larvesta! But beside the point... Volcarona is a great example of how Nintendo and Game Freak were very generous to Bug Pokemon this Generation (I love that, but Scyther, Scizor, and Heracross are faves of mines still). As a great Special Attacker and a very diverse movepool, this fiery moth will scorch anything in its path... that isn't made of Rock. o3o"

Base Stats:
HP - 85
Atk - 60
Def - 65
SpAtk - 135
SpDef - 105
Spd - 100

Movesets:
Volcarona @ Life Orb

Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpAtk, 4 SpDef, 252 Spd
Nature: Timid
- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Rock]

Volcarona: the massively powerful armory of Special weapons~ Not only does its Base Stat spread yelp out Special Sweeper, its Special Defense makes it a viable Special Wall as well. Quiver Dance is just a killer here, and makes me surprised that Volcarona doesn't get banned to Uber, or become a top-list threat for it. It raises it Special Attack, Speed, and even its Special Defense even higher, making anything not Physical barely able to take its power! Next, the STAB begins. Fiery Dance is the best choice as it may not be the strongest, but it also raises Special attack further... really? In the long run, it crushes even Fire Blast! next is the powerful Bug Buzz, which is always reliable and will annihilate anything that doesn't resist Bugs after a couple boosts! Finally, Hidden Power [Rock] takes care of Gyarados and the airborne Dragons that would normally clip this moths little (big?) wings! And finally... wait... do the EVs and item even need explanation? Uhm... Oh! I guess if a bad Physical Attack does come your way, the ability offers the chance of a crippling Burn~! Hehe... Have fun~








Volcarona @ Chesto Berry

Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 160 HP, 252 SpAtk, 96 Spd
Nature: Modest
- Rest
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance


Moves-wise, this set is almost exactly the same as the last set. Modest is used here to make up for the lack of the Life Orb. Now most may be saying/thinking: "Wait... Why a Chesto Berry of all things for a Special Sweeper? Even if a Berry is used, why not Lum? It's safer!" *BZZZT!* Wrong~ A random status other than its intention will kinda take down this sets true purpose! What you need to do is bring Volcarona into a Special opponent and use its natural Special bulk to absorb a few hits while you continue on using Quiver Dances! When your health is low, use Rest and presto! Insta-Heal~! This offers a bigger chance for more Quiver Dances to boost you, and will offer a nice surprise for the opponent who doesn't see a heal coming like that! After the immense boosting from QD, move onto annihilating everything they throw at you~ I chose Fiery Dance again as even though Fire Blast would be better after losing your Life Orb, you may need a STAB attack after a couple QDs if a dangerous opponent is brought in, so that way you can kill it without fully stopping your boost. Lastly, Bug Buzz offers the final STAB attack, and is still one of Volcarona's best attacks~ I would like to quote a maker of this set (zdrup15 of Smogon), as this Pokemon will attract players like a moth to a flame! (bad pun, I know... o3o")







Hehe, this was fun to write! Unless a Pokemon is a favorite of mine, I tend to stay away from the overly-used and overly-powerful ones, but this Pokemon just seems too fun to use! I use what I like, but haven't had a lot of room to experiment like the one who chose this PotW has, since she has used it in her games. In my Black, I just have my Emboar, Zebstrika, Gigalith, Beartic, Zoroark, and Fraxure (soon to be Haxorus).

Anyway! Outside the rambling! (I do that a lot...) I hope you guys had fun~! Stay tuned for more information, and I'll talk to you all later! Oh, btw, my new additions to Pokedex 3D this morning were Munna, Sawk, and... *checks* oh yeah, Gothita!

So, gute nacht, guten tag, und guten morgen! Hehe... backwards... I'll catch you all later! Ja ne! 

Pokemon of the Week - Luxray

Luxray

Yay! Another Pokemon of the Week post! I'm surprised I've been keeping them up so diligently, honestly... o3o" Anyway, I've always liked Luxray, ever since Diamond first was released and I had one on my main team! ^^" Anyway, I just thought it looked cool and the blue and black Electric-Type was pretty unique~ So anyway, before I ramble, I hope you like the issue today! :'3

 Serebii.net - Luxray Pokedex Entry

Overview:
 Not much to say about Luxray besides the fact that he is very unique, and not only aesthetically! Luxray is different from many general Electric-Types such as Jolteon and Raikou, in that is has high Attack, lower Speed, decent bulk, and a nice movepool in offensives! With this and a lack of a strong STAB besides Spark, Luxray is generally seen as a wallbreaker rather than a sweeper like many other Electrics. Its quirks help deem it a spot in battle that others may not be able to effectively fill, so Luxray is a good Pokemon~

Base Stats:
HP - 80
Atk - 120
Def - 79
SpAtk - 95
SpDef - 79
Spd - 70

Movesets:
 Luxray @ Life Orb

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 204 Atk, 156 SpAtk, 148 Spd
Nature: Naughty
- Thunderbolt
- Superpower
- Hidden Power Grass
- Crunch

This is an interesting set to say the least, especially given the low number of effective wallbreakers. This lets Luxray shine in its niche, with its diverse offensive movepool~ Thunderbolt is the general STAB that hits hard despite his better Attack stat, and can help take down opponents such as Slowbro and Tentacruel, along with all bulky Waters in general. Superpower annihilates Special walls like Blissey and the such, and can hit those Rock and Steel walls easily. Hidden Power Grass takes down Ground-Types, and Hidden Power mixed with Superpower can 2HKO Donphan and Rhyperior. If you take Hidden Power Water instead, you can beat Steelix with that combination, but lose a way to decimate Quagsire and even Swampert, depending on your tier. Finally, Crunch takes care of your general and somewhat common Uxie and Claydol, among a few others. Life Orb gives you the best boost possible, and the EVs spread out to maximize the Special Sweeping capabilities of your lustrous Luxray~

Luxray @ Rechargeable Battery

 

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 64 HP, 188 Atk, 24 Def, 112 SpAtk, 24 SpDef, 96 Spd

Nature: Rash

- Thunder(bolt)

- Ice Fang

- Superpower

- Roar

Haha, I saw this set and it seemed alright, then I checked out the EV spread and thought that it was hilarious! I don't think I've ever seen such a spread out EV set, but it looked plausible, so I thought I'd post it. Thunderbolt is the main STAB here, and supplements the wallbreaking further with the other moves. Due note that the original set used Thunder instead, but Thunderbolt seemed more reliable. But with the low spread of EVs, Thunder's power is probably necessary... Anyway, Ice Fang helps by taking out many of the common Ground walls too. Superpower finishes the nice triad of moves that really helps in coverage! These three moves are actually pretty nicely workable. Lastly, Roar phazes anyone who gets too much set up in before it can be swept. Lastly, Rechargeable Battery helps in case you need to take out a Pokemon or two quicker, so go for it! this set should be amusing to use, overall~!

Ah, done~ Anyone enjoy this one actually? Like I've said before, I don't know how many dedicated readers I have here, besides one person in particular~ :'3 I always like new interested people, so let me know what you guys like or want! I respond to all comments I get, and always will~! Anyway, I hope you guys stay and be here to read on about new things. Have a nice day/night/whatever~

 

Ja ne~ Gute nacht~! See ya' later, all! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Torterra

Torterra

Hallo, everyone~! :3 Today is of course another set for the Pokemon of the Week post series! This time I chose to do Torterra. I already did a favorite starter from the other Generations, and somehow I skipped around Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (4th Generation)~ ^^;; Well anyway, here is my analysis! Hope you like it, and have fun~ :'3

Serebii.net - Torterra Pokedex Entry

Overview:

Torterra, the Continent Pokemon! This Pokemon has a very good defensive typing in Grass/Ground, which lets it resist Ground and Rock, so it can check many UU Tier Pokemon~ It can also use many highly offensive moves with very nice STAB boosts. And speaking of boosts, it can support itself and others with moves like Rock Polish, Synthesis, Stealth Rock, Leech Seed, Roar, and more~! That's actually pretty nice, given Torterra's one of the most predictable Pokemon in its home tier! Along with this, his moves hold great type coverage, which is always nice.

Base Stats:

Hp -  95
Atk - 109
Def - 105
Sp.Atk - 75
Sp.Def - 85
Spd - 56

Movesets:

Torterra @ Life Orb

Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk, 4 Def, 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Wood Hammer
- Stone Edge
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake

This is actually a nice set, overall. It is highly predictable, as the majority of all Torterra use this set in some form, but it works well. Earthquake and Wood Hammer are extremely powerful STABs that provide nice coverage together. Stone Edge completes this and offers a nice bonus by hitting more defensive things that may resist plants and quakes. Most of those bulky Water-Type walls to Torterra are taken down by barrages of Grass and Rock, and the Rock also takes care of Flyers. It helps as most good Flyers resist Ground and are sometimes 4x resistant to Wood Hammer. Rock Polish helps the miniscule Speed Stat of Torterra, and coupled with his awesome attack, it makes him a nice threat, especially in late game. Life Orb boosts this further, maximizing the Attack Stat. Optionally, Seed Bomb can be used over Wood Hammer if you dislike the recoil, but Seed Bomb can't secure the OHKOs that Wood Hammer gives you against enemies like Milotic, Slowbro, and Claydol. Have fun with this~

Torterra @ Leftovers

Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Leech Seed/Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide/Roar
- Wood Hammer
- Earthquake

This is a set that I modified from the Smogon forums. The Dream Ability Shell Armor helps in taking out the chance of critical hits, which is awesome~ Leftovers and Leech Seed help with recovery, and works pretty nicely~ Wood Hammer and Earthquake are again the standard STABs for Torterra, and again you can sub in a Seed Bomb instead. Rock Slide hits 4 weaknesses, and disables the need for switching out. Stealth Rock is another option, and works well with Roar, which all helps the teams as well as making Torterra do more than eat attacks coming at it. I'm not sure what else to say here, but I like the set, for a 5th Gen choice... Well, maybe someone will find this Torterra analysis/moveset worthwhile! :3

And that's it! Pokemon of the Week, number... meh... too lazy the check~ Either way, I hope these help at least one person out there, then I will feel accomplished! *lame cliche proud feeling* Anywho, I hope to see you all later~! Keep in touch~!

Battle on! Guten tag~ And ja ne~ :'3

Pokemon of the Week - Lucario

Lucario

Hallo there, creatures of the Hive! :3 Welcome to another issue of the Pokemon of the Week! I write this as I listen to Pokemon Stadium music, to get motivated to provide you with epic information~! I hope you like this issue, and continue to read on. This one will be about (obviously) Lucario, one of the most well-known Pokemon with the release of 4th Generation and the Lucario and the Mystery of Mew movie! Anyways, I hope you like my writings~ :3

Serebii.net - Lucario Pokedex Entry

Overview:

Here we are! The Aura Pokemon, Lucario~! This Pokemon has been revered for a while, and instantly became one of the most popular Pokemon of the entire series! o3o" He even starred in his own movie as an Aura Warrior alongside Mew and Sir Aaron, in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew! *sigh* I remember when a lot of people kept asking if Lucario was a Legendary Pokemon just because of his role and importance~ |'3 Well either way, Lucario is a great fighter in the game, with both attacking stats being very high and having a unique dual type in Fighting/Steel~ Being able to take on quite a number of roles, he can be a beast in the OU and Uber metagames when played right!

Base Stats:

Hp -  70
Atk - 110
Def - 70
Sp.Atk - 115
Sp.Def - 70
Spd - 90

Movesets:

Lucario @ Life Orb

Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk, 4 SpDef, 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Swords Dance
- ExtremeSpeed
- Close Combat
- Bullet Punch

I personally like a Physical Lucario over a Special one, myself. Plus, this set can be devastating if executed well enough! The Life Orb and EV placement, along with Adamant Nature, is set so as to give Lucario a maximum attacking power to take down bulky Steels and other troublesome opponents. Swords Dance is the main attack here, as after one Swords Dance, Lucario can OHKO some of the OU's biggest threats, including Skarmory, Bronzong, Tyranitar, and more! ExtremeSpeed is mainly there for a very powerful priority move that hits many, MANY Pokemon very hard, as long as they aren't resistant! Close Combat is another of the main points of this set, as it is what lets Lucario OHKO even a Skarmory, one of the most notorious Physical Walls in the game! Finally, I chose Bullet Punch as another good priority move with STAB that can hit any fast Pokemon that resists ExtremeSpeed, such as Gengar and Tyranitar. With nice coverage against the most overused of the OverUsed, Lucario is truly a powerhouse in the game~!

Lucario @ Focus Sash

Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk, 4 SpDef, 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- ExtremeSpeed
- Close Combat
- Payback
- Ice Punch

This set works very similarly as the first set, but this one is designed for Uber (Legendary Tier) play. this Lucario is an Attacking Lead, and counters many of the top leads of the Uber metagame. Thanks to the Focus Sash, many leads that will usually kill Lucario will need to hit it twice, which helps greatly as some leads can be 2HKOed by ExtremeSpeed, such as breaking Deoxys-A's Focus Sash and possibly KOing it, if you get lucky! Close Combat is again one of Lucario's best attacking moves with great STAB, and works to take down enemy lead Tyranitar, Kyogre, and Dialga! Payback is important for defeating lead Deoxys-S, where Payback can knock them into a KO with an ExtremeSpeed afterwards, causing only one entry hazard to be lain down~! Ice Punch helps against lead Shaymin-S, which cannot flinch you, and follows with a KO! It also kills enemy Rayquaza that don't have a Focus Sash~ Of course, as it is an Uber metagame, there are many things to watch out for... Good luck~ :3

And there you have it~ My Pokemon of the Week entry for this week! I hope you all enjoyed it, as it is also my first non-Uber entry with an Uber moveset! 8'3 I'm so proud... Anyway! Stay tuned in to the Hive, and I'll chat with you all next time~! Until then~

Battle on! Guten tag, und ja ne! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Swampert

Swampert

Hallo, my resident Hive members! Welcome to another section of the Pokemon of the Week~! I decided to post on Tuesday again to give Umbreon a full week, but once I get to a not-so-favorite Pokemon, it will go back to Sundays and Mondays.. ^^" So, I hope you enjoy your trip today through our Hive! >:3

 Serebii.net - Swampert Pokedex Entry

Overview:

NOTE: Swampert is not purple! That is a shiny one, which is what my awesome Swampoon was~! :3 Anywho~ Here is Swampert, another high favorite of mine! The typing is awesome, his HP and defensive stats make him an incredible tank with his typing, and with his offensive stats, he has nice power for a tank! Plus, he just looks so cool~ |3 In the last 3 generations, he hasn't changed a whole lot. From RSE to DPPt, he gained little, but what he did gain was phenomenal for his purpose. From DPPt to BW, he gained... uhm... Damp? Oh, there's Boiling Water, which is nice~ :'3 *trying* Anyway, this guy is still a great Pokemon to use, and can fill nicely into many teams! Have fun here~!

Base Stats:

Hp -  100
Atk - 110
Def - 90
Sp.Atk - 85
Sp.Def - 90
Spd - 60

Movesets:

Swampert @ Leftovers

Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpAtk
Nature: Relaxed
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
- Boiling Water

This has been the standard set for Swampert for a while, with only a few changes per Generation~ Earthquake hits anything hard that doesn't resist it, of course~ That is EQ's top purpose on any Pokemon, isn't it? Ice Beam hit Flyers hard, makes poor Dragons cry, and works nicely in coordination with Earthquake. Stealth Rock is a great entry hazard, and Swampert is one of the best users of this move. Even in Gen 5, he maintains his role fairly well~ Boiling Water is a nice new toy for Swampert~ >:3 You can sacrifice slight power for a nice chance of Burn, which kills Physical Pokemon and makes Swampert a more effective bulky Water tank (Hehe... Water tank...~)! Anyway, You can also annoy and ruin sweepers that otherwise kill Swampert, such as Gyarados, Salamence, and even Latios, just with a Burn! ^^" The Leftovers help his bulkiness, and Relaxed gives him nice defenses without hurting your Special Attacks. You can also use Shed Shell if Chandelure or that new Goth Pokemon decide to trap Swampert. And trust me, with Chandelure being the strongest non-Legend Special Attacker, this Yokai will be on many teams! Finally, if playing in 4th Gen, just switch Boiling Water for Protect for scouting, or even Yawn, and you're good to go~ A fun set to play with, you have here~



Swampert @ Choice Band

Ability: Torrent
EVs: 172 HP, 252 Atk, 84 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Waterfall/Aqua Tail
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake

Surprise! A non-tank Swampert! Swampert has the power to run this set very well, but it needs some prediction lest this Mud Fish be clashed and destroyed. It's surprise potential is awesome though! Waterfall and Earthquake together give it incredible STAB power and coverage, dealing humongous damage to almost everything~ Aqua Tail can be used instead as it has the ability to 2HKO Skarmory with Special Defenses, and hit harder with everything, at a bit of a loss of Accuracy. If Skarmory isn't a problem to you, then Waterfall works just as well. Stone Edge gives you nice damage on the Gyarados that otherwise will wall you and your team if it sets up on Swampert, so that helps! Trust me, I use Gyara when I don't use Swamp! It's a powerhouse! o3o" Anyways~~ Finally, Ice Punch gives you better coverage, and does epic damage to Salamence, Flygon, Dragonite, and even Shaymin and Celebi (hit the last two on the switch, then switch away or you will die! o3o")! Choice Band, along with your Speed EVs, give Swampert the ability to outspeed 0 Speed Skarmory and a few others (though you can add more), and the HP adds to your bulkiness and protects you from a 3-turn kill from the overly used Heatran! Take that~ ;3 Finally, Attack EVs are given in order to maximize your surprise damage~ I hope you like this set!!

I hope you all enjoyed this one as well! I always enjoy writing about my favorite Pokemon, and I hope the ever-present metagame finds interest ion my posts! I know I'll never join the ranks of Smogon University or Serebii, but I try... So I hope you guys have fun, and look forward to more updates! I'll let you know when I get something good!

Guten tag and ja ne~ :3 Battle on, trainers of the Hive!

Pokemon of the Week - Umbreon

Umbreon

Hey, readers! Sorry for the delay in posting! I've been very busy the last few days, actually. ^^" Last week was a bit up and down, then Saturday was prom, and I was busy earlier with some personal stuff~ Anyway! Here is my next (slightly delayed) Pokemon of the Week! Umbreon~! Umbreon is my favorite Eeveelution (tying closely with Espeon). So I hope you guys enjoy all of this, and I'll see ya' again soon!

 Serebii.net - Umbreon Pokedex Entry

Overview:

Ah, Umbreon. Outclassed by many, he still has his own niche in the OU tier~ This along with being one of a few singular users of Baton Pass, he combos well with Mean Look! With his defenses, and a little predictability, our black fox-ish friend here can take down an opponent, or if used well, prepare a team-wide sweep! There's not much more to say about our Dark Eevee, but I would recommend him to anyone~ Especially if they like to use near-gimmicky Pokemon~ |3

Base Stats:

Hp -  95
Atk - 65
Def - 110
Sp.Atk - 60
Sp.Def - 130
Spd - 65

Movesets:

Umbreon @ Leftovers/Chople Berry

Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP, 128 SpDef, 128 Spd
Nature: Careful
- Baton Pass
- Mean Look
- Wish
- Taunt

A simple set which is easy to use if you do it right, and can help your whole team out~ Baton Pass is the crème de la crème of this set. With his great Defenses and nice HP, Umbreon can almost guarantee a Pass with many options! Due note this usually works best with a previously passed Speed boost, such as from Ninjask.. o3o" Anyway, you can Taunt to prevent opposing Taunts (this is important), then you can Mean Look to lock the enemy in while you pass to something that can resist it completely. You can even Wish to heal Umbreon's HP while trying to Pass, or heal whoever you Pass to! For example, let's say you lock a Choice Pokemon on a Fighting-Type or Bug-Type move, you can switch to an advantaged Gyarados, do a couple Dragon Dances, then proceed to sweep over half of the opponent's team! That is awesome~! As for the item, I usually prefer Leftovers to help Umbreon's survivability, but I find that Umbreon is Fighting-fodder. As in, he's a magnet for the damn things >> So sometimes a Chople Berry will save you, if you have trouble with them. One good strategy can be to lure in a Fighting-Type, lock it in on the switch, then Pass while the hit is absorbed by the Berry. If you switch to a Ghost or Psychic Pokemon, fun times will be had~ Enjoy~~! >:3

I hope you all enjoyed this one! I had fun writing about my favorite set, and always like to use Umbreon~ ^^" Anyway, maybe this will help someone someday, or whatever... I'm not sure, but I hope someone finds my writings and rants useful! |'3

Guten tag~ Ja oyasumi~ Battle on! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Mew

Mew

Hallo, my Pokemon Hive readers~ Welcome to another post of the Hive, and the 6th version of my Pokemon of the Week series! This one features the very first Pokemon that Nintendo had trademarked: Mew! Another of my favorite Pokemon, Mew is a Legendary that everyone tries to obtain, but few get the chance outside of recent anniversary events~ ^^" Anyway, enjoy~! :3

 Serebii.net - Mew Pokedex Entry

Overview:

Haha, I love to review Mew as a Pokemon! It's so versatile, and can be used as almost any role, since all of its stats are above average, and beat many others. You can use it as a sweeper, a wall, an annoyer, a phazer, and almost anything else your team can want! That, along with its innate ability to learn every single TM and HM without fail, makes it a very unpredictable Pokemon as well. I will be listing some key things to use Mew as, so I hope you guys enjoy the review of Pokemon #151, and the first PotW Legendary: Mew, the New Species Pokemon~!

Base Stats:

Hp -  100
Atk - 100
Def - 100
Sp.Atk - 100
Sp.Def - 100
Spd - 100

Movesets:

Mew @ Leftovers

Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP, 168 SpDef, 68 Spd
Nature: Calm
- Rock Polish
- Swords Dance/Nasty Plot
- Substitute
- Baton Pass

I like this set when I use Mew as a support role Pokemon~ It's fun if you get it done correctly~ Anyway, this Pokemon here is mostly used for Baton Passing effects and boosts to your other Pokemon, which Mew does very well with its versatility in moves, and durability to be reliable. Anyway, its Nature and EVs are set up so it can better tank what threatens it in the Uber metagame. Rock Polish is to help with the fact that the majority of the sweepers you will be Passing to are too slow to sweep against their counters or walls. Some Passed-to Pokemon don't need this, however. Swords Dance or Nasty Plot can be interchanged depending on what the Pass calls for. Are you passing to a physical Groudon or a special Kyogre? Substitute protects Mew from a few attacks that will try to stop it, along with Status Ailments, and allows for a possible free turn to Pass or get a last boost. Also, you can Baton Pass Substitutes to your receiving Pokemon, which can help the switch-in a lot! Finally, Baton Pass is the obvious attack choice, else this set would fail immensely! o3o" The Leftovers allow Mew to survive longer with Substitute, and heal some small damage each turn. have fun passing along~!

Mew @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP, 4 SpDef, 252 Spd
Nature: Jolly
- Transform
- Trick
- Explosion
- Light Screen/Reflect

I checked out the sets and this one seemed like another fun, gimmicky one! ^^" Basically Transform is used for unpredictability, and the fact that few people will have some counter to it. What you need to do is switch in on something that Mew can survive a turn or two against, and Trick it to give it the Choice Scarf. While they are stuck on a move, Transform into it and proceed to sweep, wall, or do whatever that wanted Pokemon can do to help you~! For the Light Screen and Reflect, choose one that would help Mew Transform, and the rest of your team most. Explosion is mostly there as a filler, and can be used to annihilate the enemy Pokemon, especially if you predict your Transformation to be a fail. Plus, it adds power and surprise, which is always gladly welcomed~ There's not too much more to say about this set, but if your team can't handle Pokemon that resist Trick (like Giratina Origin Forme), then you can always switch Trick for Hypnosis, and use Leftovers instead of Choice Scarf. This will add survivability, while still being able to cripple your target Pokemon~ Thing strategically, and work hard, and this set can help you win big, especially in late game! Have fun with this one too!

And there is my Pokemon of the Week post for Mew, the last Pokemon of the Kanto Dex, and first one to have its name trademarked by Nintendo! I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and liked the new Uber focus, and come to join next time! Until then~

Battle on! Guten tag, und ja ne! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Rhydon

Rhydon

Haha, I've wanted to do a post for this guy since I started, kinda. While he may not be one of my top favorite of all Pokemon, I still respect this guy. He's also one of a select few Unevolved Pokemon that I really like (others being Scyther and a couple more). But my real reason for this guy's inclusion to the Pokemon of the Week is... kinda special. As many of you may not know already, Rhydon is actually the very first Pokemon ever created! Not Bulbasaur, not Mew, not even Pikachu! It was all Rhydon~ That would also explain why the Gym Statues and the beast-type Pokemon from Red, Blue, and Yellow resemble Rhydon. It's a tribute~! :3

 Serebii.net - Rhydon Pokedex Entry
or the Original

Overview:

Do note that my review here is on an unevolved Pokemon, so my sets and info are most going to revolve on the RSE games, to an extent (before Rhyperior existed).
Anyway, Rhydon is actually not the worst Pokemon, overall. While its typing leaves it heavily vulnerable to Grass and Water (both of which were all Special and would almost always destroy him), it gives him very useful STAB. This, along with his sky-high Attack and Defense, and an great HP stat, he can take almost anything physical and sweep if used right. Not only that, but Rhydon actually has a pretty nice movepool, boasting Megahorn, Earthquake, Focus Punch, and a lot more! If you can hit during a switch, it will be well worth it.

Base Stats:

Hp -  105
Atk - 130
Def - 120
Sp.Atk - 45
Sp.Def - 45
Spd - 40

Movesets:

Rhydon @ Choice Band

Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Atk, 4 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Megahorn
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Earthquake
- Double-Edge

This is actually not that bad of a build for a Rhydon in RSE. Megahorn hits Grass users, and is somewhat of a filler. Hidden Power [Rock] gives STAB, and hits many Pokemon powerfully (and offers a more reliable accuracy and power than Rock Slide or Rock Blast). Earthquake is another great move that works nicely in combo with Hidden Power [Rock]. Finally, Double-Edge hits Pokemon hard and with 100% accuracy, specifically Weezing. After this, your main worry is a Skarmory. Other than this, simply use hit-and-run tactics, and make sure you predict a switch well. Have fun!

Rhyperior @ Leftovers

Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 140 HP, 252 Atk, 32 Def, 84 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

Well, I thought I'd post up a more currently usable set, for those of you interested. Rhyperior here is sadly hurt by a lot of others in the competition, but can fare in OU, to an extent or UU. Stone Edge is your power attack, with STAB, which hits many Pokemon in both tiers very hard, especially with his monstrous Attack. Earthquake gets incredible coverage with it, and Megahorn makes it so almost nothing can switch in on you without being burned by a good prediction. Plus, Earthquake's STAB is another useful bonus. Rock Blast can be used over Stone Edge, especially in UU, where Substitute users can be very tricky. For the last slot, I chose Stealth Rock as it can be useful, and Rhyperior can kill almost all of the UU Rapid Spinners with ease. If you wish to use Rhyperior as a defensive wall instead, replace Stealth Rock with your own Substitute instead, and you're good to go! Anyway, besides the even more massive Attack, Defense, and HP, not a whole lot is changed from 3rd Gen, but Rhyperior still stands out as a nice threat if used well!

Well, there you have it! My own little tribute to Rhydon, the very first Pokemon~! I hope you all had fun reading, and got a bit of fun trivia from this post! Not much else to say here really, except to have fun, and keep playing~! Remember: You are not too old for Pokemon!! >8U Hehe... So I'll talk to you all later!

Battle on! Guten tag, und ja ne! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Emboar

Emboar

So for today's post, and this week's Pokemon of the Week, we have a 5th generation Pokemon this time! Introducing Emboar! This was my first Unova Starter of choice, and I really like that choice, honestly~ I mostly chose him because I loved the power, and he reminds me of a fiery version of the original Ganon, the Dark Beast.. |'3 My only regret of choosing him is that in have his Fighting-Type, and a Zoroark of Dark-Type, I couldn't use another fave of mines, which is Scraftly (Dark/Fighting)... Anyway, it's no biggy~ Enjoy~ :3

 Serebii.net - Emboar Pokedex Entry

Overview:

Another good powerhouse as usual (though only my 2nd(?) favorite in the 5th Generation)! While a lot of people didn't like the whole Fire/Fighting Starter for 3 Generations in a row, all three have their good points. Emboar in particular has very nice HP, awesome Attack, and still great Special Attack! This may seem like overkill, but his Defenses are so-so (though the HP helps with that), and he is very, very slow. Again, think of a Ganondorf reference in Smash Bros. for the speed factor. Anyway, he boasts a great movepool for attacking, in both the Physical and Special spectrum. Overall, as long as you don't mind low Speed (*cough*TrickRoom*cough*), you'll love this sweeper of a Starter~!

Base Stats:

Hp -  110
Atk - 123
Def - 65
Sp.Atk - 100
Sp.Def - 65
Spd - 65

Movesets:

Emboar @ Leftovers

Ability: Blaze
EVs: 40 HP, 252 Atk, 216 Spd
Nature: Jolly
- Flare Blitz
- Flame Charge
- Earthquake
-Wild Bolt

This is a pretty nice set that I would like to use (though Ganon's Adamant, so I'll shift to another route)~ This set is not as often used on Emboar, as he usually exists to crush and obliterate his opponents, while slowly killing himself. This one acts more as a sweeper than a revenge killer. Leftovers helps well with his large HP, and helps to recover some of the damage that Flare Blitz and Wild Bolt will give you (and Head Smash, if you go that route). Jolly is used to cover this set's main point: using Flame Charge to raise Speed, then provide a good sweeper! After a couple Flame Charges, his Speed will be pretty nice, and he can attack more effectively. Flare Blitz is the standard STAB with recoil, after you start the sweep. With Emboar's humongous Attack power, this will work nicely. Earthquake gives nice coverage with it, and only a few Pokemon will resist it. Plus it take out many troublesome Pokemon. Wild Charge is somewhat of a filler. Any Fire-Type attacker knows the bane of which is a bulky Water-Type. Wild Charge takes care of that weakness, and Pokemon like Jellicent (who will annihilate this set and kill you with something like Surf or Scald, or the like. Overall, a very nice set~ You can use Life Orb here too, which will kill most Pokemon easier, but that includes your Emboar... o3o"

Emboar @ Leftovers/Life Orb

Ability: Blaze/Reckless
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Atk, 4 Def (0 Speed IVs)
Nature: Brave
- Flare Blitz
- Hammer Arm
- Head Smash
- Wild Bolt

Haha, this is one of my favorite sets, and works well with my "5th Gen Dream Team," if you can call it that~ |3 Well, more of a Dream Team for competitive, I guess. It works pretty well, along with another of my Pokemon here. And by the way, if you look at the stats and natures, you'll notice the curiously minimum Speed. This is because I chose this set as a Trick Room team member (though I used Blaze despite it being the worse of the two abilities, since at the time I was practicing for the Pokemon Video Game Division Master's Division ^^")~ Anyway, I really enjoyed using this in 5th Gen play, and I hope you do~! So to start off, I'll be clear. With Blaze, use Leftovers to keep yourself alive more, but with Reckless... yeah, you're already gonna be doing major damage to both sides of the attack, so a Life Orb will kill you faster, but guarantee that almost nothing can survive one of your recoil attacks! I mean... Reckless + High Base Power + Life Orb = Complete and Utter Destruction... It's almost scary, and with a Reckless set, very few Pokemon can counter it, actually. o3o" Flare Blitz is your obvious STAB, and works with Reckless. Hammer Arm is another powerful STAB, and the Speed drop has no effect on this set (may help it in some cases). It also helps that high-HP Normal-Types can't switch in and kill you with your own recoil, on this attack~ Wild Bolt is for Water-Types, and is affected by Reckless, and finally, Head Smash is a high-power move that does massive damage to any non-resistant Pokemon (especially with it's typing), but returns 50% of the damage rather than 25%. To end this here, this is very hard to counter, and will kill many things if it can land the hit. Have fun~~ ;3

Hokai, guys! I hope you enjoyed this Pokemon of the Week! It's a bit late again, so I'm starting to wonder if I should make these Monday's or Sunday's tradition o3o" Or maybe random? Idk, I do enjoy randomness~ |'3 Anyway, I'll try not to ramble, since I always do.. o3o" I hope you guys enjoy this, and I promise next week's PotW will be a treat for Pokemon fans, and few will see it coming~ ;3 Feel free to comment and guess, and I may do something special if people guess right!

Until next time, battle on! Au wiedersehen! Ja ne! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Gyarados

Gyarados

Credit for image goes to Delthero (he's on deviantART).

So to start off this week's posts, we have the Atrocious Pokemon, Gyarados! Gyarados has always been another favorite of mine, ever since the first generation games, and has continued to be everyone's favorite Water-Type powerhouse since then. A huge leviathan coming from a single, small, harmless carp, you have #130 in the Kanto and National Dex, Gyarados!

 Serebii.net - Gyarados Pokedex Entry

Overview:

Gyarados is, as I said, an offensive powerhouse. This large sea serpent can take down almost any Pokemon that doesn't resist it. With an incredible Attack stat of 125, and overall well-off defenses, not only will this thing be taking down the enemy, but he'll be surviving them as well! As a Water/Flying dual type, he has resistances against some of the most common metagame move typings, and only has a few key flaws. Also due to his typing, any bulky or fast Pokemon with an Electric attack will be sending Gyarados a blow to be watched for, and the obsession with Stealth Rock nowadays doesn't really help him either. But despite these downsides, Gyarados still manages to be one of the most powerful Pokemon out there. If you use him, he will not disappoint! Just... not against a Starmie or Jolteon, please...

Base Stats:

Hp -  95
Atk - 125
Def - 79
Sp.Atk - 60
Sp.Def - 100
Spd - 81

Movesets:

Gyarados @ Life Orb

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk, 4 Def, 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

This is a favorite set of mine. With this EV spread and nature, along with Life Orb, Gyarados is already a strong hitter. Right? Well, after a Dragon Dance or two, not much will be able to take down this guy, let alone outspeed or survive him! Waterfall is the standard move here, as it's Gyarados's powerful STAB attack. It can hit anything not resistant very, very hard! Along with this, you have Stone Edge for the Flyers and Birds, along with other Gyarados that may try and counter you. Plus it offers nice coverage with Waterfall. To complete a good line of coverage with the other two attacks, we have the everpresent Earthquake! Besides coverage, it allows you to hit those resisting Steel-Types like Metagross and Empoleon. Some people it seems like to use Bounce in the final slot, as it is more powerful that even Waterfall, but you will need to be more lenient with the coverage overall. Just use what best fits the team you are making! And have fun~!

Gyarados @ Choice Band

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 72 HP, 252 Atk, 184 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Waterfall
- Payback
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

For this set (the only alternative that I kinda liked), Gyarados is played a bit differently from usual. It still has a boosting item, and Waterfall to maintain the prowess we all know and love. Payback is a nice surprise for enemies, as it can be used to counter what usually counters it like Celebi, or even Starmie and others. Stone Edge is the usual coverage aid with Waterfall, and kills anything airborne, almost. I chose Earthquake again over other options, as it seems more viable to me. Again it takes down Steels that would resist the other attacks. Your only problem will be Brellom that can wall this set otherwise (you can use Ice Fang for him) and... that's basically it, I think? Plus Ice Fang is a more accurate Flyer-killer, but still keeps a role.

Okay, guys! I hope you liked this next Pokemon of the Week! I know it's a bit late again, but I still had Senior Project to work on in school, and it drained my energy lately... But good news! I finished it (besides the presentation), so I have more time and energy! Yay! Wai~! Hehe... Anyway, be looking forward to next time, ok~?! Haha, I'll be writing!

Battle on! And guten tag~ Ja ne~