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 - 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 - 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~