Abilities play a huge role in every metagame. Especially in 5th generation, some (new) abilities have become very powerful, and thus some Pokemon only function well in the current metagame because of their abilities. I would like to discuss 10 Pokemon who would suffer and become nearly unusable in their current situation if they did not have access to their ability.
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Strategy & Metagame 10 Pokemon that rely on their abilities
- Thread starter NfskMjmMal
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Note: This should probably be in the Metagame category.
Also, if I already have written articles, do I have to post a new thread here every time I want to write a new article, or can I just make a thread in the Article Workshop forum?
Also, if I already have written articles, do I have to post a new thread here every time I want to write a new article, or can I just make a thread in the Article Workshop forum?
Hey there. Just for clarification, are the 10 Pokemon going to be exclusively from OU or can they come from other tiers, ie Ubers and UU etc? Thanks! ^_^
These Pokemon will be from all tiers.
Shedinja - Without Wonder Guard, Shedinja literally dies to everything. Shedinja works in some situations, but without Wonder Guard you can't succeed with it anywhere.
Wobbuffet - The reason Wobbuffet can dish out Counters and Mirror Coats effectively is because the opponent is trapped in. If the opponent is free to keep switching Wobbuffet can't really do anything.
Politoed/Ninetails - Why are these Pokemon with pretty underwhelming stats the top dogs of OU? Of course, it's their ability. Both of them have decent bulk and decent offensive power, kind of, but by OU standards they are not viable as either utility walls or offensive tanks/cleaners.
Manaphy - Hydration is the reason Manaphy is in Ubers while many of its identical-stat legendaries, such as Victini, Mew, and Shaymin, are stuck in UU. Manaphy's movepool is nothing spectacular compared to those 3, but instant full health recovery and instant status cure make it more broken than those 3.
Blaziken/Sharpedo - Base 80 speed and 120 attack just does not cut it for an Uber-tier physical attacker. Sweepers need speed and power, and if Blaziken didn't have its ability, it would be outsped and easily killed due to its poor defenses by Uber standards. Sharpedo is kind of in the same boat.
Venusaur - Similar to Blaziken's case, except Venusaur gains its speed in a different way. Stoutland in sand and Ludicolo in rain are other similar cases. If I feel that this is too similar to the Speed Boost Pokemon, I could replace of them with Magic Guard Pokemon, like Alakazam or Reuniclus.
Azumarill/Medicham - Why is a Pokemon with 50 base attack one of the deadliest physical attackers in UU? You know.
Sableye - With absolutely horrible stats all around, Sableye could be outsped and OHKOd by many things. Base 50 speed would change its moves from almost always going first to almost always going last. Obviously, Sableye relies on things like a fast Taunt, fast Recover, and a fast Will-o-wisp. The majority other Prankster Pokemon are the same.
Tornadus-T - Regenerator grants almost unlimited instant recovery without wasting a turn. Being able to recover health due to all entry hazard damage and more is ridiculous. Tornadus-T's stats are pretty bad for Uber, and although STAB 100% accurate Hurricanes from a base 120 Special Attack seem good, it's not the thing that throws Tornadus-T over the ban edge. Regenerator is. Regenerator also vastly increases the survivability of walls such as Audino.
Espeon - Being immune to Taunt, Encore, Disable, Roar/Whirlwind, and all direct forms of status is a massive plus, but being able to also inflict them on the opponent, plus send back all entry hazards, without wasting turns?
Alright, thanks (y).
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