Gen 8 Analysis Formatting Guide & Writing Standards

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Lumari

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This is the format that the PREVIEW ANALYSES should use. Remember to write these up immediately; there's no bullet point stage!

[SET]
name: Barack Aboma (Swords Dance)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Wood Hammer / Seed Bomb
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Earthquake
item: Abomasite
ability: Soundproof
nature: Adamant
evs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 180 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
In this section, make sure to include:
- the role that the Pokémon plays;
- coverage moves that affect its role; in this case, Earthquake allowing Abomasnow to defeat would-be Steel-type switch-ins, furthering its ability as a wallbreaker;
- a description of the EV spread in one sentence or less; don't focus on "default" things like maximum Attack investment, do give reasoning behind the benchmarks chosen;
- a brief example of teammates that benefit from the analysed Pokemon's presence;
- a brief example of foes that the analyses Pokemon is vulnerable to + teammates to help cover them.

This section shouldn't be more than five or six sentences long.

For maximum clarity, here's an example:
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Bullet Punch
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Pursuit / Knock Off
item: Choice Band
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant
evs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
This set mainly plays as a pivot and an offensive check to Pokemon such as Latias and Mega Altaria; however, it can also act as a late-game cleaner with its Technician-boosted Bullet Punch. Early- to mid-game, focus on using U-turn to weaken Scizor's checks and safely bring in other wallbreakers and entry hazards setters to give them a free turn; if you're running Pursuit, use it to trap and potentially remove Dark-weak or physically frail targets like Latias and Nihilego. The Speed EVs allow Scizor to outpace uninvested Nidoqueen and Klefki, and the rest of the spread furthers Scizor's role as a bulky, hard-hitting offensive pivot.

Strong wallbreakers such as Primarina and other U-turn or Volt Switch users such as Hydreigon have good synergy with Scizor. Scizor suffers from a vulnerability to Fire-types and Electric-types such as Infernape and Mega Manectric; pair it with Pokemon like Latias and Gligar to alleviate this weakness. Magneton is especially dangerous, as it can easily trap and remove Scizor thanks to Magnet Pull; as long as it's on the field, prioritize using U-turn or Superpower to either escape from it or catch it off guard.


Importable:
[SET]
name:
move 1:
move 2:
move 3:
move 4:
item:
ability:
nature:
evs:

[SET COMMENTS]
Set description goes here.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[username1, userid1]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]
 

Lumari

empty spaces
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TFP Leader
This is the format that Gen 8 FULL ANALYSES will use. This format applies to standard singles tiers; other metagames may use a modified format to suit their different needs. Make sure you check the stickies in the subforums too!

[OVERVIEW]

Generalize what the Pokemon does in the metagame and as a whole and why you should or shouldn't consider using it on your teams. See this thread for more tips.

[SET]
name: Barack Aboma (Swords Dance)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Wood Hammer / Seed Bomb
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Earthquake
item: Abomasite
ability: Soundproof
nature: Adamant
evs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 180 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========

Describe what the moves on the set do, as well as the other aspects of the set such as the EVs and nature/item.

Usage Tips
========

Describe how to use the Pokemon in question.

Team Options
========

Describe some teammates that would be a good idea to pair with this Pokemon.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

List some options for the Pokemon user that are plausible but not always recommended due to being either not consistent enough or too outclassed by other Pokemon in the metagame.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Insert Threat Here**: Describe why the Pokemon is a threat.

**Insert Threat Here**: Describe why the Pokemon is a threat.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[username1, userid1]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

Importable:
[OVERVIEW]

Generalize what the Pokemon does in the metagame and as a whole and why you should or shouldn't consider using it on your teams. See this thread for more tips.

[SET]
name: SET NAME
move 1:
move 2:
move 3:
move 4:
item:
ability:
nature:
evs:

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========

Describe what the moves on the set do, as well as the other aspects of the set such as the EVs and nature/item.

Usage Tips
========

Describe how to use the Pokemon in question.

Team Options
========

Describe some teammates that would be a good idea to pair with this Pokemon.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

List some options for the Pokemon user that are plausible but not always recommended due to either being not consistent enough or too outclassed by other Pokemon in the metagame.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Insert Threat Here**: Describe why the Pokemon is a threat.

**Insert Threat Here**: Describe why the Pokemon is a threat.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[, ]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
 

Lumari

empty spaces
is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris an Administrator Alumnus
TFP Leader
In order to ensure maximum quality on your writing, make sure to keep the following points in mind! QC will also enforce these as they are checking your analysis. For a more extensive writing (and checking!) guide, see this thread by yogi.

DON'T
- Don't list mechanics of items or abilities; always make them relevant. "Levitate provides Mega Latias with a Ground immunity" is bad. "Levitate provides Mega Latias with a Ground immunity, allowing it to safely switch into attacks like Gliscor's Earthquake" is better, but at that point might as well do "Levitate allows Mega Latias to safely switch into attacks like Gliscor's Earthquake".
- Don't use empty phrases / state the obvious. Instead of "Maximum Speed investment with a Choice Scarf makes Garchomp as fast as possible", say "Maximum Speed investment with a Choice Scarf allows Garchomp to outspeed <x, y, and z>.
- Don't use "generic" mentions in sections like Usage Tips, Team Options, Checks and Counters. While optimally no Pokemon should switch directly into hard hits, bulky Pokemon with recovery can come back from it, while frail offensive Pokemon are mostly put out of commission for the rest of the game. Similarly, while every Pokemon appreciates VoltTurn support to some degree or another, bulky Pokemon will find their way into battle somehow anyways and frail offensive Pokemon benefit from it far more than they do, and while no (non-immune) Pokemon appreciates Toxic, it's far more crippling for bulky walls than for offensive Pokemon. Similarly, don't mention entry hazard setters on every Pokemon's analysis; they should instead only be talked about when their support explicitly helps a Pokemon get KOs such as NU Life Orb Sceptile or if they specifically synergise well with the Pokemon. Saying that every Pokemon benefits from having hazards just to "chip opposing Pokemon further" is not necessary to say, as every competitive team will be running them.
- Don't include unviable options in OO. This section is only for things that have a conceivable niche but don't warrant a full set writeup; there's no quota to hit here.

DO
- Be specific! If a STAB move is used for wallbreaking, mention some relevant wallbreaking targets. "Even unboosted, Flare Blitz 2HKOes physically bulky Pokemon like Hippowdon and Mega Aggron, and it also has a really high chance to 2HKO Gligar" is good; "Earthquake allows Garchomp to OHKO Heatran" on the other hand is not, because a) of course, b) no one is gonna use Heatran to respond to Garchomp, whereas they will try to use Hippowdon or Gligar to respond to Alolan Marowak. Similarly, "Earthquake allows Rhydon to wear down its Water-type counters" is good.
- Always explain choices. If there's multiple options for a STAB move or item, explain why you'd pick one over the other; if there's multiple options for coverage moves, elaborate on their different targets and how they complement the rest of the Pokemon's moveset or its teammates. Similarly, always explain what benchmarks on a non-252/252 EV spread do; if there's no (good) reason to share, that benchmark probably shouldn't be there in the first place!
- Keep the big picture in mind. E.g., for Usage Tips, always make sure to start off with the role a Pokemon aims to fulfil and build on that, and for Team Options, mention the archetype(s) a Pokemon fits on. Keep this in mind for the Overview as well; the main elements should be a mention of what a Pokemon does, why it does its job(s) well, and some hurdles it has to face. Only focus on the most important and metagame-relevant flaws as well; telling me Aerodactyl is weak to Electric-type moves in an NU analysis's Overview is not very helpful, but saying it can struggle to wallbreak versus certain teams due to its checks being prominent is good.

For Team Options, use the following guidelines to decide whether or not to include a Pokemon:
- The Pokemon is on the majority / plurality of teams contained the analysed Pokemon, and it's there because of the two's synergy, not because of simply being a generally good Pokemon. E.g., while Tapu Lele is simply a strong Pokemon in DOU, it's mentioned on Deoxys-A's analysis because of its ability to boost the latter's STAB attacks and block opposing Fake Out with Psychic Terrain. Avoid adding a Pokemon that is very common in the tier just because it is common and not because of any synergy or as a "glue" Pokemon, such as saying how Choice Scarf Landorus-T is often a good option to finish teams with x off, doesn't explain why it's a good partner and what benefits the two Pokemon have together.
- The Pokemon is a solid option to fill a specific role that needs filling and is quite relevant to the metagame. E.g. Diancie is a good option as a "Trick Room setter" on DOU analyses that need one, whereas Volcanion works well as a "Steel-type answer".
 
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