Pandamaging: Spinda in BBP
Spinda is a most peculiar Pokémon introduced in Gen III: with a few billions different forms due to the position of its colored spots, it stands out as unique. Unfortunately, it is rather bad in-game, with paltry 60s across the board, a mono-Normal typing that rarely favors a Pokémon, mediocre Abilities outside of Contrary... that it can't even use due to Superpower being a Dream World-only move, and only four moveslots to work with.
Now, I won't act as if Spinda was a terrifying threat in BBP, but it still is leagues better here. For once, Own Tempo and Tangled Feet have a unique interaction here: a Pokémon having both has its Accuracy and Evasion increased when confused, in addition to preventing the Pokémon from hurting itself in confusion. Actually, having all three Abilities at once fits Spinda like a glove, as Own Tempo/Tangled Feet synergize really well with Thrash, a powerful and spammable STAB move, and having access to all of its moves means Spinda can effectively use Contrary Superpower, a rarity in Pokémon. BBP also fishes the item Berserk Gene back from the GSC era, meaning Spinda can confuse itself and gain the Acc/Eva boosts even without using Thrash.
Since we're on the topic of movepools, Spinda's movepool is deceptively wide (being a Gen III Pokémon helps). Coverage moves by the dozen, including elemental punches or nifty Special moves like Water Pulse and Shock Wave, coveted top-notch moves like Fake Out, Counter or Endure, disrupting moves like Skill Swap or Disable, a few good STAB moves in Body Slam, Double-Edge or Thrash and even more... funky stuff like Dynamic Punch, Guard Split or Metronome. A Spinda with its full movepool would certainly have more than a few tricks up its sleeve!
Spinda's absolute ace is obviously Superpower though: using Superpower twice in a round means Spinda does 4 more physical damage and takes 4 less physical damage by action overall, which can stack up quite quickly, all while doing solid damage off 12 BAP!
However, Spinda still retains some of the flaws it has on cartridge: its stats, while not as terrible, are still mediocre, even with a boosting Nature. This means its damage output isn't particularly impressive, although its main moves have high power. Spinda also can't use the perfect combination of Berserk Gene, Own Tempo, Tangled Feet and Contrary all at once, and you have to choose between not using Berserk Gene or holding off on using Contrary (and Superpower) for one turn. Spinda's mono-Normal typing is still pretty bad since its STAB moves aren't super effective on anything, though it at least can't have Thrash disrupted. Finally, Spinda will greatly struggle agains Ghost-types since its main method of dealing damage is through either Normal-type moves ot Superpower, a Fighting-type move, and Spinda doesn't learn Foresight. Even though it may have the right coverage move for the opponent, it may lose a damage race due to the aforementioned mediocre stats.
So, how do you use Spinda effectively in BBP? Bring it on a neutral target, grab stat boosts with Superpower or Thrash and then use its incredibly massive movepool to pressure your opponent and force them to choose what to sub for, meaning they'd have to tread carefully if they don't want to be hard punished. As for the item, Everstone is a solid pick, boosting all of its stats bar Speed, but Normalium Z can still be used to bolster Thrash and try to Z-Psych Up if needed.
All in all, the dizzy panda can put in some real work here, so pay attention to its strengths and weaknesses to beat your opponent... on the spot!
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