QC Checks: Calloflochie / Royalty / Bouffalant
GP Checks: frenzyplant / fleurdyleurse
Overview
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With great abilities in Adaptability and Download, a good movepool including boosting moves such as Nasty Plot and Agility, and relatively good Special Attack and Speed stats, Porygon-Z makes for an excellent Pokemon in the UU metagame. Porygon-Z is also hard to counter due to its versatility, as it can run anything from a setup sweeper set to Choice Scarf or Choice Specs sets. However, other than an offensively and defensively mediocre typing and only a low Base Power move in Tri Attack to take advantage of Adaptability with, Porygon-Z's frailty leaves it vulnerable to both revenge killers and priority, which can stop it in its tracks.
Double Dance
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name: Double Dance
move 1: Tri Attack
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Nasty Plot
move 4: Agility
ability: Adaptability
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Silk Scarf
evs: 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
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Nasty Plot and Agility allow Porygon-Z to function as a setup sweeper, doubling its Special Attack and Speed, respectively. Nasty Plot allows it to effectively wallbreak versus slower, bulkier teams, while Agility allows it to outspeed and sweep through fast, frail hyper offensive teams. Tri Attack is a strong STAB move boosted by Adaptability, and allows Porygon-Z to hit exceptionally hard with either a Nasty Plot or Life Orb boost. Meanwhile, Dark Pulse is a great coverage move, allowing Porygon-Z to hit everything in the tier bar Cobalion and Lucario at least neutrally in combination with Tri Attack.
Set Details
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252 EVs are put into Special Attack, Porygon-Z's best stat, with enough Speed investment to outspeed Choice Scarf Infernape after an Agility. The rest of the EVs are dumped into HP for some bulk. Life Orb consistently boosts all attacks at the cost of some HP. A Modest nature allows Porygon-Z to have even more power when coupled with Nasty Plot or Life Orb boosts. Lum Berry can also be used to avoid status moves once, which helps Porygon-Z take on special walls such as Umbreon and Florges. Silk Scarf can be used instead of Life Orb to power up Tri Attack. Lastly, Adaptability boosts the power of Tri Attack consistently.
Usage Tips
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Which boosting move you should use depends on what kind of team you face: Nasty Plot should be used to wallbreak versus slower, bulkier teams, while Agility should be used to outspeed and sweep through fast, frail hyper offensive teams. Bluffing a Choice item set early-game will allow for an easier time setting up late-game. Dark Pulse rarely outdamages Tri Attack except against Ghost- and some Steel-types, making Tri Attack the safest move to use most of the time.
Team Options
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Pokemon that can remove annoying Steel-types, such as Chandelure and Nidoking, make for good teammates. Wallbreakers that allow Porygon-Z to clean up, such as Mienshao and Darmanitan, are good teammates. Pokemon such as Crobat and Starmie that can easily handle Fighting-types also make great partners. Additionally, both Crobat and Starmie can remove entry hazards, which bother Porygon-Z. Lastly, physical attackers such as Infernape and Lucario that are able to break special walls such as Blissey, Florges, and Umbreon help tremendously.
Choice Specs
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name: Choice Specs
move 1: Tri Attack
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Dark Pulse / Trick
ability: Adaptability / Download
item: Choice Specs
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
Moves
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Tri Attack is a reliable STAB move and is boosted by Adaptability, while Dark Pulse is used to hit Ghost-types immune to Tri Attack. Thunderbolt hits Water-types such as Suicune on the switch for more damage than Tri Attack, while Ice Beam hits Noivern, Hydreigon, and other Dragon-, Flying-, and Ground-types harder. Lastly, Trick can be used to cripple walls that may switch in, such as Blissey and Florges.
Set Details
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Choice Specs allows Porygon-Z to hit extremely hard, making it incredibly hard to switch into. Adaptability is the ability of choice, as it boosts Tri Attack consistently, while Download gives an extra boost to all special attacks if the foe's Special Defense is lower than its Defense. A Modest nature gives Porygon-Z more power but leaves it outsped positive-natured max Speed Pokemon with base 80 Speed, such as Timid Nidoking and Roserade. A Timid nature can be used to beat faster threats, though a little power will be lost.
Usage Tips
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The point of this set is just to bust through walls, hitting like a truck. Porygon-Z can always come in on slower Pokemon and act as a nuke, revenge killing with ease. Lastly, using Trick requires a bit of prediction, but it can really cripple Pokemon such as Blissey and Umbreon. It can only be used effectively once, however, so use it carefully.
Team Options
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Physical wallbreakers such as Mienshao and Choice Band Darmanitan that can break special walls make for great teammates. Pokemon such as Chandelure and Scrafty that can help to get rid of Steel- and Ghost-types also make for amazing teammates and allow Porygon-Z to wallbreak easier. Pokemon that can provide speed control, such as Tailwind and Sticky Web users, make for good partners, as they can help Porygon-Z get past faster threats. Lastly, entry hazard removal from Pokemon such as Crobat and Starmie helps Porygon-Z wallbreak, as it will be switching in and out often and does not appreciate residual damage.
Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Tri Attack
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Thunderbolt / Trick
move 4: Ice Beam
ability: Adaptability / Download
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
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Tri Attack is a reliable STAB move and is boosted by Adaptability, while Dark Pulse is used to hit Ghost-types, which are immune to Tri Attack. Thunderbolt hits Pokemon like Suicune on the switch for more damage than Tri Attack. Ice Beam hits Noivern, Hydreigon, and other Dragon-, Flying-, and Ground-types harder. Lastly, Trick can be used to mess with walls that may switch in, such as Blissey and Florges.
Set Details
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Choice Scarf allows Porygon-Z to outspeed the whole unboosted tier. Adaptability is the ability of choice, as it boosts Tri Attack's damage output consistently, while Download gives a risky extra boost to all special attacks as long as the enemy's Special Defense is lower than its Defense. Lastly, a Modest nature is used, as it provides a good boost in Special Attack and Choice Scarf provides enough Speed anyway.
Usage Tips
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This set is pretty straightforward, as it is purely a revenge killer. Keep in mind the things it commonly revenges it can never switch into, so if you suspect the foe will switch out, then act on it, as Porygon-Z is able to 2HKO almost anything. Trick requires prediction but can really mess with walls, such as Blissey, but it is also a one-time thing, so make sure you do it at the right time.
Team Options
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Pokemon such as Chandelure and Nidoking that can remove annoying Steel-types make for good teammates. Wallbreakers that allow Porygon-Z to clean up, such as Mienshao and Darmanitan, also are good teammates. Pokemon that can easily handle Fighting-types, such as Crobat and Starmie, make for great partners. Entry hazard removers such as Donphan and Forretress help immensely, as Porygon-Z does not enjoy taking damage from entry hazards. Lastly, physical attackers such as Infernape and Lucario help to break special walls such as Blissey, Florges, and Umbreon.
Other Options
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Although Porygon-Z has some good options to utilize, not many other moves and sets can be used viably. Analytic can be used to deal more damage to foes that are faster or switching in, but in general, Porygon-Z appreciates its Speed. Hyper Beam can be used for insane amounts of damage, but its recharge turn leaves Porygon-Z extremely vulnerable to revenge killers. Hidden Power Fighting can be used to hit Steel-types super effectively, but Porygon-Z generally wants to run its other, more valuable moves. A mixed set with Download and Double-Edge can be used to break special walls such as Blissey and Florges. Lastly, a Focus Sash can be used to ease setting up as a late-game sweeper, but Focus Sash leaves Porygon-Z susceptible to priority.
Checks & Counters
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**Special Walls**: Special walls such Blissey, Florges, Sableye, and Umbreon can all shrug off a Tri Attack or Shadow Ball, and proceed to either wear Porygon-Z down with status or take it out slowly with their STAB moves. They must be wary of taking attacks after Porygon-Z has attained a Nasty Plot or two, however, as it then has an easier time wearing them down.
**Steel-types**: Bulky Steel-types, such as Empoleon and Mega Aggron, can easily tank any of Porygon-Z's moves and wear it down or KO with their respective STAB moves.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types, such as Infernape, Mienshao, Machamp, Cobalion, Virizion, and Lucario, can all either outspeed and OHKO Porygon-Z with a STAB move, or tank a hit and then beat Porygon-Z with their super effective STAB Fighting-type attacks. Additionally, priority moves such as Infernape's Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave, as well as Lucario's and Toxicroak's Vacuum Waves, can quickly take out Porygon-Z no matter how fast it is.
**Revenge Killers**: Faster, powerful Pokemon, such as Noivern, Starmie, Alakazam, Haxorus, and Entei, as well as Choice Scarf users such as Darmanitan and Rotom-H, can all easily revenge kill Porygon-Z.
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