Smogon Community - View Single Post - A Monotype Take on the OU Metagame - Analyses Repost

2sly4u · May 29th, 2012, 1:55:37 AM

Normal

Pros:

The second most abundant type in the game, providing a diverse range pokemon with which to build a team
In general, Normal types have massive movepools, which in turn give them unpredictability and good coverage
Only one weakness, Fighting-Type
The type is uncommon, meaning some players may not be entirely sure how to handle some of your pokemon

Cons:

Normal Type moves are not super-effective against anything, and are resisted by Rock and Steel types while having no effect on Ghosts
Normals have only one immunity and no resistances, meaning damage can add up quickly.
There are only two Normal-type spinners, and one may be the worst fully evolved pokemon in the game besides Unknown
Many have below-average stats or gimmicky move pools, which gives fewer quality options than the massive amount of Normal types would suggest.
Only one released FE pokemon (Clefable) has any resistance at all to Stealth Rock and only the Normal/Flying types are immune to Spikes or Toxic Spikes.

Notable Members:

Blissey and Chancey are probably the most notable Normal types, and they're grouped together because they serve virtually the same purpose. Their massive Special bulk makes them two of the best Walls in the game, and they provide incredible team support thanks to Wish, Aromatherapy, and Stealth Rocks. Blissey has Leftovers and a superior Special Attack, while Chancey has better overall bulk, but both are fine choices for any team

Snorlax is one of the best boosting pokemon in the game, even more so if he's your last one standing. Thanks to his great bulk, huge Attack stat, and access to Curse, he can slowly but surely tank his way to victory. He can also run an effective Choice band set. Thick Fat and Immunity are both great abilities to choose from as well.

Smeargle is very strange and has horrible stats, but is notable because he learns basically every move in the game. This can lead to some awesome set ups, such as Belly Drum passing, Status spreading, or Spiking. He is also the only Normal with access to Spikes or Toxic Spikes, making him a valuable asset to teams that require multiple hazards. He is also one of two Normal types with Rapid Spin, and trust me, you do not want to use Spinda.

Staraptor is one of the most fearsome pokemon in the game because of great sweeping stats, two insanely powerful STAB moves, and a great coverage move thanks to Close Combat. He's probably the best Choiced sweeper among normal types, and it shows as he's punching holes in the opponent's team. Be careful, however, because most of his best moves have recoil damage.

Porygon-Z boasts some of the most powerful moves in the game thanks to his ridiculous Special Attack and amazing abilities in Adaptability and Download. He's easily the best special sweeper and wall breaker among the normals.

Porygon-2 becomes extremely bulky with Eviolite. Thanks to its improved defenses, good support movepool and access to Recover, he can stick around and pester your opponents for the whole match. He notably has access to the fairly exclusive ability Trace, potentially giving him some much needed immunities or Resistance from the likes of Flash Fire or Thick Fat.

Sawsbuck is the only dual-typed Normals (besides Normal/Flying) that's actually usable. Thanks to two stellar abilities in Sap Sipper and Chlorophyll, he can potentially become a potent weapon against opposing weather. His grass typing gives him a resistance to Water, Sun teams must be weary of Chlorophyll, and Tyranitar fears his mighty Jump Kick.

Ambipomb is one of the most annoying anti-leads in the game thanks to his high Attack and Speed, great ability in Technician, and Fake Out. He also boasts solid coverage and utility moves such as Low Kick and U-Turn, which lets him keep momentum on his user's side.

Togekiss is one of the most versatile and threatening Normal pokemon. She can support the team with a Bulky Wish/Cleric set, spread status and annoy with Paraflinch, or set up a sweep with Nasty Plot. Always consider her for a mono-normal.

Clefable is the only fully evolved Normal type with any kind of resistance to entry hazards or Burns and it's all thanks to her amazing ability, Magic Guard. Besides this, she has a great movepool, with access to moves such as Softboiled, Calm Mind, Heal Bell, and all three of the 95 BP elemental attacks.

Miltank may be the best physical wall of her type, and like most of her brethren she's very versatile. She has a great support move pool, full of moves like Milk Drink, Heal Bell, and Stealth Rocks. She also has access to Curse, and can grab a surprise sweep Snorlax-style if it catches the opponent off-guard. In addition, she has three great abilities, one of them being the rare Scrappy, but Kangaskhan generally makes better use of it (see below)

Kangaskhan is probably the best pure-normal Physical Sweeper. She has great stats, a good Physical moveset, and most importantly a very exclusive ability in Scrappy. This lets her forego a coverage move just for Ghosts since she can pound them with a mighty STAB Return. She also has access to a good priority move in Sucker Punch.

Slaking is an unstoppable machine, or at least he would be if it weren't for Truant. Even so, he has an absolutely ridiculous 160 Base Attack and 100 Base Speed, which means he can be a scary Choiced pokemon. With good prediction, he can tear through teams with ease.

Type Synergy:
No Normal type resists Fighting, but any Normal/Flying and Girafarig are neutral to it. Birabel (lol) and Sawsbuck can provide some secondary resistances, as can Miltank, Snoralx, and other pokemon with Thick Fat or Sap Sipper.
Tips/Tricks:Because normal-types have such horrible defensive typing, your best bet is probably to go more offensive and try to overwhelm your opponents. Make sure you pack a way to handle Ghosts, Steels and Rocks. Many pokemon can learn Earthquake for the latter two, and some can learn Pursuit to trap pesky Ghosts immune to your STAB. Stall is a horrible idea and should never be considered since there is only one Spiker/TSpiker and there is no way to block Rapid Spin. As far as threats go, Terrakion gets special mention because he packs a Normal resistance, has a Super-Effective STAB Close Combat, and has some of the best stats in the game.

NOTE: I wasn't sure if I should include DW Ditto/Meoletta, so I didn't. Also, I'll remove some notable pokemon if you think that's too many (there's just so many Normal types :p)

May 29th, 2012, 1:55:37 AM	#10
2sly4u Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 535 I'm comfy and easy to wear.	Normal Pros: The second most abundant type in the game, providing a diverse range pokemon with which to build a team In general, Normal types have massive movepools, which in turn give them unpredictability and good coverage Only one weakness, Fighting-Type The type is uncommon, meaning some players may not be entirely sure how to handle some of your pokemon Cons: Normal Type moves are not super-effective against anything, and are resisted by Rock and Steel types while having no effect on Ghosts Normals have only one immunity and no resistances, meaning damage can add up quickly. There are only two Normal-type spinners, and one may be the worst fully evolved pokemon in the game besides Unknown Many have below-average stats or gimmicky move pools, which gives fewer quality options than the massive amount of Normal types would suggest. Only one released FE pokemon (Clefable) has any resistance at all to Stealth Rock and only the Normal/Flying types are immune to Spikes or Toxic Spikes. Notable Members: Blissey and Chancey are probably the most notable Normal types, and they're grouped together because they serve virtually the same purpose. Their massive Special bulk makes them two of the best Walls in the game, and they provide incredible team support thanks to Wish, Aromatherapy, and Stealth Rocks. Blissey has Leftovers and a superior Special Attack, while Chancey has better overall bulk, but both are fine choices for any team Snorlax is one of the best boosting pokemon in the game, even more so if he's your last one standing. Thanks to his great bulk, huge Attack stat, and access to Curse, he can slowly but surely tank his way to victory. He can also run an effective Choice band set. Thick Fat and Immunity are both great abilities to choose from as well. Smeargle is very strange and has horrible stats, but is notable because he learns basically every move in the game. This can lead to some awesome set ups, such as Belly Drum passing, Status spreading, or Spiking. He is also the only Normal with access to Spikes or Toxic Spikes, making him a valuable asset to teams that require multiple hazards. He is also one of two Normal types with Rapid Spin, and trust me, you do not want to use Spinda. Staraptor is one of the most fearsome pokemon in the game because of great sweeping stats, two insanely powerful STAB moves, and a great coverage move thanks to Close Combat. He's probably the best Choiced sweeper among normal types, and it shows as he's punching holes in the opponent's team. Be careful, however, because most of his best moves have recoil damage. Porygon-Z boasts some of the most powerful moves in the game thanks to his ridiculous Special Attack and amazing abilities in Adaptability and Download. He's easily the best special sweeper and wall breaker among the normals. Porygon-2 becomes extremely bulky with Eviolite. Thanks to its improved defenses, good support movepool and access to Recover, he can stick around and pester your opponents for the whole match. He notably has access to the fairly exclusive ability Trace, potentially giving him some much needed immunities or Resistance from the likes of Flash Fire or Thick Fat. Sawsbuck is the only dual-typed Normals (besides Normal/Flying) that's actually usable. Thanks to two stellar abilities in Sap Sipper and Chlorophyll, he can potentially become a potent weapon against opposing weather. His grass typing gives him a resistance to Water, Sun teams must be weary of Chlorophyll, and Tyranitar fears his mighty Jump Kick. Ambipomb is one of the most annoying anti-leads in the game thanks to his high Attack and Speed, great ability in Technician, and Fake Out. He also boasts solid coverage and utility moves such as Low Kick and U-Turn, which lets him keep momentum on his user's side. Togekiss is one of the most versatile and threatening Normal pokemon. She can support the team with a Bulky Wish/Cleric set, spread status and annoy with Paraflinch, or set up a sweep with Nasty Plot. Always consider her for a mono-normal. Clefable is the only fully evolved Normal type with any kind of resistance to entry hazards or Burns and it's all thanks to her amazing ability, Magic Guard. Besides this, she has a great movepool, with access to moves such as Softboiled, Calm Mind, Heal Bell, and all three of the 95 BP elemental attacks. Miltank may be the best physical wall of her type, and like most of her brethren she's very versatile. She has a great support move pool, full of moves like Milk Drink, Heal Bell, and Stealth Rocks. She also has access to Curse, and can grab a surprise sweep Snorlax-style if it catches the opponent off-guard. In addition, she has three great abilities, one of them being the rare Scrappy, but Kangaskhan generally makes better use of it (see below) Kangaskhan is probably the best pure-normal Physical Sweeper. She has great stats, a good Physical moveset, and most importantly a very exclusive ability in Scrappy. This lets her forego a coverage move just for Ghosts since she can pound them with a mighty STAB Return. She also has access to a good priority move in Sucker Punch. Slaking is an unstoppable machine, or at least he would be if it weren't for Truant. Even so, he has an absolutely ridiculous 160 Base Attack and 100 Base Speed, which means he can be a scary Choiced pokemon. With good prediction, he can tear through teams with ease. Type Synergy: No Normal type resists Fighting, but any Normal/Flying and Girafarig are neutral to it. Birabel (lol) and Sawsbuck can provide some secondary resistances, as can Miltank, Snoralx, and other pokemon with Thick Fat or Sap Sipper. Tips/Tricks:Because normal-types have such horrible defensive typing, your best bet is probably to go more offensive and try to overwhelm your opponents. Make sure you pack a way to handle Ghosts, Steels and Rocks. Many pokemon can learn Earthquake for the latter two, and some can learn Pursuit to trap pesky Ghosts immune to your STAB. Stall is a horrible idea and should never be considered since there is only one Spiker/TSpiker and there is no way to block Rapid Spin. As far as threats go, Terrakion gets special mention because he packs a Normal resistance, has a Super-Effective STAB Close Combat, and has some of the best stats in the game. NOTE: I wasn't sure if I should include DW Ditto/Meoletta, so I didn't. Also, I'll remove some notable pokemon if you think that's too many (there's just so many Normal types :p) Last edited by 2sly4u; Jun 8th, 2012 at 2:12:16 PM.