VGC Ask a Simple Question, Get a Simple Answer - Mark II

[hathater]

thanks i think choice band wiuld be quite suitible after all, bisharp is usaully used for sucker punch.

[M. Rock]

Originally Posted by Fat hathater

thanks i think choice band wiuld be quite suitible after all, bisharp is usaully used for sucker punch.

Just be mindful that Sucker Punch takes prediction, and having a Choiced Pokemon means you have one less team member that can use Protect. If you can predict well and provide adequate support, the benefits will most definitely outweigh the risks.

[Chenkovsky]

Originally Posted by Fat Pokemasta77

Can anyone tell me a VGC Moveset for Tornadus-T? It is on my sand team and is a counter to rain. Thanks in advance!

Something along these lines could work:

Tornadus-Therian (M)
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 76 HP / 252 SAtk / 180 Spd

The EV spread allows you to maximize speed to the point where any other outspeeds are too situational.

Timid Nature

Allows for there to be some investment in hp generally raising bulk without taking to much from SpA.

- Hurricane/Air Slash

stab option, Hurricane should only be used to play against rain if you'll want to use it outside of rain and in sand air slash would be better.

- Tailwind

allows it, and potentially its' partner, to outspeed swiftswimmers.

- Hidden Power [grass]/focus blast

Hidden power grass is only there for gastrodon and rotom-w, otherwise stab hurricane is stronger than super effective hp-grass. Focus blast should be used if grass coverage isn't needed.

- Protect

There for the standard reasons.

Hope I helped.

[M. Rock]

Alright now it's my turn: Is Scarf Politoed still any good in the current meta as an offensive threat? I know SpecsToad gets a lot of use from all kinds of players, but my particular team needs a bit more overall speed. Or is having one Pokemon with Thunder Wave enough to curb SpecsToad's speed issue?

[Otterz]

Is RNG the exact same in B2/W2 as in B/W?

[M. Rock]

Originally Posted by Fat Otterz

Is RNG the exact same in B2/W2 as in B/W?

It is. However, iirc something got changed with the egg mechanics, so you are better off breeding on B1/W1. I don't how how RNGing Dream World mons has changed, I haven't tried it yet on the new games.

[hathater]

Alright now it's my turn: Is Scarf Politoed still any good in the current meta as an offensive threat? I know SpecsToad gets a lot of use from all kinds of players, but my particular team needs a bit more overall speed. Or is having one Pokemon with Thunder Wave enough to curb SpecsToad's speed issue?

I don't believe that scarf politoed isn't that good, if you are the slowest rain user, you get to keep that weateher and politoed is usaully only viable for rain.

[Golden Piloswine]

Originally Posted by Fat M. Rock

Alright now it's my turn: Is Scarf Politoed still any good in the current meta as an offensive threat? I know SpecsToad gets a lot of use from all kinds of players, but my particular team needs a bit more overall speed. Or is having one Pokemon with Thunder Wave enough to curb SpecsToad's speed issue?

Never really used Scarf Toad, but if I were to guess I'd say Thunder Wave/Icy Wind can make up for it. Especially with the numerous water pokemon who can learn it. Or Thunder Wave, which more than a few pokemon can learn.

One thing, that may or may not be good, which I just thought of is to have Fake Out, than Toed's Icy Wind on the same turn.

[voodoo pimp]

Originally Posted by Fat Otterz

Is RNG the exact same in B2/W2 as in B/W?

More possible Timer0 values, breeding is totally impossible, and Entralink uses standard seeds instead of delay. Everything else is basically the same (aside from the new stuff, obviously). For more detailed help, you may want to ask in this thread instead.

[hathater]

Seems like a troll question but is isn't, what should I eliminate for my in synergy in my team? Clamperl or craudaunt? Clamperl has incredible special attack and cradaunt has adaptability they both have crap defences but they have different defences so they will be mauled by most attacks.

[Sidfrid]

It really depend on your team, but Clamperl is only useful if you manage to get TR succesfully. There are ton of ways to stop TR and your team need to be able to get it act together even outside TR.

Crawdaunt, albeit is lower defense, can maybe take a hit before it goes down and his main selling point (together with pokemons like guts heracross, Bug gem Escavalier and Bug Gem Quiver Volcarona) is the fest to take down /me Cresselia in one hit. While Clamperl barely miss the 2HKO.

[Chenkovsky]

Originally Posted by Fat M. Rock

Alright now it's my turn: Is Scarf Politoed still any good in the current meta as an offensive threat? I know SpecsToad gets a lot of use from all kinds of players, but my particular team needs a bit more overall speed. Or is having one Pokemon with Thunder Wave enough to curb SpecsToad's speed issue?

I've been using thunder wave rotom-wash on my team to help with pokemon that would otherwise outspeed stuff on my team. My only concern with specs politoed is that it would have to be able to live any hit on the first turn for it to be worth your while to run thunder wave to allow it to outspeed and potentially ohko something. So I would recommend staying with the scarf'd politoed.

[Branny00]

If Scizor has a steel gem, will it add BP to Bullet Punch and it will NOT get a technician boost?

[voodoo pimp]

Originally Posted by Fat Branny00

If Scizor has a steel gem, will it add BP to Bullet Punch and it will NOT get a technician boost?

Gems do not modify base power, it will still get the Technician boost.

[Onicon]

Can someone outline the "Goodstuff" playstyle, please? We have trouble to define it.

[Otterz]

Originally Posted by Fat Onicon

Can someone outline the "Goodstuff" playstyle, please? We have trouble to define it.

This is just my opinion. To me "GoodStuff" is just the pokemon you see on nearly every team, such as Cresselia, Scizor, Hitmontop, Garchomp,etc. I feel that goodstuff alone does not require any strategy, despite the occasional Tailwind, but just prediction. This is because the pokemon on the team are usually just Speed and Atk/Sp. Atk.

[voodoo pimp]

Originally Posted by Fat Otterz

This is just my opinion. To me "GoodStuff" is just the pokemon you see on nearly every team, such as Cresselia, Scizor, Hitmontop, Garchomp,etc. I feel that goodstuff alone does not require any strategy, despite the occasional Tailwind, but just prediction. This is because the pokemon on the team are usually just Speed and Atk/Sp. Atk.

I really have to disagree with this. Goodstuff requires just as much strategy as any other team style - what I would say is that it doesn't require any specific strategy. It doesn't rely on setting up a field effect, or any particular Pokémon on the team, but rather focuses entirely on taking advantage of synergy between the Pokémon.

And I'm not sure how you can classify it as "just Speed and Atk/Sp. Atk" when only one of the four Pokémon you mentioned typically matches that description (and I've even seen occasional bulky Garchomp sets). Bulky attackers with a support mon or two are typically much more effective than a bunch of glass cannons (plus you don't auto-lose to TR that way).

[Onicon]

Thanks. We still cannot grasp its form but that may be one if its characteristics. It sounds a bit like a balanced playstyle, probably similar in the concept of single balanced.

[Chenkovsky]

Originally Posted by Fat Onicon

Thanks. We still cannot grasp its form but that may be one if its characteristics. It sounds a bit like a balanced playstyle, probably similar in the concept of single balanced.

Good stuff is by far the most balanced playstyle as it attempts to counter each playstyle mainly weather, and trickroom. But this is not to say that good stuff is anti-meta but rather it attempts to achieve it's strategy around the opponents. It is for those reasons that pokemon like cresselia, and gastrodon are common, cresselia is used as speed control with moves like thunder wave, icy wind, and trickroom. Where as gastrodon is a pokemon that plays well against sand teams thanks to its ground typing and bulk, and also rain teams thanks to its ability. These pokemon would aim to allow the remainder of the team to operate it's strategy without to much hassle from the opposing teams strategy.

[Golden Piloswine]

I didn't register my BW2 game card, or my BW game card on the global link yet, but I do have an account. I try to sign-up for the international challenge, but it says that there are no tournaments available for me to sign-up for. Is it because the cap space is filled, or because I didn't register my game card(s)?

[Sidfrid]

You need to register at least one game to participate in the tournaments held over nintedo Wi-Fi, in this case it need to be a BW2 game card because the tourney is BW2 exclusive.

Since last year there haven't any tournament available for BW games.

(not just the tours, also to receive promotionals C-Gear skins, musicals, promotional pokemons and berries)

[Golden Piloswine]

Originally Posted by Fat Sidfrid

You need to register at least one game to participate in the tournamenst held over nintedo Wi-Fi, in this case it need to be a BW2 game card because the tourney is BW2 exclusive.

Since last year there haven't any tournament available for for BW games.

(not just the tours, also to receive promotionals C-Gear skins, musicals, promotional pokemons and berrys)

Thanks, I'll register my bw2 card then.

[Sixonesix]

Well afaik goodstuffs was originally a phenomenon from 2009 Japan VGC regionals where people were placing high with teams consisting of strong, bulky Pokemon, as opposed to teams strictly dependent on Rain Dance or Trick Room. An example was Latios/Metagross/Gyarados/Snorlax, which itself topped at several regionals, but later that archetype expanded to include stuff like Cresselia and Zapdos (aided by the fact that gen 4 RNG abuse was discovered and put to use about that time).

The definition has become REAAAAAAALLY warped in the west since then though.

[Smith]

Yep, the way I think about "goodstuffs" is that, rather than relying on a field effect, weather, or some more specific strategy, the strength in goodstuffs lies in the overall strength in all of the Pokemon. Essentially, if you use good Pokemon that work well together, you'll win. Interestingly, my idea of goodstuffs sometimes includes weathers. I fundamentally think of myself as a goodstuffs player, but some might call the team I brought to Houston regionals, Suicune / Virizion / Cresselia / Zapdos / Tyranitar / Excadrill, a weather team due to the sand component, but fundamentally I don't believe this is the case. The main strength of this team came from the fact that Excadrill was the only Pokemon on the team with a BST of less than 580, so thanks to tight defensive synergy and well-rounded, overall high stats, I was able to outlast my opponent and withstand complex strategies. Excadrill was not the kind of frail, sandstorm sweeper that I think most people think of it as- I used a bulkier set, more focused on providing much needed speed while also providing several key resistances the team lacked, like another dragon switch in.

In common speech, goodstuffs simply refers to weatherless teams, but a more complex and, in my opinion, complete definition would include the fact that in order to effectively execute goodstuffs, since you aren't using Swift Swim, Sand Rush, Trick Room, Swagger, Screech, Skill Swap, etc. you have to rely on the inherent good-ness of your Pokemon. Now, some goodstuffs team may have auxilliary strategies, such as a TR mode with Cresselia and Escavalier or a Skill Swap Cresselia + Heatran option, but fundamentally the strength of these teams lies not in abusing these strategies, but in abusing the inherent goodness of good Pokemon. Good Pokemon might be AMPLIFIED by being skill swapped an advantageous ability, but this is not the primary goal of the team.

That's probably more than you wanted, so tl;dr: goodstuffs really just refers to weatherless teams and is a catch-all term to refer to teams that do not over-rely on any one strategy. In order to have a good goodstuffs team, you have to actually use good Pokemon.

[Chessmaster56]

Ummm....hi, for the international challenge march, which is almost exactly like VGC except through wifi, I can't decide who I should partner hitmontop with. My team consists of latios, terrakion, rotom w, thundurus and ferrothorn. Thank you in advance!