DPP Skitty (LC Analysis)

Status: WIP

Things I need to do/Questions:

• Write Team Options
• Write Opinion
• Write Counter
• Is the lead worthwhile?
• Would an attacker go in other options, or in a new set?

Here we go:

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/skitty

Click to expand...

[SET]
name: Lead Kitten
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Return
move 3: Sucker Punch/Zen Headbutt/Wake-Up Slap
move 4: Sing/Charm/Fake Tears
item: Leftovers/Life Orb/Oran Berry
ability: Cute Charm
nature: Adamant/Jolly/Careful
EVs: 36 HP/236 Atk/196 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Skitty is a Pokémon that often gets overlooked because of its rather poor stats. However, Skitty compensates this by having quite an amazing and expansive movepool. While this may seem like an inferior Aipom, it has several advantages. </p>

<p>Fake Out is a good choice on a Pokémon being used for a lead, if it has access to it. Return will provide STAB and your most powerful option against Pokémon that your other moves do not cover. The next slot is used to give Skitty the best coverage to make up for its mediocre stats. Sucker Punch can provide useful priority, as well as hit common Pokémon such as Gastly, Misdreavus, and Abra for super effective damage. Faint Attack is available if you want a more reliable attack, as well as Payback since you will be slower than most other Pokémon. Zen Headbutt can be used to hit Pokémon like Machop that try to hit Skitty with super effective Fighting moves. It also provides a way to hit Gastly, if you do not want to use a Dark type move. While it may seem strange, Wake-Up Slap is actually viable. It allows Skitty to hit Pokémon such as Onix and Magnemite who otherwise wall Skitty completely. The final slot is mostly filler. Sing is probably the best option, although it will only hit 55% of the time. Sing+Wake-Up Slap is a very useful combination, despite the fact that it may be hard to pull off because of Sing’s unreliability. Charm and Fake Tears will force switches, but will not help that much otherwise. </p>

<p>Leftovers is the recommended item, because it allows Skitty to last a bit longer. Life Orb can be used if the added power is needed as well. Oran Berry generally does not work because Skitty is frail and recovery every turn is better than large recovery once in this case. Jolly or Adamant are the best natures, because Careful yields only one extra Special Defense point. Both Adamant and Jolly allow you to outspeed standard Adamant 76 Speed EV lead Machop, if you use the given EVs. This is probably all you really can hope to outspeed anyway. </p>

<p>The EVs only use 468/510, because the remaining 42 cannot be invested into anything and make a difference, and the stats they are invested in are maxed.


[SET]
name: Wish Supporter/Cleric
move 1: Wish
move 2: Heal Bell
move 3: Thunder Wave/Toxic/Sing
move 4: Return/ Fake Tears /Charm
item: Leftovers
ability: Cute Charm
nature: Careful
EVs: 196 HP/78 Def/236 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is probably Skitty’s best option in Little Cup. Skitty has a wide variety of support options, not the least of which are Wish and Heal Bell. Skitty fills the roles of Wish Passer and Cleric quite well, as well as being the only Little Cup Pokémon which can use both Wish and Heal Bell. The first two moves are obvious, but the last two depend on what you want Skitty to accomplish. Thunder Wave is probably your best option, while Toxic can help wear down Pokémon such as Munchlax. (Make note that Normalize can be used as the ability if you want to paralyze Pokémon such as Gligar and Dugtrio, which is actually helpful as they are both powerful forces in the LC metagame.) Sing is an option if you need sleep support, but other Pokémon can do this better. Return gives Skitty STAB and an attack move, no matter how weak. Fake Tears can force switches, and Charm can weaken a threatening sweeper.</p>

<p>To properly run this set, Skitty needs to be as bulky as possible. Leftovers suits this purpose, and Careful helps the worse of Skitty’s defenses. The EV’s each max the stat they are invested in, while being as low as possible to spread the EV’s around. </p>


[Other Options]
<p>Skitty packs a wide variety of good attacking moves, any which can be used instead of the attacking moves given in each set. Safeguard can be used, but it is redundant on the Supporter because of Heal Bell. Protect can be used to gain extra Leftovers recovery, or scout what your opponent’s reaction to Skitty. Foresight, while generally not worthwhile, can be used in combination with Normalize to be able to hit all types, notably being able to paralyze both Grounds and Ghosts with Thunder Wave. </p>

[EVs]
<p>For the lead, max Skitty’s HP to increase longevity, and then max the Attack and Speed to help Skitty get the little power it has to its fullest potential. For any other set, make Skitty as bulky as possible to get as many support moves as possible. When investing EV’s in the defenses, max Special Defense as it is the lower of Skitty’s defenses. (It should also be noted that if you use a special attack, EV’s should be moved appropriately. However, physical moves generally work better because of Skitty’s pitiful base 35 Special Attack.) </p>

The lead just looks like an inferior Meowth to be honest. I dont know why Anyone would run Skitty over it except for novelty value.

Also the cleric version is also completley outclassed by Eevee, who can run a similar set (bar Thunder Wave) and also has better defenses overall.

Well, in my opinion, the only reason to run Skitty would be for Normalize, which seems like a poor ability at first, but it actually just gives Skitty STAB on literally everything, including Sucker Punch, which is then a 80 BP STAB priority move.

On the lead, make the item Focus Sash, Skitty isn't going to be surviving too much, and leftovers is a poor option. There are many other small things to be changed, such as the EVs section not talking about the EVs you used in the sets, and the mention of Dugtrio (it's Diglett!).

But if you don't use Normalize, Skitty really is outclassed. For the lead, Glameow and Meowth do it better, for the wish support set, there are better users of Wish (Natu). Skitty's niche is Normalize.

Xatu is mostly an inferior Jirachi, but someone wrote an analysis for him, right?

Skitty just doesn't have the benefit of being in a lower tier than the Pokemon you mentioned, as there are no tiers in LC.

I wrote what I think would be the best sets for Skitty, even if Skitty is not the best Pokemon to run those sets.

Xatu is NU. Jirachi is OU. Both are in different tiers and, while they serve the same purpose, the sets made for Xatu are for NU, while the ones for Jirachi are for OU. Skitty has the disadvantage of being in a tier where 4 pokemon ( Meowth, Glameow, Buneary and Aipom) completey outclass him. I understand that anyalysis must be written, however I think that the fact that it is outclassed by so much needs to be put somewhere in the analysis.

<p>Skitty is a Pokémon that often gets overlooked because of its rather poor stats. However, Skitty compensates this by having quite an amazing and expansive movepool. While this may seem like an inferior Aipom, it has several advantages. </p>

For starters what does it have over Aipom other than a Sleep move with base 55 accuracy and sucker punch? like I have said before, the lead set is more comparable to Meowth, and it has nothing over it.

Since sub-metagames don't exist right now (no UU, no NU), directly outclassed sets are frowned upon.

Also, you have SEVERE slashitis here. With three different moves in each of the last two slots and THREE natures when that can't possibly be necessary, in addition to ridiculous move choices such as Fake Tears on sets without any Special Attacks and Wish on something that can't survive a light tap. The wish set is a 100% inferior Lickitung, the lead set is a 100% inferior Glameow.

In addition, the writing is extremely poor and every set is going to be a bad version of another Pokemon. I appreciate your wanting to contribute, but a Skitty analysis is probably not the way to do so.

Locked.