A question about Tropius in DPP

[D4v3]

Hey everybody! :)


My name is Dave, and I'm new to the whole competitive scene. I just have a question about Tropius in Platinum.


For D/P, Smogon recommends to have a physically defensive set, and also a physical attacking set.
Now, my question is why would you run either of these sets, because Tropius' special defence
and special attack are slightly higher?


As I said, I'm new to it all, so there is probably something I'm missing..
I wanted to manually EV train some Pokemon on my DS, so yeah, thats why I was wondering. :)

If someone could clear this up for me, that would be awesome! :)
Cheers

 

[ryan]

Hi D4v3 and welcome to Smogon!

The reason why Tropius is recommended to run a Physically Defensive spread in DPP, I would imagine, would be because of its typing. Grass/Flying has some pretty big weaknesses to types that are typically associated with special attackers (Fire and Ice) and has resistances/immunities to types that are commonly associated with physical attackers (Fighting and Ground). Even still, Tropius isn't a very reliable physical wall due to its middling bulk and many weaknesses.

As for why it is recommended as a Physical attacker before a Special attacker, this is due to its boosting move, Swords Dance, which gives a +2 bonus to Tropius's Attack stat. Swords Dance is a really cool move since it allows Tropius to patch up its disappointing Attack and attempt to sweep through opponents.

For future reference, this sort of question probably would be better suited for the FAQ thread rather than in its own thread.

Either way, once again, welcome to Smogon!