Magcargo Discussion!

[Hyra]

http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-dp/219.shtml

50 HP / 50 Atk / 120 Def / 80 SAtk / 80 SDef / 30 Spd

So overlooked. I think most of us use it only for egg hatching, and there are others who can do that. Being without Smogon gets boring, so I decided to look at Macargo's SerebiiDex page since I caught one in Pearl. To my surpise, it learns Recover. Considering this is the first generation in which it has Recover, I feel this is a pretty big acheivement for this rightly underrated Physical Wall. In honor of Macargo receiving Recover, I make this thread.

Physical Movepool:
Rock Slide
Stone Edge
Body Slam
Earthquake
Explosion
Gyro Ball

Special Movepool:
Lava Plume
Flamethrower
Ancient Power
Earth Power
Solar Beam
Fire Blast
Overheat
Heatwave

Support Movepool:
Recover
Acid Armour
Amnesia
Yawn
Stealth Rock
Light Screen
Reflect
Curse
Rock Polish
Will-o-Wisp

Nice large support movepool. The attacking movepools don't really matter, unless you go with a Curse set, but 4x weak to Water and Ground pretty much prevent that.

Macargo @ Leftovers
Bold Nature *252 HP, 252 DEF, 4 SATK*
- Will-o-Wisp
- Recover
- Stealth Rock / Light Screen / Reflect
- Flamethrower / Ancient Power
A pretty nice set for an underused Pokemon. So OU pokes would kill for the first two moves. I personally would choice Light Screen and Flamethrower. Light Screen compliments it's special defense. Speaking of Special Defense, if you are ever crazy enough to use Macargo on an OU team, pair it with Hippowdon for a large boost to it's SDef because of endless sandstorm.

Really, Macargo is a cool UU poke that won't see a lot of use. No matter, I'll probably end up using in OU just for kicks. If anything deserved Hard Rock as an ability, it was this. Oh well, there's always next gen.

 

[Micky Onimusha]

Recover, Solarbeam, Land Power, Rock STAB, Will-o-Wisp. This guy got a huge boost. Still UU, possibly NU, because of those weaknesses, but he's still the coolest Fire type in my eyes.

 

[Mike B]

Turbo Snail@ Choice Scarf
4/HP/252 SpA/252 Spd
-Fire Blast
=Earth Power
-Lava Plume
-Recover

gets 261 Speed, novelty set. outspeeds a lot more stuff than without, and the typing's balls... so...

 

[Violent Storm]

Recover was a nice addition, but why couldnt this thing get Solid Rock Ability that would have helped it tremendously (although if its made of Magma its not exactly solid rock then is it... but still) Great Candidate for Trick Room Support though. Its stats are pretty good defensively, but it doesnt have the HP for it... and 80 Base Attacking Stat to run off of isnt exaclty powerful. I too would like to use Magcargo, but if i wanted something Fire/Ground/Rock ish to use thats 4x weak to water... Camerupt is the way to go...

 

[latinoheat]

meh even with recover i don't see this getting past NU.

 

[Hyra]

Recover was a nice addition, but why couldnt this thing get Solid Rock Ability that would have helped it tremendously (although if its made of Magma its not exactly solid rock then is it... but still) Great Candidate for Trick Room Support though. Its stats are pretty good defensively, but it doesnt have the HP for it... and 80 Base Attacking Stat to run off of isnt exaclty powerful. I too would like to use Magcargo, but if i wanted something Fire/Ground/Rock ish to use thats 4x weak to water... Camerupt is the way to go...

Ayh, that's the main Hard Rock reference. Personally, I feel every Rock or Ground type with a 4x weak should have gotten that ability. It would make Macargo, Golem, Aggron, Probopass, Bastiodon, and such much more viable, even if just in UU. It has low HP, but look at Dusknoir. Same strategy here, just a lot worse typing.

 

[jeffro6001]

Even as a physical wall theres aqua tails and waterfalls around so magcargo still phails in every department getting horribly outclassed by something else

 

[PsiUmbreon]

The physical/special split made Magcargo suck even worse. Physical water moves and special ground moves murder it.

 

[Footnote]

The physical/special split made Magcargo suck even worse. Physical water moves and special ground moves murder it.

I honestly don't see how they murder it any faster than special Water moves and physical Ground moves. Not much learns Earth Power and Water moves are still pretty much only used by Water-types, so I don't think it's any worse-off defensively than it used to be.

The split helped Magcargo offensively because now it gets a special Rock-type move and Earth Power as an added bonus.

Still, Magcargo really does need an evolution, a new Ability, or at the very least, Magma Storm. I was hoping that GameFreak would include an Ability tutor this generation: you could change your Pokemon's Ability to one of a set of abilities that made sense for its species. I feel it would solve a lot of problems.

 

[sanjay120]

I was hoping that GameFreak would include an Ability tutor this generation: you could change your Pokemon's Ability to one of a set of abilities that made sense for its species. I feel it would solve a lot of problems.

But that would lead to Levitate Metagross. And Levitate Metagross is very, very bad.

 

[Bliksem]

No worse than Levitate Bronzong. Besides, Metagross likes its Clear Body to prevent certain Pokemon from Intimidating it.

As for Magcargo, I'm surprised it learns Recover, but I still use Slugma just for breeding. Though, I must say, it's the Pokemon that has spent some of the most time in my party. In the end, though, Magcargo's typing is so bad that both of its traits are beneficial in breeding just so that people would actually use the thing.

 

[jeffro6001]

Recover doesnt help it because

1.Will always recover after receiving damage due to his low speed

2.Cant recover OHKO

So magcargo doesnt need it cause most likely it will get OHKO when its sent out

 

[Micky Onimusha]

Recover doesnt help it because

1.Will always recover after receiving damage due to his low speed

2.Cant recover OHKO

So magcargo doesnt need it cause most likely it will get OHKO when its sent out

You're missing the opportunities when the opponent switches out against it. E.G, Choice Pokemon. Flying and Normal resists are nice in UU. Ice, Fire and Bug aren't too bad either (although Poison is a forgettable resistence).

 

[octazookas]

alright in nu I guess
since stealth rock is a pretty great thing to have in that environment

 

[Mekkah]

Horrible, horrible, horrible Pokemon. Funny how they added Heatran this gen who does what Magcargo used to do: resist Normal while being a Fire-type. And own Weezing.

Even in NU this thing seems crap to me, though it's one of the VERY few Stealth Rockers. Its horridness is just argh. Beedrill counter I suppose.