Okay, Parasect didn't really need a drastic update, but some of his sets are outdated, and his analysis does need a format update. So here's Parasect:
(On an unrelated note, as of today, I've been on Smogon for a year :D)
Parasect
Status: QC 2/2. GP 1/2
Changes:
-Removed Swords Dance. Parasect is simply far too slow to use it effectively. When you hit 174 Speed with Max Speed and a +Nature, something's probably wrong...
-Removed Choice Band. I was a little iffy on this decision, but I stand by it. Parasect wasn't really a remarkable CBer, and his slowness didn't really help. He's also weak to Stealth Rock, and his STABs aren't great to be locked into. However, I will admit that his access to Dry Skin gave him plenty of opportunities to come in and hit stuff hard, but like I said previously, I really disliked being locked into any of Parasect's attacks. Life Orb would probably be a better option imo.
-Move Status up and update it. Seriously, Status was amazing. Parasect had tons of resists to come in on and start spreading status, and he was bulky enough to take quite a bit of abuse. Synthesis compounded this fact, and even with no investment, he still hit fairly hard with Seed Bomb. While he did have plenty of weaknesses, counters were usually crippled by Stun Spore or Spore on the switch-in.
-Turned "Psychic Spooker" into a Bulky Attacker. Parasect certainly hit hard enough, and was able to abuse his many resistances to come in and Spore something, before proceeding to hit things hard with his STAB. Unlike CB, he wasn't locked into a terrible move and forced out, and was simply much more versatile. It was also able to trap Ghost- and Psychic-types with some success.
[Overview]
<p>Parasect is certainly an interesting and unique Pokemon. His odd typing grants him extremely useful resistances to Water-, Ground-, Grass-, Fighting-, and Electric-type attacks, and his defenses are decent enough to utilize these resistances effectively. His excellent ability, Dry Skin, allows him to switch into bulky Water-types with ease, and also slightly heals him at the end of every turn while in the rain, giving Parasect a unique niche on Rain Dance teams. However, none of the aforementioned factors are Parasect's main selling point. Parasect's most useful trait, by far, is his access to Spore, which gives him the ability to cripple any counter temporarily, almost always allowing Parasect to damage the opposing team in some way. All of these unique characteristics make Parasect stand out amongst both his Bug- and Grass-type brethren, giving him competitive value and usability.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it isn't all good news for Parasect. Parasect's typing grants him horrible, crippling weaknesses to Fire-, Flying-, Poison-, Rock-, Ice-, and Bug-type attacks, most of which are common in the UU metagame. Parasect is also exceedingly slow, and is outsped by almost every Pokemon in the UU tier, except for Slowbro and Steelix (whom he speed-ties with). Due to these two traits, it's extremely easy to hit Parasect with a strong super effective attack once he switches in. In conclusion, Parasect, despite his many faults, can prove fairly useful to a team thanks to his unique assets.</p>
[SET]
name: Double Powder
move 1: Spore
move 2: Stun Spore
move 3: Synthesis
move 4: Seed Bomb / X-Scissor
item: Leftovers
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Careful
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With access to two useful status-inducing moves, a slew of handy resistances, reliable recovery, and respectable defensive stats, Parasect can act as a superb status spreader. Parasect can switch into many common Pokemon, such as Milotic, with ease, which gives him plenty of opportunities to switch in and spread status. Though Parasect's numerous weaknesses can cripple him in this regard, the opponent cannot switch in Pokemon who can target Parasect's weaknesses easily due to the threat of Spore and Stun Spore.</p>
<p>Spore is this set's main selling point, forcing the opponent to be constantly wary of switching Pokemon into Parasect haphazardly. It should be noted that Parasect may not wish to use Spore immediately; though it may seem tempting to do so, the constant threat of Spore will pose a psychological threat against the opponent, and you may wish to scout the opposing team for any Sleep Talkers before using up Parasect's precious Spore. Stun Spore allows Parasect to act as an effective paralysis spreader, and, since Stun Spore's paralysis is only negated by Pokemon with the Limber ability, Parasect is almost guaranteed to paralyze an opposing Pokemon once he gets in safely. Stun Spore is also the safer option to use immediately, since it can catch a threatening Pokemon like Arcanine on the switch. Synthesis gives Parasect a means of reliable recovery, and further adds to Parasect's nice bulk. Finally, Seed Bomb rounds off the set by providing a reliable STAB move that still hits fairly hard off of Parasect's respectable Attack stat, despite the lack of EV investment. However, X-Scissor can be used over Seed Bomb to hit Grass-, Psychic-, and Dark-types harder, though Seed Bomb's better type coverage means that it is generally the better option.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs of this set go towards increasing Parasect's special bulk. This is because many of Parasect's resistances, such as those against Water-, Electric-, and Grass-type attacks, are more commonly seen as special attacks, which makes investing in Special Defense more worthwhile than investing in Defense. For example, a specially defensive Parasect takes relatively little damage from Milotic's Ice Beam, which allows him to switch into Milotic with ease; it also allows him to survive some strong super effective attacks, such as Life Orb Venusaur's Sludge Bomb. Also, despite being specially-based, Parasect can still take Choice Band Close Combats and Earthquakes when need be. However, a physically defensive spread isn't a terrible option, as it does allow Parasect to check Pokemon like Dragon Dance Feraligatr.</p>
<p>This set has numerous options that can be used over the suggested ones. While Dry Skin is usually the better ability, Effect Spore can be useful to allow Parasect to spread status by simply switching into a contact move. The immunity to Water-type attacks that Dry Skin provides is generally too useful to pass up, however. Knock Off can be used in Stun Spore's stead to remove opposing Pokemon's items, but the paralysis offered by Stun Spore is generally more useful. Finally, Aromatherapy is a useful option to cure Parasect and his teammates of status, but it's difficult to find a place for it on this set.</p>
<p>Since this Parasect can act as a very effective status— in particular, paralysis — spreader, slow, powerful Pokemon work well with him. Rhyperior is perhaps the best of these, as he resists all of Parasect's weaknesses except for Ice-type attacks, and in exchange, Parasect resists Rhyperior's nasty weaknesses to Water-, Grass-, Ground-, and Fighting-type moves. However, Aggron, Hariyama, Azumarill, and Ursaring are all good choices as well, though they unfortunately don't have the almost perfect defensive synergy that Rhyperior and Parasect share.</p>
<p>Defensively, bulky Water-types can be useful, since they resist Parasect's weaknesses to Fire- and Ice-type attacks, and the combination of Water- and Grass-type Pokemon is a fairly decent defensive tandem. Milotic, Blastoise, and Lanturn are great bulky Water-types who can also complement Parasect in other ways. Since Parasect is very prone to status, having a cleric on your team can be useful; Clefable, Chansey, and Lanturn are great Pokemon to fulfill this role. Due to his Stealth Rock weakness, Parasect appreciates Rapid Spin support, as Stealth Rock will cause some attacks that would otherwise be manageable to 2HKO or OHKO him, and is generally extremely annoying for Parasect to deal with. Hitmontop, Blastoise, and Donphan are all excellent Rapid Spinners, since they can all deal with spinblockers who may attempt to halt their attempts to Rapid Spin.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Spore
move 2: Seed Bomb / Brick Break
move 3: X-Scissor / Brick Break
move 4: Pursuit / Synthesis
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set attempts to use Parasect's good base 95 Attack in the form of a bulky attacker. Spore is the main option on this set, as it's Parasect's main weapon against his counters. Seed Bomb and X-Scissor have decent coverage together, and are both boosted by STAB. Pursuit is a great attack to use alongside Spore; since Spore tends to force switches, Pursuit can smack the Pokemon who switch out for decent damage. Parasect can also use it to trap unsuspecting Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon. Brick Break is a usable option over either of Parasect's STAB moves, since it hits the Steel-types who wall both of his STABs for respectable damage. However, Parasect probably still won't be able to break through the majority of Steel-types of UU, so it isn't recommended. Synthesis is a decent option over Pursuit to give Parasect a form of reliable recovery, and it complements either item choice well. Life Orb gives Parasect's attacks more sting, but it comes at the cost of reduced longevity. However, with Dry Skin (and possibly Synthesis) to make up for it, Life Orb is a decent option, though Leftovers is always the safer choice.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum Attack EVs and an Adamant nature are used, as Parasect needs all the power it can get. To give you an idea of how weak Parasect can be, even with max Attack, Parasect isn’t guaranteed to 2HKO a full-HP Milotic with Seed Bomb without Life Orb (factoring in Milotic's Leftovers). Due to this, Parasect really can't afford to sacrifice any of his investment in Attack. While you may feel tempted to invest the remaining EVs into Speed, it's really not worth it. Parasect is so slow that a heavy amount of investment is required to outspeed even slow, defensive Pokemon such as Registeel and Chansey, and, even then, it's hardly worth it since Parasect will rarely be able to muster a 2HKO on the aforementioned Pokemon. As such, the remaining EVs are placed into HP to boost Parasect's respectable bulk.</p>
<p>In addition to the numerous options that are presented on this set, there are a couple of other interesting choices that can be used. Return is Parasect's strongest option against Flying- and Fire-types, and it prevents Parasect from being utterly walled by the likes of Moltres and Blaziken. Stun Spore can be used over one of this set's coverage moves to slow down opposing Pokemon so that Parasect can actually outspeed them, but sacrificing coverage isn't good for this set, as this set relies on type coverage to deal damage due to Parasect's mediocre Attack stat. Aromatherapy is an option alongside Synthesis to create a self-reliant and fairly bulky mono-attacker. However, as stated before, sacrificing coverage really hurts Parasect in the long run. Lastly, Choice Band is a decent item choice, but Parasect really despises being locked into one of his heavily resisted STAB moves (or Spore, for that matter).</p>
<p>Since this Parasect's main prey are Water-, Grass-, and Ground-type Pokemon, Pokemon that have issues with these types complement this set well. Rhyperior, Aggron, and Blaziken are great examples of Pokemon who lure these types of Pokemon in, and they all pack resistances to some of Parasect's weaknesses. They're also all able to deal with bulky Steel-types, whom Parasect despises. In return, Parasect is able to take out Pokemon such as Lanturn and Donphan, whom the aforementioned powerhouses have issues with.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Rhyperior is a fantastic partner to Parasect, as he resists almost every type that Parasect is weak to, while Parasect resists most of Rhyperior’s lethal weaknesses. Rhyperior also is able to muscle through some bulky Pokemon who wall Parasect with ease, while Parasect can take out one of Rhyperior's counters with Spore. U-turn users are also great offensive partners, as they can help Parasect defeat bulky walls by slowly whittling down their health. Swellow and Scyther are the strongest users of the move, and are able to take down many of these walls after a couple of U-turns. However, these Pokemon share numerous weaknesses with Parasect, so some teammates are necessary to deal with said weaknesses. Water-types resist many of of Parasect's weaknesses, and generally have great synergy with him. Milotic is an excellent choice, as, depending on your team, she can be either offensively or defensively oriented, and will still complement Parasect either way.</p>
<p>Parasect will often cause switches thanks to the threat of Spore, so entry hazards are appreciated. Omastar is a great choice to set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes, as it's rather bulky, and Parasect resists the Grass-, Ground-, Fighting-, and Electric-type attacks that Omastar is weak to. However, Qwilfish, Registeel, Kabutops, and Donphan are great alternative choices to set up either Spikes or Stealth Rock. Speaking of entry hazards, Parasect also greatly enjoys Rapid Spin support, as Stealth Rock seriously hinders his ability to switch into common Pokemon; additionally, Parasect is also vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Blastoise, Donphan, Hitmontop, and Claydol are all excellent Rapid Spinners, and they all appreciate Parasect's ability to take on Pokemon whom they have issues with. Cleric and Wish support are also helpful, as Parasect can be rather prone to status, and Wish helps deal with residual damage. Clefable and Chansey are examples of Pokemon who can use both Wish and a status removing move. Meanwhile, Parasect can deal with the Choice Banded or Scarfed Fighting-types who can give these two Pokemon grief.</p>
<p>In terms of team styles, Parasect works best on balanced teams. While Parasect isn't really too terrible on offensive and stall teams, shortcomings such as his low Speed, large amount of weaknesses, and mediocrity when compared to other common Grass-types, such as Venusaur, are large hindrances to his usability. However, on balanced teams, Parasect will often have the ability to use his plethora of resistances and his other unique attributes with greater success than on the aforementioned team styles. This is because on balanced teams, Parasect's combination of bulk and offensive power can lend him a unique niche, while on the other styles, having both of these attributes isn't nearly as useful. It should also be noted that Parasect has a niche on Rain Dance teams, as his ability, Dry Skin, allows him to restore large amounts of HP each turn, and Parasect can also check Grass- and Electric-type Pokemon whom Rain Dance teams despise. Almost heart-wrenchingly, Parasect doesn't have access to Rain Dance himself, which prevents him from being a top-notch rain supporter.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Parasect's movepool, while not particularly diverse, does hold a few interesting options. Swords Dance, Agility, and Growth are all boosting moves that Parasect has access to, and he can use each of them with moderate success. Thanks to Parasect's respectable bulk and access to Spore, he doesn't have too many issues obtaining the boosts. However, in the case of Swords Dance and Growth, Parasect is simply far too slow and has too many common weaknesses to utilize these moves effectively, while with Agility, Parasect is too weak. If one uses Trick Room support alongside either Swords Dance or Growth though, Parasect has a much better chance at pulling off a successful sweep. In a similar vein, Screech is an interesting option to weaken the foe's Defense, and with Pursuit, Parasect can smack fleeing Pokemon for large amounts of damage. Unfortunately, like the aforementioned Swords Dance, Parasect is simply too slow to use this strategy effectively.</p>
<p>In terms of support options, Parasect has access to Aromatherapy, Knock Off, Light Screen, and Worry Seed. Aromatherapy can be used to clear status, and, thanks to Parasect's resistances and bulk, can be used with decent success. Sadly, Parasect often has trouble finding room for it. Knock Off is a great move that can remove key items from opposing Pokemon, but just like Aromatherapy, it's hard to fit it in on any of Parasect's sets. Light Screen can bolster Parasect's Special Defense further, and can be used alongside Counter to encourage foes to attack Parasect physically, allowing Parasect to respond with Counter. Worry Seed can remove important abilities from the opposing Pokemon, but changing the opponent's ability to Insomnia heavily clashes with Parasect's main weapon: Spore.</p>
[Counters]
<p>The main problem with countering Parasect is his ability to essentially remove one of his counters with Spore. Once Sleep Clause has been activated though, Parasect becomes much easier to deal with. RestTalkers such as Arcanine and Weezing can easily absorb Spore, and don't really fear being slept thanks to Sleep Talk. They also can easily threaten Parasect with their super effective STAB attacks. Alternatively, you can use a Pokemon with Vital Spirit or Insomnia to act as a decent switch-in to Parasect. Unfortunately, most of the Pokemon who have these two abilities are either frail enough to be overcome by Parasect's attacks or are weak to one of Parasect's STAB moves. Thus, out of the Pokemon who have these two abilities, Primeape and Noctowl are likely the best options to use against Parasect, as Noctowl is bulky enough to easily take Parasect's attacks while Primeape can threaten Parasect with Stone Edge, Ice Punch, or U-turn.</p>
<p>If you don't have either of these options, defensive Pokemon are decent switch-ins to Spore, since they should be bulky enough to survive being asleep for a couple of turns. Registeel is a prime example of this, since it's extremely bulky and resists almost all of Parasect's attacks. If Sleep Clause has been activated, Fire- and Flying-types easily wall Parasect. In particular, Swellow is perhaps the most dangerous out of this group, as he will often be burned or poisoned, granting him immunity to Stun Spore, and can easily shift the momentum in your team's favor with U-turn. Really, once Sleep Clause has been activated, any Pokemon who doesn't mind paralysis and resists Parasect's STABs will do just fine against him.</p>
(On an unrelated note, as of today, I've been on Smogon for a year :D)
Parasect
Status: QC 2/2. GP 1/2
Changes:
-Removed Swords Dance. Parasect is simply far too slow to use it effectively. When you hit 174 Speed with Max Speed and a +Nature, something's probably wrong...
-Removed Choice Band. I was a little iffy on this decision, but I stand by it. Parasect wasn't really a remarkable CBer, and his slowness didn't really help. He's also weak to Stealth Rock, and his STABs aren't great to be locked into. However, I will admit that his access to Dry Skin gave him plenty of opportunities to come in and hit stuff hard, but like I said previously, I really disliked being locked into any of Parasect's attacks. Life Orb would probably be a better option imo.
-Move Status up and update it. Seriously, Status was amazing. Parasect had tons of resists to come in on and start spreading status, and he was bulky enough to take quite a bit of abuse. Synthesis compounded this fact, and even with no investment, he still hit fairly hard with Seed Bomb. While he did have plenty of weaknesses, counters were usually crippled by Stun Spore or Spore on the switch-in.
-Turned "Psychic Spooker" into a Bulky Attacker. Parasect certainly hit hard enough, and was able to abuse his many resistances to come in and Spore something, before proceeding to hit things hard with his STAB. Unlike CB, he wasn't locked into a terrible move and forced out, and was simply much more versatile. It was also able to trap Ghost- and Psychic-types with some success.
[Overview]
<p>Parasect is certainly an interesting and unique Pokemon. His odd typing grants him extremely useful resistances to Water-, Ground-, Grass-, Fighting-, and Electric-type attacks, and his defenses are decent enough to utilize these resistances effectively. His excellent ability, Dry Skin, allows him to switch into bulky Water-types with ease, and also slightly heals him at the end of every turn while in the rain, giving Parasect a unique niche on Rain Dance teams. However, none of the aforementioned factors are Parasect's main selling point. Parasect's most useful trait, by far, is his access to Spore, which gives him the ability to cripple any counter temporarily, almost always allowing Parasect to damage the opposing team in some way. All of these unique characteristics make Parasect stand out amongst both his Bug- and Grass-type brethren, giving him competitive value and usability.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it isn't all good news for Parasect. Parasect's typing grants him horrible, crippling weaknesses to Fire-, Flying-, Poison-, Rock-, Ice-, and Bug-type attacks, most of which are common in the UU metagame. Parasect is also exceedingly slow, and is outsped by almost every Pokemon in the UU tier, except for Slowbro and Steelix (whom he speed-ties with). Due to these two traits, it's extremely easy to hit Parasect with a strong super effective attack once he switches in. In conclusion, Parasect, despite his many faults, can prove fairly useful to a team thanks to his unique assets.</p>
[SET]
name: Double Powder
move 1: Spore
move 2: Stun Spore
move 3: Synthesis
move 4: Seed Bomb / X-Scissor
item: Leftovers
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Careful
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With access to two useful status-inducing moves, a slew of handy resistances, reliable recovery, and respectable defensive stats, Parasect can act as a superb status spreader. Parasect can switch into many common Pokemon, such as Milotic, with ease, which gives him plenty of opportunities to switch in and spread status. Though Parasect's numerous weaknesses can cripple him in this regard, the opponent cannot switch in Pokemon who can target Parasect's weaknesses easily due to the threat of Spore and Stun Spore.</p>
<p>Spore is this set's main selling point, forcing the opponent to be constantly wary of switching Pokemon into Parasect haphazardly. It should be noted that Parasect may not wish to use Spore immediately; though it may seem tempting to do so, the constant threat of Spore will pose a psychological threat against the opponent, and you may wish to scout the opposing team for any Sleep Talkers before using up Parasect's precious Spore. Stun Spore allows Parasect to act as an effective paralysis spreader, and, since Stun Spore's paralysis is only negated by Pokemon with the Limber ability, Parasect is almost guaranteed to paralyze an opposing Pokemon once he gets in safely. Stun Spore is also the safer option to use immediately, since it can catch a threatening Pokemon like Arcanine on the switch. Synthesis gives Parasect a means of reliable recovery, and further adds to Parasect's nice bulk. Finally, Seed Bomb rounds off the set by providing a reliable STAB move that still hits fairly hard off of Parasect's respectable Attack stat, despite the lack of EV investment. However, X-Scissor can be used over Seed Bomb to hit Grass-, Psychic-, and Dark-types harder, though Seed Bomb's better type coverage means that it is generally the better option.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs of this set go towards increasing Parasect's special bulk. This is because many of Parasect's resistances, such as those against Water-, Electric-, and Grass-type attacks, are more commonly seen as special attacks, which makes investing in Special Defense more worthwhile than investing in Defense. For example, a specially defensive Parasect takes relatively little damage from Milotic's Ice Beam, which allows him to switch into Milotic with ease; it also allows him to survive some strong super effective attacks, such as Life Orb Venusaur's Sludge Bomb. Also, despite being specially-based, Parasect can still take Choice Band Close Combats and Earthquakes when need be. However, a physically defensive spread isn't a terrible option, as it does allow Parasect to check Pokemon like Dragon Dance Feraligatr.</p>
<p>This set has numerous options that can be used over the suggested ones. While Dry Skin is usually the better ability, Effect Spore can be useful to allow Parasect to spread status by simply switching into a contact move. The immunity to Water-type attacks that Dry Skin provides is generally too useful to pass up, however. Knock Off can be used in Stun Spore's stead to remove opposing Pokemon's items, but the paralysis offered by Stun Spore is generally more useful. Finally, Aromatherapy is a useful option to cure Parasect and his teammates of status, but it's difficult to find a place for it on this set.</p>
<p>Since this Parasect can act as a very effective status— in particular, paralysis — spreader, slow, powerful Pokemon work well with him. Rhyperior is perhaps the best of these, as he resists all of Parasect's weaknesses except for Ice-type attacks, and in exchange, Parasect resists Rhyperior's nasty weaknesses to Water-, Grass-, Ground-, and Fighting-type moves. However, Aggron, Hariyama, Azumarill, and Ursaring are all good choices as well, though they unfortunately don't have the almost perfect defensive synergy that Rhyperior and Parasect share.</p>
<p>Defensively, bulky Water-types can be useful, since they resist Parasect's weaknesses to Fire- and Ice-type attacks, and the combination of Water- and Grass-type Pokemon is a fairly decent defensive tandem. Milotic, Blastoise, and Lanturn are great bulky Water-types who can also complement Parasect in other ways. Since Parasect is very prone to status, having a cleric on your team can be useful; Clefable, Chansey, and Lanturn are great Pokemon to fulfill this role. Due to his Stealth Rock weakness, Parasect appreciates Rapid Spin support, as Stealth Rock will cause some attacks that would otherwise be manageable to 2HKO or OHKO him, and is generally extremely annoying for Parasect to deal with. Hitmontop, Blastoise, and Donphan are all excellent Rapid Spinners, since they can all deal with spinblockers who may attempt to halt their attempts to Rapid Spin.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Spore
move 2: Seed Bomb / Brick Break
move 3: X-Scissor / Brick Break
move 4: Pursuit / Synthesis
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set attempts to use Parasect's good base 95 Attack in the form of a bulky attacker. Spore is the main option on this set, as it's Parasect's main weapon against his counters. Seed Bomb and X-Scissor have decent coverage together, and are both boosted by STAB. Pursuit is a great attack to use alongside Spore; since Spore tends to force switches, Pursuit can smack the Pokemon who switch out for decent damage. Parasect can also use it to trap unsuspecting Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon. Brick Break is a usable option over either of Parasect's STAB moves, since it hits the Steel-types who wall both of his STABs for respectable damage. However, Parasect probably still won't be able to break through the majority of Steel-types of UU, so it isn't recommended. Synthesis is a decent option over Pursuit to give Parasect a form of reliable recovery, and it complements either item choice well. Life Orb gives Parasect's attacks more sting, but it comes at the cost of reduced longevity. However, with Dry Skin (and possibly Synthesis) to make up for it, Life Orb is a decent option, though Leftovers is always the safer choice.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum Attack EVs and an Adamant nature are used, as Parasect needs all the power it can get. To give you an idea of how weak Parasect can be, even with max Attack, Parasect isn’t guaranteed to 2HKO a full-HP Milotic with Seed Bomb without Life Orb (factoring in Milotic's Leftovers). Due to this, Parasect really can't afford to sacrifice any of his investment in Attack. While you may feel tempted to invest the remaining EVs into Speed, it's really not worth it. Parasect is so slow that a heavy amount of investment is required to outspeed even slow, defensive Pokemon such as Registeel and Chansey, and, even then, it's hardly worth it since Parasect will rarely be able to muster a 2HKO on the aforementioned Pokemon. As such, the remaining EVs are placed into HP to boost Parasect's respectable bulk.</p>
<p>In addition to the numerous options that are presented on this set, there are a couple of other interesting choices that can be used. Return is Parasect's strongest option against Flying- and Fire-types, and it prevents Parasect from being utterly walled by the likes of Moltres and Blaziken. Stun Spore can be used over one of this set's coverage moves to slow down opposing Pokemon so that Parasect can actually outspeed them, but sacrificing coverage isn't good for this set, as this set relies on type coverage to deal damage due to Parasect's mediocre Attack stat. Aromatherapy is an option alongside Synthesis to create a self-reliant and fairly bulky mono-attacker. However, as stated before, sacrificing coverage really hurts Parasect in the long run. Lastly, Choice Band is a decent item choice, but Parasect really despises being locked into one of his heavily resisted STAB moves (or Spore, for that matter).</p>
<p>Since this Parasect's main prey are Water-, Grass-, and Ground-type Pokemon, Pokemon that have issues with these types complement this set well. Rhyperior, Aggron, and Blaziken are great examples of Pokemon who lure these types of Pokemon in, and they all pack resistances to some of Parasect's weaknesses. They're also all able to deal with bulky Steel-types, whom Parasect despises. In return, Parasect is able to take out Pokemon such as Lanturn and Donphan, whom the aforementioned powerhouses have issues with.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Rhyperior is a fantastic partner to Parasect, as he resists almost every type that Parasect is weak to, while Parasect resists most of Rhyperior’s lethal weaknesses. Rhyperior also is able to muscle through some bulky Pokemon who wall Parasect with ease, while Parasect can take out one of Rhyperior's counters with Spore. U-turn users are also great offensive partners, as they can help Parasect defeat bulky walls by slowly whittling down their health. Swellow and Scyther are the strongest users of the move, and are able to take down many of these walls after a couple of U-turns. However, these Pokemon share numerous weaknesses with Parasect, so some teammates are necessary to deal with said weaknesses. Water-types resist many of of Parasect's weaknesses, and generally have great synergy with him. Milotic is an excellent choice, as, depending on your team, she can be either offensively or defensively oriented, and will still complement Parasect either way.</p>
<p>Parasect will often cause switches thanks to the threat of Spore, so entry hazards are appreciated. Omastar is a great choice to set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes, as it's rather bulky, and Parasect resists the Grass-, Ground-, Fighting-, and Electric-type attacks that Omastar is weak to. However, Qwilfish, Registeel, Kabutops, and Donphan are great alternative choices to set up either Spikes or Stealth Rock. Speaking of entry hazards, Parasect also greatly enjoys Rapid Spin support, as Stealth Rock seriously hinders his ability to switch into common Pokemon; additionally, Parasect is also vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Blastoise, Donphan, Hitmontop, and Claydol are all excellent Rapid Spinners, and they all appreciate Parasect's ability to take on Pokemon whom they have issues with. Cleric and Wish support are also helpful, as Parasect can be rather prone to status, and Wish helps deal with residual damage. Clefable and Chansey are examples of Pokemon who can use both Wish and a status removing move. Meanwhile, Parasect can deal with the Choice Banded or Scarfed Fighting-types who can give these two Pokemon grief.</p>
<p>In terms of team styles, Parasect works best on balanced teams. While Parasect isn't really too terrible on offensive and stall teams, shortcomings such as his low Speed, large amount of weaknesses, and mediocrity when compared to other common Grass-types, such as Venusaur, are large hindrances to his usability. However, on balanced teams, Parasect will often have the ability to use his plethora of resistances and his other unique attributes with greater success than on the aforementioned team styles. This is because on balanced teams, Parasect's combination of bulk and offensive power can lend him a unique niche, while on the other styles, having both of these attributes isn't nearly as useful. It should also be noted that Parasect has a niche on Rain Dance teams, as his ability, Dry Skin, allows him to restore large amounts of HP each turn, and Parasect can also check Grass- and Electric-type Pokemon whom Rain Dance teams despise. Almost heart-wrenchingly, Parasect doesn't have access to Rain Dance himself, which prevents him from being a top-notch rain supporter.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Parasect's movepool, while not particularly diverse, does hold a few interesting options. Swords Dance, Agility, and Growth are all boosting moves that Parasect has access to, and he can use each of them with moderate success. Thanks to Parasect's respectable bulk and access to Spore, he doesn't have too many issues obtaining the boosts. However, in the case of Swords Dance and Growth, Parasect is simply far too slow and has too many common weaknesses to utilize these moves effectively, while with Agility, Parasect is too weak. If one uses Trick Room support alongside either Swords Dance or Growth though, Parasect has a much better chance at pulling off a successful sweep. In a similar vein, Screech is an interesting option to weaken the foe's Defense, and with Pursuit, Parasect can smack fleeing Pokemon for large amounts of damage. Unfortunately, like the aforementioned Swords Dance, Parasect is simply too slow to use this strategy effectively.</p>
<p>In terms of support options, Parasect has access to Aromatherapy, Knock Off, Light Screen, and Worry Seed. Aromatherapy can be used to clear status, and, thanks to Parasect's resistances and bulk, can be used with decent success. Sadly, Parasect often has trouble finding room for it. Knock Off is a great move that can remove key items from opposing Pokemon, but just like Aromatherapy, it's hard to fit it in on any of Parasect's sets. Light Screen can bolster Parasect's Special Defense further, and can be used alongside Counter to encourage foes to attack Parasect physically, allowing Parasect to respond with Counter. Worry Seed can remove important abilities from the opposing Pokemon, but changing the opponent's ability to Insomnia heavily clashes with Parasect's main weapon: Spore.</p>
[Counters]
<p>The main problem with countering Parasect is his ability to essentially remove one of his counters with Spore. Once Sleep Clause has been activated though, Parasect becomes much easier to deal with. RestTalkers such as Arcanine and Weezing can easily absorb Spore, and don't really fear being slept thanks to Sleep Talk. They also can easily threaten Parasect with their super effective STAB attacks. Alternatively, you can use a Pokemon with Vital Spirit or Insomnia to act as a decent switch-in to Parasect. Unfortunately, most of the Pokemon who have these two abilities are either frail enough to be overcome by Parasect's attacks or are weak to one of Parasect's STAB moves. Thus, out of the Pokemon who have these two abilities, Primeape and Noctowl are likely the best options to use against Parasect, as Noctowl is bulky enough to easily take Parasect's attacks while Primeape can threaten Parasect with Stone Edge, Ice Punch, or U-turn.</p>
<p>If you don't have either of these options, defensive Pokemon are decent switch-ins to Spore, since they should be bulky enough to survive being asleep for a couple of turns. Registeel is a prime example of this, since it's extremely bulky and resists almost all of Parasect's attacks. If Sleep Clause has been activated, Fire- and Flying-types easily wall Parasect. In particular, Swellow is perhaps the most dangerous out of this group, as he will often be burned or poisoned, granting him immunity to Stun Spore, and can easily shift the momentum in your team's favor with U-turn. Really, once Sleep Clause has been activated, any Pokemon who doesn't mind paralysis and resists Parasect's STABs will do just fine against him.</p>
