[Overview]
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<p>Porygon2 is a solid, all-purpose wall to use on a team that needs, but can't afford to run, a large defensive core.
With Eviolite equipped When holding Eviolite, it is among some of the bulkiest
Pokémon Pokemon in the game, numerically surpassing the likes of
Lugia Ferrothorn and Jellicent (this is an OU analysis...). In addition to this,
it Porygon2 has an excellent ability in Trace, which allows it to switch with little fear into opponents carrying abilities
like such as Flash Fire, Water Absorb, and Volt Absorb,
who which are usually very powerful special attackers. Trace also allows Porygon2 to take advantage of
certain other abilities such as Levitate, Natural Cure, Intimidate, and Poison Heal. A workable 105 base Special Attack goes a long way in preventing Porygon2 from becoming a "sitting duck", taking attacks from the likes of Gliscor, Gyarados, and Salamence, and OHKOing or 2HKOing them back.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, this virtual duck suffers from several drawbacks that ultimately prevent it from taking the OU environment by storm. Lack of Leftovers recovery, low Speed, and shallow movepool mean that Porygon2 is relatively easy to overwhelm with multiple fast sweepers or with pure brute force from boosted attacks. All in all, Porygon2 is a jack of all trades when it comes to walling; its Normal typing is a double-edged sword, having only one weakness (to Fighting)
, (comma) but
also only one resistance only an immunity to Ghost (an immunity to Ghost). Porygon2 is a solid wall
who that certainly won't discriminate when it comes to walling offensive threats.</p>
<p>Porygon2 should
generally not be the main focus
or the starting point of a team
or the starting point of a new team; it is a "glue"
Pokémon Pokemon that turns momentum in its team's favor, and thus
it may not be suited for heavily defensive teams.
Due to lack of specialization, a more specialized Pokémon may be a better fit; make sure that the team needs Porygon2 to maximize its effectiveness. (everyone knows one should only use a Pokemon if the team needs it but I guess you can maintain this if you really want to)</p>
[SET]
name: General Wall
move 1: Discharge / Thunderbolt
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Toxic / Thunder Wave
move 4: Recover
item: Eviolite
ability: Trace
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
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<p>Porygon2 is an all-purpose defensive pivot
who that discriminates almost purely by numerical power. Depending on the EVs, it can go toe-to-toe with, or outright defeat, many offensive threats, such as Choice Band Scizor, Tyranitar, Gyarados, Salamence, Hydreigon, Gengar, and Garchomp. The "BoltBeam" combo is essential to maximize offensive presence and especially to deal with threats such as Gyarados and Gliscor in a timely manner. With Trace, Heatran, Jolteon, Chandelure, and Jellicent
(consider dropping this example as some sets carry Toxic and Taunt and those wall Porygon2 instead) are also walled. Porygon2's low Speed means that it should try to use Recover at any available opportunity to maximize the impact that it has on the match. The EV spread listed avoids a 2HKO from Salamence's Draco Meteor in sand, and the rest are dumped into HP and Defense to protect against the numerous physical threats in OU, surviving even
Life Orb Haxorus's
Dragon Dance Life Orb +1 Outrage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
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<p>Porygon2 has three main options for its support move; Toxic is a great option against defensive teams to cripple walls and Calm Mind users, but Thunder Wave is good against offensive teams for crippling switch-ins, creating better match-ups, and giving itself more breathing room to use Recover. Magic Coat is more of an anti-support move, reflecting opponents' status moves or entry hazards back at them. The EV spread can be altered for more specialization; for instance, 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpD Bold avoids a 2HKO from Life Orb Cloyster's Icicle Spear, while 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe Calm maximizes the probability of surviving through powerful special attacks such as Choice Specs Latios's Draco Meteor. Yet another option is 252 HP / 136 Def / 72 SpD / 48 Spe Bold to outrun Vaporeon and still avoid a 2HKO from unboosted Tyranitar's Superpower.</p>
<p>The best teammates for Porygon2
must have key immunities and resistances, especially to powerful Fighting-type moves and status moves. Notably, Bulk Up Conkeldurr's low Speed, high bulk, powerful Fighting-type STAB, and Guts
ability prevent
Porygon2 the Virtual Pokémon from doing much of anything to it.
Reuniclus is the best answer to Conkeldurr as its Psychic typing and abysmal Speed mean Conkeldurr (and Fighting-types in general) can't do much against it, thus being a great teammate. Jellicent is one of two Ghost-types with Recover, making it an effective sponge for Fighting-type moves, and it can also burn opponents for Porygon2;
however, it also has problems with Conkeldurr
, however. Offensive Ghost-types such as Gengar and Chandelure also benefit from Fighting-type moves aimed at Porygon2, though once again KOing a specially defensive Conkeldurr will prove difficult. Psychic-types such as Latias
, (remove comma) and Latios
, and Reuniclus can be of help as well.
Additionally, many physical attackers hate Jellicent and will greatly appreciate Trace Porygon2 switching into Scald. (you've already said this on the Set Comments section)</p>
<p>
Both entry Entry (nitpicking but you had "both" twice on the same sentence without any need) hazards and Rapid Spin are of huge help both for helping Porygon2 switch into attacks and for
damaging punishing the
switch-ins that switches Porygon2 forces. Forretress and Ferrothorn in particular can do both and attract Heatran
, (remove comma) and Chandelure,
thus providing many opportunities for Porygon2 to switch inand Water-type attackers in the latter's case (Ferrothorn doesn't attract Water-type Pokemon...). Another option is to use Espeon or Xatu, as their Magic Bounce ability means
that the opponent has to play around them to lay down their entry hazards. Alternatively, one can employ suicide leads such as Deoxys-S to lay down hazards quickly and repel early hazards from the opponent.</p>
<p>Powerful threats boosted by weather
, Choice Band, or Choice Specs or choiced Pokemon can surprise Porygon2 and threaten a 2HKO
when they otherwise wouldn't have, though often it is not guaranteed. Landorus,
Manaphy, (no need to comment) Kingdra, and Ludicolo are examples of weather sweepers who may be too much for Porygon2 to handle
, although the Drizzle + Swift Swim ban means the latter two aren't common sights anymore (nitpicking but this was written before Aldaron's proposal passed and they're very rare now so you may want to include Toxicroak that is a stapple on Rain teams now). Powerful Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp and Hydreigon, as well as Chlorophyll or Swift Swim
Pokémon Pokemon, can revenge kill offensive threats. Additionally, Ninetails and Politoed can alter the weather to help Porygon2 against certain threats with Fire- or Water-type moves, as well as negate sandstorm and hail
damage to prevent its HP from leaking. This kind of weather control also helps to mitigate the threat of Excadrill,
who which is immune to both Thunder Wave and Toxic and can thus set up with impunity. Excadrill itself can be an effective offensive partner that can switch into Thunder Wave and Toxic from walls, but the partnership is rather awkward since
Excadrill it thrives in sandstorm and Porygon2 is harmed by it.</p>
<p>Oddly, a
Pokémon Pokemon that can outrun opponents with certain abilities, such as
Chlorophyll (nitpicking but Venusaur only uses this ability so there's no need to say it, it's like saying Prankster Whimsicott) Venusaur or Jirachi, can be a valuable partner for Porygon2 for a different reason, namely with respect to its ability. In the event of a double switch, priority depends on the
Pokémon who Pokemon that are switching out; the faster Pokémon switches out first. This can be used to Porygon2's advantage; for instance, Jirachi lures in Poison Heal Gliscor, and at that point a poisoned Porygon2 is guaranteed to Trace Poison Heal if it switches in, even if Gliscor promptly switches out.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Recover
item: Eviolite
ability: Trace
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
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<p>Porygon2 is one of the best Trick Room users in the game due to its consistent bulk. Its low Speed becomes an advantage for this set, giving it much more offensive and defensive prowess. Trick Room itself allows powerful but slow attackers to become "fast" and attempt to sweep much more easily.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
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<p>As a bulky Trick Room user, Porygon2 should generally be preserved, not sacrificed, so that it can use Trick Room
again repeatedly. Its EV spread depends on the desired playstyle; the presented offensive spread is for leading or switching in after a teammate has been KOed, possibly right when Trick Room ends, and attempting to double as a "fast", bulky attacker,
while EV spreads mentioned for the previous set (with Relaxed or Sassy nature) (you can't say this because later other sets may be added and this sentence loses any meaning it may have) while bulkier EV spreads may be more appropriate if switching into an attack on the last Trick Room turn is needed.
As mentioned for the previous set, possible switch-ins to Porygon2 are fairly varied. Trick Room users who resist Fighting, such as
Slowbro, (it's a crime not to mention Slowbro here and mention Cresselia that has much less offensive presence and doesn't have reliable recovery) Dusclops, Cresselia, and Reuniclus, make great partners; Reuniclus in particular is a potent sweeper as well as a supporter in Trick Room. Excadrill is a particularly appealing sweeper to pair with Porygon2 because of
its ability to switch into the walls
that Porygon2 may attract, as it is immune to both Thunder Wave and Toxic. Ghost-type sweepers such as Chandelure are also appealing due to their increased ability to take on normally faster opponents in Trick Room.</p>
[Other Options]
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<p>As mentioned before, Porygon2's movepool leaves much to be desired, though it does have a few other options. Charge Beam is a notable option for an offensive Porygon2, but there are plenty of Calm Mind users
who do that
do it better. A Choice Specs set can incapacitate the majority of Porygon2's switch-ins with Trick, but outside of that it is literally a sitting duck and loses out on the defensive boosts from Eviolite. STAB Tri-Attack is an option but has poor two-move coverage, causing Porygon2 to be walled unnecessarily. Finally, Porygon2 is blessed with another great ability in Download, which can see some use especially on the Trick Room set, but Trace is so crucial to its countering utility that it's almost too good to pass up.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
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<p>Some threats are simply too powerful for Porygon2 to handle effectively due to sheer might on one of the offensive stats or having a powerful Fighting-type move. Lucario,
Blaziken, Infernape, Terrakion, Virizion, and weather sweepers can overwhelm the virtual duck through sheer force. It is also a sitting duck against Conkeldurr (especially Bulk Up variants) and Excadrill. Porygon2 is also very vulnerable to status from walls such as Chansey and Blissey; Toxic in particular shuts it down completely. However, one should be careful if using
Pokémon Pokemon such as Poison Heal Gliscor, as Porygon2 can find a way to switch into it and Trace Poison Heal. Remember that, in the event of a double switch, priority depends on the
Pokémon Pokemon who are switching out; the faster
Pokémon Pokemon switches out first.</p>
[Dream World]
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<p>Analyze is an interesting ability that directly exploits Porygon2's low Speed for a nearly guaranteed power boost with every attack, but it gels poorly with Thunder Wave and doesn't really fix any of Porygon2's problems enough.
Analyze It is still more reliable than Download, though.
</p>
