NU is a tier where many Pokemon are usable, and there are a ton of different options. Research Week aids in helping explore the tier, and is especially effective right now as NU is relatively balanced. Who knows, maybe in future tier changes one of these Pokemon can be incredibly useful, potentially being able to check the new threats well. Maybe one of these Pokemon may find uses in other tiers and is not just a simple throw-away Pokemon, unlike some unfortunate Pokemon in NU.
Some rules:
-Be open-minded, don't just say something is terrible and walk away; at least look into them and see what options they may be able to utilize!
-Feel free to theorymon, but make it clear that you are theorymon'ing. At the end of the week, however, I want discussion to move towards how useful the Pokemon actually are in NU, and what sets are effective on them.
-Just because an analysis has been done for a Pokemon doesn't mean there isn't more to explore; it's quite possible that something might have gone unnoticed or is missing.
-Do not post in this thread complaining about the Pokemon I choose and/or suggesting ones we should do for future weeks. I want discussion to stay on topic about the 4 Pokemon we are "researching". Feel free to VM / PM me these suggestions, but don't expect the next research week to have all the Pokemon you suggested, or any of them.
Anyways, the 4 Pokemon we will be looking into for this Research Week are:
: One of the most prominent sweepers in the days of RBY, Tauros still remains an excellent and often underrated offensive threat in the NU tier. Its base 110 Speed makes it one of the fastest attackers around, and when combined with excellent neutral coverage, a solid base 100 Attack stat, and two very usable abilities, it can be extremely difficult for opponents to respond to it with their own sweepers, forcing them into playing defensively. With Sheer Force, Tauros can hit extremely hard with the unusual Rock Climb, and doesn't take Life Orb damage when using most moves other than Earthquake. On the other hand, Intimidate lets Tauros switch into battle more easily than its competition, especially in combination with its above-average base 95 Defense stat.
: Although it's outclassed by Heracross in the upper tiers, Pinsir is one of the best physically inclined Bug-type attackers in NU due to its excellent coverage moves and respectable stats. Base 125 Attack, when combined with access to Swords Dance and the Mold Breaker ability, makes it an extremely potent wallbreaker, dealing with traditional defensive bulwarks such as Quagsire and Tangela with ease. Meanwhile, its base 85 Speed ensures that a Choice Band set is fast and strong enough to outspeed and KO many offensive responses in the tier, occasionally even with resisted attacks. Pinsir also boasts an unusually good movepool in comparison to its competition, with access to niche moves such as Close Combat and even Stealth Rock, which make it surprisingly versatile.
: One of Floatzel's defining aspects is its base 115 Speed, which lets it revenge kill many pokemon with a decently powerful STAB Waterfall, or a super effective coverage move. While it may lack inherent power, it can use the Choice Band exceptionally well to either break through offensive opponents, or to cripple defensive opponents in combination with Switcheroo. Floatzel also benefits significantly from the increasing popularity of Rain Dance teams, as in rainy conditions, Swift Swim will allow Floatzel to outspeed almost any pokemon even with an uninvested Speed stat. This lets it runs mixed attacks such as Ice Beam and Hidden Power Grass effectively, to break through traditional responses such as Tangela and Quagsire and to facilitate a sweep from another team mate.
: Like it's older cousin Weavile, Sneasel is incredibly fast, but lacks the power and STAB coverage to sweep with certainty. Don't let this discourage you from using it, however, as it can still deal with frustrating threats such as Haunter and Kadabra with incredible ease, outspeeding and KOing them with Choice Band Pursuit under most circumstances. STAB Ice Punch is also useful for dealing with the rare-but-dangerous Dragon-type pokemon in the tier, and Ice Shard can be used to bypass Sucker Punch from Golem and Absol. Don't think it can be walled by Probopass or Bastiodon either, as Low Kick destroys them utterly. With a Swords Dance set, it can also make an excellent late game cleaner once Choice Scarf users and other faster pokemon are removed.
(cheers to erisia for the descriptions!)
In order to participate in the challenge, simply post here with a brand new alt. Post battle logs, experiences with your team on the ladder, and generally how a Pokemon has worked out for you: past or present.
Don't forget you're not just limited to this topic to discuss these Pokemon, I encourage you to talk about them on the #neverused irc chat as well! At the end of the week I hope we can reach a general consensus on how good these Pokemon really are, and maybe we might find some interesting discoveries.
One person will get chosen as the Research Week Champion for this week. This will be decided by me; the person who ladders the most and contributes to the research week discussion the most will get temporary Half Op status on #neverused and they will potentially get a few other perks! Good luck all!
Crashinboombang won last research week (again) and retains his temporary HOP position. Please post more so he doesn't win again. ;-;
A few other things: I removed the alt list because it was useless (do post your alts still, though!), and I lowered the bronze and silver class requirements.
Also, sorry I didn't update the last thread.
Some rules:
-Be open-minded, don't just say something is terrible and walk away; at least look into them and see what options they may be able to utilize!
-Feel free to theorymon, but make it clear that you are theorymon'ing. At the end of the week, however, I want discussion to move towards how useful the Pokemon actually are in NU, and what sets are effective on them.
-Just because an analysis has been done for a Pokemon doesn't mean there isn't more to explore; it's quite possible that something might have gone unnoticed or is missing.
-Do not post in this thread complaining about the Pokemon I choose and/or suggesting ones we should do for future weeks. I want discussion to stay on topic about the 4 Pokemon we are "researching". Feel free to VM / PM me these suggestions, but don't expect the next research week to have all the Pokemon you suggested, or any of them.
Anyways, the 4 Pokemon we will be looking into for this Research Week are:
(cheers to erisia for the descriptions!)
The Research Week Challenge:
- Users will use any number of the research week mons on their team
- Users will attempt to reach as high as possible on the ladder with the Pokemon. Breaking past the 1400 mark on the ladder with your registered alt will earn you a spot on the Hall of Fame: Gold Class. Crossing the 1325 mark will secure you a Silver Class spot while a 1250 rating will earn you a Bronze Class spot. Post a screen-shot of your peak in order to achieve this, and a pastebin of your team.
- Users will be expected to post their experiences with the pokemon they use, the teams they used, the problems they encoutered while trying to make the said pokemon work.
- If a user does not participate in the discussion, he will be passed over.
In order to participate in the challenge, simply post here with a brand new alt. Post battle logs, experiences with your team on the ladder, and generally how a Pokemon has worked out for you: past or present.
Don't forget you're not just limited to this topic to discuss these Pokemon, I encourage you to talk about them on the #neverused irc chat as well! At the end of the week I hope we can reach a general consensus on how good these Pokemon really are, and maybe we might find some interesting discoveries.
One person will get chosen as the Research Week Champion for this week. This will be decided by me; the person who ladders the most and contributes to the research week discussion the most will get temporary Half Op status on #neverused and they will potentially get a few other perks! Good luck all!
Gold Class: 1400+
Silver Class: 1325-1399
Bronze Class: 1250-1324
Crashinboombang won last research week (again) and retains his temporary HOP position. Please post more so he doesn't win again. ;-;
A few other things: I removed the alt list because it was useless (do post your alts still, though!), and I lowered the bronze and silver class requirements.
Also, sorry I didn't update the last thread.
