Sorry about this being late, got sidetracked by real life plus a project Im working on.
[Overview]
<p>Once only known as a joke Pokemon and a breeding machine, the Hidden Hollows have finally redeemed Ditto with access to its new amazing ability, Imposter. No longer does Ditto have to waste a turn using Transform, as Imposter does the work for the adorable pink amoeba the moment it switches in! Combine this with a Choice Scarf, and you have a dastardly little revenge killer that not only reveals the opponent's moveset to you, but also preys on offensive Dragons and sometimes even weakened sweepers to sweep on it's own!</p>
<p>It's not all sunshine and rainbows for Ditto though. Ditto's greatest strength ends up being its greatest weakness as well. While Ditto may be able to revenge Dragons and weakened sweepers like Mewtwo, defensive Pokemon will usually laugh at Ditto's attempts of sabotage. Even worse is Ditto's difficulty with revenging the many Calm Mind users of the Ubers metagame. These kind of flaws can make Ditto a gamble of a team slot at times, as Ditto's performance so greatly depends on the opponent's team. This doesn't mean Ditto is a bad Pokemon though, because if you are willing to take the gamble, there's a good chance that you'll walk away with all the poker chips on the table if you play the cards you are dealt with well!</p>
[Set]
name: Imposter
move 1: Transform
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Imposter
nature: Relaxed
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>By far the most important aspect of using Ditto is paying attention to Team Preview, and coming up with a plan to make Ditto as useful as possible, because Ditto's play style is so dependent on the opponent's team. For example, if you see that your opponent has a Darkrai, you have the option of leading with Ditto. Ditto's Choice Scarf means that it can outspeed and can give Focus Sash Darkrai a taste of its own medicine with Dark Void (unless you miss it of course)! While it may be tempting to lead with Ditto when you see a Deoxys-S, this is a very risky maneuver, because if Deoxys-S has Magic Coat, Ditto will lose. Ditto itself can help scout the team by revealing its moveset, so leading with Ditto can help when the opponent leads with an unpredictable Pokemon like Dialga.</p>
<p>Ditto's most common job is to revenge kill a variety of sweepers. Only attempt to revenge kill them though, because if Ditto switches in as the Pokemon sets up, Ditto won't get the boosts and is likely to lose! When it comes to revenge killing, the most obvious choices (in most cases) are the many offensive Dragons that infest the Ubers metagame. Just make sure that they aren't carrying a Choice Scarf, or else you will have a 50% chance of losing your Ditto! Ditto is particularly effective at revenge killing frail sweepers like Darkrai, Rayquaza, and Terrakion. For the more bulky sweepers like Mewtwo, Latias, and Normal Arceus, you shouldn't just switch in Ditto right away, or it's terrible HP stat and Choice Scarf will let it down. Generally, Ditto will only be useful against these kinds of bulky sweepers when using it on a very offensive team. The idea is to hit these bulky Pokemon as hard as possible while they set up, damaging them enough to the point where Ditto can turn the tables on the situation! Finally, in emergency situations, Ditto can revenge SmashPass recipients, a quality that few Pokemon share, and a useful quality for offensive teams.</p>
<p>When Ditto is unlucky enough to be facing a stall team, there are still some ways to salvage it. One strategy is to try and take out their Ghost-type. When the stall team loses their Ghost-type, then you can transform Ditto into their spinner, and get rid of their hazards. Additionally, when you really want Spikes up yourself, you can switch in on Ferrothorn or Skarmory to at least get one layer of Spikes up. Be warned though, the opponent can use this as a time to set up their Spikes too, so only do this when you think the extra damage Spikes cause will help you win the game.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>248 HP is the only important part of the EV spread here. This is so Ditto takes an odd amount of damage from entry hazards, allowing it to switch into Stealth Rock 8 times, and 3 layers of Spikes 4 times. The rest of the spread is here for two very situational reasons. The first reason is to make Ditto as slow as possible. This is because in a rare Ditto vs Ditto situation, the slowest Ditto will always win the Struggle war. The second reason is in the rare case that both Ditto and Genesect come out at the same time; Ditto's higher defense won't boost Genesect's U-turn. Don't worry too much about the IVs, nature, and EVs in this case if you have a cart, because the only important part to soft reset for when trying to catch a good Ditto in Black 2 and White 2's Hidden Hollows is an HP IV of 31 or 30.</p>
<p> As much as Ditto loathes facing a stall team, it actually fits on them pretty well. Ditto's role as a sort of emergency check that can cause a dramatic turnabout in a match makes it a fairly useful Pokemon on stall teams, especially for its Darkrai revenging potential. Stall teams in turn help out Ditto with their entry hazards. This way, when a worn down sweeper tries to cut through your team, Ditto is more likely to save the day than normal!</p>
<p>When it comes to specific teammates, Ditto doesn't really have much to name. There are 3 teammates in particular that stand out though. Genesect and Ditto can team up to become a fantastic scouting and revenge killing duo. Genesect can often scare out sweepers like Rayquaza, Darkrai, and Mewtwo, and then use U-turn as they switch out to Ditto to reveal the next Pokemon's moveset. Scizor is in a similar boat here, only it trades Genesect's Speed and coverage for Roost, Pursuit, and a strong Bullet Punch. Finally, Wobbuffet can be a fairly helpful teammate here. Wobbuffet can severely punish any sort of Pokemon that dares to set up, because now they'll be a free switch in for Ditto! However, many players will become even more paranoid about setting up than normal when they see both Wobbuffet and Ditto on the same team, so you can either use the opportunity to predict and crush the sweeper with Wobbuffet, or you can run Destiny Bond Wobbuffet if you are paranoid about predicting.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>The only things resembling an "other option" for Ditto using a different item than normal. Life Orb can give Ditto a much better chance at sweeping, but you will have to rely on a risky Speed tie unless you have a lot of paralysis or Wobbuffet support. Focus Sash can be a nasty surprise vs many of the Dragons, but hazards will ruin this strategy.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Because of Ditto's identity stealing nature, it doesn't have any traditional counters per se. However, there are plenty of ways to deal with Ditto. The most reliable way of making a mockery of Ditto is using a Pokemon with Calm Mind, as most Calm Mind users in Ubers will not be revenge killed by Ditto. This is especially true for Calm Mind Arceus, because Ditto doesn't copy the Judgment type. Also, any Pokemon that uses Substitute will ruin Ditto's chance of revenge killing them, as Substitute makes Imposter fail. Depending on the kind of Pokemon Ditto has transformed into, it can also be revenged by Wobbuffet. Finally, Ditto struggles to be effective against defensive Pokemon, as being locked into a Choice Scarf and having a measly base 48 HP makes it easy to take advantage of.</p>
[Overview]
<p>Once only known as a joke Pokemon and a breeding machine, the Hidden Hollows have finally redeemed Ditto with access to its new amazing ability, Imposter. No longer does Ditto have to waste a turn using Transform, as Imposter does the work for the adorable pink amoeba the moment it switches in! Combine this with a Choice Scarf, and you have a dastardly little revenge killer that not only reveals the opponent's moveset to you, but also preys on offensive Dragons and sometimes even weakened sweepers to sweep on it's own!</p>
<p>It's not all sunshine and rainbows for Ditto though. Ditto's greatest strength ends up being its greatest weakness as well. While Ditto may be able to revenge Dragons and weakened sweepers like Mewtwo, defensive Pokemon will usually laugh at Ditto's attempts of sabotage. Even worse is Ditto's difficulty with revenging the many Calm Mind users of the Ubers metagame. These kind of flaws can make Ditto a gamble of a team slot at times, as Ditto's performance so greatly depends on the opponent's team. This doesn't mean Ditto is a bad Pokemon though, because if you are willing to take the gamble, there's a good chance that you'll walk away with all the poker chips on the table if you play the cards you are dealt with well!</p>
[Set]
name: Imposter
move 1: Transform
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Imposter
nature: Relaxed
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>By far the most important aspect of using Ditto is paying attention to Team Preview, and coming up with a plan to make Ditto as useful as possible, because Ditto's play style is so dependent on the opponent's team. For example, if you see that your opponent has a Darkrai, you have the option of leading with Ditto. Ditto's Choice Scarf means that it can outspeed and can give Focus Sash Darkrai a taste of its own medicine with Dark Void (unless you miss it of course)! While it may be tempting to lead with Ditto when you see a Deoxys-S, this is a very risky maneuver, because if Deoxys-S has Magic Coat, Ditto will lose. Ditto itself can help scout the team by revealing its moveset, so leading with Ditto can help when the opponent leads with an unpredictable Pokemon like Dialga.</p>
<p>Ditto's most common job is to revenge kill a variety of sweepers. Only attempt to revenge kill them though, because if Ditto switches in as the Pokemon sets up, Ditto won't get the boosts and is likely to lose! When it comes to revenge killing, the most obvious choices (in most cases) are the many offensive Dragons that infest the Ubers metagame. Just make sure that they aren't carrying a Choice Scarf, or else you will have a 50% chance of losing your Ditto! Ditto is particularly effective at revenge killing frail sweepers like Darkrai, Rayquaza, and Terrakion. For the more bulky sweepers like Mewtwo, Latias, and Normal Arceus, you shouldn't just switch in Ditto right away, or it's terrible HP stat and Choice Scarf will let it down. Generally, Ditto will only be useful against these kinds of bulky sweepers when using it on a very offensive team. The idea is to hit these bulky Pokemon as hard as possible while they set up, damaging them enough to the point where Ditto can turn the tables on the situation! Finally, in emergency situations, Ditto can revenge SmashPass recipients, a quality that few Pokemon share, and a useful quality for offensive teams.</p>
<p>When Ditto is unlucky enough to be facing a stall team, there are still some ways to salvage it. One strategy is to try and take out their Ghost-type. When the stall team loses their Ghost-type, then you can transform Ditto into their spinner, and get rid of their hazards. Additionally, when you really want Spikes up yourself, you can switch in on Ferrothorn or Skarmory to at least get one layer of Spikes up. Be warned though, the opponent can use this as a time to set up their Spikes too, so only do this when you think the extra damage Spikes cause will help you win the game.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>248 HP is the only important part of the EV spread here. This is so Ditto takes an odd amount of damage from entry hazards, allowing it to switch into Stealth Rock 8 times, and 3 layers of Spikes 4 times. The rest of the spread is here for two very situational reasons. The first reason is to make Ditto as slow as possible. This is because in a rare Ditto vs Ditto situation, the slowest Ditto will always win the Struggle war. The second reason is in the rare case that both Ditto and Genesect come out at the same time; Ditto's higher defense won't boost Genesect's U-turn. Don't worry too much about the IVs, nature, and EVs in this case if you have a cart, because the only important part to soft reset for when trying to catch a good Ditto in Black 2 and White 2's Hidden Hollows is an HP IV of 31 or 30.</p>
<p> As much as Ditto loathes facing a stall team, it actually fits on them pretty well. Ditto's role as a sort of emergency check that can cause a dramatic turnabout in a match makes it a fairly useful Pokemon on stall teams, especially for its Darkrai revenging potential. Stall teams in turn help out Ditto with their entry hazards. This way, when a worn down sweeper tries to cut through your team, Ditto is more likely to save the day than normal!</p>
<p>When it comes to specific teammates, Ditto doesn't really have much to name. There are 3 teammates in particular that stand out though. Genesect and Ditto can team up to become a fantastic scouting and revenge killing duo. Genesect can often scare out sweepers like Rayquaza, Darkrai, and Mewtwo, and then use U-turn as they switch out to Ditto to reveal the next Pokemon's moveset. Scizor is in a similar boat here, only it trades Genesect's Speed and coverage for Roost, Pursuit, and a strong Bullet Punch. Finally, Wobbuffet can be a fairly helpful teammate here. Wobbuffet can severely punish any sort of Pokemon that dares to set up, because now they'll be a free switch in for Ditto! However, many players will become even more paranoid about setting up than normal when they see both Wobbuffet and Ditto on the same team, so you can either use the opportunity to predict and crush the sweeper with Wobbuffet, or you can run Destiny Bond Wobbuffet if you are paranoid about predicting.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>The only things resembling an "other option" for Ditto using a different item than normal. Life Orb can give Ditto a much better chance at sweeping, but you will have to rely on a risky Speed tie unless you have a lot of paralysis or Wobbuffet support. Focus Sash can be a nasty surprise vs many of the Dragons, but hazards will ruin this strategy.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Because of Ditto's identity stealing nature, it doesn't have any traditional counters per se. However, there are plenty of ways to deal with Ditto. The most reliable way of making a mockery of Ditto is using a Pokemon with Calm Mind, as most Calm Mind users in Ubers will not be revenge killed by Ditto. This is especially true for Calm Mind Arceus, because Ditto doesn't copy the Judgment type. Also, any Pokemon that uses Substitute will ruin Ditto's chance of revenge killing them, as Substitute makes Imposter fail. Depending on the kind of Pokemon Ditto has transformed into, it can also be revenged by Wobbuffet. Finally, Ditto struggles to be effective against defensive Pokemon, as being locked into a Choice Scarf and having a measly base 48 HP makes it easy to take advantage of.</p>