Definitely did not casually steal this analysis from phoopes...
This has not been proofread yet so be aware of sudden changes shortly after after the initial post. Cheers!
Artwork was cut for being too big. It was getting annoying.
[OVERVIEW]
Dewgong’s main role in RBY UU is being the third-best purely bulky Water-type Pokemon. In terms of raw bulk, Vaporeon is simply the strongest choice. The second most prominent purely bulky Water-type Pokemon is Omastar, which holds on to relevance thanks to a resistance to Normal-type moves. Additionally, other Water-types with more diverse movepools, like Tentacruel and Poliwrath, also give Dewgong some competition.
The two main features that make Dewgong notable are its Ice typing and superior Speed relative to other Water-type Pokemon. Being an Ice-type gifts Dewgong an impressively strong STAB-boosted Blizzard. Despite Dewgong having a lower Special than its closest competitors, its Blizzard tends to deal more damage than anything they can throw out. Just a few significant calculations include a possible 3HKO against Hypno, a very likely 3HKO against Gyarados, a 2HKO on Kangaskhan, and a guaranteed OHKO against Dodrio and Dragonite. The Ice type also improves some of Dewgong’s specific matchups. Most notably, Dewgong is the hardest Articuno counter available, as it is uniquely 4x resistant to Blizzard, cannot be frozen, and forces Articuno to take heavy recoil damage over time from using Double-Edge. Dewgong’s Speed is a relevant advantage primarily because Dewgong is able to outspeed and pressure Hypno, which other Water-type Pokemon may struggle with. The Speed and freeze immunity also help Dewgong when it faces other bulky Water-type Pokemon, namely Vaporeon.
Despite these advantages, Dewgong is held back simply because its bulk is not as good as that of Vaporeon and Omastar. Poliwrath also largely surpasses it in physical bulk. Dewgong’s matchups against stronger attackers, both physical and special, simply do not compare to its competitors. As an example, Electabuzz will always 2HKO Dewgong with Thunderbolt but can only 3HKO Vaporeon. Dewgong does not have the longevity it needs; thus, it exists mainly as a niche pick, filling slots only on teams that truly demand its particular blend of strengths and can afford its shortcomings.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Surf / Ice Beam
move 3: Body Slam
move 4: Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
STAB Blizzard is one of the main reasons to use Dewgong. It is Dewgong’s strongest attack and deals remarkable damage to most non-resistant targets. Surf can hit a small pool of Pokemon harder than Blizzard and has near-perfect accuracy, which makes it a wise choice to finish off weakened targets. Ice Beam may seem redundant with Blizzard, but it can be useful in matchups against other Water-type Pokemon, for it gives Dewgong the potential to freeze them without wasting precious Blizzard PP. Body Slam is used to help spread paralysis; paralyzing common switch-ins like Tentacruel and Vaporeon can be quite useful long-term. Thanks to Dewgong's slightly higher Attack, itss Body Slam also does more damage than that of Vaporeon and Omastar. For reference, the move is likely to 3HKO Kadabra. Finally, Dewgong carries Rest to improve its longevity. While not quite as defensive as others, Dewgong can still attempt to use Rest and subsequently wake up in front of Water- and Ice-type Pokemon. Switching in amidst Wrap turns is another good option to potentially burn sleep turns.
Dewgong’s primary role is as a defensive piece. It can work as a mixed wall in a similar fashion to Vaporeon, albeit a frailer one, that can slow down offensive momentum from strong attackers like Dodrio, Persian, Kangaskhan, and, of course, Articuno. Dewgong has some offensive prowess as well. Dewgong is surprisingly good at breaking Hypno, as it outspeeds and can 3HKO with Blizzard. Likewise, most major attackers simply do not want to take STAB Blizzard. Generally, Dewgong is most valuable mid- to late-game. This way, Dewgong’s best matchup can be identified and it can be deployed accordingly. For example, it may be useful to determine if your opponent has an Articuno before you let Dewgong take on a physical attacker or attempt to freeze an opposing Water-type Pokemon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dewgong lacks significant other options. It has other physical options like Headbutt and Hyper Beam, the former of which may be useful on teams focused on spreading paralysis, but it lacks the offensive presence to take full advantage of these moves. Other Pokemon, like Poliwrath, have much better physical attacks at their disposal and the Attack stat to back them up.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Thunderbolt**: While every major Thunderbolt user in the tier is 3HKOed or better by Blizzard, Dewgong would prefer to avoid the interaction if it can. Electabuzz and Raichu claim 2HKOs with Thunderbolt and boast high critical hit ratios to make the move even scarier. Gyarados and Haunter can consistently 3HKO Dewgong, allowing them to easily revenge kill Dewgong or KO it while it is asleep. While it has no business switching in, Dragonite can also finish off a weakened Dewgong with Thunderbolt.
**Rock- and Fighting-type Moves**: Dewgong’s weakness to Rock-type moves is a small but noticeable disadvantage when comparing it to other Water-type Pokemon. While neither is likely to win a clean head-to-head interaction with Dewgong, Kangaskhan and Golem claim a possible 3HKO and guaranteed 2HKO, respectively, with Rock Slide. Dewgong also has more trouble switching into Dugtrio, as both Earthquake and Rock Slide deal significant damage. Fighting-type Pokemon and moves are very rare in RBY UU, but they still can give Dewgong some trouble when they appear. Poliwrath that carry Submission are the most notable threat, as they have an 87.1% chance to 2HKO Dewgong while taking very little from all of Dewgong’s moves.
**Partial-trapping Damage**: Due to its largely inferior bulk, Dewgong does not stomach chip damage, especially from Wrap, very well. Tentacruel and even Dragonite can use Wrap to gradually whittle down Dewgong’s health and quickly put it into range of most fast attackers. Dewgong is worse at taking Wrap and hoping for a miss than Vaporeon and especially Omastar. While Fire Spin is not particularly common, it is worth noting that Dewgong does not resist it and is thus not a reliable check to Fire-type Pokemon like Moltres.
**Venusaur**: Venusaur outspeeds Dewgong and can deal over 60% damage with Razor Leaf or put it to sleep with Sleep Powder. Blizzard is obviously a frightening prospect for Venusaur, but Venusaur is the best Dewgong revenge killer in the tier and can win one-on-one if necessary.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Volk, 530877]]
- Quality checked by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353], [phoopes, 96315]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Finland, 517429]]
This has not been proofread yet so be aware of sudden changes shortly after after the initial post. Cheers!
Artwork was cut for being too big. It was getting annoying.
[OVERVIEW]
Dewgong’s main role in RBY UU is being the third-best purely bulky Water-type Pokemon. In terms of raw bulk, Vaporeon is simply the strongest choice. The second most prominent purely bulky Water-type Pokemon is Omastar, which holds on to relevance thanks to a resistance to Normal-type moves. Additionally, other Water-types with more diverse movepools, like Tentacruel and Poliwrath, also give Dewgong some competition.
The two main features that make Dewgong notable are its Ice typing and superior Speed relative to other Water-type Pokemon. Being an Ice-type gifts Dewgong an impressively strong STAB-boosted Blizzard. Despite Dewgong having a lower Special than its closest competitors, its Blizzard tends to deal more damage than anything they can throw out. Just a few significant calculations include a possible 3HKO against Hypno, a very likely 3HKO against Gyarados, a 2HKO on Kangaskhan, and a guaranteed OHKO against Dodrio and Dragonite. The Ice type also improves some of Dewgong’s specific matchups. Most notably, Dewgong is the hardest Articuno counter available, as it is uniquely 4x resistant to Blizzard, cannot be frozen, and forces Articuno to take heavy recoil damage over time from using Double-Edge. Dewgong’s Speed is a relevant advantage primarily because Dewgong is able to outspeed and pressure Hypno, which other Water-type Pokemon may struggle with. The Speed and freeze immunity also help Dewgong when it faces other bulky Water-type Pokemon, namely Vaporeon.
Despite these advantages, Dewgong is held back simply because its bulk is not as good as that of Vaporeon and Omastar. Poliwrath also largely surpasses it in physical bulk. Dewgong’s matchups against stronger attackers, both physical and special, simply do not compare to its competitors. As an example, Electabuzz will always 2HKO Dewgong with Thunderbolt but can only 3HKO Vaporeon. Dewgong does not have the longevity it needs; thus, it exists mainly as a niche pick, filling slots only on teams that truly demand its particular blend of strengths and can afford its shortcomings.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Surf / Ice Beam
move 3: Body Slam
move 4: Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
STAB Blizzard is one of the main reasons to use Dewgong. It is Dewgong’s strongest attack and deals remarkable damage to most non-resistant targets. Surf can hit a small pool of Pokemon harder than Blizzard and has near-perfect accuracy, which makes it a wise choice to finish off weakened targets. Ice Beam may seem redundant with Blizzard, but it can be useful in matchups against other Water-type Pokemon, for it gives Dewgong the potential to freeze them without wasting precious Blizzard PP. Body Slam is used to help spread paralysis; paralyzing common switch-ins like Tentacruel and Vaporeon can be quite useful long-term. Thanks to Dewgong's slightly higher Attack, itss Body Slam also does more damage than that of Vaporeon and Omastar. For reference, the move is likely to 3HKO Kadabra. Finally, Dewgong carries Rest to improve its longevity. While not quite as defensive as others, Dewgong can still attempt to use Rest and subsequently wake up in front of Water- and Ice-type Pokemon. Switching in amidst Wrap turns is another good option to potentially burn sleep turns.
Dewgong’s primary role is as a defensive piece. It can work as a mixed wall in a similar fashion to Vaporeon, albeit a frailer one, that can slow down offensive momentum from strong attackers like Dodrio, Persian, Kangaskhan, and, of course, Articuno. Dewgong has some offensive prowess as well. Dewgong is surprisingly good at breaking Hypno, as it outspeeds and can 3HKO with Blizzard. Likewise, most major attackers simply do not want to take STAB Blizzard. Generally, Dewgong is most valuable mid- to late-game. This way, Dewgong’s best matchup can be identified and it can be deployed accordingly. For example, it may be useful to determine if your opponent has an Articuno before you let Dewgong take on a physical attacker or attempt to freeze an opposing Water-type Pokemon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dewgong lacks significant other options. It has other physical options like Headbutt and Hyper Beam, the former of which may be useful on teams focused on spreading paralysis, but it lacks the offensive presence to take full advantage of these moves. Other Pokemon, like Poliwrath, have much better physical attacks at their disposal and the Attack stat to back them up.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Thunderbolt**: While every major Thunderbolt user in the tier is 3HKOed or better by Blizzard, Dewgong would prefer to avoid the interaction if it can. Electabuzz and Raichu claim 2HKOs with Thunderbolt and boast high critical hit ratios to make the move even scarier. Gyarados and Haunter can consistently 3HKO Dewgong, allowing them to easily revenge kill Dewgong or KO it while it is asleep. While it has no business switching in, Dragonite can also finish off a weakened Dewgong with Thunderbolt.
**Rock- and Fighting-type Moves**: Dewgong’s weakness to Rock-type moves is a small but noticeable disadvantage when comparing it to other Water-type Pokemon. While neither is likely to win a clean head-to-head interaction with Dewgong, Kangaskhan and Golem claim a possible 3HKO and guaranteed 2HKO, respectively, with Rock Slide. Dewgong also has more trouble switching into Dugtrio, as both Earthquake and Rock Slide deal significant damage. Fighting-type Pokemon and moves are very rare in RBY UU, but they still can give Dewgong some trouble when they appear. Poliwrath that carry Submission are the most notable threat, as they have an 87.1% chance to 2HKO Dewgong while taking very little from all of Dewgong’s moves.
**Partial-trapping Damage**: Due to its largely inferior bulk, Dewgong does not stomach chip damage, especially from Wrap, very well. Tentacruel and even Dragonite can use Wrap to gradually whittle down Dewgong’s health and quickly put it into range of most fast attackers. Dewgong is worse at taking Wrap and hoping for a miss than Vaporeon and especially Omastar. While Fire Spin is not particularly common, it is worth noting that Dewgong does not resist it and is thus not a reliable check to Fire-type Pokemon like Moltres.
**Venusaur**: Venusaur outspeeds Dewgong and can deal over 60% damage with Razor Leaf or put it to sleep with Sleep Powder. Blizzard is obviously a frightening prospect for Venusaur, but Venusaur is the best Dewgong revenge killer in the tier and can win one-on-one if necessary.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Volk, 530877]]
- Quality checked by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353], [phoopes, 96315]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Finland, 517429]]
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