Seven Deadly Sins
~hallelujah~
With everyone freaking out about the new Dream World abilities for fully evolved Pokemon, a couple notable LC abilities have kinda fell by the wayside. Hopefully, this topic can shed a little light onto these missed abilities.
A NOTE: At this point, we have no reason to believe that Dream World abilities are legal with tutor moves or bred moves, including Level Up moves above Level 5.
I'll be arranging these by number, but i'm noting one very important one first.
Vulpix
Base Stats: 38 HP / 41 Atk / 40 Def / 50 SAtk / 65 SDef / 65 Spe
Notable Moves: Fire Blast, Energy Ball, Nitro Charge, Flamethrower, Overheat
Dream World Ability: Drought - Summons permanent Sunny Day effect upon switching in.
Comments: Since Politoed is evolved, Vulpix is the only weather changer we get here in LC. That said, even though its stats are middling, it can come in, fire off incredibly powerful double STAB Fire attacks, and even threaten a sweep with Nitro Charge (think fire-type charge beam for speed) / Fire Blast / Energy Ball / HP Rock or Ground. Very impressive, and possibly what it takes for Sun to level the playing field with Rain.
Now, on to the main event.
Bulbasaur
Base Stats: 45 HP / 49 Atk / 49 Def / 65 SAtk / 65 SDef / 45 Spe
Notable Moves: Solarbeam, Sludge Bomb, Energy Ball, Hidden Power
Dream World Ability: Chlorophyll - Doubles Speed during Sunny Day.
Comments: Kinda disappointing, really. No Seed Bomb for Swords Dance hijinks, less SAtk than Oddish, but a little more speed than Oddish and bulk than Bellsprout. Still decent, so might as well mention it.
Diglett
Base Stats: 10 HP / 55 Atk / 25 Def / 35 SAtk / 45 SDef / 95 Spe
Notable Moves: Earthquake, Rock Slide, Aerial Ace, Shadow Claw, Hidden Power (shit, why not, it's not like this silly SOB has any decent moves)
Dream World Ability: Sand Strength - During Sandstorm, Rock, Ground, and Steel moves have increased power.
Comments: No Sucker Punch, but at least this bolsters Diglett's middling power against opponents. Having a boosted QuakeSlide works well for it, and while it may lack Sucker Punch, it's still got Aerial Ace and Shadow Claw in a pinch.
Exeggcute
Base Stats: 60 HP / 40 Atk / 80 Def / 60 SAtk / 45 SDef / 40 Spe
Notable Moves: Energy Ball, Psychic, Hypnosis, Substitute, Sludge Bomb, Trick Room, Explosion, Reflect, Light Screen, Rest
Dream World Ability: Harvest - Berries can be reused within a single battle
Comments: Aw shit, we in the big leagues now. Oran Berry becomes a big fucking deal here, with basically 50% healing for free every turn as long as Exeggcute is below 50% HP. Or it can go with Lum Berry and Rest every turn. Either way, Exeggcute becomes ridiculously hard to take down, and its powerful attacks can shut down weaker attackers with ease. Substitute becomes even more important, since Recycled Oran can easily make up for Substitute's HP loss, and you need Houndour to fuck off (now more than ever... but we'll cover that later). Look to this to be one of the huge threats in Gen 5 LC.
Lickitung
Base Stats: 90 HP / 55 Atk / 75 Def / 60 SAtk / 75 SDef / 30 Spe
Notable Moves: Return, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Surf, Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, Earthquake, Rock Slide
Dream World Ability: Cloud Nine - Weather effects are disabled.
Comments: Not bad. Lickitung can act as an effective weather check with its massive bulk and insane coverage, and other than Power Whip and maybe Body Slam, nobody cares about Lickitung's level up movepool, tutor moves, or egg moves. With Vulpix, the buffs to Hail, and the new boosting abilities for Sandstorm, Cloud Nine is an even more important ability.
Houndour
Base Stats: 45 HP / 60 Atk / 30 Def / 80 SAtk / 50 SDef / 65 Spe
Notable Moves: Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, Nitro Charge, Hidden Power, Flamethrower, Overheat
Dream World Ability: Tension - Opponents cannot consume Berries
Comments: While Tension Houndour loses access to Sucker Punch, it gains the ability to smash through many defensive checks simply through brute force and the prevention of Oran Berry consumption. Basically, choose Flash Fire if you want to step on offense or Tension if you want to step on defense.
Treecko
Base Stats: 40 HP / 45 Atk / 35 Def / 65 SAtk / 55 SDef / 70 Spe
Notable Moves: Swords Dance, Return, Rock Slide, Brick Break, Substitute
Dream World Ability: Unburden - Speed is doubled when not holding an item
Comments: Since Treecko has an awful special movepool, might as well use its physical one. SubLiechi with Return / Brick Break or Rock Slide / Substitute / Swords Dance can amp up its speed, then sweep with Unburden and +3 Attack. If you can keep a sub, that's even better. Think a physical Drifloon.
Torchic
Base Stats: 45 HP / 60 Atk / 40 Def / 70 SAtk / 50 SDef / 45 Spe
Notable Moves: Swords Dance, Return, Rock Slide, Shadow Claw, Fire Blast, Flamethrower
Dream World Ability: Speed Boost - Speed +1 at end of every turn
Comments: Kinda like Treecko, but with a more passive speed boost. Again, unless you want your movepool to be Fire Blast / Flamethrower / Overheat / (insert some move here or something). At least with Swords Dance you can get decent coverage. Mixed attacking is possible as well, maybe something like Return / Rock Slide / Fire Blast / Swords Dance.
Cranidos
Base Stats: 67 HP / 125 Atk / 40 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef / 58 Spe
Notable Moves: Rock Polish, Swords Dance, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Flamethrower
Dream World Ability: Encourage - Moves with secondary effects do 50% more damage, but lose their secondary effect
Comments: Woohoo. Rock Slide with 12.5% more power than Stone Edge and 90% accuracy? Yes please. Also, you'll note that I listed the elemental beams. Despite 30 Special Attack, the e-beams now have 142.5 Base Power, making Mixed Cranidos actually viable!
So there you go, discuss away! Also, feel free to point out anything viable I missed, or any inaccuracies I may have dropped in.
A NOTE: At this point, we have no reason to believe that Dream World abilities are legal with tutor moves or bred moves, including Level Up moves above Level 5.
I'll be arranging these by number, but i'm noting one very important one first.
Vulpix
Base Stats: 38 HP / 41 Atk / 40 Def / 50 SAtk / 65 SDef / 65 Spe
Notable Moves: Fire Blast, Energy Ball, Nitro Charge, Flamethrower, Overheat
Dream World Ability: Drought - Summons permanent Sunny Day effect upon switching in.
Comments: Since Politoed is evolved, Vulpix is the only weather changer we get here in LC. That said, even though its stats are middling, it can come in, fire off incredibly powerful double STAB Fire attacks, and even threaten a sweep with Nitro Charge (think fire-type charge beam for speed) / Fire Blast / Energy Ball / HP Rock or Ground. Very impressive, and possibly what it takes for Sun to level the playing field with Rain.
Now, on to the main event.
Bulbasaur
Base Stats: 45 HP / 49 Atk / 49 Def / 65 SAtk / 65 SDef / 45 Spe
Notable Moves: Solarbeam, Sludge Bomb, Energy Ball, Hidden Power
Dream World Ability: Chlorophyll - Doubles Speed during Sunny Day.
Comments: Kinda disappointing, really. No Seed Bomb for Swords Dance hijinks, less SAtk than Oddish, but a little more speed than Oddish and bulk than Bellsprout. Still decent, so might as well mention it.
Diglett
Base Stats: 10 HP / 55 Atk / 25 Def / 35 SAtk / 45 SDef / 95 Spe
Notable Moves: Earthquake, Rock Slide, Aerial Ace, Shadow Claw, Hidden Power (shit, why not, it's not like this silly SOB has any decent moves)
Dream World Ability: Sand Strength - During Sandstorm, Rock, Ground, and Steel moves have increased power.
Comments: No Sucker Punch, but at least this bolsters Diglett's middling power against opponents. Having a boosted QuakeSlide works well for it, and while it may lack Sucker Punch, it's still got Aerial Ace and Shadow Claw in a pinch.
Exeggcute
Base Stats: 60 HP / 40 Atk / 80 Def / 60 SAtk / 45 SDef / 40 Spe
Notable Moves: Energy Ball, Psychic, Hypnosis, Substitute, Sludge Bomb, Trick Room, Explosion, Reflect, Light Screen, Rest
Dream World Ability: Harvest - Berries can be reused within a single battle
Comments: Aw shit, we in the big leagues now. Oran Berry becomes a big fucking deal here, with basically 50% healing for free every turn as long as Exeggcute is below 50% HP. Or it can go with Lum Berry and Rest every turn. Either way, Exeggcute becomes ridiculously hard to take down, and its powerful attacks can shut down weaker attackers with ease. Substitute becomes even more important, since Recycled Oran can easily make up for Substitute's HP loss, and you need Houndour to fuck off (now more than ever... but we'll cover that later). Look to this to be one of the huge threats in Gen 5 LC.
Lickitung
Base Stats: 90 HP / 55 Atk / 75 Def / 60 SAtk / 75 SDef / 30 Spe
Notable Moves: Return, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Surf, Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, Earthquake, Rock Slide
Dream World Ability: Cloud Nine - Weather effects are disabled.
Comments: Not bad. Lickitung can act as an effective weather check with its massive bulk and insane coverage, and other than Power Whip and maybe Body Slam, nobody cares about Lickitung's level up movepool, tutor moves, or egg moves. With Vulpix, the buffs to Hail, and the new boosting abilities for Sandstorm, Cloud Nine is an even more important ability.
Houndour
Base Stats: 45 HP / 60 Atk / 30 Def / 80 SAtk / 50 SDef / 65 Spe
Notable Moves: Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, Nitro Charge, Hidden Power, Flamethrower, Overheat
Dream World Ability: Tension - Opponents cannot consume Berries
Comments: While Tension Houndour loses access to Sucker Punch, it gains the ability to smash through many defensive checks simply through brute force and the prevention of Oran Berry consumption. Basically, choose Flash Fire if you want to step on offense or Tension if you want to step on defense.
Treecko
Base Stats: 40 HP / 45 Atk / 35 Def / 65 SAtk / 55 SDef / 70 Spe
Notable Moves: Swords Dance, Return, Rock Slide, Brick Break, Substitute
Dream World Ability: Unburden - Speed is doubled when not holding an item
Comments: Since Treecko has an awful special movepool, might as well use its physical one. SubLiechi with Return / Brick Break or Rock Slide / Substitute / Swords Dance can amp up its speed, then sweep with Unburden and +3 Attack. If you can keep a sub, that's even better. Think a physical Drifloon.
Torchic
Base Stats: 45 HP / 60 Atk / 40 Def / 70 SAtk / 50 SDef / 45 Spe
Notable Moves: Swords Dance, Return, Rock Slide, Shadow Claw, Fire Blast, Flamethrower
Dream World Ability: Speed Boost - Speed +1 at end of every turn
Comments: Kinda like Treecko, but with a more passive speed boost. Again, unless you want your movepool to be Fire Blast / Flamethrower / Overheat / (insert some move here or something). At least with Swords Dance you can get decent coverage. Mixed attacking is possible as well, maybe something like Return / Rock Slide / Fire Blast / Swords Dance.
Cranidos
Base Stats: 67 HP / 125 Atk / 40 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef / 58 Spe
Notable Moves: Rock Polish, Swords Dance, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Flamethrower
Dream World Ability: Encourage - Moves with secondary effects do 50% more damage, but lose their secondary effect
Comments: Woohoo. Rock Slide with 12.5% more power than Stone Edge and 90% accuracy? Yes please. Also, you'll note that I listed the elemental beams. Despite 30 Special Attack, the e-beams now have 142.5 Base Power, making Mixed Cranidos actually viable!
So there you go, discuss away! Also, feel free to point out anything viable I missed, or any inaccuracies I may have dropped in.