Drifloon (Analysis) [GP 2/2]

[Overview]

<p>Drifloon, like most Ghost-types, missed out on a whole slew of new moves. With Misdreavus hogging up the spotlight, and Gastly and even Duskull having better utility than it, Drifloon is often forgotten. However, it still retains a notable advantage over other Ghost-types with its ability, Unburden. It's a great ability that Drifloon can take advantage of, and the doubling in Speed could pave the way for a potential sweep.</p>

[SET]

name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Thunderbolt
item: Oran Berry
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 196 HP / 8 Def / 200 SpA / 8 SpD / 40 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Drifloon's best shot at attempting a sweep. The goal is simple: Substitute on a Pokemon that will usually switch out (such as a Choice item user locked into a Ground-type attack), then keep using Substitute until the Oran Berry activates. After it does, Drifloon should set up Calm Mind. Drifloon will now be at +1 Special Attack, +1 Special Defense, and +2 Speed at nearly full health. Shadow Ball and HP Fighting get perfect coverage, but Thunderbolt is more powerful in most cases. The EVs maximize HP and Special Attack while giving 1 point to Defense, Special Defense, and Speed.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Oran Berry is important because Drifloon's Speed will double after it triggers, and Drifloon will be back up to nearly full health. This set will lose against Stunky and Munchlax, because the former has access to priority in Sucker Punch and the latter has incredible Special Defense that can be boosted by Eviolite. In order to remedy that weakness, Fighting-types make good teammates, as they can easily cover Drifloon's weaknesses. Timburr stands out because of its high Attack and decent bulk, but other Fighting-types such as Mienfoo can perform well, too.</p>

[SET]

name: Lead
move 1: Trick
move 2: Destiny Bond / Explosion
move 3: Sucker Punch / Hypnosis
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 116 HP / 4 Def / 196 SpA / 4 SpD / 116 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set functions best as an anti-lead, since Drifloon can take out two or more Pokemon before it goes down. It can cripple leads with Trick and can take out another with Destiny Bond or Explosion, two great support moves. After using Trick, Drifloon hits 30 Speed, at worst tying with Choice Scarf Diglett, Voltorb, and Elekid—the fastest Pokemon in the metagame. Sucker Punch works great against revenge killers, since Drifloon will be able to outspeed and deal some damage before taking a blow. However, Hypnosis is a viable alternative, since it can incapacitate a potential counter. Finally, Shadow Ball is used in the last slot so that Drifloon does not become a total slave to Taunt users. Special Attack is maximized, while 116 Speed EVs is for 15 Speed; the rest of the EVs go into defenses.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Because, in most cases, Drifloon will use Trick on the first turn to give away its item, other Choice users will give this set a lot of trouble. Drifloon will be locked into using Trick for as long as it stays in. Choice Scarf Snover is an especially dangerous threat, as it will not mind getting Tricked the same item, and can easily OHKO Drifloon with STAB Blizzard. For teammates, defensive Pokemon that can take repeated attacks work well. Thick Fat Munchlax resists Blizzard, and can easily take out Snover with Fire Punch or trap it with Pursuit. For physical Choice users, Gligar is one of the best stops because it resists or is at least neutral to most common physical attacks, and can set up Stealth Rock or use Toxic.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Unfortunately, Drifloon does not have a lot of other options. Rain Dance is cool, but with all of the auto-weather Pokemon in Little Cup, it isn't very useful. Charge Beam is another way of boosting Drifloon's Special Attack, and provides additional super effective coverage on some other Pokemon. Drifloon can run a Focus Sash instead of a Choice Scarf on the lead set. It also has Will-O-Wisp for physical attackers lacking Guts, and can run Toxic to cripple walls such as Gligar, Munchlax, and non-Rest Lickitung. A Flight Gem with Acrobatics is also viable, since its Speed will also increase via Unburden whenever Drifloon loses its held item. In addition, Drifloon got another new move in Clear Smog, which does damage and eliminates any stat boosts accrued by the other Pokemon. A Focus Sash would be the best option for Clear Smog, so it can potentially get a Speed boost if the opponent is using priority. Finally, Drifloon can run a defensive RestTalk set, but it would become setup bait unless it also runs Clear Smog.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Drifloon has a fair set of hard counters, despite possible annoyances from Trick. Munchlax and Stunky perform very well against Drifloon, as they can sponge attacks and hit back with powerful super effective attacks. Sucker Punch users, such as Pawniard and Croagunk, are usually great against Drifloon unless it predicts and uses Substitute. Snover is absolutely great against the lead set because it doesn't mind being Tricked a Choice Scarf and can easily OHKO Drifloon with Blizzard. If Drifloon doesn't get its Unburden boost, it can easily be outsped and KOed by Pokemon such as Staryu, and Gligar having Stone Edge or Night Slash.</p>
 

SkyNet

MediEvil!
Last time I checked Petaya Berry was obtainable in-game, i'll have to re-check that one.
 
nope, thieving from game freak guy doesn't work due to mechanics change

where's hypnosis?

and baton pass

also, mention of toxic to beat munchlax, gligar, lickitung w/o rest, etc

clear smog is cool too

stockpile is too

needs moar dw section

talk about a defensive resttalk set and how missy does it better

mention some sucker punchers like komatana and croagunk

say how much speed floon gets before and after a +2 boost
 
Implement Darkamber8828's changes, and then it looks good.

QC Approved: 1/2
 
Deletions
Additions / Corrections
Comments


[Overview]
<p>Drifloon, like most Ghost-types, missed out on a whole slew of new moves. With Misdreavus hogging up the spotlight, and with Gastly and even Duskull having better utility than it, Drifloon is oft-forgot often forgotten. However, it still retains a notable advantage over the other Ghost-types in with its ability, Unburden. It's a great ability that Drifloon can take advantage of, and the doubling in Speed could pave the way for a potential sweep.</p>

[Set]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Thunderbolt
item: Oran Berry / Petaya Berry
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 196 HP / 8 Def / 200 SpA / 8 SpD / 40 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Drifloon's best shot at attempting a sweep. The goal is simple: Substitute on a Pokemon that will usually switch out (like a Choice Scarf Ground attack such as a Choice item user locked into a Ground-type attack), then keep using Substitute until the Oran Berry activates. After it does, Drifloon should set up Calm Mind. Drifloon will now be at +1 Special Attack, +1 Special Defense, and +2 Speed at nearly full health. Shadow Ball and HP Fighting get perfect coverage, but Thunderbolt is more powerful in most cases. The EVs maximize HP and Special Attack while giving 1 point to Defense, Special Defense, and Speed.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Oran Berry is important because Drifloon's Speed will double after it triggers, and Drifloon will be back up to nearly full health. Petaya Berry can work as well, but Drifloon can't heal itself and will be vulnerable to priority in Sucker Punch and Aqua Jet. In addition, this set will lose against Stunky and Munchlax, because the former has access to priority in Sucker Punch and the latter has incredible Special Defense that can be boosted by Eviolite. In order to remedy that weakness, Fighting-types are good teammates that, as they can easily cover Drifloon's weaknesses. Timburr is a standout stands out because of its high Attack and decent bulk, but other Fighting-types such as Mienfoo can perform well, too.</p>

[Set]
name: Lead
move 1: Trick
move 2: Destiny Bond / Explosion
move 3: Sucker Punch / Hypnosis
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 116 HP / 4 Def / 196 SpA / 4 SpD / 116 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set functions best as an anti-lead, since Drifloon can take out two or more Pokemon before it goes down. It can cripple leads with Trick and can take out another with Destiny Bond or Explosion, two great support moves. And After using Trick, Drifloon hits 30 Speed, at worst tying with Choice Scarf Diglett, Voltorb, and Elekid - the fastest Pokemon in the metagame. Sucker Punch works great against revenge killers, since it Drifloon will be able to outspeed and deal some damage before taking a blow. However, Hypnosis is a viable alternative, since it can incapacitate a potential counter. Finally, Shadow Ball is used in the last slot so that Drifloon does not become a total slave to Taunt users. Special Attack is maximized, while 116 Speed EVs is for 15 Speed; the rest of the EVs go into defenses.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Because, in most cases, Drifloon will use Trick on the first turn to give away its item, other Choice users Choiced Pokemon will give this set a lot of trouble. Drifloon will be locked into using Trick for as long as it stays in. Choice Scarf Snover is an especially dangerous threat, as it will not mind getting Tricked the same item, and can easily OHKO Drifloon with its STAB Blizzard. For teammates, defensive Pokemon that can take repeated attacks work well. Thick Fat Munchlax resists Blizzard, and can easily take out Snover with Fire Punch or can trap it with Pursuit. For physical Choice users, Gligar is one of the best stops because it resists or is at least neutral to the most common physical attacks, and can set up Stealth Rock or use Toxic.</p>

[Other Options]
<p>Unfortunately, Drifloon does not have a lot of other options. Rain Dance is cool, but with all of the auto-weather Pokemon in Little Cup, it isn't very useful. Charge Beam is another way of boosting its Drifloon's Special Attack, and provides additional super effective coverage on some other Pokemon. Drifloon can run a Focus Sash instead of a Choice Scarf on the lead set. It also has Will-O-Wisp for physical attackers lacking Guts, or it can and can run Toxic to cripple walls such as Gligar, Munchlax, and non-Rest Lickitung. Drifloon got a new move in Clear Smog, which does damage and eliminates any stat boosts accrued by the other Pokemon. A Focus Sash would be the best option for Clear Smog, so it can potentially get a Speed boost if the opponent is using priority. Finally, Drifloon can run a defensive RestTalk set, but it would become setup bait unless it also runs Clear Smog.</p>

[Counters]
<p>Drifloon has a fair set of hard counters, despite possible annoyances from Trick. Munchlax and Stunky perform very well against Drifloon, as they can sponge attacks and hit back with powerful super effective attacks. Sucker Punch users, such as Pawniard and Croagunk, are usually great against Drifloon unless it predicts and uses Substitute. Snover is absolutely great against the lead set because it doesn't mind being Tricked a Choice Scarf and can easily OHKO Drifloon with Blizzard. If Drifloon doesn't get its Unburden boost, it can easily be outsped and KOed by Pokemon such as Staryu, and Stone Edge or Night Slash Gligar having Stone Edge or Night Slash.</p>

[Dream World]
<p>Drifloon gets Flare Boost, which raises its Special Attack when burned. With a Flame Orb, Drifloon will always be at 1.5x Special Attack. Unfortunately, it can't get a boost in Speed from Unburden.</p>


Drifloon is so cute!



GP 1 / 2
 
Deletions
Additions/Corrections
(Comments)

I took out all mentions of Petaya Berry, which is still not available.

[Overview]

<p>Drifloon, like most Ghost-types, missed out on a whole slew of new moves. With Misdreavus hogging up the spotlight, and Gastly and even Duskull having better utility than it, Drifloon is often forgotten. However, it still retains a notable advantage over other Ghost-types with its ability, Unburden. It's a great ability that Drifloon can take advantage of, and the doubling in Speed could pave the way for a potential sweep.</p>

[SET]
(¶)
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
(backspace)
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Thunderbolt
item: Oran Berry / Petaya Berry
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 196 HP / 8 Def / 200 SpA / 8 SpD / 40 Spe

(backspace)
[SET COMMENTS]
(¶)
<p>This is Drifloon's best shot at attempting a sweep. The goal is simple: Substitute on a Pokemon that will usually switch out (such as a Choice item user locked into a Ground-type attack), then keep using Substitute until the Oran Berry activates. After it does, Drifloon should set up Calm Mind. Drifloon will now be at +1 Special Attack, +1 Special Defense, and +2 Speed at nearly full health. Shadow Ball and HP Fighting get perfect coverage, but Thunderbolt is more powerful in most cases. The EVs maximize HP and Special Attack while giving 1 point to Defense, Special Defense, and Speed.</p>

(backspace)
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
(¶)
<p>Oran Berry is important because Drifloon's Speed will double after it triggers, and Drifloon will be back up to nearly full health. Petaya Berry can work as well, but Drifloon can't heal itself and will be vulnerable to priority in Sucker Punch and Aqua Jet. In addition, This set will lose against Stunky and Munchlax, because the former has access to priority in Sucker Punch and the latter has incredible Special Defense that can be boosted by Eviolite. In order to remedy that weakness, Fighting-types are make good teammates, as they can easily cover Drifloon's weaknesses. Timburr stands out because of its high Attack and decent bulk, but other Fighting-types such as Mienfoo can perform well, too.</p>

[SET]
(¶)
name: Lead
(backspace)
move 1: Trick
move 2: Destiny Bond / Explosion
move 3: Sucker Punch / Hypnosis
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 116 HP / 4 Def / 196 SpA / 4 SpD / 116 Spe

(backspace)
[SET COMMENTS]
(¶)
<p>This set functions best as an anti-lead, since Drifloon can take out two or more Pokemon before it goes down. It can cripple leads with Trick and can take out another with Destiny Bond or Explosion, two great support moves. After using Trick, Drifloon hits 30 Speed, at worst tying with Choice Scarf Diglett, Voltorb, and Elekid—the (em dash) fastest Pokemon in the metagame. Sucker Punch works great against revenge killers, since Drifloon will be able to outspeed and deal some damage before taking a blow. However, Hypnosis is a viable alternative, since it can incapacitate a potential counter. Finally, Shadow Ball is used in the last slot so that Drifloon does not become a total slave to Taunt users. Special Attack is maximized, while 116 Speed EVs is for 15 Speed; the rest of the EVs go into defenses.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
(¶)
<p>Because, in most cases, Drifloon will use Trick on the first turn to give away its item, other Choice users will give this set a lot of trouble. Drifloon will be locked into using Trick for as long as it stays in. Choice Scarf Snover is an especially dangerous threat, as it will not mind getting Tricked the same item, and can easily OHKO Drifloon with STAB Blizzard. For teammates, defensive Pokemon that can take repeated attacks work well. Thick Fat Munchlax resists Blizzard, and can easily take out Snover with Fire Punch or trap it with Pursuit. For physical Choice users, Gligar is one of the best stops because it resists or is at least neutral to most common physical attacks, and can set up Stealth Rock or use Toxic.</p>

[Other Options]
(¶)
<p>Unfortunately, Drifloon does not have a lot of other options. Rain Dance is cool, but with all of the auto-weather Pokemon in Little Cup, it isn't very useful. Charge Beam is another way of boosting Drifloon's Special Attack, and provides additional super effective coverage on some other Pokemon. Drifloon can run a Focus Sash instead of a Choice Scarf on the lead set. It also has Will-O-Wisp for physical attackers lacking Guts, and can run Toxic to cripple walls such as Gligar, Munchlax, and non-Rest Lickitung. Drifloon got a new move in Clear Smog, which does damage and eliminates any stat boosts accrued by the other Pokemon. A Focus Sash would be the best option for Clear Smog, so it can potentially get a Speed boost if the opponent is using priority. Finally, Drifloon can run a defensive RestTalk set, but it would become setup bait unless it also runs Clear Smog.</p>

[Counters]
(¶)
<p>Drifloon has a fair set of hard counters, despite possible annoyances from Trick. Munchlax and Stunky perform very well against Drifloon, as they can sponge attacks and hit back with powerful super effective attacks. Sucker Punch users, such as Pawniard and Croagunk, are usually great against Drifloon unless it predicts and uses Substitute. Snover is absolutely great against the lead set because it doesn't mind being Tricked a Choice Scarf and can easily OHKO Drifloon with Blizzard. If Drifloon doesn't get its Unburden boost, it can easily be outsped and KOed by Pokemon such as Staryu, and Gligar having Stone Edge or Night Slash.</p>

[Dream World]
<p>Drifloon gets Flare Boost, which raises its Special Attack when burned. With a Flame Orb, Drifloon will always be at 1.5x Special Attack. Unfortunately, it can't get a boost in Speed from Unburden.</p>
(Drifloon's already been released so no section necessary...)


Looks nice! GP 2/2.
 
Pretty sure unburden doesn't activate when you trick a choice scarf away, though I could be wrong..
Spinda is correct:

Bulbapedia: "If there is no held item to begin with or if a held item is traded for another, Unburden will not be activated."

Serebii: "Speed is doubled once the held item is consumed."

Choice Scarf lead using trick would just allow them to out-speed and KO your lead.

Edit: It would work if, for whatever reason, your opponent was not holding an item. Maybe for use late game on a poke that had used up its focus sash or berry?
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top