So the buzz in irc today was about the MANY, MANY normal types that inhabit the lowest usage-based tier (no surprises there I don't think) that are actually pretty good! NU has more good normal types than any other type and we all felt that they weren't getting a lot of attention (along with this subforum) so hence I was urged to post this thread! Feel free to post good sets, favorite mons, good combinations (they're probably a few since they all the same counters), etc.
Oh, and birds are excluded since there's already a thread for those here. Don't be shy!
Offensive Normals
This guy is just 100% unadulterated badass. With a fantastic 100 ATK (that's on par with Samurott, mind you) and an astonishing 110 speed stat, there's just no reason NOT to use this guy! He comes fully equipped with two badass abilities- Intimidate, which turns his middling bulk into ridiculous bulk on the physical side, or Sheer Force, which boosts the power of Rock Climb, Rock Slide, Zen Headbutt, and negates Life Orb damage. Not to be trifled with! A pure offensive Lo set is good, but Brammi has used substitute + intimidate before to some success.
Granbull is also a very interesting mon, who plays like Intimidate Tauros- to an extent. With Thunder Wave, his mediocre speed stat becomes irrelevant, and he can fully abuse a massive 120 base attack stat and perfect Frustration / Crunch / Close Combat coverage. Intimidate makes him no slouch on the defensive end, either. A quick Feet set might be viable but I've never seen anybody go that way, I'd perceive it as one of his lesser options. He can even run a support set if you REALLY like being outclassed by Miltank (well except for Super Fang).
Ursaring can be very scary in the right hands. Base 130 attack is bad enough in its own right, but boosted by Guts this bear isn't winnie the pooh anymore. If he gets a SD boost... evacuate the women and children first. The Quick Feet + SD route is perhaps more common, though, as in one fell swoop you now sit at +2 atk, +1 spe, and are immune to status. The only thing stopping this guy is priority, and it better be strong because you don't want to be around if he survives!
Zangoose is an often forgotten 'mon of great strength. He has a good 90 base speed and 115 base attack that should not be ignored, and immunity isn't terrible as abilities go. The real thing to note is the SD / Frustration / Cloces Combat / Shadow Claw combination, which simply demolishes anything faster. He can run Substitute or Quick Attack to beat that irritating Sucker Punch, since really nothing is stopping this guy save faster mons. A very good 'mon to soften up the opponent for a sweep later, with just the right tools to cause some havoc in the early game.
xtra where are you ;_;
Slaking... needs no introduction. Yes, Truant blows, but beyond that crippling exterior lies a cuddly 160 base attack and 150 /100 / 65 defenses that just invite your opponent to ragequit! The very definition of a hit and run Pokemon, Slaking can incur hurt on your opponent that you would not wish upon your worst enemy, and he has the perfect normal / fighting / dark coverage to do so. The only issue is that prediction is paramount (for obvious reasons) in using Slaking, and you need a scarfer on hand in case something takes an opportunity to set up. That said, CB is probably your best option, since you're going to switch out most of the time anyway.
Raticate... so was amarillo off his meds, or is this thing actually useful? The answer is: yes. Raticate has terribad stats, but a few key things that seperate him from the pack. First, Guts. Okay, but a lot of things have guts, whats the point? With Sucker Punch and U-turn, he's a good utility pokemon. 97 speed could be a lot worse, and gets the jump on the various 95s like Jynx. He also has a cool factor I guess? Idk my advice when using this thing is, the best way to be a total jackass is to use Run Away Toxic Orb Raticate so WATCH OUT.
Is the hardest Pokemon to spell also the hardest to defeat? Kangy has a unique niche in the meta- being immune to attract gimmicks! (no not really). Scrappy is a fantastic ability that allows Kangy to muscle through Misdreavus with normal moves, a task not every 'mon can boast of. Alternative Early Bird isn't that bad in such a sleep infested meta, since kanga has the bulk to stick around. Kangy is probably one of the best sub punchers around, with good speed, bulk, and Scrappy, PLUS Sucker Punch to just really embarrass the opposition. The Priority is nice, too. If nothing else, a very difficult Pokemon to counter, and sure to give your opponent a headache.
The one, the only... we all know what this guy does, and that is BELLY DRUM + GLUTTONY + EXTREMESPEED. There is simply no other set, and with seed Bomb and Shadow Claw, he might even pull it off. You can't outpriority him thanks to a +2 priority extremespeed, and if he can survive turn 1 you have a problem on your hands. That said, even with these boosts he isn't the strongest guy in the neighborhood- a healthy steel type ought to do the trick in dealing with him. He is a mon that can absolutely sweep the unprepared opposition.
The mon I hate to use and hate to fight... Why you'd want to ladder with a mon that depends on 2-5 hit moves is beyond me, but he has some other traits that make him desirable I guess. The first is his sky-high speed stat of 115, one of the highest in the tier, that gives him a jump on nigh anything. With Tail Slap, Bullet Seed and Rock Blast, he can hit a lot of his "counters" super effectively like Golem or Rotom-s. As such, caution is paramount in dealing with this threat. Ghosts *coughmissycough* still wall this guy, but Natgeo uses substitute like a douche so WATCH OUT.
Sexiest Pokemon in the game? Gardevoir and she should have a cat fight... AAAeeenyway Lopunny basically has one thing going for it, and that's Klutz. With Klutz + Switcheroo, she can trick a variety of items on to you without you even having a clue so as to what they might be- a scarf or a flame orb could cripple a sweeper or a wall, or... well, its usually a scarf or a flame orb. It has several other more annoying options, like a fast Encore to make your set up sweepers cry; Thunder Wave, to provide paralysis support for some slower members, and even Magic Coat for those stupid spikes leads (here's looking at you, Glalie). You could use healing wish if that floats your boat. Definitely a mon worth exploring!
Truthfully I've never seen an exploud but he has a few niches I guess. For the most part, he's outclassed by other normals, but I think that Soundproof makes him viable. Whirlwind is veeeery scarce, and the only phazing move in the tier is NU. This makes him a very good baton pass recipient. He has a very rich movepool, with Normal, ground, and dark coverage. Aside from that, you have other options (I think anyway).
Despite his defensively leaning stats Vigoroth is in essence an offensive Pokemon, using his massive bulk to manhandle the opposition. His Bulk Up set can abuse his sizable speed and good initial defense and just plow through the opposition, while his stall breaker set will just give anybody a headache (Taunt / Toxic / Frustration / Slack Off). One also shouldn't forget Vital Spirit, which makes him useful in dealing with those annoying sleep powders or spores.
Persian doesn't have too much going for it, but it has its uses. With Technician and absolutely blazing speed, Persian makes for a good lead, with Fake Out and Bite both receiving boosts. It also has access to U-turn and Taunt, allowing you to grab and maintain momentum as a lead.
Almost a carbon copy of the above, but
Stantler's best claim to fame lies in Sap Sipper. With this, he is effectively immune to sleep moves (unless people really are using Sing Wigglytuff 9.9) and can pummel most grass types in the tier with an increased attack stat. Obviously Miltank can run the above, but Stantler has a sizable attack stat of 95 and can use Sucker Punch, Megahorn, or even a Parafusion set in a way that Miltank cannot. I personally find him best as a CB Pokemon, with priority and a powerful bug move to beat Tangela.
Defensive Normals thankfully this section is a lot shorter...
The ugliest evolution ever added, bar NONE. Licklicky actually has a lot going for it, with some of the highest non-eviolite defenses in the meta at 115 / 95 / 95. Lickilicky makes a great special wall, with reliable recovery, wish passing (and high HP to accompany it!), phazing in Dragon Tail, and reliable STAB. With Cloud Nine, it can help you out immensely against the rare weather team, or you could just count on the stupidity of your opponents and go for on the other abilities. The only issue is that he's walled by everything that ought to wall a normal type, but with Dragon Tail he at least won't become set up fodder.
Audino is in comparison, the CUTEST little elephant (BAN ME PLEASE) ever, but she faces a lot of competition from lickilicky. Lower overall defenses and HP make her a lesser wall and wish passer, but she has a few things going for her. With Regenerator and Heal Bell, it's a lot easier for her to stay alive and support her team as long as possible. She can even use Dual Screens to help a sweeper set up, and then use Healing Wish to let him rampage a second time should you wish. Generally, thoughm you'll be better off with Lickilicky, who has phazing, more attack, and can OHKO Gorebyss with power whip if you're a (BAN ME PLEASE) like that.
Miltank is really an underrated mon. With thick fat, it's one of the few good checks to magmortar in the meta, and can abuse Heal Bell, Curse, Stealth Rock and Milk Drink (which is somehow more annoying than any other recovery move). It can even use Sap sipper to annoy grasses wanting you put you to sleep! It's offensive prowess ought not be ignored, however- it has a surprisingly solid 100 base speed, and with Scrappy can really lay some dents in the opposition, setting up on misdreavus rather than the other way around. Overall a very interesting mon worth researching![/IMG]Again, feel free to discuss sets, preferences, combinations, etc.
Regigigas, despite his inhuman attack stat, is really a defensive Pokemon. Until Slow Start wears off, his main purpose is to stall out time, which is inherently the goal of a defensive Pokemon anyway. You can even just ignore Slow Start and abuse his defenses to run Thunder Wave, Knock Off, and stuff like that. If you run an offensive set and you manage to shake off Slow Start, you're dealing with a monster.
What are the advantages of Wigglytuff? Few. As a "pink blob", he's mostly outclassed by Lickilicky and Audino, but he has Stealth Rock, which can prove useful. He also has "a usable 75 base special attack stat" so you can actually hit the things you're supposed to wall. By and large, however, you have better available options.
It would be wrong to say that Keckleon is outclassed by anyone since he's so unique. Thanks to Color Change, his typing is "anything but normal", and lets him serve as a good check to several water type sweepers, electric type sweepers, and such like. You still have to be cautious of Absol or Grass/poison types since those can give you the blues. His niche is further enhances by a lovely support movepool, with Stealth Rock, Recover, Knock Off and Thunder Wave. Not a bad Pokemon by any means.
Can't see I've seen too many Porygons either but he can't be terrible! With Eviolite his defenses are sizable and with two unique abilities, Trace and Download, he can serve either as a niche check to annoying pokemon or as a strong attacker. Either way, I don't find him particularly useful but eh. You can't ignore Recover or Thunder Wave, I suppose.
Togetic is a... weird Pokemon. As a support Pokemon, she is largely outclassed- despite access to Heal Bell, Encore and Roost, her crippling Stealth Rock weakness, lack of Leftovers recovery, and low HP stat make her underwhelming. Really, Togetic shines as a Nasty Plot pass, one of the few mons that can pull this off (even though Volbeat has Tail Glow pass :P). The surprise value associated with such a Pokemon means you'll often get a pass off at least once, and when passed to the right mon a simple +2 can be devastating.
