Resource ORAS OU Simple Questions, Simple Answers (Read the OP First!)

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Is there a particular reason why Smogon refrains from issuing complex bans? My guess is that having complex bans would make the competitive scene less accessible, but I could be totally wrong.
One problem with complex bans is the fact that you can do quite a bit to keep Pokemon in OU. For example, you could say that Deoxys-D is fine in OU as long as it doesn't run Spikes, Stealth Rock, Calm Mind, or Recover. You could have an even longer list of illegal things for Arceus. Drizzle+Swift Swim was the exception because the alternatives were banning Drizzle/Politoed (which would kill Rain as a strategy), Swift Swim (which would have killed Rain Dance teams and might have outright banned Pokemon becasue SS was their only Ability), or Kingdra, Kabutops, and/or Ludicolo (which would have banned up to 3 Pokemon that weren't broken otherwise).

Oh, I thought Slowking counted as an evolution.
Nope. It's just a branched evolution of Slowpoke. (You wouldn't expect Umbreon to count as an evolution of Espeon, would you?)
 
What are some of the best ways to counter/check Greninja?

I want to keep using a Celebi/Heatran core but Greninja single-handedly mauls the combo now. I'm thinking Scarf Rotom-A makes a good check, and completes the F/W/G, but is there anything else to deal with the Frog?
 

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One problem with complex bans is the fact that you can do quite a bit to keep Pokemon in OU. For example, you could say that Deoxys-D is fine in OU as long as it doesn't run Spikes, Stealth Rock, Calm Mind, or Recover. You could have an even longer list of illegal things for Arceus. Drizzle+Swift Swim was the exception because the alternatives were banning Drizzle/Politoed (which would kill Rain as a strategy), Swift Swim (which would have killed Rain Dance teams and might have outright banned Pokemon becasue SS was their only Ability), or Kingdra, Kabutops, and/or Ludicolo (which would have banned up to 3 Pokemon that weren't broken otherwise).
I suppose that makes sense, but that Deoxys-D example seems a little outlandish; if the only way to keep Deoxys-D in OU is to prohibit use of all its selling points, it's pretty clearly too powerful for OU. I'm also not implying that complex bans are meant for keeping broken Pokémon in OU by neutering them; rather, they would be used to limit the singular broken aspect of an otherwise reasonable Pokémon. I understand that concept can be quite nebulous, but I hope my meaning gets across adequately.

My question didn't necessarily point toward how complex bans can be abused, but rather why they're not used. Like, Speed Boost Blaziken has been declared Uber multiple times now, and I can definitely understand the rational behind banning it from standard play, but Blaziken without Speed Boost is still a usable Pokémon. It just makes me wonder why it's more preferable to ban Blaziken entirely (and remove the possibility of using it in lower tiers) rather than just declare Blaziken + Speed Boost an illegal combination.

I'm not saying complex bans are our lord and savior or anything; I rather dislike them, in fact. I still believe, however, that a complex ban can sometimes be an overall simpler solution that more people are satisfied with.
 
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I suppose that makes sense, but that Deoxys-D example seems a little outlandish; if the only way to keep Deoxys-D in OU is to prohibit use of all its selling points, it's pretty clearly too powerful for OU. I'm also not implying that complex bans are meant for keeping broken Pokémon in OU by neutering them; rather, they would be used to limit the singular broken aspect of an otherwise reasonable Pokémon. I understand that concept can be quite nebulous, but I hope my meaning gets across adequately.

My question didn't necessarily point toward how complex bans can be abused, but rather why they're not used. Like, Speed Boost Blaziken has been declared Uber multiple times now, and I can definitely understand the rational behind banning it from standard play, but Blaziken without Speed Boost is still a usable Pokémon. It just makes me wonder why it's more preferable to ban Blaziken entirely (and remove the possibility of using it in lower tiers) rather than just declare Blaziken + Speed Boost an illegal combination.

I'm not saying complex bans are our lord and savior or anything; I rather dislike them, in fact. I still believe, however, that a complex ban can sometimes be an overall simpler solution that more people are satisfied with.
Again, it comes down to this point. If we complex ban a moveset/ability on a mon, what's next? Why not ban Speed boost on Scolipede? Why not ban Psychic on Mewtwo? Why not ban Judgment on Arceus? Why not ban Magic Bounce on Espeon/Xatu to move them down a tier? Etc. Etc.

Smogon simply bans the mon (or moves them to the appropriate tier) because they review it as a whole. Sure, Blaziken is not broken without Speed Boost. However, as a whole, Blaziken with access to any move/ability (which includes Speed Boost) is broken. If you only ban one aspect of a mon to make it not banned, what's stopping people from banning moves/abilities on other mons to shift them to lower tiers?
 
Oh, I thought Slowking counted as an evolution.
Slowking is an evolution of Slowpoke, not of Slowbro.
If you already have seen them once online, then yes, after that you can find HA mons without the friend being online.
As a related question, can you catch Friend Safari Pokémon with their Hidden Ability before someone has completed the Elite Four and unlocked their third Pokémon? Because I've been online with nearly all of my friends at some point (and gotten their full portrait instead of the grey, blank face with a question mark that you get if you aren't online with them ever), and I have been trying over and over to get Hidden Abilities, but can't seem to get them from a 2 Pokémon Friend Safari. Is it restricted that way, or am I just incredibly unlucky?
 
As a related question, can you catch Friend Safari Pokémon with their Hidden Ability before someone has completed the Elite Four and unlocked their third Pokémon? Because I've been online with nearly all of my friends at some point (and gotten their full portrait instead of the grey, blank face with a question mark that you get if you aren't online with them ever), and I have been trying over and over to get Hidden Abilities, but can't seem to get them from a 2 Pokémon Friend Safari. Is it restricted that way, or am I just incredibly unlucky?
Even if you have met a person online, if they have not beaten the Elite 4 and unlocked the third mon in the Friend Safari, HAs will not be unlocked.

You MUST have the friend beat the Elite 4 AND have them online once (to update that fact) to have HA mons appear.
 
Even if you have met a person online, if they have not beaten the Elite 4 and unlocked the third mon in the Friend Safari, HAs will not be unlocked.

You MUST have the friend beat the Elite 4 AND have them online once (to update that fact) to have HA mons appear.
Thanks. I wish I'd known this something like 4 gameplay hours ago, before I was trying to catch a HA Sandshrew from a Friend's 2-Pokémon Safari, but I appreciate it all the same.

Kind of a shame, getting the Pokémon you want is a lot easier when the odds are reduced to 50%. I have seen so many Safaris where I get two over and over, but it takes such a long time to get the one I want.

Now if only I could get some clear testing on how the Friend Safari reacts to changing 3DS systems.
 
Is it possible to change a Pokèmon's Hidden Ability to one of its' regular abilities using Ability Capsule? Like for example, a Croagunk switching from Poison Touch to Dry Skin?
 
Is it possible to change a Pokèmon's Hidden Ability to one of its' regular abilities using Ability Capsule? Like for example, a Croagunk switching from Poison Touch to Dry Skin?
Ability Capsules can change a HA to one of the mon's regular abilities, or switch between either one of a mon's regular abilities if it has 2.

It cannot, however, change a non-HA to an HA.
 
Ability Capsules can change a HA to one of the mon's regular abilities, or switch between either one of a mon's regular abilities if it has 2.

It cannot, however, change a non-HA to an HA.
So if I change my Croagunk's ability from Poison Touch to Dry Skin, will I be able to switch back to Poison Touch if I so wish to? And makes sense about the 'not being able to change non-HA to HA' thing, the ability to do that would be a bit cheap.
 
So if I change my Croagunk's ability from Poison Touch to Dry Skin, will I be able to switch back to Poison Touch if I so wish to? And makes sense about the 'not being able to change non-HA to HA' thing, the ability to do that would be a bit cheap.
At 200 BP, the ability to do that would be extremely, extremely expensive.
Honestly, without the ability to unlock Hidden Abilities, the Capsule is a massive waste. It's easier and faster to breed for a new ability than to pick up a Capsule.

Also, I heard that you cannot change a Hidden Ability with an Ability Capsule at all, that you can't change out of it, either. I'd love some confirmation that you can.
 
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