We've all been there - you've seen Pokémon that everyone says is amazing, and that have been used very successfully against you in the past. You promise yourself that you'll build your next team around it; but when you actually use it, it always seems to fall flat. Perhaps it's more difficult to switch in than you hoped, maybe its power is underwhelming, or it could be fodder for too many things. Either way, I think we've all met one of these before - in the same way people really grow attached to certain Pokémon they find easy to use or offer a high reward, people shun Pokémon they struggle with. What Pokémon can you just not seem to get to work the way you want to?
Note that these aren't necessarily things that are bad in the current metagame. Specifically, these are the Pokémon that you personally find difficult to use for some reason or another, despite understanding what makes them good.
Here's three Pokémon I've found incredibly frustrating to use throughout the 5th generation:
Forretress has always been something that I've hated with a passion since I started competitive battling in early D/P. Not because it was bad, but because I could just never seem to get anything out of it. Since the dawn of B/W, that hasn't changed much, if at all. It has two key roles - setting hazards and spinning. The biggest problem I've found is that Forretress isn't particularly good at doing either. It costs you so much momentum on non-stall teams - setting up Spikes is just a cue for all kinds of nasty things like SubCM Jirachi to come in and set up all over you. Volt Switch sort of mitigates this, but every time you use it is another turn you're not setting up hazards. It also sucks at spinning as it can't even tickle any of the common defensive spin blockers without Toxic (which is a wasted moveslot imo). The other issue is that I have to invest heavily in Sp. Defense if I want Forretress to be able to tank things like Draco Meteors and Shadow Balls - but by doing so, it struggles to withstand strong physical hits - most high BP physical attacks will 2HKO you without Defense investment. Also, most of the time I'd much rather be using Skarmory, due to having a Ground immunity, reliable recovery and Whirlwind, but due to team building constraints (i.e. I need a spinner), I have no choice. ;__;
Reuniclus is probably the best example of something that I loathe to face yet can't stand to use. Pretty much every time I've ever tried to ladder with a defensive team, my opponent has brought CM Reuniclus. It is an absolute nightmare for stall to deal with, even if I run Scarf Tyranitar. However, every time I've used it, it just gets flat out 2HKOd by something it can't boost quickly enough to threaten (e.g. Specs Hydro Pumps, Sand Force boosted Earthquake from Landorus, Specs Hurricane, CB U-turn etc). Likewise, the OTR set has cleaned up my offensive teams, yet I've never been able to sweep with it - the biggest dilemma comes down to whether or not to stick with Psychic/Shadow Ball/Focus Blast, or forego something to run HP [Fire] to deal with Scizor/Genesect. I'm never satisfied with the decision I make, and come out of battles wishing I had chosen the other move. Also, anyone who has every played R/B/Y knows that misses come at the worst possible times; fuck Focus Miss. With it being harder to set up safely now as well due to the blitzkrieg offensive nature of the metagame since the release of BW2, I just can't see myself using Reuniclus anytime soon.
Thundurus-T is a much more recent example, but it just pains me so much that everyone else seems to be having so much success with it, yet it does absolutely nothing for me. This mainly down to the fact that it can't switch in on much - the Electric/Ground immunities are nice but they're always paired with Ice moves. Its Stealth Rock weakness puts quite a big timer on it, which is annoying when you consider it often has to make use of Volt Switch. Its frailty, exacerbated by its SR weakness, combined with its slightly-above-average Speed makes it very difficult to set up, and LO recoil makes short work of it when it does manage to get a boost. Its Speed tier is definitely the most annoying thing about it though - every common offensive 'mon can revenge kill it if it doesn't run Agility, and even if it does it has to contend with the ubiquitous Mamoswine and its fearsome LO Ice Shard.
Go ahead, share your woes. This is more than just a thread to rant in though - I'm encouraging you guys to be constructive. If you're having trouble using a particular Pokémon, you can post here looking for advice on how to use it more effectively.
Note that these aren't necessarily things that are bad in the current metagame. Specifically, these are the Pokémon that you personally find difficult to use for some reason or another, despite understanding what makes them good.
Here's three Pokémon I've found incredibly frustrating to use throughout the 5th generation:
Forretress has always been something that I've hated with a passion since I started competitive battling in early D/P. Not because it was bad, but because I could just never seem to get anything out of it. Since the dawn of B/W, that hasn't changed much, if at all. It has two key roles - setting hazards and spinning. The biggest problem I've found is that Forretress isn't particularly good at doing either. It costs you so much momentum on non-stall teams - setting up Spikes is just a cue for all kinds of nasty things like SubCM Jirachi to come in and set up all over you. Volt Switch sort of mitigates this, but every time you use it is another turn you're not setting up hazards. It also sucks at spinning as it can't even tickle any of the common defensive spin blockers without Toxic (which is a wasted moveslot imo). The other issue is that I have to invest heavily in Sp. Defense if I want Forretress to be able to tank things like Draco Meteors and Shadow Balls - but by doing so, it struggles to withstand strong physical hits - most high BP physical attacks will 2HKO you without Defense investment. Also, most of the time I'd much rather be using Skarmory, due to having a Ground immunity, reliable recovery and Whirlwind, but due to team building constraints (i.e. I need a spinner), I have no choice. ;__;
Reuniclus is probably the best example of something that I loathe to face yet can't stand to use. Pretty much every time I've ever tried to ladder with a defensive team, my opponent has brought CM Reuniclus. It is an absolute nightmare for stall to deal with, even if I run Scarf Tyranitar. However, every time I've used it, it just gets flat out 2HKOd by something it can't boost quickly enough to threaten (e.g. Specs Hydro Pumps, Sand Force boosted Earthquake from Landorus, Specs Hurricane, CB U-turn etc). Likewise, the OTR set has cleaned up my offensive teams, yet I've never been able to sweep with it - the biggest dilemma comes down to whether or not to stick with Psychic/Shadow Ball/Focus Blast, or forego something to run HP [Fire] to deal with Scizor/Genesect. I'm never satisfied with the decision I make, and come out of battles wishing I had chosen the other move. Also, anyone who has every played R/B/Y knows that misses come at the worst possible times; fuck Focus Miss. With it being harder to set up safely now as well due to the blitzkrieg offensive nature of the metagame since the release of BW2, I just can't see myself using Reuniclus anytime soon.
Thundurus-T is a much more recent example, but it just pains me so much that everyone else seems to be having so much success with it, yet it does absolutely nothing for me. This mainly down to the fact that it can't switch in on much - the Electric/Ground immunities are nice but they're always paired with Ice moves. Its Stealth Rock weakness puts quite a big timer on it, which is annoying when you consider it often has to make use of Volt Switch. Its frailty, exacerbated by its SR weakness, combined with its slightly-above-average Speed makes it very difficult to set up, and LO recoil makes short work of it when it does manage to get a boost. Its Speed tier is definitely the most annoying thing about it though - every common offensive 'mon can revenge kill it if it doesn't run Agility, and even if it does it has to contend with the ubiquitous Mamoswine and its fearsome LO Ice Shard.
Go ahead, share your woes. This is more than just a thread to rant in though - I'm encouraging you guys to be constructive. If you're having trouble using a particular Pokémon, you can post here looking for advice on how to use it more effectively.
