The existing RBY UU Analysis for Porygon is pretty unhelpful, so I wrote this one to cover that gap, at least until we get a good OU and/or NU analysis. Porygon isn't the worst thing in RBY UU, so I think I can make the case to keep this analysis around after the fact. Heck, Seaking got a full one. At the very least, the bad analysis will cease to live rent-free in Plague von Karma's head. Also, as always, it's a new analysis and sudden changes may be made, so be aware of that. Hopefully you all find this analysis interesting. Cheers!
This is part of a project to get rid of the poor quality, misinformation-ridden RBY analyses from over a decade ago. These works are low-priority and should be treated as such.
[OVERVIEW]
Porygon may be the most enigmatic Pokemon in RBY. While it has genuinely awful base stats, it has a wide Special movepool, an immunity to Body Slam paralysis, and two excellent moves in Thunder Wave and Recover. These traits allow it to muster a niche in OU and play a big role in NU. In UU, however, Porygon struggles to find a purpose and has no influence. It is only notable for its ability to bully Pokemon that are unable to either outspeed and 2HKO it or paralyze it, repeatedly using Recover and slowly chipping away at their health. This makes it a decent answer to paralyzed Normal-type attackers, like Kangaskhan, and bulky Water-type Pokemon, like Vaporeon and Omastar. Porygon is only a shaky check, however, as critical hits from Normal-type Pokemon can quickly put it into range of a Hyper Beam and Blizzards from Water-type Pokemon can potentially freeze it. Additionally, some teams simply do not use any of these Pokemon, leaving Porygon entirely without a purpose. Wrappers like Tentacruel, Dragonite, and even Tangela outspeed it, quickly whittle it down with Wrap or Bind, and can pivot out freely to a strong attacker to finish it off. Likewise, paralysis is a surefire way to shut down Porygon, as it will be unable to stall effectively with Recover and will drop quickly if it is fully paralyzed. Because other Pokemon perform Porygon's jobs more consistently while carrying a greater offensive presence, like Clefable, Electabuzz, Venusaur, Gyarados, and most bulky Water-type Pokemon, it is generally not seen in RBY UU.
[SET]
name: Staller
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Ice Beam / Psychic
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
Because Porygon enjoys facing bulky Water-type Pokemon, Thunderbolt is mandatory so it can actually apply some pressure to them. Thunderbolt has a good chance to 3HKO Omastar and Dewgong and will 4HKO Vaporeon. This means Porygon can usually force these Pokemon to switch or use Rest, thus helping its teammates switch in more comfortably. Additionally, Thunderbolt will 2HKO Gyarados, 3HKO Aerodactyl, and 4HKO Tentacruel, making them somewhat hesitant to switch in. Both Ice Beam and Psychic help Porygon match up better against Pokemon that can’t threaten it with paralysis. Ice Beam allows Porygon to potentially beat Dugtrio and Dragonite that aren't carrying Thunder Wave. Ice Beam can also be used in desperate situations to potentially freeze something before it is paralyzed or KOed. Psychic covers Haunter and can more easily pressure Normal-type Pokemon, Tentacruel, and Vaporeon if it happens to get a Special drop. Special drops also reapply the Speed drop from paralysis, which can make paralyzed Porygon somewhat more useful. Both moves also help Porygon against Venusaur. Thunder Wave is a necessity because of Porygon’s downright horrendous Speed. If Porygon is going to stall any Pokemon at all, the Pokemon absolutely needs to be paralyzed, as Porygon must be faster to use Recover successfully and requires free turns from full paralysis to chip it down. Thunder Wave can also potentially catch switch-ins like Tentacruel, Hypno, Kadabra, and Electabuzz. Recover allows Porygon to be a nuisance throughout the entire game. Because of its pitiful defenses, Porygon needs to be at full health to reliably switch into the majority of attacks, meaning it will be using Recover a lot, especially if it plans on switching out soon. Porygon has a few other interesting moves, like Tri Attack, Sharpen, and Agility, but it struggles to make room for or get use out of any of them.
Porygon is nearly incapable of making any offensive progress against most teams. If a Pokemon is unable to break through Porygon, it is quite likely to switch to something that can quickly scare it out. Porygon is virtually useless once it is paralyzed, so Pokemon like Hypno are quite likely to switch in. The only Pokemon that pair well with Porygon are those that appreciate its ability to force switches, spread paralysis, and force Water-type Pokemon to use Rest. Thus, possible partners include Dugtrio, Aerodactyl, Kangaskhan, and Articuno.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Volk, 530877]]
- Quality checked by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353], [pacattacc, 520967]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
This is part of a project to get rid of the poor quality, misinformation-ridden RBY analyses from over a decade ago. These works are low-priority and should be treated as such.
[OVERVIEW]
Porygon may be the most enigmatic Pokemon in RBY. While it has genuinely awful base stats, it has a wide Special movepool, an immunity to Body Slam paralysis, and two excellent moves in Thunder Wave and Recover. These traits allow it to muster a niche in OU and play a big role in NU. In UU, however, Porygon struggles to find a purpose and has no influence. It is only notable for its ability to bully Pokemon that are unable to either outspeed and 2HKO it or paralyze it, repeatedly using Recover and slowly chipping away at their health. This makes it a decent answer to paralyzed Normal-type attackers, like Kangaskhan, and bulky Water-type Pokemon, like Vaporeon and Omastar. Porygon is only a shaky check, however, as critical hits from Normal-type Pokemon can quickly put it into range of a Hyper Beam and Blizzards from Water-type Pokemon can potentially freeze it. Additionally, some teams simply do not use any of these Pokemon, leaving Porygon entirely without a purpose. Wrappers like Tentacruel, Dragonite, and even Tangela outspeed it, quickly whittle it down with Wrap or Bind, and can pivot out freely to a strong attacker to finish it off. Likewise, paralysis is a surefire way to shut down Porygon, as it will be unable to stall effectively with Recover and will drop quickly if it is fully paralyzed. Because other Pokemon perform Porygon's jobs more consistently while carrying a greater offensive presence, like Clefable, Electabuzz, Venusaur, Gyarados, and most bulky Water-type Pokemon, it is generally not seen in RBY UU.
[SET]
name: Staller
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Ice Beam / Psychic
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
Because Porygon enjoys facing bulky Water-type Pokemon, Thunderbolt is mandatory so it can actually apply some pressure to them. Thunderbolt has a good chance to 3HKO Omastar and Dewgong and will 4HKO Vaporeon. This means Porygon can usually force these Pokemon to switch or use Rest, thus helping its teammates switch in more comfortably. Additionally, Thunderbolt will 2HKO Gyarados, 3HKO Aerodactyl, and 4HKO Tentacruel, making them somewhat hesitant to switch in. Both Ice Beam and Psychic help Porygon match up better against Pokemon that can’t threaten it with paralysis. Ice Beam allows Porygon to potentially beat Dugtrio and Dragonite that aren't carrying Thunder Wave. Ice Beam can also be used in desperate situations to potentially freeze something before it is paralyzed or KOed. Psychic covers Haunter and can more easily pressure Normal-type Pokemon, Tentacruel, and Vaporeon if it happens to get a Special drop. Special drops also reapply the Speed drop from paralysis, which can make paralyzed Porygon somewhat more useful. Both moves also help Porygon against Venusaur. Thunder Wave is a necessity because of Porygon’s downright horrendous Speed. If Porygon is going to stall any Pokemon at all, the Pokemon absolutely needs to be paralyzed, as Porygon must be faster to use Recover successfully and requires free turns from full paralysis to chip it down. Thunder Wave can also potentially catch switch-ins like Tentacruel, Hypno, Kadabra, and Electabuzz. Recover allows Porygon to be a nuisance throughout the entire game. Because of its pitiful defenses, Porygon needs to be at full health to reliably switch into the majority of attacks, meaning it will be using Recover a lot, especially if it plans on switching out soon. Porygon has a few other interesting moves, like Tri Attack, Sharpen, and Agility, but it struggles to make room for or get use out of any of them.
Porygon is nearly incapable of making any offensive progress against most teams. If a Pokemon is unable to break through Porygon, it is quite likely to switch to something that can quickly scare it out. Porygon is virtually useless once it is paralyzed, so Pokemon like Hypno are quite likely to switch in. The only Pokemon that pair well with Porygon are those that appreciate its ability to force switches, spread paralysis, and force Water-type Pokemon to use Rest. Thus, possible partners include Dugtrio, Aerodactyl, Kangaskhan, and Articuno.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Volk, 530877]]
- Quality checked by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353], [pacattacc, 520967]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
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