[SET]
name: Z-Conversion (Normal)
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Conversion
move 3: Thunderbolt / Substitute
move 4: Recover
item: Normalium Z
ability: Adaptability
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Access to an omniboost move in Z-Conversion, near-perfect coverage, and great offensive prowess make Porygon-Z the best sweeper available for Normal teams. Shadow Ball is Porygon-Z's go-to move, threatening frailer Psychic- and Ghost-types like Tapu Lele and Gengar right off the bat while hitting the majority of the tier for neutral damage. It must be slotted first so that Porygon-Z changes into a Ghost-type after using Z-Conversion; that grants it a valuable Fighting-type immunity and a STAB boost on the aforementioned attack, thus turning Porygon-Z into an extremely effective tool against Steel, Flying, Ghost, and Psychic teams. Thunderbolt is the better option on the third slot because it provides valuable coverage against certain Flying- and Water-types. After a Z-Conversion, Thunderbolt eliminates the likes of Mantine and Tornadus-T, 2HKOes Mandibuzz, and is also able to inflict several damage on frailer Normal- and Dark-types that are immune or resistant to Shadow Ball, such as Indeedee and Urshifu-S. Before the boost, it 2HKOes the ubiquitous physically defensive Toxapex and Skarmory, meaning they are not able to neutralize Porygon-Z as easily with Haze or Whirlwind, respectively. Alternatively, Substitute allows Porygon-Z to take advantage of the defensive switches it forces and predicted status moves from defensive Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Celebi, giving it more opportunities to set up reliably. Recover increases Porygon-Z's longevity throughout the match and synergizes well with the defensive boosts from Z-Conversion, effectively making it harder to revenge kill and, therefore, aiding on its sweep. Maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs alongside a Timid nature ensures Porygon-Z hits as hard as it can while outspeeding key threats before, like Nidoking and Gliscor, and after the omniboost, such as Choice Scarf Excadrill, Tapu Koko, and Mega Aerodactyl. Adaptability is the ability of choice, further powering up Porygon-Z's Shadow Ball once it sets up.
Blissey is an excellent partner for Porygon-Z as it soaks up status thanks to its Natural Cure, provides Stealth Rock support so that Porygon-Z can net more kills, and is able to bring Porygon-Z safely into the field via Teleport. In return, Porygon-Z is able to defeat the annoying Ghost-types that cripple Blissey, such as Aegislash and Mega Sableye. Wallbreaker Mega Lopunny forms a very good offensive core with Porygon-Z that is able to cover a good chunk of the metagame; Mega Lopunny easily handles the Dark-types and special walls Porygon-Z struggles to get past, like Tyranitar and Heatran, while Porygon-Z does the same to the Psychic-types and physically defensive Pokemon Mega Lopunny hates, such as Mega Slowbro and Skarmory. Choice Scarf Ditto can revenge kill faster Pokemon that KO Porygon-Z, like Hydreigon and Urshifu-S. It may also serve as a safe switch in against some of the Pokemon that wall Porygon-Z, such as opposing Blissey and Alolan Muk. Defog support from Staraptor or Mega Pidgeot is greatly appreciated by Porygon-Z, as that allows it to enter the battlefield unscathed from troublesome entry hazards like Sticky Web and Toxic Spikes and, thus, in a better condition to perform its sweeping role. Particularly, defensive Staraptor also comfortably shrugs the physical Fighting-type moves aimed at pre-buffed Porygon-Z from the likes of Terrakion and Heracross, and can reliably pivot into Porygon-Z via U-turn. Likewise, Porygon2's insane bulk lets it soak most assaults, primarily physical and priority ones from Pokemon such as Dragonite and Mamoswine that can beat or severely damage Porygon-Z, and is able to safely get Porygon-Z back into battle with its Teleport. Choice Band Diggersby's absurd power lets it remove some of Porygon-Z's checks like Empoleon and Drapion. On more offensive Normal teams, Smeargle's access to Sticky Web helps boosted Porygon-Z outrun otherwise faster threats like the Choice Scarf Terrakion and Greninja, and Alolan Raichu under Electric Terrain.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Normal
--------
Ice Beam sounds appealing on paper for Porygon-Z to better deal with Ground and Dragon teams, but dropping Recover severely limits Porygon-Z's durability, and Shadow Ball already puts a ton of work in said matchups anyways. An Electric-type Z-Conversion set featuring Thunderbolt in the first slot, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Fire with Download is a viable alternative to further threaten Steel and Flying teams; nonetheless, the Ghost-type set already performs well enough versus these types, and Normal teams largely prefer its good defensive typing and better Psychic matchup.
Checks and Counters
===================
Normal
--------
**Special Walls**: Specially defensive Pokemon like Tyranitar and Blissey are able to comfortably take even boosted attacks from Porygon-Z and retaliate with Toxic poison.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types like Galarian Moltres and Hydreigon resist Porygon-Z's Shadow Ball and can heavily damage Porygon-Z back with their super effective STAB moves once it is set up. Frailer ones such as Bisharp do need to be wary of Thunderbolt doing hefty damage, however.
**Faster Pokemon**: Revenge killers like Zeraora, Gengar, and Mega Lopunny are all able to outrun and dispose of an unboosted Porygon-Z. After a Z-Conversion, faster Choice Scarf wielders like Greninja, Blacephalon, and Latios, and weather abusers such as Kingdra and Excadrill still outspeed and potentially take Porygon-Z out due to its only average bulk.
**Haze and Phazers**: Since Z-Conversion is a one-time only omniboost, Haze users like Toxapex and Mantine are able to stop Porygon-Z's sweep cold, rendering it useless throughout the match, despite needing to be wary of unboosted Thunderbolt doing considerable damage to them. Similarly, bulky phazers such as Empoleon and Swampert can take a boosted Thunderbolt or Shadow Ball and proceed to shuffle Porygon-Z out, stripping away its boosts.
**Status**: Toxic poison puts Porygon-Z on a timer, limiting the amount of turns it has to sweep, while paralysis renders Porygon-Z almost useless by halving its speed and, therefore, forcing it to almost always move last.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mateeus, 321991]]
- Normal analysis by: [[Mateeus, 321991]]
- Quality checked by: [[Maple, 473171], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
name: Z-Conversion (Normal)
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Conversion
move 3: Thunderbolt / Substitute
move 4: Recover
item: Normalium Z
ability: Adaptability
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Access to an omniboost move in Z-Conversion, near-perfect coverage, and great offensive prowess make Porygon-Z the best sweeper available for Normal teams. Shadow Ball is Porygon-Z's go-to move, threatening frailer Psychic- and Ghost-types like Tapu Lele and Gengar right off the bat while hitting the majority of the tier for neutral damage. It must be slotted first so that Porygon-Z changes into a Ghost-type after using Z-Conversion; that grants it a valuable Fighting-type immunity and a STAB boost on the aforementioned attack, thus turning Porygon-Z into an extremely effective tool against Steel, Flying, Ghost, and Psychic teams. Thunderbolt is the better option on the third slot because it provides valuable coverage against certain Flying- and Water-types. After a Z-Conversion, Thunderbolt eliminates the likes of Mantine and Tornadus-T, 2HKOes Mandibuzz, and is also able to inflict several damage on frailer Normal- and Dark-types that are immune or resistant to Shadow Ball, such as Indeedee and Urshifu-S. Before the boost, it 2HKOes the ubiquitous physically defensive Toxapex and Skarmory, meaning they are not able to neutralize Porygon-Z as easily with Haze or Whirlwind, respectively. Alternatively, Substitute allows Porygon-Z to take advantage of the defensive switches it forces and predicted status moves from defensive Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Celebi, giving it more opportunities to set up reliably. Recover increases Porygon-Z's longevity throughout the match and synergizes well with the defensive boosts from Z-Conversion, effectively making it harder to revenge kill and, therefore, aiding on its sweep. Maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs alongside a Timid nature ensures Porygon-Z hits as hard as it can while outspeeding key threats before, like Nidoking and Gliscor, and after the omniboost, such as Choice Scarf Excadrill, Tapu Koko, and Mega Aerodactyl. Adaptability is the ability of choice, further powering up Porygon-Z's Shadow Ball once it sets up.
Blissey is an excellent partner for Porygon-Z as it soaks up status thanks to its Natural Cure, provides Stealth Rock support so that Porygon-Z can net more kills, and is able to bring Porygon-Z safely into the field via Teleport. In return, Porygon-Z is able to defeat the annoying Ghost-types that cripple Blissey, such as Aegislash and Mega Sableye. Wallbreaker Mega Lopunny forms a very good offensive core with Porygon-Z that is able to cover a good chunk of the metagame; Mega Lopunny easily handles the Dark-types and special walls Porygon-Z struggles to get past, like Tyranitar and Heatran, while Porygon-Z does the same to the Psychic-types and physically defensive Pokemon Mega Lopunny hates, such as Mega Slowbro and Skarmory. Choice Scarf Ditto can revenge kill faster Pokemon that KO Porygon-Z, like Hydreigon and Urshifu-S. It may also serve as a safe switch in against some of the Pokemon that wall Porygon-Z, such as opposing Blissey and Alolan Muk. Defog support from Staraptor or Mega Pidgeot is greatly appreciated by Porygon-Z, as that allows it to enter the battlefield unscathed from troublesome entry hazards like Sticky Web and Toxic Spikes and, thus, in a better condition to perform its sweeping role. Particularly, defensive Staraptor also comfortably shrugs the physical Fighting-type moves aimed at pre-buffed Porygon-Z from the likes of Terrakion and Heracross, and can reliably pivot into Porygon-Z via U-turn. Likewise, Porygon2's insane bulk lets it soak most assaults, primarily physical and priority ones from Pokemon such as Dragonite and Mamoswine that can beat or severely damage Porygon-Z, and is able to safely get Porygon-Z back into battle with its Teleport. Choice Band Diggersby's absurd power lets it remove some of Porygon-Z's checks like Empoleon and Drapion. On more offensive Normal teams, Smeargle's access to Sticky Web helps boosted Porygon-Z outrun otherwise faster threats like the Choice Scarf Terrakion and Greninja, and Alolan Raichu under Electric Terrain.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Normal
--------
Ice Beam sounds appealing on paper for Porygon-Z to better deal with Ground and Dragon teams, but dropping Recover severely limits Porygon-Z's durability, and Shadow Ball already puts a ton of work in said matchups anyways. An Electric-type Z-Conversion set featuring Thunderbolt in the first slot, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Fire with Download is a viable alternative to further threaten Steel and Flying teams; nonetheless, the Ghost-type set already performs well enough versus these types, and Normal teams largely prefer its good defensive typing and better Psychic matchup.
Checks and Counters
===================
Normal
--------
**Special Walls**: Specially defensive Pokemon like Tyranitar and Blissey are able to comfortably take even boosted attacks from Porygon-Z and retaliate with Toxic poison.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types like Galarian Moltres and Hydreigon resist Porygon-Z's Shadow Ball and can heavily damage Porygon-Z back with their super effective STAB moves once it is set up. Frailer ones such as Bisharp do need to be wary of Thunderbolt doing hefty damage, however.
**Faster Pokemon**: Revenge killers like Zeraora, Gengar, and Mega Lopunny are all able to outrun and dispose of an unboosted Porygon-Z. After a Z-Conversion, faster Choice Scarf wielders like Greninja, Blacephalon, and Latios, and weather abusers such as Kingdra and Excadrill still outspeed and potentially take Porygon-Z out due to its only average bulk.
**Haze and Phazers**: Since Z-Conversion is a one-time only omniboost, Haze users like Toxapex and Mantine are able to stop Porygon-Z's sweep cold, rendering it useless throughout the match, despite needing to be wary of unboosted Thunderbolt doing considerable damage to them. Similarly, bulky phazers such as Empoleon and Swampert can take a boosted Thunderbolt or Shadow Ball and proceed to shuffle Porygon-Z out, stripping away its boosts.
**Status**: Toxic poison puts Porygon-Z on a timer, limiting the amount of turns it has to sweep, while paralysis renders Porygon-Z almost useless by halving its speed and, therefore, forcing it to almost always move last.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mateeus, 321991]]
- Normal analysis by: [[Mateeus, 321991]]
- Quality checked by: [[Maple, 473171], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
Last edited:
