Overview
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Porygon2 is one of the few Trick Room setters not weak to Dark and Ghost type attacks. This, alongside its solid 85 / 90 / 95 defenses which can be boosted by Eviolite, and reliable recovery in Recover, allows it to set Trick Room effectively, as anti-Trick Room Pokemon will have a hard time preventing it from setting up. A diverse range of attacks, decent abilities such as Trace and Download, and only one weakness allows Porygon2 to perform underneath Trick Room. However, outside of Trick Room, it struggles to function well, as its main means of contributing is through speed control, and it has little to no offensive presence without a Download boost. It is also crippled by Taunt and Spore, and it is unable to hold a Mental Herb, Chesto Berry, or Safety Goggles to work around that, as it needs Eviolite for its bulk. Overall, Porygon2 finds itself to be a significantly weaker version of Cresselia, which should almost always be used over Porygon2.
Bulky Speed Control
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name: Bulky Speed Control
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunderbolt / Tri Attack
move 4: Recover / Protect
ability: Download / Trace
item: Eviolite
evs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 20 SpA / 76 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Sassy
Moves
========
Trick Room is mandatory on Porygon2 because it provides important speed control for the team. Ice Beam is mainly used to pick off Garchomp, Shaymin-S, and Landorus-T, which are major threats in the Doubles metagame. Thunderbolt is for handling Talonflame and Gyarados, and does reasonable damage to Bisharp and Charizard after a Download boost. Tri Attack can be used for decent STAB coverage. Recover allows Porygon2 to set Trick Room and heal off any damage as many times as possible. Protect is an option over Recover for scouting and blocking status moves, though Recover is one of Porygon2's main niches over other setters and should not be easily replaced.
Set Details
========
Eviolite provides a much welcomed 50% boost to both defenses. The EV spread paired with a Sassy nature guarantees that Porygon2 will survive a Close Combat from Life Orb Terrakion, or survive an Overheat + Heat Wave from Timid Charizard Y in the Sun. 0 Spe IVs ensure that Porygon2 will outspeed other base 60 Speed Pokemon in Trick Room. The Special Attack EVs guarantee that Ice Beam OHKOes Shaymin-S, Salamence, and Landorus-T.
For the ability, Trace can be useful, picking up Intimidate, Levitate, and Prankster, though be wary, as you can reset weather by Tracing Drought or Drizzle, and Porygon2 can Trace other suboptimal abilities. Download is an option over Trace for the chance to give Porygon2 a decent offensive presence, but an Attack boost is useless.
Usage Tips
========
Setting up Trick Room as soon as possible should be the main priority; afterwards, focus on keeping Porygon2 healthy to set Trick Room as many times as possible. Try to keep Fighting-types away from Porygon2, as it doesn't appreciate their capability to heavily damage it. As with every setter, keep Porygon2 away from Taunt and Spore or else it become useless. Make sure Porygon2 is not hit by Knock Off, because having its Eviolite is key for Porygon2, turning it from a burden into a strong defensive presence.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that can beat Steel-types, such as Bisharp, Ferrothorn, and Escavalier, are great teammates, as Steel-types are very hard for Trick Room teams to beat; good examples include Heatran and Chandelure. Hariyama is another good example, as it can beat Steel-types as well as provide Fake Out support to let Porygon2 get Trick Room up. Other Fighting-types such as Hitmontop and Scrafty are decent options, as they have Intimidate and Fake Out, though be wary of using them if the opponent has a Bisharp. Pokemon that function well under Trick Room love having a reliable Trick Room setter. Mawile in particular enjoys Porygon2's ability to pick off Landorus-T and Garchomp with Ice Beam, and Porgyon2 enjoys Mawile's being able to pick off Fighting-types, as well as the Intimidate support its base form provides. A Safeguard user can protect Porygon2 from sleep users, which would otherwise prevent it from setting Trick Room. Amoonguss is a good partner for Porgyon2, as it is slow, can spread sleep, can absorb Fighting-type moves effectively, and is able to redirect Taunts by using Rage Powder. Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir make good partners for Porygon2, as they ward off any Fighting-types which threaten Porygon2 and work well in Trick Room. Another good partner is Talonflame, as it handles Fighting-types, and Porygon2 can beat threats to Talonflame such as Landorus and Garchomp.
Other Options
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Sunny Day and Rain Dance help check weather teams by forcing them to play outside their preferred weather, and Porygon2 has the bulk to safely adjust the weather as it needs to. Icy Wind and Electroweb can be useful for more speed control if you don't want Porygon2 to be Taunt bait, but they work counterproductively with Trick Room. Thunder Wave can be used for spreading paralysis. Magic Coat is situational and prediction-reliant but great for sending Taunts, as well as most status moves, back at their users. Pain Split can be useful, as Porygon2's high defenses allow it to survive into low HP quite often, and using Pain Split on a full health opponent can be game-changing.
Checks & Counters
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**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Fighting-types are usually unfazed by Porygon2's attacks and return with powerful Close Combats and Drain Punches. Conkeldurr in particular can shrug off most things Porygon2 can throw at it and OHKO Porygon2 with Hammer Arm. Both Terrakion and Keldeo can 2HKO Porygon2, though neither enjoys being under a Trick Room. Setup sweepers such as Mega Kangaskhan and Scizor can set up easily against Porygon2, with Porygon2 often being unable to hit back with any notable force.
**Utility Moves**: Other Trick Room setters counter Porygon2 by reversing its Trick Room, reducing its effectiveness. Sleep users such as Breloom, Amoonguss, and Venusaur can prevent Porygon2 from setting up Trick Room. Amoonguss in particular is a problem, as it can underspeed Porygon2 in Trick Room and put it to sleep. Knock Off users such as Bisharp, Conkeldurr, Tornadus, Weavile, and Landorus-T can remove Porygon2's Eviolite, drastically reducing its staying power. Though very niche, Trick cripples Porygon2 by removing its Eviolite. Taunt turns Porygon2 into a literal sitting duck, as it can no longer set Trick Room or Recover.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Bulky Pokemon are capable of tanking anything Porygon2 can throw at them and beating it one on one. Porygon2 has very minimal offensive presence, and if it can't hit something for super effective damage it can't beat it. If something is capable of playing inside Trick Room, or can be used to counter Trick Room, Porygon2 will not be able to bother that Pokemon at all.
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Porygon2 is one of the few Trick Room setters not weak to Dark and Ghost type attacks. This, alongside its solid 85 / 90 / 95 defenses which can be boosted by Eviolite, and reliable recovery in Recover, allows it to set Trick Room effectively, as anti-Trick Room Pokemon will have a hard time preventing it from setting up. A diverse range of attacks, decent abilities such as Trace and Download, and only one weakness allows Porygon2 to perform underneath Trick Room. However, outside of Trick Room, it struggles to function well, as its main means of contributing is through speed control, and it has little to no offensive presence without a Download boost. It is also crippled by Taunt and Spore, and it is unable to hold a Mental Herb, Chesto Berry, or Safety Goggles to work around that, as it needs Eviolite for its bulk. Overall, Porygon2 finds itself to be a significantly weaker version of Cresselia, which should almost always be used over Porygon2.
Bulky Speed Control
########
name: Bulky Speed Control
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunderbolt / Tri Attack
move 4: Recover / Protect
ability: Download / Trace
item: Eviolite
evs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 20 SpA / 76 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Sassy
Moves
========
Trick Room is mandatory on Porygon2 because it provides important speed control for the team. Ice Beam is mainly used to pick off Garchomp, Shaymin-S, and Landorus-T, which are major threats in the Doubles metagame. Thunderbolt is for handling Talonflame and Gyarados, and does reasonable damage to Bisharp and Charizard after a Download boost. Tri Attack can be used for decent STAB coverage. Recover allows Porygon2 to set Trick Room and heal off any damage as many times as possible. Protect is an option over Recover for scouting and blocking status moves, though Recover is one of Porygon2's main niches over other setters and should not be easily replaced.
Set Details
========
Eviolite provides a much welcomed 50% boost to both defenses. The EV spread paired with a Sassy nature guarantees that Porygon2 will survive a Close Combat from Life Orb Terrakion, or survive an Overheat + Heat Wave from Timid Charizard Y in the Sun. 0 Spe IVs ensure that Porygon2 will outspeed other base 60 Speed Pokemon in Trick Room. The Special Attack EVs guarantee that Ice Beam OHKOes Shaymin-S, Salamence, and Landorus-T.
For the ability, Trace can be useful, picking up Intimidate, Levitate, and Prankster, though be wary, as you can reset weather by Tracing Drought or Drizzle, and Porygon2 can Trace other suboptimal abilities. Download is an option over Trace for the chance to give Porygon2 a decent offensive presence, but an Attack boost is useless.
Usage Tips
========
Setting up Trick Room as soon as possible should be the main priority; afterwards, focus on keeping Porygon2 healthy to set Trick Room as many times as possible. Try to keep Fighting-types away from Porygon2, as it doesn't appreciate their capability to heavily damage it. As with every setter, keep Porygon2 away from Taunt and Spore or else it become useless. Make sure Porygon2 is not hit by Knock Off, because having its Eviolite is key for Porygon2, turning it from a burden into a strong defensive presence.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that can beat Steel-types, such as Bisharp, Ferrothorn, and Escavalier, are great teammates, as Steel-types are very hard for Trick Room teams to beat; good examples include Heatran and Chandelure. Hariyama is another good example, as it can beat Steel-types as well as provide Fake Out support to let Porygon2 get Trick Room up. Other Fighting-types such as Hitmontop and Scrafty are decent options, as they have Intimidate and Fake Out, though be wary of using them if the opponent has a Bisharp. Pokemon that function well under Trick Room love having a reliable Trick Room setter. Mawile in particular enjoys Porygon2's ability to pick off Landorus-T and Garchomp with Ice Beam, and Porgyon2 enjoys Mawile's being able to pick off Fighting-types, as well as the Intimidate support its base form provides. A Safeguard user can protect Porygon2 from sleep users, which would otherwise prevent it from setting Trick Room. Amoonguss is a good partner for Porgyon2, as it is slow, can spread sleep, can absorb Fighting-type moves effectively, and is able to redirect Taunts by using Rage Powder. Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir make good partners for Porygon2, as they ward off any Fighting-types which threaten Porygon2 and work well in Trick Room. Another good partner is Talonflame, as it handles Fighting-types, and Porygon2 can beat threats to Talonflame such as Landorus and Garchomp.
Other Options
########
Sunny Day and Rain Dance help check weather teams by forcing them to play outside their preferred weather, and Porygon2 has the bulk to safely adjust the weather as it needs to. Icy Wind and Electroweb can be useful for more speed control if you don't want Porygon2 to be Taunt bait, but they work counterproductively with Trick Room. Thunder Wave can be used for spreading paralysis. Magic Coat is situational and prediction-reliant but great for sending Taunts, as well as most status moves, back at their users. Pain Split can be useful, as Porygon2's high defenses allow it to survive into low HP quite often, and using Pain Split on a full health opponent can be game-changing.
Checks & Counters
########
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Fighting-types are usually unfazed by Porygon2's attacks and return with powerful Close Combats and Drain Punches. Conkeldurr in particular can shrug off most things Porygon2 can throw at it and OHKO Porygon2 with Hammer Arm. Both Terrakion and Keldeo can 2HKO Porygon2, though neither enjoys being under a Trick Room. Setup sweepers such as Mega Kangaskhan and Scizor can set up easily against Porygon2, with Porygon2 often being unable to hit back with any notable force.
**Utility Moves**: Other Trick Room setters counter Porygon2 by reversing its Trick Room, reducing its effectiveness. Sleep users such as Breloom, Amoonguss, and Venusaur can prevent Porygon2 from setting up Trick Room. Amoonguss in particular is a problem, as it can underspeed Porygon2 in Trick Room and put it to sleep. Knock Off users such as Bisharp, Conkeldurr, Tornadus, Weavile, and Landorus-T can remove Porygon2's Eviolite, drastically reducing its staying power. Though very niche, Trick cripples Porygon2 by removing its Eviolite. Taunt turns Porygon2 into a literal sitting duck, as it can no longer set Trick Room or Recover.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Bulky Pokemon are capable of tanking anything Porygon2 can throw at them and beating it one on one. Porygon2 has very minimal offensive presence, and if it can't hit something for super effective damage it can't beat it. If something is capable of playing inside Trick Room, or can be used to counter Trick Room, Porygon2 will not be able to bother that Pokemon at all.
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