The analysis scavenger is back. Taking over from MikeDecIsHere~
Goldfish!
[Overview]
<p>Seaking is one of the several Pokemon introduced in RBY that never saw the light of the upper tiers, always finding its home in NU. The goldfish with a horn was deemed as one without competitive value. Even the Magikarp that you catch with Old Rod evolves into the great and mighty Gyarados. It seems like this poor old fish will never make a name for itself; and that's probably true. There's nothing much to say about its horrible stats. 'Horrible' might not even be enough to describe Seaking's stats. It has only one stat that breaks past the base 90 bench mark, and that is its base 92 Attack, which is rather average. To add insult to the injuries, it has an incredibly shallow movepool, probably because it stayed in its tiny little fish pond for too long. Seaking isn't a very apt name; it isn't even close to the true King of the Seas known as Kyogre. In fact, it's the opposite; it is the Slave of the Seas, outclassed by almost all of the Water-types that have appeared throughout the generations. Fortunately, the change of move mechanics in DPP gave Seaking some use. Its main STAB attack, Waterfall, became a physical attack, giving Seaking some utility in DPP UU. BW gave another gift to the lonely goldfish in Lightningrod through Dream World. With that, Seaking gained an immunity to Electric-type moves, meaning that it has only one weakness left. That said, there isn't much of a reason to use Seaking, even in NU. But if you need an Electric immune Pokemon that can use Water-type attacks, Seaking is probably what you're looking for. That's a really small niche, probably smaller than Seaking's supposed memory space.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Return
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Life Orb
ability: Lightningrod
nature: Lonely
evs: 252 Atk / 92 SpA / 164 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is probably Seaking's best (and only) viable set. Holding a Life Orb is Seaking's only way to go on the offensive. Waterfall is Seaking's best STAB move, having the highest damage output of all Seaking's other choices. Megahorn is particularly useful, hitting the ever common Exeggutor 4x super effectively while also denting Hypno. Return is pretty much the next best move that Seaking has and provides decent neutral coverage. Other than these three, there aren't really other viable moves to consider for Seaking. Having no physical Ice-type attack, Seaking has to make use of Ice Beam for additional coverage, which is backed by an abysmal base 65 Special Attack. Ice Beam's sole purpose is to nail Altaria and Torterra. Lightningrod grants Seaking an immunity to Electric and also boosts its Special Attack when it's hit by an Electric-type move. While its main benefit is to allow Seaking to switch into Electric-type attacks without fear, the boosted Special Attack is helpful to power up Ice Beam slighty.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum Attack EVs and a Lonely nature are used to make the most out of Seaking's best stat. 160 Speed EVs allow Seaking to outpace Adamant Torterra, blasting a freezing Ice Beam before the latter can retaliate with a Grass-type attack. The remaining EVs are dropped into Special Attack to give Ice Beam some extra power, especially when Seaking's base Special Attack is horrible enough. Life Orb is a compulsory item for Seaking, as it needs all the power it can get. Lightningrod is the ability of choice to cut down Seaking's weaknesses to nothing but Grass. However, Swift Swim is a viable alternative if Seaking is used on rain teams and you aren't afraid of Electric-type attacks. If you feel that Waterfall is not powerful enough, Aqua Tail can be used for slightly more power in exchange for accuracy. Hydro Pump is a nice alternative to Return for another STAB move, as it also becomes more powerful if Lightningrod activates, increasing Lightningrod's utility. Seaking often finds itself walled by opposing Water-types as it lacks the brute strength to muscle its way through them. A Grass-type of your own is useful to get rid of bulky Water-types. Teammates such as Cacturne and Torterra can easily pulverize Water-types that Seaking often attracts. Furthermore, Cacturne can set up Spikes while Torterra can set up Stealth Rock. Grass-types, such as Leafeon, will also often trouble Seaking with their STAB attacks. Magmortar is a great teammate as well, as it can roast those pesky Grass-types into crisps. Teammates that attract Electric-type attacks are also great to make full use of Seaking's Lightningrod. Swellow is a good example, as it can U-turn out from an expected Electric-type attack and switch into Seaking, who can take it with impunity.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Thanks to living in its tiny fish bowl and eating only fish food for too long, Seaking finds itself with not many other options to choose from. In times of peril, Seaking might want to jump out of its fish bowl or pond with Bounce, which hits Grass-types super effectively. However, since Seaking can already jab them with its sharp Megahorn or freeze them with a gust of Ice Beam, Seaking is usually better off not Bouncing out of its cozy home. If it feels cheeky, it can even coat its horn with toxic material, puncturing those weeds or Grass-types with Poison Jab. In all cases, Megahorn is the better option even though it does not have perfect accuracy, causing Seaking to occasionally launch itself into the glass bowl, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. If the goldfish is hungry for power, Choice Band can be used to bolster its physical attacks, allowing it to drown its foe with with reasonably strong Waterfalls. To flee from faster foes, Seaking can use Agility to boost its miserable Speed. However, it's not as if Seaking is going anywhere outside the speed limit of its round fish bowl; it isn't incredibly fast after an Agility anyway. The poor old goldfish is just happy with what is has, and isn't too greedy with its other options.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>While Lightningrod means that you can no longer make sashimi out of Seaking with Electric-type attacks, the goldfish still has many checks that can turn it into a sushi. Grass-types can easily pack Seaking into a California roll. For example, Leafeon can chop it into many pieces with Leaf Blade, although it has to watch out for Ice Beam. Opposing Water-types can use Seaking as setup bait. Gorebyss and Carracosta have huge Defense stats to laugh at whatever moves Seaking bothers to use and can set up Shell Smash. Any reasonably strong attacker can easily down Seaking and make fish cake out of it due to its horrible defenses; Seaking can't even make good use of its single weakness. Almost any neutral attack can 2HKO it, and it doesn't have to be super effective either. Pretty much anything that isn't hit super effectively by Seaking is a great check to it. All that's important is to not forget that Seaking has Lightningrod, letting it sponge any and all Electric-type attacks. Seaking is such an exploitable Pokemon in NU, and it's probably better for it to stay in its fish bowl than to come out of its Poke Ball.</p>
Goldfish!
[Overview]
<p>Seaking is one of the several Pokemon introduced in RBY that never saw the light of the upper tiers, always finding its home in NU. The goldfish with a horn was deemed as one without competitive value. Even the Magikarp that you catch with Old Rod evolves into the great and mighty Gyarados. It seems like this poor old fish will never make a name for itself; and that's probably true. There's nothing much to say about its horrible stats. 'Horrible' might not even be enough to describe Seaking's stats. It has only one stat that breaks past the base 90 bench mark, and that is its base 92 Attack, which is rather average. To add insult to the injuries, it has an incredibly shallow movepool, probably because it stayed in its tiny little fish pond for too long. Seaking isn't a very apt name; it isn't even close to the true King of the Seas known as Kyogre. In fact, it's the opposite; it is the Slave of the Seas, outclassed by almost all of the Water-types that have appeared throughout the generations. Fortunately, the change of move mechanics in DPP gave Seaking some use. Its main STAB attack, Waterfall, became a physical attack, giving Seaking some utility in DPP UU. BW gave another gift to the lonely goldfish in Lightningrod through Dream World. With that, Seaking gained an immunity to Electric-type moves, meaning that it has only one weakness left. That said, there isn't much of a reason to use Seaking, even in NU. But if you need an Electric immune Pokemon that can use Water-type attacks, Seaking is probably what you're looking for. That's a really small niche, probably smaller than Seaking's supposed memory space.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Return
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Life Orb
ability: Lightningrod
nature: Lonely
evs: 252 Atk / 92 SpA / 164 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is probably Seaking's best (and only) viable set. Holding a Life Orb is Seaking's only way to go on the offensive. Waterfall is Seaking's best STAB move, having the highest damage output of all Seaking's other choices. Megahorn is particularly useful, hitting the ever common Exeggutor 4x super effectively while also denting Hypno. Return is pretty much the next best move that Seaking has and provides decent neutral coverage. Other than these three, there aren't really other viable moves to consider for Seaking. Having no physical Ice-type attack, Seaking has to make use of Ice Beam for additional coverage, which is backed by an abysmal base 65 Special Attack. Ice Beam's sole purpose is to nail Altaria and Torterra. Lightningrod grants Seaking an immunity to Electric and also boosts its Special Attack when it's hit by an Electric-type move. While its main benefit is to allow Seaking to switch into Electric-type attacks without fear, the boosted Special Attack is helpful to power up Ice Beam slighty.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum Attack EVs and a Lonely nature are used to make the most out of Seaking's best stat. 160 Speed EVs allow Seaking to outpace Adamant Torterra, blasting a freezing Ice Beam before the latter can retaliate with a Grass-type attack. The remaining EVs are dropped into Special Attack to give Ice Beam some extra power, especially when Seaking's base Special Attack is horrible enough. Life Orb is a compulsory item for Seaking, as it needs all the power it can get. Lightningrod is the ability of choice to cut down Seaking's weaknesses to nothing but Grass. However, Swift Swim is a viable alternative if Seaking is used on rain teams and you aren't afraid of Electric-type attacks. If you feel that Waterfall is not powerful enough, Aqua Tail can be used for slightly more power in exchange for accuracy. Hydro Pump is a nice alternative to Return for another STAB move, as it also becomes more powerful if Lightningrod activates, increasing Lightningrod's utility. Seaking often finds itself walled by opposing Water-types as it lacks the brute strength to muscle its way through them. A Grass-type of your own is useful to get rid of bulky Water-types. Teammates such as Cacturne and Torterra can easily pulverize Water-types that Seaking often attracts. Furthermore, Cacturne can set up Spikes while Torterra can set up Stealth Rock. Grass-types, such as Leafeon, will also often trouble Seaking with their STAB attacks. Magmortar is a great teammate as well, as it can roast those pesky Grass-types into crisps. Teammates that attract Electric-type attacks are also great to make full use of Seaking's Lightningrod. Swellow is a good example, as it can U-turn out from an expected Electric-type attack and switch into Seaking, who can take it with impunity.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Thanks to living in its tiny fish bowl and eating only fish food for too long, Seaking finds itself with not many other options to choose from. In times of peril, Seaking might want to jump out of its fish bowl or pond with Bounce, which hits Grass-types super effectively. However, since Seaking can already jab them with its sharp Megahorn or freeze them with a gust of Ice Beam, Seaking is usually better off not Bouncing out of its cozy home. If it feels cheeky, it can even coat its horn with toxic material, puncturing those weeds or Grass-types with Poison Jab. In all cases, Megahorn is the better option even though it does not have perfect accuracy, causing Seaking to occasionally launch itself into the glass bowl, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. If the goldfish is hungry for power, Choice Band can be used to bolster its physical attacks, allowing it to drown its foe with with reasonably strong Waterfalls. To flee from faster foes, Seaking can use Agility to boost its miserable Speed. However, it's not as if Seaking is going anywhere outside the speed limit of its round fish bowl; it isn't incredibly fast after an Agility anyway. The poor old goldfish is just happy with what is has, and isn't too greedy with its other options.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>While Lightningrod means that you can no longer make sashimi out of Seaking with Electric-type attacks, the goldfish still has many checks that can turn it into a sushi. Grass-types can easily pack Seaking into a California roll. For example, Leafeon can chop it into many pieces with Leaf Blade, although it has to watch out for Ice Beam. Opposing Water-types can use Seaking as setup bait. Gorebyss and Carracosta have huge Defense stats to laugh at whatever moves Seaking bothers to use and can set up Shell Smash. Any reasonably strong attacker can easily down Seaking and make fish cake out of it due to its horrible defenses; Seaking can't even make good use of its single weakness. Almost any neutral attack can 2HKO it, and it doesn't have to be super effective either. Pretty much anything that isn't hit super effectively by Seaking is a great check to it. All that's important is to not forget that Seaking has Lightningrod, letting it sponge any and all Electric-type attacks. Seaking is such an exploitable Pokemon in NU, and it's probably better for it to stay in its fish bowl than to come out of its Poke Ball.</p>
