VGC Analysis Format (under construction - use the SC format for now)

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yuki

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With VGC finally getting back into the swing of things on the forum, it's about time for us to start our analyses for the Smogon Dex. Please use the following format for your analyses.

[OVERVIEW]

Generalize what the Pokemon does in the metagame and as a whole and why you should or shouldn't consider using it on your teams. See this thread for more tips.

[SET]
name:
move 1:
move 2:
move 3:
move 4:
item:
ability:
nature:
evs:

[SET COMMENTS]

Describe what the moves on the set do, as well as alternative options. Describe other aspects of the set such as the EVs and nature/item. Use bullet points for this section.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

List some options for the Pokemon user that are plausible but not always recommended due to being either not consistent enough or too outclassed by other Pokemon in the metagame.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[username1, userid1]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]
 
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I want to clarify something minor: if a Pokemon really does not have many viable other options, it's okay to cut them down. Some questions you can ask yourself are

"Have I seen this on high ladder? (1760+ on PS or top 200 Master Ball on SwSh Cartridge)?"
"Does this move/item have practical use that is not covered by the primary moveset analysis?
"Did this move/item feature on a well performing team in a recent tournament?"
"Does this move/item have significant usage on Pikalytics?"
"Does this move/item still allow the Pokemon to fulfill its core role(s)?"

If you can't answer yes to at least two of those questions, it is not worth mentioning in the Other Options section of an analysis.
 
Hey y'all, one more quick announcement. This is what we're looking to see in the set comments when we mention bullet points.

* Moves 1-4 explanation - tell why this move is used, what it hits in the meta, and what Dynamax/Gigantamax utility it has. Each move gets a separate bullet point

* Item explanation - If there are multiple items, elaborate on each one's respective strengths.**

* EV / Nature / Stat explanation - anything that isn't super obvious goes here. if no real elaboration is necessary, skip this line.**

** - if the ability isn't obvious, explain it in one of these two lines, whichever makes more sense.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ELABORATE ON
  • Obvious move choices. Mostly, these will be STAB moves that see north of 90% usage on Pikalytics. Fake Out and Protect do not need to be justified on Pokemon that commonly use these moves.
  • 252/252 EV Spreads (mostly) - A majority of the time, it's really simple to see why Kartana and the like runs 252 Speed EVs.
  • Boosting Natures on 252 EV spreads (mostly) A majority of the time, it's just maximizing the aforementioned stat, which can be implied from looking at the moveset.
  • Other Options. See the above post for what you should be using for OO criteria. If you have any other moves or sets you'd like to mention, ask the QC team on Discord first
PLEASE ELABORATE ON
  • A Pokemon's positives and negatives in the overview. It's totally okay to talk up a Pokemon more than you talk it down, but including some common forces that the Pokemon in question struggles with increases the overall quality of the analysis
  • What your Pokemon actually hits (examples!). "Heat Wave on Zapdos is great for hitting Kartana" is way, way better than "Zapdos runs Heat Wave to hit Steel-types."
  • The same move on different sets. Yes, it's important that both Choice Specs Kyogre and Mystic Water Kyogre run Water Spout, so please elaborate both times. You can keep your writeup fairly similar, just don't straight up copy and paste.
  • Why Max Moves are helpful. A lot of times offensive Pokemon will run certain moves just to abuse them while Dynamaxed. If so, please elaborate on what the benefits of using this certain move are.
 
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