Pokémon Analysis 13: PorygonZ!

Everybody knows about Porygon2 right? With Trick Room playing a major part in the VGC 17 meta, P2’s access to Eviolite and reliable recovery has turned it into, arguably, the best Trick Room setter in the format. But what about its almost forgotten evolution, Porygon Z?

In the earlier stages of the Meta, Sejun Park used a Choice Scarf Porygon-Z on his team, which offered reliable offensive support and coverage. However, with the introduction of Z moves in Gen 7, Porygon-Z certainly lives up to the Z in its name by having access to the moves Conversion, which raises each stat by one stage when turned into Z Conversion, and Hyper Beam, which delivers a destructive base 200 blow to unfortunate recipients.

Erik Anderson @ Edinburgh Midseason Showdown!

This report details the experiences of guest writer Erik Anderson’s participation in Edinburgh’s recent mid season showdown!

Pokémon Analysis 9 – Toucannon!

When my other half declared Toucannon an ‘amazing’ Pokémon I confess, like all of you reading this article, I mocked. Barring Talonflame (and perhaps Staraptor), the early catchable bird Pokémon from any region tends to be pretty trash. This season, Talonflame’s signature ability Gale Wings received a substantial nerf which prevents the bravest bird from running riot in the VGC 17 format. But which list of early birds will Toucannon add itself to? The usable or the trash?

Pokémon Analysis 8 – Nihilego!

Now that we’ve (for the most part) completed our analysis of Trick Room setters, it’s time to move on to something… a little quicker than the previous 7 analysis articles. As voted for by members of Facebook’s VGC Battling Hub, analysis eight will focus on the first Ultra Beast we see during our Alolan adventures; Nihilego!

Pokémon Analysis – Trick Room Setter 6: Oranguru!

When revealed before the release of Pokémon Sun and Moon, Oranguru became almost the mascot of VGC 17; its signature move Instruct – which allows the targeted Pokémon to use the same move a second time in the same turn – decent bulk, a solid typing and access to Trick Room made it appear that Oranguru was specifically designed for use in the competitive circuit.