Nincada, the Trainee Pokemon

This Pokemon is one of my absolute favorites, due to its evolutions and its evolution style. It's time he's made it onto the blog! First, the Ninjask's moveset...

Baton Pass
Substitute
Swords Dance
Protect/X-Scissor

IVs: 31 Attack, 31 Speed
EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP

Ninjask has the honor of being the fastest nonlegendary Pokemon. On top of that, he has the Speed Boost Ability, which grants him +1 speed stage at the end of each turn. Since he is the fastest Pokemon, he can use Substitute on the first turn. This allows him to get a Speed Boost because the substitute will take all the damage. The idea here is to use Substitute until you can anymore, with mine I can use it 4 times. Any time the substitute isn't killed, use Swords Dance. Before you die, you Baton Pass into someone better. You'd be best to switch into a tank of some variety, something that has strong physical attack, solid defenses, but slow speed. A Conkeldurr, Spiritomb, or Aggron are nice options, but anyone that would benefit from such boosts. As for the item held, use the stat-boost berries if you have them (I have mine hold the Petaya Berry, raises your Sp. Attack in a pinch). These berries activate after you've used Substitute a few times, so you are certain to get the boost. If you don't have those berries, then go with a Sitrus Berry to let yourself get another Substitute off, or maybe you have an idea of your own.

Now, you have a nice Ninjask...but wait, what's this other Pokemon in my party? He wasn't there before! It's a Shedinja!!! What can we do with him?

Confuse Ray
Spite
Shadow Sneak
Endure

Shedinja has the Wonder Guard Ability, meaning he can only be hurt by attacks that are super-effective against him, which are of 5 types (Fire, Flying, Rock, Ghost, Dark). Spite is mostly there to fight off Sucker Punch, one of the more common Dark attacks you'll see (Sucker Punch will fail because you're using Spite, and Spite gets rid of the rest of the PP), but I find it useful in the long-run as well. But on the first turn out, you use Endure, so you can see what attack the opponent was going to use against you. Then you can act accordingly. Shadow Sneak is a STAB priority move that will put a dent in some Pokemon, but use it once you're sure the enemy can't hit you. Confuse Ray helps, but if you wanted to try variations this would be the move to get rid of probably. Endure is there because a lot of times, the enemy will be forced to Struggle, and Endure will allow you to survive while still causing that 25% recoil on Struggle. This Pokemon requires thinking to use masterfully. You will be switching in and out a lot. But if you get in the habit of predicting and switching and whatnot, Shedinja proves to be very effective. Just look out for Burn/Poison attacks, entry hazards, and Hail/Sandstorm. For an item, I see 2 options: a Lum Berry to avoid dying from Burn of Poison effects, or a Focus Sash to gain an extra turn (2 if you use Endure, then survive with this, then Endure again).

How do you get these guys?

(1) Breed a male Karrablast that knows Endure (learned through level-up at lv. 8) with a female Nincada. Aim for an Attack or Speed-boosting Nature. There are a lot of good options here. Make sure you worked your desired IVs into the family first though!
(2) Done. Yeah, pretty simple, huh?

NOTE: When leveling up Nincada, make sure you have an empty slot in your party and an extra Pokeball in your bag, or you will not get Shedinja!!!

Fun fact, I love this evolution family so much that I once got into researching them. I read all of their Pokedex entries since their introduction in an attempt to understand why this evolution happens (seeking a natural explanation, not like "that's just how they programmed the game"). Bit-by-bit I started piecing everything together. Nincada acts as a cocoon, much like Metapod or Kakuna, that houses Ninjask until it is ready to hatch. Then the shell with the hole in it (from where Ninjask hatched) becomes Shedinja. It's a Ghost-type because Ninjask had all the living parts (heart, lungs, etc.). When we look at Ninjask's and Shedinja's stats, they have the same Attack, because the Nincada grew to that until that split occurred. Shedinja has such low HP because it is just a shell, it'd be like breaking a potato chip.

2 hours well spent.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments about the build, and if you have other ideas on these Pokemon, you can comment with them too!

Brock out.

A Tribute to Support Pokemon

I thought since I'm such an infrequent poster, I'd post a few builds that fit a theme at once, sound good? No? Well I'm doing it anyway, if you don't like it, find another blog. These builds don't necessarily involve breeding for attacks, but it is highly recommended that you breed for IVs because they help a lot. First up...

Aerodactyl

This has got to be one of the coolest fossil Pokemon made yet, and while it is typically used as a physical sweeper, I find it to be some of the best support in Double Battles you can get. The moveset is as follows:

Sandstorm
Smack Down
Aerial Ace
Roost/Tailwind

IVs: 31 Attack, 31 Speed, and if you can 31 HP or Defense
EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Defense or HP

Pressure is the best ability for this guy, just because nothing else really applies, and no need to be too picky on the Nature, just so long as it lowers Sp. Attack, or you may be able to settle for a neutral Nature. You would use this guy in a Double Battle with someone who benefits from a sandstorm, a Ground type so it gets a STAB from Earthquake. I have a number of partners for this guy. Excadrill with either of its abilities is a nice one, a Rock/Ground type gets the Sp. Defense boosts as well as the STAB Earthquake. Smack Down lets you knock down Flying types/Levitaters to be hit by the Earthquake of your ally. Aerial Ace is a nice STAB never-miss attack to clean up, and with Aerodactyl's Speed stat, it is a lot more likely to hit the opponent before it hits you. Tailwind is a good way to boost the Speed of your whole team, which is great for your typical Earthquake-ing Pokemon. Roost is for its own healing, and remember that Roost gets rid of your Flying-type for the turn it is used in, so your weaknesses change. I have mine hold a Lum Berry because people like to Thunder Wave it, which is just a nuisance.


Togekiss

Another good support partner in Double Battles if your partner takes a little bit of time to get going. The moveset I find to be most useful is this:

Air Slash
Aura Sphere
Follow Me
Wish

IVs: 31 Sp. Attack, 31 Sp. Defense, 31 Defense
EVs: 252 Defense, 152 Sp. Defense, 100 HP

Serene Grace is the best Ability for this build, and the Nature should lower Attack. Togekiss can take a hit from just about anything, and can deliver a decent hit itself. But the main point of the build is Follow Me. It forces the enemy to attack Togekiss instead of your partner, and works especially well if your partner has a Ground or Ghost weakness, because Togekiss will draw those attacks away and take no damage itself. Wish will let it heal itself at the end of the following turn, which can be useful if you predict your opponent well, or you can use Wish to heal another Pokemon in your party if you switch out. Aura Sphere is a powerful special Fighting attack that never misses, you never know when such an attack could come in handy. Air Slash is beautiful because with Serene Grace, it has a 60% chance to Flinch the target. I have mine hold the Rocky Helmet so when Follow Me is used, I force the target to take damage if it's using a physical attack, and if you choose your partner wisely, you can somewhat force them to use a physical attack(for example, if your partner is only weak to Fighting, and you draw it away, it will likely be physical because of all Fighting attacks, only 3 are special). I find this Togekiss to go well with almost any Pokemon, but I find mine partnering up most with my powerhouse of an Aggron.


Bronzong

Support takes many forms, and this metallic one is great for a multitude of strategies. I use it for Single Battles, but it could very well be used for Double Battles as well. His moveset should be along the lines of...

Rain Dance/Sunny Day/Sandstorm
Trick Room
Gyro Ball/Safeguard
Explosion

IVs: 31 Attack, 31 Defense, 31 Sp. Defense
EVs: 200 Defense, 200 Sp. Defense, 110 HP

Aim for the Levitate Ability, another immunity is always nice, and a Nature that reduces Speed or Sp. Attack. This is a set-up Pokemon, he gets out there, sets up, and Explodes. This specifically is to set up for a weather-based team(not Hail). So you would use the weather attack first. The next move depends on the rest of your team. If the rest of your team is relatively slow, you would want to use Trick Room, whereas if it is fast, then you may choose Safeguard. Gyro Ball is there for power, for a scenario where the rival Pokemon is weak to Steel. Once you are set up, use Explosion to deal one last chunk of damage to the opponent, and send out the guys that benefit from this set up. The best item here would be either the Rock that extends the chosen weather attack(Heat Rock, Damp Rock, or Smooth Rock), or a Normal Gem to add more power to the Explosion. Personally, I use the Rock. Let me give an example.

I use a Rain Dance team, so I have my Bronzong go in holding the Damp Rock, use Rain Dance, and then I'll usually use Explosion right after and send in Dragonite(Thunder, Hurricane, Aqua Tail, and Rain Dance), Wash Rotom(Thunder, Hydro Pump, Confuse Ray,  Hidden Power-Dragon), or Roserade(Weather Ball, Giga Drain, Venoshock, Rain Dance). These 3 guys can reap all the benefits they would from the Rain without having the set it up themselves, and that extra turn can mean everything in battle. Dragonite could unleash his STAB Hurricane without fear of missing, and be able to Confuse, then he could hit it with Thunder to paralyze. 2 turns is less than 3 turns, and that's good.

Now that should absolve me of having to update for a good while. If you have any questions or comments, just put them below.

Brock out.

Bellsprout, the Flower Pokemon

Bellsprout is a weird little guy. But put him in the sun, and he'll bloom into a powerful fighter!

Synthesis
Weather Ball
Solarbeam
Growth/Sunny Day/Stockpile/Leaf Blade

IVs: 31 HP, 31 Sp. Attack, 31 Speed
EVs: 252 Sp. Attack, 128 HP, 128 Speed

I couldn't quite determine what direction I wanted to go in with this guy, other than putting him in a Sunny Day team. Synthesis heals 2/3 HP in sunny weather. Weather Ball becomes a Fire-type attack with 150 power in the sun. Solarbeam will have no charge time in the sun, and also gets a STAB, so it will have 180 power. Victreebel's Ability is Chlorophyll, so his Speed doubles in the sun(from a base stat of 70 to 140). The 4th move is up to you, depending on your style of play. Growth raises your Attack and Sp. Attack stat one stage each, 2 stages each if it's in the sun. Sunny Day would set up the sunny weather(use this if you don't have someone else using it). Stockpile raises your Defense and Sp. Defense one stage each(no weather effect, just if you want better defenses). Leaf Blade would be a good STAB physical attack to have to compliment the special attacks in this set.

How to get him?

1) Breed a male Roserade that knows Weather Ball and Synthesis with a female Bellsprout.
2) Aim for a Nature that lowers Attack(unless you're going for Leaf Blade as that 4th move, then go for a Defense or Sp. Defense lowering Nature).

Have him hold a Focus Sash so he can get an extra turn, and voila, a vicious plant to mess up your opponent's plans! Questions and comments are welcome.

Brock out.

Koffing, the Poison Gas Pokemon

KOFFINGGGGGGG! Yeah, it's the guy that James owned for a good while. The very cause for pollution worldwide, here's a set for a fantastic Weezing!

Psywave
Pain Split
Toxic
Will-o-Wisp

IVs: 31 HP, 31 Defense, 31 Sp. Defense
EVs: 252 Sp. Defense, 160 HP, 96 Defense

1) Breed a male Reuniclus that knows Psywave(lv. 1), Pain Split(lv. 34), and Toxic(TM06) with a female Koffing/Weezing.
2)Teach Koffing Will-o-Wisp(TM61). Aim for a Calm or Careful Nature.

This Weezing is a tank. With his Ability Levitate, he only has one weakness, Psychic. Psywave is a move that will hit for a set amount of damage, equal to 50%-150% of the user's level. Toxic is for poisoning, and Will-o-Wisp is for those that can't be poisoned(and for weakening the high-Attack foes). Pain Split is for healing Weezing, and bringing down those high-HP foes. The beauty of this set is that it does not rely on any Attack/Sp. Attack modifiers on Weezing or any Defense/Sp. Defense modifiers on the other Pokemon. You start by Poisoning or Burning the enemy, whichever will work better in the situation, and then you just spam Psywave(in your typical lv. 50 battle this will always deal between 25 and 75 damage), using Pain Split when necessary. Holding a Black Sludge would be good for healing over time, or maybe the berry that reduces Psychic damage.

For those of you not interested in a chancey move like Psywave, but still like the defensive ways of the set, replace it with Stockpile for boosts to your Defense & Sp. Defense. (You have to breed a Reuniclus with Pain Split with a Swalot, Teach the Swalot Stockpile, then breed that with Weezing). If you want more offense, then go for moves like Venoshock or Explosion. Whatever way you go is fine, because Weezing has an astounding Defense stat, a usable Sp. Defense stat, and solid Attack and Sp. Attack stats.

Questions and comments are more than welcomed.

Brock out.

Advanced IV Breeding

A while ago I posted the basics of IVs and how to breed for them. However, I feel I didn't make it clear enough how to get the most out of the Egg, so this post is to clarify a few things about IV Breeding.

It is possible to breed for 3 max IVs, and it's what I recently started doing. As previously stated, IVs are semi-dependent on the parents' IVs. 1 comes from the male parent, 1 comes from the female parent, 1 comes from either the male or female parent, and the other 3 are completely up to chance. As breeders, we focus on those first 3 IVs that we have some control over.

Above we have an example I made to illustrate breeding 3 IVs and an Egg Move into a Pokemon, in the form of a family tree. This takes several steps as you can see, so if you don't have patience, you may as well stop reading right now. I've gotten what I wanted as early as Egg #16, or as late as Egg #48, and that can take about a full day.

The example is to get a Solosis that knows Confuse Ray and has max IVs in HP, Sp. Attack, and Sp. Defense, making it a good Special-Tank-style Pokemon. I'll list the steps of the example by number.

(1) Breed a female Litwick with a male Gastly that has a max HP IV. The Gastly must be holding the Power Weight so that the HP IV will carry down to the Egg. Hatch Eggs until you get a female Litwick with the max HP IV.
(2) Breed the new female Litwick with a male Castform that has a max Sp. Attack IV. Either have the Litwick hold the Power Weight, or have the Castform hold the Power Lens, it doesn't matter. Hatch Eggs until you get a male Litwick with both the max HP IV and the max Sp. Attack IV.
(3) Level the male Litwick up to lv 10 to teach it Confuse Ray.
(4) Breed a female Solosis with the male Gastly from Step 1, once again having the Gastly hold the Power Weight to carry down the max HP IV. Hatch until you get a female Solosis with a max HP IV.
(5) Breed the new female Solosis with a male Frillish that has a max Sp. Defense IV. Either have the Solosis hold the Power Weight, or have the Frillish hold the Power Band, it doesn't matter. Hatch Eggs until you get a female Solosis with both the max HP IV and the max Sp. Defense IV.
(6) Breed the male Litwick from Step 3 with the female Solosis from the end of Step 5. Either have the Litwick hold the Power Lens, or have the Solosis hold the Power Band, it doesn't matter. Hatch Eggs until you get a Solosis(gender doesn't matter) that has the max HP IV, the max Sp. Attack IV, and the max Sp. Defense IV. It will also know Confuse Ray. If that Solosis has a good Nature and the right Ability, keep it and you're done. If the Solosis does not have a good Nature and/or lacks the correct Ability and is male, see Step 7a(this is what the picture illustrates). If the Solosis does not have a good Nature and/or lacks the correct Ability and is female, see Step 7b.
(7a) Breed this male Solosis with its mother, having the male Solosis holding the Power Lens to carry down its max Sp. Attack IV. Hatch Eggs until you get a Solosis that has the Nature and Ability you desire.
(7b) Breed this female Solosis with its father(the Litwick), having the female Solosis hold the Power Band to carry down its max Sp. Defense IV. Hatch Eggs until you get a Solosis with the Nature and Ability you desire. NOTE: You may need to take the Litwick out of the Daycare Center and reteach it Confuse Ray if it has forgotten it already, though I am not certain if this is necessary.

Like I said, this takes patience. And now to summarize that in general terms. Basically, you breed for a female of the Pokemon you want in the end, with 2 IVs. Then you breed a male of the Pokemon that has the Egg move you want, with 2 IVs, 1 of the IVs its shares with the female, and the other is the 3rd IV you want in the end that the female doesn't have. You teach this male the move that will be an Egg move for the female, and breed the two until you get one with the 3 IVs you're breeding for. If it has a good Nature and a good Ability, you're done. If it's male, breed it with its mother, having it hold the Power item for the max IV the mother doesn't have. If its female, breed it with its father, having it hold the Power item for the max IV the father doesn't have.

Some FAQs(that I assume are frequently asked even though I'm making them up on the spot);

Q: Why do we have 2 IVs on each Pokemon, when we breed for 3 IVs in the end?
A: This is to increase the chances of getting what we want sooner. We put in one of the same IVs on both the male and the female(in the example the common IV is HP) so that if HP comes down, regardless of which parent it will be max. We use the Power item to carry down one of the IVs that is unique to a parent(in the example we can have the male Litwick hold the Power Lens to ensure the Sp. Attack stat is carried down). Then we just need patience while we wait for the other max IV in the gene pool to pass down.

Q: Why do we have the first egg with all 3 max IVs breed with a parent?
A: This is again to speed it all up. If you breed a Pokemon with all 3 max IVs you want with a Pokemon that has 2 of the 3 max IVs you want, then you have 2 common IVs between them, increasing the chances of them being carried down. Have the 3-max IV Pokemon hold the Power item for the IV the other one doesn't have, and wait for the Egg you need. Also, if the 3-max IV Pokemon is male, it can increase the rate you get Eggs, because they will be the same species(as explained in the post "Faster Than the Speed of Breed").

Q: What if I am breeding a genderless Pokemon, like Staryu or Beldum?
A: It will take longer for sure, as such Pokemon can only breed with Ditto. You can breed and just hope the IVs show up, though it isn't super-likely they will. However, I advise catching an absurd amount of Dittos and praying to Arceus that they have max IVs, as that is the only way to get the IVs you need. I myself have a few Dittos that cover all IVs between them, except for Defense. That Defense IV Ditto eludes me. Koga told me he has one but he isn't sharing. Kill Koga if you see him. And bring me his Ditto of course.

Okay then, that is how to breed for 3 max IVs in a single Pokemon. It's a long process, but you get some powerful Pokemon in the end. And even if you get a Pokemon with 3 max IVs that doesn't have the right Nature or Ability for it, if it's male you can still send it down to other Pokemon so don't be super-quick to get rid of it. Comments and questions are always welcome.

Brock out.

Munna, the Dream Eater Pokemon

Isn't it cute? So full of flowers and other happy things. It's so peaceful. In fact, this one doesn't even attack.

Calm Mind
Double Team
Baton Pass
Yawn

EVs: 252 Defense, 200 Sp. Defense, 58 HP

Nothing ingenious here, it's just a Baton Passer. Yawn to put the enemy to sleep, Calm Mind to up your Sp. Attack and Sp. Defense, Double Team to up your Evasion, then Baton Pass to switch it all to another Pokemon that could use it more. Musharna has impressive Wall stats and can get away with doing this sort of thing.

How to get it? Well...

(1) Raise a male Watchog to lv 39 to teach it Baton Pass. Teach it Double Team via its respective TM.
(2) Breed it with a female Musharna to get a Munna egg with those 2 moves. Aim for a Nature that lowers either Attack, Sp. Attack, or Speed(you won't be using any of these stats), preferably one that raises Defense or Sp. Defense as well.
(3) Teach the baby Munna Calm Mind via its respective TM.
(4) Raise the Munna to lv 7 to teach it Yawn. Then you can use the Moon Stone to evolve it whenever.

That's it really. You should probably have it hold the Leftovers item so it can recover from whatever damage it takes while the enemy is not Asleep. When battling, start using Double Team before Calm Mind, so that your enemy will have a hard time hitting you once they wake up, so Leftovers can do its work. This build would do wonders to Baton Pass to the Whimsicott that was posted a while ago. All the stats that this Musharna raises are good for compensating for weaknesses in the Whimsicott.

Comments/questions are always welcome. I know I am abandoning Musharna's solid Sp. Attack stat in this build, but I think it is worth it in this case. It can provide a solid stat boost to any Pokemon.

Brock out.

Shroomish, the Mushroom Pokemon

This is the one time it is okay to do shrooms, everyone.

Spore
Focus Punch
Seed Bomb
Wake-Up Slap

EVs: 252 Attack, 128 Defense, 128 Sp. Defense(the important one is Attack, spread the rest as you please)

This is a build to utilize Breloom's astounding Attack stat of 130. Spore is a move that has 100 Accuracy and can put an enemy to Sleep. This lets you use Focus Punch, a powerful move that only lands if you are not hit by the enemy in that same turn. With STAB, it comes out to be 225 power. Wake-Up Slap gets a STAB, and if the enemy is Asleep, its power doubles, bringing its power to 180. Seed Bomb is there for a Grass STAB should you be fighting a Ghost-type, it will have 120 power. A good item to hold would be the Focus Sash.

How do we get this one? Well I'll tell you right now, it is a pain in the Arceus. But should be worth it.

A GENERATION IV GAME IS REQUIRED FOR THIS POKEMON!

(1) Raise a male Jigglypuff in a Gen IV game to lv 37 to teach it Wake-Up Slap.
(2) Teach that same Jigglypuff Focus Punch via its TM, still in Gen IV.
(3) Breed that Jigglypuff with a female Breloom to get a Shroomish with Focus Punch and Wake-Up Slap, and an Adamant Nature(or at least one that lowers Sp. Attack). Ability does not particularly matter in this case. DO NOT EVOLVE IT IN THE GEN IV GAME.
(4) Migrate the Shroomish Egg to a Gen V game, and level it up to lv 45 to teach it Spore(it will learn Seed Bomb along the way at lv 37). YOU CANNOT EVOLVE THE SHROOMISH UNTIL IT LEARNS SPORE.

I told you it was a pain in the ass. Especially if you breed for IVs. If you breed for IVs, try to get a Ditto with a max Attack IV, and breed a male Shroomish with Wake-Up Slap and Focus Punch with that Ditto.

Another thing worth noting is Dream World Breloom. It can have the Technician Ability, which increases a move with 60 base power or less by 50%. This would bring Wake-Up Slap to a power of 270, and given Breloom's Attack stat, that is a scary thing to face. If you are a greedy person who wants everything including IVs, moves, Nature, and a DW Ability, this is actually still possible, but a few things change. I'll just list the process here now. Skip over it if you are not greedy for such power.

(1) Breed a male Jigglypuff in Gen IV with a max Attack IV. This is easiest to accomplish in HG/SS due to the breeding mechanics mentioned in the IV section of this blog.
(2) Raise it to lv 37 to teach it Wake-Up Slap, still in Gen IV.
(3) Teach it Focus Punch through its TM, still in Gen IV.
(4) Migrate this Jigglypuff(male, max Attack IV, Focus Punch and Wake-Up Slap) to a Gen V game.
(5) Have a female Dream World Shroomish/Breloom.
(6) Have the male Jigglypuff you migrated hold the Power Bracer, and breed it with the female DW Shroomish/Breloom. If the Breloom has the Adamant Nature, have it hold the Everstone while it breeds to up the odds of the Egg having that Nature.
(7) The Egg will have a 60% chance of being hatched with the DW Ability(for Shroomish it reads Quick Feet, but when it evolves it will be Technician), and a 50% chance to have the Adamant Nature if you were lucky enough to have that at your disposal. This comes out to 30% of the Eggs coming out with the Attack IV, moves, Nature, and DW Ability. If not, you only have a 2.4% chance of getting one with the Adamant Nature(or 9.6% if aiming for any Sp. Attack-lowering Nature, and 21.6% if you include the neutral Natures). Not to crush your hopes and dreams or anything.
(8) Without evolving it, level the Shroomish up to lv 45 to teach it Spore and Seed Bomb.
(9) Thank Arceus you're finally done.

A fair warning, this build does not perform well against Flying, Bug, Poison, or Ghost-types, nor Pokemon with Vital Spirit or Early Bird as their Abilities. I do not advise leading with this Pokemon.

If you have any comments or questions, let me know! This is a link to how to get a DW Shroomish:

http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Dream_Park_(Dream_World_area)

Brock out.