VOLUME 2 - ISSUE 5
The Delta Articles
Written By TheQuantumJumper, Legyro and Phlygone
Intro
Welcome to Issue 5 of Volume 2 of The Delta Articles, the Pokemon Webmag! TQJ has The Metagame up first... Followed up with Legyro giving us the lowdown with a Pokémon Spotlight on Porygon2. Phlygone is bring another Battle Arcade and TQJ brings another PokéNav. Here they are, The Delta Articles!
Announcements
Phlygone Summer League: Starting May, Ending in August
- Registration Deadline: Thursday May 26th @ 9:59pm PST/11:59pm CST
- Live Draft: Saturday May 28th @ 12pm PST/2pm CST
- League Opening Day: Thursday June 2nd @ 5:30pm PST/7:30pm CST
- Last Day of Regular Season: Sunday August 7th @ 9:59 pm PST/11:59 CST
- Playoff Weekend: Friday-Sunday August 12th-14th
- NOTE: Rules are posted at the bottom of the Rules and Summary page
The Metagame
Flashback - Generation One
Written by TheQuantumJumper
| Yo, champ in the making! Today I’m taking a break from useful information to travel back in time to the birth of Pokemon. A lot of things were different in Red/Blue/Yellow version, and the competitive scene there would appear very foreign to those of us who play today. But Pokemon Showdown has a queue for this first generation, and if you wish to brave it, you might want to consider the following details. |  Alakazam - The Meta Defining Mon |
In Generation 4 (D/P/Pt) we saw one of the most diversifying changes to Pokemon: the elimination of Physical/Special type bias. Previously, all water type moves were special attacks, for example. This meant Pokemon like Kingler lacked a significant amount of power, as their stats didn't line up with their STABs. This also meant there were some Pokemon who’s typing was weak to mainly physically or specially biased types but resisted those types were very difficult to take down. The physically biased types were Normal, Poison, Rock, Ground, Flying, Ghost, Bug, Fighting, and (Steel), and the specially biased types were Fire, Water, Grass, Ice, Electric, Psychic, Dragon, and (Dark). I’ll get to the reason for those parentheses later. This severely limited the competitively viable pool, and is definitely one change I’m glad to have.
Another major change occurred in Generation 2 (G/S/C). This one was the division of the first generations Special Stat into Special Attack and Special Defense. Previously, this was only governed by one number, making some Pokemon incredibly tanky and powerful. Chansey was a feared sweeper, but was still no match for the king of ubers: Mewtwo. With access to a high special stat and Amnesia (a move which raised the special stat by 2 stages) it was nearly unkillable outside of Explosion. It’s worth noting that Mewtwo was the only Pokemon banned from first generation OU. Combined with the previously mentioned type bias, this led to some very interesting trends. Normal type moves such as Hyper Beam and Explosion were popular ways to break through high Special Pokemon, and as a consequence the otherwise lackluster Gengar saw a large amount of play, as the only fully evolved Ghost type.
Earlier I parenthesized two of the types when discussing the type bias. This is because the first generation did not have Steel or Dark types, leaving Psychic to be incredibly powerful. Only resisted by itself, Psychic also didn’t fear much from enemy Super-Effective attacks, as the only types that could hit it for double damage were Bug and Ghost. Ghost only had the 30 base power Lick, with only Gengar being able to use it, and Bug was limited to Leech Life (10BP), Twinneedle (exclusive to Beedrill) and Pin Missile. If you wanted to use Pin Missile you were stuck with Beedrill or Jolteon. Typically teams would need to brute force Psychic types with whatever Physical moves they had available.
Some of you might be wondering why people didn’t use stall archetypes to answer the surprisingly tanky Psychics. In addition to being almost unresisted, Psychic didn’t fear stall teams because said stall teams didn’t really have reliable ways to damage them in return. Entry hazards and Phasing Moves didn’t exist, and a bug with Toxic turned it into Regular Poison on a switch. The go-to status was Paralysis, which was easy to spread with moves like Body Slam or Thunderbolt. These moves were brought as common coverage moves carried by many Pokemon.
Despite its accuracy, Blizzard was also popular due to its raw strength and freeze chance, and providing excellent coverage. Especially relevant was the lack of non-fixed damage Dragon moves, making Blizzard the most reliable answer to Dragonite. As popular as Paralysis and Freeze were, however, sleep was almost mandatory on every team. Low accuracy sleep moves like Sleep Powder and Hypnosis were rampant, due to the unfavorable sleep mechanics of the generation. When waking from sleep, a Pokemon didn’t get to make an attack, leaving it even more vulnerable than it is today. Due to sleep clause, this led to many people running a bulky “sleep absorber” that actually had a chance of waking up later in the match if it came down to it. One popular choice was Alakazam, with its monstrous Special Stat.
Other noteworthy differences include the lack of abilities or held items, as well as an entirely different stat growth system. In the first generation, you didn’t have to pick any individual stats you wanted to focus on heightening; they all could be maxed out. This meant fairly little variance between sets, with moves being the only variable. In addition to having just a smaller number of Pokemon, this made the metagame very narrow.
Lastly, partially trapping moves like Wrap and Fire Spin behaved very differently than they do now. Instead of preventing switches, they would prevent either Pokemon from taking any action. This meant fast Wrap users (like Agility Dragonite) could outspeed you and prevent you from taking any action for a significant number of turns while doing a fair chunk of damage. This was yet another reason why Gengar was a popular choice for many teams. Speaking of speed, the stat had an additional boon: the faster you were, the higher your chance to crit. A Persian with Slash had upwards of a 90% crit chance.
That’s all I have for you guys pertaining to “ye olden days” for now! Whether you’re thankful that that meta no longer pertains to most playing or interested in trying it out, I hope you enjoyed seeing what the meta was at its very earliest. On the complete opposite end of things, the tiers have been updated based on usage; you can check out the details in the link below. Notably, without Hoopa-U, stall is doing very well again, with ‘mons like Amoonguss and Quagsire rising to OU. Surprisingly, Mega-Altaria is now UU legal despite having an S+ ranking in the OU viability thread. Time will tell if it can perform well in the new environment, as with all the other recent changes. Keep your eyes open for bans and meta shifts as these changes settle in!
Another major change occurred in Generation 2 (G/S/C). This one was the division of the first generations Special Stat into Special Attack and Special Defense. Previously, this was only governed by one number, making some Pokemon incredibly tanky and powerful. Chansey was a feared sweeper, but was still no match for the king of ubers: Mewtwo. With access to a high special stat and Amnesia (a move which raised the special stat by 2 stages) it was nearly unkillable outside of Explosion. It’s worth noting that Mewtwo was the only Pokemon banned from first generation OU. Combined with the previously mentioned type bias, this led to some very interesting trends. Normal type moves such as Hyper Beam and Explosion were popular ways to break through high Special Pokemon, and as a consequence the otherwise lackluster Gengar saw a large amount of play, as the only fully evolved Ghost type.
Earlier I parenthesized two of the types when discussing the type bias. This is because the first generation did not have Steel or Dark types, leaving Psychic to be incredibly powerful. Only resisted by itself, Psychic also didn’t fear much from enemy Super-Effective attacks, as the only types that could hit it for double damage were Bug and Ghost. Ghost only had the 30 base power Lick, with only Gengar being able to use it, and Bug was limited to Leech Life (10BP), Twinneedle (exclusive to Beedrill) and Pin Missile. If you wanted to use Pin Missile you were stuck with Beedrill or Jolteon. Typically teams would need to brute force Psychic types with whatever Physical moves they had available.
Some of you might be wondering why people didn’t use stall archetypes to answer the surprisingly tanky Psychics. In addition to being almost unresisted, Psychic didn’t fear stall teams because said stall teams didn’t really have reliable ways to damage them in return. Entry hazards and Phasing Moves didn’t exist, and a bug with Toxic turned it into Regular Poison on a switch. The go-to status was Paralysis, which was easy to spread with moves like Body Slam or Thunderbolt. These moves were brought as common coverage moves carried by many Pokemon.
Despite its accuracy, Blizzard was also popular due to its raw strength and freeze chance, and providing excellent coverage. Especially relevant was the lack of non-fixed damage Dragon moves, making Blizzard the most reliable answer to Dragonite. As popular as Paralysis and Freeze were, however, sleep was almost mandatory on every team. Low accuracy sleep moves like Sleep Powder and Hypnosis were rampant, due to the unfavorable sleep mechanics of the generation. When waking from sleep, a Pokemon didn’t get to make an attack, leaving it even more vulnerable than it is today. Due to sleep clause, this led to many people running a bulky “sleep absorber” that actually had a chance of waking up later in the match if it came down to it. One popular choice was Alakazam, with its monstrous Special Stat.
Other noteworthy differences include the lack of abilities or held items, as well as an entirely different stat growth system. In the first generation, you didn’t have to pick any individual stats you wanted to focus on heightening; they all could be maxed out. This meant fairly little variance between sets, with moves being the only variable. In addition to having just a smaller number of Pokemon, this made the metagame very narrow.
Lastly, partially trapping moves like Wrap and Fire Spin behaved very differently than they do now. Instead of preventing switches, they would prevent either Pokemon from taking any action. This meant fast Wrap users (like Agility Dragonite) could outspeed you and prevent you from taking any action for a significant number of turns while doing a fair chunk of damage. This was yet another reason why Gengar was a popular choice for many teams. Speaking of speed, the stat had an additional boon: the faster you were, the higher your chance to crit. A Persian with Slash had upwards of a 90% crit chance.
That’s all I have for you guys pertaining to “ye olden days” for now! Whether you’re thankful that that meta no longer pertains to most playing or interested in trying it out, I hope you enjoyed seeing what the meta was at its very earliest. On the complete opposite end of things, the tiers have been updated based on usage; you can check out the details in the link below. Notably, without Hoopa-U, stall is doing very well again, with ‘mons like Amoonguss and Quagsire rising to OU. Surprisingly, Mega-Altaria is now UU legal despite having an S+ ranking in the OU viability thread. Time will tell if it can perform well in the new environment, as with all the other recent changes. Keep your eyes open for bans and meta shifts as these changes settle in!
Pokemon Spotlight
Staff Mons: “ShadowTagPorygon”
Written by Legyro
Another week, another article, my friends. Now that I’m back, it’s time to hunker down and finish up the Staffmons. As we near the end of the road, and things get more hectic, we find ourselves in need of a retreat and…. Ok, who wrote the script for this issue? Dang, Phlygone, you need to fire their ass. Good riddance. Anyway, this week we are doing Porygon2. Let’s go.
| National Pokédex Number: #233 Base Stats: HP: 85 Atk: 80 Def: 90 Sp. Atk: 105 Sp. Def: 95 Speed: 60 Abilities: Trace: Trace changes into the Ability of the opponent. Trace cannot copy Trace, Multitype, Illusion, Flower Gift, Imposter, or Stance Change; however, Trace can copy Wonder Guard. In Double and Triple Battles as well as Horde Encounters, Trace will randomly copy an adjacent opponent's Ability. |  Beaut |
Download: Download raises either the Attack stat or Special Attack stat by one stage depending on the foe's lowest current defensive stat (i.e. it will raise Special Attack if the foe's current Special Defense is lower than its current Defense stat). If the foe's Defense and Special Defense are equal, the Special Attack stat is increased. During a Double Battle, Download will add the two opposing Pokémon's stats and calculate the lower stat between both.
Analytic: If the user targets a Pokémon that has already acted this turn, the power of the user's move is increased by 30%.
Synopsis:
P2 is a duck; a computerized duck. To add to that, it’s bulky and has only one weakness, which makes for a pretty nice wall. Not only that, but it is somewhat slow in comparison to other mons in the tier, making it a great Trick Room user. It does have a decent 105 Sp. Atk stat, which is nothing to scoff at, and its defensive stats are in the 90s, which is nice as well. On top of all this, due to it not being fulling evolved, it gets access to Eviolite, which further boosts its defensive capabilities. Overall, P2 finds itself in somewhat of a supportive role, with an underlying offensive prowess that can be used in times of necessity.
Standard Sets:
These sets are the norm, what you will normally see throughout your laddering career on Pokémon Showdown, as well as in-game PvP. They work really well with most standard laddering teams and are what make this Pokémon so viable in its tier.
Defensive
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpD
Calm Nature
- Recover
- Tri Attack
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave/Toxic
Probably the most common set on the ladder. With bulk to tank almost any hit head on, and Recover to heal up any damage you take, this set can become very annoying to play against. T-wave and Toxic are nice to have in order to neutralize threats that may attempt to set up on you and sweep your team. T-wave works really well against pesky Scarf Mienshaos that run around and tri to High Jump Kick you. Tri Attack is good for STAB and has a chance of inflicting status impairments if you haven't done so already. Ice Beam is there for coverage. Trace is the optimal ability here as it allows you to gain the opponent’s ability, which can help you out. Download isn’t really necessary since you are not offensive.
Trick Room
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
- Trick Room
- Recover
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
The offensive set of the bunch. This set features Trick Room, which is very popular in lower tiers. This set’s focus is based around being able to take out or weakness fast threats that live in the UU tier. While you might not be able to OHKO everything, you can do decent damage to things like Gyarados, Crobat, and even Phys Def Mandibuzz. Bolt Beam combo is meant for coverage, but you can run Tri Attack or another coverage move if you so wish. Download here works the best, as it can give you a Sp. Atk boost depending on the opponent’s Pokemon.
Showcase Set:
This set is brought to you by our special guest writer: ShadowTagPorygon
It seems like I’m always here writing some part of this webmag huh? I’m back again today with my homie and staffmon Porygon2. This one doesn’t have Shadow Tag but it’ll still be just as cool, trust me!
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tri Attack
- Shadow Ball
- Psyshock
- Recover
Alright we have the normal Eviolite set for that crazy amazing defense tank along with Recover to gain back health quickly. Tri Attack because it’s an amazing STAB move and just seems like one of Porygon’s signature moves and you almost always have to keep signature moves on pokemon unless it’s like magma storm on Heatran because Lava Plume is so much better. Anyway back to the topic at hand, we have Shadow Ball for those pesky ghost types that are immune to Tri Attack (and what’s a Shadow Tag Porygon without a Ghost Type attack) and Psyshock for those specially defensive walls and in general those fighting types that pose a strong threat to Porygon2 even with all that bulk. The proper thing would be to have Analytic on this set because it will most definitely be slower than everything it’s attacking but without trace how else are supposed to get Shadow Tag on Porygon2?
Legyro: *whispers* “No you dumbo, it doesn’t work that way.”
ShadowTagPorygon: What do you mean Shadow Tag is banned in OU and every tier below it?
Legyro: *whispers* “Why are you like this?”
ShadowTagPorygon: Well guys it seems like our poor buddy Porygon2 can’t get Shadow Tag unless he plays in Ubers or AG which is...er a bit challenging for the little guy, not to say that it isn’t possible at all.
Alright anyway I really hope you guys enjoyed my Porygon set, I wasn’t able to be as silly with my sets as I normally am which is why I did the first fun set ;)
Fun Sets:
These sets are not meant to be serious, however, they can still work with the right play style and teammates. I would suggest not using these to raise your ELO, but rather just to mess around and have fun with. Enjoy!
It’s Basically No Guard - Part 2
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Gravity
- Recover
- Zap Cannon
- Blizzard
Hey there guys, ShadowTagPorygon here in case you didn’t read my Porygon set up there, in which case….Why haven’t you? Porygon2 cries at the thought of you disregarding its Shadow Tag set. Alright moving on! We all know how much I love Gravity sets...and if you didn’t well I love Gravity sets. If you guys remember Legyro’s Arceus fun sets, he included one that I told him about called “It’s Basically No Guard” since it was an Arceus with Gravity, Blizzard, Thunder and Focus Blast. Well this Porygon2 set here is pretty much exactly the same but just bulkier and with recovery. Porygon2 is meant to set up Gravity and use moves like Blizzard and Zap Cannon which will not miss due to Gravity despite their 30% and 50% miss chance respectively. Zap Cannon also paralyzes 100% of the time similar to Dynamic Punch confusing 100% of the time. So many similarities to No Guard Machamp. It’s like this Porygon2 set is Basically No Guard! See what I did there? Hehe. See ya guys next time!
Analytic: If the user targets a Pokémon that has already acted this turn, the power of the user's move is increased by 30%.
Synopsis:
P2 is a duck; a computerized duck. To add to that, it’s bulky and has only one weakness, which makes for a pretty nice wall. Not only that, but it is somewhat slow in comparison to other mons in the tier, making it a great Trick Room user. It does have a decent 105 Sp. Atk stat, which is nothing to scoff at, and its defensive stats are in the 90s, which is nice as well. On top of all this, due to it not being fulling evolved, it gets access to Eviolite, which further boosts its defensive capabilities. Overall, P2 finds itself in somewhat of a supportive role, with an underlying offensive prowess that can be used in times of necessity.
Standard Sets:
These sets are the norm, what you will normally see throughout your laddering career on Pokémon Showdown, as well as in-game PvP. They work really well with most standard laddering teams and are what make this Pokémon so viable in its tier.
Defensive
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpD
Calm Nature
- Recover
- Tri Attack
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave/Toxic
Probably the most common set on the ladder. With bulk to tank almost any hit head on, and Recover to heal up any damage you take, this set can become very annoying to play against. T-wave and Toxic are nice to have in order to neutralize threats that may attempt to set up on you and sweep your team. T-wave works really well against pesky Scarf Mienshaos that run around and tri to High Jump Kick you. Tri Attack is good for STAB and has a chance of inflicting status impairments if you haven't done so already. Ice Beam is there for coverage. Trace is the optimal ability here as it allows you to gain the opponent’s ability, which can help you out. Download isn’t really necessary since you are not offensive.
Trick Room
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
- Trick Room
- Recover
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
The offensive set of the bunch. This set features Trick Room, which is very popular in lower tiers. This set’s focus is based around being able to take out or weakness fast threats that live in the UU tier. While you might not be able to OHKO everything, you can do decent damage to things like Gyarados, Crobat, and even Phys Def Mandibuzz. Bolt Beam combo is meant for coverage, but you can run Tri Attack or another coverage move if you so wish. Download here works the best, as it can give you a Sp. Atk boost depending on the opponent’s Pokemon.
Showcase Set:
This set is brought to you by our special guest writer: ShadowTagPorygon
It seems like I’m always here writing some part of this webmag huh? I’m back again today with my homie and staffmon Porygon2. This one doesn’t have Shadow Tag but it’ll still be just as cool, trust me!
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tri Attack
- Shadow Ball
- Psyshock
- Recover
Alright we have the normal Eviolite set for that crazy amazing defense tank along with Recover to gain back health quickly. Tri Attack because it’s an amazing STAB move and just seems like one of Porygon’s signature moves and you almost always have to keep signature moves on pokemon unless it’s like magma storm on Heatran because Lava Plume is so much better. Anyway back to the topic at hand, we have Shadow Ball for those pesky ghost types that are immune to Tri Attack (and what’s a Shadow Tag Porygon without a Ghost Type attack) and Psyshock for those specially defensive walls and in general those fighting types that pose a strong threat to Porygon2 even with all that bulk. The proper thing would be to have Analytic on this set because it will most definitely be slower than everything it’s attacking but without trace how else are supposed to get Shadow Tag on Porygon2?
Legyro: *whispers* “No you dumbo, it doesn’t work that way.”
ShadowTagPorygon: What do you mean Shadow Tag is banned in OU and every tier below it?
Legyro: *whispers* “Why are you like this?”
ShadowTagPorygon: Well guys it seems like our poor buddy Porygon2 can’t get Shadow Tag unless he plays in Ubers or AG which is...er a bit challenging for the little guy, not to say that it isn’t possible at all.
Alright anyway I really hope you guys enjoyed my Porygon set, I wasn’t able to be as silly with my sets as I normally am which is why I did the first fun set ;)
Fun Sets:
These sets are not meant to be serious, however, they can still work with the right play style and teammates. I would suggest not using these to raise your ELO, but rather just to mess around and have fun with. Enjoy!
It’s Basically No Guard - Part 2
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Gravity
- Recover
- Zap Cannon
- Blizzard
Hey there guys, ShadowTagPorygon here in case you didn’t read my Porygon set up there, in which case….Why haven’t you? Porygon2 cries at the thought of you disregarding its Shadow Tag set. Alright moving on! We all know how much I love Gravity sets...and if you didn’t well I love Gravity sets. If you guys remember Legyro’s Arceus fun sets, he included one that I told him about called “It’s Basically No Guard” since it was an Arceus with Gravity, Blizzard, Thunder and Focus Blast. Well this Porygon2 set here is pretty much exactly the same but just bulkier and with recovery. Porygon2 is meant to set up Gravity and use moves like Blizzard and Zap Cannon which will not miss due to Gravity despite their 30% and 50% miss chance respectively. Zap Cannon also paralyzes 100% of the time similar to Dynamic Punch confusing 100% of the time. So many similarities to No Guard Machamp. It’s like this Porygon2 set is Basically No Guard! See what I did there? Hehe. See ya guys next time!
| Cyber Speed Porygon2 @ Choice Scarf Ability: Download EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe - Tri Attack - Psychic - Ice Beam - Hidden Power [Fire] Sporting coverage moves up the wazoo, this set uses the surprise factor of the Choice Scarf to get kills. Particularly on Life Orb Mienshao, which is P2’s biggest threat. This is why we run Psychic/Psyshock, in order to hit Fighting-types hard. Crobat also does not enjoy taking one to the face either. HP Fire is nice for Steel types that we can’t hit normally; granted we still won’t do that much damage with it anyway. |  Farting Cyber Ducks, Another Day on the Job |
Choice Specs
Porygon2 @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tri Attack
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock
Similar to the previous set, we are locking ourselves into a move here. While its evolution, Porygon-Z, does a better job of this, P2 can still pack a punch. Analytic means that we hit harder when we go last, and that will be most of the time. Standard Coverage moves apply, but Tri Attack will also do massive amounts of damage all on its own, so keep that in mind.
Playing Against a Porygon2:
Mienshao is a nightmare for P2. With its High Jump Kick (HJK) and Reckless ability, it can kick P2 into next year. Even if the Mienshao is running Regenerator, a HJK will still do crap loads of damage. On top of that, most Mienshaos carry Knock Off, which means P2 can kiss its Eviolite goodbye too. Keep this in mind if you find yourself in that matchup. Newly dropped Conkeldurr is also in a similar place as Mienshao, except it is slower, which could be extremely bad news for Trick Room variants of P2. It is also worth mentioning that Taunt works very well on P2, as it often utilizes moves like Recover and Trick Room to put in work. Crobat is a nice example for this; just be wary of Tbolts and Ice Beams.
That’s all for this week everyone. I hope you guys enjoyed. See you next time, and good luck on your laddering!
Porygon2 @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tri Attack
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock
Similar to the previous set, we are locking ourselves into a move here. While its evolution, Porygon-Z, does a better job of this, P2 can still pack a punch. Analytic means that we hit harder when we go last, and that will be most of the time. Standard Coverage moves apply, but Tri Attack will also do massive amounts of damage all on its own, so keep that in mind.
Playing Against a Porygon2:
Mienshao is a nightmare for P2. With its High Jump Kick (HJK) and Reckless ability, it can kick P2 into next year. Even if the Mienshao is running Regenerator, a HJK will still do crap loads of damage. On top of that, most Mienshaos carry Knock Off, which means P2 can kiss its Eviolite goodbye too. Keep this in mind if you find yourself in that matchup. Newly dropped Conkeldurr is also in a similar place as Mienshao, except it is slower, which could be extremely bad news for Trick Room variants of P2. It is also worth mentioning that Taunt works very well on P2, as it often utilizes moves like Recover and Trick Room to put in work. Crobat is a nice example for this; just be wary of Tbolts and Ice Beams.
That’s all for this week everyone. I hope you guys enjoyed. See you next time, and good luck on your laddering!
Battle Arcade
Written by Phlygone
Another week, another Battle Arcade! This last issue I had you use Pokemon from the depths of FU, let’s see how you fared!
Last Issue: OU Stinks (FU Edition)
Last Issues’ Winners:
# of Battle Arcade Winners: 6
Usernames of the Winners: King Duck King Duck, Iralious, ShadowTagPorygon, TheQuantumJumper, ItsJamrock & Shcowle
Last Issue’s Feature:
Username: Iralious
Tier: OU
Ladder Opponent: Big Steff
Replay: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-364996390
# of Battle Arcade Winners: 6
Usernames of the Winners: King Duck King Duck, Iralious, ShadowTagPorygon, TheQuantumJumper, ItsJamrock & Shcowle
Last Issue’s Feature:
Username: Iralious
Tier: OU
Ladder Opponent: Big Steff
Replay: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-364996390
| The Winner’s Team: Swoobat @ Kee Berry Ability: Simple EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Calm Mind - Stored Power - Air Slash - Substitute Lapras @ Leftovers Ability: Water Absorb EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe Adamant Nature - Dragon Dance - Waterfall - Body Slam - Ice Shard Quilladin @ Eviolite Ability: Bulletproof EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Spikes - Leech Seed - Synthesis - Protect Spritzee @ Eviolite Ability: Aroma Veil EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD Calm Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Heal Bell - Wish - Moonblast - Protect Electabuzz @ Eviolite Ability: Vital Spirit EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def - Thunder - Volt Switch - Focus Blast - Hidden Power [Ice] Furret @ Damp Rock Ability: Frisk EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe Jolly Nature - Knock Off - Return - Sucker Punch - Rain Dance |       |
Pretty interesting team brought by Iralious. Dragon Dance Lapras paired with Simple Swoobat and Furret, along with the NFE Dream Team of Quilladin, Spritzee and Electabuzz. Considering his options, Iralious did quite well putting together this team, with no crippling flaws of any sort. Electabuzz is an established FU threat, and Lapras and Swoobat can catch a ton of people off guard. However, if there was anything to critique, it’s the Rain Dance Furret to set up the Thunder Electabuzz, as it’s a little clunky. Also, where is the Murkrow?
The Loser’s Team:
Honestly not the best team, but not the worst either. He had a lot of good OU ‘mons with x4 weaknesses (Gliscor, Tyranitar, Garchomp & Scizor) which was something to exploit. Emboar is also pretty meh, but I’ve seen much worse.
Quality and Strength of Match:
The match was overall pretty solid. Honestly Iralious just outplayed him with DD Lapras. Once Lapras got to +1, it was pretty much over, which is really sad, since it’s Lapras. However, Big Steff didn’t make any overtly bad plays.
The Loser’s Team:
Honestly not the best team, but not the worst either. He had a lot of good OU ‘mons with x4 weaknesses (Gliscor, Tyranitar, Garchomp & Scizor) which was something to exploit. Emboar is also pretty meh, but I’ve seen much worse.
Quality and Strength of Match:
The match was overall pretty solid. Honestly Iralious just outplayed him with DD Lapras. Once Lapras got to +1, it was pretty much over, which is really sad, since it’s Lapras. However, Big Steff didn’t make any overtly bad plays.
Lapras gets Dragon Dance? TIL
Conclusion:
Considering that Iralious was forced to use mons from FU, this is about as well as he could have done! I was really impressed by how well he shut down these established threats in OU with his “bad” Pokemon.
Considering that Iralious was forced to use mons from FU, this is about as well as he could have done! I was really impressed by how well he shut down these established threats in OU with his “bad” Pokemon.
Next Issue: Professional Spammer
I got the idea for this Battle Arcade after finding a hilarious post from /r/Stunfisk here. Essentially, a guy went into Anything Goes and used 6 Talonflames, Choice Banded, with the same EV/IV spread, and only had 1 move: Brave Bird. In fact, he managed to win multiple games with this extremely cheap, yet hilarious strategy. For this week's Battle Arcade, I challenge you do the same. Are you a professional spammer?
Rules:
You have to follow the following Battle Arcade Specific Rules explicitly. Any violation will not merit a feature.
Rules:
You have to follow the following Battle Arcade Specific Rules explicitly. Any violation will not merit a feature.
- Tier: You have to play a ranked game on the ranked Anything Goes Ladder
- Pokemon: Must use 6 of the same Pokemon (ex. 6 Talonflames)
- Moves: You may only use one move (of your choosing) on all 6 mons (ex. 6 Brave Birds)
- Spreads: You have to have the same EV/IV spread on each Pokemon (ex. 252 HP/252 Attack/4 Spe)
- Bans: Talonflame is banned
- #Winning: You have to win!
- Submissions: There is a maximum of 3 submissions per person.
- Adherence to rules: How closely they followed the Battle Arcade rules.
- The quality of the users team: How well constructed your team is.
- The quality of the opponent's team: How well constructed their team is.
- The strength of play from both players: How well both players played. You get rewarded by going against good opponents who you outplayed.
The PokeNav
Written by TheQuantumJumper
A lot has been happening in the Pokemon world these past couple of days. Between the tier updates and release of the Pokemon Sun and Moon trailers, it’s a great time to be a fan of Pokemon. I’ll be covering some of the details that stood out to me, but you can check out the full content in the links below.
Sun and Moon Starter Reveal Trailer!
Starting off with Pokemon Sun and Moon, we’ve been given our first good look at not only the region, but the starters and legendaries as well. The region appears to be heavily inspired by Hawaii, taking place on a tropical island where scenes of beautiful nature intermix with impressive cities. The starters maintain the traditional primary typings of fire, water, and grass, to no one’s surprise. The grass starter, a spherical owl looking Pokemon known as Rowlett, is also revealed to be of the flying type as well. The fire starter, Litten, is feline in appearance and is speculated to likely evolve into an additional dark typing. Lastly, we have Popplio, whose seal like appearance is a dead give away to its water typing. Popplio has been met with criticism reminiscent of Oshawott; only time will tell if fans will take to it. Legendaries were revealed as well, with the mascot of Sun being similar to a lion, and a bat based legendary as the mascot of Moon. They didn’t get much screen time in the trailers, but check out their designs for yourselves and see what you think of them. We also got an official release date for Japan and the United States: November 18th this year. More information on Sun and Moon is sure to follow before then, and I’ll do my best to keep track of new information in future PokeNews. Perhaps we’ll even get into some speculation of how the meta might shift with these new additions!
Editors Note: The Japaneese Trailer has even more content, check below for the video!
Editors Note: The Japaneese Trailer has even more content, check below for the video!
May Tier Shifts
Speaking of meta shifts, Smogon’s usage tiers have just revealed the most recent movements of the meta, some of which are sure to create waves. See this link for Smogon's official tier shifts: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/smogon-usage-based-tier-update-may-2016.3571918/#post-6798671
Firstly I should clear up some confusion: Mega-Altaria and Mega-Alakazam have fell out of OU usage, but are not legal in UU currently. They are in the infamous BL zone for now, and will need a suspect test to move down. Considering Mega-Altaria has spent considerable time in the S+ category of OU’s viability ranking, I wouldn’t be surprised if it remained banned. UU experienced probably the most significant changes, with Pokemon like Conkeldurr, Celebi, and Sylveon all falling out of OU, as well as losing Zapdos due to its place on a popular OU stall team. While nothing technically changed for OU insofar as legal Pokemon, we did see Quagsire and Amoonguss rise up in usage. This more significantly impacts NU as they lose a prominent Unaware user, and RU, since Amoonguss was one of the most popular walls in the tier. RU also gained Honchkrow as a legal Pokemon, which some speculate will not last long due to its immense power. Aggron also fell to NU, where its power is having a similar effect on NU speculators. Time will tell if any of these Pokemon will be banned; expect the meta to take a while to settle and be prepared for these threats if you play these tiers. Mostly unrelated to the usage stats, the stall archetype is currently popular after one of its hardest one stop counters, Hoopa-U, was banned recently. I advise readers to brush up on their anti-stall tactics before venturing back onto the OU ladder. On a final note: the two most used Pokemon in OU are Landorus-T and Garchomp, at 31% and 20%, respectively.
That’s all for now Pokefans! We’ll do our best to keep you up to date on future developments in both the competitive and casual Pokemon worlds. Until then, keep striving to be the very best, like no one ever was.
Firstly I should clear up some confusion: Mega-Altaria and Mega-Alakazam have fell out of OU usage, but are not legal in UU currently. They are in the infamous BL zone for now, and will need a suspect test to move down. Considering Mega-Altaria has spent considerable time in the S+ category of OU’s viability ranking, I wouldn’t be surprised if it remained banned. UU experienced probably the most significant changes, with Pokemon like Conkeldurr, Celebi, and Sylveon all falling out of OU, as well as losing Zapdos due to its place on a popular OU stall team. While nothing technically changed for OU insofar as legal Pokemon, we did see Quagsire and Amoonguss rise up in usage. This more significantly impacts NU as they lose a prominent Unaware user, and RU, since Amoonguss was one of the most popular walls in the tier. RU also gained Honchkrow as a legal Pokemon, which some speculate will not last long due to its immense power. Aggron also fell to NU, where its power is having a similar effect on NU speculators. Time will tell if any of these Pokemon will be banned; expect the meta to take a while to settle and be prepared for these threats if you play these tiers. Mostly unrelated to the usage stats, the stall archetype is currently popular after one of its hardest one stop counters, Hoopa-U, was banned recently. I advise readers to brush up on their anti-stall tactics before venturing back onto the OU ladder. On a final note: the two most used Pokemon in OU are Landorus-T and Garchomp, at 31% and 20%, respectively.
That’s all for now Pokefans! We’ll do our best to keep you up to date on future developments in both the competitive and casual Pokemon worlds. Until then, keep striving to be the very best, like no one ever was.
Phlygone Championship Series
Spring Split Power Rankings
Written by Nautevnclosebb
Hello Everyone! Nautevnclose's first attempt at writing is here! I'm sure you are all dying to get to this section of the article and read what I think of the Power Rankings (Kidding I'm just glad you made it this far). We are at around the halfway point of the Phlygone Championship Series and taking a look at the PCS points for ranking purposes makes my life easy. So in my opinion, here's how it goes~
1. Jin "The Myth" Axel (88 Points)
Gotta give credit where credit is due. This man has been on a one way hype train to the top of any Phlygone associated tournament. His work pays off as he (like me) is always analyzing the opponents team and going through major changes between games. Participators and spectators of the tournaments know to pay close attention when Jin plays.
2. Nuclear "RNG" Togekiss (46 Points)
This guy. THIS GUY. R.I.P me in tournaments whenever I play this guy. He is extremely skilled and weighs the pros and cons of reading situations very well. His number two standing is nothing to joke about although he doesn't seem to take himself seriously as he reports throwing tournaments to stay number 2, the dragon trainer Lance. He is proof if you have unwavering faith in RNG you will succeed. Like in every Pokemon game you are assigned a rival, and I think Nuclear is mine. Except in this case my rival keeps shreking me instead of being an easy win like in the game. Good stuff Nuclear.
3. Nautevnclosebb (44 Points)
I would have put myself at around number 5, but meh I'll stick to the PCS points a little longer. I enjoy playing in these tournaments as they are a good indicator for how I'm doing in the game. Every time I think I'm done or frustrated with the game one of Phygone's streams or tournaments sucks me right back in. I've been annoyed at RNG for causing many defeats and have been taking a little break, but I'll be back for Summer League and the All Star Game. Thanks to Phlygone and all the amazing people on this list for making me happy!
4. Alpha "Bot" Slash (22 Points)
My boi. Same grade as me representing the California Academy of Math and Science Class of 2015. I can't help but root for him in whatever game I see him. Freakin' Magnet Rise Manectric in the Monotype tourney. I leapt out of my seat. He makes some risky plays but it works for him. I love watching him play. He has good ideas and when everything goes according to plan he is hard to beat.
5. Coffeegrigis, aka JoyceRodgers (33 points)
Due to his PCS points it would honestly be a sin to put him any lower. He won the UU tournament in amazing fashion (he beat Jin in finals). He has great team making skills and we played in the PU tournament! This man has been placing well and is definitely a threat to the game.
6. Trichmond (30 Points)
I remember one of my first Phlygone tournaments, which was the NU double elimination, I played against Trichmond twice with the most stall team you could possibly imagine because I really didn't know anything about the tier. I eliminated him completely and I don't know if he remembers but I'm sure he doesn't like me because of it haha. Regardless of that, he has done amazingly in recent tournaments and whenever he is on stream I commonly hear the commentators saying, "T-rich with them readssssssssssss" He has a great Pokemon IQ and can read situations exceedingly well. He has beat Nuclear, won the PU tournament, and continues to add to his record of wins.
7. ItsJamrock (33 Points)
ItsJamrock rose to fame at the same time the Trichmond did, during the PU tournament. Both are champs in the making with a real shot at being number one. He placed 2nd in PU and 3rd in OU which is amazing considering the attendance of both tourneys. I can't wait to see more from him and hope I don't have to play him early on in tournaments.
Editors Note: ItsJamrock has been around the block in the Phlygone discord, but until recently he has not made waves onto some of the PoF group. Keeping unedited for reference, I find it interesting.
8. XYZard (29 Points)
This kid is awesome. I remember meeting him in PU while trying to perfect my team. He said "whaaa how do you not love having your options for spinners be avalugg and a NFE pokemon?!" I was sweating when I played him in tourney and just managed to get by. He is a skilled player and I'd love to see him at more tourneys.
9. TheQuantumJumper (31 Points)
I hate stall but this man's ranking says something about it. You can't ignore it. I can't wait to play you and I remember seeing your name since I first started playing in these tournaments more than a year ago. I'm sure TQJ's first tournament win is not too far off.
10. ShadowTagPorygon (27 Points)
Great job in the OU tournament. I love seeing a player improve and get progressively farther in tournaments. Keep improving future champ!
1. Jin "The Myth" Axel (88 Points)
Gotta give credit where credit is due. This man has been on a one way hype train to the top of any Phlygone associated tournament. His work pays off as he (like me) is always analyzing the opponents team and going through major changes between games. Participators and spectators of the tournaments know to pay close attention when Jin plays.
2. Nuclear "RNG" Togekiss (46 Points)
This guy. THIS GUY. R.I.P me in tournaments whenever I play this guy. He is extremely skilled and weighs the pros and cons of reading situations very well. His number two standing is nothing to joke about although he doesn't seem to take himself seriously as he reports throwing tournaments to stay number 2, the dragon trainer Lance. He is proof if you have unwavering faith in RNG you will succeed. Like in every Pokemon game you are assigned a rival, and I think Nuclear is mine. Except in this case my rival keeps shreking me instead of being an easy win like in the game. Good stuff Nuclear.
3. Nautevnclosebb (44 Points)
I would have put myself at around number 5, but meh I'll stick to the PCS points a little longer. I enjoy playing in these tournaments as they are a good indicator for how I'm doing in the game. Every time I think I'm done or frustrated with the game one of Phygone's streams or tournaments sucks me right back in. I've been annoyed at RNG for causing many defeats and have been taking a little break, but I'll be back for Summer League and the All Star Game. Thanks to Phlygone and all the amazing people on this list for making me happy!
4. Alpha "Bot" Slash (22 Points)
My boi. Same grade as me representing the California Academy of Math and Science Class of 2015. I can't help but root for him in whatever game I see him. Freakin' Magnet Rise Manectric in the Monotype tourney. I leapt out of my seat. He makes some risky plays but it works for him. I love watching him play. He has good ideas and when everything goes according to plan he is hard to beat.
5. Coffeegrigis, aka JoyceRodgers (33 points)
Due to his PCS points it would honestly be a sin to put him any lower. He won the UU tournament in amazing fashion (he beat Jin in finals). He has great team making skills and we played in the PU tournament! This man has been placing well and is definitely a threat to the game.
6. Trichmond (30 Points)
I remember one of my first Phlygone tournaments, which was the NU double elimination, I played against Trichmond twice with the most stall team you could possibly imagine because I really didn't know anything about the tier. I eliminated him completely and I don't know if he remembers but I'm sure he doesn't like me because of it haha. Regardless of that, he has done amazingly in recent tournaments and whenever he is on stream I commonly hear the commentators saying, "T-rich with them readssssssssssss" He has a great Pokemon IQ and can read situations exceedingly well. He has beat Nuclear, won the PU tournament, and continues to add to his record of wins.
7. ItsJamrock (33 Points)
ItsJamrock rose to fame at the same time the Trichmond did, during the PU tournament. Both are champs in the making with a real shot at being number one. He placed 2nd in PU and 3rd in OU which is amazing considering the attendance of both tourneys. I can't wait to see more from him and hope I don't have to play him early on in tournaments.
Editors Note: ItsJamrock has been around the block in the Phlygone discord, but until recently he has not made waves onto some of the PoF group. Keeping unedited for reference, I find it interesting.
8. XYZard (29 Points)
This kid is awesome. I remember meeting him in PU while trying to perfect my team. He said "whaaa how do you not love having your options for spinners be avalugg and a NFE pokemon?!" I was sweating when I played him in tourney and just managed to get by. He is a skilled player and I'd love to see him at more tourneys.
9. TheQuantumJumper (31 Points)
I hate stall but this man's ranking says something about it. You can't ignore it. I can't wait to play you and I remember seeing your name since I first started playing in these tournaments more than a year ago. I'm sure TQJ's first tournament win is not too far off.
10. ShadowTagPorygon (27 Points)
Great job in the OU tournament. I love seeing a player improve and get progressively farther in tournaments. Keep improving future champ!
Preview
Issue 6
The end is here; the end of this issue, anyway. We hope you have enjoyed reading this issue of The Delta Articles. TheQuantumJumper will continue to write both The Metagame and The PokéNav. In Pokémon Spotlight, Legyro will be reveal the next Pokémon to be analyzed. Phlygone will keep on creating new categories for the Battle Arcade. There is lots more to come in the next issue. So, until next time, stay tuned and stay excited everyone!
Afterword
Did we miss some information worth mentioning? Is there a typo that we missed? Can we improve on what we have already wrote? You have some cool ideas for future issues? Please let us know by clicking here! Your opinion is important to us, as it helps us give you guys better strategies and info. If it is a typo or an error, please be specific in where it is (which article, which section of the article, etc.) when you post on the forum.
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