B-Tier
Reserved for Pok&ecute;mon whose efficiency in terms of completing the game is considered to be high. Pokémon in this tier are able to OHKO or 2HKO a fair number of foes and may
have require a bit of item reliance to sweep opponents
' teams. These Pokémon are very useful
, (AC) but either have several
visible flaws holding them back or
come are encountered fairly late.
Dwebble
Availability: Early-game (Desert Resort, 10%, levels 20-22).
Typing: Bug/Rock typing is peculiar, giving only weaknesses to Water-, Rock- (common), and Steel-types. Matchup-wise, Dwebble has advantages against Elesa, Skyla, Brycen
, (AC) and Grimsley, and
, (AC) to an extent
, (AC) N. It shouldn't be used against Clay and Marshal.
Stats: Dwebble has good base 85 Defense, 65 Attack, and okay 55 Speed. Crustle has good overall bulk and great Attack, but is sluggish at
base 45 Speed.
Movepool: Dwebble starts Starts with Smack Down and gets Bug Bite and Stealth Rock in a few levels. Dwebble gets the staple Rock Slide at only level 29, complemented by X-Scissor via TM. As Crustle, it learns Shell Smash at
level 43 or via Heart Scale, which turns it into a somewhat fast sweeper. The Shadow Claw, Dig, Bulldoze, Aerial Ace, and Return TMs round out Crustle's coverage.
Major Battles: Dwebble's Rock STAB and Stealth Rock punish Elesa's Emolga and Volt Switch. The line beats Clay's Krokorok and easily sweeps the last three
gyms Gyms with Shell Smash. Against the Elite
Four 4, Grimsley is rough due to Sand-Attack and Krookodile's Intimidate. Shauntal and Caitlin are shaky due to special moves, and Marshal is awkward due to Stone Edge. It can take N's Vanilluxe and Zoroark and Ghetsis's Hydreigon.
Additional Comments: Dwebble is a Pokémon with several good matchups after it is taught Shell Smash. Ability-wise, Sturdy guarantees Dwebble lives any hit from full health, while Shell Armor blocks critical hits;
change to semicolon both are great.
Ferroseed
Availability: Late-game (20% chance to appear in Chargestone Cave).
Typing: Steel
-type gives Ferroseed a huge amount of resistances,
which are notable in the battles against including Drayden/Iris, Caitlin, Shauntal, and Grimsley. Its Grass
typing leaves it neutral against Skyla and Brycen, unfortunately, but it does make it good
against for Water-type lines, particularly the Seismitoad one. It does fear Fire-types, though.
Stats: The Ferroseed line possesses great Defense and Special Defense, acceptable Attack, and very low Speed, making it usually move last.
Movepool: It will know Metal Claw and Gyro Ball upon being caught and, depending on the level, either Curse (24 or 25) or Iron Defense (26). It learns Power Whip upon evolution and Iron Head at level 46 for more PP. Payback can be learned naturally or via TM.
Major Battles: Ferroseed can do well against Skyla, but
it needs a lot of Curse boosts to beat her. It also does great against Brycen and extremely well against Drayden/Iris. It takes out Shauntal's Golurk and Jellicent, can beat Grimsley
's team by setting up Curse, and beats Caitlin's Gothitelle and Musharna by virtue of its typing
. However, but it struggles against Marshal. It can also beat N's Archeops and Vanilluxe along with Ghetsis's Seismitoad.
Additional Comments: Ferroseed's great typing makes it useful against most major fights, but its low Speed means that it will always take a hit before doing anything. It is also reliant on Curse boosts to win matchups. Giving Ferroseed Rocky Helmet from Cold Storage is a good idea, as it and Iron Barbs will harm contact move users for 1/4 of their HP.
Joltik
Availability: Late-game (39% chance to appear in Chargestone Cave).
Typing: Electric
I'd specify if you mean moves or type here lets it handle all Flying-types (most notably Skyla) and many Water-types. Its Bug typing allows it to hit Grimsley super effectively and makes Ground-type moves neutral. However,
foes' Rock and Fire coverage will get into its way.
Stats: It has good Special Attack and high Speed (which makes Electro Ball useful), although its bulk is not impressive.
Movepool: It comes with Bug Bite and Electroweb upon being caught. At levels 29 and 34, it will learn Electro Ball and Signal Beam. It should be taught Thunder through TM at Icirrus City. Charge Beam is also an option, albeit an unnecessary one.
Major Battles: As a Galvantula, it sweeps Skyla and Brycen and can help in the fight against Drayden/Iris. At the Elite Four, it can contribute by taking out specific threats, but generally does not sweep.
Additional Comments: Joltik's usefulness is generally limited only to Pokémon that are either frail or
are weak to Electric or Bug. Catch a Joltik with Compound Eyes, as it's needed to achieve 91% accuracy on Thunder.
Karrablast (Trade)
Availability: Mid-game (Route 6 at a 25% encounter rate).
Typing: Bug/Steel typing gives Escavalier
9 nine resistances that help out against the final two
gyms Gyms, Shauntal, Caitlin, N
, (AC) and (to an extent) Grimsley. Fire-type moves are rare save for Shauntal's Chandelure, N's Reshiram, and Ghetsis's
Hydriegon Hydreigon and Eelektross.
Stats: Fantastic bulk of 70/105/105 and Attack of 135 make Escavalier an effective tank, though
base 20 Speed means it will always move second.
Movepool: Rough early, but Escavalier soon gets Iron Head at level 37, the
/ remove slashX-Scissor TM, and Swords Dance at 52, with Slash and Return as coverage.
Major Battles: Escavalier sweeps Clay with Fury Cutter (steal a Persim Berry from a wild Tympole for Swagger). Escavalier solos Brycen, Drayden/Iris, and 2/3 of Skyla's team too (use Slash on Swanna). Escavalier handles the end
-(AH)game well via Iron Defense and Swords Dance, though Shauntal and Ghetsis are shaky.
Additional Comments: Escavalier is an incredibly dominant Pokémon that, while a hassle to get going, has a place in almost all remaining major battles. While the slow Speed can leave it open to status and taking hits constantly, the advantages it possesses make it worthwhile. Make sure you get a level 26 or lower Karrablast for Fury Cutter. Shed Skin is the preferred Ability as a Karrablast, as it becomes Battle Armor after evolving which helps Escavalier avoid critical hits.
Litwick
Availability: Late-game (100% chance of encounter at Celestial Tower's 2nd floor).
Typing: Fire/Ghost hits Bug- and Grass-types
hard as well as major battles with Ice-types (Brycen), Psychic-types (Caitlin), and other Ghost-types (Shauntal). However, Grimsley's Dark-types as well as Water-, Rock-, and Ground-type coverage threaten it significantly.
Stats: As a Litwick, its stats are unimpressive, especially Speed, only getting somewhat acceptable with Lampent. However, as a Chandelure, it possesses really high
base 145 Special Attack, good
base 80 Speed
, and acceptable
base 90 Defense and Special Defense.
Movepool: Litwick relies on Flame Burst and Hex + Will-O-Wisp as STAB moves. It can be taught Fire Blast and Shadow Ball through TMs.
Major Battles: It does well against Brycen as Lampent or Chandelure
, (AC) and can do well against Drayden. It also performs well against Shauntal and Caitlin and can contribute nicely to every other matchup, either by KOing a specific threat or by spreading burns.
Additional Comments: A Dusk Stone can be found in Mistralton Cave, allowing you to use a Chandelure against Brycen and
for more Route trainers, but requires a detour. Another one can be found on Route 10, but it comes later. Litwick's late evolution (level 41) is an offset for Chandelure's destructive nature. Flame Body is the preferred ability, as it burns contact move users 30% of the time.
Pansage
Availability: Early-game (Dreamyard (Tepig) / Pinwheel Forrest (Inner) rustling
Grass grass at 10%).
Typing: Grass typing is bad or neutral for most Gyms aside from Clay and half of Shauntal's team.
Stats: The monkeys have all around good stats, most notably
base 98 offenses and 101 Speed.
Movepool: Vine Whip becomes Seed Bomb at level 22, and Leech Seed helps at 16. Simisage gets Dig, Acrobatics, Shadow Claw, Rock Tomb, Rock Slide, all Fighting-type TMs for wide coverage, and Work Up for setting up.
Major Battles: Simisage can hit Shauntal's Jellicent and Golurk, Grimsley's Krookodile, N's Carracosta, and Ghetsis's Seismitoad with Seed Bomb, with TM coverage handling almost everything else.
Additional Comments: Although Pansage has a wide coverage and great stats, its Grass typing causes it problems in a lot of situations. Evolve at level 22 after getting a Leaf Stone in Castelia City.
Sigilyph
Availability: Mid-game (10% chance to appear in Desert Resort) at level 20.
Typing: Both Psychic
-(AH) and Flying
-type moves allow it to hit Fighting-types and Marshal super effectively, but
this typing leaves it is left vulnerable to Shauntal and Grimsley. Common Rock coverage is also problematic.
Stats: Great
base 97 Speed and 103 Special Attack with acceptable 72/80/80 bulk make Sigilyph great for Route trainers.
Movepool: Sigilyph comes with Psybeam upon
being caught capture, learning Air Cutter one level later. It learns Light Screen and Reflect at levels 24 and 28. Air Slash at level 41 and Psychic at level 44 are
Sigiyph's Sigilyph's best STAB moves and the last level-up moves it will need. Charge Beam and Shadow Ball can be taught through TMs, and it can be given Fly for utility, but the latter is generally useless for battles.
Major Battles: It can beat Clay bar his Excadrill, Skyla, Drayden/Iris, and Marshal. In every other matchup, the most it can do is set up a Reflect or Light Screen for another teammate to take advantage of.
Additional Comments: Sigilyph's contributions to major fights aren't generally high, but it is nonetheless a good Pokémon that can clean
route Route trainers easily. Before going through the Desert Resort, make sure to take the 10 Ultra Balls from Professor Juniper in the gate to Nimbasa to make Sigilyph's capture easier. Magic Guard is the preferred ability due to making Sigilyph harder to wear down.
Solosis
Availability: Mid-game (Route 16/5, 30%, only in White Version).
Typing: Psychic typing lets the Solosis line be favorable against Marshal, yet weak to Shauntal and 2/3 of Ghetsis's team; neutral elsewhere.
Stats: Solosis and Duosion have low bulk and Speed with high Special Attack. Reuniclus has good bulk and high Special Attack, but low Speed.
Movepool: At level 25, Solosis's moves are Psyshock, Recover, Light Screen
, (AC) and Charm, with Reflect and Thunder Wave available as TMs. Otherwise, it has sparse options until Reuniclus
, (AC) when it gets with the Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, and Grass Knot TMs. Hidden Power is also an option if you catch a level 24 or lower Solosis, though its damage is lower.
Major Battles: When not fully evolved, Solosis functions best in major battles as a superb Eviolite user. Late-game, it can take on Caitlin and to an extent Shauntal with Shadow Ball, being neutral elsewhere.
Additional Comments: While slow, Solosis is incredibly powerful and can hold its own with Eviolite, especially after becoming Duosion. While a little tricky to get going and lacking in coverage for a while, the Solosis line is a big player in most major battles due to its sheer power. Magic Guard is recommended as an Ability over Overcoat to prevent indirect damage.
Timburr (No Trade)
Availability: Early-game (Outer Pinwheel Forest, 20%).
Typing: Fighting hits numerous Normal- and Rock-types and Lenora, Clay, Brycen, Grimsley, and half of N's and Ghetsis's teams super effectively.
Stats: It has high
base Attack of 105 and excellent bulk as a Gurdurr with Eviolite
, (AC) but is slow at
base 40 Speed.
Movepool: It will initially rely on Low Kick and Rock Throw, learning Wake-Up Slap at level 20. After evolving, it learns Bulk Up and Rock Slide at levels 29 and 33
, (AC) along with Hammer Arm at level 45 and Stone Edge at 49. It also learns Brick Break and Payback via TM.
Major Battles: It does well against Lenora and can do well against Burgh if it's a Gurdurr by that time. It can also help with Elesa and sweep the rest of the Gym Leaders save for Skyla. It does well against Marshal and Grimsley, but has trouble with everyone else.
Additional Comments: Gurdurr remains useful until the Pokémon League, where it falls off due to unfavorable matchups and low stats that do not catch up with the Elite Four. However, Gurdurr still hits roughly 1/3 of endgame with STAB. If you have Sheer Force, do not teach Stone Edge over Rock Slide, as they would have almost the same power, but Rock Slide is more accurate. Gurdurr and Conkeldurr share the same level up learnset.
Tepig
Availability: Starter (Nuvema Town).
changed formatting for parlellism with other entries
Typing: The Fire/Fighting typing of Tepig's evolutions is a mixed bag, giving advantages for Lenora, Burgh, Brycen, Grimsley, N
, (AC) and Ghetsis, but
is neutral to Marshal and the 8th Gym; bad elsewhere.
Stats: The Tepig line are mixed attackers with slightly slow Speed and decent bulk.
Movepool: Wide, with Pignite learning Flame Charge, Arm Thrust, and Rollout naturally and Rock Tomb, Dig, Bulldoze, Grass Knot, and SolarBeam via TMs. Later on, Emboar has access to the Scald, Rock Slide, Wild Charge, and Low Sweep TMs as well as Hammer Arm through the
move relearner Move Relearner making this lowercase for consistency. Fire comes through Heat Crash at level 31 for Pignite and Flamethrower at 43.
Major Battles: The line loses to Clay, Skyla, Shauntal, and Caitlin. It takes on Elesa with Eviolite, Grimsley, N, and Ghetsis, but is shaky due to many weaknesses.
Additional Comments: Although Tepig starts off with very strong matchups, it eventually falls off due to the lack of powerful STAB moves without drawbacks.
C-Tier
Reserved for Pokémon whose efficiency in terms of completing the game is considered to be moderately high. Pokémon in this tier are able to OHKO or 2HKO a reasonable portion of foes but are matchup-based enough to need some item assistance in sweeping some opponents
' teams. These Pokémon are useful
; however, they but either have several
visible flaws holding them back or barely make up for their late arrivals.
Audino
Availability: Early-game (Any rustling grass after obtaining the first
badge Badge).
Typing: Audino is a Normal-type, making it neutral against all but Shauntal, who is immune, and Marshal, who hits it super effectively.
Stats: Base 103/86/86 bulk makes Audino sturdy.
Base 50 Speed and the offensive
base stats of 60 are mitigated by movepool.
Movepool: Wide. You'll have Pound and DoubleSlap for STAB until it gets Secret Power at level 20 and Return at Nimbasa, where Thunder Wave, Reflect, and Light Screen can also be bought. Other TMs include Dig and Grass Knot early on and many special attacks like Charge Beam, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt (detour), Surf, Thunder, Fire Blast, and Blizzard later on. To utilize these effectively, it is advised to teach Audino Work Up via TM.
Major Battles: With Secret Power or Return, Work Up, and high bulk, Audino takes on many Gyms very well. Audino's movepool and screens keep it relevant end-game, with the Substitute and Work Up TMs helping it sweep Shauntal and Ghetsis.
Additional Comments: Audino is a surprisingly good choice for a team member. While the low offensive stats may turn players away, with Work Up, smart use of Regenerator, and a wide movepool including both Reflect/Light Screen for team support, Audino can fill several roles if the player uses it correctly. Catch Audino in the level range of 8-11 in the Dreamyard so it will be higher leveled than it would be on Route 2.
Basculin
Availability: Late-game (Almost everywhere with Surf, which is obtained after getting six
badges Badges).
Typing: Basculin are Water-type, letting them take on Shauntal's Chandelure, Grimsley's Krookodile, and N's Archeops.
Stats: Base 92 Attack and 98 Speed make Basculin a physical sweeper that can't take a hit (you won't use 80 Special Attack much).
Movepool: It gets Crunch at level 24 and STAB via Aqua Tail at 28 or the Waterfall HM. Double-Edge or the Return TM give Normal-type coverage.
Major Battles: Adaptability Basculin has decent matchups in the remaining fights bar Drayden, with Crunch hitting Shauntal's Jellicent.
Additional Comments: Basculin is pretty strong due to its Adaptability-boosted Water-type moves, but it is hindered by its late arrival. There is a Basculin trade for Minccino in Driftveil City,
and but it is inferior due to lacking Adaptabilty. Use Repel with a level 25 Pokémon on Route 6 (near Driftveil) to get a high-level Basculin.
Blitzle
Availability: Early-game (20% chance to appear in Route 3).
Typing: Electric allows it to hit all Water-types bar Palpitoad and Seismitoad, along with Skyla and other Flying-types. It leaves it with the sole weakness of Ground,
predominately represented
majorly only by Clay.
Stats: Zebstrika has a great Attack stat and an excellent Speed stat
, letting it outpace many foes. Its defensive stats are fine, but not the best.
Movepool: It learns Shock Wave at level 11 and Thunder Wave at level 15. Flame Charge at level 18 allows it to hit Electric-resistant Grass-types
. It receives other with other STAB
moves via Spark at level 25 (as Blitzle) and Wild Charge at 47 (as Zebstrika). The Return TM helps it hit Ground-types.
Major Battles: Flame Charge allows it to beat Burgh's Leavanny, and it does well against Elesa as Zebstrika. It can, surprisingly, take out 2/3 of Clay's team by mitigating Bulldoze Speed drops with Flame Charge, and then hitting with Return. It sweeps Skyla effortlessly and can do well against Brycen. From there, it can only beat specific Electric-weak targets like Shauntal's Jellicent and spread paralysis with Thunder Wave.
Additional Comments: Blitzle is generally very weak until it evolves into Zebstrika, which maintains a good performance until end-game. A Zebstrika can also be caught at Route 7, thus skipping Blitzle's rather bad period, but
then it
avoids misses on all previous matchups.
Cobalion
Availability: Late-game (Mistralton Cave (requires Surf), one static encounter, Guidance Chamber, level 42).
Typing: Fighting/Steel typing gives Cobalion advantages against Brycen, the 8th
gym Gym, Grimsley, N, and Ghetsis.
Stats: Cobalion's stats are average at worst. It has high bulk and passable 90 offenses.
Movepool: It has Iron Head and Sacred Sword; can be taught X-Scissor, Volt Switch
, (AC) and Work Up via TMs; and gets Swords Dance at level 49.
note the change to semicolons after sacred sword and tms
Major Battles: Great for Brycen, but struggles against Drayden, requiring many Work Up uses. Bad for Shauntal and Marshal, but sweeps Grimsley and Caitlin with Swords Dance (the latter with X-Scissor). Rather favorable against N, but you might not sweep due to Focus Blast Zoroark and the legends (Zekrom takes a +6 Sacred Sword). Good against Ghetsis, though Hydreigon comes pretty close to OHKOing and outspeeding it.
Additional Comments: Cobalion is a decent late-game option, but a flawed one due to requiring a detour and
underwhelming base 90 Attack
being underwhelming. Dusk Balls to catch it with can be bought from Driftveil. Cobalion's default Justified Ability raises its Attack when hit by a damaging Dark-type move, which you can exploit against Grimsley and Ghetsis.
Deerling
Availability: Mid-game (35% chance to appear in Route 6).
Typing: Grass
moves allow allows it to hit Clay and common Rock- and Ground-types super effectively, while Normal hits Bug- and Poison-types neutrally. However, it leaves it in an awkward position against Skyla, Brycen, and Marshal.
Stats: Deerling has good Speed, but the other stats are rather low. As Sawsbuck, it gets a great Speed and Attack with acceptable bulk.
Movepool: Jump Kick and Take Down are notable moves it will have upon being caught. At level 32, it learns its first Grass-type attack, Energy Ball. Upon evolution, at level 37, it learns Horn Leech. It can be taught Return and Wild Charge through TMs and Megahorn through the move relearner.
Major Battles: It can sweep Clay with healing, Brycen, and Drayden/Iris with the exception of Haxorus. It does well against Shauntal, Grimsley, and Caitlin, and can beat Ghetsis's Bisharp and Seismitoad as well.
Additional Comments: Deerling's high amount of weaknesses are present in a lot of major fights, but, as a Sawsbuck, it is generally pretty good. The Sap Sipper Ability is preferred but not required. You can catch a Deerling from dark grass for higher levels.
Druddigon
Availability: Late-game (10% in every season but Winter (in which it doesn't spawn at all) at Dragonspiral Tower's entrance).
Typing: Dragon typing lets Druddigon hit the remaining opponents neutrally with STAB, being fairly good against Drayden.
Stats: Base 77/90/90 bulk with 120 Attack makes Druddigon an effective tank, albeit one with a below-average 48 Speed.
Movepool: You Druddigon starts start with Dragon Claw and Crunch, and you can immediately give Druddigon Rock Slide and Bulldoze via TM. Revenge is learned at level 35 for Fighting-type coverage
, (AC) and Hone Claws can be taught for a Heart Scale at the
move relearner Move Reminder.
Major Battles: While Druddigon can be shaky against Brycen, Yache Berry can help, and it has the bulk to take Cryogonal's Aurora Beam and hit back with Revenge or Rock Slide. You have an edge against the eighth
gym Gym because their use of Dragon Tail lets
you Druddigon strike first. End-game, Crunch hits Shauntal and Caitlin, and Revenge can be used for the Fighting-weak targets that Grimsley, N, and Ghetsis use.
Additional Comments: Druddigon is decent against the end-game, but comes too late to be great. You'll want Sheer Force over Rough Skin as an Ability to power up Druddigon's moves with secondary effects.
Ducklett
Availability: Mid-game (Driftveil Drawbridge shadows).
Typing: Water/Flying; former gives it an advantage against Ground-types (most notably Clay) and Fire-types, while the latter makes it strong against Fighting-types like Marshal, as well as Bug- and Grass-types. However, it is easily picked off by Electric-type moves
, (AC) and Rock-types are shaky.
Stats: Ducklett and Swanna's stats are generally average at best, with
the highest being 97 Speed alongside 87/87 offenses as Swanna.
Movepool: Level-up-wise, the only notable moves are Air Slash and Roost at level 27 and 30, and Brave Bird at level 47 as Swanna. TM-wise, it should be taught Scald very soon and potentially Rain Dance at level 34. It makes a great HM slave with STAB Surf and Fly.
Major Battles: It beats Clay save Excadrill and sweeps the other Gyms barring the 8th due to Haxorus. Against the Elite Four, it can beat specific threats, almost sweeping Marshal and Grimsley, though there's always one Pokémon that prevents a sweep. Caitlin is a bad matchup.
Additional Comments: Ducklett is incredibly weak
, (AC) and Swanna falls off at the Pokémon League. However, Ducklett makes a good HM Slave. As a Ducklett, it will rely heavily on Mystic Water for damage output. One can be obtained from Nacrene City for saying you picked Oshawott (even if you didn't) before Surf. Keen Eye is more useful than Big Pecks
abilityAbility-wise, but not required.
while I think ability should be lowercase, I capitalized here for consistency with the rest of your article.
Elgyem
Availability: Late-game (Celestial Tower from third floor onwards, 15%).
Typing: Psychic gives it a type advantage against Marshal
; however, but it is left severely weak to Grimsley and vulnerable to Shauntal's Ghost-types.
Stats: Elgyem possesses a good Special Attack, although the other stats are rather mediocre, especially Speed. Upon evolving, its Special Attack becomes a massive 125
, (AC) and its bulk is acceptable, though it remains sluggish at 40 Speed.
Movepool: Elgyem will be using
with Zen Headbutt and (potentially) Hidden Power until it learns Psychic at level 39. It also learns Calm Mind at level 43 and, as Beheeyem, Recover at level 50. The Shadow Ball TM alongside Calm Mind lets it do well against Caitlin and Shauntal. It can be taught Charge Beam for Skyla and Thunderbolt from P2 Laboratory
with Surf, though the latter isn't required.
I bolded with surf because you should clarify whether you are teaching tbolt/CB + surf, or it requires surf to get tbolt. Idk if it even gets surf but it's a little confusing
Major Battles: Elgyem can do well against Skyla with Charge Beam and Drayden/Iris (Brycen is average). Against the Elite Four, it loses to Grimsley, but does well against the rest, especially by setting up on them. However, it will generally require healing every fight
, (AC) and it cannot sweep Shauntal fully due to her Golurk outspeeding
Elgyem.
You Elgyem can also use Imprison on Shauntal and Caitlin, locking 3/4 of their teams out of Shadow Ball.
Additional Comments: Elgyem maintains consistent performance for what is left of the game, but it is very reliant on healing items and stat boosts to be efficient. Hold off Elgyem's evolution by
1 one level so it can learn Calm Mind a little bit earlier. Synchronize is the preferred Ability to punish status.
Emolga
Availability: Mid-game (Routes 5/16, rustling grass, 10% encounter rate at level 22).
Typing: Electric/Flying
typing gives Emolga advantages against Skyla and Marshal. Rock-type moves are common, but Ice-type moves are rare outside Brycen.
Stats: Base 103 Speed is solid with average offenses of 75 and somewhat fragile 55/60/60 bulk.
Movepool: Emolga's early Electric-type moves (Shock Wave, Spark, Electro Ball, Volt Switch) are interchangeable. Acrobatics is at level 30 for Flying-type STAB, Light Screen is at level 34, and Discharge is at level 50 (the Thunderbolt TM is an alternative). Agility at level 46 can power up Electro Ball.
Major Battles: Good against Skyla and Marshal and neutral elsewhere. It can do decently against Shauntal's Jellicent, Grimsley's Scrafty,
(remove paren and Caitlin's Sigilyph (watch out for its Ice Beam though).
Additional Comments: Emolga has a decent mid-game due to an excellent typing and STAB combination, but even that can't save it due to lacking stats late-game. You can trade a Boldore for Emolga with Hiker Manny on Route 7. The male Lax-natured Emolga is level 30 with Lum Berry and 20/20/31/20/20/20 IVs. Emolga's default Static Ability paralyzes contact move users 30% of the time, which powers up Electro Ball.
Golett
Availability: Late-game (Dragonspiral Tower 1F (50%), 2F (100%)).
Typing: Golett and Golurk are Ground/Ghost types with advantages against Caitlin, Marshal, and, to an extent, N and Shauntal.
Stats: Golett and Golurk are slow, but have great Attack and good defenses; Golurk has exemplary 124 Attack with 89/80/80 bulk.
Movepool: Immediately reteach Shadow Punch for a Heart Scale in Mistralton City and TM Bulldoze on for physical STAB moves. Iron Defense is a great move for Golett against many opponents. By holding off on evolving two extra levels, Golett will learn Earthquake early at level 45 to replace Bulldoze. The fourth slot can be rotated between the Bulldoze, Brick Break, Low Sweep, Rock Slide, and Substitute TMs, and the Fly HM as Golurk.
Major Battles: If you have Golurk with Earthquake, it can do well against Drayden/Iris, as Fraxure and Haxorus will generally boost while you 2HKO. Against the Elite
Four 4, it takes on Shauntal and Caitlin with Shadow Punch and helps against Grimsley and Marshal with Iron Defense, Earthquake, and Fly, even reliably soloing Marshal. Golurk performs well against N and is decent for Ghetsis, but watch out for super effective coverage.
Additional Comments: Golett is generally good, but its late arrival means that it isn't able to participate in many battles. The Iron Fist Ability is preferred over Klutz, as it will give Golett's and Golurk's Shadow Punch a 20% boost.
Gothita
Availability: Mid-game (30% chance to appear on Route 5/16, only in Black Version).
Typing: Psychic lets it beat Marshal and all Poison-types reliably, but is left weak to Shauntal's Ghost-types and Grimsley's Dark-types.
Stats: The whole line's stats are generally not very high, but acceptable, with the exception of Gothitelle's Special Defense, which reaches 110.
Movepool: It has Faint Attack and Psyshock at levels 24 and 25. As a Gothorita, it learns Psychic at level 39. Charge Beam and Shadow Ball are recommended moves to be taught through TM, and you can also get Thunderbolt's TM from P2 Laboratory.
Major Battles: As a Gothorita, it does well against Skyla and helps against Brycen. As a Gothitelle, it has a great matchup against Marshal and contributes to Caitlin's and Shauntal's battles.
Additional Comments: Gothita is the definition of "average"; it doesn't generally perform badly, but it also doesn't perform spectacularly. You can catch a Gothita from dark grass at level 25, which will have Psyshock immediately. The Frisk Ability is unhelpful.
Klink
Availability: Late-game (Chargestone Cave (levels 25-27. 1F 29%, 2F 26%)).
Typing: Steel gives Klink resistances to the Gyms and the primary STAB moves of Shauntal, Caitlin, and Grimsley, with a weakness to Marshal.
Stats: Klink starts out as a slow
master-of-none (AHs) due to 70/60 defenses being undermined by
base 40 HP and 55 Attack. Klang is respectable aside from
base 50
base Speed. Klinklang at level 49 has decent 60/115/85 bulk with 100 Attack and 90 Speed.
Movepool: The only physical attacks the line gets are STAB Gear Grind (two-hit move for 50 power each) and the Rock Smash and Return TMs. If you hold off on evolving Klang for three levels, it gets Shift Gear at level 52 to boost Attack and raise Speed. It does not learn Wild Charge via TM.
Major Battles: Klink uses the otherwise niche Charge Beam (learned naturally at 26) to handle Skyla along with Gear Grind. Brycen is handled by Klang's Gear Grind, though Beartic can take at least one and likely use Swagger. Klang can tackle Drayden/Iris, but will likely be worn down because it has no way of boosting its own Attack save X items. The Elite Four are largely average thanks to coverage moves, but N and Ghetsis are favorable.
Additional Comments: Due to its shallow movepool, Klink is an average Pokémon that excels best when it has a type advantage
due to its shallow movepool. Gear Grind has reliability issues with 90 accuracy and Shift Gear isn't particularly notable in the final fights aside from Ghetsis and Caitlin to an extent.
Minccino
Availability: Mid-game (30% chance to appear on Route 5/16).
Typing: Normal lets it hit all major opponents neutrally bar Shauntal and common Rock- and Steel-types, but it is weak to Marshal's Fighting-types.
Stats: Minccino's stats are middling bar 75 Speed. Cinccino's Attack and Speed are high, but is has fragile 75/60/60 bulk.
Movepool: As a Minccino, it will have Encore upon being caught, which is really useful if the
opponent foe uses a status move, as the AI doesn't generally know how to switch. It also learns Swift, Tail Slap (main STAB attack), and Wake-up
-Slap
(RH) (only useful for the Bisharp end-game) at levels 19, 25, and 31. As a Cinccino, it can be retaught Bullet Seed and Rock Blast through move relearner for Technician-boosted coverage.
Major Battles: Cinccino can do well against Clay, especially if it locks Excadrill into Hone Claws. It also sweeps the rest of the Gym Leaders without too many problems (although Drayden's Druddigon is problematic due to Rough Skin). It does well against Shauntal, not including Cofagrigus, and fine against Caitlin. It can also be useful against N and Ghetsis.
Additional Comments: Minccino is a very strong Pokémon, but is reliant on its multi-hit moves hitting more than 2 times to secure OHKOs or 2HKOs. A Shiny Stone to evolve Minccino is obtained from a girl in a house on Route 6. Technician is the preferred Ability to boost the power of multi-hit moves.
Munna
Availability: Early-game (Dreamyard with a 20% encounter rate at levels 8 and 10).
Typing: Both Munna and Musharna are pure Psychic-types, with Marshal being their only advantageous matchup.
Stats: Munna and Musharna focus on being bulky attackers, with Munna having 67 Special Attack with 76/45/55 bulk. After evolving with a Moon Stone, those stats get increased to 117/85/95 bulk with 107 Special Attack as a Musharna, but the line in general is extremely slow.
Movepool: Munna starts with Yawn, picking up Psybeam at level 11, Moonlight at level 17, Calm Mind at level 35, and Psychic at level 37, after which you should evolve Munna. TM-wise, Musharna can make use of Charge Beam, Shadow Ball, Thunder Wave, Reflect, and Light Screen.
Major Battles: As a Musharna, it does pretty well against Skyla, Brycen, and Drayden/Iris with Psychic, but has problems against the previous Gym Leaders unless you evolve early. If you have Calm Mind, it can do well against Shauntal, Caitlin, and Marshal, often requiring support elsewhere.
Additional Comments: Musharna is good with Calm Mind and Psychic, but keeping it as a Munna until it learns them requires too much investment to recommend. Unevolved, it generally requires Eviolite and 3HKOs most things.
Pansear
Availability: Early-game (Dreamyard (Oshawott) / Pinwheel Forrest (Inner) rustling grass at 10%).
Typing: Fire typing is average Gym-wise aside from Burgh and Brycen.
Stats: The monkeys have all around good stats, most notably 98 offenses and 101 Speed.
Movepool: The weak Incinerate becomes Flame Burst at level 22, with Yawn at 16. Simisear gets Dig, Acrobatics, Shadow Claw, Rock Tomb, Rock Slide, all Fighting-type TMs for wide coverage, and Work Up for setting up. The Fire Blast TM is at Icirrus for a stronger STAB attack.
Major Battles: Aside from Burgh and Brycen, Simisear can handle Shauntal and Grimsley with Work Up, with TM coverage handling almost everything else.
Additional Comments: Although Simisear has great stats and wide coverage, its period as Pansear is terrible, due to relying on the weak Incinerate. Evolve at level 22 after getting a Fire Stone in Castelia City.
Pidove
Availability: Early-game (40% chance to appear in Route 3).
Typing: Normal hits all bosses bar Shauntal for neutral damage, while Flying helps against Burgh and Marshal, although it makes Elesa difficult.
Stats: Base 105 Attack and 93 Speed are good with decent 80/80/55 bulk as Unfezant. Pidove struggles with slightly low stats for a little bit though.
Movepool: Work Up, Quick Attack, and Air Cutter are going to be its moves for the majority of time until Nimbasa, where it can be taught Return through TM. Fly can also be taught for a physical Flying-type attack, while also providing fast travel across the whole region. Work Up allows it to sweep most matchups post-Elesa. Roost at level 18 allows the line to deal with Clay's Excadrill and Brycen due to removing the Flying typing.
Major Battles: It does well against Burgh and
, as Unfezant
, defeats all Gym Leaders from Clay (save Excadrill) onwards, typically relying on Work Up boosts. It also does well against Shauntal and Ghetsis, although it is completely useless against N.
Additional Comments: Pidove generally requires a few Work Up boosts to sweep every good matchup. Super Luck is the preferred Ability.
Roggenrola (No Trade)
Availability: Early-game (Wellspring Cave at a 50% encounter rate).
Typing: Rock typing lets the Roggenrola line take on Lenora, Burgh, Elesa, Skyla,
and Brycen,
and in addition to N.
Stats: Roggenrola and Boldore are physical tanks, but extremely slow. After evolving into Boldore, it has 105 Attack and excellent bulk with Eviolite.
Movepool: Roggenrola has Headbutt, picking up Rock Blast at level 14 and Iron Defense at level 20. If you keep it unevolved for 2 levels, Roggenrola picks up Rock Slide at level 27, which carries it to Stone Edge at 48, when evolved. Rock Smash, Return, Bulldoze, and Toxic can be taught via TMs.
Major Battles: The line is a great choice for Lenora, Burgh, and (if the only Pokémon in the party so it doesn't get phazed out by Dragon Tail) Drayden/Iris with Iron Defense. Boldore counters Elesa, Skyla, and Brycen well, but should mostly avoid Clay. It will generally be less useful end-game due to 105 Attack not hitting hard enough.
Additional Comments: Boldore remains useful until the Pokémon League, where it falls off due to unfavorable matchups, low stats that do not catch up with the Elite Four, and limited targets to hit with STAB moves. Eviolite is required to make Boldore's bulk manageable.
Sewaddle
Availability: Early-game (35% chance of appearing in inner Pinwheel Forest).
Typing: Grass notably allows it to hit Water-, Rock-, and Ground-type Pokémon, which Clay uses. Its Bug typing helps with Grass-types, Psychic-types (Caitlin), and Dark-types (Grimsley). However, it is left with many weaknesses;
(semicolon) the most fatal being Flying and Fire.
Stats: Sewaddle and Swadloon have good bulk and Attack. Leavanny possesses high Attack and Speed with decent 75/80/80 bulk.
Movepool: It has Bug Bite and Razor Leaf as STAB moves very early (by level 15). Leavanny learns Leaf Blade and Swords Dance at levels 36 and 46. The Return and Shadow Claw TMs are good for Leavanny. X-Scissor should also be taught through TM as well for STAB.
Major Battles: Swadloon takes out Burgh's Leavanny. As a Leavanny, it can take out one of Elesa's Emolga
, (AC) and beat Clay bar his Excadrill and Brycen save his Beartic. It sweeps
all the Elite Four except Marshal due to
his Pokemon having Stone Edge. It can also take down Ghetsis's Seismitoad and Cofagrigus.
Additional Comments: Leavanny's performance is shaky until it learns Swords Dance, just in time for the Pokémon League, where it majorly improves. Swadloon requires 220 friendship to evolve into Leavanny. Swadloon will likely evolve before Elesa, but definitely before Clay. Use massages in Castelia and the Soothe Bell in Nimbasa to your advantage. Swarm is the preferred Ability over Chlorophyll.
Snivy
Availability: Starter (Nuvema Town).
parallelism
Typing: Grass typing is bad for 5/8 Gyms aside from Clay (hits super effectively bar Excadrill) and neutral elsewhere save half of Shauntal's team.
Stats: The Snivy line are speedy walls with below-average
(AH) offenses until Serperior.
Movepool: Shallow. Vine Whip upgrades to Leaf Tornado and, after evolving, to Leaf Blade at 32, with Growth and Leech Seed early on. At level 36, Servine gets Coil but has trouble setting up due to having
5 five weaknesses. Serperior learns Giga Drain at level 44 and Return, Reflect, and Light Screen TMs are in Nimbasa City.
Major Battles: Besides Gyms, Serperior can hit Shauntal's Jellicent and Golurk, Grimsley's Krookodile, N's Carracosta and Ghetsis's Seismitoad.
Additional Comments: Snivy's Grass typing, bad early-game, and overreliance on Coil boosts to sweep major fights make Snivy the least useful starter for the games.
Tirtouga
Availability: Mid-game (Revived at Nacrene City Museum from a Cover Fossil from Relic Castle, level 25).
Typing: Water/Rock is very not useful, as it makes it much weaker to Clay and Elesa. It does prove useful against Skyla and Brycen though.
Stats: The Tirtouga line has good Attack and Defense, although they lack Special Defense and Speed, with the latter being problematic
, (RC) as Shell Smash boosts sometimes are not enough to outpace everything.
Movepool: It starts off with Aqua Jet, Crunch, and Ancient Power. Ancient Power can be replaced with Rock Tomb via TM for a physical Rock-type attack until Smack Down at level 31 or Rock Slide through TM. Scald can be taught via TM and replaced by the Surf HM, Aqua Tail (level 45), or the Waterfall HM post-Surf. The line can either rely on Curse at level 35 or, when evolved, Shell Smash at level 40 for sweeping, the latter giving more power outright.
Major Battles: Although it struggles against many opponents, it can flawlessly beat Skyla, Brycen, and Drayden. It also performs well against Grimsley and can prove useful against N and Ghetsis.
Additional Comments: Tirtouga's bad typing and Speed issues even after a Shell Smash boost cause it problems for a lot of major fights. Either Ability is useful to setup Shell Smash.
Tympole
Availability: Early-game (40% chance to appear in Pinwheel Forest (Outer)).
Typing: Water lets it hit Clay along with Fire-types and common Rock-types. Water/Ground typing from Palpitoad onward leaves it with only a 4x weakness to Grass. The typing also allows it to do well against Elesa by blocking her Volt Switch.
Stats: Other than HP, which reaches 105 as Seismitoad, the line's stats are generally only decent.
Movepool: It has BubbleBeam at capture and gets Mud Shot at level 16. Palpitoad learns Muddy Water at level 28 and Rain Dance at level 33. TM-wise, Dig (as Sesmitoad), Bulldoze, Rock Slide, Scald, and Brick Break are good options. Seismitoad learns Drain Punch at level 44. Teach it Surf once acquired.
Major Battles: Can beat Burgh bar his Leavanny and is really useful against Elesa. It also has a nice matchup against Clay. Starting from Skyla, it will be heavily reliant on rain for great damage output, although it is bad against Caitlin regardless. However, it is useful against N and Ghetsis.
Additional Comments: Tympole has a generally decent performance as the only Water/Ground type and counter to both Elesa and Clay. Aside from these points, Seismitoad fails to stand out with only balanced stats and reliance on rain (which makes Swift Swim the preferred Ability).
Vanillite
Availability: Mid-game (Cold Storage at 30% encounter rate).
Typing: The Vanillite line are pure Ice-types, only having clear advantages against Brycen (with Flash Cannon) and Drayden/Iris.
Stats: Vanillite and Vanillish excel in Special Attack and Special Defense while having modest other stats. Once it evolves into Vanilluxe late-game, it has great stats all around with fantastic 110 Special Attack and acceptable 79 Speed.
Movepool: Vanillite starts with STAB Avalanche, picking up Mirror Shot for Steel-type coverage and Acid Armor soon. Before evolving at level 35, Vanillite learns the great STAB Ice Beam. Vanillish gets Mirror Coat at level 47 and can be taught Flash Cannon and Light Screen via TM.
Major Battles: Vanillite can do decently against Clay with Acid Armor and Avalanche, though it will likely have difficulty soloing without items. Vanillish does well against Skyla and the 8th Gym, and can take on Brycen if taught Flash Cannon. Against end-game, Vanilluxe tends to have one target it can hit super effectively per battle aside from Marshal, and can turn the tables on special attackers with Mirror Coat.
Additional Comments: Although Vanillite's Ice typing allows it to hit many foes, it also leaves it susceptible to most moves. Furthermore, its final evolution is very late, so patience will be needed when raising it.
Venipede
Availability: Early-game (Pinwheel Forest (Inner), 15%).
Typing: Bug/Poison, which lets it only have a true advantage against Burgh's Leavanny (Marshal has Stone Edge and Rock Slide).
Stats: Venipede has good Attack, Defense
, (AC) and Speed, with Whirlipede briefly defensive. Scolipede has fantastic Attack and Speed, but with a shaky bulk.
Movepool: Venipede is unwieldy until Poison Tail at level 19 and Bug Bite at 22 before evolving into Whirlipede and learning Iron Defense. Early on, the line can use Rock Smash, Rock Tomb, Dig, and Return via TMs. As a Scolipede, it can relearn Megahorn via Heart Scale and be taught Poison Jab and Rock Slide via TM later post-Surf.
Major Battles: Whirlipede beats Burgh's Leavanny,
(RC) but should avoid Elesa. As a Scolipede, it can deal with Clay's Krokorok and use Iron Defense and Dig for Excadrill. Scolipede should sit Skyla out, but takes on Brycen and Drayden/Iris fairly well. Scolipede is decent for Caitlin but should be
careful wary of misses and STAB Psychic. It beats end-game's physical threats with Iron Defense, but should be wary of high
-(RH)critical hit ratio moves.
Additional Comments: Venipede is reliant on Iron Defense boosts to
cheese out win the majority of the late-game and end-game fights
, but they generally allow it to win most of them. Both Poison Point and Swarm have their uses, so either Ability is fine. Consider catching a Whirlipede once the dark grass inside Pinwheel Forest opens up after beating Burgh to skip the awkwardness of Venipede's early moves.
Virizion
Availability: Late-game (Pinwheel Forest's Rumination Field after fighting Cobalion, static encounter, level 42).
Typing: Fighting lets it hit Brycen and Grimsley super effectively, while Grass lets it hit the rest of the Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types. However, it is threatened heavily by Flying-type moves. It is also left vulnerable to Caitlin's Psychic-types, though it hits half of Shauntal's team with Grass.
Stats: It has high 108 Speed and 129 Special Defense, along with a good Attack, Special Attack, and HP.
Movepool: It will have Giga Drain and Sacred Sword upon being caught and will learn Swords Dance at level 49. X-Scissor and Work Up can also be taught through TMs.
Major Battles: Virizion does well against every major fight that's left, although it will need healing in some cases. It is useful against N and is really good against Ghetsis, although it does not sweep him.
Additional Comments: Virizion is very hard to catch and requires 2 detours (one for Cobalion and one for itself). Virizion will likely be a little bit higher than your team in levels, so make sure you use it enough to get EVs. Virizion's default Justified ability raises its Attack when hit by a damaging Dark-type move, which you can exploit against Grimsley and Ghetsis.