Porygon2
Type:
Abilities: Trace / Download / Analytic (Hidden ability)
Base stats: 85 / 80 / 90 / 105 / 95 / 60
Notable Moves:
Recover
Discharge
Tri Attack
Magic Coat
Psyshock
Toxic
Hidden Power
Ice Beam
Thunderbolt
Psychic
Shadow Ball
Thunder Wave
Trick Room
Analysis:
Porygon2 has always been one of those Pokemon that seem to stay under the radar in every generation, from being an under-appreciated Curse user in Gen II to being an under-used Eviolite tank in Gen V. Come Gen VI, where not much has changed for Porygon2 itself. The change in some mechanics and the addition of new Pokemon, however, has resulted in some very positive changes for Porygon2. Ghost-type now hits Steel-types neutrally, allowing Porygon2 to run Tri Attack / Shadow Ball for complete neutral coverage bar Tyranitar and Bisharp. The addition of Sticky Web allows Porygon2 to actually outrun any uninvested Base 100 Speed Pokemon, which can be particularly helpful against most other bulky Pokemon. New Pokemon, particularly threats like Greninja and Scolipede or Mega Evolutions like Kangaskhan and Banette, give Porygon2 access to a lot of good abilities that it can take advantage of. Not all is good for Porygon2, however, as Knock Off's buff this generation makes it all the more common and easier than ever to lose Eviolite for the rest of the match. Additionally, Porygon2 suffers some of the worst 4MSS of any Pokemon, as Recover is its only method of reliable recovery, leaving only 3 move-slots left to either attack or status moves. If played with good prediction and team support, however, Porygon2 is an excellent utility tank that can be extremely annoying for the opponent in some matches.
List of things that make Trace awesome on Porygon2:
Bold means this is a really nice ability on Porygon2.
Red means this ability is now notable in OU this generation.
Aerilate - 2HKOs Mega-Pinsir with Tri Attack.
Arena Trap - Dugtrio cannot trap Porygon2.
Download - Can boost special attack and out-damage Genesect.
Dry Skin - Checks rain teams if packing Thunderbolt.
Flash Fire - Heatran is checked, hard-countered if it lacks attacking moves outside of Lava Plume.
Gooey - Physical variants of Goodra become outsped.
Intimidate - Various boosters like Salamence and Gyarados are hard-countered, crippled with Thunder Wave, and OHKO'd with BoltBeam.
Magic Guard - Cannot be killed with Toxic, the only status Porygon2 truly dislikes.
Magnet Pull - Can trap Magnezone and lower its special defense with Shadow Ball or possibly inflict burn/freeze with Tri Attack.
Multiscale - Hard-counters Dragonite in the middle of Outrage by crippling with Thunder Wave, reactivating with Recover, and 2HKOing with Ice Beam.
Natural Cure - Pokemon like Celebi and Blissey cannot reliably kill Porygon2 with Toxic.
Parental Bond - 1.5x damage boost that breaks subs and doubles secondary effect chances. Becomes a good revenge switch-in to unboosted Mega-Kangaskhan with a 2/5 chance to shut Mega-Kangaskhan down. This only applies in Ubers, however.
Prankster - Prankster Recover/Thunder Wave/Toxic.
Protean - Gives Porygon2 STAB BoltBeam or STAB Shadow Ball/Hidden Power Fighting.
Rough Skin - Garchomp gets hurt when using Dragon-type moves/Fire Fang.
Rain Dish - Checks Tentacruel lacking Toxic.
Serene Grace - Tri Attack turns into 40% chance of inflicting status, or 13.34% to burn, freeze, or paralyze. Discharge has a whopping 60% chance to paralyze while Shadow Ball will lower special defense every 2 times out of 5.
Shadow Tag - Allows Porygon2 to Toxic on Wobbuffet and switch out. Can safely Shadow Ball or Thunder Wave Mega-Gengar in Ubers.
Sheer Force - Most of Porygon2's attacking moves get a solid boost.
Speed Boost - Hard-counters Scolipede, cripples it with Thunder Wave, makes Porygon2 very hard to take down with speedy Recover and solid defenses on top of usable special attack.
Storm Drain - Can switch into Gastrodon and proceed to hit hard with Tri Attack.
Technician - Hidden Power Fighting becomes boosted to 90 BP. A set running Hidden Power Fire can OHKO most Scizor.
Thick Fat - Can switch into Mamoswine's Icicle Crash/Ice Shard and Recover off Earthquakes.
Volt Absorb - Hard-counters Jolteon and checks Thundurus-T.
Water Absorb - Regenerates health from switching into Vaporeon and checks Water Absorb Jellicent.
Wonder Guard - GG.
Possible sets:
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Bold Nature
- Tri Attack
- Shadow Ball
- Thunder Wave / Toxic
- Recover
Defensive Porygon2 is quite the tank. With the combination of Tri Attack and Shadow Ball, the only Pokemon in the game to resist Porygon2 are Tyranitar and Bisharp. This leaves another slot for Recover, Porygon2's main source of healing, and a status move. Thunder Wave is the preferred option, being able to survive most hits and stall out with Recover until they switch or lose a turn with paralysis. Toxic is otherwise an option to kill off any walls that don't carry Toxic themselves. Here are some calculations to show just how bulky Porygon2 is:
252+ Atk Choice Band Multiscale Dragonite Outrage vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Trace Porygon2:
89-105 (23.8% - 28.07%) 22.34% chance to 4HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
145-172 (38.77% - 45.99%) 3HKO
252+ Atk Terrakion Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
234-276 (62.57% - 73.8%) 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
144-171 (38.5% - 45.72%) 3HKO
+2 252+ Atk Huge Power Mega-Mawile Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
267-315 (71.39% - 84.22%) 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Aegislash Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
172-204 (45.99% - 54.55%) 31.64% chance to 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Aegislash Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
260-306 (69.52% - 81.82%) 2HKO
Being able to take a super-effective boosted Sacred Sword from Aegislash is no joke at all. Porygon2 has extremely high survivability and functions perfectly for crippling sweepers that rely on speed. Even with the power-creep to come from Gen VI, Porygon2 still keeps up with the meta-game.
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 200 Def / 252 SpA / 56 SpD
Bold Nature
- Tri Attack / Ice Beam
- Shadow Ball / Thunderbolt / Discharge
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Recover
Offensive Porygon2 trades off some of its excess bulk in exchange for more power. Tri Attack and Shadow Ball have unresisted coverage except to Tyranitar and Bisharp. BoltBeam is an additionally classic option for Porygon2, though Discharge can be used over Thunderbolt for its higher paralysis chance, and is only resisted by Magnezone and Rotom-H. Thankfully, Hidden Power Fighting rounds off coverage to hitting Tyranitar, Bisharp, and Magnezone, the former two having a double weakness to Fighting while the latter gets trapped by its own Magnet Pull. As usual, Recover completes the set by giving you a reliable source of healing.
Checks and Counters:
Trick and Knock Off take away Eviolite, which Porygon2 needs to function in OU. Toxic really takes away Porygon2's longevity. Fighting-types, particularly Breloom and Conkeldurr who have Toxic Heal and Guts to make life hard for spreading status, hit harder than Porygon2 would find comfortable. Tyranitar and Bisharp if lacking Hidden Power Fighting, especially Tyranitar. Blissey, Celebi, and Reuniclus wall Porygon2 and care very little for Toxic or Thunder Wave. Ground-types like Hippowdon and Electric-types like Rotom-W and -H are immune to Thunder Wave and wall variants without Ice Beam or Toxic. Ghost-types give problems to BoltBeam variants. Gliscor checks Porygon2 variants without Ice Beam. Gengar can be annoying if it gets a substitute and disables Shadow Ball. Jellicent completely walls you if Cursed Body prevents use of Shadow Ball or Thunderbolt. Finally, Mega-Lucario is one of the few things that can actually OHKO Porygon2 with a +2 Adaptability Close Combat, meaning it will often mean sacrificing Porygon2 or switching into something else.
Personal Opinion:
Porygon2 is very fun to use. It's just one of those anti-meta Pokemon that screw over a lot opponents simply because it's almost always underestimated. Nothing has happened yet to make Porygon2 one of the dedicated titans of OU, but I feel like Porygon2 always gets better every generation. Give it a try, seriously. The amount of times opponents will underestimate this digital duck before finding themselves stripped of their momentum will makes it worth using, almost every time.
Type:
Abilities: Trace / Download / Analytic (Hidden ability)
Base stats: 85 / 80 / 90 / 105 / 95 / 60
Notable Moves:
Recover
Discharge
Tri Attack
Magic Coat
Psyshock
Toxic
Hidden Power
Ice Beam
Thunderbolt
Psychic
Shadow Ball
Thunder Wave
Trick Room
Analysis:
Porygon2 has always been one of those Pokemon that seem to stay under the radar in every generation, from being an under-appreciated Curse user in Gen II to being an under-used Eviolite tank in Gen V. Come Gen VI, where not much has changed for Porygon2 itself. The change in some mechanics and the addition of new Pokemon, however, has resulted in some very positive changes for Porygon2. Ghost-type now hits Steel-types neutrally, allowing Porygon2 to run Tri Attack / Shadow Ball for complete neutral coverage bar Tyranitar and Bisharp. The addition of Sticky Web allows Porygon2 to actually outrun any uninvested Base 100 Speed Pokemon, which can be particularly helpful against most other bulky Pokemon. New Pokemon, particularly threats like Greninja and Scolipede or Mega Evolutions like Kangaskhan and Banette, give Porygon2 access to a lot of good abilities that it can take advantage of. Not all is good for Porygon2, however, as Knock Off's buff this generation makes it all the more common and easier than ever to lose Eviolite for the rest of the match. Additionally, Porygon2 suffers some of the worst 4MSS of any Pokemon, as Recover is its only method of reliable recovery, leaving only 3 move-slots left to either attack or status moves. If played with good prediction and team support, however, Porygon2 is an excellent utility tank that can be extremely annoying for the opponent in some matches.
List of things that make Trace awesome on Porygon2:
Bold means this is a really nice ability on Porygon2.
Red means this ability is now notable in OU this generation.
Aerilate - 2HKOs Mega-Pinsir with Tri Attack.
Arena Trap - Dugtrio cannot trap Porygon2.
Download - Can boost special attack and out-damage Genesect.
Dry Skin - Checks rain teams if packing Thunderbolt.
Flash Fire - Heatran is checked, hard-countered if it lacks attacking moves outside of Lava Plume.
Gooey - Physical variants of Goodra become outsped.
Intimidate - Various boosters like Salamence and Gyarados are hard-countered, crippled with Thunder Wave, and OHKO'd with BoltBeam.
Magic Guard - Cannot be killed with Toxic, the only status Porygon2 truly dislikes.
Magnet Pull - Can trap Magnezone and lower its special defense with Shadow Ball or possibly inflict burn/freeze with Tri Attack.
Multiscale - Hard-counters Dragonite in the middle of Outrage by crippling with Thunder Wave, reactivating with Recover, and 2HKOing with Ice Beam.
Natural Cure - Pokemon like Celebi and Blissey cannot reliably kill Porygon2 with Toxic.
Parental Bond - 1.5x damage boost that breaks subs and doubles secondary effect chances. Becomes a good revenge switch-in to unboosted Mega-Kangaskhan with a 2/5 chance to shut Mega-Kangaskhan down. This only applies in Ubers, however.
Prankster - Prankster Recover/Thunder Wave/Toxic.
Protean - Gives Porygon2 STAB BoltBeam or STAB Shadow Ball/Hidden Power Fighting.
Rough Skin - Garchomp gets hurt when using Dragon-type moves/Fire Fang.
Rain Dish - Checks Tentacruel lacking Toxic.
Serene Grace - Tri Attack turns into 40% chance of inflicting status, or 13.34% to burn, freeze, or paralyze. Discharge has a whopping 60% chance to paralyze while Shadow Ball will lower special defense every 2 times out of 5.
Shadow Tag - Allows Porygon2 to Toxic on Wobbuffet and switch out. Can safely Shadow Ball or Thunder Wave Mega-Gengar in Ubers.
Sheer Force - Most of Porygon2's attacking moves get a solid boost.
Speed Boost - Hard-counters Scolipede, cripples it with Thunder Wave, makes Porygon2 very hard to take down with speedy Recover and solid defenses on top of usable special attack.
Storm Drain - Can switch into Gastrodon and proceed to hit hard with Tri Attack.
Technician - Hidden Power Fighting becomes boosted to 90 BP. A set running Hidden Power Fire can OHKO most Scizor.
Thick Fat - Can switch into Mamoswine's Icicle Crash/Ice Shard and Recover off Earthquakes.
Volt Absorb - Hard-counters Jolteon and checks Thundurus-T.
Water Absorb - Regenerates health from switching into Vaporeon and checks Water Absorb Jellicent.
Wonder Guard - GG.
Possible sets:
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Bold Nature
- Tri Attack
- Shadow Ball
- Thunder Wave / Toxic
- Recover
Defensive Porygon2 is quite the tank. With the combination of Tri Attack and Shadow Ball, the only Pokemon in the game to resist Porygon2 are Tyranitar and Bisharp. This leaves another slot for Recover, Porygon2's main source of healing, and a status move. Thunder Wave is the preferred option, being able to survive most hits and stall out with Recover until they switch or lose a turn with paralysis. Toxic is otherwise an option to kill off any walls that don't carry Toxic themselves. Here are some calculations to show just how bulky Porygon2 is:
252+ Atk Choice Band Multiscale Dragonite Outrage vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Trace Porygon2:
89-105 (23.8% - 28.07%) 22.34% chance to 4HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
145-172 (38.77% - 45.99%) 3HKO
252+ Atk Terrakion Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
234-276 (62.57% - 73.8%) 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
144-171 (38.5% - 45.72%) 3HKO
+2 252+ Atk Huge Power Mega-Mawile Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
267-315 (71.39% - 84.22%) 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Aegislash Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
172-204 (45.99% - 54.55%) 31.64% chance to 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Aegislash Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Porygon2:
260-306 (69.52% - 81.82%) 2HKO
Being able to take a super-effective boosted Sacred Sword from Aegislash is no joke at all. Porygon2 has extremely high survivability and functions perfectly for crippling sweepers that rely on speed. Even with the power-creep to come from Gen VI, Porygon2 still keeps up with the meta-game.
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 200 Def / 252 SpA / 56 SpD
Bold Nature
- Tri Attack / Ice Beam
- Shadow Ball / Thunderbolt / Discharge
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Recover
Offensive Porygon2 trades off some of its excess bulk in exchange for more power. Tri Attack and Shadow Ball have unresisted coverage except to Tyranitar and Bisharp. BoltBeam is an additionally classic option for Porygon2, though Discharge can be used over Thunderbolt for its higher paralysis chance, and is only resisted by Magnezone and Rotom-H. Thankfully, Hidden Power Fighting rounds off coverage to hitting Tyranitar, Bisharp, and Magnezone, the former two having a double weakness to Fighting while the latter gets trapped by its own Magnet Pull. As usual, Recover completes the set by giving you a reliable source of healing.
Checks and Counters:
Trick and Knock Off take away Eviolite, which Porygon2 needs to function in OU. Toxic really takes away Porygon2's longevity. Fighting-types, particularly Breloom and Conkeldurr who have Toxic Heal and Guts to make life hard for spreading status, hit harder than Porygon2 would find comfortable. Tyranitar and Bisharp if lacking Hidden Power Fighting, especially Tyranitar. Blissey, Celebi, and Reuniclus wall Porygon2 and care very little for Toxic or Thunder Wave. Ground-types like Hippowdon and Electric-types like Rotom-W and -H are immune to Thunder Wave and wall variants without Ice Beam or Toxic. Ghost-types give problems to BoltBeam variants. Gliscor checks Porygon2 variants without Ice Beam. Gengar can be annoying if it gets a substitute and disables Shadow Ball. Jellicent completely walls you if Cursed Body prevents use of Shadow Ball or Thunderbolt. Finally, Mega-Lucario is one of the few things that can actually OHKO Porygon2 with a +2 Adaptability Close Combat, meaning it will often mean sacrificing Porygon2 or switching into something else.
Personal Opinion:
Porygon2 is very fun to use. It's just one of those anti-meta Pokemon that screw over a lot opponents simply because it's almost always underestimated. Nothing has happened yet to make Porygon2 one of the dedicated titans of OU, but I feel like Porygon2 always gets better every generation. Give it a try, seriously. The amount of times opponents will underestimate this digital duck before finding themselves stripped of their momentum will makes it worth using, almost every time.
Movesets:
Defensive Duck:
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EV's: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Def
Nature: Calm
- Thunderbolt / Discharge
- Tri Attack / Ice Beam
- Toxic / Thunder Wave / Ice Beam / Trick Room
- Recover
Between Trace and Porygon2's excellent natural bulk, we makes a great pivot in a wide variety of situations. Tracing Dragonite's Multiscale, Jolteon's Volt Absorb, and Chansey's Natural Cure are just a few examples of how to turn the odds in your favor. For his move set, Recover and an electric type attack are an absolute must for coverage and survivability. Discharge can be used over Thunderbolt simply for the 30% paralysis chance, but users should be wary to not let it interfere with other status moves on their team. Ice Beam, though very popular in Gen V OU, is not quite as necessary this gen. Dragon type, while still a powerful force, has been somewhat diluted due to the onset of Fairies. For those of you who like more reliable STAB damage and a 20% chance for one the the three main status effects, Tri Attack can easily be pitched as the better option. That said, Lati@s is still somewhat common in OU, so his Defense investment ensures surviving Psyshock.
I've been able to use Porygon2 with a lot of success, despite the prevalence of Knock Off this generation. So what do you all think? Does the virtual duck still have a place in the OU tier in Gen VI?