Adaptability vs. Download-Which will reign as Porygon-Z's best ability?

SNX7

In the disscusion topic, many people seemed to prefer Download over Adaptability, but on GameFAQ's and other sites, Adaptability gets all the love. Here are the Pros and Cons of each:

Adaptability:
Pros
-Boosts normal type moves to super high power levels
-Reliable ability, nothing varies

Cons
-Tri-Attack is the only normal move Porygon-Z really uses
-Doesn't boost Porygon-Z's other attacks
-It's usless against normal immune pokemon

Download:
Pros
-Can give you a 50% increase in Sp. Attack just for coming in against certain pokemon
-Helps all of Porygon-Z's attacking moves, not just Tri-Attack
-Gives an option to use a different attack over Nasty Plot

Cons
-It's unreliable, if your Sp. Attack isn't boosted, it's pretty usless
-Can be taken away by stat-lowering attacks


I personally like Download, although I also think that the payoff is worth the risk, while others don't Which will reign as the best ability for Porygon-Z?
 
i'd like to try to abuse adaptbaility with conversion(2) because getting a super stabbed thunderbolt/icebeam off a 135 base special attack would be really funny
 
True, I didn't even think about Conversion 2+Adaptability. That could be an interesting combonation.
 
Hmm, so far it seems to be 2 for Adaptability, 2 for Download. After reflecting on this though, I have another question. Will we actually be able to establish an actual "Best Ability" for Porygon-Z? I mean, they're both good in there own sense.
 
Well adaptability + conversion2 seems to be pretty interresting, but there's only one problem that seems common for some other poke : only 4 move slot.

So, i think i prefer download because it allow more options
 
I vote download, simply because while tri attack is very strong, i like having the special attack help ALL my attacks, porygon-z has a fairly good variety of special attacks it can learn which helps this too.
 
Download becuase it helps all the Sp.Attack moves
I think it boosts a stat depending on the opponents defenses
like if the opponents defense is higher it boosts you Sp.attack
and vice versa
so it would be sexy to use a

Porygon-Z@Life Orb
Download
Naive/Hasty
252 Sp.Atk/252 Spd/6 HP
Return
Ice Beam
Thunder bolt
Nasty Plot

Switch in on something that has High Defense snatch a Sp.Attack boost,
Return on the switch to the Sp.Wall(most likely Blissey) then Return again
for the 2HKO
 
I wouldn't use Download unless I was using the Mixed Sweeper in the analysis thread, and even then, I'd prefer Adaptability. Since Normal moves are your main moves on that set, boosting both instead of just either one is good. Dark Pulse is just there to hit ghosts, it's not as important to boost.

The thing you guys don't appear to be seeing is that, Download is "If they have a pokemon with higher Def". If they have anything with higher SpDef, your PorygonZ might as well have the Run Away trait. For example, Blissey. Blissey knows that it will be killed by a Nasty Plot'd Adaptability Hyper Beam. But you can't even attempt to scare them if they see you switch in and get an Atk boost.

In short, Adaptability is much better.
 
Master Sunny, Tri-Attack 2HKO's Blissy as well IIRC, so Return is a waste.

EDIT: I'm stupid for not researching this before I made this topic, but how is Adaptability applied? Is it TA (80 BP)+Adaptability (120 BP) then get multiplied by STAB (180 BP)? Or is it TA (80), then Adaptability (120) then STAB (160)? Or is it figured in a way I'm not even thinking of?
 
I'd go with Adaptability all the way simple because you don't really need much else with Tri Attack + Nasty Plot + Adaptability. Download is a little too unreliable and easier to counter but certainly not bad.
 
According to the Nintendo guide (which isn't always reliable), Adaptibility bascially turns STAB from a x1.5 bonus to a x2 bonus. Assuming Download gives only a one-stage boost to your Sp Attack stat (which has now been called into question), this would mean that your Tri-Attack coming off of a Download Porygon-Z (x2.25) is actually more powerful than one coming off of a Adaptibility Porygon-Z (x2). And, of course, you get boosts to your other attacks as well when using Download. As long as you only bring it out against the right Pokémon, it could be to your advantage to have Download.

In 2v2, however, I'm guessing it chooses a random opponent to check, so Adaptibility is much more reliable in that environment.

By the way, I think you guys are talking about using Conversion, not Conversion2, with Adaptibility. Conversion2 changes your type based on what attacks were used on you, so it's unpredictable. Conversion changes it to the same type as one of your moves.
 
I think (not 100% sure) Adaptability is like "another STAB", or another x1.5 boost. Which, with the existing STAB, equals x2.25
 
On the particular set that was posted, Return is used with Download as a Blissey counter. Since Download is useless if you only have special attacks and come up against an opponent with higher SpD than Def, a mix of physical and special attacks might be desired.
 
Interesting... I still prefer Adaptability though. Maybe because I'm not too good at predicting. I go with the unpopular Boltbeam+Tri Attack combo. I'm too lazy to try and get HP Fighting but if somebody can convince me of a better special attack MS without HP Fighting please do :)
 
porygon3 said:
I think (not 100% sure) Adaptability is like "another STAB", or another x1.5 boost. Which, with the existing STAB, equals x2.25
Click to expand...

That's the thing. I'm not sure anyone has tested it conclusively. You may very well be right. Even so, Download is still superior most of the time as long as you choose the right moment to bring out Porygon-Z. Of course, this limits your options in much the same way Choice Band does.

Despite the fact that I'm touting Download here, I'd still rather use Adaptability myself. It's more reliable.
 
Adaptibility gives you a better Tri Attack, which would be basicly useless cause without adapatibility because it cant score a super effective hit
 
Rubberbandman, although your post doesn't completely make sense, I'll answer it anyway. If adaptability is an additional x1.5 multiplier, a tri attack would essentially have 180 base power after both adaptability and stab. A nve TA would then have 90 power, and be just barely weaker than ib/tbolt. A se tbolt/ib has 190 power, which is also just barely stronger than TA.
 
I prefer Adaptability


Is it possible to ev blissey so that Adap Tri attack is a 3hko
and sorry for the off topic ):
 
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