[OVERVIEW]
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hyper Beam
move 2: Uproar
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Adaptability
Nature: Modest
Evs: 252SpA / 4SpD / 252Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
[*]Hyper Beam is used to outspeed and OHKO Pokemon such as Greninja, Lopunny-Mega, Charizard-Mega-X, and Kyurem-Black.
[*]Uproar is used against anything that cannot be OHKO’d by Hyper Beam, as Hyper Beam has a recharge turn. Use this against Gyarados-Mega, Altaria-Mega, Ampharos-Mega, and also against Pokemon like Whimsicott utilizing Prankster Substitute, and bulky sleep inducers such as Swampert-Mega and Venusaur-Mega.
[*]Dark Pulse is used as a way to give Porygon-Z a chance vs Ghost-type Pokemon such as Aegislash, Sableye-Mega, and Gengar-Mega, while beating Mega-Metagross with a flinch.
[*]Hidden Power Fire is used as a way to further maximize Porygon-Z’s coverage, hitting Steel-type Pokemon 4x weak to Fire such as Genesect, Scizor-Mega, and Ferrothorn.
Set Details
========
[*]Adaptability gives Porygon-Z’s Normal-type attacks a 2x damage boost from STAB instead of 1.5.
[*]Choice Scarf is the item of choice, as it compliments Porygon-Z’s immense power by matching it with the speed to outspeed most of the metagame.
[*]252 EV’s in both SpA and Spe and a Modest nature allow Porygon-Z to maximize its best traits, power and speed.
Usage Tips
========
[*]Choice Scarf Porygon-Z is a very straightforward Pokemon to use in battle, click the most powerful move. Where using it becomes tricky is in preview.
[*]You must be weary when the opponent is packing Steel-type Pokemon, as you can't even use the power of unpredictability, that being is the Porygon-Z Choice Scarf or Custap Endure in preview, against them.
[*]Because of the potential threat of Custap Nasty Plot, Porygon-Z can still be safely picked into teams with stall Pokemon such as Slowbro-Mega. [*]Lastly, make sure to decipher whether your opponent has a Pokemon bulked to live a Hyper Beam, common Pokemon to look out for include Gyarados-Mega and Kyurem-Black.
Team Options
========
[*]Choice Scarf Porygon-Z auto loses to the many Steel-type Pokemon that litter the tier, as well as Sableye-Mega. Because of this, offensive Fire-type Pokemon, such as Charizard-Mega-X, Charizard-Mega-Y, and Volcanion pair exceptionally well. Charizard-Mega-X is an especially notable partner, as it is immune to Sableye-Mega’s Will-O-Wisp, and can take on Specially Defensive powerhouses such as Chansey and Gardevoir-Mega. [*]Porygon-Z is also choice locked, so it has no way to counteract the many Sturdy Pokemon and Endure Custap users. Grass-type Pokemon like Serperior and Mega-Venusaur can help counteract these Pokemon, including Sawk, Golem, Donphan, as well as being able to take on Endure Custap Manaphy. Mega-Venusaur works exceptionally well here, as with Charm and Giga Drain it can take on more rock types including Scarf Terrakion, Diancie, Rhyperior, and beat Specially Defensive Charizard-Mega-X.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot + Custap
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Endure
move 3: Hyper Beam
move 4: Dark Pulse
Item: Custap Berry
Ability: Adaptability
Nature: Modest
Evs: 60 HP / 196 Def / 212 SpA / 40 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
[*]Nasty Plot is used to set up and break through the Pokemon that Choice Scarf cannot, such as Slowbro-Mega, Chansey, and Sableye-Mega. [*]Endure, paired with Custap, is used to live any hit and attack first the next turn.
[*]Hyper Beam is Porygon-Z's strongest attack, and is especially powerful after a Nasty Plot boost.
[*]Dark Pulse is used to hit Ghost-type Pokemon that you can now more reliably beat with Nasty Plot, such as Aegislash and Sableye-Mega
Set Details
========
[*]Custap Berry is the item of choice, as paired with Endure, it gives Porygon-Z a makeshift Choice Scarf on the next turn, usually moving first.
[*]60 HP and 196 Def EV's are used to live an Outrage from 252+ Choice Scarf Kyurem-Black, as well tank an Outrage from 252 Jolly Charizard-Mega-X.
[*]40SpD when paired with 60HP allows you to live a 252+ Bug Buzz from Genesect after the Download boost, as you are highly invested in Defense.
[*]The rest is dumped into SpA, and when paired with Adaptability and a Modest nature, allow Porygon-Z to hit as hard as possible
Usage Tips
========
[*]Custap Porygon-Z in theory is a better version of Choice Scarf Porygon-Z, as clicking Endure turn 1 into a priority Hyper Beam on Turn 2 effectively does the same thing. It also now gets versatility with being able to use Nasty Plot. However, with this potential to now beat everything Choice Scarf Porygon-Z can and more, also comes the potential to lose more matchups. With great power comes great responsibility.
[*]When using this set, it is extremely important to decipher when your opponent is going to attack, so that you can time your Endure properly. And if you predict your opponent to expect the Endure turn 1, you can Nasty Plot on that turn, and Endure the next.
[*]For example, a relatively routine play for Choice Scarf Porygon-Z against Choice Band Garchomp is to Hyper Beam turn 1 and OHKO, but now we must either use Endure turn 1 predicting the Outrage, or Nasty Plot Turn 1 predicting the Fling, which would be used to beat Endure.
[*]Use Nasty Plot when up against slower threats that you know cannot OHKO you, such as Sableye-Mega, Venusaur-Mega, and Slowbro-Mega. Nasty Plot is also useful vs Pokemon that often try and bulk for Scarf Porygon-Z, such as Gyarados-Mega.
[*]Use Dark Pulse when you cannot hit Pokemon with Hyper Beam.
Team Options
========
[*]Because Porygon-Z now has to outplay fast Pokemon such as Lopunny-Mega, Medicham-Mega, Greninja, and Charizard-Mega-Y, extra speed control from Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Kyurem-Black, Talonflame, and Lopunny-Mega are much appreciated. Lopunny-Mega is an especially notable partner, beating the above Pokemon, and checking Sturdy Pokemon that plague Porygon-Z such as Golem and Magnezone, along with hitting Aegislash and Sableye-Mega.
[*]Because Uproar is unoptimal on this set, Porygon-Z can struggle with sleep inducers such as Venusaur-Mega and Swampert-Mega, along with not being able to hit Pokemon that might Substitute on the slower Porygon-Z, such as Whimsicott and Torrent Greninja. Pokemon like Meloetta and Gardevoir-Mega fit well as partners because of this, being able to hit through Substitutes with their powerful Hyper Voices.
[*]Lastly, Porygon-Z still struggles with Rock and Steel-type Pokemon, as Porygon-Z cannot hit them very hard. Therefore Steel-type Pokemon that can hit Diancie and Tyranitar-Mega such as Mawile-Mega and Aggron-Mega make excellent partners, as well as Ground-type Pokemon like Swampert-Mega and Choice Specs Landorus
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
[*]Choice Specs can be used to boost Porygon-Z to insane power levels, but running it loses out on many matchups that Choice Scarf and Endure Custap Cover, with little return.
[*}Trick+Recover can be used with Hyper Beam and Uproar on Choice Scarf Porygon-Z to take down Chansey and Registeel, who otherwise beat Porygon-Z with Seismic Toss.
Checks and Counters
===================
Steel-Types: Steel resists Porygon-Z Normal-type attacks, so metagame staples such as Mawile-Mega, Metagross-Mega, Aggron-Mega, and Magnezone can beat Porygon-Z with ease
Rock-Types: Rock also resists Normal-Type moves, and therefore wall Porygon-Z. Some notable ones include Diancie, Tyranitar-Mega, and Terrakion.
Pokemon that can live a Hyper-Beam: Many Pokemon bulk for Hyper Beam from Porygon-Z because it is such a notable benchmark, these Pokemon can include Gyarados-Mega, Swampert-Mega, Gardevoir-Mega, and Manaphy.
Faster Choice Scarf Pokemon: Specifically countering Choice Scarf Porygon-Z, some scarfed Pokemon like Kyurem-Black, Victini, and Garchomp can all surprise Porygon-Z, as Porygon-Z has no way to outpace them unless running Custap
- Porygon Z is one of the most monstrous attackers in ORAS, with its Adaptability boosted Hyper Beam only being surpassed in power by a Blast Burn from Charizard-Mega-Y.
- This powerful attack paired with Porygon-Z's usage of Choice Scarf and Custap Berry allow it to OHKO important threats such as Charizard-Mega-X, Greninja, Gardevoir-Mega, and Garchomp
- Although its versatility is limited, access to an Adaptability boosted Uproar allows it to take on Whimsicott, as well as sleep oriented Pokemon such as Swampert-Mega, Venusaur-Mega, and 2HKO Pokemon that are usually not OHKO'd by Hyper Beam, such as Gyarados-Mega, Altaria-Mega, and Hoopa-Unbound.
- Access to Nasty Plot allows it to beat stall oriented Pokemon such as Slowbro-Mega and Chansey
- However, because Porygon-Z's only powerful attacks are Normal-type, Ghost, Rock, and Steel-type Pokemon such as Sableye-Mega, Tyranitar-Mega, Metagross-Mega, and Mawile-Mega all wall Porygon-Z, making it one dimensional in certain matchups
- Furthermore, while Porygon-Z is powerful, it is not so powerful that Pokemon cannot bulk for a Hyper Beam, and many Pokemon with access to Sturdy such as Sawk and Donphan, or Pokemon that utilize Endure Custap like Manaphy, have ways around dealing with Porygon-Z
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hyper Beam
move 2: Uproar
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Adaptability
Nature: Modest
Evs: 252SpA / 4SpD / 252Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
[*]Hyper Beam is used to outspeed and OHKO Pokemon such as Greninja, Lopunny-Mega, Charizard-Mega-X, and Kyurem-Black.
[*]Uproar is used against anything that cannot be OHKO’d by Hyper Beam, as Hyper Beam has a recharge turn. Use this against Gyarados-Mega, Altaria-Mega, Ampharos-Mega, and also against Pokemon like Whimsicott utilizing Prankster Substitute, and bulky sleep inducers such as Swampert-Mega and Venusaur-Mega.
[*]Dark Pulse is used as a way to give Porygon-Z a chance vs Ghost-type Pokemon such as Aegislash, Sableye-Mega, and Gengar-Mega, while beating Mega-Metagross with a flinch.
[*]Hidden Power Fire is used as a way to further maximize Porygon-Z’s coverage, hitting Steel-type Pokemon 4x weak to Fire such as Genesect, Scizor-Mega, and Ferrothorn.
Set Details
========
[*]Adaptability gives Porygon-Z’s Normal-type attacks a 2x damage boost from STAB instead of 1.5.
[*]Choice Scarf is the item of choice, as it compliments Porygon-Z’s immense power by matching it with the speed to outspeed most of the metagame.
[*]252 EV’s in both SpA and Spe and a Modest nature allow Porygon-Z to maximize its best traits, power and speed.
Usage Tips
========
[*]Choice Scarf Porygon-Z is a very straightforward Pokemon to use in battle, click the most powerful move. Where using it becomes tricky is in preview.
[*]You must be weary when the opponent is packing Steel-type Pokemon, as you can't even use the power of unpredictability, that being is the Porygon-Z Choice Scarf or Custap Endure in preview, against them.
[*]Because of the potential threat of Custap Nasty Plot, Porygon-Z can still be safely picked into teams with stall Pokemon such as Slowbro-Mega. [*]Lastly, make sure to decipher whether your opponent has a Pokemon bulked to live a Hyper Beam, common Pokemon to look out for include Gyarados-Mega and Kyurem-Black.
Team Options
========
[*]Choice Scarf Porygon-Z auto loses to the many Steel-type Pokemon that litter the tier, as well as Sableye-Mega. Because of this, offensive Fire-type Pokemon, such as Charizard-Mega-X, Charizard-Mega-Y, and Volcanion pair exceptionally well. Charizard-Mega-X is an especially notable partner, as it is immune to Sableye-Mega’s Will-O-Wisp, and can take on Specially Defensive powerhouses such as Chansey and Gardevoir-Mega. [*]Porygon-Z is also choice locked, so it has no way to counteract the many Sturdy Pokemon and Endure Custap users. Grass-type Pokemon like Serperior and Mega-Venusaur can help counteract these Pokemon, including Sawk, Golem, Donphan, as well as being able to take on Endure Custap Manaphy. Mega-Venusaur works exceptionally well here, as with Charm and Giga Drain it can take on more rock types including Scarf Terrakion, Diancie, Rhyperior, and beat Specially Defensive Charizard-Mega-X.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot + Custap
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Endure
move 3: Hyper Beam
move 4: Dark Pulse
Item: Custap Berry
Ability: Adaptability
Nature: Modest
Evs: 60 HP / 196 Def / 212 SpA / 40 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
[*]Nasty Plot is used to set up and break through the Pokemon that Choice Scarf cannot, such as Slowbro-Mega, Chansey, and Sableye-Mega. [*]Endure, paired with Custap, is used to live any hit and attack first the next turn.
[*]Hyper Beam is Porygon-Z's strongest attack, and is especially powerful after a Nasty Plot boost.
[*]Dark Pulse is used to hit Ghost-type Pokemon that you can now more reliably beat with Nasty Plot, such as Aegislash and Sableye-Mega
Set Details
========
[*]Custap Berry is the item of choice, as paired with Endure, it gives Porygon-Z a makeshift Choice Scarf on the next turn, usually moving first.
[*]60 HP and 196 Def EV's are used to live an Outrage from 252+ Choice Scarf Kyurem-Black, as well tank an Outrage from 252 Jolly Charizard-Mega-X.
[*]40SpD when paired with 60HP allows you to live a 252+ Bug Buzz from Genesect after the Download boost, as you are highly invested in Defense.
[*]The rest is dumped into SpA, and when paired with Adaptability and a Modest nature, allow Porygon-Z to hit as hard as possible
Usage Tips
========
[*]Custap Porygon-Z in theory is a better version of Choice Scarf Porygon-Z, as clicking Endure turn 1 into a priority Hyper Beam on Turn 2 effectively does the same thing. It also now gets versatility with being able to use Nasty Plot. However, with this potential to now beat everything Choice Scarf Porygon-Z can and more, also comes the potential to lose more matchups. With great power comes great responsibility.
[*]When using this set, it is extremely important to decipher when your opponent is going to attack, so that you can time your Endure properly. And if you predict your opponent to expect the Endure turn 1, you can Nasty Plot on that turn, and Endure the next.
[*]For example, a relatively routine play for Choice Scarf Porygon-Z against Choice Band Garchomp is to Hyper Beam turn 1 and OHKO, but now we must either use Endure turn 1 predicting the Outrage, or Nasty Plot Turn 1 predicting the Fling, which would be used to beat Endure.
[*]Use Nasty Plot when up against slower threats that you know cannot OHKO you, such as Sableye-Mega, Venusaur-Mega, and Slowbro-Mega. Nasty Plot is also useful vs Pokemon that often try and bulk for Scarf Porygon-Z, such as Gyarados-Mega.
[*]Use Dark Pulse when you cannot hit Pokemon with Hyper Beam.
Team Options
========
[*]Because Porygon-Z now has to outplay fast Pokemon such as Lopunny-Mega, Medicham-Mega, Greninja, and Charizard-Mega-Y, extra speed control from Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Kyurem-Black, Talonflame, and Lopunny-Mega are much appreciated. Lopunny-Mega is an especially notable partner, beating the above Pokemon, and checking Sturdy Pokemon that plague Porygon-Z such as Golem and Magnezone, along with hitting Aegislash and Sableye-Mega.
[*]Because Uproar is unoptimal on this set, Porygon-Z can struggle with sleep inducers such as Venusaur-Mega and Swampert-Mega, along with not being able to hit Pokemon that might Substitute on the slower Porygon-Z, such as Whimsicott and Torrent Greninja. Pokemon like Meloetta and Gardevoir-Mega fit well as partners because of this, being able to hit through Substitutes with their powerful Hyper Voices.
[*]Lastly, Porygon-Z still struggles with Rock and Steel-type Pokemon, as Porygon-Z cannot hit them very hard. Therefore Steel-type Pokemon that can hit Diancie and Tyranitar-Mega such as Mawile-Mega and Aggron-Mega make excellent partners, as well as Ground-type Pokemon like Swampert-Mega and Choice Specs Landorus
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
[*]Choice Specs can be used to boost Porygon-Z to insane power levels, but running it loses out on many matchups that Choice Scarf and Endure Custap Cover, with little return.
[*}Trick+Recover can be used with Hyper Beam and Uproar on Choice Scarf Porygon-Z to take down Chansey and Registeel, who otherwise beat Porygon-Z with Seismic Toss.
Checks and Counters
===================
Steel-Types: Steel resists Porygon-Z Normal-type attacks, so metagame staples such as Mawile-Mega, Metagross-Mega, Aggron-Mega, and Magnezone can beat Porygon-Z with ease
Rock-Types: Rock also resists Normal-Type moves, and therefore wall Porygon-Z. Some notable ones include Diancie, Tyranitar-Mega, and Terrakion.
Pokemon that can live a Hyper-Beam: Many Pokemon bulk for Hyper Beam from Porygon-Z because it is such a notable benchmark, these Pokemon can include Gyarados-Mega, Swampert-Mega, Gardevoir-Mega, and Manaphy.
Faster Choice Scarf Pokemon: Specifically countering Choice Scarf Porygon-Z, some scarfed Pokemon like Kyurem-Black, Victini, and Garchomp can all surprise Porygon-Z, as Porygon-Z has no way to outpace them unless running Custap
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