Pimplup
08-24-2008, 01:02 AM
I know this is reserved but I don't know when that guy will post his analysis...
This is my first analysis here so bear with me.
Empoleon
http://www.pokebip.com/pokemon/pokedex/images/sugimori/395.png
Regular ol' Penguin
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Sp.Def
Nature: Calm (+ Sp.Def, - Atk.) / Modest (+ Sp.Def, - Atk.)
- Surf / Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam / Blizzard
- Stealth Rock / Grass Knot / HP [Ground / Electric]
- Yawn / Roar / Stealth Rock
This penguin will stop many special attacks considering that it has over 10 resistances with it's Water / Steel typing. Use this to hit foes with STAB Surf or Hydro Pump, take out Dragons and Flyers with Ice Beam or Blizzard, Setting up Stealth Rock is also a nice possibility or you can have Grass Knot or HP Ground or Electric if certain foes bother you such as Swampert, Magnezone, Gyarados, or Heatran. If you want 3 attacking moves and the ability to set up Stealth Rock you can sacrifice Roar or Yawn.
ToxicStall
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 6 Sp.Atck / 252 Sp.Def
Nature: Calm (+Sp. Def, -Atck)
-Protect
-Toxic
-Surf / Brine
-Ice Beam
The point of this set is to pretty much stall the opponent as best you can and wall at the same time. The idea is to switch it in on something safely with its vast amount of resistances. Then you Toxic the switch(or it for that matter). Then with Protect you can get Lefties recovery, all while chipping away the opponents HP.
The next 2 slots are self explanatory, they provide great STAB and coverage for Empoleon. The question is, Surf or Brine?? Well, if you stall it well enough, after it drops to under 50% you can use Brine to finish it off(130 BP+STAB=195 Damage!!). Surf is for better damage really, just to finish those Pesky walls(and Tran) earlier.
To get a scope on how good this is, just think this. It takes a dismal 47% from SpecsMence's HP Ground 70 and can fire an Ice Beam back 8) .
Empslowleon
Empoleon @ Leftovers / Life Orb
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 58 Atk / 200 Sp.Def
Nature: Sassy (+ Sp. Def, - Spd.)
-Swords Dance
-Avalanche
-Aqua Jet / Waterfall
-Drill Peck / Pluck / Earthquake
This set is literally designed to make use of Empoleon's low speed. With Sassy Nature and a 0 IV it reaches 112 Speed, perfect for making use of Avalanche. On Empoleon, you should always max HP, then get to the Sp.Def, and then to everything else. With those EV's it reaches 222 Attack and 316 Special Defense, still with the ability to wall. After an SD it caps up to 444 Attack, a great stat to work with...
After you SD you can sweep with Avalanche as it goes last. Now, the next slot has 2 great choices. Aqua Jet can get you a fast and reliable hit when you need it which is why it's recommended. Waterfall is also a great STAB and takes more of a chunk of HP than Aqua Jet, but will never get Empoleon out of a corner.
Drill Peck is for the Fighting types that may annoy you, but you'll most likely be slower anyway :? . Pluck can get you berry and help you in a bad situation but isn't always the best option. EQ is great for other Empoleons who would otherwise wall you so your choice on which move you use.
Trick Room Emperor
Empoleon @ Life Orb
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 252 Sp.Atk / 4 Sp.Def
IV Spread: 31 / odd / 31 / 30 / 31 / 3
Nature: Sassy (+ Sp. Def, - Spd.)
-Surf / Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam
-HP Electric
-Yawn / Stealth Rock
With it's low speed, Empoleon is a great candidate for TR Sweeping. With Sassy Nature and a 3 IV it reaches 115 Speed, perfect for making use of TR. Surf and Hydro Pump are self-explanatory, Hydro Pump for more power at the cost of accuracy and Surf a little less power but more accuracy, making Surf the better candidate.
Now the question is, why HP Electric?? Well, now that Empoleon is faster than pretty much everything else, it can take on the likes of Gyara, Vaporen, and other Empoleon with HP Electric, scoring huge chunks of damage.
The last slot is all based on personal preference. If you want to Pseudo-Haze, then you Yawn to get that Pokemon out of there. SR is there for the benefit of a quick lay down of entry hazards, but with all of the suicide leads out there now, you might have your Zong setting up SR and then TR which is why Yawn is preferred.
Sub Petaya Torrent Abuse
Empoleon @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 28 HP / 12 Def. / 252 Sp.Atk / 216 Speed
Nature: Modest (+ Sp. Atk, - Atk.)
-Agility
-Surf / Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam / Grass Knot
-Substitute
After this thing sets up, it's ready to slaughter anything in its path. Empoleon resists nearly every priority move, has an amazing Special Attack stat (in terms of non-Uber Waters, only Omastar, Gorebyss, and Clamperl beat it), and Torrent to sweep with. Agility fixes its Speed, getting it above Scarfed neutral-natured base 90s like Porygon-Z and Lucario. From there, it can sub 3 times and activate Torrent and Petaya Berry at the same time.
Boosted Hydro Pump will always OHKO bulky Garchomp, can 2HKO Bold Blissey (48-57%), OHKOs Bronzong, and OHKOs Dusknoir and Salamence switching into Stealth Rock (though Empoleon's always faster than both after a boost anyway). Boosted Hydro Pump achieves 75% of what unboosted Ice Beam does on Grass-types, making Ice Beam less necessary and Grass Knot the ideal choice. Surf still can do 40% to Blissey (meaning Empoleon will win if Blissey lacks Seismic Toss or Thunderbolt) and 2HKOs on the above Pokemon should be sufficient. Ice Beam should be paired up with Surf while Grass Knot goes with Hydro Pump. It all depends on personal preference...
Most words are from Smogon but I changed the sentences I didn't like, kept the ones I did.
Specs Emperor
Empoleon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 252 Sp.Atk / 4 Speed
Nature: Modest (+ Sp. Atk, - Atk.) / Timid (+ Spd, - Atk.)
-Surf / Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam
-Grass Knot
-Hidden Power [Ground]
With its above average defenses and massive amounts of resistances, Empoleon can switch in easily, making it a natural candidate for Choice Specs. Hydro Pump scores an OHKO on Magnezone, but you have HP Ground so it's not really needed. Surf is a better option because of the better accuracy. Ice Beam and Grass Knot are standard, taking out Grass and Water-type switch-ins. With Choice Specs, Grass Knot can even 2HKO Gyara!!
Hidden Power Ground OHKOs Magnezone, may 2HKO Lanturn, and hits enemy Empoleon. So it's a great filler in the last slot.
Some words are from Smogon but I changed the sentences I didn't like, kept the ones I did.
Real Penguins Use Swords
Empoleon @ Lefotvers / Life Orb
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Speed
Nature: Adamant (+ Atck, - Sp. Atck)
-Swords Dance
-Aqua Jet
-Drill Peck
-Earthquake / Avalanche
The idea here is to Swords Dance, then use the surprise value and Empoleon's overall bulkiness to get in another Swords Dance if possible. Then, you may proceed to own things with STAB Aqua Jet from 894 Attack (assuming you get two boosts). Though the idea may seem somewhat of a novelty, it is actually a very viable option.
Ludicolo gets annihilated by Drill Peck, Lanturn and Magnezone are beaten with Earthquake, Dugtrio falls to an Aqua Jet, and Regice just can't do enough damage in time to stop Empoleon's sweep. Magnezone often invests Speed to beat Skarmory, so it might be faster than Empoleon. Either faint it before pulling this off or predict its switch-in and use Earthquake.
Drill Peck is the primary option here for hitting Heracross and Breloom on the switch. If you're scared of Salamence, Avalanche should beat it, and Empoleon won't mind the negative priority with its low Speed anyway. EQ
helps against more of its threats, remember this.
Leftovers is the better item choice here; with Empoleon's massive defenses and resistances, Lefties makes it a hard Poke to tackle. Life Orb is necessary for some KO's though(Mainly Blissey).
Most words are from Smogon but I changed the sentences I didn't like, kept the ones I did.
Other Options
Substitute: Can work well instead of Protect on ToxicStall because it can take more hits.
Aqua Ring: Can work well in the ToxicStall set by getting more HP, but you lose a moveslot...
Captivate: Can work awesome in the first 3 sets by softening up Special Blows, but only works on opposite gender :? .
Sleep Talk: Viable on all sets because of the consistency of sleep moves, can screw over the opponent in many cases.
Counters
Any physically based Fighting type Pokemon really. Bring in RestTalk Machamp and you should get by fine, Empoleon can't get a KO in by the time you Dynamic Punch it away...
Opinion
Well, the metagame is more offensive now, the ToxicStall set was created back during the stallish metagame. Even though Empoleon can't keep up as well as other walls in OU, it can still be a formidable wall in BL.
That's why there have been breaches to make a more offensive set. I think Empoleon can do this as well as demonstrated in the other sets.
That finishes up all of what my favorite Pokemon's evolution can do, I hope you guys use him/her more, it's a great Pokemon :) .
This is my first analysis here so bear with me.
Empoleon
http://www.pokebip.com/pokemon/pokedex/images/sugimori/395.png
Regular ol' Penguin
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Sp.Def
Nature: Calm (+ Sp.Def, - Atk.) / Modest (+ Sp.Def, - Atk.)
- Surf / Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam / Blizzard
- Stealth Rock / Grass Knot / HP [Ground / Electric]
- Yawn / Roar / Stealth Rock
This penguin will stop many special attacks considering that it has over 10 resistances with it's Water / Steel typing. Use this to hit foes with STAB Surf or Hydro Pump, take out Dragons and Flyers with Ice Beam or Blizzard, Setting up Stealth Rock is also a nice possibility or you can have Grass Knot or HP Ground or Electric if certain foes bother you such as Swampert, Magnezone, Gyarados, or Heatran. If you want 3 attacking moves and the ability to set up Stealth Rock you can sacrifice Roar or Yawn.
ToxicStall
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 6 Sp.Atck / 252 Sp.Def
Nature: Calm (+Sp. Def, -Atck)
-Protect
-Toxic
-Surf / Brine
-Ice Beam
The point of this set is to pretty much stall the opponent as best you can and wall at the same time. The idea is to switch it in on something safely with its vast amount of resistances. Then you Toxic the switch(or it for that matter). Then with Protect you can get Lefties recovery, all while chipping away the opponents HP.
The next 2 slots are self explanatory, they provide great STAB and coverage for Empoleon. The question is, Surf or Brine?? Well, if you stall it well enough, after it drops to under 50% you can use Brine to finish it off(130 BP+STAB=195 Damage!!). Surf is for better damage really, just to finish those Pesky walls(and Tran) earlier.
To get a scope on how good this is, just think this. It takes a dismal 47% from SpecsMence's HP Ground 70 and can fire an Ice Beam back 8) .
Empslowleon
Empoleon @ Leftovers / Life Orb
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 58 Atk / 200 Sp.Def
Nature: Sassy (+ Sp. Def, - Spd.)
-Swords Dance
-Avalanche
-Aqua Jet / Waterfall
-Drill Peck / Pluck / Earthquake
This set is literally designed to make use of Empoleon's low speed. With Sassy Nature and a 0 IV it reaches 112 Speed, perfect for making use of Avalanche. On Empoleon, you should always max HP, then get to the Sp.Def, and then to everything else. With those EV's it reaches 222 Attack and 316 Special Defense, still with the ability to wall. After an SD it caps up to 444 Attack, a great stat to work with...
After you SD you can sweep with Avalanche as it goes last. Now, the next slot has 2 great choices. Aqua Jet can get you a fast and reliable hit when you need it which is why it's recommended. Waterfall is also a great STAB and takes more of a chunk of HP than Aqua Jet, but will never get Empoleon out of a corner.
Drill Peck is for the Fighting types that may annoy you, but you'll most likely be slower anyway :? . Pluck can get you berry and help you in a bad situation but isn't always the best option. EQ is great for other Empoleons who would otherwise wall you so your choice on which move you use.
Trick Room Emperor
Empoleon @ Life Orb
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 252 Sp.Atk / 4 Sp.Def
IV Spread: 31 / odd / 31 / 30 / 31 / 3
Nature: Sassy (+ Sp. Def, - Spd.)
-Surf / Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam
-HP Electric
-Yawn / Stealth Rock
With it's low speed, Empoleon is a great candidate for TR Sweeping. With Sassy Nature and a 3 IV it reaches 115 Speed, perfect for making use of TR. Surf and Hydro Pump are self-explanatory, Hydro Pump for more power at the cost of accuracy and Surf a little less power but more accuracy, making Surf the better candidate.
Now the question is, why HP Electric?? Well, now that Empoleon is faster than pretty much everything else, it can take on the likes of Gyara, Vaporen, and other Empoleon with HP Electric, scoring huge chunks of damage.
The last slot is all based on personal preference. If you want to Pseudo-Haze, then you Yawn to get that Pokemon out of there. SR is there for the benefit of a quick lay down of entry hazards, but with all of the suicide leads out there now, you might have your Zong setting up SR and then TR which is why Yawn is preferred.
Sub Petaya Torrent Abuse
Empoleon @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 28 HP / 12 Def. / 252 Sp.Atk / 216 Speed
Nature: Modest (+ Sp. Atk, - Atk.)
-Agility
-Surf / Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam / Grass Knot
-Substitute
After this thing sets up, it's ready to slaughter anything in its path. Empoleon resists nearly every priority move, has an amazing Special Attack stat (in terms of non-Uber Waters, only Omastar, Gorebyss, and Clamperl beat it), and Torrent to sweep with. Agility fixes its Speed, getting it above Scarfed neutral-natured base 90s like Porygon-Z and Lucario. From there, it can sub 3 times and activate Torrent and Petaya Berry at the same time.
Boosted Hydro Pump will always OHKO bulky Garchomp, can 2HKO Bold Blissey (48-57%), OHKOs Bronzong, and OHKOs Dusknoir and Salamence switching into Stealth Rock (though Empoleon's always faster than both after a boost anyway). Boosted Hydro Pump achieves 75% of what unboosted Ice Beam does on Grass-types, making Ice Beam less necessary and Grass Knot the ideal choice. Surf still can do 40% to Blissey (meaning Empoleon will win if Blissey lacks Seismic Toss or Thunderbolt) and 2HKOs on the above Pokemon should be sufficient. Ice Beam should be paired up with Surf while Grass Knot goes with Hydro Pump. It all depends on personal preference...
Most words are from Smogon but I changed the sentences I didn't like, kept the ones I did.
Specs Emperor
Empoleon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 252 Sp.Atk / 4 Speed
Nature: Modest (+ Sp. Atk, - Atk.) / Timid (+ Spd, - Atk.)
-Surf / Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam
-Grass Knot
-Hidden Power [Ground]
With its above average defenses and massive amounts of resistances, Empoleon can switch in easily, making it a natural candidate for Choice Specs. Hydro Pump scores an OHKO on Magnezone, but you have HP Ground so it's not really needed. Surf is a better option because of the better accuracy. Ice Beam and Grass Knot are standard, taking out Grass and Water-type switch-ins. With Choice Specs, Grass Knot can even 2HKO Gyara!!
Hidden Power Ground OHKOs Magnezone, may 2HKO Lanturn, and hits enemy Empoleon. So it's a great filler in the last slot.
Some words are from Smogon but I changed the sentences I didn't like, kept the ones I did.
Real Penguins Use Swords
Empoleon @ Lefotvers / Life Orb
Ability: Torrent
EV Spread: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Speed
Nature: Adamant (+ Atck, - Sp. Atck)
-Swords Dance
-Aqua Jet
-Drill Peck
-Earthquake / Avalanche
The idea here is to Swords Dance, then use the surprise value and Empoleon's overall bulkiness to get in another Swords Dance if possible. Then, you may proceed to own things with STAB Aqua Jet from 894 Attack (assuming you get two boosts). Though the idea may seem somewhat of a novelty, it is actually a very viable option.
Ludicolo gets annihilated by Drill Peck, Lanturn and Magnezone are beaten with Earthquake, Dugtrio falls to an Aqua Jet, and Regice just can't do enough damage in time to stop Empoleon's sweep. Magnezone often invests Speed to beat Skarmory, so it might be faster than Empoleon. Either faint it before pulling this off or predict its switch-in and use Earthquake.
Drill Peck is the primary option here for hitting Heracross and Breloom on the switch. If you're scared of Salamence, Avalanche should beat it, and Empoleon won't mind the negative priority with its low Speed anyway. EQ
helps against more of its threats, remember this.
Leftovers is the better item choice here; with Empoleon's massive defenses and resistances, Lefties makes it a hard Poke to tackle. Life Orb is necessary for some KO's though(Mainly Blissey).
Most words are from Smogon but I changed the sentences I didn't like, kept the ones I did.
Other Options
Substitute: Can work well instead of Protect on ToxicStall because it can take more hits.
Aqua Ring: Can work well in the ToxicStall set by getting more HP, but you lose a moveslot...
Captivate: Can work awesome in the first 3 sets by softening up Special Blows, but only works on opposite gender :? .
Sleep Talk: Viable on all sets because of the consistency of sleep moves, can screw over the opponent in many cases.
Counters
Any physically based Fighting type Pokemon really. Bring in RestTalk Machamp and you should get by fine, Empoleon can't get a KO in by the time you Dynamic Punch it away...
Opinion
Well, the metagame is more offensive now, the ToxicStall set was created back during the stallish metagame. Even though Empoleon can't keep up as well as other walls in OU, it can still be a formidable wall in BL.
That's why there have been breaches to make a more offensive set. I think Empoleon can do this as well as demonstrated in the other sets.
That finishes up all of what my favorite Pokemon's evolution can do, I hope you guys use him/her more, it's a great Pokemon :) .