I’ve already told you to be careful to hold on to your win-cons.
Oftentimes your win cons can be determined by looking at an opponent’s team and seeing what will wall/sweep his ‘mons.
However, there are some Pokemon that, if you wait until the perfect moment, can simply come in and win the game.
Today, we’re going to talk about these monsters, how you should use them, and how you should deal with them should you ever be unlucky enough to go against them.
Quiver Dance
We’re starting off with the tamest “insta-win” move. Anything that looks like a butterfly or moth can learn it, with some additional exceptions. This move boosts a user’s special attack, special defense, and speed, all by one stage. This means your opponent’s physical moves will be the most useful way to actually do anything to it. Almost all quiver dance users are weak to stealth rocks though, just another reason why getting up entry hazards is important.
Belly Drum
Belly drum takes away fifty percent of a user’s health, but for a cost that high, it also raises the user attack stat by six stages, the maximum any Pokemon’s attack can be. These Pokemon also often have berries of some variety in order to mitigate the effect of the health lost. (Berries are items which Pokemon can “eat” during battle when their health gets low in order to heal themselves.)
Linoone in particular is the greatest abuser of belly drum. It’s a normal type which has access to extreme speed, a move which has 80 power and higher priority than any other attacking priority move. Because it’s a normal type, that has a STAB (same type attack bonus) and it has excellent ground, ghost, and grass coverage (depending on which set you get). If Linoone gets set up, extreme speed or another move will kill every single enemy ‘mon. So whenever Linoone comes out, just attack it. I don’t care if you have the weakest Abra in the world out that only knows confusion, you get that attack off because it may just be the only attack you get.
Shell Smash/Geomancy
These are the moves that originally inspired this post. I mentioned Shell Smash briefly in my L33t Strats post, but shell smash is a move that in-game, is supposed to raise your attack, special attack, and speed, all by two stages. Since that is an insanely good buff, it also lowers the user’s defense and special defense by one stage. However, when the user holds a White Herb, then the shell smash debuff is eliminated one time.
In short, the user can use shell smash once and get a massive buff to speed and attack. It can destroy entire teams. The folks to look out for are those who, simply enough, have shells. Minior might be the greatest shell smasher, because white herb, once it works, makes it so the user doesn’t have an item. Once it no longer has an item, it can use acrobatics, a 110 STAB flying move that simply destroys.
Yet geomancy is another beast entirely. Xerneas is a legendary Pokemon with access to the move geomancy, which no other Pokemon has. Geomancy raises the user’s special attack, special defense, and speed, by two stages. It’s like a better quiver dance. However, since this move is so good, Nintendo tried to nerf it by making it take two turns. However, there is an item called the “power herb” which makes a two turn move take only one turn. This means that Xerneas, as a legendary Pokemon, can come in, get an insane buff in only one turn, and then just win. If you get a Xerneas, wait until the end game and then just win. If your opponent has a Xerneas, cry.
Now I know I made these moves seem like Zeus coming down in random battles and decreeing that regardless of skill, whoever has these guys wins. Sometimes it can feel like that, however, there are some measures you can take while battling to prepare to deal with them.
Sturdy/Focus Sash
Sturdy and focus sash are an ability and item, respectively, that prevent a Pokemon from being knocked out once it’s at full health. If you are lucky enough to keep hazards off the field (which can break a sturdy/focus sash), then you’re guaranteed to live a hit from any attack from any of these threats.
Switching/Phasing
If one of these incredibly threats comes out, don’t switch. Nothing is worse than watching a Linoone get a free belly drum, or a Xerneas get a free geomancy. Even if it won’t do much, or even if there is a threat of your opponent knocking you out, try and attack. Even just a status condition makes it so that the opponent Pokemon won’t last forever.
Phasing is also good. Belly Drum/Geomancy/Shell Smash, are all dependent upon items that can only be used once herbs/berries, so if you use whirlwind or roar on a turn that they set up, you can switch them out so that their set up was worthless, and they’ll have a harder time doing it again.
In short, play defensively, and save these boys until the end of the game, if you can.
As always, good luck! And have fun.