By Jill/Redterror117
In my next few articles, I will be analyzing Pokemon and move set combinations from the fourth generation of Pokemon games in an attempt to find some great combinations for battling other players. My first choice will be my own team starter, Blissey.
Blissey is no doubt one of the greatest damage sponges in the game, having an incredibly high HP and a decent Special Defence stat. While its regular Defence is fairly low, it can easily make up for this with self-recovery moves. The main focus I have set up for EV stats (which are obtained through training) is to max out HP and Defence, and minimal coverage to Speed (252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe). Not only does this take care of its low Defence, but it gives an amazing boost to HP. You can also move the focus from HP onto Special Defence, since Blissey’s HP is high enough as it is.
Now it’s time to move on to the actual moves. Since Blissey is my opening Pokemon, it’s in charge of field setup. Stealth Rock is a must, especially for those dragged out games where half the time is spent on switching Pokemon. Softboiled is also a must, as not only is it the Blissey evolution‘s signature move, it also works for effective recovery. The last two moves can be just about anything, but to make use of Blissey’s higher HP stat, it would be a good idea to use Substitute, which will protect Blissey from the secondary effects of an enemy’s attack, while giving the opponent something to hack away at while you bear down on them. Serene Grace will be the preferred ability in this case, since we need at least one damaging attack. A move like Flamethrower or Ice Beam will do well, especially with Serence Grace to increase the chance of causing burning or freezing. So as of now our move set will look like this:
Stealth Rock
Softboiled
Substitute
Flamethrower/Ice Beam
Finally when it comes to a hold item it’s users preference. Two of the best hold items for Blissey are Leftovers (which allow for steady healing without Softboiled) and Shed Shell (which will help Blissey escape out of sticky situations, such as a Dugtrio with Arena Trap and Earthquake). It’s all up to experiment.
The fun part is always trial. If something doesn’t work for you, just tweak it. A visit to Smogon University can always help you get ideas on how to better build your team as well.
Tags: Blissey