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Pokemon Fling Move

By Matt

Fling is some sort of strange move that earned its own section in Serebii. It is quite unique, and is a very dangerous move to utilize as well. I refer to this as the Evil Move, because when using Metronome while EV training, I lost this item and didn’t realize that I lost it for quite a while. What Fling does is launch the user’s held item at the target, inflicting damage based on the item flung. Each hold item does damage, the power is decided by the kind of item. Items such as Berries have a base power of 10, while heavy items, like the Iron Ball, do 130 damage. However, that item will be gone forever if you use Fling, but if you have Recycle, you can get it back (as long as the battle has not ended).

Fling is a Dark-type move, and is not affected by type matchups. If you have a Dark-type Pokemon, you can get Same Type Attack Bonus, giving it a maximum power of 195 if you Fling the Iron Ball, which is almost as much power as Self destruct or Explosion. Some abilities known to affect Fling is Klutz, a Hidden Ability which prevents all items from being held, with the exception of EXP items like the Macho Brace or EXP Share. Pick Up can prove helpful, because periodically, your Pokemon will find random hold items. It is a good idea to see which item it has before you Fling it, though; you will never know what you may find. Some items have secondary effects, like the Flame Orb, which causes the target to become Burned. The Light Ball, a very rare item found on Pikachu, has a base power of 30, but causes paralysis. Berries that would cure a problem with one of your Pokemon would heal the target’s Pokemon when Flung. Still, with these items at risk of being lost, I would not want to take any more chances. Some moves that need care to navigate around are similar to Knock Off, Thief, etc. These moves do something to your Pokemon’s hold item, like steal it or make it unable to be used.
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Pokemon Stat Changes (Stat Modifications)

By Matt

You’ve seen these pesky moves: they add more to a Pokemon’s stats so they can be either easier to KO with or harder to defeat. So, what are these moves, and what do they do? These are a certain type of Status moves that change stats. This is known as stat modifications, and they have effects that are improving the more often you use them.

Let’s start with the basics: when you got a starter Pokemon, it had an attacking move and a status move. This would do something basic, like lower the opponent’s Attack or Defense. But what would it really do? Serebii has stat changes divided into thirteen stages, -6 to +6. There is a cap on how many times a particular stat can be lowered; this is 6. (This is why the game sometimes says that a Pokemon’s stat can’t go any higher or lower.) Moves that say they harshly lower or sharply boost a stat give two levels, as compared to most others that increase or decrease by one.
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The Ideal Pokemon Moveset

By Matt

What makes an ideal moveset? Like I said before about power complexes, it is not brute force that wins the war, but using strategy, like it says in the Art of War. This is true, and recent moves have made strategies even more intricate and tougher to get around. For example, Trick Room, which “warps the dimensions” so that the slowest Pokemon move first, is now commonly used in battle strategies. Back to the subject at hand, an ideal moveset depends on the kind of Pokemon you are going to use.

For example, a Pokemon that is a “sweeper” has a very high Attack or Special Attack Stat, and powerful moves should be used. Therefore, status moves have almost no use here, since many sweepers have very low defensive abilities. In Double Battles, there are partners to back up the sweeper and even boost its moves to make it seem invincible. However, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, so having a team composed of only sweepers is a terrible idea, seeing as they have the potential to be one-hit KO’d. Unfortunately, “sweeper” is the only term I know, since I don’t formulate battle strategies, but I can give you characteristics of other kinds of movesets.
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All About Pokemon Snivy, Servine, And Serperior

By Emily

Snivy and its evolutions seem to carry the usual burdens of most other Grass type starters. They are the most difficult to use through the game to beat the storyline and the good stats but move pool leave the Pokemon with too much untapped potential. However, they have one good thing going for them that can potentially change the metagame – their Dream World ability.

What makes this trio of Pokemon, mostly Serperior, so great is the Contrary ability. Inverting which stats are raised and lowered means Leaf Storm will become increasingly stronger each turn due to the sharp increase in Special Attack every time it is used. Plus opponents would have to choose moves wisely to make sure that none of their attacks would benefit one or more of Serperior’s stats. If Snivy is ever made available over the Global Link through an event the battling metagame will be drastically changed in order to use and counter the new immensely powerful Serperior.
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Pokemon Type Matchups

By Matt

What we learn from our first steps as a Pokemon trainer is that some moves will work effectively against a Pokemon, while other kinds of moves will prove less effective. They are type matchups, a game mechanic that everyone who plays Pokemon knows. I remember reading a Pokemon guide before, and it says that Pokemon is like a game of rock-paper-scissors. The starters, in fact, are based around that game, seeing how water is effective against fire, fire is effective against grass, and so on. Originally, there were 15 types of Pokemon that existed. This changed some moves that we know today to be different, such as Bite.

When I played Pokemon Stadium for the first time in a few years, I was confused right off the bat seeing Bite function as a Normal-type move. But I realized that starting with Johto, Dark- and Steel- type moves would come into play. Magnemite, a classic example of one type-changer through the generations, is an Electric-type in the first games, then turns into an Electric/Steel type to maintain what it really is: a magnet. Depending on the type, Pokemon have certain weakness and strengths to other types. Another factor is dual types, where Pokemon have two types instead of the one. This can either open them up to more strengths, or weaknesses.
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All About Pokemon Darumaka And Darmanitan

By Emily

Not a pair to be taken lightly, both Darumaka and Darmanitan wield amazing strength and attacks, though their initial looks may not imply such. The pair has both Darumaka’s cuteness and Darmanitan’s ferocity, adding to their popularity with many fans. With Darmanitan’s unusual ability to change its form, type, and base stats around and Darumaka’s cuteness these characters stand out even more. But even so, a few battle aspects of both Pokemon balance out their seemingly-unbeatable power.

While Darumaka can be easily found in the desert around Route 4, only a few Darmanitan can be caught in the wild. These unusual Darmanitan have the Dream World ability Zen Mode, which is exclusive to just this Pokemon. When its HP gets very low, Darmanitan will revert to its Zen form, which looks very similar to Darumaka except it is now blue. This form adds Psychic as a second type, swaps attack with special attack, reduces speed greatly, and both defenses get a huge boost of fifty points. This character has turned into a very strong tank, and possibly just in the nick of time. But planning is important for this mode as physical attacks are almost useless now. Thankfully Darmanitan can learn a small variety of attacks to cope with both possible forms.
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Pokemon Rotation Battles

By Matt

Also new to Pokemon Generation V, the Rotation Battle is another kind of exciting battle that takes strategy to win. Mainly, its features are similar to a Triple Battle. Unlike a Triple Battle, you will only battle with four Pokemon. The mechanics of Rotation Battle may be confusing at first, but when fully understood, can keep your opponents on their feet. When a Rotation Battle begins, the first three Pokemon that you chose will be sent out on the field. The first one will be the one in front, the second is counter-clockwise from that Pokemon, and the third is clockwise in relation to the first. What you will notice is that the platform you are on has a few arrows on it. This is the unique mark of a Rotation Battle, and it represents the ways which you can rotate your Pokemon: clockwise, and counter-clockwise.
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Pokemon Speed Priorities Part 2

By Matt

There are also many people wondering why moves always will go last, regardless of the user’s Speed. The second side of Speed Priorities is the moves with a negative value. These range from Stage -1 to Stage -7, the slowest possible move. On Stage -1 is Vital Throw, a Fighting-type move. Since it moves last, it will not miss the target, no matter what stat changes there are. Of course, if the target has planned a two-turn move (i.e. Dig, Dive, Fly), it will miss. Curious enough, Stage -2 has no moves.

I would think the authors of this guide I read would have something of merit to put there. Stage -3 is Focus Punch. Unlike Focus Blast, which will do massive damage (without having any bad effects), Focus Punch will leave the user vulnerable for two turns. Using Follow Me or Power Rage would definitely lift the stress off this move. If the user is hit, it can’t use Focus Punch, so be careful.
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Pokemon Starter Signature Moves

By Matt

Generation V, along with introducing Triple and Rotation Battles, now feature a new type of signature move. These are known as Pledges, which do minimal damage if used alone. When they are used in conjunction with each other, they will cause various effects in battle. Grass, Fire, and Water Pledge are the names of these moves. In Driftveil City, there will be a Move Tutor who can teach your starters this move. Unlike the first signature moves (Blast Burn, Hydro Cannon, and Frenzy Plant) which can only be taught to the final form of your starter, Generation V’s signature moves can be taught to any starter Pokemon of any evolution.

Since you will run into Single Battles a lot, there is little practical purpose if you wish to battle alone. To make the most of this move, run into tall grass, thus finding Double Battles with wild Pokemon, or go to the Battle Subway and look for the Double Battle train. I mentioned earlier that they are weak moves; that’s because their base power is 50, and to the dismay of some, is a special move.
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Pokemon Speed Priorities

By Matt

We all know that pesky move, Quick Attack, which can take out the very last of our Pokemon’s HP. But, there are some moves that will move faster, like Protect. What are these moves, and in exactly what order do they go in? The answer lies in Speed Priorities, yet another game mechanic that can make or break an excellent battle strategy. Move descriptions in the game may be a bit deceptive; moves like Quick Attack say they are sure to strike first, but, for some strange reason, Protect will always go first.

To those that just play the game, they already know it will happen (and never really understand). In Speed Priorities, each move is categorized into Stages, the first move being at Stage 5, and the last one being at Stage -7. The reason for the negative number is that some moves will go last (or at least after all the other Pokemon) in battle, like Counter. Most of the moves that are used fall into Stage 0, neutral territory.
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