By Matt
Every week, Serebii.net releases a specific article on a certain Pokemon, which is written by a contributor in their discussion forums. It is denoted by a small title on the right side of the website, featuring a silhouette of the Pokemon below, much like the “Who’s That Pokemon?” feature of the old and new series. Pokemon of different abilities have been posted up, but not all have been covered yet.
Now, we can go click on it and see what it says. To meet up with current protocol, each Serebii Pokemon of the Week has its basic information in a picture at the top as an opener. It lists the name, species, height, weight, and a picture of the Pokemon. The article starts with its description, building it off the Pokedex entry. The writer of the article then explains if the Pokemon is a good choice for competitive play, and if so, for which kinds of battles. The contributor then lists the abilities and their thoughts of them. Since there are many variations of strategies, the contributor lists a whole bunch of ways you can utilize it in battle.
You’ll be amazed as you can see the ways your Pokemon can be used as a sweeper or a supporting Pokemon (in Double Battles). The contributor tends to either give a witty name to the strategy, or a suitable one. 4 moves are listed, which will make up its moveset. Be careful, though: the user sometimes uses abbreviations, which may not make sense. I remember taking some time to comprehend the term EQ, then finally understanding it (Earthquake).
Up next is the suggested hold item for the Pokemon. Offensive Pokemon usually have items like the Life Orb to maximize damage. The preferred Ability is then displayed, followed by the preferred EV distribution and nature. Each move’s application is then explained; sometimes, substitutes are added, in case one is not satisfied with a moveset. This usually applies for status moves that raise stats, or moves that do not get Same Type Attack Bonus. Expect to go through a few of these before reaching the alternate moves section. Here, there are a list of some moves you could teach the Pokemon, but aren’t really recommended.
One of the most important sections is how to counter, which explains which kinds of Pokemon to use, as well as some of the above movesets’ flaws. If the Pokemon is evolved, there will be a Pre-Evolution Corner, which briefly discusses its pre-evolved form much like above (in about one or two sentences).
Finally, its location is shown in all of the games, and a list of TV or movie appearances, if any. The article changes every week, and Serebii archives their Pokemon of the Week, featuring a list of previously featured Pokemon and the date in which they were in the spotlight. They used to have a Pokemon of the Day section, which was replaced with this, so you can see which day they were nominated as well. If your favorite Pokemon isn’t up there, try to make a post in the forums with your suggestions for an article, or just wait and build with other Pokemon.