Pokemon Bootcamp Pt.22: Pidgeot

Bubble-bobble-rubble-pebble with a dash of frozen pepper, which Pokemon in the Kanto region should now I go after?!

..........

AHA! THIS ONE!

WELCOME TO POKEMON BOOTCAMP!

Subject No.22
Name: Pidgeot
Species: The Bird (LOL xD) Pokemon
Height: 4'11" (7'3" in Mega Form)
Weight: 87.1 lbs. (111.3 lbs. in Mega Form)
Type: Normal, Flying
Possible Abilities: Keen Eye, Tangled Feet, Big Pecks
Mega Ability: No Guard
Smogon Tier: UnderUsed

Reason: Pidgeot is simply elegant. The fact that its design alone is just one reason to use this. The problem is... the design it has does not live up to its strengths. Many other Flying Pokemons were introduced until then, and as the years went by, Pidgeot was left into obscurity. Generation VI came and, lo and behold, Pidgeot is one of those Pokemons that was given a Mega Evolution. Wait... WHAAAAT?! WHY DID YOU GIVE SOMETHING THAT WAS LEFT INTO OBSCURITY A MEGA EVOLUTION?! Because of the move sets it has....? Yes, and that's one reason enough to use this guy again. And for your information, this was one of my strongest Pokemon back when I was still playing the old Pokemon games, so I'm really glad to see that this Pokemon is taking the spotlight again.

Recommended Ability: Keen Eye or Big Pecks
All of Pidgeot's skills are basically worthless in any competitive field. Keen Eye is just pointless since that there are only a few Pokemon that uses accuracy-reducing moves, Tangled Feet forces you to test your luck as to find the perfect time to strike, and Big Pecks which has a similar case to Keen Eye. but in Defense. The best Ability to have for Pidgeot is No Guard; which means you Mega-Evolve it. There's no other way... but if you really have to get one out of these abilities, then pick either Keen Eye or Big Pecks. Tangled Feet is just obnoxious.

Recommended Moves:
1. Hurricane - Pidgeot's super STAB move that deals mediocre damage in its base form, but it works wonders when used during its Mega state, as No Guard will instantly hit your enemy for major damage and a chance to confuse them.

2. Heat Wave - another super move that deals wide damage against all enemies. It may not be a STAB move, but with Mega Pidgeot's increased Special Attack stat and No Guard, this is something to take into consideration.

3. Roost - Pidgeot, regardless of build, needs some sort of sustain to survive the longer and more grueling fights. That being said, this is a perfect way to take back lost health. Just watch out for Fighting moves and Earthquake, it will literally destroy Pidgeot with a few hits.

4. Protect - blocks an attack without fail, but it will if used consecutively.

Other recommended moves:
1. U-Turn - it allows Pidgeot to maintain offensive momentum by retreating from the front lines if needed.

2. Hyper Beam - a legitimately powerful move that only begs to be painfully obvious. The damage is exponentially great with addition to STAB and all, but the recharge time is left to be desired.

3. Brave Bird - this is a well-suited physical counterpart of Hurricane, with perfect accuracy, high damage, and a very NAAAAASTY recoil.

4. Return - good STAB move that bases itself in happiness, which is a very strong move if only if it's Attack stat is not as mediocre.

5. Air Slash - one and only alternative for Heat Wave that flinches enemies. However, with the insurmountable reliability that Heat Wave provides, and with the presence of Hurricane, I see no reason to use this.

Recommended items:
1. Pidgeotite - it is quite obvious on why you play as Pidgeot. This is really the only way to play as Pidgeot, because this will basically grant the Bird Pokemon the firepower it deserves.

2. Choice Specs - increases the Special Attack of your Pokemon, but it forces you to stick to one attack. Just avoid using this and just use the Mega Stone, instead.

3. Wide Lens - quite the good way to deal a fighting chance without a Mega Stone.

4. King's Rock - I am just gonna put this here because... well, I can't think of anything else here.

Recommended Natures: Modest or Timid
Pidgeot focuses on two key elements;Speed and Special Attack (or Attack). Basically, you need your Pidgeot to break as much heads as possible. But how?! Simple; strengthen its key stats while ignoring the unessential ones. That being said, it can only fall down on 2 different nature choices; Modest or Timid (Adamant or Jolly if using a physical attack build). Modest is recommended if you want more breaking power, while Timid is best used if you want to outrun fast threats.

Overall: Pidgeot remains to be somehow balanced, despite the Mega Evolution overhaul. It still has its noticeable weaknesses (only made it worse by No Guard) but it also gains new strengths (a devastating no-miss Hurricane attack is no joke), making the Bird Pokemon a solid pick all throughout.

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Pokemon Bootcamp Pt.21: Emboar

Beat the living daylights out of your opponents and smash the opposition through, because its time for another edition of Pokemon Bootcamp!

Emboar is a notoriously strong Pokemon that is being neglected lately by a lot of Trainers due to its sluggish movement and mediocre defenses, or probably because there are many Trainers who prefer some OTHER Fire-types that are as strong yet more reliable than Emboar (that's right, I am pointing at you Talonflame!!!). However, this does not mean that Emboar is entirely non-viable in competitive play. In fact, with the recent release of its Hidden Ability Reckless, Emboar, along with other Generation V starters are getting some love again.

That being said, this edition of Pokemon Bootcamp is for me to give honor to the Mega Fire Pig!

WELCOME TO POKEMON BOOTCAMP!

Subject No. 21
Name: Emboar
Species: The Mega Fire Pig Pokemon
Height: 5'03"
Weight: 330.7 lbs.
Type: Fire, Fighting
Possible Abilities: Blaze, Reckless
Smogon Tier: RarelyUsed

Reason: Yup! Emboar is sooo hot... or probably because it's still summer around here! Oh well, guess I have to bite the bullet here and get as much info as I can in this blasted heat! Emboar is definitely an undisputed offensive Pokemon by all means! It has decent offensive stats (both Attack and Special Attack) and what makes Emboar a powerful Pokemon is the amount of heavy yet somewhat annoying attacks that it can learn, like Head Smash and Flare Blitz. Emboar's typing is also pretty decent for an offensive Pokemon; Fire and Fighting. These types have a lot of moves to offer, both offensively and defensively, which makes Emboar a viable choice on the competitive field, albeit rarely.

Recommended Ability: Reckless
With the recent release of the event Emboar (yes, the one with Reckless), many Fire Pokemon lovers are very excited to see the new possibilities which they can hopefully exploit as they use the Mega Fire Pig. Reckless is a powerful Ability that increases the power of all moves that deals recoil damage by 20%. Not really a powerful buff, but it gets the job done.

Recommended Moves:
1. Flare Blitz - this is the main reason why you use Emboar, right? Devastating damage? Check! Perfect accuracy? You got it! Burn chance? YEAAAAH! Recoil? Ouch... but oh well! It's a very reliable attack anyways; perfect for someone that deals a lot of pain!

2. Superpower - deals tons of damage as well as a very reliable STAB... not really! The recoil is quite a very insane trade-off for someone soooo strong!

3. Head Smash - a powerful coverage move that also deals a powerful headache to the user.

4. Wild Charge - a great coverage move that also benefits from Reckless. It has reasonable recoil, so you can use it as much as you like.

5. Earthquake - self-explanatory.

Other recommended moves:
1. Will-O-Wisp - cripples other physical attackers; adding insult to injury.

2. Fire Blast - as I've mentioned before, Emboar also has a good Special Attack rating, and this can be a perfect substitute to Flare Blitz if you run a special nuke set. The accuracy can really hurt its glass cannon potential, unfortunately.

3. Hammer Arm - a strong move but not an ideal one, since it ruins your offensive momentum by reducing your Pokemon's Speed.

4. Heat Crash - a surprisingly reliable move. Why? Three reasons. One, Emboar is naturally heavy. Two, it promotes STAB. Three, it's an exclusive move that only Emboar and its evolutionary line can learn. The bad side of this thing is... is that there's a whole lot HEAVIER Pokemon than Emboar, leaving Heat Crash limited against a selected few threats.

5. Focus Punch + Substitute - it has a undisputed respectable reputation to be a nice combo of sorts which deals a ton of damage if combo was utilized properly. Just watch out for Talonflame and its Brave Bird as well as other moves that bypass Substitute.

6. Fire Punch - an alternative STAB for Emboar, albeit weaker.

Recommended items:
1. Choice Scarf - Speed is always an essential stat to have since that most Pokemon battles lasts for a couple of turns, and this item can really help. However, like most Choice items, this will force you to switch out very often. Only use Choice Scarf Emboar to pick off the crumbs.

2. Fist Plate - not really essential, but it grants additional boosts to all of his Fighting moves.

3. Flame Plate - in a similar vein to Fist Plate, but only for Fire moves.

4. Leftovers - a good item for bulky builds. It quite stings, to be honest, especially if you use moves like Will-O-Wisp and Toxic.

5. Choice Band - if you think that hitting harder is more of your thing, then use this. Just like Scarf, however, Band also forces you to stop dead on your tracks, as it forces you to use one move only, unless you switch out, of course!

6. Lum Berry - One of those easy-to-use items that's pretty basic, but very reliable.

Recommended Natures: Jolly, Adamant, or Naughty
As a standard glass cannon, you might want your Emboar to be as aggressive as possible. Speed and Attack (or Special Attack depending on your preference) are very important for such an offensive Pokemon. In addition to an already offensive-oriented skill set, Emboar's excels in any kind of battle styles; whether as a physical breaker or a special nuke. That being said, natures such as Jolly and Adamant works quite well for Emboar. On the other hand, if you think that a mixed set is your cup of tea, get Naughty, since Emboar is an epitome of a kamikaze Pokemon in the first place (for me, at least).

Overall: Emboar is never meant to be played as an offset attacker, but as an all-out attacker. Nevertheless, in the end, it really is up to you whether you would follow this particular trait or not. It's just that it feels that Emboar has more of that I'll-wreck-your-face-and-there's-nothing-you-can-do-about-it character that really shows off its potential as an offensive Pokemon.... or maybe it's just the heat talking.

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