Item Analysis

[Tangerine]

The idea is simple - we should have a series of analysis covering various items. This could be a feature in the Smog, or each item could get their own page, along with mechanics, an "analysis"

Items are used for very specific reasons, and we might as well right them down. It will give new players a flavor of what to expect in the competitive metagame.

 

[Aeolus]

This is a good idea... and wouldn't take very long. I'm going to appoint a team to work on this.

 

[Aeolus]

Ok, KD24 will be heading this up along with ToF and Twash.

Draft: Saturday, May 16
Final: Wednesday, May 20

 

[wildfire393]

I agree, it would be nice to see item analyses. Or at the very least, an "items" screen that shows only viable items with an effect when equipped to a Pokemon, rather than a list of berry after berry that is only used "to make poffins" and all the TMs/HMs. There probably doesn't need to be a "tier list" for items, but I could definitely see breaking items up into four categories:

Common Items: Leftovers, Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, Life Orb (each complete with an analysis of their exact effects, common usage strategies, and maybe a few example Pokemon/sets that use them)
Uncommon Items: All of the Pinch Berries, All of the Weakness Resist Berries, Wide Lens, Brightpowder, Scope Lens, Expert Belt, Black Sludge, All of the 20% Bonus Damage Items (Fist Plate, Nevermelt Ice, et al), Wise Glasses, Muscle Band, Lum Berry, Chesto Berry, Flame Orb, Toxic Orb, Focus Sash, Damp Rock/Heat Rock - Anything that sees occasional usage but not common usage. Probably complete with analysis and the Pokemon/sets that use them.
Rare Items: Any item that possibly has a use (Jacoba/Rowap Berries, Zoom Lens, etc) but never sees much, if any, use in competitive play or has use but is entirely outclassed by another item (ie Lax Incense)
Useless Items: Any item without an effect when equipped to a Pokemon.

 

[kd24]

i think the current way that tof, twash, and i have devised will work better


if we have extra time to do so, we may add a part about useless items or items that look usable but arent actually viable (black sludge, Big Root, ect.)


edit: tangerine has given us a guideline, keeping old system in reserve, will have a draft by saturday

twash, tof, and i are still discussing this though

 

[Tangerine]

I'll give you guys some framework when I get back from campus

 

[Aeolus]

I already gave some direction of minimums that I'd like to see... but if you have additional ideas that would be great.

 

[cim]

Is there any way I can help out with this project?

 

[kd24]

just a reminder to my team, this deadline for the draft is today. We have I believe 6 people working on this as of right now (3 more volunteered iirc).


if you cant get it up by today / pm me with it today, just finish it tonight and send it / post it tommorow asap.


if you are on of the 6 on the team but didnt get a pm, please say so right now. our team is:

kd24
twash
TOF
chris is me
misaki-chi
legacy raider


edit: sorry twash, cant come on irc much today, ill try to pm you with mine when possible.

 

[twash]

I have ToF's and LR's versions. I am working on mine, as is Misaki, and I know Chris has started. I asked them to PM me it so I can sort it all out and stuff. How's your's going? (Come on IRC).

 

[kd24]

misaki (jumpluff) contribution:

Macho Brace

Macho Brace halves the Speed of the holder, something that may immediately appear disadvantageous; it does have its uses, however. It is very comparable to Iron Ball, which has the same effect, but also removes the Flying/Levitating effects from the holder.

Macho Brace makes for a good item to Trick, as it cripples essentially anything without risking passing on something useful, such as Choice Scarf. It also powers up Gyro Ball and is useful on some Pokémon in Trick Room, which otherwise risk being outsped. It also has an advantage over Iron Ball on Pokémon like Bronzong, as it does not remove their immunity to Ground-type moves, Arena Trap, and Spikes.

The most immediately obvious disadvantage is that it makes the holder incredibly slow, leaving them vulnerable; however, it only sees use on slow Pokémon such as Bronzong to begin with. Unfortunately, these Pokémon desperately miss Leftovers recovery, although they can potentially obtain some with Trick. Although Iron Ball is disadvantageous for the holder, its side effects are particularly problematic for the recipient when Tricked; Macho Brace only halves Speed, something that might not end up useful against slow sweepers/walls, anyway.

Pokémon with Gyro Ball, Trickers, or Trick Roomers are the only effective users of Macho Brace. Keep in mind though that the base power of Gyro Ball caps at 150 (excluding STAB), and these Pokémon are generally very slow anyway.


Soul Dew

Raises the Special Attack and Special Defense of both Latias and Latios by 50%.

Soul Dew is the preferred item where usable for both Latias and Latios (it is useless on other Pokémon). Both sport high special stats, and the boost enables them to specially wall or sweep with ease.

The stat boosts apply on the switch-in, so they can switch into almost any special attack and begin setting up Calm Minds. Latios is better off used as a bulky sweeper, with 110 base Spe and 130 base Special Attack. Latias is used more defensively in Ubers, so the Soul Dew can be used to take even Modest Specs Kyogre's Water Spout in the rain. Both get Recover, so while they set up, they can heal the damage incurred. Trick is also of little concern, as they are still usable, if less effective, without Soul Dew, and the item is useless on other Pokémon.

However, Soul Dew takes up a valuable moveslot, most often filled by Leftovers in Ubers; as the Latis get Recover, though, this shouldn't really be of much concern. Arguably the main disadvantage is that Soul Dew is banned in standard play, forcing Latias to resort to the much inferior Specs or Life Orb for offensive versions, and Leftovers for defensive.

When EVing the pair with Soul Dew taken into account, always ensure their unboosted Special Attack / Special Defense stats are even (unless they are maxed, in which case it hardly matters). This is because odd numbers, when multiplied, are rounded down for the purposes of calculating stats, so by adding 4 extra EVs you gain two points instead of one.


Thick Club

Doubles Cubone's and Marowak's Attack.

Thick Club is an excellent item, although it only has any use on Marowak, which has decent 80 base Attack, Rock Head Double-edge, and access to Swords Dance. The Attack boosts are independent of boosted stats as well, so a +6 Marowak will effectively reach +12.

Marowak does not need to resort to Choice items to hit hard, as holding Thick Club allows it to switch its moves as needed. Needing less Swords Dances to hit spectacular Attack scores is also an advantage, as Marowak will have little chance to set up. It is also not left entirely helpless if it loses its item to Trick or Knock Off, although it will be much less powerful, with no redeeming Speed or bulk.

However, Marowak is quite slow and has many weaknesses; considering these, its defenses, especially when uninvested in, are nothing to be proud of. This can be remedied by Trick Room, but Trick Room only lasts five turns, and anything which can survive its onslaught can at least cripple it. Without Leftovers, Substitute will wear it down fast, and it has no way of recovering damage taken. It is also vulnerable to status without Lum Berry.

Marowak, and therefore Thick Club, is only really viable under Trick Room, or when passed Speed. Paralysis support is also useful to clear the path for Marowak to actually get some hits in.


Rindo Berry

When this Pokemon is hit by a super effective Grass-type move, the damage is reduced by 50%. This item is consumed after use. If this item is recovered via Recycle, it can activate again.

Type-resist berries are used to allow a Pokémon to survive through a common weakness while it sets up or KOs in return. They are often used on leads to ensure an entry hazard, but they can be used as a niche item for walls such as Swampert, whose only weakness is Grass.

Rindo Berry is rarely seen, so the element of surprise will almost always ensure it accomplishes what the user sets out to do. This could be phazing something with Hidden Power Ice, or more directly striking back with Magic Coat for the KO; examples of attacks it can survive and deal enough damage back to kill include max Special Attack Grass Knot from Celebi and Life Orb Hidden Power Grass / Grass Knot from Heatran, Infernape, and Jolteon. With a decent amount of SpD investment, it can even survive Celebi's Leaf Storm, and only marginal EVs are required to survive Specs HP Grass from Heatran, Jolteon, and other similar Pokémon.

However, the defensive Pokémon that will be using it (Swampert) or offensive (in some cases, Manaphy) will have a hard time sacrificing their item slot for a single-use item; both want either Leftovers or, in Manaphy's situation, Life Orb. Swampert cannot switch in on any of these Grass-type moves as they will outspeed to hit again, and Rindo Berry will hardly protect the likes of Manaphy from Jolteon; while it can deal with walls well enough, it can't switch in on resisted hits as easily, as it will incur enough damage to keep it in KO range. After Swampert uses up its Rindo Berry, it will be left on low health, and it lacks reliable recovery. Many stronger attacks still OHKO it if it switches in on Spikes or is poisoned, so Rindo Berry Swampert is by no means very consistent without Special Defense.

There are few Pokémon which can make good use of this item, and the best two have been outlined above. Grass is not a common offensive type and there are not many Pokémon which really benefit from this Berry, but on the plus side many sweepers do spare a slot for Hidden Power Grass to defeat Swampert, from Zapdos to Celebi, and unprepared opponents can lose their momentum if taken by surprise. Rindo Berry Swampert also makes for a decent lead, as it beats Celebi and walls most other leads, bar Explosion.


Light Ball

Doubles Pikachu's Attack and Special Attack.

Light Ball is the item which makes Pikachu usable, boosting its pitiful offensive stats to impressive heights. Pikachu with 152 Attack EVs reaches 368 Attack, and the special sweeper (252 Spe) hits 398.

Light Ball gives Pikachu impressive offenses for a mixed sweeper, even when its EVs are split. In fact, Light Ball is the only item really usable on Pikachu in basically any tier, as it has hideous base stats in everything except Speed. It lacks the recoil of Life Orb, boosts both stats much more than Choice items would, and leaves it with the freedom to switch moves or use Encore/Substitute.

Unfortunately, Pikachu has decent Speed but not quite enough to pull off a sweep most of the time, something Light Ball cannot remedy. It is also useless without it, so Knock Off or Trick render it dead weight on any team with it.

It is also worth noting that while Pikachu hits very hard with Light Ball Volt Tackle in particular, the recoil will really hurt it. Pikachu can suicide attack Blissey, dying alongside it after Volt Tackling with it.


Liechi Berry

Liechi Berry is one of a variety of items known as "pinch berries". It provides a 50% boost in Attack at the end of a turn in which the Pokémon hits ≤ 25% HP. It is used most often on Substitute setup sweepers and Baton Passers. The game plan is generally to Substitute over and over again until the boost is activated; then, it is either Baton Passed to a recipient, along with (hopefully) a Substitute, or used to sweep.

Many Pokémon appreciate the boost in power, and Pokémon not carrying Attack-boosting moves that can instead increase their Speed can make particularly good use of it. Ideally, Substitute sweepers will have both a boost and a Substitute at the end of the process, giving them two shots to hit much more powerfully.

With the prevalence of priority attacks (e.g. Scizor's Bullet Punch and Lucario's ExtremeSpeed) in the metagame, however, the weakened Liechi sweeper may be picked off before it gets a chance to attack, making it relatively useless. The opponent may set up themselves while it Substitutes down, or bring in a phazer to remove the boosts. Liechi is single-use, and the user will be so weakened during activating it that it will be unlikely to come in again. Lastly, Liechi will only hit as hard as a Choice Bander, although with the ability to switch attacks.

When EVing a Pokémon designed to hold Liechi, consider making its HP even; although more often than not Sandstorm or entry hazards will interfere with this, it allows it to activate Liechi after three Substitutes instead of four, leaving it at 25% health instead of 1%.


Wacan Berry

When this Pokemon is hit by a super effective Electric-type move, the damage is reduced by 50%. This item is consumed after use. If this item is recovered via Recycle, it can activate again.

Type-resist berries are used to allow a Pokémon to survive through a common weakness while it sets up or KOs in return. Not many Pokémon have a 4x weakness to Electric that stops them cold, but Gyarados is one. It can use the free turn while the Electric attack is consumed to obtain another boost.

Wacan Berry is almost never seen, so the opponent will be taken surprise of and fail to play around it. It gives Gyarados a free turn, allowing it to boost its Attack and Speed to further heights. It also enables it to take on walls like Vaporeon better.

However, Gyarados with Wacan Berry suffers from several concerns. The first is that without Life Orb, its damage output often simply isn't high enough; +2 Adamant Gyarados does only 51.12% - 60.27% to 188 HP / 252 Defense Bold Vaporeon with Stone Edge, so it will fall afterwards. The second is that Wacan Berry is one-use, and even while holding it, after taking damage from Stealth Rock, Sandstorm, and other resisted hits while coming in, it will still be KO'd by many decently strong Electric attacks. The third is that Electric is not its only weakness, so it is still very vulnerable to Rock-type attacks, and any neutral hard-hitting attack, such as Celebi Grass Knots.

Wacan Berry should not be gratituously given to Pokémon. It could perhaps see niche use on Pokémon such as Mantine, but in the end, for walls, Leftovers will generally be a superior option.


Damp Rock

If the holder uses Rain Dance, then it will last for eight turns, instead of the usual five. This also works even after the holder switches out.

Damp Rock is a staple on Rain Dance teams,
commonly seen on their leads and often on the back-up Rain Dancers. It provides extra turns for the other teammates to set up and sweep, as five turns are often too short to accomplish much.

Damp Rock is one of the most useful tools available to Rain Dance teams, extending the duration of their rampage. Five turns (working out at three, counting the turn on which Rain Dance is used, and then the switch to the appropriate sweeper) aren't quite long enough, and switching becomes more frequent, to set up Rain Dance again. It provides three extra turns before Rain Dance must be used again.

On bulky leads such as Bronzong, Leftovers recovery will be sorely missed. On offensive Pokémon such as Ludicolo, the loss of Life Orb can be quite disappointing. On frail leads, the choice between Focus Sash and Damp Rock can be difficult. Without Sash, the lead may not survive faster / priority attacks to even set up Rain Dance, but with it, the turns will be almost worthless.

There are several ways to utilize the turns Damp Rock provides to maximize efficiency. One is Exploding or U-turning to dent the opponent and allow the Rain Dance users to come in unscathed. The second is placing it on a Pokémon which can take advantage of the rain itself, although this takes up both an item and a moveslot. Damp Rock can work on many types of leads, but be aware that frailer leads in particular may not survive without a Focus Sash.


thanks a million jumpluff :D

ill try to get my items as soon as possible (i thought i pmed them to twash but i think it didnt go through, so ill post it myself)

 

[Kaxtar]

When this Pokemon is hit by a super effective Grass-type move, the damage is reduced by 50%. This item is consumed after use. If this item is recovered via Recycle, it can activate again.

Keep in mind that most Electric attacks are special, and Gyarados in particular has very low Special Defense.

Just two errors I found. Wacan is the Electric resist berry. Also Gyarados has 100 base SpD, so I'm not really sure why you said it has low SpD. Though, when being hit with a x4 move, I'm not really sure it matters much.

 

[jumpluff]

oops, I was thinking of SpA. x_X scrap that line.. by the way

Black Sludge

If the holder is a Poison-type, it will recover 1/16th of its maximum HP rounded down at the end of each turn. All other types will take damage equal to 1/8th of their maximum HP if holding this item.

Black Sludge can be summarized as an exclusive alternative to Leftovers, with nasty side-effects for the non-designated holder. Like Leftovers, they should be placed on (Poison-type, naturally) Pokémon that require either extra bulk or use it to supplement their natural walling abilities. Leftovers and Black Sludge are generally used to restore lost HP, and often allows for extended longetivity. Black Sludge may often be used on offensive Pokémon so that passive damage does not add up so quickly, allowing a sense of bulk on sweepers over Pokémon with items such as Life Orb. More defensive Poison-types can also utilize the item effectively, gaining HP back with ease.

The main advantage of Black Sludge opposed to Leftovers does not apply to the standard metagame: on teams with Poison-types, these Pokémon can forfeit Leftovers to free up a slot under Item Clause. The second advantage is that it is a "weapon" of sorts against Trick Pokémon, discouraging them from Tricking, or used to damage the Trickers themselves. The HP regained from Black Sludge can be used to set up Substitutes or snatch an opportunity to boost one's stats; while there are few Poison-types which commonly use set-up moves in OU, in the lower tiers, there are several options available. Where Life Orb would kill a sweeper too quickly, Black Sludge can be used instead to give a sense of bulk. It also negates sandstorm and hail, which wear at frailer teams quickly.

There are several disadvantages to using Black Sludge as well. The extra HP will often be useless on a sweeper, and therefore the power lost through item choice can be devastating for a team, as it may leave certain Pokémon unable to KO the opponents when specifically needed. While EVs can be saved, the EVs not used defensively due to the effect of Black Sludge may leave a Pokémon in danger to threats if sandstorm or hail is in play. Lastly, the key reason to using Leftovers instead of Black Sludge is that if Black Sludge is Tricked onto an opponent, that opponent then can Trick it onto a non-Poison-type member of your own team.

In short, there are few reasons to use Black Sludge over Leftovers, but under Item Clause it can be a handy alternative. It is also interesting to note that there are two Poison-types with the ability Sticky Hold, which renders attempts to steal the item futile (Swalot and Muk).

When using either item, it is advisable to make your HP divisible by 16, +1. This will allow for a "magic Leftovers number" (a number divisible by 16), while the +1 allows essentially for a "free" hitpoint due to the floor function in the damage formula.






ripped off twashs lefties analysis but consistency etc.

 

[Burn Jack]

Thick Club

The Attack boosts are independent of boosted stats as well, so a +6 Marowak will effectively reach +12.

Would "reaching +12" not be 7-times, rather than 8-times, damage?

 

[DJXO9]

Would "reaching +12" not be 7-times, rather than 8-times, damage?

I think that's because Swords Dance and Thick Club work idependently. Thick Club makes his attack +6 and since Swords Dance works outside of that its 6x2=12.

 

[supermarth64]

Light Ball is the item which makes Pikachu usable, boosting its pitiful offensive stats to impressive heights. Pikachu with 152 Attack EVs reaches 368 Attack, and the special sweeper (252 Spe) (Should be SpA) hits 398.

Small nitpick, but w/e.

 

[jumpluff]

Thanks

Thick Club doubles Attack, so a +6 Marowak's Atk is then doubled to become +12.

 

[deimos]

Rindo Berry is rarely seen, so the element of surprise will almost always ensure it accomplishes what the user sets out to do. This could be phazing something with Hidden Power Ice (Don't you mean Roar?), or more directly striking back with Magic Coat (Mirror Coat) for the KO; examples of attacks it can survive and deal enough damage back to kill include max Special Attack Grass Knot from Celebi and Life Orb Hidden Power Grass / Grass Knot from Heatran, Infernape, and Jolteon. With a decent amount of SpD investment, it can even survive Celebi's Leaf Storm, and only marginal EVs are required to survive Specs HP Grass from Heatran, Jolteon, and other similar Pokémon.

 

[Toothache]

Thick Club doubles Attack, so a +6 Marowak's Atk is then doubled to become +12.

Not true. You need to learn how the stat raising and reducing formula works.

+6 Attack is 400% of normal base stat. So a base of 284 (max Adamant Marowak) would go to 1136, then double from the Thick Club to become 2272. If the stat formula continues beyond +6, it would need to reach +14 to become 800% of the base stat.

It [Liechi Berry]provides a 50% boost in Attack at the end of a turn in which the Pokémon hits ≤ 25% HP.

This is also badly worded. It should be noted that a pinch berry that raises a stat raises it by +1 modifier, following the stat raising formula. It is possible to gain stat increases or suffer a stat penalty before the berry is activated, so it would be inaccurate to say that you gain +50% attack all the time. Going from +1 to +2 Attack for example, will give you 33.3% extra attack and not 50%.

-6 = 2/8 = 25% of base
-5 = 2/7 = 28% of base
-4 = 2/6 = 33% of base
-3 = 2/5 = 40% of base
-2 = 2/4 = 50% of base
-1 = 2/3 = 66% of base
0 = 2/2 = 100% of base
+1 = 3/2 = 150% of base
+2 = 4/2 = 200% of base
+3 = 5/2 = 250% of base
+4 = 6/2 = 300% of base
+5 = 7/2 = 350% of base
+6 = 8/2 = 400% of base

 

[Burn Jack]

More importantly, whether it's +12 or +14, it would be better if you said that a +6, Thick Club-boosted Marowak's attack is eight times greater than when totally un-boosted — but less wordily than that, if possible — because +14 is totally meaningless any way.

As you've demonstrated. >_>

 

[Caelum]

So, is that all the items you've done? I let this sit a few days to see if someone would post more, but nothing. Are you planning to do more items or is that it? (I'd prefer someone make a new topic in main C&C to keep this more organized anyway).

 

[Legacy Raider]

I've had this done for quite a while but wasn't sure if twash was going to post it or not.

___________________

Heat Rock

<p>If the holder uses Sunny Day, then it will last for eight turns, instead of the usual five. This also works even after the holder switches out.</p>

<p>Since the only Pokemon that can bring about permanent bright sunlight is Uber, Heat Rock is an essential item for Sunny Day teams. It increases the duration of the sunlight from 5 turns to 8, making the setup a lot more worthwhile, as well as allowing the player to pull off a sweep a lot easier.</p>

<p>Pokemon that are attempting to sweep using sunshine related abilities such as Chlorophyll or Solar Power are generally better off using an item to boost their own offensive power, such as Life Orb, instead of Heat Rock, even if they do carry Sunny Day as a pinch support move. Heat Rock is of most use to bulkier Pokemon that are specifically assigned Sunny Day replenishing roles on a team, as these Pokemon will get the opportunity to set up the sunshine more often and usually more than once over the course of a battle.</p>


Babiri Berry

<p>When this Pokemon is hit by a super effective Steel-type attack, the damage is reduced by 50%. This item is consumed after use. If this item is recovered via Recycle, it can activate again. Babiri Berry does not reduce damage on Pokemon who are neutral to or resist Steel-type attacks.</p>

<p>Since Steel is a generally poor offensive type, and the Ice and Rock-type Pokemon that are weak to it are more often than not greatly threatened by other types of attacks, Babiri Berry has quite limited uses in the competitive scene. Probably its single biggest use is on Pokemon who are directly threatened by Scizor's Bullet Punch: Dragon Dance Tyranitar can use it alongside Fire Punch to deal with any Scizor that try to bring a halt to its sweep, as can users of the Rock Polish strategy such as Rampardos and Rhyperior. However, this means forgoing a potential attack boosting item such as Life Orb for Babiri Berry, and so when equipped with this berry, these sweepers are much better suited to sweeping in the late game compared to breaking walls with sheer power during the earlier stages of a battle.</p>

<p>It sees little to no use in the lower tiers because of the scarcity of Steel-types, and as a result, Steel-type attacks.</p>


Occa Berry

<p>When this Pokemon is hit by a super effective Fire-type attack, the damage is reduced by 50%. This item is consumed after use. If this item is recovered via Recycle, it can activate again. Occa Berry does not reduce damage on Pokemon who are neutral to or resist Fire-type attacks.</p>

<p>Fire is a common attacking type, and as such, having a one time neutrality to it can be very helpful to Pokemon that only need to take that one hit to hit back harder. Steel-types with Earthquake are common users of Occa Berry, as it allows them to survive one attack from a Fire-type and retaliate with a super effective Earthquake. Common examples include Metagross in OU, and Steelix in UU.</p>

<p>The problem arises when taking these Fire Blasts and Flamethrowers that Steel-types generally tend to have low Special Defense stats, and so may take significant damage from STAB Fire special attacks even after the neutrality from Occa Berry is taken into account. Also, Pokemon that utilize Fire-type moves to hit Steel-types often also carry another move to hit Steel-types super effectively as well, as no one type of attack can hit all the Steel-types in the game for super effective damage; Heatran carries Earth Power, Infernape Close Combat, and Salamence Earthquake. This can often make the reliability of Occa Berry questionable, as the opposing Pokemon can just hit you super effectively with another move and effectively bypass the point of running a resistance berry altogether.</p>


Life Orb

<p>The damage inflicted by the holder's attacks is boosted by 30%. The holder takes damage equal to 10% of its max HP each turn it uses an attacking move, rounded down. Rock Head does not block the damage caused to the holder, but Magic Guard does, while still giving the holder the increase in damage output. Life Orb does not damage the holder if the attack hits an opponent's Substitute. Life Orb damages the holder even if it uses Dragon Rage, Night Shade, and Seismic Toss, but does not boost their damage. Life Orb does not boost the damage caused by confusion, nor does it have a recoil effect with confusion.</p>

<p>Life Orb is an extremely common hold item for a wide range of sweepers. It provides the biggest increase in damage output of any item bar the Choice items, and has the obvious advantage of not locking the holder into a single attack. It also increases <em>all</em> damage done by the holder, both from physical and special attacks, and so is a perfect item for the majority of mixed sweepers. Since many sweepers are frail as it is and will take big damage even from neutral hits, the 10% loss of health with every attack is mostly inconsequential to their attack-taking abilities, and the damage output is greatly appreciated. Life Orb is largely responsible for the success of offensive teams, and it is one of the main reasons that walling sweepers through sheer defensive base stats is not as feasible as it once was, and using resistances to take attacks has become a lot more commonplace than in previous generations.</p>

<p>Many set up sweepers use Life Orb to exponentially boost their damage output after a boost, and give them the power to break past their common checks. Dragon Dancers such as Salamence, Gyarados, and Tyranitar have the power of their attacks boosted by approximately 1.95x after a single boost taking into account Life Orb's increase in damage output. Similarly, sweepers who have only a limited time in which they can effectively sweep use Life Orb to let them do as much damage as they can, while they can. Swift Swim Pokemon during rain, Chlorophyll Pokemon during bright sunlight, and sweepers that rely on Trick Room support all make good use of Life Orb to boost the power of their attacks.</p>

<p>One of the biggest advantages of using Life Orb over another boosting item is its reliability - the holder is guaranteed a 30% increase in its attack strength regardless of what attack it uses, and has the freedom to switch attacks around if you mispredict. Choice Specs and Choice Band grant a larger power up, but they are only on a single attacking spectrum, and they have the problem with only allowing the holder to use one attack at a time. While Expert Belt and the Arceus Plates give almost the same power boost as Life Orb does, Expert Belt will only give this for super effective attacks, and the Plates only for a single attacking type. Muscle Band and Wise Glasses provide a reliable boost for a single attacking spectrum, but the boost is quite small. Life Orb's ease of use, reliability, and power often makes it a primary choice over these other boosting items, and means the recoil damage can often be forgotten altogether in lieu of the benefits provided.</p>

<p>However, the recoil damage should not be disregarded altogether, especially if the holder is susceptible to other forms of residual damage. For example, while both Gyarados and Salamence make formidable use of Life Orb's power increase, they are both weak to Stealth Rock and are not immune to sandstorm damage. On sweepers such as these and others, it should be well noted that their longevity is greatly reduced by introducing another form of residual damage on top of the ones they will already be taking, and so one should carefully gauge the value of Life Orb's power boost compared to the recoil damage it inflicts.</p>


Toxic Orb

<p>The holder is inflicted with the intensifying (Toxic) poison status at the end of the turn. The effect remains even if the item is removed.</p>

<p>While at first glance, Toxic Orb may seem to have a detrimental effect on all Pokemon and should therefore not be considered for competitive play, there are certain strategies that make effective use of it. Pokemon with the Poison Heal ability, such as Breloom, regain 12.5% of their HP every turn when poisoned, and so Toxic Orb allows it to reliably poison itself and heal twice as much HP every turn as Leftovers would.</p>

<p>Pokemon with the Guts and Quick Feet ability have Attack and Speed boosted respectively when they are inflicted with a status condition, and so Toxic Orb can be used to achieve this and activate these abilities. With Guts, one should also consider using Flame Orb, as both it and Toxic Orb have their own advantages and disadvantages. While the burn from Flame Orb inflicts more damage initially than the Toxic poison from Toxic Orb, this poison damage builds up very quickly and outdamages the burn after a couple of turns. This makes Flame Orb the superior choice for Pokemon that are expected to stay in for a while for a single make or break sweep, whereas Toxic Orb is preferable for hit and run attackers. For physically based Quick Feet Pokemon, Toxic Orb gets the nod, as Quick Feet does not negate the Attack drop from Burn like Guts does.</p>

<p>Since Steel-types are immune to poison, Toxic Orb will not badly poison a Steel-type holder. This allows these users to use Trick with the Toxic Orb and give it to a defensive Pokemon, effectively destroying its defensive capabilities for the rest of the battle. Both Jirachi and Metagross can make good use of this strategy to ruin bulky Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Blissey.</p>

<p>Toxic Orb is a very specific item, and should only be considered for use on a small selection of Pokemon.</p>


Wise Glasses

<p>Raises the damage from special attacks by 10%.</p>

<p>The boost provided by Wise Glasses is small, but it is reliable in that it is always provided for all special attacks, and so can be a good item choice for special sweepers. However, it is often overlooked for Life Orb, which provides a considerably greater boost to the damage of both physical and special attacks, and even Expert Belt and the Arceus Plates, which give greater boosts in specific circumstances. Probably the best reason to use Wise Glasses over Life Orb is because of the lack of recoil damage. Many players, when they see no recovery from Leftovers or recoil damage from Life Orb, automatically assume that the opposing Pokemon is holding a Choice item and is therefore locked into a single attack. This can be used to one's advantage by using Wise Glasses on a special sweeper, getting surprise KOs by switching moves when an opponent fully expects you to be Choiced and switch out of a resist.</p>

 

[kd24]

oof like i told pluff, i thought i pmed twash with this but it didnt go through because of my shit internet i guess because ive gotten no word from him and i cant find the message on my sent pms (and i rarely delete those), so im just finding, finishing, and then reposting my 6 or so items myself.

 

[muna]

Black Sludge
The second advantage is that it is a "weapon" of sorts against Trick Pokémon, discouraging them from Tricking, or used to damage the Trickers themselves. The HP regained from Black Sludge can be used to set up Substitutes or snatch an opportunity to boost one's stats; while there are few Poison-types which commonly use set-up moves in OU, in the lower tiers, there are several options available.

I was under the impression that Black Sludge was not used over leftovers primarily because of Trickers. The Trick user now has another weapon to use against you. After they use trick, sure, they will lose 1/8 of their health, but they can use trick on the following turn to damage your inevitable switch in by giving them black sludge and provide constant damage of 1/8 per turn to the switch-in.

Choice Scarf

Speed is boosted by 50% but the user is restricted to one move until they switch out.

There are three main categories of Pokemon who a Choice Scarf should be equipped to: Pokemon who learn Trick or Switcheroo, Pokemon who have mediocre speed, but hit very hard, and Pokemon who are quick and hit hard. Each gets it's own use out of it.

Pokemon who learn Trick or Switcheroo can can often get the most use out of the move by holding a Choice Scarf. If a Pokémon with a Choice item is Tricked or uses Trick, it can select a new move next turn, even if the item that was given to it is another Choice item. The reason that the Choice Scarf is used over other Choice items is because it allows you to lock the opponent onto a move before they know that they have a choice item since you will almost always be moving first and be able to use Trick before they execute their move. This allows you to basically disable dedicated walls such as Blissey and Skarmory. Examples of Pokemon that can do this well include Jirachi.

Stronger Pokemon with mediocre speed can also use a Choice Scarf effectively. Many of them carry with them, the element of surprise. By being able to outspeed something that it normally wouldn't be able too, a Pokemon such as Heatran or Dragonite can manage a surprise KO on some Pokemon that would stay in expecting to outspeed you and OHKO you. These Pokemon also gain the ability to sweep to an extent with their boosted speed.

It may seem redundant to put a Choice Scarf on something that is already fast, but it has it's advantages. Pokemon like Gengar, Flygon, and even Jolteon can make great use out of a Choice Scarf. One of the primary advantages is being sure that you can outspeed almost any Pokemon including other with Choice Scarves. Another advantage is being able to stop sweepers who have already boosted their stats to high levels. A Jolteon being able to outspeed and OHKO a Bulky Gyarados after two Dragon Dances is just one example of how having one of these in reserve can save the game.

 

[Griffin]

Minor nitpick.

While the burn from Flame Orb inflicts less damage initially than the Toxic poison from Toxic Orb, this poison damage builds up very quickly and outdamages the burn after a couple of turns.

Burn initially inflicts more damage, not less.