Most Underrated/Underused Pokemon of Today's Metagame?

[Green_Pikachu]

I don't know how many people still battle competitively against other people (and when I say competitively, I mean RBYBot). Some pokemon get neglected more than others. We all know about Alakazam, Starmie, Eggy, Jynx, Snorlax, Tauros, Chansey, Golem, Rhydon, Slowbro, Lapras, Gengar, and the like. But what about the lesser used pokemon? Where do they stack up against some of the top dogs?


Let's take Hypno for instance. Let's say he has the set of Thunder-Wave, Psychic, Seismic Toss, Rest. Hypno is one of the better underused pokemon in the game. Great HP from what I remember. Good enough special. Gets T-wave, a staple of the game. S-Toss to handle other psychics, and rest to eat up PP from those starmies/eggys/kazams. Yeah, I know he is used. But not as much as the other 3.

Also, there is Dragonite. What's up with this guy not being used? He gets T-Wave. Has great attack. Can get Surf, to handle Rhydon/Golem, his arch-enemies. Body Slam and/or Hyper Beam. This guy can be a beast with the right team around him. Lapras would work well with him, as well as Gengar. Lapras eats the ice attacks, and uses confuse ray, as does gengar, which plays well off Draggy's T-Wave. I like the whole paracon idea in RBY. it's probably the best platform you can go with. Either that or just go for all-out freeze, which can suck if your opponent is lucky.

So, who else do you consider underrated/underused in today's RBY metagame?

[phantomness]

*shrugs* I like Ninetails...

[Green_Pikachu]

ninetales is good. there just doesn't seem to be a big need for fires in the metagame. he gets confuse ray, which kind of sets him apart from the other fires.

something like...

~flamethrower
~confuse ray
~dig
~body slam?

i don't know ninetales that well. i don't use fire types often

[YoMomMa]

a hyper beam from dragonit can sometimes get 1 hit kills!!! now those are nice in any situation. and fly lets him dodge any charge shot that they use ( i know thats not often, but hink about it) and one of my favs is the fact taht Twave is added. which means that u can hyper beam and possibly not get hit back even on your recharge time (if they survived your beam)

[Green_Pikachu]

well, you're probably talking about in-game situations. if all the other pokemon are level 100 with max defense and HP, not many of the fully evolved pokemon are OHKO-ed by a single Dragonite Hyper Beam. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that none of them are.

[YoMomMa]

well, you're probably talking about in-game situations. if all the other pokemon are level 100 with max defense and HP, not many of the fully evolved pokemon are OHKO-ed by a single Dragonite Hyper Beam. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that none of them are.

whoops all this time talkin about GS versions with shiny item equipped... lol

[Deviou$]

I always used underused but never won, so I'm not sure I'm a good opinion on this. I always liked using Hypno though. I used Tangela sometimes too.

[bme]

I would say Nidoking. I don't remember it being used much. Focus Energy, Rock Slide, Earthquake, Thunderbolt is really good.

[gomez]

I think Jynx is somewhat underused. She makes an awesome player in GSC, but not in RBY. I just learned yesterday that she learns Bubblebeam. I never knew that. With BB, Ice Beam, Psychic, and Lovely Kiss, shes like a mini-cleaner. She has nice speed and a good enough special to dominate later in a battle. Ok, not dominate, but be useful.

Tangela is also one of my favorite underused. The only things not good on her are her speed and attack, but she makes up for it in her tankyness. She can use Mega Drain well and can take a hit and still use Sleep Powder/Stun Spore.

Ninetales is awesome but it lacks moves, as do all Fires (cept for Charizard, that bastard).

The reason Dragonite is somewhat not used as much is because he goes down with a Blizzard (or Ice Beam on some). Almost anything with Blizzard or Ice Beam can either take him out completely or leave him FRZ with very little HP left. Besides that, he has the most desired attack in the game. I guess thats why people put him in their teams.

I can't think of any more right now. I'll add some more later.

[Prodigy]

Bubblebeam is pointless on ice types like Jynx. Crunch the numbers and you'll see that a STAB Ice Beam against a neutral opponent (like a fire-type) actually has higher damage output than a non-STAB Bubblebeam against a weak opponent (the previously mentioned fire-type). Similarly, the 2x effective STAB Ice Beam against a rock/ground has a higher damage output than the 4x effective non-STAB Bubblebeam. I guess Bubblebeam would be better against things that resist ice but are neutral against water (like.. um.. Kabutops) or things that are 4x resistant to ice but only 2x resistant to water (Lapras), but in those cases you'd be better off using Psychic. Body Slam for possible paralysis, Seismic Toss (for Starmie or other Jynx, I suppose), or a backup Blizzard would all be better.

[bme]

Jolteon I think isn't used much, even though it can OHKO Dugtrio with Hyper Beam and Focus Energy. That alone warrants a use.

Arcanine is another one. Great stats, and can hold up to ground types pretty well. Reflect, Body Slam, Fire Blast, Hyper Beam, what a winning set.

Oh, oh! Poliwrath! Not really fast, but great HP and has Amnesia. Besides, it's a favorite of mine. My heart goes out to the giant frog.

[gomez]

My heart goes out to the giant frog.

I think it is classified as a tadpole, isn't it? Or at least that is what it says on the dex entry.

Bubblebeam isn't that great on Jynx; I just use it cause it makes a great filler and Jynx needs all of the special moves she can get. I kinda figured out the whole part about it not being good when I did the math myself yesterday against a few opponents.

Primeape isn't used that much, but it kicks arse when Focus Energy is used. Rock Slide, Body Slam, and Hyper Beam from its 308 attack aren't shabby when they all CH. His decent speed helps too.

[Prodigy]

But Body Slam, Blizzard, and Seismic Toss all make better fillers.

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Vileplume is awesome, but no one uses it. I should get my old one off Red version...

And yes to whoever said Hypno! Hypno has *fantastic* stats!

[Rudoku]

Jolteon I think isn't used much, even though it can OHKO Dugtrio with Hyper Beam and Focus Energy. That alone warrants a use.

I'm guessing that with Dugtrio's sucky HP and Defense, a LOT of pokemon can 1-hit KO it...without Hyper Beam, which sucks on Jolteon.

[bme]

I'm guessing that with Dugtrio's sucky HP and Defense, a LOT of pokemon can 1-hit KO it...without Hyper Beam, which sucks on Jolteon.

Well, with Hyper Beam, it's likely that it = fainted Dugtrio, which is better than no Hyper Beam, which will = fainted Jolteon.

Also, i'd say Poliwag is a tadpole, because well, like at a picture of a tadpole. Poliwrath is more like a frog to me.

I always prefered Jynx with Double Team as filler. Slap them with Lovely Kiss and they always will waste one turn to either switch or try to wake there Pokmeon up.

[gomez]

Sorry if you misunderstood me; I was speaking about my in-game Jynx. I have no spare Tm's for her, so I slapped on Bubblebeam. Its an extra special attack with 25 PP's (I think, or 20). It didn't seem like a bad idea at the time.

Heh, I haven't mentioned Mr.Mime yet. He is one of my favs. He does learn Thunderbolt, and Substitute comes in handy with his weak HP and defense. Reflect/Barrier help out a crapload, depending if you want to protect him or the entire team for a while. And STAB'ed Psychics aren't bad either. Seismic Toss is another filler that can do good damage if his special can't be used. Double Team would be kinda cheap, but it goes great with Substitute. The only things he has going for him are his speed and special, but once you take one of those away, he's kinda screwed. He's an average psychic type if you ask me; nothing on him stands out enough to make him be used more.

[Kari and Mewtwo]

Persian is pretty decent i guess. I used to use it on my team before jumping on the bandwagon & use Tauros.

As already mentioned, Jolteon could be pretty good, if only Golem & Rhydon werent so frickin painful.

Victreebel & Venusaur might do good as SD'ers with razor leaf. they get sleep powder, too.

[Charizard04621]

I would say Nidoking. I don't remember it being used much. Focus Energy, Rock Slide, Earthquake, Thunderbolt is really good.

Nidoking is awesome. I always use him. The only reason he's not used more is because of his type; Poison really gives him a pointless Psychic weakness. Rock Slide sucks on him, though; Blizzard would be much better. His Special capacity isn't that bad at all. Compared to most Ground types, especially. But he's one of the faster Ground types (although he can't be compared to Dugtrio), which puts him ahead of annoying pokémon like Chansey and Exeggutor that would terrorize slower Ground types. It gives him finishing power. There's nothing more frustrating than when something with like 1 HP beats you just because you're slower.

Btw Jolteon vs. Ground types = pointless altogether. The point of the game is to battle with a team, not with a single thing. There are a lot of other pokémon who would be much more practical in killing Ground types. Jolteon should go Thunderbolt/Focus Energy/Thunder Wave/Sand Attack or Substitute and leave it at that. Wasting a slot for a Ground "countering" attack for him isn't really worthwhile in RBY. Of course, with the advent of Hidden Power in the later games, things with blatant type weaknesses like Jolteon get much, much nastier. Jolteon is really good as a special attacker, and he shouldn't be shunted just because he can't kill ground types. Heck, I'd give him a higher rating that Raichu, which can kill Ground types with Surf. Jolteon's Speed and Special are simply excellent and should be taken advantage of in team situations.

Persian is really nasty because of its STABed Slash combined with its Speed, and I wouldn't call it underused. I've seen a sufficient number of them in online battles to be convinced that the species is not neglected. Which it shouldn't be.

[Syberia]

Jolteon and Nidoking were screwed over the moment that Focus Energy didn't work right. They were only ever good on Azure's PBS, in which case my main team almost always included one of them, where it almost guaranteed anything with a speed over 200 of an automatic critical hit.

Nidoking
Earthquake
Blizzard
Thunderbolt
Focus Energy

Self-explanitory, no?


Jolteon
Thunderbolt
Double-Edge
Focus Energy
Thunder Wave

I've never really seen the point of Sand-Attack on this guy. It's just too unreliable, even when you do manage to hit a Golem or Rhydon with it on the switch. You're not going to leave him in to do it again unless you're suicidal, and the accuracy of an Earthquake is still 75% after one. Sure it can be good in a few certain lucky situations, but I'd rather have the ability to quickly kill an Exeggutor, Chansey, or even bring a Sandslash to below 50% health with Double-Edge than trust my luck with an accuracy-lowering move. But of course, like I mentioned before, in an environment where Focus Energy actually lowers critical hit percentage for some weird reason, neither of these should ever be used. There's plenty of other options out there.

[bme]

Btw Jolteon vs. Ground types = pointless altogether. The point of the game is to battle with a team, not with a single thing. There are a lot of other pokémon who would be much more practical in killing Ground types. Jolteon should go Thunderbolt/Focus Energy/Thunder Wave/Sand Attack or Substitute and leave it at that. Wasting a slot for a Ground "countering" attack for him isn't really worthwhile in RBY.

I understand that, but the element of surprise is good to have. When Dugtrio comes out, or any pure Ground type, the user expects Jolteon to switch, there by leaving them to Substitute or get a free whatever. The average player never expects a Jolteon to stay out and fire off a Critical Hit Hyper Beam and floor them. It's not a set focused on fighting ground types, it's still a special attacker that also has the option to OHKO Dugtrio should the situation come up.

Yes, I agree. Long live Nidoking! Kingler and Cloyster as well. 8)

[J Man Cool]

i'm suprised no one has mentioned cloyster yet. With his tanky defense, he kicks all he ass of tauros and snorlax. Then, had the ability to freeze, along with explosion, you get an awesome water type.

[SageofLaughter]

I've always been partial to Clefable, and I find it sad that it's used so rarely.

A Hyper Beam or Body Slam off a Clefable has much the same strengh as one from a Dragonite (I say this simply because of the Dragonite discussion earlier in the topic), and it can also learn the typical Thunderbolt/Ice Beam combo.

Even though it's already been mentioned, I have to say that Arcanine is another Pokémon I'm pretty fond of. It can use Body Slam effectively, and while it has a lower special than most other fire types, it's still enough to make a STAB boosted Fire Blast a force to be reckoned with.

Finally, there's another favorite of mine - Muk. Muk's attack is one of the highest in the game, and unlike other holders of this title (Flareon and Dragonite, I'm looking at you) it can actually get STAB off it, and therefore take advantage of it. Not to mention it has a great Defense stat.

[Mr.E]

You mean Hitmonlee, Mr. 338 Attack with a HJK? X) But I wuv Muk. =(

The answer to this topic is officially DODRIO.

[SageofLaughter]

You mean Hitmonlee, Mr. 338 Attack with a HJK? X) But I wuv Muk. =(

The answer to this topic is officially DODRIO.

Agreed, Dodrio is a godly sweeper when he's used right.

[CNN]

Aw snap I wanted to drop the Dodrio bomb and I was thinking, "Score no one mentioned him yet," and then I saw the last two posts. I always have to mention the quote about Dodrio though:

"Dodrio, stop being so hot" ~Fish

And I didn't think Victreebel/Venusaur were underused, as they counter Tobybro with Razor Leaf fairly effectively. And what is up with Kingler mang, Dweedle told me he was a good secret

[MetalScyther]

Dragonite's attack isn't as strong as you think because he doesn't get STAB from any strong moves(ie. bodyslam and hyperbeam), meaning that the "highest attack in the game" isn't nearly as strong at it seems. Awesome move compatibility, but draggy also has 4x ice weakness.

Anyway, victreebel! Dude, the guy is a total beast. Sleep powder, swords dance, razor leaf, and hyperbeam is my favorite set. Lead off with it and sleep their eggy, and swords dance as they switch to alakazam. Take the psychic and OHKO alakazam with hyperbeam. =] Dunno if that works anymore(haven't played in awhile), but it used to be the best thing ever like 2 years ago.

Also Dodrio rocks =]

[The Muffin Man]

Dragonite's attack isn't as strong as you think because he doesn't get STAB from any strong moves(ie. bodyslam and hyperbeam), meaning that the "highest attack in the game" isn't nearly as strong at it seems. Awesome move compatibility, but draggy also has 4x ice weakness.

Anyway, victreebel! Dude, the guy is a total beast. Sleep powder, swords dance, razor leaf, and hyperbeam is my favorite set. Lead off with it and sleep their eggy, and swords dance as they switch to alakazam. Take the psychic and OHKO alakazam with hyperbeam. =] Dunno if that works anymore(haven't played in awhile), but it used to be the best thing ever like 2 years ago.

Also Dodrio rocks =]

YEah I love Victreebel. He's so nasty.

I also like Magneton. There's not a WHOLE lot he can do, but what he does do he rocks hardcore at it.

[Tsurayu]

I have to agree with saying Clefable. It may take awhile before it becomes useful, but a Clefable's Hyperbeam can kick some real ass.

And Victreebell is my least favorite Grass Pokemon. It doesn't have such great stats and takes too long to learn a decent Grass attack with the exception of Vine Whip up into the late 30's.

[Poryhedron]

Vine Whip's not a decent Grass Attack.

[Tsurayu]

Vine Whip's not a decent Grass Attack.

Well, I suppose it's your opinion. Vinewhip is only 35 base power, but early in the game where you could say that it's Grass types's domain. Vinewhip does very well. Then just replace it with Mega Drain, Razor Leaf, Petal Dance, etc...

[The Muffin Man]

Well, I suppose it's your opinion. Vinewhip is only 35 base power, but early in the game where you could say that it's Grass types's domain. Vinewhip does very well. Then just replace it with Mega Drain, Razor Leaf, Petal Dance, etc...

;( No it's pretty much fact. Razor Leaf wins.

[Tsurayu]

No. It depends on how you look at it. Early in the game you don't have Razor Leaf where the Grass types are dominating the field.

[Poryhedron]

I'd love to know where the Grass-types are dominating the field when the only damaging Grass-type attack they have is Vine Whip. Vine Whip only does worthwhile damage against Geodude and other targets that are weak against Grass and/or really bad at Special.

[Tsurayu]

Early in the game most are. I mean look at it. Grass has the advantage against the Pewter Gym, Cerulean Gym, and Vermillion Gym. And both are disadvantage at Celadon, which I almost consider an adavantage if your Pokemon is stronger. Vine Whip is a great Grass move for when Grass types do have the advantage.

[topgun534]

you should try Dugtrio set up with Earthquake and a few other good moves... could work wonders lol

[Green_Pikachu]

wow, even MrE posted in my topic. niceee. anyway, yeah, i think we covered many of the underused/underrated pokemon. the two that were brought up that i liked the most were dodrio and cloyster. excellent choices for an rby team, that aren't seen all that often.

[Leon-IH]

Articuno, nuff said eh?

[Pidgeot]

Also, i'd say Poliwag is a tadpole, because well, like at a picture of a tadpole. Poliwrath is more like a frog to me.

Arent the swirls on Poliwrath's stomach supposed to represent the visible intestines of a tadpole? Becides, Politoed is a frog

Ive always likes Nidoking. Great movepool and not so bad stats either.

[zerao]

meh , why nobody said beedrill

he have mega drain and swords dance