• Welcome to ZD Forums! You must create an account and log in to see and participate in the Shoutbox chat on this main index page.

Utility Pokemon

Curmudgeon

default setting: sarcastic prick
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Gender
grumpy
[Intro]
Pokemon is a bit like an iceberg - most of its content lurks beneath the surface and well after defeating the Elite Four. If you're looking to get the most out of your experience, you're going to need some help with collecting items, breeding, and a variety of other tasks.

To maximize your efficiency, you'll need a small platoon of support Pokemon to accumulate the resources you need to build an optimized stable. I'm going to assume you understand the basics about game mechanics. If you don't, that's fine. I've linked a few articles throughout to provide a primer. If you're still new to the game and have questions, feel free to inquire below.

[Useful Abilities]
What are abilities?

Compound Eyes - In order to acquire certain items - for example, collecting Heart Scales for the Move Reminder, it is most efficient (or sometimes necessary) to steal them from wild Pokemon. Compound Eyes increases the chance that an encountered Pokemon has one of the items it is scripted to potentially carry.

Cute Charm - This ability changes how often you encounter wild Pokemon of a specific gender. Instead of following the normal gender distributions (which can be wildly imbalanced), Cute Charm gives a 66% chance of encountering a Pokemon of the opposite gender. This is especially useful when looking for female starters in Friend Safari (starters are normally only 12.5% female).

Flame Body or Magma Armor - Place a Pokemon with either of these abilities at the head of your party (they are functionally identical) to half the amount of time required to hatch eggs.

Pickup - After battle, a Pokemon with this ability has a chance to create an item (they don't have to participate). This is the only method to acquire additional Leftovers, one of the most common items used in competitive builds.

Synchronize - The nature of your Pokemon is critical in maximizing the correct stats. Placing a Pokemon with this ability at the head of your party ensures 50% of the wild Pokemon you encounter will have a matching nature (instead of a 4% chance normally). This is especially useful with legendaries.

Trace - You often only know which ability a wild Pokemon has after you capture it. Trace copies the ability of that Pokemon as soon as you enter battle, which effectively acts as a scout. This is especially useful in Friend Safaris.

[Useful Moves]
False Swipe
- Reduces a Pokemon to a minimum 1 hp. Perhaps the most useful move ever invented (TM54).

Spore - 100% accuracy sleep move. [list of Pokemon that learn Spore]

Sweet Scent - When used in the field, it summons a Pokemon horde if one can be encountered in that location [list of Pokemon that learn Sweet Scent]

Thief - Takes the item the target is holding if the user isn't carrying one already (TM46).

[List of moves that hit all enemies for more efficient horde killing]
Via TM
Blizzard
Earthquake
Sludge Wave
Incinerate
Struggle Bug
Bulldoze
Rock Slide
Dazzling Gleam
Surf

Via other means (level up, breeding, tutor)
Air Cutter
Boomburst
Bubble
Disarming Voice
Discharge
Electroweb
Eruption
Glaciate
Heat Wave
Hyper Voice
Icy Wind
Land's Wrath
Lava Plume
Parabolic Charge
Petal Blizzard
Powder Snow
Razor Leaf
Razor Wind
Relic Song
Searing Shot
Swift
Synchronise
Twister
Water Spout

[My Utility Pokemon]
These are the utility builds I use. Feel free to mix and match.

HM Taxi 1 - Salamance (Fly / Strength / Rock Smash / Cut) - Charizard can carry the same set
HM Taxi 2 - Wailord (Surf / Dive / Waterfall / Secret Power) - I like consolidating hidden machine moves.

CaptureMon - Breloom (False Swipe / Spore / Stun Spore / Giga Drain) - Combines False Swipe and a 100% accuracy sleep move for more efficient captures.

FlirtMon1 & FlirtMon2 - Male and Female Lopunny with Cute Charm

Horde Slayer - Tropius (Earthquake / Razor Leaf / Sweet Scent / Fly - @miracle seed) - By far the most efficient method of leveling and EV training is to battle pokemon hordes. Sweet Scent will always summon a horde in the wild where one can be encountered (e.g. Sky Tower in ORAS). Combining Sweet Scent, Fly for travel, and two moves that annihilate entire groups of enemies allows for five other Pokemon in your party to power level.

Larcenist - Vivillon (Thief) - Combines Compound Eyes + Thief lets you steal items with maximum efficiency. Remember to remove any stolen items after battle or you can't steal a new one.

Mother Hen - Talonflame - Flame body + Fly for egg hatching. In XY, the daycare and Stats Judge were in different places so being able to move without switching is a bonus. In ORAS, both the daycare and Stats Judge are located at the Battle Resort so flight isn't a requirement.

Pickup Gang - Six Level 100 Ambipom - Ambipom level the fastest of any Pokemon with Pickup. Give each of them four basic attack moves and sick them on wild pokemon in very early areas. Remember that the best way to beat low probability is to throw a ton of attempts at the problem. Pickup doesn't care if the encountered Pokemon is level 1 or 100; the acquired item is completely based on the possessor's level. Remember to remove any items or they will not pick up new ones.

Scout - Ralts with Trace for ability detecting abilities

N'Sync - Set of Ralts for nature manipulation.

[Afterword]
This is obviously not an exhaustive guide. Feel free to ask any questions or suggest additions.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom