Porygon2 Analysis






With naturally high HP, access to Eviolite, and armed with the ability Download and the lesser used Analytic, Porygon2 maintains a good balance of defense and offense as a Trick Room setter in the format.








Pros
*85/90/95 Bulk combined with Eviolite affords P2 immense bulk, surviving most weather/terrain boosted Z moves
*105 SpA combined with both its ability Download and its movepool (Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball) allows for offensive pressure lacking in other TR setters (Gothitelle, Cresselia)
*Movepool of Icy Wind, Toxic, and Ally Switch allow P2 functions outside of Trick Room
*Threatens common Pokemon in the format (Landorus, Zapdos, Salamence) with +1 and bulk; can not be removed from the field easily
*Often requires Z move + follow up to KO P2
*Access to consistent, non*weather influenced recovery in the form of Recover
*Ally Switch + Bulk!


Cons
*Required to run Eviolite, all other items pale in comparison
*Incredibly susceptible to Taunt
*Without Download boost, P2’s offense can be rather lackluster; OHKOs turn into 2HKOs
*Download boost is not always guaranteed with SpD investment being random
*Does not threaten mons outside of super effective coverage, bulky fire types often lead to a stand still


Set - Standard Porygon 2
Porygon2 @ Eviolite  
Ability: Download  
Level: 50  
EVs: 244 HP / 108 Def / 100 SpA / 52 SpD / 4 Spe  
Calm Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe  
- Ice Beam / Icy Wind
- Thunderbolt / Shadow Ball / Ally Switch
- Recover
- Trick Room


Calcs:


*Ice Beam crucially pressures Landorus and Salamence, two of the most common Pokemon in the format
*With Download Boost, +1 SpA Porygon 2 Ice Beam threatens OHKOs on incredibly
bulky Salamence, non AV Landorus, 2HKO on Tapu Bulu​
*Thunderbolt provides coverage on mons resistant to Ice Beam, can also pick up 2HKOs with Electric Terrain
*Thunderbolt with either Electric Terrain or Download Boost can 2HKO bulky Tapu Fini and Charizard Y, among others​
*Shadow Ball can be used to underspeed and knock out Aegislash or Marowak​
*Recover is necessary to sustain P2; it makes P2 a nuisance that the enemy team either has to ignore until the end or nuke with Z moves
*Even when faced with Z Moves, P2's 244/52+ Special Defense allows it to survive Max Special Attack Z Moves from most of the format​
*On the defense side, 244/108 allows P2 to survive a +6 Azumarill Aqua Jet (and counter KO with Thunderbolt) and Fightinium Z from Kartana​
*31 Speed IVs Neutral Nature (Calm) allows P2 to hit 81 Speed​
*However, 81 Speed speed ties with minimum speed Cresselia, so you may want to remove 4 EVs from Speed if you want to underspeed​​
*0 Speed IVs *Spe Nature allows P2 to hit 58 Speed, underspeeding minimum speed Tyranitar and most Aegislash​
*Listed Below are a Other Options for Moves
*Foul Play OHKOs most +6 Snorlax as well as Aegislash*Blade, while also being able to hit common threats like Mega Metagross for lots of damage​
*Trick Room is actually not a requirement, as P2 can function perfectly well outside of Trick Room with its natural bulk and coverage options​
*Ally Switch allows P2 to redirect Super Effective attacks from partners, soaking up damage with its high defenses​
*Toxic can also be used to force opponents to switch out their boosted Pokemon, such as CM Cresselia, QD Volcarona, or CurseLax​


Using Porygon 2
*Pairs well with Fake Out support, especially Incineroar as it threatens LeleGross and Amoongus while helping set up Trick Room
*Scrafty is also viable, providing Fake Out, Intimidate, and Snarl Support ​
*Pairs well with Ghost types, as Ally Switch can cover and neutralize both Pokemon's weaknesses
*Currently most commonly paired with both Mega Charizard X and Y as P2 deters Intimidators such as Landorus, Salamence, and Gyarados with OHKOs using Ice Beam and Thunderbolt *Also commonly ran with Tapu Fini or Tapu Koko, which stop Spore from preventing Trick Room Setup

Comments

Other Resources

VGC 2018 Teams

Naganadel Analysis

Salamence Analysis (Mega Croissant)

Charizard Y Analysis

Lurantis Analysis

Aegislash Analysis

Kartana Analysis

Snorlax Analysis

Gengar Analysis

Alolan Marowak Analysis