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)

Aegislash Analysis

Lurantis Analysis

Charizard Y Analysis

Kartana Analysis

Landorus-T, the King of VGC

Gengar Analysis

Snorlax Analysis