DPP: Castform (Minor-Full Revamp)
Progress: Peer Editing, all that Jazz.
Im also hoping my post count doesn't get in the way. :D Here we goooooo...
[SET]
name: Special Castform
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Energy Ball
item: Choice Specs / Salac Berry / Expert Belt
nature: Modest
evs: 80 Def / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Castform has a very diverse movepool, and this set takes full advantage of that. Ice Beam covers Altaria, a threat that must be covered for every UU pokemon. Thunderbolt deals with Swellow and other flying types that can give you trouble. Flamethrower and Energy Ball are also there for coverage. As for the item, Choice Specs is the best choice when thinking about sheer power, but it forces you to switch out your little ball-o-fun at certain points. Salac Berry is another option, as Castform can barely survive most unbolted hits. This activates Salac Berry and possibly sets up a sweep! The Expert Belt is the least risky of the three, but also the least rewarding. But it uses Castform's amazing coverage to it's full advantage, by giving boosts to Super Effective attacks. The Petaya Berry can also be used with Paralysis support. The only thing holding this set back are Castforms poor Special Attack and Speed. This set also makes a FANTASTIC Baton Pass recipient. </p>
[SET]
name: Singin' in the Rain
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Weather Ball
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Thunder
item: Expert Belt / Damp Rock
nature: Modest
evs: 74 Def / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>When it comes to Castform's weather option, this one is probably the 2nd best. (Although Rain Dance teams are much more viable then Sunny Day teams as of now.) With STAB and Rain in play, Weather Ball reaches 2x Effectiveness, and mixed with the Expert Belt, could cause some real terror. The Damp Rock isn't recommended unless you find your Castform needing to constantly replenish itself, which rarely happens. Ice beam is again, to take out Altaria and other Dragons/Flyers. Thunder deals with Honkchrow, Poliwrath, Mantine, and Golduck, all threats to Rain Dance teams. </p>
[SET]
name: The Sun is Shinin'!
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Weather Ball/Fire Blast
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: SolarBeam
item: Expert Belt / Heat Rock
nature: Modest
evs: 74 Def / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Remember when I said Rain Dance was the second best? This is the one that outclasses it. Not only does Weather Ball get the same bonus mentioned before, SolarBeam is also thrown into the mix. Now that we we have the advantages of the sun, Ice Beam can cover that pesky Altaria. Heat Rock is more viable here since Castform relies extremely heavily on weather because of SolarBeam. </p>
[SET]
name: All Hail Castform!
move 1: Hail/Flamethrower
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Energy Ball
item: Icy Rock / Expert Belt
nature: Modest
evs: 80 Def / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Castform gets an incredibly powerful Blizzard here, and its STAB Energy Ball is nothing to laugh at. Since most UU and NU Hail teams run Snover, it's not very useful to run Icy Rock or Hail. Actually, if your planning on using Hail, the Hail version of the next set is just as good, taking advantage of Castform's stall capabilities.</p>
[SET]
name: Rest Talk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Blizzard / Solarbeam / Thunder / Thunderbolt / Energy Ball
move 4: Ice Beam / Energy Ball / Thunderbolt / Flamethrower/ Rain Dance / Sunny Day
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 16 SpA / 120 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although RestTalk on such a frail pokemon may sound retarded at first, Castform may be able to get some decent results out of it. Since unbolted hits usually leave it just barely alive, A rest set will let it continuously heal itself. The next two slots are all about what set your using. If under weather, choose your weather's respective move for the third slot, and Sun/Rain teams might want to pick up a replenisher move, just in case. Note that that leaves sleep talk a 1/3 chance of doing damage. Your other choices are just coverage. And again, this set is one of the riskiest things you've ever seen. Use with caution. </p>
[Team Options]
<p>On weather teams, Castform fills in the type coverage that is lacked by most pokemon, along with using the weather's advantage. He also offers some sweeping potential, and his Special Attacking set makes a great Baton Pass recipient. </p>
[Other Options]
<p>Sandstorm is a no-go; Castform doesn't change type. Thunder Wave has it's uses in some situations. </p>
[EVs]
<p>Modest is the only Nature I'd give Castform. EVs should be focused on Speed and Special Attack in all sets with the exception of the Resttalk option, in which they are more defense based. </p>
[Opinion]
<p>Castform is really a mixed bag. He has a diverse movepool that works with UU weather teams exceptionally, and coverage that goes through the roof. But his defensive options aren't so great, and it's difficult to keep the poor guy alive. Ultimately, Castform won't be taking even the UU metagame by storm any time soon, but in NU, he has a huge chance in making his mark. Castform automatically gives your team +10 cool points, and also has some very valuable options. It sadly has no chance in the OU metagame, however. </p>
</p>
[Counters]
<p>In OU, basically every Steel Type completely walls it, along with Salamance (But watch out for Ice Beam). In UU, Lanturn covers him as long as he's not running an Energy Ball. It's more difficult to counter Castform in NU, but Hypno does relatively well. </p>
Progress: Peer Editing, all that Jazz.
Im also hoping my post count doesn't get in the way. :D Here we goooooo...
[SET]
name: Special Castform
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Energy Ball
item: Choice Specs / Salac Berry / Expert Belt
nature: Modest
evs: 80 Def / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Castform has a very diverse movepool, and this set takes full advantage of that. Ice Beam covers Altaria, a threat that must be covered for every UU pokemon. Thunderbolt deals with Swellow and other flying types that can give you trouble. Flamethrower and Energy Ball are also there for coverage. As for the item, Choice Specs is the best choice when thinking about sheer power, but it forces you to switch out your little ball-o-fun at certain points. Salac Berry is another option, as Castform can barely survive most unbolted hits. This activates Salac Berry and possibly sets up a sweep! The Expert Belt is the least risky of the three, but also the least rewarding. But it uses Castform's amazing coverage to it's full advantage, by giving boosts to Super Effective attacks. The Petaya Berry can also be used with Paralysis support. The only thing holding this set back are Castforms poor Special Attack and Speed. This set also makes a FANTASTIC Baton Pass recipient. </p>
[SET]
name: Singin' in the Rain
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Weather Ball
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Thunder
item: Expert Belt / Damp Rock
nature: Modest
evs: 74 Def / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>When it comes to Castform's weather option, this one is probably the 2nd best. (Although Rain Dance teams are much more viable then Sunny Day teams as of now.) With STAB and Rain in play, Weather Ball reaches 2x Effectiveness, and mixed with the Expert Belt, could cause some real terror. The Damp Rock isn't recommended unless you find your Castform needing to constantly replenish itself, which rarely happens. Ice beam is again, to take out Altaria and other Dragons/Flyers. Thunder deals with Honkchrow, Poliwrath, Mantine, and Golduck, all threats to Rain Dance teams. </p>
[SET]
name: The Sun is Shinin'!
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Weather Ball/Fire Blast
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: SolarBeam
item: Expert Belt / Heat Rock
nature: Modest
evs: 74 Def / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Remember when I said Rain Dance was the second best? This is the one that outclasses it. Not only does Weather Ball get the same bonus mentioned before, SolarBeam is also thrown into the mix. Now that we we have the advantages of the sun, Ice Beam can cover that pesky Altaria. Heat Rock is more viable here since Castform relies extremely heavily on weather because of SolarBeam. </p>
[SET]
name: All Hail Castform!
move 1: Hail/Flamethrower
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Energy Ball
item: Icy Rock / Expert Belt
nature: Modest
evs: 80 Def / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Castform gets an incredibly powerful Blizzard here, and its STAB Energy Ball is nothing to laugh at. Since most UU and NU Hail teams run Snover, it's not very useful to run Icy Rock or Hail. Actually, if your planning on using Hail, the Hail version of the next set is just as good, taking advantage of Castform's stall capabilities.</p>
[SET]
name: Rest Talk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Blizzard / Solarbeam / Thunder / Thunderbolt / Energy Ball
move 4: Ice Beam / Energy Ball / Thunderbolt / Flamethrower/ Rain Dance / Sunny Day
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 16 SpA / 120 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although RestTalk on such a frail pokemon may sound retarded at first, Castform may be able to get some decent results out of it. Since unbolted hits usually leave it just barely alive, A rest set will let it continuously heal itself. The next two slots are all about what set your using. If under weather, choose your weather's respective move for the third slot, and Sun/Rain teams might want to pick up a replenisher move, just in case. Note that that leaves sleep talk a 1/3 chance of doing damage. Your other choices are just coverage. And again, this set is one of the riskiest things you've ever seen. Use with caution. </p>
[Team Options]
<p>On weather teams, Castform fills in the type coverage that is lacked by most pokemon, along with using the weather's advantage. He also offers some sweeping potential, and his Special Attacking set makes a great Baton Pass recipient. </p>
[Other Options]
<p>Sandstorm is a no-go; Castform doesn't change type. Thunder Wave has it's uses in some situations. </p>
[EVs]
<p>Modest is the only Nature I'd give Castform. EVs should be focused on Speed and Special Attack in all sets with the exception of the Resttalk option, in which they are more defense based. </p>
[Opinion]
<p>Castform is really a mixed bag. He has a diverse movepool that works with UU weather teams exceptionally, and coverage that goes through the roof. But his defensive options aren't so great, and it's difficult to keep the poor guy alive. Ultimately, Castform won't be taking even the UU metagame by storm any time soon, but in NU, he has a huge chance in making his mark. Castform automatically gives your team +10 cool points, and also has some very valuable options. It sadly has no chance in the OU metagame, however. </p>
</p>
[Counters]
<p>In OU, basically every Steel Type completely walls it, along with Salamance (But watch out for Ice Beam). In UU, Lanturn covers him as long as he's not running an Energy Ball. It's more difficult to counter Castform in NU, but Hypno does relatively well. </p>
