Hey Trainers, the candidate members for the Community Day for September and October were recently announced; Porygon, Charmander, Grimer, and Caterpie.
The moves are TBD from now on, but it’s clear that the winner of the vote will be the Community Day Pokemon for September, and the runner up will be on display for October. If your favorite is a silver medal winner, do not be afraid, then get the chance.
We go 1 by 1 to measure the potential PvP of a Pokemon and the livability of the raid and the shiny shape of each.
Porygon
Potential interesting moves: Tri attack * Normal, Dismissal Electric, Giga Impact Normal, Shadowball Spirit
Shiny Comparison:
- Porygon2 stats: 198a / 180d / 198s
- Porygon-Z stats: 264a / 150d / 198s
PvP Meta: With Lock-On, Porygon2 and Porygon-Z were already hard-hitting bruises in the Ultra and Master leagues. Their attack speed, shabby coverage, and Porygon-Z’s vulnerability held them back. The 2 rely on Return as their movement of choice, which can cause them to struggle against ordinary steel types. With a faster charge attack, even just 45-50 energy, they would be the kings of spam as bait. If Tri-Attack is a fast move and that’s what they get, then they’ll be in trouble … Well, it’s a new shine, it’s going to win the vote.
Raid Meta: Normally is not a good type for robbery. Move on.
- PvP rating: 4/5
- Raid Rating: 1/5
Charmander
Potential interesting moves: Fire Fang Fire, Dragon Breath dragon, Dragon Tail dragon, Thunder Punch Electric, Fly , Rock Slide Rock, Blaze Kick Fire, Loket Fight, Envy dragon, Flare Blitz * Fire
Shiny Comparison:
- Charizard Stats: 223a / 173d / 186s
- Mega Charizard X theoretical statistics: 273a / 213d / 186s
- Mega Charizard Y theoretical statistics: 319a / 212d / 186s
Note: Since we do not know how mega-evolutions will be implemented, we will focus on vanillazard here.
PvP Meta: Charizard sees a lot of use in Ultra League, as one of the main counters for Venusaur and Abomasnow. It’s charge movements are top tier, with the absolute power of Blast Burn and the spam / bait of Dragon Claw. However, it really needs a quick move, because Fire Spin is something you can control yourself if you want to. Fire Fang would compliment it well, as a faster, higher DPS alternative to Fire Spin that makes it less dependent on its charge movements. It could also use Dragon Breath, a notoriously fast-paced movement, to help its matchups where fire is resisted and turn some games around. It could also get cargo coverage, like Thunder Punch to deal with water or Rock Slide to deal with flying, but having 2 legacy cargo moves is less than ideal.
Raids: Fire Fang would give Charizard a slight advantage in DPS, but not enough to turn every tide. Outrage like Dragon Tail would help Mega Charizard X, but again we do not know how it will be implemented. Also, it could only get one of those moves, and Mega Rayquaza and Salamence exist.
- PvP rating: 3/5
- Raid Rating: 3/5 (Charizard was already decent)
Grimer
Potential interesting moves (shared): Payback * Dark, Ice Punch Iis, Fire Punch Fire, Power-Up-Punch Fight, Rock Slide Rock
Shiny Comparison:
- Kanto Muk Stats: 190a / 172d / 233s
- Alolan Muk Stats: 190a / 172d / 233s
PvP Meta: Alolan Muk is already seen as a powerhouse in Ultra, with its only weakness of Ground and respectable bulk. The crazy energy gain of Snarl and the solid DPS of Dark Pulse can be scary for the unprepared. The main counters are Pokemon that can resist its attacks or downplay it with real moves like debuffs. It could learn many moves to cover its weaknesses, such as Fire Punch to defeat Registeel and Articuno, Ice Punch to destroy Dragons and deal with ground more easily, or Power-Up-Punch to become a monster. It could also pick up Machamp’s missed opportunity, Payback.
Raids: Poison is a shallow meta, and Muk can’t really participate (or get any news for the cause). Alolan Muk does not fit well for Dark, as that is in the same league as Ghost, which has some of the strongest raiders.
- K. PvP rating: 2 (use alolan)
- A. PvP Rating: 5
- Raid Rating: 1
Caterpie
Potential interesting moves: Air Slash , Energy Ball Gers, Shadowball Spirit, Hurricane
Shiny Comparison:
- Butterfree Stats: 164a / 137d / 155s
PvP Meta: Those stats are bad, the type is bad, and it does not matter what it gets it has to do with poor load and / or fast movements. It’s just … bad.
Raids: At least it’s a nice gloss.
- PvP rating: 1/5
- Raid Rating: 0/5
Conclusion
It’s pretty obvious what’s going to win (here’s a hint: it’s the new shine), but the runner up, in my opinion, depends entirely on the move, as both Alolan Muk and Charizard Ultra League -staples are with some exploitable holes that can be patched up. However, Caterpie should not win, sorry Caterpie fans. Just vote for what you want, because all 3 viable options could shake the PvP meta. Honesty is the shame one has to lose.
Stay civil, Trainers.
