I think the most overlooked and underrated status condition is Sleep. Sure, you think that it's a 50% curable condition like burn. But Sleep has some amazing attributes, such as:
A. Not letting your opponent attack
B. Not letting your opponent retreat
C. Giving your opponent a chance to heal itself both BEFORE and AFTER their turn, allowing you to plan your strategy accordingly.
Obviously, B is the most important one. Seriously, some Pokemon Professors I met didn't even know that...(it was even in the beginner rulebooks found in theme decks...)
So, using the awesome power of Sleep, we can utilize an amazing lock strategy:
OK, here goes.
The strategy is to Sleep Pearl with Spoink, and then switch to Gothitelle. Gothitelle will Trainer Lock them regardless, preventing Scoop Ups, Switches, Catchers, etc. So if the opponent's Pokemon is Asleep, they'll be successfully locked into doing nothing but attaching an Energy and using a Supporter. Genius.
OK, I know what you're thinking. It's only a 50% chance, right? Well, do realize that Gothitelle is not just some weak frail Pokemon. It has a great 130 HP, along with an amazing move that should be doing 90 damage for 3 energy. Even if the opponent DOES wake up, they'll still be trainer locked and hard-pressed to find a way to OHKO Gothitelle; remember, Plus Powers won't work (HAHA ZEKROM).
So either way, your opponent will be stuck with limited choices while you have the full opportunity to attack, retreat, heal, kill, do whatever.
It's a great strategy on its own, but with a little help...
Enter Dodrio. It's preferred so you can setup easier. Metagross UL would work as well, but that's a Stage 2 (Although it will last much longer and can do some great damage). Dodrio allows Gothitelle to retreat for free, allowing the Sleep Pearl combo to be used indefinitely. You have to choose between Sleep Pearling and Mad Kinesis-ing, but having Dodrio can give you that freedom.
Enter Serperior. It has the awesome ability Royal Heal, which is basically the return of Nidoqueen. A 1-1-1 line helps keep Gothitelle in great shape, as well as stopping many snipers from doing their job.
The advantage of this over traditional Vileplume lock is that you have the freedom to use Trainers as well. Feel free to give the Spoink an Eviolite, the Gothitelle a Rocky Helmet, and use as many Communications and Junk Arms as you like.
Any comments? All are appreciated! Thanks in advance!
A. Not letting your opponent attack
B. Not letting your opponent retreat
C. Giving your opponent a chance to heal itself both BEFORE and AFTER their turn, allowing you to plan your strategy accordingly.
Obviously, B is the most important one. Seriously, some Pokemon Professors I met didn't even know that...(it was even in the beginner rulebooks found in theme decks...)
So, using the awesome power of Sleep, we can utilize an amazing lock strategy:
OK, here goes.
The strategy is to Sleep Pearl with Spoink, and then switch to Gothitelle. Gothitelle will Trainer Lock them regardless, preventing Scoop Ups, Switches, Catchers, etc. So if the opponent's Pokemon is Asleep, they'll be successfully locked into doing nothing but attaching an Energy and using a Supporter. Genius.
OK, I know what you're thinking. It's only a 50% chance, right? Well, do realize that Gothitelle is not just some weak frail Pokemon. It has a great 130 HP, along with an amazing move that should be doing 90 damage for 3 energy. Even if the opponent DOES wake up, they'll still be trainer locked and hard-pressed to find a way to OHKO Gothitelle; remember, Plus Powers won't work (HAHA ZEKROM).
So either way, your opponent will be stuck with limited choices while you have the full opportunity to attack, retreat, heal, kill, do whatever.
It's a great strategy on its own, but with a little help...
Enter Dodrio. It's preferred so you can setup easier. Metagross UL would work as well, but that's a Stage 2 (Although it will last much longer and can do some great damage). Dodrio allows Gothitelle to retreat for free, allowing the Sleep Pearl combo to be used indefinitely. You have to choose between Sleep Pearling and Mad Kinesis-ing, but having Dodrio can give you that freedom.
Enter Serperior. It has the awesome ability Royal Heal, which is basically the return of Nidoqueen. A 1-1-1 line helps keep Gothitelle in great shape, as well as stopping many snipers from doing their job.
The advantage of this over traditional Vileplume lock is that you have the freedom to use Trainers as well. Feel free to give the Spoink an Eviolite, the Gothitelle a Rocky Helmet, and use as many Communications and Junk Arms as you like.
Any comments? All are appreciated! Thanks in advance!
