Battle Center Discussion #3 - Eviolite

Battle Center Discussion #3 - Eviolite

Hey guys, and welcome to the third instalment of the BCD - the Battle Center's weekly discussion thread for different aspects of the Metagame. Related things will be posted every Wednesday, ranging from Pokemon, to moves, abilities, strategies and more. At the end of the week, the old thread will be unstickied, but people are still free to post in it, and a new one will take its place. If you have any suggestions for future discussion topics, post in the thread or PM a Battle Center Moderator.

This week's discussion topic is the item Eviolite, introduced with the advent of Gen V.

How has it affected battling? What Pokemon benefit or lose out as a result of this? Do you think it was a step in the right direction? Did it give stall Pokemon the boon they need? This is the place to talk about it!

I think the evolite was pure genius. The best thing about it is my unevolved Pokemon don't die as fast due to the upped special defense + Defense. Now my Pokemon who couldn't survive a hit, now can survive at least one. :D

Dusknoir started crying the moment Eviolite came into existance.

This item completely changed Little Cup. It is the reason stall teams even exist there.

It's the Choice items of defense, except better. It suddenly makes Chansey like, better then Blissey.

Blissey is still better in certain weathers. Chansey is generally the best choice in Clear Skies.

I like how it does give unevolved Pokemon a competitive use in certain tiers that they shouldn't belong in, and when they would be outclassed by other evolved Pokemon. Yea, it really only works on certain viable Pokemon, like Duskclops, Scyther, and Chansey, and you don't see random Taillows and Doduos running around, but I still think it's a nice option to have. I did actually see someone run a SpDef focused Eviolite Magmar in a sun team once that worked surpringly well. I think it was in UU, but I don't remember. It really threw me off guard though. xD

Haunter is pretty good in low tiers running sub disable now too.

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Originally Posted by Takaki

Haunter is pretty good in low tiers running sub disable now too.

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I tried a SubDisable Haunter in NU a while ago and it was amazing. I think I ran Life Orb on it though.

I actually don't think Eviolite changed LC all that much. The boost from Oran Berry is often a better trade off than running Eviolite with no recovery, and a lot of Pokemon use Oran Berry/Life Orb over Eviolite.

With regards to other tiers, it made a lot of previously neglected Pokemon very good. Porygon2 was used a fair bit in DP OU but its role changed from a Trace abuser (annoying Intimidaters like Gyara, Mence, stealing Jolteon's Volt Absorb, etc.) to more of a bulky sweeper. Apart from Porygon2 and Chansey (to an extent), so many ignored Pokemon became very viable.

If you look through a Little Cup rate my team, usually at least two out of the six hold Eviolite. Oran Berry can be better but really Eviolite generally appears to see more usage.

Eviolite definitely increased the versatility of teams in LC.

I'm seeing a lot more knockoff users as a consequence too. It comes in handy, because then Chansey will die to FOcus Blast much more easily.

I don't know why Knock Off isn't used more often. Pretty much every Pokemon appreciates an item, although some only for one turn like gems, Toxic/Flame Orbs or Trick abusers. Still, if it hits an Eviolite user, they basically become so much more frail and some just become deathfodder.

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Originally Posted by Synthesis

Still, if it hits an Eviolite user, they basically become so much more frail and some just become deathfodder.

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Exactly. I don't tend to run any Eviolite user on my stall teams because it just increases the team's weakness to being Tricked. Generally if my Poké is gonna be crippled, I want it to be the superior one.

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Originally Posted by Synthesis

I don't know why Knock Off isn't used more often.

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It's opportunity cost, a lot of pokemon have a lot of better things to do.