Pokémon X and Y are awesome games and have some amazing new Pokémon for you to catch and use. But the question is just how good these are the new Pokémon in a competitive sense? Where better to start with the first Pokémon we ever saw from Kalos, the starters!
Delphox
Fennekin was initially a very popular starter Pokémon. Even more so when players found out that it was not another Fire/Fighting-type starter. So the hype for this Pokémon hit fever pitch and soon players were greeted with a Witch themed Fire/Psychic-type Pokémon at level 36.
Sadly though, as striking as Delphox looks, it is actually not that great as a competitive Pokémon. It has an average move pool at best and despite its base 100 (ish) speed can still be countered and dealt with rather easily. There are also other Fire Pokémon that can do Delphox’s job a lot better such as Chandelure and even Volcarona.
It’s a shame but it seems Delphox is most likely heading for the NeverUsed or RarelyUsed tiers and isn’t even really worth developing a move set for. Just whack on some good Fire and Psychic moves and it should be fine.
Chesnaught
Poor Chespin. Since you were shown all those months ago, players had pegged you as the silly looking Grass-type starter Pokémon. Very few players had high expectations for this Spiny Nut Pokémon so you can imagine the surprise when this cute little critter evolved into the Spiny Armor Pokémon at level 36. Like Delphox, there are other Pokémon who can do Chesnaught’s job better such as Breloom, another Grass/Fighting-type Pokémon who has access to good moves such as Spore and Mach Punch.
So why you ask is Chesnaught a bit better then Delphox in a competitive sense? Spiky Shield. Chesnaught’s signature move gives it not only survivability but also the power to fight back at the same time and with a base defence of 122 and attack of 107, this Pokémon can take a hit and hit back hard.
Moves
The moves here are split into your preferred play type. Seed Bomb and Brick Break may be weaker attacks but do not have the downsides that the other moves have. However, if you want to hit hard when you can then the other stronger moves are for you, jst be aware, they can miss! If you are playing the long game using Leech Seed is a great method to wear down a Pokémon over time but if you want to see a big change in HP (while healing yourself a bit) and are a bit more of a risk taker, Pain Split is a better choice.
Chesnaught’s ability should stay as Overgrow so it can hit harder just before it goes down and its nature should be Impish. This will give it a boost in defence while lowering its special attack. For its EV’s via super training, put 252 points into Attack and Defence and 4 into Speed. If you want your Chesnaught to survive a bit longer however, instead of Attack put 252 points into HP instead. The final touch to this set is to let Chesnaught hold the Rocky Helmet item to make sure even if your opponent hits it, they will constantly be taking more damage as a result.
Chesnaught can make a great defensive Pokémon and if used correctly can really dish out some damage while protecting itself and hit hard when it needs to. As long as it stays away from Special Attacking Pokémon and Flying-type moves this Pokémon could see some decent play in the RarlyUsed and UnderUsed tiers.
Greninja
Froakie was by far the most loved out of this generation’s starter Pokémon. He looked cool but cute and players had huge expectations about this bubble frog Pokémon and dear lord, this Pokémon met those expectations and then some. At level 36, trainers were greeted with Greninja, the Ninja Pokémon, boasting a ridiculous 122 based speed stat and a based special attack stat of 103 and a great typing of Water/Dark.
But why this Pokémon excels is the fact its hidden ability is Protean. This makes it so that before the Pokémon uses a move, it becomes a pure Pokémon of that type. Confused? This means if Greninja uses Ice Beam, it would become an Ice-type. It uses Extrasensory; it becomes a Psychic-type etc. This means EVERY move Greninja does has STAB (Same Attack Type Bonus; the moves power is increased by 1.5), this coupled with a very large move pool means that this Pokémon can dish out damage fast and with devastating effect.
Moves
The moves here are again purely for preference but every move needs to hit and hit hard. Spikes is a must as it changes Greninja’s type to Ground meaning it can dodge any powerful Electric type moves with ease and Scald instead of Surf is for players who love causing status effects and annoying Physical Attacking wall Pokémon (looking at you Aegislash!)
Obviously then, Greninja’s ability has to be Protean and its nature has to be Timid; this boosts Speed while lowing attack and makes sure that nothing will out speed this Pokémon. Following this trend, 252 EV points need to go into Greninja’s Special Attack and Speed and 4 in HP. Lastly, the best item for it to hold is the Expert Belt, this allows its already STAB boosted attacks to hit much more harder if the attack is Super Effective, and with the large variety of moves at Greninja’s disposal, this should happen very frequently.
Greninja is a scarily good Special Attacking Pokémon which can out speed and one shot Garchomps and Mega Blazikens with ease giving it a firm place in the OverUsed tier despite its frailness. If the opponent doesn’t have a decent priority move or a Special Defensive Pokémon laying in the wings you can be sure that a Greninja will be taking a decent chunk out of trainer’s teams.
That’s it for now but be sure to let us know if you liked these set-ups and if you use them yourself, but also if you disagree. Is there something we missed? Do tell!