[OVERVIEW]
In a landscape dominated by strong offensive Normal-types, Porygon appears outclassed and outgunned by all, especially by Wigglytuff, which is the default bulky, recovery-using Normal-type that blanket checks special attackers like Xatu, Dewgong, and Chinchou. However, Recover is a saving grace, being one of the best moves in Generation 2 and single-handedly making Porygon a legitimate pick. Recover's astonishing 32 PP makes Porygon far more resilient a wall than its stats would show, turning otherwise 3HKOs from unboosted attackers like Xatu, Octillery, and Graveler into attacks that never break past a healthy Porygon without critical hits. Recover also frees up a moveslot since Porygon does not have to use both Rest and Sleep Talk. Porygon additionally has a solid movepool outside of Recover, as well as a good Special Attack stat and the overall amazing Normal typing, allowing it to utilize Recover to the fullest. Porygon answers Xatu and Dewgong well, using Recover to heal off any damage while hitting them super effectively or setting up Curse in return. Porygon can also help to answer Dugtrio and Curse Stantler, 2HKOing the former with Double-Edge or Ice Beam and paralyzing the latter. It's additionally a prime candidate for spreading paralysis with Thunder Wave, using its solid bulk, Recover, and mere one weakness to slow down offensive threats and support slow but dangerous teammates, such as Kingler. However, Porygon still has plenty of flaws, the main ones being competition and vulnerability to status. Porygon has very low base stats when compared to other Normal-types like Fearow, Stantler, and Wigglytuff, all of which are much better than Porygon, primarily Wigglytuff as previously mentioned. Porygon is also the only recovery-using pure Normal-type that cannot effectively check Chinchou or Ninetales, as, although Recover is generally far better than RestTalk, it also means Porygon can't absorb status, so any Thunder paralysis or Toxic poison will effectively make Porygon useless; Sludge Bomb's poison rate also prevents Porygon from being a decent check to Weezing. Porygon is also incredibly slow; the only common Pokemon slower are Graveler, Sudowoodo, and Pineco, meaning Porygon is incredibly reliant on spreading paralysis and gets forced to repeatedly use Recover, instead of using an attacking move. This massive opens it up to critical hits, Ice Beam freezes, or Psychic Special Defense drops from the likes of Octillery, Dewgong, and Xatu on the switch or if they choose to stay in.
[SET]
name: BoltBeam
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunder Wave / Thief
move 4: Recover
item: Leftovers / No Item
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Thunder and Ice Beam are the best combination of special attacks to hit the highest number of common Pokemon for super effective damage, such as Xatu, Octillery, Dugtrio, Dewgong, Fearow, and Pupitar. Thunder Wave significantly reduces what can safely switch into and take advantage of Porygon, crippling targets like Magmar, Kingler, Flareon, Weezing, Stantler, and Primeape that lack RestTalk. Thunder Wave also is generally a great move to use into basically anything, as actually outspeeding foes allows Porygon to use its moves much more safely; the same speed control works great to support slow but powerful teammates, namely Kingler, Curse Stantler, Primeape, and Magmar, which appreciate threats like Xatu, Fearow, and Weezing being slowed down and potentially fully paralyzed. This particular Porygon set is a great threat to many Xatu + Dugtrio Spikes teams—one of the most common and dominant team structures in the tier—as the only Pokemon commonly used on them that can handle BoltBeam Porygon without being ruined by Thunder Wave is Wigglytuff, which is still not on a majority of them. Still, this potential to face Wigglytuff is the main reason why Thief is a good consideration; Wigglytuff's ability to take hits is significantly reduced without Leftovers, especially with Spikes on the field. Also, Porygon has good enough Special Attack and super effective coverage to gradually chip down threats that can answer a Porygon that lacks Thunder Wave, like Weezing, over the course of a game, which are also further being chipped by Spikes. However, Thief of course leaves Porygon without the all-round amazing utility of Thunder Wave, meaning it has to try and fish for paralysis with Thunder, a mere 21% chance factoring in accuracy; Thief can also only steal one item, and not having Leftovers when first attempting to switch in, especially with Spikes on the field, can make finding entry for Porygon more difficult.
Team Options
========
Weezing is the best partner for Porygon, appreciating Porygon's prowess in checking Xatu and Dugtrio while taking on Primeape and Hitmonlee itself, and it can use Explosion to eliminate a Wigglytuff or Ninetales that walls Porygon. Pineco is also a prime teammate for Porygon, as its Spikes wears down walls like Wigglytuff and Ninetales, which Porygon struggles with. Fearow and Xatu help to check Primeape, Hitmonlee, Gloom, and RestTalk Stantler while appreciating Porygon's ability to take on Dewgong and Graveler; Porygon can also steal the Leftovers from Wigglytuff or Sudowoodo, which helps Fearow and Xatu wallbreak. Rock-types like Sudowoodo and Graveler serve as effective answers to Pineco, Wigglytuff, and Weezing—bar if Weezing has Hidden Power Water—which can take advantage of Porygon, and Porygon can handle Dewgong and—if at high health—Octillery for them. Graveler also clears away Spikes with Rapid Spin, making entry for Porygon easier. Octillery itself is a great ally for Porygon, stopping Ninetales and Sudowoodo in their tracks, and Octillery and Porygon can help each other in checking Xatu, other Octillery, and Ground-types like Dugtrio and Graveler so that neither gets overwhelmed too quickly. Good wincons that take advantage of paralysis, such as Kingler, Curse + Light Screen Stantler, and Primeape, like having Thunder Wave Porygon around to facilitate setup and check Xatu. Thunder Wave also makes setup easier for Wigglytuff, as does Porygon checking Sudowoodo and Graveler for it, and Wigglytuff can answer Chinchou, unlike Porygon, which is afraid of Thunder paralysis. Ninetales also has great synergy with Porygon, as Porygon can switch into and threaten out Octillery, Dewgong, and Graveler, while Ninetales walls Weezing and is a great answer to Magnemite. Gloom also works well with Porygon, halting Primeape, Hitmonlee, Chinchou, and Octillery that lack Ice Beam, while Porygon can switch into Xatu and Dewgong for Gloom; the two also combine to form a potentially overwhelming, paralysis-spamming core, with Gloom having Stun Spore and Porygon having Thunder Wave.
[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Double-Edge
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Recover
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Curse Porygon may appear outclassed by other Curse Normal-types, mainly Wigglytuff and the rare Dunsparce, especially since they also have access to paralysis moves—Thunder Wave or Body Slam and Glare, respectively. Porygon often gets overshadowed by Wigglytuff, but it makes up for this in waves by having Recover, allowing it to find setup and switch-in opportunities far more easily; Recover only using one moveslot also means Porygon can fit both recovery and the valuable paralysis spreading of Thunder Wave, whereas Wigglytuff and Dunsparce solely miss Sleep Talk if using a paralysis move, as their best self-healing move is Rest—the exception being Body Slam Wigglytuff, which retains Sleep Talk but can't spread paralysis as reliably. Porygon also differentiates itself from these two by being able to actively switch into Sudowoodo and Graveler, boosting up with Curse and and using Recover to stay healthy, forcing them to use Self-Destruct or Explosion, respectively, to take Porygon out. The combination of Curse, Thunder Wave, and Recover is so notable because Thunder Wave means Porygon will outspeed foes despite lowering its own Speed with Curse, and any full paralysis will be a free turn where Porygon does not have to use Recover, letting it continue powering up with Curse or just launch a boosted Double-Edge. The recoil of Double-Edge is a negligible drawback compared to Return's lower power due to Recover, and Porygon needs as much power as it can get with such a low Attack stat. Curse also importantly makes Porygon a decent switch-in to Stantler if at full health, avoiding a 2HKO even with Spikes up and paralyzing Stantler with Thunder Wave, proceeding to boost up with Curse and beat Stantler. RestTalk Stantler cannot match Porygon's boosts and can just give Porygon ample setup opportunity while Curse + Light Screen Stantler hates being paralyzed.
Team Options
========
Solid teammates for Curse Porygon are Weezing, Xatu, and Fearow, which can all take on Primeape and Hitmonlee; Octillery shuts down Ninetales and Sudowoodo; Sudowoodo and especially Graveler help prevent Pineco, Wigglytuff, and Weezing from using Porygon to set up or launch attacks; Ninetales stops Weezing and Magnemite. Pokemon that enjoy Porygon's paralysis Xatu-checking capabilities, like Kingler and Primeape, make for good partners as well. Fearow, RestTalk Persian, Fire Blast Weezing, and Sunny Day Ninetales get a special mention as teammates, as they appreciate Porygon's ability to force Sudowoodo and Graveler to sacrifice themselves to beat it.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ice Beam can be used in place of Thunder Wave on the Curse set in order to let Porygon break past Pupitar, as well as immediately threatening Xatu and especially Dugtrio without worrying about taking recoil. However, this makes it significantly more difficult for Porygon to successfully set up with Curse, as the opposing Pokemon will likely always be faster. Thus, after using Double-Edge, it may be in KO range due to taking a strong special attack before moving, alongside Double-Edge recoil; lacking Thunder Wave also means Porygon can no longer support other slow teammates, like Octillery. Nightmare has potential over Thunder Wave on the BoltBeam set to reduce the safety in switching in an erstwhile wall, especially with Spikes on the field and some prior chip damage, primarily aiming for RestTalk Wigglytuff, Ninetales, Stantler, or Persian. Once again though, it means sacrificing the all-around great utility of Thunder Wave, and Nightmare will likely be useless if BoltBeam Porygon does not encounter one of these foes, as other Rest users like Xatu, Fearow, and Octillery lose to Porygon anyways; Thief also tends to be a superior option against these checks.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Wigglytuff**: Wigglytuff walls the BoltBeam set, not being weak to Thunder or Ice Beam, and Porygon's lack of STAB means it will not significantly damage Wigglytuff, even with Spikes on the field. Wigglytuff, meanwhile, can set up with Curse in its face, easily boosting quickly, breaking past Porygon, and potentially KOing even more Pokemon. However, Double-Edge and Return variants of Wigglytuff stalemate with Curse Porygon, though Body Slam variants can paralyze Porygon and break past it. Wigglytuff does not enjoy Thief Porygon stealing its Leftovers, though Thief also means Porygon will not be carrying Thunder Wave, and will have a more difficult time switching into battle if it has not used Thief yet. Wigglytuff can also be frozen by Ice Beam, though this is highly unreliable, and Wigglytuff will likely be asleep for a notable portion of the time it is in battle, preventing Ice Beam from freezing.
**Ninetales**: Ninetales with Toxic basically counters Porygon, easily walling BoltBeam variants with its massive Special Defense and lack of weakness to Electric or Ice, and it can essentially reduce Porygon to fodder with poison. Curse Porygon is not walled by Ninetales but hates poison so much that it is still deathly afraid of Ninetales. Ninetales also always carries Rest and commonly Sleep Talk to prevent Thunder Wave paralysis, and if it doesn't pack Sleep Talk, then it will be running Roar, which prevents Curse Porygon from even setting up in the first place. However, Ninetales without Toxic is walled by Porygon, though it still walls BoltBeam variants of Porygon back.
**Magnemite**: Magnemite is not weak to any of Thunder, Ice Beam, or Double-Edge and usually runs Thunder, which, if it lands, has a 30% chance to effectively end Porygon on the spot with paralysis. Magnemite also almost always uses Rest and Sleep Talk to heal off paralysis and remain an incredibly dangerous threat while sleeping, and Porygon giving it entry is not ideal. However, Magnemite despises Thief stealing its Leftovers because, with Spikes on the field and no passive healing, it is much more liable to being 3HKOed by Xatu and Fearow on the switch. Thus, it can fail to have any defensive value. While Magnemite can heal off paralysis with Rest, it still does not like being paralyzed; if it is at high health, it will likely have little reason to use Rest and thus can be susceptible to full paralysis, and also it will become slower than everything.
**Fighting-type Attacks**: Primeape and Hitmonlee come close to a flat-out OHKO on Porygon with their STAB attacks, and any minor chip damage, usually from Spikes, will push them over the line. They are not weak to either Thunder or Ice Beam, so RestTalk Hitmonlee hard walls BoltBeam Porygon, while Primeape can come in on a usage of Ice Beam or Recover and proceed to set up a free Substitute, blocking Thunder Wave and preventing the Porygon user from effectively switching around predicted moves. Primeape also occasionally runs RestTalk itself, which also lets it wall BoltBeam Porygon. It can even just critically hit right through any Defense boosts from Curse Porygon, as Cross Chop has a boosted critical hit rate of 25%. However, non-RestTalk Primeape despises Thunder Wave, and Hitmonlee does not enjoy paralysis before it uses Rest. Primeape using Cross Chop can also be exploited with a free switch to Xatu or Weezing, and Primeape may even eventually run out of its 8 PP; Cross Chop also has a 20% chance to miss, and both Primeape and Hitmonlee are 2HKOed by a Curse-boosted Double-Edge; they also cannot OHKO Porygon back if it is healthy. Additionally, while not a Fighting-type itself, Magmar has a high Attack stat and access to Cross Chop, which is a guaranteed OHKO on Porygon if it scores a critical hit, a 20% chance after accuracy; however, this is very risky for the Magmar user, as Magmar hates being paralyzed, and Cross Chop can easily miss or not land a critical hit.
**Pineco**: Pineco can switch into Porygon on a use of Recover, Ice Beam, or Curse, proceed to easily use Spikes, and then either poison Porygon with Toxic or eliminate it outright with Explosion. However, Thunder can 2HKO Pineco with even the slightest amount of chip, usually coming from Spikes. If Pineco is paralyzed by Thunder Wave or Thunder as it switches in, the Porygon user can switch to their own Pineco and proceed to spam Rapid Spin until the opponent's Pineco is fully paralyzed. Pineco then can freely use Spikes, proceed to use Rapid Spin until another full paralysis occurs or Toxic is used, then use Explosion and win the Spikes war by a mile.
**Weezing**: Weezing is faster than Porygon and does not take significant damage from Double-Edge or Thunder, in return fishing for poison from Sludge Bomb while doing solid damage or outright taking out Porygon with Explosion. However, Weezing taking Thunder Wave or having its Leftovers stolen by Thief, prefers to stay healthy to take hits from faster threats like Fearow and Primeape, and has defensive responsibilities beyond handling Porygon; using Explosion means sacrificing Weezing just to eliminate Porygon, which can leave its team vulnerable to Primeape if Porygon chooses to partner with it.
**Rock-types**: Sudowoodo can use Curse in front of Porygon, as it resists Double-Edge, is not weak to Thunder or Ice Beam, and has plenty of bulk. However, Sudowoodo does not enjoy taking Thunder Wave or having its Leftovers taken by Thief, and has to resort to sacrificing itself with Self-Destruct to take out Curse Porygon, as otherwise it won't do enough back to Porygon and will slowly get whittled down by Double-Edge and full paralysis turns. Even RestTalk Sudowoodo has to try and PP stall Porygon, which can even just result in Sudowoodo getting PP stalled itself. Graveler and Pupitar are immune to Thunder Wave, but Graveler cannot break past Porygon without well-timed critical hits or using Explosion on it due to being slower. Pupitar, meanwhile, is not 2HKOed by Ice Beam from full health, can easily break past Curse Porygon with Screech, and is faster; however, it cannot serve as an effective switch-in to Porygon with Ice Beam, unless it is comfortable trading most of its health to take a large chunk out of Porygon, though Porygon still might be able to heal off any damage later.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/beeorsomething.583728/
- Earlier versions written by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/holly.508601/
- Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mrsoup.375193/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/juoean.486979/
- Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/wrathoftheleopard.511181/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adeleine.517429/
In a landscape dominated by strong offensive Normal-types, Porygon appears outclassed and outgunned by all, especially by Wigglytuff, which is the default bulky, recovery-using Normal-type that blanket checks special attackers like Xatu, Dewgong, and Chinchou. However, Recover is a saving grace, being one of the best moves in Generation 2 and single-handedly making Porygon a legitimate pick. Recover's astonishing 32 PP makes Porygon far more resilient a wall than its stats would show, turning otherwise 3HKOs from unboosted attackers like Xatu, Octillery, and Graveler into attacks that never break past a healthy Porygon without critical hits. Recover also frees up a moveslot since Porygon does not have to use both Rest and Sleep Talk. Porygon additionally has a solid movepool outside of Recover, as well as a good Special Attack stat and the overall amazing Normal typing, allowing it to utilize Recover to the fullest. Porygon answers Xatu and Dewgong well, using Recover to heal off any damage while hitting them super effectively or setting up Curse in return. Porygon can also help to answer Dugtrio and Curse Stantler, 2HKOing the former with Double-Edge or Ice Beam and paralyzing the latter. It's additionally a prime candidate for spreading paralysis with Thunder Wave, using its solid bulk, Recover, and mere one weakness to slow down offensive threats and support slow but dangerous teammates, such as Kingler. However, Porygon still has plenty of flaws, the main ones being competition and vulnerability to status. Porygon has very low base stats when compared to other Normal-types like Fearow, Stantler, and Wigglytuff, all of which are much better than Porygon, primarily Wigglytuff as previously mentioned. Porygon is also the only recovery-using pure Normal-type that cannot effectively check Chinchou or Ninetales, as, although Recover is generally far better than RestTalk, it also means Porygon can't absorb status, so any Thunder paralysis or Toxic poison will effectively make Porygon useless; Sludge Bomb's poison rate also prevents Porygon from being a decent check to Weezing. Porygon is also incredibly slow; the only common Pokemon slower are Graveler, Sudowoodo, and Pineco, meaning Porygon is incredibly reliant on spreading paralysis and gets forced to repeatedly use Recover, instead of using an attacking move. This massive opens it up to critical hits, Ice Beam freezes, or Psychic Special Defense drops from the likes of Octillery, Dewgong, and Xatu on the switch or if they choose to stay in.
[SET]
name: BoltBeam
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunder Wave / Thief
move 4: Recover
item: Leftovers / No Item
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Thunder and Ice Beam are the best combination of special attacks to hit the highest number of common Pokemon for super effective damage, such as Xatu, Octillery, Dugtrio, Dewgong, Fearow, and Pupitar. Thunder Wave significantly reduces what can safely switch into and take advantage of Porygon, crippling targets like Magmar, Kingler, Flareon, Weezing, Stantler, and Primeape that lack RestTalk. Thunder Wave also is generally a great move to use into basically anything, as actually outspeeding foes allows Porygon to use its moves much more safely; the same speed control works great to support slow but powerful teammates, namely Kingler, Curse Stantler, Primeape, and Magmar, which appreciate threats like Xatu, Fearow, and Weezing being slowed down and potentially fully paralyzed. This particular Porygon set is a great threat to many Xatu + Dugtrio Spikes teams—one of the most common and dominant team structures in the tier—as the only Pokemon commonly used on them that can handle BoltBeam Porygon without being ruined by Thunder Wave is Wigglytuff, which is still not on a majority of them. Still, this potential to face Wigglytuff is the main reason why Thief is a good consideration; Wigglytuff's ability to take hits is significantly reduced without Leftovers, especially with Spikes on the field. Also, Porygon has good enough Special Attack and super effective coverage to gradually chip down threats that can answer a Porygon that lacks Thunder Wave, like Weezing, over the course of a game, which are also further being chipped by Spikes. However, Thief of course leaves Porygon without the all-round amazing utility of Thunder Wave, meaning it has to try and fish for paralysis with Thunder, a mere 21% chance factoring in accuracy; Thief can also only steal one item, and not having Leftovers when first attempting to switch in, especially with Spikes on the field, can make finding entry for Porygon more difficult.
Team Options
========
Weezing is the best partner for Porygon, appreciating Porygon's prowess in checking Xatu and Dugtrio while taking on Primeape and Hitmonlee itself, and it can use Explosion to eliminate a Wigglytuff or Ninetales that walls Porygon. Pineco is also a prime teammate for Porygon, as its Spikes wears down walls like Wigglytuff and Ninetales, which Porygon struggles with. Fearow and Xatu help to check Primeape, Hitmonlee, Gloom, and RestTalk Stantler while appreciating Porygon's ability to take on Dewgong and Graveler; Porygon can also steal the Leftovers from Wigglytuff or Sudowoodo, which helps Fearow and Xatu wallbreak. Rock-types like Sudowoodo and Graveler serve as effective answers to Pineco, Wigglytuff, and Weezing—bar if Weezing has Hidden Power Water—which can take advantage of Porygon, and Porygon can handle Dewgong and—if at high health—Octillery for them. Graveler also clears away Spikes with Rapid Spin, making entry for Porygon easier. Octillery itself is a great ally for Porygon, stopping Ninetales and Sudowoodo in their tracks, and Octillery and Porygon can help each other in checking Xatu, other Octillery, and Ground-types like Dugtrio and Graveler so that neither gets overwhelmed too quickly. Good wincons that take advantage of paralysis, such as Kingler, Curse + Light Screen Stantler, and Primeape, like having Thunder Wave Porygon around to facilitate setup and check Xatu. Thunder Wave also makes setup easier for Wigglytuff, as does Porygon checking Sudowoodo and Graveler for it, and Wigglytuff can answer Chinchou, unlike Porygon, which is afraid of Thunder paralysis. Ninetales also has great synergy with Porygon, as Porygon can switch into and threaten out Octillery, Dewgong, and Graveler, while Ninetales walls Weezing and is a great answer to Magnemite. Gloom also works well with Porygon, halting Primeape, Hitmonlee, Chinchou, and Octillery that lack Ice Beam, while Porygon can switch into Xatu and Dewgong for Gloom; the two also combine to form a potentially overwhelming, paralysis-spamming core, with Gloom having Stun Spore and Porygon having Thunder Wave.
[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Double-Edge
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Recover
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Curse Porygon may appear outclassed by other Curse Normal-types, mainly Wigglytuff and the rare Dunsparce, especially since they also have access to paralysis moves—Thunder Wave or Body Slam and Glare, respectively. Porygon often gets overshadowed by Wigglytuff, but it makes up for this in waves by having Recover, allowing it to find setup and switch-in opportunities far more easily; Recover only using one moveslot also means Porygon can fit both recovery and the valuable paralysis spreading of Thunder Wave, whereas Wigglytuff and Dunsparce solely miss Sleep Talk if using a paralysis move, as their best self-healing move is Rest—the exception being Body Slam Wigglytuff, which retains Sleep Talk but can't spread paralysis as reliably. Porygon also differentiates itself from these two by being able to actively switch into Sudowoodo and Graveler, boosting up with Curse and and using Recover to stay healthy, forcing them to use Self-Destruct or Explosion, respectively, to take Porygon out. The combination of Curse, Thunder Wave, and Recover is so notable because Thunder Wave means Porygon will outspeed foes despite lowering its own Speed with Curse, and any full paralysis will be a free turn where Porygon does not have to use Recover, letting it continue powering up with Curse or just launch a boosted Double-Edge. The recoil of Double-Edge is a negligible drawback compared to Return's lower power due to Recover, and Porygon needs as much power as it can get with such a low Attack stat. Curse also importantly makes Porygon a decent switch-in to Stantler if at full health, avoiding a 2HKO even with Spikes up and paralyzing Stantler with Thunder Wave, proceeding to boost up with Curse and beat Stantler. RestTalk Stantler cannot match Porygon's boosts and can just give Porygon ample setup opportunity while Curse + Light Screen Stantler hates being paralyzed.
Team Options
========
Solid teammates for Curse Porygon are Weezing, Xatu, and Fearow, which can all take on Primeape and Hitmonlee; Octillery shuts down Ninetales and Sudowoodo; Sudowoodo and especially Graveler help prevent Pineco, Wigglytuff, and Weezing from using Porygon to set up or launch attacks; Ninetales stops Weezing and Magnemite. Pokemon that enjoy Porygon's paralysis Xatu-checking capabilities, like Kingler and Primeape, make for good partners as well. Fearow, RestTalk Persian, Fire Blast Weezing, and Sunny Day Ninetales get a special mention as teammates, as they appreciate Porygon's ability to force Sudowoodo and Graveler to sacrifice themselves to beat it.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ice Beam can be used in place of Thunder Wave on the Curse set in order to let Porygon break past Pupitar, as well as immediately threatening Xatu and especially Dugtrio without worrying about taking recoil. However, this makes it significantly more difficult for Porygon to successfully set up with Curse, as the opposing Pokemon will likely always be faster. Thus, after using Double-Edge, it may be in KO range due to taking a strong special attack before moving, alongside Double-Edge recoil; lacking Thunder Wave also means Porygon can no longer support other slow teammates, like Octillery. Nightmare has potential over Thunder Wave on the BoltBeam set to reduce the safety in switching in an erstwhile wall, especially with Spikes on the field and some prior chip damage, primarily aiming for RestTalk Wigglytuff, Ninetales, Stantler, or Persian. Once again though, it means sacrificing the all-around great utility of Thunder Wave, and Nightmare will likely be useless if BoltBeam Porygon does not encounter one of these foes, as other Rest users like Xatu, Fearow, and Octillery lose to Porygon anyways; Thief also tends to be a superior option against these checks.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Wigglytuff**: Wigglytuff walls the BoltBeam set, not being weak to Thunder or Ice Beam, and Porygon's lack of STAB means it will not significantly damage Wigglytuff, even with Spikes on the field. Wigglytuff, meanwhile, can set up with Curse in its face, easily boosting quickly, breaking past Porygon, and potentially KOing even more Pokemon. However, Double-Edge and Return variants of Wigglytuff stalemate with Curse Porygon, though Body Slam variants can paralyze Porygon and break past it. Wigglytuff does not enjoy Thief Porygon stealing its Leftovers, though Thief also means Porygon will not be carrying Thunder Wave, and will have a more difficult time switching into battle if it has not used Thief yet. Wigglytuff can also be frozen by Ice Beam, though this is highly unreliable, and Wigglytuff will likely be asleep for a notable portion of the time it is in battle, preventing Ice Beam from freezing.
**Ninetales**: Ninetales with Toxic basically counters Porygon, easily walling BoltBeam variants with its massive Special Defense and lack of weakness to Electric or Ice, and it can essentially reduce Porygon to fodder with poison. Curse Porygon is not walled by Ninetales but hates poison so much that it is still deathly afraid of Ninetales. Ninetales also always carries Rest and commonly Sleep Talk to prevent Thunder Wave paralysis, and if it doesn't pack Sleep Talk, then it will be running Roar, which prevents Curse Porygon from even setting up in the first place. However, Ninetales without Toxic is walled by Porygon, though it still walls BoltBeam variants of Porygon back.
**Magnemite**: Magnemite is not weak to any of Thunder, Ice Beam, or Double-Edge and usually runs Thunder, which, if it lands, has a 30% chance to effectively end Porygon on the spot with paralysis. Magnemite also almost always uses Rest and Sleep Talk to heal off paralysis and remain an incredibly dangerous threat while sleeping, and Porygon giving it entry is not ideal. However, Magnemite despises Thief stealing its Leftovers because, with Spikes on the field and no passive healing, it is much more liable to being 3HKOed by Xatu and Fearow on the switch. Thus, it can fail to have any defensive value. While Magnemite can heal off paralysis with Rest, it still does not like being paralyzed; if it is at high health, it will likely have little reason to use Rest and thus can be susceptible to full paralysis, and also it will become slower than everything.
**Fighting-type Attacks**: Primeape and Hitmonlee come close to a flat-out OHKO on Porygon with their STAB attacks, and any minor chip damage, usually from Spikes, will push them over the line. They are not weak to either Thunder or Ice Beam, so RestTalk Hitmonlee hard walls BoltBeam Porygon, while Primeape can come in on a usage of Ice Beam or Recover and proceed to set up a free Substitute, blocking Thunder Wave and preventing the Porygon user from effectively switching around predicted moves. Primeape also occasionally runs RestTalk itself, which also lets it wall BoltBeam Porygon. It can even just critically hit right through any Defense boosts from Curse Porygon, as Cross Chop has a boosted critical hit rate of 25%. However, non-RestTalk Primeape despises Thunder Wave, and Hitmonlee does not enjoy paralysis before it uses Rest. Primeape using Cross Chop can also be exploited with a free switch to Xatu or Weezing, and Primeape may even eventually run out of its 8 PP; Cross Chop also has a 20% chance to miss, and both Primeape and Hitmonlee are 2HKOed by a Curse-boosted Double-Edge; they also cannot OHKO Porygon back if it is healthy. Additionally, while not a Fighting-type itself, Magmar has a high Attack stat and access to Cross Chop, which is a guaranteed OHKO on Porygon if it scores a critical hit, a 20% chance after accuracy; however, this is very risky for the Magmar user, as Magmar hates being paralyzed, and Cross Chop can easily miss or not land a critical hit.
**Pineco**: Pineco can switch into Porygon on a use of Recover, Ice Beam, or Curse, proceed to easily use Spikes, and then either poison Porygon with Toxic or eliminate it outright with Explosion. However, Thunder can 2HKO Pineco with even the slightest amount of chip, usually coming from Spikes. If Pineco is paralyzed by Thunder Wave or Thunder as it switches in, the Porygon user can switch to their own Pineco and proceed to spam Rapid Spin until the opponent's Pineco is fully paralyzed. Pineco then can freely use Spikes, proceed to use Rapid Spin until another full paralysis occurs or Toxic is used, then use Explosion and win the Spikes war by a mile.
**Weezing**: Weezing is faster than Porygon and does not take significant damage from Double-Edge or Thunder, in return fishing for poison from Sludge Bomb while doing solid damage or outright taking out Porygon with Explosion. However, Weezing taking Thunder Wave or having its Leftovers stolen by Thief, prefers to stay healthy to take hits from faster threats like Fearow and Primeape, and has defensive responsibilities beyond handling Porygon; using Explosion means sacrificing Weezing just to eliminate Porygon, which can leave its team vulnerable to Primeape if Porygon chooses to partner with it.
**Rock-types**: Sudowoodo can use Curse in front of Porygon, as it resists Double-Edge, is not weak to Thunder or Ice Beam, and has plenty of bulk. However, Sudowoodo does not enjoy taking Thunder Wave or having its Leftovers taken by Thief, and has to resort to sacrificing itself with Self-Destruct to take out Curse Porygon, as otherwise it won't do enough back to Porygon and will slowly get whittled down by Double-Edge and full paralysis turns. Even RestTalk Sudowoodo has to try and PP stall Porygon, which can even just result in Sudowoodo getting PP stalled itself. Graveler and Pupitar are immune to Thunder Wave, but Graveler cannot break past Porygon without well-timed critical hits or using Explosion on it due to being slower. Pupitar, meanwhile, is not 2HKOed by Ice Beam from full health, can easily break past Curse Porygon with Screech, and is faster; however, it cannot serve as an effective switch-in to Porygon with Ice Beam, unless it is comfortable trading most of its health to take a large chunk out of Porygon, though Porygon still might be able to heal off any damage later.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/beeorsomething.583728/
- Earlier versions written by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/holly.508601/
- Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mrsoup.375193/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/juoean.486979/
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