Porygon2 Movesets & Competitive Sets

Trick Room is a potent tool against offensive teams and teams lacking proper defensive cores such as Yveltal, Necrozma-DM, and Eternatus. Teleport pairs up nicely with Trick Room, enabling Porygon2's slow teammates to shine. Analytic-boosted Foul Play will almost always OHKO Calyrex-S and disincentivizes offensive Necrozma-DM and Groudon from setting up. A physically defensive set is preferred over specially defensive to better check Psyshock Calyrex-S. Porygon2 is exclusively seen on dedicated Trick Room teams. Other Trick Room setters such as Hatterene, Necrozma-DM, and Calyrex-I are great partners to keep Trick Room active for as long as possible. Slow and powerful wallbreakers that can take advantage of Trick Room such as Dracovish and Melmetal appreciate Porygon2. Despite not being very slow, Choice Specs Kyogre fits the Trick Room playstyle quite nicely, further enabling Dracovish's wallbreaking potential and being a sturdy check to Necrozma-DM and Zygarde, while also being a fierce wallbreaker in its own right.

Contradictory to Porygon2's massive bulk with Eviolite, it can run a more niche, albeit effective offensive set. Download and Analytic activate fairly consistently, and alongside Special Attack investment and occasionally Dynamax Porygon2 can be a threat in of itself. Tri Attack is simply a consistent STAB move, whereas Hyper Beam gives Porygon2 the strongest possible Max Strike, though it's less flexible outside of Dynamax and Porygon2 tends to stay on the field for a long time. Shadow Ball threatens Calyrex-S, one of the metagame's most dangerous Pokemon. Ice Beam on the other hand lethally threatens Landorus-T and deals good damage to the likes of Groudon and Venusaur. Running either Trick Room or Icy Wind is invaluable for speed control and should be used respectively of which would benefit your team more. Recover is incredibly useful, granting Porygon2 longevity and allowing it to serve as a late-game wincon by outlasting foes and stalling out Dynamax turns. Alternatively, Ally Switch allows Porygon2 to redirect attacks from its partners, but this gives up Recover's longevity. Thunderbolt is a coverage option that slams the likes of Charizard, Tapu Fini, and Blastoise fairly hard, though its difficult to justify over Porygon2's generally more important coverage options. Download should be used if Porygon2 has Trick Room, and it should instead have Analytic instead when running Icy Wind, as Analytic will not consistently activate under Trick Room. Porygon2 is generally seen on compositions with Zacian-C, Gigantamax Lapras, and sometimes Grimmsnarl. Offensive Porygon2 compromises its bulk, so dual screens setters such as the aforementioned Gigantamax Lapras and Grimmsnarl are good partners. The former has a great Landorus-T matchup, freeing Porygon2 from running Ice Beam, while the latter also packs other useful support moves like Fake Tears to help Porygon2. Note that Lapras and Grimmsnarl can be run together, but Grimmsnarl should not be running dual screens when doing so.

Porygon2 is the metagame's best Trick Room setter with its incredible bulk, mere one weakness, and ability to keep top-tier Pokemon at bay, such as Calyrex-S and Landorus-T. Trick Room is invaluable speed control for almost any team, and Porygon2 sets Trick Room reliably thanks to its immense bulk. Recover gives Porygon2 longevity, letting it stall out Dynamax turns and potentially help it serve as a late-game wincon, outlasting foes. Eerie Impulse is immensely useful to impede the metagame's various special attackers such as Calyrex-S, Rotom-H, and Kyogre. Tri Attack is oftentimes less critical than Porygon2's other options, but its the best option versus Pokemon such as Urshifu-R and Incineroar that aren't vulnerable to Porygon2's coverage or Eerie Impulse. Ice Beam makes Porygon2 one of the best checks to one of the metagame's most potent threats, Landorus-T, and it also deals decent damage to the likes of Groudon and Venusaur. Foul Play allows Porygon2 to threaten a 2HKO onto Calyrex-S and hit boosted Weakness Policy users such as Solgaleo, Calyrex-I, and Metagross quite hard. Download is good because it gives Porygon2 a Special Attack boost pretty often, considering common Pokemon such as Incineroar, both Urshifu formes, and Landorus-T have higher Defense stats. Trace should only be run if Porygon2 chooses Eerie Impulse and Foul Play as its last two moves. Trace will be more advantageous than disadvantageous most of the time, mainly due to the potential of copying Intimidate from users such as Incineroar and Landorus-T. Thunderbolt is an option for Porygon2's third moveslot, giving Porygon2 BoltBeam coverage with Ice Beam and allowing it to more immediately threaten the likes of Charizard, Blastoise, and Kyogre, and unlike Eerie Impulse, its not shut down by Taunt. However, its overall less useful then Eerie Impulse. Note that when running Thunderbolt, Porygon2 should elect for a Modest nature to best make use of its BoltBeam coverage. Icy Wind is alternative speed control over Trick Room, though oftentimes Trick Room is simply going to be more valuable. Shadow Ball has the advantage over Foul Play of being able to OHKO Calyrex-S after a Download boost, but it's worse versus boosted Weakness Policy users. Ally Switch is an option over one of the last two moveslots, giving Porygon2 the ability to redirect attacks from its teammates, though its incredibly difficult to justify Ally Switch due to it taking a valuable slot. A physically defensive EV spread is preferred for Porygon2 to better set Trick Room in the face of powerful physical attackers such as Urshifu-S and Zacian-C, and the given EVs allow Porygon2 to survive Adamant Zacian-C's Close Combat with the remainder thrown into Special Defense. A specially defensive EV spread such as 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD with a Sassy nature is also a good option, which allows Porygon2 to live extremely powerful special attacks such as Calyrex-S's Helping Hand- and Life Orb-boosted Max Mindstorm and Kyogre's Mystic Water-boosted 150 BP Max Geyser. A Modest nature with some Special Attack investment can make Porygon2 notably more threatening with a Download boost, though this of course compromises its bulk. Porygon2 makes a great fit on sun teams with either Torkoal or Groudon alongside Venusaur because they greatly appreciate its role compression as a check to Landorus-T with Ice Beam, as well as Calyrex-S and Rotom-H with Eerie Impulse. Furthermore, the combination of Porygon2 with the aforementioned Pokemon is quite flexible between Porygon2's ability to set Trick Room or swap into a Drought setter to activate Venusaur's Chlorophyll, which has the threat of both Dynamax and Sleep Powder at its disposal. Incineroar pairs extremely well with Porygon2 with its Fake Out capable of helping it set Trick Room. Other good Restricted Pokemon to pair with Porygon2 are Kyogre and Zacian-C, the former being a heavy hitter that can benefit greatly from Trick Room and the latter appreciating its ability to check Landorus-T.

Porygon2 is a great physically defensive option available to Normal teams with the ability to utilize Teleport and check Dragon Dance Dragapult, Mimikyu, and Jirachi, which would all otherwise prove very threatening for Normal. Recover provides Porygon2 with a reliable form of healing for it to continually switch into attacks from Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Excadrill and Mimikyu. Foul Play acts both as a countermeasure for Pokemon like Scizor and Azumarill that would otherwise use Porygon2 as setup bait and as an attacking move to hit other powerful physical threats like Alolan Marowak and Excadrill. Ice Beam gives Porygon2 good coverage to deal with Dragon threats like Hydreigon and Noivern more easily as well as certain other offensive threats like Diggersby and Hawlucha. Toxic allows Porygon2 to wear down defensive Pokemon like Mandibuzz and Gastrodon that may otherwise attempt to switch in. Teleport is another option to be considered, as it allows Porygon2 to bring in frail offensive Normal-type threats like Diggersby, Heliolisk, and Indeedee-M safely and create momentum. Discharge can be an option to run over Toxic as good coverage for hitting Flying- and Water-type threats like Corviknight and Pelipper with a sizable chance to paralyze notable threats for Normal teams such as Calm Mind Keldeo and Bulk Up Urshifu-R, which would otherwise use Porygon2 as setup fodder. Trace is generally the preferred ability due to the potential of copying abilities like Natural Cure from Chansey, Regenerator from Toxapex and Amoonguss, and Intimidate from Krookodile, all of which increase Porygon2's survivability. Maximum investment in HP and Defense with a Bold nature is used to have Porygon2 perform its best as a physical wall against threats like Excadrill and Scizor. Most if not all Pokemon on Normal appreciate Porygon2's ability to deal with physical threats. Blissey in particular forms an excellent defensive core with Porygon2 due to being especially weak to offensive physical threats. Porygon2 in return appreciates Blissey's role as a special wall to help deal with strong special threats that itself cannot hold off like Kingdra in rain and Volcarona. If Porygon2 is running Teleport, frail offensive threats like Diggersby and Indeedee-M appreciate its ability to bring them in safely without leaving them open to attacks and status moves. Braviary helps Porygon2 deal with hard-hitting threats that have Fighting-type coverage like Heracross and Rillaboom. Porygon2 is especially susceptible to all forms of entry hazards, particularly Toxic Spikes, due to their ability to quickly wear down Porygon2 and reduce its ability of switching into attacks reliably. As a result, Porygon2 along with the entire Normal team appreciates Braviary's ability of keeping hazards off through the use of Defog. Ditto makes for a good partner due to its ability to punish offensive setup sweepers that may use Porygon2 as setup fodder like Belly Drum Azumarill, Swords Dance Excadrill, and Bulk Up Urshifu-S. Ditto and Porygon2 also work well together due to their ability to PP stall Poison and Water teams by copying Regenerator from Pokemon such as Toxapex and Amoonguss. Heliolisk provides Porygon2 with an easier time against Water due to its great ability in Dry Skin for absorbing powerful Water-type attacks from wallbreakers like Dracovish. Bewear appreciates Porygon2's ability to mitigate its low Speed by paralyzing faster Pokemon like Hydreigon and Kyurem with Discharge. Porygon2 in return gains a partner to help deal with Steel- types like Corviknight and Ferrothorn that it would otherwise have a hard time dealing with.

Ice Beam is a good coverage option that allows Porygon2 to hit foes such as Rillaboom, Zygarde, and Dragapult. In combination with Thunderbolt, it can hit the entire tier for at least neutral damage. Thunderbolt enables Porygon2 to pressure Tapu Fini, Volcanion, and Urshifu-R with super effective damage, while Toxic puts bulky walls like Assault Vest Kyurem-B and Porygon2, and setup sweepers such as Dragon Dance Kyurem-B and Calm Mind Tapu Fini outside of Misty Terrain, on a timer. Recover enables Porygon2 to stay healthy and consistently set up Trick Room, making it difficult to remove late-game once its main checks have been removed, such as Urshifu-R and Heatran. Trick Room makes Porygon2 an excellent form of speed control, as it can turn the tables against faster threats such as Urshifu-R and deters setup sweepers like Dragon Dance Kyurem-B from setting up. Allies in Volcanion and Diancie benefit greatly from Trick Room support, as they then underspeed the majority of the metagame. Download can often boost Porygon2's Special Attack due to the prevalence of Zygarde and Urshifu-R, which greatly improves its special moves, allowing it to OHKO Urshifu-R, Zygarde, and Dragapult at +1. The given EV spread allows Porygon2 to OHKO Zygarde and Dragapult at +1, as well as making Choice Band Zygarde's Thousand Arrows into a 4HKO and Modest Charcoal Heatran only able to 3HKO.

Porygon2 carves out a unique niche in AG as a physically defensive wall thanks to its good Eviolite-boosted bulk and typing, making it a good check to Calyrex-S. Additionally, it is capable of dealing with other threats like Zygarde-C and Lunala thanks to its useful coverage. Foul Play is most notably used to punish Calyrex-S while deterring physical setup sweepers such as Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM and Reshiram as well as Pokemon like Zacian-C from switching in repeatedly. Ice Beam is used to nail the likes of Zygarde-C, Groudon, and Zekrom. Teleport allows Porygon2 to safely pivot out of potential switch-ins like Ho-Oh and Ferrothorn. Analytic lets Porygon2 hit most foes harder due to its low Speed. Maximum HP and Defense investment with a Bold nature lets Porygon2 take on Psyshock Calyrex-S more reliably and deal with other foes like Necrozma-DM, Groudon, and Zygarde-C more easily. Porygon2 should be wary of switching into Knock Off or Trick users like Yveltal, defensive Necrozma-DM, and Choice-item Calyrex-S, since losing its Eviolite will make it significantly less bulky. Porygon2 fits best on balance and bulky offense teams that appreciate having a reliable check to Calyrex-S, one of the most dangerous threats in the tier, as well as other foes like Zygarde-C and Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM. Porygon2 is easily forced out by foes that carry super effective coverage against it or are generally very powerful such as Zacian-C, Marshadow, and Kyogre. Thus, teammates that can deal with them such as Necrozma-DM and Eternatus are crucial. Necrozma-DM can also deal with Xerneas, which is particularly very threatening to Porygon2 as well. Porygon2 struggles to get through troublesome walls like Ferrothorn, Eternatus, and Ho-Oh, so wallbreakers that can deal with them like Calyrex-S and offensive Kyogre are appreciated. They also benefit from Porygon2 safely pivoting them in with Teleport. Gothitelle can trap walls like Ferrothorn, Necrozma-DM, and non-Dragon Tail Eternatus, making it a good partner on balance teams. Porygon2 strongly dislikes Knock Off users like defensive Necrozma-DM and Yveltal getting rid of its Eviolite, so teammates like Zygarde-C and Zacian-C are useful. Zygarde-C can check threats like Marshadow lacking Ice Punch, Urshifu-S, Ho-Oh, and Groudon, the latter of which is especially helpful because Porygon2 is OHKOed by +2 Precipice Blades. Porygon2 fails to reliably check +2 Dynamax Calyrex-S, so a speed control option such as Ditto or Choice Scarf Calyrex-S is useful alongside it.

Porygon2 finds a place on Trick Room teams thanks to its rare combination of Trick Room and Teleport alongside its great bulk when boosted by Eviolite; additionally, it is one of the few Trick Room setters not weak to Ghost and Dark. Trick Room allows its teammates like Alolan Marowak and Conkeldurr to take advantage of their low Speed to create holes in the opposing team. Teleport is necessary to bring its partners in without taking any damage. Recover helps Porygon2 stay healthy to set Trick Room multiple times per game. Foul Play prevents foes such as Garchomp and Chandelure from taking advantage of it with setup moves or making it a complete sitting duck with Taunt, although Ice Beam is an option that hits Mandibuzz and Kommo-o harder. Regenerator mitigates some damage dealt while Porygon2 sets Trick Room. Maximum Special Defense investment is preferred for Porygon2 to better take special hits and pivot out, as strong Fighting-type wallbreakers in Terrakion and Galarian Zapdos still OHKO physically defensive variants. Slow but powerful wallbreakers like Stakataka, Conkeldurr, and Galarian Slowking appreciate the free switch in Porygon2 provides for them. Alolan Marowak discourages Fighting-type moves from targeting Porygon2 and resists most common priority moves that can negate Trick Room like Horn Leech from Tapu Bulu and Draining Kiss from Togekiss, making it a particularly great partner. Since strong Fighting-type moves, especially Close Combat from the likes of Terrakion and Galarian Zapdos, can prevent Porygon2 from doing its job, Trick Room setters that resist Fighting such as Cresselia and Slowbro are necessary to ensure Trick Room can be reliably set up. Furthermore, Porygon2 is vulnerable to Taunt and these teammates can carry Oblivious or Mental Herb. Diancie is also a good partner thanks to its immunity to Dragon Tail and ability to set Stealth Rock.

Porygon2 is the premier physically defensive wall available for Normal teams due to its combination of stellar bulk, reliable recovery, and a movepool that's able to keep important threats in check. Recover is Porygon2's go-to move, allowing it to stay healthy and provide its utility throughout the match. Ice Beam works as Porygon2's main attack, keeping key Ice-weak targets like Dragonite, Gliscor, and Landorus-T at bay. Discharge has a decent chance to cripple the opposition with paralysis while dealing good damage to Pokemon such as Pelipper, Celesteela, and Gyarados. It also forms the BoltBeam coverage alongside Ice Beam, which is capable of heavily denting Flying teams. Hidden Power Fire rounds off the set, enabling Porygon2 to nail Steel-types that take little from its other moves like Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Mega Steelix. Alternatively, Teleport allows Porygon2 to work as a defensive pivot, generating momentum for the team at the cost of further coverage. Download is the preferred ability for Porygon2, reducing its overall passiveness and further threatening Flying-, Water-, Dragon-, and Steel-type teams should it get a Special Attack boost. However, one can opt for Trace to copy and take advantage of defensive abilities like Toxapex's Regenerator, Dragonite's Multiscale, and Landorus-T's Intimidate. Max HP and Defense investments in tandem with a Bold nature and Eviolite bolster Porygon2's physical bulk, permitting it to shrug assaults from the likes of Mega Sharpedo and Choice Band Excadrill. Eviolite in particular also lets Porygon2 take special attacks from Pokemon like Nidoking and Hydreigon with relative ease, despite the lack of EVs in Special Defense. Together, Blissey and Porygon2 form a stellar defensive core for Normal teams that can stop most attackers in their tracks. Blissey can comfortably stomach attacks from special wallbreakers like Landorus and Mega Charizard Y that easily bypass Porygon2 and absorb status aliments for it by virtue of Natural Cure. In return, Porygon2 takes on powerful physical attackers like Dragonite and Mega Sharpedo for Blissey, and the pair can form an extremely effective pivoting backbone should Porygon2 be running Teleport. Ditto is an excellent teammate as well, as it can easily revenge kill sweepers that may use Porygon2 as setup fodder such as Swords Dance Excadrill and Z-Belly Drum Azumarill. It also switches into walls that beat Porygon2 one-on-one like Mega Sableye and Blissey by copying themselves and, thus, their status move immunities. Wallbreakers like Mega Lopunny and Diggersby greatly appreciate Porygon2's bulk to shrug off priority moves and its Teleport for them to come into the field safely. In return, they can beat threats to Porygon2 like Heatran, Mega Sableye, and Tyranitar. Mega Lopunny can also absorb Knock Offs for Porygon2. Defog users like defensive Staraptor and Mega Pidgeot remove entry hazards, allowing Porygon2 to better perform its walling and support duties by coming into the field unscathed. The former also takes hits from dangerous Fighting-types like Infernape and Heracross for Porygon2 and brings it safely into the field with U-turn, while the latter revenge kills Fighting-types and threatens Steel-types like Bisharp and Ferrothorn. Lastly, Porygon-Z's wide array of possible coverage moves allows it to threaten Psychic-types and certain Steel-types Porygon2 struggles dealing with.

With recovery, BoltBeam coverage, and impressive defensive stats, Porygon2 is one of the best walls in the metagame. Porygon2 has a highly contested final moveslot. Offensively, Tri Attack is a reliable STAB attack that does good damage to most switch-ins. Foul Play allows Porygon2 to punish Pokemon that boost their Attack stat, such as Mimikyu. Although seemingly odd, Giga Impact allows Porygon2 to effectively take advantage of an Attack boost from Download, surprising Calm Mind setters like Tapu Fini and Raikou with a boosted Max Strike after Dynamaxing. For final support options, Trick Room is a highly effective way to support slow sweepers such as Glastrier, Celesteela, and Rhyperior. Substitute protects Porygon2 from status such as Leech Seed and Sleep. Thunder Wave is a more consistent option for paralysis spreading than Discharge. Download gives Porygon2 a decent offensive presence, making it the prefered option. Trace is a usable alternative for punishing Intimidate Pokemon such as Landorus-T, and copying other useful abilities such as Beast Boost. EV Spreads 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 SpD with Bold: This spread allows Porygon2 to be an effective physical wall, useful against a wide variety of threats such as Landorus-T and Dragapult. 244 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpD with Calm: This spread makes Porygon2 a great special wall, making it a good check against threats such as Zapdos and Galarian Moltres. 244 HP / 232 Def / 32 Spe with Bold: Defensive Thunder Wave Porygon2 should use this spread to outspeed base 100 Speed Pokemon after paralysis. 244 HP / 232 SpD / 32 Spe with Calm: Specially defensive Thunder Wave Porygon2 should use this spread to outspeed base 100 Speed Pokemon after paralysis. 244 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def / 4 SpD / 4 Spe with Relaxed: Physically defensive Porygon2 with Giga Impact should use this spread for dealing good damage with a boosted Max Strike. 244 HP / 4 Atk / 4 Def /252 SpD / 4 Spe with Sassy: Specially defensive Porygon2 with Giga Impact should use this spread to deal good damage with Max Strike.

Thanks to Download, Porygon2 is a very effective bulky offensive threat. Tri Attack is a great offensive option due to being a reliable STAB that hits most Pokemon neutrally. Alternately, Giga Impact makes Porygon2 a shockingly good mixed Dynamax sweeper that punishes Calm Mind Pokemon such as Raikou and Tapu Fini. Hyper Beam is a decent alternate option for a strong Max Strike while Dynamaxed as well. Trick Room is an incredible support option that not only makes bulky sweepers such as Glastrier and Rhyperior much more deadly, but Porygon2 itself is fully capable of sweeping under it. Speed Swap is an interesting alternative that severely punishes fast Pokemon that stay in against Porygon2. Porygon2 has many combinations of Attacks to consider, depending on the make-up of your team. When using Giga Impact, Porygon2 should always pair it with Ice Beam so it doesn't lose to Landorus-T. Porygon2 can function without a Normal-type STAB since boltbeam coverage hits so many Pokemon hard, but it does make it a more passive Pokemon. A Normal STAB and Thunderbolt offers good coverage, but can be annoyed by Dragapult who resists that combination.

Moves Thunderbolt and Ice Beam form Porygon2's Bolt Beam coverage that hits practically everything in the tier for neutral damage at the minimum. Recover keeps Porygon2 healthy and is easier to utilize after Z-Conversion due to its augmented bulk. Set Details Z-Conversion transforms Porygon2 into an Electric-type upon boosting due to Thunderbolt residing in the first moveslot. This is essential for letting Porygon2 resist Scizor's Bullet Punch while also resisting Mega Manectric's and Zeraora's STAB moves. Download can grant Porygon2 a boost in Special Attack if it comes in on a foe with a lower Special Defense compared to its Defense. Usage Tips Despite its access to recovery, Porygon2 should only be brought out late-game once its checks have been chipped or removed by its teammates. It should be brought in on free turns or slow pivots to prevent it from taking any damage beforehand. Be knowledgeable on the opposing Pokemon's current Special Defense stat so you can guarantee a Special Attack boost before activating Z-Conversion. This can make it easier to break Mega Aggron, Doublade, and bulkier Scizor sets. It is not advised to switch in on an opposing Pokemon with a lower Defense stat, as Porygon2 would not be nearly as strong. Porygon2's increased bulk allows it to take hits from Nihilego and Choice Scarf Hydreigon, which, in tandem with Recover, is useful to keeping it healthy and eventually beat these Pokemon out. Avoid Toxic and Thunder Wave, as they can end or significantly cripple Porygon2's sweep; the former forces Porygon2 to systematically heal up, while the latter leaves it wide open for punishment by numerous threats like Terrakion and Nidoking that can now all outspeed it. Recovering against Pokemon that may carry a Choice item like Hydreigon helps Porygon2 scout them while remaining healthy. It can also be useful for winning long drawn out battles against Nihilego. Healing up too early can waste turns and make Porygon2 more vulnerable to attacks. Porygon2 should set up on Pokemon that it can outspeed to minimize the damage it takes and the number of times it needs to recover. Setting up on Amoonguss, Slowbro, and defensive Primarina can work into Porygon2’s favor because of this as long as it scouts for status beforehand. Team Options Porygon2 fits best on bulky offense where it can be a decent wincon and wait for its teammates to chip at its checks. Entry hazard setters such as Nihilego, Empoleon, and Swampert lay down the ubiquitous Stealth Rock to apply subsequent chip damage. Spike setters like Klefki also provide even more entry hazards to pressure the opponent with. Scizor, Krookodile, and Mega Aerodactyl provide Pursuit support, which can chip away at Porygon2’s checks like Blissey and Mega Steelix in the long run if they don’t keep themselves healthy. Cobalion and Terrakion threaten out and remove special walls that can counter Porygon2 while also setting up Stealth Rock. Terrakion also can dismantle Rotom-Heat, whose typing alongside its access to Toxic and Pain Split makes it a major annoyance to Porygon2. Amoonguss and Celebi handle defensive Ground-types that could complicate Porygon2's sweep. The former can put a target asleep with Spore to possibly guarantee setup for Porygon2, and both are great status absorbers. Primarina threatens every prevalent Choice Scarf user like Krookodile and Hydreigon as well as the likes of Mega Aerodactyl and removes them. Slow pivots like Scizor, Gligar, and Rotom-Heat give Porygon2 an easier time switching in without having to take any unnecessary damage.

Moves Recover helps Porygon2 keep itself healthy against Pokemon like mixed Zeraora, Mega Gyarados, Naganadel, and Togekiss. Thunderbolt is good to use against Water-types like Mega Gyarados and Carracosta. Ice Beam allows Porygon2 to take care of Ground- and Dragon-types like Landorus-T, Dragonite, and Zygarde. Foul Play is a great way to deal with Pokemon with high Attack like Mega Metagross and Jirachi along with setup sweepers like Mega Charizard X and Mega Pinsir. Toxic can be used over Foul Play to deal with bulky Pokemon like non-Rest Mega Slowbro, Z-Thunder Wave Togekiss, and Kyurem. Psywave can be used to hit Special Defense-boosting Pokemon like Tapu Fini, Clefable, Audino, and Ferrothorn harder. Set Details Maximum HP investment and 172 EVs in Defense coupled with a Bold nature help Porygon2 take Z-Moves such as Dragonite's Outrage-based Devastating Drake. This also helps Porygon2 take physical attacks from the likes of Mega Metagross, Victini, Garchomp, and mixed Zeraora. A Bold nature is used over Relaxed in order to outpace Encore Primarina and Taunt Mega Mawile. 84 Special Defense EVs allow Porygon2 to avoid the 2HKO of Dragonite's Draco Meteor-based Devastating Drake into Draco Meteor. Its ability Analytic goes well with its low Speed, making its to make Ice Beam and Thunderbolt hit Pokemon like Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Mega Gyarados harder. Usage Tips It performs well against special attackers like Togekiss, Naganadel, and Rotom-Heat, thanks to its access to Recover, Ice Beam, and Toxic. Porygon2 has a solid matchup against common Choice Scarf users like Haxorus and non-Trick Porygon-Z, as it can tank their attacks and finish them off with Ice Beam. Moreover, try not to send Porygon2 out against walls like Ferrothorn and Chansey, as Ferrothorn is too difficult to knock out due to Leech Seed its access to and its immunity to Toxic, and Chansey will win by using its own Toxic and outdamaging Porygon2 with Seismic Toss. Be sure to avoid using Porygon2 around Taunt users that it cannot quickly KO like Guardian of Alola Tapu Fini, Incineroar, Mega Tyranitar, and Deoxys-S, as this will prohibit the use of Recover and make it unable to take care of them. Be careful around Calm Mind users like Tapu Lele and Waterium Z Tapu Fini, as Porygon2's attacks will be unable to finish them off. Team Options Fairy-types like Tapu Fini and Tapu Lele make for great partners for Porygon2, as they are able to take on Fighting-types like Mega Lopunny and Kommo-o and pressure the opponent to not send them out. In return, Porygon2 can take on Steel-types like Jirachi and Mega Metagross for them. Dragon-types like Haxorus, Garchomp, and Mega Charizard X can set up on them or take care of walls like Ferrothorn with their STAB attacks, while Porygon2 can take on Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Mega Gyarados for them. Fire-types like Mega Charizard Y, and Heatran make for good partners for Porygon2, as they help with troubling Steel-types like Magearna and Genesect. In return, Porygon2 can take on Landorus-T and mixed Zeraora. Mega Sableye is a good partner for Porygon2, as it can shut down walls with Prankster Taunt and take on Fighting-types bar Kommo-o, as well as Deoxys-S, while Porygon2 can help with Mega Charizard X and Dragonite. Electric-types like Zeraora and Magnezone are able to hit Taunt users like Tapu Fini with their powerful attacks. Zeraora can also take care of non-Ground-type Sturdy Pokemon like Magnezone, while Metal Sound Magnezone can take care of walls like Chansey and Mega Venusaur. In return, Porygon2 can take on Ground-types like Zygarde, Garchomp, and Landorus-T.

Ice Beam is Porygon2's primary damaging move thanks to its wide coverage, being particularly effective against the likes of Garchomp and Tapu Bulu. Thunderbolt is a great coverage option that gives Porygon2 a nice way to break through Celesteela and Tapu Fini, which it would be unable to do otherwise. Toxic can make Porygon2 a consistent wincon in longer games, especially against bulkier Pokemon such as Snorlax and Pokemon it would otherwise struggle to hit such as Alolan Marowak. Trick Room is Porygon2's best utility, providing the team with a great speed control option against the slew of fast Pokemon in the metagame like Tapu Koko, Alolan Ninetales, and Kartana. Recover gives Porygon2 longevity, allowing it to successfully play out endgames with Toxic or outlast opposing Pokemon that don't have their own recovery. Download is the most common ability on Porygon2, as it gives it a chance to become a genuine offensive presence, notably allowing it to OHKO Garchomp and 2HKO Tapu Koko with Ice Beam. Analytic is a good alternative that provides a more consistent boost to damage thanks to its relatively low Speed. Porygon2 always wants to set Trick Room up for slower teammates such as Gigalith, Araquanid, and Alolan Muk, allowing these sorts of teams to snowball. Porygon2 is capable of dueling most Pokemon in the metagame thanks to Download, so it is beneficial to play a longer endgame while continually healing with Recover, especially against foes that don't have a super effective move or access to a Z-Move. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are best used in conjunction thanks to covering a good portion of the current metagame, but Toxic is an idea to overcome bulky threats such as Snorlax and opposing Porygon2 if the team would otherwise struggle with them. Porygon2 also appreciates Arcanine as a partner, having its bulk supplemented by its Intimidate, Snarl, and Will-O-Wisp and having problematic Pokemon such as Pheromosa and Buzzwole dealt with thanks to Flare Blitz.

Moves Recover gives Porygon2 a reliable way to recover health and allows it to continue to switch into attacks. Ice Beam gives Porygon2 good coverage, notably hitting Gliscor, which can otherwise stallbreak it, and Dragonite. Foul Play prevents Pokemon like Scizor from using Porygon2 as setup bait. It also hits other powerful physical attackers such as Excadrill. Toxic gives Porygon2 a way to wear down defensive Pokemon like Swampert and Mega Slowbro. Discharge can be used over Toxic for its good coverage alongside Ice Beam and its decent chance to paralyze the foe. Hidden Power Fire is a decent coverage option that, alongside Download, lets Porygon2 hit defensive Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn hard. Should Hidden Power Fire be used, Discharge must be run over Foul Play along with Download to let Porygon2 deal with Steel teams more easily. However, either of those options means losing out on Toxic's important utility. Set Details Maximum investments are made in HP and Defense with a Bold nature to make Porygon2 as bulky as possible, letting it take hits from strong physical wallbreakers like Choice Band Excadrill. Eviolite boosts Porygon2's Defense and Special Defense to high levels. Trace is the preferred ability, as it allows Porygon2 to copy other abilities such as Multiscale from Dragonite, Intimidate from Gyarados, and Regenerator from Slowbro. Download should be used over Trace if Porygon2 is running three attacks to give it a chance to boost its Special Attack. Usage Tips Use Porygon2 as a pivot into physical attackers such as Mega Sharpedo and Excadrill. Make sure to keep Porygon2 healthy with Recover whenever it switches into an attack to prevent it from being worn down easily. Use Trace to give Porygon2 more opportunities to switch in. Copying Multiscale lets Porygon2 at full health switch into Choice Band Dragonite, for example. Be careful of Knock Off and Trick users like Bisharp and Togekiss, as without Eviolite, Porygon2 can become a liability. Keep Porygon2 away from status ailments, particularly Toxic poison, as they limit its ability to switch into attacks. Try to hide what move Porygon2 is carrying in its fourth moveslot against some threats. For example, Mega Slowbro doesn't mind Discharge but hates Toxic. Conversely, Keldeo hates the Discharge paralysis. Porygon2 should use its bulk to stall out threats like Mega Slowbro with Toxic + Recover. Porygon2 can switch in as a sweeper such as Mega Charizard X attempts to set up, then punish it with Foul Play. If you're using three attacks on Porygon2, do note its usefulness against Steel teams. Try to send Porygon2 out when a physically defensive Pokemon like Skarmory is on the field to give Porygon2 a boost in Special Attack. Make sure to take care of Bisharp and Toxic Heatran before attempting to clean up with Porygon2, however. Team Options Porygon2 is a staple pick on balance teams thanks to its ability to check a plethora of threats and switch into physical attacks. Porygon2 and Chansey form a great defensive core. Porygon2 can switch into checks to Chansey like Dragonite and Excadrill, while Chansey can switch into special wallbreakers like Mega Charizard Y and Tapu Koko. Only a handful of Pokemon can break through them. Chansey can additionally absorb status ailments thanks to Natural Cure, cure Porygon2 if it's already inflicted with status through Heal Bell, set Stealth Rock, and run Toxic to free Porygon2's last moveslot for another move. Mega Lopunny is a great switch-in to Knock Off and can easily check threats like Bisharp and Alolan Muk. Additionally, Mega Lopunny's Encore lets it take care of stallbreakers. On teams without Mega Lopunny, three attacks Porygon2 is very useful, as it can help against Steel teams. Staraptor can get rid of entry hazards with Defog and soften attacks from Fighting-types like Heracross with Intimidate. Staraptor is also a great switch-in to Knock Off and can check Bisharp, which is a huge threat, with Close Combat. Frailer Pokemon like Porygon-Z, Diggersby, Mega Pidgeot, and Meloetta appreciate having Porygon2 pivot into priority users like Scizor and Dragonite. Porygon2 can also wear down their checks with Toxic. Mega Pidgeot and Meloetta can additionally check Fighting-types. Ditto can punish setup sweepers that use Porygon2 as setup fodder like Manaphy and Xurkitree.

Moves Trick Room lets Porygon2 and its teammates take advantage of their low Speed stats. Ice Beam threatens Landorus and Mega Salamence and offers decent coverage in general. Thunderbolt completes BoltBeam coverage alongside Ice Beam and is a reliable option to hit Tapu Fini and Volcanion effectively. Lastly, Recover keeps Porygon2 healthy, which also helps it set Trick Room multiple times and take advantage of opposing Protect that is frequently used to stall out Trick Room turns. Set Details The given EV spread aims to boost Porygon2's overall bulk by ensuring it takes less than 50% from Kartana's Sacred Sword, leaving it able to heal off the damage afterwards. The Special Attack investment ensures Ice Beam can KO uninvested Mega Salamence regardless of a Download boost. Eviolite gives additional bulk and is an irreplaceable item for Porygon2. A Special Attack boost from Download can be useful to give Porygon2 offensive presence, but Download should only be used if running two special moves. If Porygon2 is running Foul Play, Trace is an option, as it lets Porygon2 copy useful abilities such as the ubiquitous Intimidate. Usage Tips Set Trick Room as soon as possible if it benefits Porygon2's team, especially if the opposing team is weak to Trick Room. However, don't do this if the opponent also brings slower Pokemon like Amoonguss and Stakataka. Use Recover freely to keep Porygon2 healthy, making it harder to KO and letting it set Trick Room multiple times. Hard switching Porygon2 into hard hitters such as Mega Metagross and Life Orb Tapu Koko must be avoided, as it needs its health to reliably set Trick Room. Stay away from Knock Off, since the loss of Eviolite makes Porygon2 unable to tank damage from hard hitters. Against obvious Taunt and Spore users such as Tapu Lele and Amoonguss, it's usually better to switch out or attack rather than set up Trick Room. Porygon2 is generally too weak to use for just throwing out attacks, so it is better to switch out Porygon2 to slow attacker if Trick Room is already up. Team Options Pokemon that are slow enough to take advantage of Trick Room such as Stakataka, Mega Camerupt, and Tapu Bulu work well with Porygon2. Fake Out support from Incineroar helps prevent Taunt and Roar users from stopping Porygon2 from setting up. Redirection from Amoonguss eases pressure when setting Trick Room, and Amoonguss pairs especially well with Foul Play variants of Porygon2, appreciating their ability to deal with Mega Metagross, Aegislash, and Hoopa-U and set up Trick Room so it can more effectively spread sleep. In return, Amoonguss can take on Water-types to free Porygon2 from running Thunderbolt. Having an alternative plan to beat fast attackers without relying on Porygon2's Trick Room is mandatory, so carrying secondary Trick Room setters such as Diancie and Necrozma is a good idea for full Trick Room teams, but making your team functional outside Trick Room by adding your own fast attacker such as Tapu Koko also works.

Moves Ice Beam offers great neutral coverage and hits numerous threats such as Mega Salamence, Naganadel, and Landorus-T. Recover is necessary to keep Porygon2 healthy and reliably check threats and complements its fantastic bulk. Foul Play lets Porygon2 punish physical attackers that can otherwise boost against it or otherwise don't take much damage from Ice Beam, giving it a useful tool against setup sweepers. Toxic allows Porygon2 to shut down opposing defensive threats that don't mind any of Porygon2's other moves, as its bulk and lack of weaknesses allow it to outlast most defensive threats. Discharge offers extra coverage that notably covers Celesteela while also providing a 30% paralysis chance to punish threats such as Blaziken and Taunt Mega Gyarados that can safely switch into it otherwise. Set Details Eviolite is necessary to give Porygon2 its fantastic bulk, and with Recover, the extra bulk outweighs the benefit of any other item. Trace lets Porygon2 use the foe's ability against it, such as using Intimidate to punish Salamence and Landorus-T or Protean to turn it into a threatening attacker that can be trickier to take down with its changing weaknesses. Download can be used to give Porygon2 a chance to boost its Special Attack, giving it a more consistent offensive presence to complement its already fantastic bulk. Analytic grants a consistent power boost, since Porygon2 will often act after the foe. This notably allows Porygon2 to OHKO +2 Mimikyu with Foul Play, which it cannot achieve without the Analytic boost. The EV spread with a Bold nature minimizes the chance of Porygon2 being 2HKOed by Adamant Mega Salamence's Double-Edge while also minimizing the chance of it being 2HKOed by Modest Tapu Lele's Psychic. A Calm nature can be used with maximum Special Defense investment to function as more dedicated special wall if the ability to check physical attackers better isn't necessary. Usage Tips Porygon2 is bulky enough to avoid being 2HKOed by a huge range of threats, so switching it directly into a Pokemon it's meant to check is often safe as long as it can safely use Recover on the next turn. While Porygon2's bulk allows it to outlast many threats, always be mindful of Porygon2's HP and be prepared to use Recover if it may be in 2HKO range even if it's healthy, because it will often act after the foe. Porygon2 hates losing its Eviolite, so be very careful around potential Knock Off users such as Landorus-T. However, Porygon2 can still function without Eviolite, so avoid letting it get KOed if its coverage can still prove useful. Porygon2's lack of resistances limits its ability to switch into boosted threats such as Mega Salamence, so avoid switching Porygon2 directly into these threats if Porygon2 is needed to check any boosting sweepers or powerful wallbreakers. If the opposing team appears to lack any answers to Porygon2, it can often win on its own, but always be careful of any potential Toxic users, since many teams will run Toxic solely to lure in Porygon2. Team Options Porygon2 struggles against most Fighting-types, so it should be paired with teammates that can switch into these threats, such as Ghost- and Flying-types such as Mimikyu, Landorus-T, Aegislash, and Mega Salamence. Fairy-types such as Tapu Fini and Primarina can deal with Fighting-types that threaten Porygon2. Tapu Fini in particular provides Misty Terrain support that can protect Porygon2 from unexpected Toxic users, though it also blocks Porygon2's Toxic and potential Discharge paralysis. Porygon2 struggles with Steel-types such as Aegislash, Ferrothorn, and Celesteela, so Fire-types such as Mega Charizard Y and Volcarona can help deal with them. Mega Gengar is a huge threat to Porygon2, so teammates such as Mimikyu and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele can help pressure it and discourage it from switching in. If Porygon2 lacks Toxic, it benefits greatly from wallbreakers such as Aegislash and Mega Blaziken that can help take down opposing defensive threats such as Cresselia and opposing Porygon2.

Moves Ice Beam provides Porygon2 with excellent coverage for Ground- and Dragon-types, most importantly hitting Mega Salamence, Landorus-T, Naganadel, and Garchomp. Shadow Ball provides great neutral coverage that complements Ice Beam well while also hitting Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Mimikyu, Aegislash, and Tapu Lele. Recover allows Porygon2 to keep itself healthy, which is especially important for helping it check threats without full investment in bulk. Trick Room turns Porygon2's low Speed into an advantage, allowing it to function more effectively as an offensive threat and support other slow teammates. Trick Room is typically not used with Recover, though, because using Recover under Trick Room wastes turns it should be using to attack. Tri Attack gives Porygon2 a reliable STAB move to hit foes that aren't weak to Ice Beam or Shadow Ball harder, making it a more consistent offensive threat. Hidden Power Fire is primarily used to hit Ferrothorn, which otherwise walls Porygon2, but it also hits other Steel-types such as Celesteela and Mega Mawile. Thunderbolt can be used if Celesteela is a bigger problem than Ferrothorn, and it has the benefit of being able to take advantage of Tapu Koko's presence under Electric Terrain. Set Details Eviolite is necessary for Porygon2 to take advantage of its solid defensive typing and bulk and gives it a lot of staying power even without full defensive investment. Download gives Porygon2 a chance to gain a 1.5x boost to its Special Attack, giving it a significant boost to break through foes. Many Pokemon are EVed specifically to avoid giving Porygon2 a Download boost, so Analytic can be used instead for a more consistent but smaller 1.3x boost. Analytic also requires Porygon2 to act after the foe, though its low Speed means this usually isn't a problem unless running Trick Room, in which case Download should be used instead. Maximum Special Attack investment with a Modest nature makes Porygon2 as powerful as possible, and the 244 HP EVs give it an odd HP value to reduce residual damage from the likes of Stealth Rock and sand. The remaining EVs are placed in Defense to increase its bulk. A Modest nature is typically used over a Quiet nature because minimizing Porygon2's Speed doesn't help it outspeed much under Trick Room. This also lets Porygon2 outspeed similarly slow Pokemon such as Azumarill outside of Trick Room and consistently attack after Aegislash under Trick Room. However, a Quiet nature can be used on teams that struggle with Mega Mawile, which most frequently runs an Adamant nature. Usage Tips Porygon2 lacks the same level of bulk as a defensive variant, so be careful switching it into powerful attackers such as Mega Salamence and Tapu Lele, especially if it lacks Recover, since they're more likely to 2HKO Porygon2. It can still be relied upon as a blanket check to many threats, though, such as Mimikyu, Garchomp, and Greninja. If using Download, try to find opportunities to give Porygon2 the Special Attack boost so that it can break through teams more easily. Porygon2's Special Attack is still respectable without the boost, but it can have trouble breaking through bulkier foes such as Aegislash and Mega Kangaskhan without it. Porygon2 often forces switches due to its fantastic bulk, so take advantage of these switches to use Recover or to punish incoming threats if using Analytic. If running Trick Room, Porygon2 functions well as a lead so that it can set Trick Room up as soon as possible, since it has an easy time setting doing so unless the foe is a Fighting-type or running Fightinium Z. While Porygon2 will usually have teammates to take advantage of Trick Room as well, Porygon2 has enough offensive presence to make use of this itself, so it doesn't always need to rely on its teammates. Unlike defensive sets, losing its Eviolite doesn't bother offensive Porygon2 as much, since it can still rely on its power and coverage moves to beat foes, so avoid letting it get KOed too early even if it loses its Eviolite. Porygon2 struggles to take powerful hits without heavy defensive investment, so be mindful of situations where Porygon2 is better off getting in one last hit before going down instead of healing itself, especially if it can put a teammate in position to sweep. Team Options Porygon2 appreciates teammates that can deal with Fighting-types, so Ghost-, Fairy-, and Flying-types that can switch into them safely such as Mimikyu, Tapu Fini, Landorus-T, Aegislash, and Mega Salamence are effective teammates. Fire-types such as Heatran, Blaziken, Mega Charizard X, and Mega Charizard Y that can beat Steel-types pair well with Porygon2, since Porygon2 can't run coverage for all relevant Steel-types. Stall teams are problematic for Porygon2, since it lacks the power to break through bulkier teams, so it appreciates stallbreakers such as Taunt Tapu Fini and Mega Gengar to break through them. If running Trick Room, slow and powerful attackers such as Mega Mawile, Mega Heracross, Primarina, and Araquanid greatly benefit from Porygon2's reliable Trick Room support. While Porygon2 is a reliable Trick Room setter, it appreciates having another Trick Room user on the team that can threaten Breloom such as Safety Goggles Cresselia. Faster teammates such as Tapu Koko and Mega Salamence can still fit on teams with Trick Room Porygon2 and are particularly important so that you have fast teammates when setting Trick Room isn't a safe option.

Moves Recover gives Porygon2 a reliable form of recovery to continue tanking hits. Tri Attack is an amazing STAB move, allowing Porygon2 to have a 20% chance to burn, paralyze, or freeze its foe. Ice Beam gives Porygon2 decent coverage alongside its STAB move, hitting Hydreigon harder as well as Pokemon that resist Normal such as Mega Aerodactyl and Tyrantrum. Thunder Wave allows Porygon2 to hinder more offensive teams, while Toxic allows Porygon2 to wear down more defensive teams. Foul Play is an option to have an easier time against physical attackers, especially those that use setup moves, such as Swords Dance Doublade and Swords Dance Abomasnow. Thunderbolt hits Feraligatr harder than Tri Attack, as well as hitting Empoleon and retaining super effective coverage on Mega Aerodactyl. Set Details The EVs allow Porygon2 to have the greatest mixed bulk it can have, taking on Mega Sceptile and Mega Houndoom while also being able to check physical attackers such as Feraligatr. A Calm nature allows Porygon2 to better check special attackers. Eviolite further augments Porygon2's bulk, allowing it to repeatedly tank hits throughout the match. Trace gives Porygon2 the ability to check defensive and offensive Pokemon alike. Tracing great abilities such as Flash Fire and Intimidate allows Porygon2 to have both offensive and defensive presence when checking the Pokemon it needs to wall. A specific EV spread of 248 HP / 164 Def / 96 SpD with a Bold nature allows Porygon2 to tank physical hits better while still retaining a good bit of special bulk. Usage Tips Porygon2 is used as a great blanket check to many threats such as Hydreigon and Feraligatr. However, don't overestimate its bulk or pressure it too much, as it can only take so much damage before being worn down. Porygon2 must watch out for potential Knock Off users such as Gligar and Mandibuzz, as they can get rid of its Eviolite and compromise its bulk. Scout for moves that can shut down or 2HKO Porygon2 on Pokemon it normally walls, such as Taunt on Hydreigon and Focus Blast on Nidoqueen. Recover should be used often, as Porygon2 will usually move last. Porygon2 is a great pivot for moderately powerful attacks. Thunder Wave is all it can do to cripple slow setup sweepers such as Reuniclus, which can easily set up on Toxic variants of Porygon2. Team Options Pokemon that threaten Fighting-types as well as hit them super effectively, such as Sylveon, Florges and Crobat, are great partners; Sylveon and Florges can also get rid of status, which really cripples Porygon2. Entry hazard removers such as Forretress, Gligar, Tentacruel, and Crobat help keep Porygon2 alive, as entry hazards wear it down very quickly. Forretress can keep up momentum as well, while Gligar and Crobat can hit very hard. Gligar in particular has amazing defensive synergy with Porygon2, although both fear Knock Off from common Fighting-types. Grounded Poison-types such as Nidoqueen can absorb Toxic Spikes, which Porygon2 really hates. Nidoqueen also appreciates Porygon2's ability to slow down a lot of faster threats with Thunder Wave. Entry hazard support from Forretress, Qwilfish, or Nidoqueen helps Porygon2 wear down the opponent's team passively, as it can force a lot of switches thanks to its threatening status moves.

Moves Trick Room allows Porygon2 to go first with its below average base 60 Speed. Recover gives Porygon2 a reliable form of recovery. Thunderbolt and Ice Beam allow Porygon2 to have near-perfect coverage, hitting everything in the tier for at least neutral damage bar Thick Fat Mamoswine. Thunderbolt hits bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Feraligatr, while Ice Beam hits Dragon- and Flying-types such as Hydreigon and Mega Aerodactyl. Tri Attack is a decent STAB option that allows Porygon2 to spread status ailments and hit neutral targets hard. Set Details A Quiet nature with a 0 Speed IV ensures that Porygon2 outspeeds as many Pokemon as possible under Trick Room. Download allows Porygon2 to possibly get a Special Attack boost and thus hit harder. Maximum HP and Special Attack EVs allow Porygon2 to tank as many hits as possible while hitting as hard as it can. Eviolite gives Porygon2 as much bulk as possible. Usage Tips Make sure to keep Porygon2 healthy so that it can continue to set up Trick Room throughout the match. Porygon2 must watch out for potential Knock Off users such as Gligar and Mandibuzz, as they can get rid of its Eviolite and compromise its bulk. Taunt users give Porygon2 a hard time, preventing it from using Recover and Trick Room. This set can set up Trick Room not only for itself but also for slow setup sweepers such as Nasty Plot Slowking and Swords Dance Doublade so that they can get around faster checks. This set should only be used on dedicated Trick Room teams, as Trick Room only has four turns to be utilized (three if Porygon2 switches out), so it can drain momentum from any team not dedicated to Trick Room. Team Options Pokemon that benefit from Trick Room, such as Pangoro, Mega Camerupt, Escavalier, Hoopa, Machamp, Slowking, Reuniclus, and Mega Ampharos, can hit hard and outspeed most Pokemon under Trick Room. Secondary Trick Room setters such as Chandelure, Cresselia, Slowking, and Aromatisse are really helpful in keeping Trick Room up. Aromatisse has the added benefit of keeping Porygon2 healthy thanks to Aromatherapy and Wish. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Forretress is extremely helpful, as it helps wear down the opponent's team. Forretress also can spin away entry hazards, allowing Porygon2 to keep setting up Trick Room throughout the match.

Moves Recover gives Porygon2 longevity, which enables it to check a wide variety of threats. Ice Beam provides excellent attacking coverage and checks specific threats that are troublesome for Normal teams, such as Landorus, Gliscor, and Choice Band Dragonite. Toxic wears down opposing Pokemon, pairs nicely with Porygon2's natural bulk, and meshes well with the other defensive Pokemon on many Normal-type teams, such as Chansey and Staraptor. Discharge allows Porygon2 to hit Flying- and Water-types like Skarmory, Gyarados, and Empoleon. Hidden Power Fire is useful for luring and eliminating Steel-types, especially Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Bisharp. Set Details Eviolite boosts Porygon2's defensive stats and is the only option for an item. Maximum HP and Defense investment with a Bold nature lets Porygon2 take physical hits. Despite Porygon2's excellent mixed bulk, mixed investment isn't preferred because Porygon2 is almost always paired with Chansey. Download grants Porygon2 a Special Attack boost against physically defensive foes. +1 Porygon2 2HKOes Skarmory with Discharge, OHKOes Mega Scizor with Hidden Power Fire after prior chip damage, 2HKOes Bisharp with Hidden Power Fire, and deals more damage to notable targets such as Tornadus-T, Excadrill, and Zapdos. Usage Tips Utilize Porygon2's excellent Defense to switch in on opposing physical attackers. It can stand up to some of the most powerful physical wallbreakers in the metagame. Attacks such as Choice Band Excadrill's Earthquake do under 50% with maximum investment, while stronger wallbreakers like Choice Band Diggersby only have an approximately 20% chance to 2HKO. Because Porygon2 finds many opportunities to pivot in throughout a match, use it to spread status. As you're pivoting, use Recover liberally to keep Porygon2's health near full so it can switch in on opposing offensive threats. Eviolite grants Porygon2 good mixed defenses, which should be used to status mixed attackers that otherwise threaten the team. However, it must watch out for opposing Knock Off users, as it needs its Eviolite to reliably check opposing physical attackers. Porygon2 can stall out most physical attackers, notably the Dragon-types that threaten the rest of a Normal-type team, with Toxic + Recover. Team Options Chansey makes an excellent teammate for Porygon2. It absorbs special attacks, sets entry hazards, spreads status, and is the perfect complement to Porygon2's physical bulk. Chansey's ability Natural Cure also makes it an excellent sponge for the status moves that are often aimed at Porygon2. Staraptor also makes an excellent defensive partner. It takes neutral damage from the Fighting-type attacks that threaten Porygon2 and has passable physical bulk thanks to Intimidate. Additionally, Staraptor can use Defog to clear entry hazards. Ditto complements Porygon2's defensive capabilities by punishing opponents that choose to utilize boosting moves to break through Porygon2. As a complement to the defensive partners listed above, Diggersby, Heliolisk, and Meloetta make great offensive partners for Porygon2. They appreciate the paralysis Porygon2 can spread and use it to outspeed potential revenge killers in the late-game. Mega Lopunny is an excellent Normal-type Mega Evolution to pair with Porygon2. It can take on Bisharp and Steel-types in general, which Porygon2 struggles against.

Moves Baton Pass lets Porygon2 pass the boost it gets from Download to a teammate and lets it gain momentum. Boomburst allows Porygon2 to hit almost every Pokemon really hard and removes threatening foes for teammates. Glare can be used to let Porygon2 cripple fast foes, including Ground-types, so that it and its teammates can easily outspeed and KO them. Swords Dance can be used over Glare to let Porygon2 pass large Attack boosts to its teammates. Recover lets Porygon2 stay healthy for longer periods of time and makes it more annoying for the foes to KO it. Toxic can be used as an alternative in the third moveslot to cut down the foe's HP more quickly, leading to more easy KOs. Substitute can also be used in the third moveslot to let Porygon2 pass a form of defense onto its teammates and allows the Pokemon coming in to avoid taking damage. Set Details Maximum HP and Defense EVs, when used in tandem with a Bold nature and Eviolite, let Porygon2 be as bulky as possible while still retaining some special bulk. Download lets Porygon2 gain boosts in either Attack or Special Attack to pass to a teammate, and it can use the Special Attack boosts to its advantage if need be. Minimum Speed can also be used to let Porygon2 be really slow for safer Baton Passing. Usage Tips Try avoiding Knock Off users such as Weavile so that Porygon2 can keep the additional bulk from Eviolite for as long as it can. Try to avoid status also so that Porygon2 doesn't need to spam Recover and waste its PP. Stay out of the way of Fighting-types such as Mega Lopunny and Terrakion, as they can both easily KO Porygon2 with their STAB moves. Avoid stat-lowering effects such as Parting Shot, Intimidate, and Sticky Web to prevent making teammates weaker and slower. Baton Pass the stat boosts obtained from Download onto Porygon2's teammates. More specifically, pass Attack boosts to physical attackers and Special Attack boosts to special attackers. Porygon2 can also be used as a defensive pivot with Baton Pass against frail Pokemon. Team Options Porygon2 appreciates having entry hazard setters such as Klefki, Ferrothorn, and Garchomp as teammates because they make it easier for Porygon2 to KO threatening foes. Entry hazard clearers like Starmie, Landorus-T, Latias, and Excadrill are good teammates because they allow Porygon2 to switch in more easily and let it survive more hits. Clefable, Mega Slowbro, and Landorus-T are good teammates because they can switch in on Fighting-types that threaten Porygon2, helping it live longer. Physical attackers such as Terrakion and Scizor appreciate the Attack boosts from Download, whereas special attackers such as Thundurus and Mega Diancie appreciate the Special Attack boosts. In general, Fairy-types are decent choices for teammates because they resist Fighting-type moves and can switch in on Dark-types that carry Knock Off. Frail yet strong attackers like Weavile appreciate Porygon2's ability to switch it in safety with Attack boosts. Volt Switch, U-turn, and Parting Shot users such as Magnezone, Scizor, and Weavile are helpful for getting Porygon2 safely, and Porygon2 works well with them in return thanks to Baton Pass. Rotom-H in general is a very good Pokemon, especially if Porygon2 is running Rapid Spin, as Porygon2 takes care of Stealth Rock for Rotom-H, and in return, Rotom-H checks Thundurus and is used as a pivot to Porygon2.

Moves Recover allows Porygon2 to replenish its health to stay on the field for longer periods of time and to stay alive longer. Boomburst lets Porygon2 hit almost every Pokemon with a strong STAB attack with solid neutral coverage. Thunderbolt can be used instead of Boomburst in combination with Ice Beam to form the BoltBeam combination, which has near-perfect neutral coverage; however, it doesn't hit as hard as Boomburst. Shadow Ball is used to hit Psychic- and Ghost-types super effectively and can hit the Ghost-types that Boomburst can't, but in general, it can't provide the amazing coverage that BoltBeam does. Rapid Spin is an alternative in the third moveslot as well to let Porygon2 perform as an entry hazard clearer. Glare lets Porygon2 cripple fast foes, even Ground-types, so that its teammates can easily outspeed and KO them and in general helps alleviate pressure on the team. Toxic can be used instead of Glare to cut down the foe's HP to make KOing all foes easier and is used for taking down bulkier Pokemon. Set Details Maximum HP and Defense EVs, a Bold nature, and Eviolite let Porygon2 be as bulky as possible to survive more hits from threatening physical attackers such as Landorus-T. Trace lets Porygon2 take advantage of the foe's ability, and it is used over Download to allow Porygon2 to act as a switch-in to more Pokemon. For example, you can switch Porygon2 in against Intimidate users like Landorus-T to lower their Attack in return; Prankster users like Thundurus and Sableye to have priority Recover and Glare or Toxic; Rough Skin and Iron Barbs users like Garchomp and Ferrothorn to deal residual damage to physical attackers and more specifically Fake Out + Extreme Speed users; Regenerator users like Slowbro and Tornadus-T to get free health back when Porygon2 switches out; Flash Fire users, specifically Heatran, to gain another immunity; and Multiscale users like Dragonite early-game to have more bulk. Usage Tips Like it was mentioned above, switch Porygon2 in on Pokemon of various abilities to take advantage of said abilities. Avoid Knock Off users such as Weavile to retain Porygon2's added bulk from Eviolite for as long as possible. Try to avoid getting badly poisoned and burned to prevent having to use Recover more times than necessary. Avoid Fighting-types such as Mega Lopunny and Terrakion, as they have strong STAB moves that easily 2HKO Porygon2, and Mega Lopunny has Fake Out + Extreme Speed to weaken Porygon2 more quickly. Try to use Boomburst to take advantage of Porygon2's nice base 105 Special Attack, and try to use the move to wear down Pokemon that lack recovery. Recover should be spammed quite frequently to ensure that Porygon2 can stay on the field for as long as possible. Team Options Entry hazard setters like Klefki, Garchomp, and Ferrothorn make it easier for Porygon2 to KO threatening foes. Entry hazard clearers such as Starmie, Landorus-T, Latias, and Excadrill allow Porygon2 to switch in more easily so that it can survive more hits. Pokemon that resist Fighting-type moves like Clefable, Mega Slowbro, and Landorus-T are good teammates because they easily take care of Terrakion and Mega Lopunny and help it live longer. Fairy-types in general pair well with Porygon2 because they resist and can switch in on Fighting-types and can take care of Dark-types, especially those with Knock Off. Clerics are good teammates because of their ability to help Porygon2 live longer. Pokemon that take care of Steel-types, such as Fighting- and Ground-types such as Terrakion and Excadrill, are good partners to reduce the number of times Porygon2 has to switch out; Magnezone is also a good teammate because Magnet Pull lets it trap Scizor and Ferrothorn and easily KO them with Hidden Power Fire. Volt Switch, U-turn, and Parting Shot users such as Magnezone, Scizor, and Weavile are helpful for getting Porygon2 in safely. Wallbreakers such as Terrakion are useful for taking care of the bulkier Pokemon that Porygon2 struggles with.

Moves Trick Room lets your slower Pokemon attack first. Recover augments Porygon2's great bulk, lets Porygon stick around to set up Trick Room multiple times over the course of the match, and takes advantage of opposing Protect, a move commonly used to stall out Trick Room turns. Ice Beam is useful against many common Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Thundurus, and Amoonguss. Foul Play is another offensive option that punishes Power-Up Punch Kangaskhan and Aegislash and generally deals high damage to the likes of Hoopa-U and Mega Metagross. Set Details 252 HP EVs maximize Porygon2's bulk, 160 Defense EVs allow it to survive Life Orb Terrakion's Close Combat from full health, and 76 Special Defense EVs with a Sassy nature let Porygon2 survive a Heat Wave followed by Overheat from Mega Charizard Y with good probability. Finally, 20 Special Attack EVs guarantee the OHKO on Landorus-T and Salamence with Ice Beam. Eviolite is necessary for the additional bulk. Download's Special Attack boost lets Porygon2 take out Substitutes from common users such as Kyurem-B and generally gives it more offensive presence. Trace can copy helpful abilities such as Intimidate and Magic Bounce, but it is equally likely to copy a useless ability. Usage Tips Setting up Trick Room should be Porygon2's priority whenever it would be advantageous. Be wary of common checks to Trick Room such as Amoonguss and Thundurus: against obvious Spore or Taunt it is generally better to switch out or attack. Porygon2's biggest perk as a Trick Room supporter is that it can reliably set up Trick Room multiple times in a match. Therefore, it is important to use Recover liberally to get its HP back from setup turns so that it has a chance to come in at a later time. However, if it is still at high HP, it is a good idea to switch out to a more favorable attacker that better takes advantage of the Trick Room turns. Generally, Porygon2 is too weak to be used for attacking, so try to not waste turns by using attacking moves. Still, using super effective moves to pick off weakened foes is often worth it. Because only a few Pokemon can deal meaningful damage to Porygon2, it can function as a wincon in the late-game, and if you aim for it to do so, try to keep it as healthy as possible and avoid switching it into a position where it can be knocked out by hard hitters before getting to do anything. For instance, a combination of hard-hitting attacks or super effective moves, such as Mega Kangaskhan's Return and Keldeo's Secret Sword, will take it out before it has a chance to do anything. Team Options Fake Out support from Scrafty and Mega Kangaskhan lets Porygon2 overcome opposing Taunt or Spore and gives it some freedom to set up. In addition, Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Scrafty soften up physical hits with Intimidate so that Porygon2 is even harder to take down. It is important to make sure your team has enough slow attackers to take advantage of Trick Room. For instance, Heatran, Mega Camerupt, and Mega Abomasnow are good attackers in Trick Room. They also handle Amoonguss and Thundurus, and the former two can take out problematic Steel-types. It is wise to cover Porygon2's weakness to Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Terrakion with Pokemon such as Sylveon and Amoonguss. Due to Porygon2's weakness to classic Trick Room solutions such as Taunt, sleep, and Fake Out, it is necessary to have a backup plan to tackle fast attackers without relying on Porygon2 setting up Trick Room. This is typically done by carrying a secondary Trick Room setter or by having your team be functional outside of it. As for secondary Trick Room setters, Pokemon such as Hoopa-U and Reuniclus provide some offensive presence as well as Trick Room support, while Jellicent or Cresselia provides another sturdy Trick Room supporter that beats opposing Fighting-types. Finally, Talonflame provides strong priority as a contingency plan outside of Trick Room, threatens Amoonguss, and beats Fighting-types such as Blaziken and Keldeo.

Moves Recover keeps Porygon2's HP at sufficient levels, allowing it to wall special attackers throughout a match Thunder Wave paralyses offensive threats and is great team support, while Toxic helps break down opposing walls. Choice is dependent on what Porygon2's teammates require Ice Beam provides ideal coverage against common threats in Middle Cup, hitting Ground-, Grass-, and Dragon-type threats Thunderbolt rounds out coverage with Ice Beam, allowing Porygon2 to hit everything in Middle Cup for neutral damage. Discharge should only be used if Porygon2 opts for Toxic, otherwise run Thunderbolt Tri Attack is an excellent STAB option but lacks the coverage offered by Ice Beam and Thunderbolt Set Details Given EV spread and nature optimizes Porygon2's wicked special bulk while naturally hitting a Leftovers number A mixed EV spread of 252 HP / 92 Def / 164 SpD with a Calm nature maintains Porygon2's ability to wall things like Life Orb Frogadier while giving it enough physical bulk to survive a +1 Outrage from Fraxure after Stealth Rock damage Usage Tips Porygon2 switches in on almost every unboosted special attacker in Middle Cup with impunity, the only exception being Life Orb Electabuzz with Focus Blast Try to limit how often Porygon2 is matched against physical attackers. Its natural bulk will allow it to stay in and fire off a Thunder Wave or an attack, but it shouldn't remain in on most physical threats for long Alternate EV spread will struggle against most Choice Specs holders and Life Orb Electabuzz, so Porygon2 should be used to check these as opposed to countering them Team Options Physically defensive Togetic is Middle Cup's best switch in for most physically offensive threats, such as Gurdurr, Krokorok, and Fraxure, and forms an excellent defensive core with Porygon2 Slower threats like Swords Dance Croconaw or Doublade appreciate the support from Thunder Wave On the other hand, Agility Seadra and Rock Polish Rhydon like having walls weakened with Toxic Entry hazards support from Whirlipede or Piloswine are appreciated, as Porygon2 forces a lot of switches

Moves Agility boosts Porygon2's Speed to a point where only Choice Scarf Electabuzz, Frogadier, or other +2 Speed threats are capable of keeping pace with it Tri Attack is a reliable STAB option, hitting the majority of Middle Cup for neutral damage Shadow Ball hits a lot of stuff that Tri-Attack doesn't, specifically Lampent, Haunter, and Doublade, providing perfect neutral coverage with Tri Attack Ice Beam rounds out coverage, targeting Ground-, Flying-, Grass-, or Dragon-type threats Recover can be used in tandem with a Life Orb, but leaves Porygon2 situationaly vulnerable against Rhydon, Roselia, or Siggoo Set Details The given EV spread gives Porygon2 a Life Orb number, enough Speed to outpace everything up to and including Choice Scarf Krokorok and maximum Special Attack The rest of the EVs are dumped into Special Defense for extra bulk A Modest nature is optimal over a Timid nature since the extra power is mandatory and any extra bulk from running Timid doesn't effectively change much Leftovers gives Porygon2 some staying power when setting up but Life Orb turns Porygon2 into a menacing threat Usage Tips Bring Porygon2 out against weaker threats that have low Special Defense, such as Marshtomp or weakened Rhydon and Doublade, snag an Agility boost whenever available, and proceed to wreck havoc While there is a slight Special Defense investment, this Porygon2 variant can't wall repeated special attacks and should not be used as a tank Gurdurr and Monferno need to be eliminated before Porygon2 can begin a sweep, as Mach Punch will remove Porygon2 before it can prove to be effective Team Options Threats to remove Gurdurr and Monferno, such as Shadow Tag Gothorita, Fletchinder, or Togetic, are essential to Porygon2's success Whirlipede and other entry hazard layers make for great teammates as the chip damage helps Porygon2 bust through more defensive threats Gurdurr makes for an excellent partner as it can threaten and remove opposing defensive Porygon2 Porygon2 will appreciate having something remove Choice Scarf Electabuzz and other faster threats, so Piloswine and other bulky and powerful Pokemon often pair well with Porygon2

Moves Ice Beam provides necessary coverage in Battle Spot Doubles against threats such as Thundurus, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence. Recover provides longevity for Porygon2 and allows it to take many repeated hits, which means that it can stay alive throughout the game and sponge neutral hits. Trick Room turns slower Pokemon such as Azumarill and Mega Mawile into powerful sweepers. Thunder Wave slows down opposing Pokemon and has a chance of creating a free turn. Tri Attack has decent neutral coverage alongside Ice Beam; however, it is a fairly weak option despite having a STAB boost. Thunderbolt provides amazing coverage alongside Ice Beam and hits Water-types such as Suicune, Politoed, and Milotic while also hitting Flying-types such as Talonflame. Set Details 252 HP EVs and 96 Def EVs along with a Relaxed or Bold nature allow Porygon2 to survive some of the most powerful attacks in the metagame, including +1 Double-Edge from Adamant Mega Salamence, Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge, and even Life Orb Terrakion's Close Combat. 92 EVs in Special Attack allow Porygon2 to OHKO uninvested Mega Salamence 100% of the time, and the remaining EVs are put into Special Defense. When using Trick Room, run a Relaxed nature with 0 Speed IVs, as this minimizes Speed. If using Thunder Wave, move 4 EVs from Defense to Speed. Usage Tips Porygon2 should be used to check and cripple powerful attackers in Battle Spot Doubles such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Salamence, Mega Charizard Y, Thundurus, and Gengar with Thunder Wave and Ice Beam. Be wary of Knock Off users such as Bisharp and Scrafty, as the removal of Porygon2's Eviolite can turn it into a liability on most teams, and be wary of Fighting-types and Steel-types, as the former can deal massive damage to Porygon2 with their powerful STAB moves and the latter take little damage from Porygon2's moves; Aegislash and Heatran can also use Substitute against Porygon2, and Ferrothorn doesn't mind absorbing paralysis. If using Trick Room, set it up as early as possible, and keep Porygon2 as healthy as possible for setting up Trick Room again in the late-game so slow Pokemon such as Azumarill and Mega Mawile can sweep. Team Options Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir can beat the Fighting-types that trouble Porygon2, while Porygon2 can set up Trick Room for them. Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr, Terrakion, and Breloom can beat powerful Knock Off users such as Bisharp and Scrafty, both of which heavily pressure Porygon2 with Knock Off, while they like having Mega Salamence removed for them. Fighting-types also remove Steel-types that can wall Porygon2, such as Heatran and Ferrothorn. Pokemon that generally appreciate speed control in Thunder Wave such as Entei, Azumarill, Heatran, Bisharp, and Breloom work well with Porygon2, as they can pressure teams easily when they outspeed their foes. Pokemon such as Azumarill, Mega Mawile, and Mega Camerupt appreciate Trick Room support from Porygon2, as they become very powerful and threatening sweepers when Trick Room is up.

Moves Ice Beam is Porygon2's most important offensive tool, allowing it to check dangerous threats such as Garchomp, Mega Salamence, and Landorus-T. Be careful about Landorus-T though, as it has a habit of carrying Knock Off. Foul Play is Porygon2's other main offensive tool. When combined with Trace, it allows Porygon2 to check threats such as Mega Kangaskhan and Belly Drum Azumarill. Recover allows Porygon2 to have some serious staying power. Thunder Wave is an excellent status move in Battle Spot Singles and is a good choice if your team has more problems with Porygon2's offensive checks. Toxic, meanwhile, is the only way Porygon2 can do any meaningful damage to the extremely common Rotom-W. Toxic is also Porygon2's best tool against its other main problem: other defensive Pokemon with Toxic! Discharge is a good midway option if you want to have a secondary special attack while still being able to spread paralysis, thanks to its 30% infliction rate. Discharge will allow Porygon2 to deal a good amount of damage to Azumarill, making it far more risky for Azumarill to set up Belly Drum. Discharge also allows Porygon2 to 2HKO Gyarados and offensive Talonflame. If you just want to do a bit more damage to foes (especially Azumarill) but don't care about the paralysis, you can opt to use Thunderbolt instead. Set Details Eviolite is what makes Porygon2 such a bulky Pokemon, so make sure you don't forget to put that on your Porygon2! The HP EVs may seem a bit strange, but they give Porygon2 an odd amount of HP. This lets Porygon2 take less damage from sand, Stealth Rock, hail, and status, giving it an extra bit of longevity at almost no cost to bulk. Maximizing the Defense stat is a must, as it allows Porygon2 to check a ton of Pokemon. The remaining EVs are put into Special Defense for an extra bit of bulk. Usage Tips Because Porygon2 is all about checking many of Battle Spot Singles's big threats, you'll usually find yourself using Porygon2 in a rather reactive way, switching into big threats and using the predicted switch to try to punish your opponent with status moves or Foul Play. A word of warning: in most cases, you should resist the urge to use Foul Play on Aegislash. Most Aegislash use a mixed attacking set with Weakness Policy. Porygon2 can normally wall this set, but if you use Foul Play, Aegislash will now be able to 2HKO Porygon2 with Sacred Sword! Trace is a very unique and useful asset for Porygon2, so make sure to take advantage of it whenever possible. Defensively, Trace makes Porygon2 a great switch-in to Salamence before it Mega Evolves, as Porygon2 can lower its Attack with Intimidate. Porygon2 can also do the same with Mawile, but note that Mega Mawile beats Porygon2 one-on-one. Heatran and Manectric before it Mega Evolves are also good targets for defensive uses of Trace, due to their abilities making Porygon2 immune to their main attacks. For more offensive uses of Trace, Mega Kangaskhan is a prime target, as Parental Bond can give Porygon2 more offensive presence than usual. Greninja's Protean can also aid Porygon2 offensively and remove its Fighting-type weakness when Porygon2 uses Toxic or an Electric-type attack, but note that becoming Ice-type gives Porygon2 many new weaknesses. If you face an opponent who doesn't appear to have a Porygon2 check, don't take that as an easy win: it's very possible that your opponent is trying to ensnare your Porygon2 with some kind of lure! For example, an opponent might be running Substitute + Toxic Aegislash or Power-Up Punch Mega Kangaskhan. When seeing these kinds of teams, consider choosing the Pokemon that are good at dealing with lure-related emergencies for your team. On a final note, one topic that must be addressed is Mega Gengar. Mega Gengar can be specialized to become a devastatingly effective way to trap Porygon2 thanks to Destiny Bond and Taunt. Teams that use sweepers particularly weak to Porygon2 are known to do this. Mega Gengar is extremely difficult to directly check due to Shadow Tag, so the best way to check it is not so much bringing a specific Pokemon but more about planning ahead. If you see a team that could be using this kind of Mega Gengar, consider not leading with Porygon2 and possibly even making risky double switches into predicted Gengar switches. Sometimes, it's possible that the key to overcoming a matchup like this is to put Gengar into an unfavorable matchup before it Mega Evolves. Team Options When talking about Porygon2's teammates, it's important to first note the Pokemon that try to take advantage of Porygon2. Two of the most dangerous examples are Mega Gengar and Mega Mawile, while more general offensive threats to Porygon2 are Fighting-types such as Blaziken, Heracross, and Mega Lopunny. Moreover, Porygon2 doesn't do that great against more defensive threats. While it can cripple opposing Porygon2 and Cresselia with Toxic, having your own Porygon2 hit with Toxic can cripple its ability to check some of the more powerful threats of Battle Spot Singles. Of particular note are Ferrothorn and Mega Venusaur, which have nothing to fear from Porygon2 and can ensnare Porygon2 into the clutches of their Leech Seed! Teammates that resist Fighting are highly recommended when using Porygon2. Talonflame is a fantastic offensive example, as it can support Porygon2 in other ways. Its powerful priority Brave Bird preys on Fighting-types and smashes Mega Gengar and Mega Venusaur, while Flare Blitz scorches Mega Mawile and Ferrothorn. In a funny twist of fate, Porygon2's archnemesis, Mega Gengar, works here as well, aiding Porygon2 with a Fighting immunity and Shadow Tag to defeat many defensive Pokemon, while Porygon2's Thunder Wave allows Mega Gengar to effectively revenge kill Choice Scarf threats. On the more defensive side of teammates, Cresselia, the other premier defensive Pokemon, happens to pair reasonably well with Porygon2. Cresselia resists Fighting, while Porygon2 provides Cresselia with backup against Greninja and Aegislash (watch out for Substitute, though). If you choose Thunder Wave in the last moveslot, make sure to take advantage of it! Most sweepers in general can find a situation where they can win a game because of paralysis, but two Pokemon in particular deserve a special mention. Mega Mawile is a fantastic teammate in this regard. Paralyzing threats such as Blaziken can give Mega Mawile the breakthrough it needs to win the game! Garchomp, while already fast on its own, is much harder to defeat when fast checks such as Mega Lopunny are crippled. Garchomp itself can aid Porygon2 in a particular emergency, surviving a +2 Sucker Punch from Mega Kangaskhan and often destroying it thanks to Rough Skin. Take special care in avoiding Trick and Knock Off, as losing Eviolite compromises Porygon2's ability to check threats. Common users of Knock Off that don't already hit Porygon2 super effectively include Azumarill, Mega Mawile, Bisharp, and Weavile, while common users of Trick include Rotom-W and Rotom-H. Thankfully, Mega Evolutions are immune to losing their item, making them fine ways to halt attempts at removing Porygon2's Eviolite. Mega Evolutions that resist Knock Off such as Blaziken, Tyranitar, and Heracross work especially well.

Moves Ice Beam is Porygon2's main offensive tool, grabbing easy OHKOs on the many Pokemon doubly weak to Ice in Battle Spot Singles and even doing over 90% to physically defensive Hippowdon. Shadow Ball lets Porygon2 smash one of its archnemeses, Mega Gengar, with offensive variants facing an OHKO after a Download boost. Additionally, Analytic Porygon2 will OHKO Aegislash when it is in its Blade forme, while a Download boost can allow Porygon to 2HKO Cresselia. While this Porygon2 focuses on offense, Recover is still a staple, as it allows Porygon2 to check specially offensive threats such as Aegislash and Greninja. The last move is a bit trickier to choose, as Porygon2 has many viable options. Tri Attack is an easy choice offensively. While it offers Porygon2 no additional coverage, the STAB boost makes Tri Attack a good general attacking option. Notably, Tri Attack 2HKOes Mega Charizard X with an Analytic boost and 2HKOes Mega Kangaskhan with a Download boost. If you're more worried about coverage, Hidden Power Ground is a fine option, 2HKOing Mega Charizard X, Mega Mawile, and Heatran with a boost. Hidden Power Fire still hits Mega Mawile but also gives Porygon2 a way to smash through Scizor and Ferrothorn. Thunder Wave gives Porygon2 an additional way to support the team, while Discharge gives Porygon2 a move that slams Gyarados and Skarmory while still potentially spreading paralysis. Toxic can also be used to fix Porygon2's issues with walls such as Cresselia and other Porygon2. Set Details Maximum Special Attack EVs are needed to give Porygon2 a reasonable offensive presence. 244 HP EVs reduce residual damage against Porygon2, while the 12 EVs in Defense are simply filler, giving Porygon2 a bit of extra physical bulk. Eviolite is required, as the massive boosts in defenses are far more useful than an offensive boost. A Modest nature is usually the best for Porygon2, giving it extra special attacking power while letting it outspeed Mega Mawile. However, if using Analytic, a Quiet nature with 0 Speed IVs should be considered, allowing Porygon2 to underspeed Mega Mawile and Speed tie with mixed Aegislash. The big decision to make on Porygon2 is choosing between Download and Analytic, which is essentially a choice between power and reliability. Download gives Porygon2 the most power, letting it gain KOs on important targets such as Mega Gengar. However, Download will only boost Porygon2's Special Attack against Pokemon that have a higher Defense stat than Special Defense, making useful Download boosts not guaranteed. Analytic offers a 30% boost instead of a 50% boost and requires Porygon2 to move last or attack on the switch to activate. However, because Porygon2 is already fairly slow, Analytic is less matchup reliant. Note that this will cause Porygon2 to have more problems with slower Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Wobbuffet. Usage Tips Knowing when to switch in Porygon2 is paramount, because while Porygon2 is bulky, its low Speed means that powerful, boosted offensive threats such as Dragon Dance Mega Salamence and Power-Up Punch Mega Kangaskhan can shatter Porygon2 before it can attack. Pokemon that don't boost, such as Greninja, Choice Scarf Garchomp, Skarmory, physically defensive Hippowdon, and Weakness Policy Aegislash, are good opportunities for Porygon2 to switch in. Also note that all of these Pokemon except Aegislash will give Porygon2 a valuable Download boost. Switching Porygon2 in after losing a Pokemon or through U-turn or Volt Switch is also a good idea, as this preserves Porygon2's ability to take powerful hits. Team Options Offensive Porygon2's main issue is its Fighting-type weakness. Although switching in can be dangerous for them, Blaziken, Mega Lucario, and Heracross can blast though Porygon2. Porygon2's other big issue is against specially bulky Pokemon, with opposing Porygon2, Suicune, Sylveon, Toxic Cresselia, and Ferrothorn (if Porygon2 lacks Hidden Power Fire) tanking offensive Porygon2's assaults. These problems make Mega Gengar a fantastic teammate, thanks to its useful Fighting-type immunity (although Blaziken is still an issue) and its ability to use moves such as Taunt, Destiny Bond, and Perish Song to toy with defensive Pokemon. Thanks to their STAB types, Talonflame and Azumarill do well if you specifically need a Pokemon to deal with Fighting-types, while Mega Mawile and Mega Charizard Y can take on most of Porygon2's defensive problems fairly well. Because Porygon2 is fairly slow for an offensive Pokémon, paralysis support makes it far more difficult to counter. In particular, paralysis support means that frail Fighting-types such as Blaziken and Mega Lucario are no longer guaranteed to revenge kill Porygon2. Thunder Wave has a huge amount of viable users to choose from, but bulky ones such as Zapdos, Ferrothorn, and Rotom-W work especially well. More offensive users of paralysis such as Thundurus and Serperior can also pair well with Porygon2, as Porygon2 can often switch into their offensive checks such as Greninja. Pairing Porygon2 with a Volt Switch or U-turn user can be a good way to keep Porygon2 in healthy shape. Mega Manectric and Landorus-T are particularly good choices thanks to Intimidate letting Porygon2 soak up physical threats more easily, but Rotom-W, Rotom-H, and Scizor are fine choices as well.

Moves Setting up Trick Room is Porygon2's primary objective, letting it change its low Speed into a lightning-fast asset for five turns! Shadow Ball 2HKOes Mega Gengar at minimum, which is extremely important because some Mega Gengar might attempt to stop Porygon2's setup with Taunt or waste Trick Room's time with Perish Song and Protect. Ice Beam offers good coverage, OHKOing the large amount of Pokemon doubly weak to Ice in the metagame and even doing over 90% to physically offensive Hippowdon after a Download boost. Tri Attack is the easiest choice for the last moveslot, giving Porygon2 a STAB attack that allows it to clean weakened teams in Trick Room with a Download boost. If you want Porygon2 to take on a more supportive role, Hidden Power Ground is a good choice, allowing a boosted Porygon2 to 2HKO Mega Mawile and have a 68% chance to OHKO Heatran, both of which can be problems under Trick Room. If your team can handle the loss in coverage, Recover can be used to give Porygon2 much more lasting power and is especially useful on teams that are only partially Trick Room-based. Set Details A Quiet nature, full investment in Special Attack, and 0 Speed IVs are needed to give Porygon2 reasonable power and a low Speed stat to take advantage of Trick Room. Eviolite and 244 HP EVs maximize Porygon2's bulk while letting it take less residual damage, while the 12 Defense EVs are simply filler to make Porygon2 slightly bulkier. Download is the best option ability-wise, giving Porygon2 the potential for extra offensive presence. Usage Tips Conserving Porygon2's HP is an important task; switching recklessly into powerful offensive threats such as Mega Kangaskhan can get Porygon2 KOed before it launches off Trick Room. Switching into less powerful, non-boosting threats such as Greninja and Aegislash and defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia and Hippowdon is ideal. That being said, don't be afraid to sacrifice Porygon2 if you feel that setting up Trick Room and attacking once will open up an opportunity for a teammate to sweep! This tactic works especially well late in the game, when you know what foes your opponent has chosen. Pay close attention to your opponent's team in Team Preview, as this can dramatically affect how you play your Porygon2. For example, if your opponent's team is packed with Pokemon that give Trick Room trouble, you can still consider using Porygon2 for its bulk and potential to sweep weakened teams under Trick Room and not run its Trick Room teammates. If you are facing an opposing Trick Room team, you can opt to bench Porygon2, as running other Trick Room teammates could turn the momentum of the match in your favor. Team Options Mega Mawile should almost always be a teammate for this Porygon2. Mega Mawile's low Speed and absurd Attack make it extremely fearsome under Trick Room! Mega Mawile is also a great wallbreaker, using many of Porygon2's defensive checks as setup fodder. Powerful, slow Pokemon in general enjoy Trick Room support, with some good ones including Escavalier, which is immune to Spore thanks to Overcoat; Rhyperior, which is a good check to Talonflame, a problem for Trick Room teams; and Azumarill, which offers backup priority in Aqua Jet. Don't feel pressured into making your team fully centered around Trick Room support. Bringing fast Pokemon that don't need Trick Room to function well is usually a good idea, in case you face teams that do well against Trick Room, such as stall. Talonflame is the gold standard among these Pokemon, offering priority Brave Bird that works well regardless of the field condition and moves such as Taunt to give defensive Pokemon trouble. Mega Gengar, while not appreciative of Trick Room, gives stall teams trouble thanks to Shadow Tag.

One of the ways of stopping an enemy from setting up Trick Room is to kill it. Porygon2's immense defenses eliminate the chances of it fainting quickly, enabling it to successfully set up Trick Room for the team. Trick Room is the crux of the set, giving Porygon2's slow partners the upper hand by allowing them to move first. Tri Attack is Porygon2's only usable special STAB attack and can dent the opposition should Porygon2 be Taunted, as well as soften enemies for Porygon2's partners. Ice Beam, however, hits most common Taunt users, namely Thundurus, Tornadus, Whimsicott, and Murkrow, for super effective damage, and hence might be more useful if you wish to prevent Porygon2 from being Taunted. Recover is what separates Porygon2 from the many other bulky Trick Room users, as it gives Porygon2 a reliable way of restoring 50% of its health. Protect is overall a great move in doubles, as it shields Porygon2 from attacks, scouts the enemy, and stalls turns. Lastly, Magic Coat allows Porygon2 to take advantage of the fact that it is an enormous Taunt bait, and reflect Taunt back at the opposition. Porygon2 attracts Taunts like how a flame attracts moths; this issue must therefore be dealt with. Fake Out support is the traditional way of stopping Taunt, and buys Porygon2 time to set up Trick Room. Porygon2's sky-high defenses, combined with access to a reliable recovery move, make it very hard to take down mid- and late-game. However, one must be careful to make best use of Porygon2's niche as a Trick Room user. Porygon2's vulnerability to both Taunt and Fake Out often make it a poor choice if you are using it to lead and set up Trick Room. In that role, it is far outclassed by the likes of Dusknoir and Dusclops, both of whom have good defenses, while also being immune to Fake Out. Porygon2 has two great abilities to choose from: Download and Trace. Trace allows Porygon2 to copy the opponent's ability, which can be game-changing. For example, if Porygon2 traces Bronzong's or Cresselia's Levitate, it will further delay, if not prevent its death in battle. However, there are times where Porygon2 might Trace something useless or even detrimental to itself, such as Speed Boost. To insure some degree of reliability, one might opt to use Download, which gives Porygon2 the strength to dent things, but once again, there is a chance the ability might boost Porygon2's Attack instead. Porygon2 can run an alternate spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD to decrease the damage it takes from special attacks. Additionally, Porygon2 can utilize Thunderbolt, Thunder, or Discharge over one of its support moves to gain good coverage with Ice Beam, but this is not recommended as Porygon2's attacks are normally far too weak to pose an offensive threat. Such a change would also hamper Porygon2's ability to support its team, its primary role.

This is a sample set. We aren't working on BW Monotype analyses at the moment, but check out BW Monotype resources for more information about the metagame.

With Charge Beam, excellent coverage alongside it in Ice Beam, and Recover, Porygon2 becomes a great boosting tank. The idea is to come in on a Pokemon that poses little threat to Porygon2, such as Milotic, and start blasting away with Charge Beam. The more boosts Porygon2 gets, the more offensively threatening it becomes. Ice Beam is used for coverage and creates the BoltBeam combination alongside Charge Beam. Tri Attack rounds off Porygon2's coverage and is a nice STAB move with which to nail Pokemon neutral to BoltBeam coverage, such as Uxie, Lanturn, and Clefable. If coverage is not a problem, Substitute can be used in its place to turn Porygon2 into an effective SubCharge user. When using Substitute, it's best to use it first to scout your opponent's switch-in and also to protect Porygon2 from status, particularly Toxic. Recover provides Porygon2 with consistent recovery and allows it to set up on Chansey that lack Toxic, beating it one-on-one with +6 Tri Attack. The EV spread gives Porygon2 enough Speed to outpace Adamant Rhyperior and enough Special Attack to beat Chansey at +6, with the rest put into HP to balance Porygon2's defenses. A fully defensive spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD with a Calm nature can be used to turn Porygon2 into a more defensive tank; however, Porygon2 then loses to Rhyperior and Chansey and requires four boosts instead of three to 2HKO Milotic with Tri Attack. This Porygon2 isn't a great team player; it acts as a standalone sweeper, so it enjoys a lot of team support for itself. Ghost-types are almost a necessity as teammates, since they can absorb any Fighting-type attacks aimed at Porygon2. Porygon2 requires a Pokemon to absorb Toxic Spikes off the field and to take any Toxics aimed at it, so pairing Porygon2 with a Poison-type, such as Venusaur and Nidoking, is highly recommended. If Porygon2 were to be poisoned by Toxic, it essentially becomes unable to sweep, so packing a cleric on your team, such as Vileplume or Clefable, is highly beneficial as well. Clefable also has the added benefit of providing Wish support and can absorb Toxic aimed at Porygon2 as well. Claydol makes a great partner because it can switch into Fighting-types with ease and provide Rapid Spin support to blow Toxic Spikes, Spikes, and Stealth Rock off the field. Not only that, but Claydol can also set up Stealth Rock of its own. In return, Porygon2 easily switches into Milotic and Ghost-types that threaten Claydol.

When equipped with Life Orb, Porygon2 becomes both an effective all-out attacker and a good tank. Tri Attack is a must on this set, as it gives Porygon2 an effective STAB move to work with and nails a majority of UU for neutral damage. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are the recommended choices for the next two slots to form the BoltBeam combination, which, when paired with Tri Attack, gives Porygon2 neutral coverage on all Pokemon in UU, with the exceptions of Magneton and Shedinja. Hidden Power Fighting can be used over Thunderbolt to nail Registeel, Clefable, and Chansey for super effective damage and even has a chance to 2HKO Registeel after Stealth Rock. If you're using Hidden Power Fighting, Substitute is the recommended choice for the third slot, as it gives Porygon2 protection against status and allows it to scout the opponent's switch-in. Recover is placed in the last slot to allow Porygon2 to offset any entry hazard and Life Orb damage. The EV spread allows Porygon2 to outrun minimum Speed base 80s, Adamant Torterra, Modest Exeggutor, Jolly Aggron, and many variants of Milotic. The Special Attack EVs allow Porygon2 to 2HKO most Uxie, OHKO Blastoise and special sweeper Moltres, and put a considerable dent in 248/0+ Milotic by dealing 79.4% - 93.6% with Thunderbolt after a Download boost. Discharge can be used over Thunderbolt for the added paralysis chance; however, the difference in power is very noticeable. Agility can be used over Tri Attack to allow Porygon2 to become a decent late-game cleaner; however, without a reliable STAB option, Porygon2 will find the chance to sweep difficult to come by. Finally, Hidden Power Grass can be used over Tri Attack to hit Lanturn, Quagsire, and Rhyperior harder, but outside of those examples, it has little use. Ghost-types, such as Mismagius and Rotom, make great partners, as they can switch into Fighting-types with little trouble. Uxie makes a great partner as well to switch into Fighting-types, and it can also provide Stealth Rock support. Porygon2 can eliminate threats such as Slowbro, Dugtrio, and Altaria to help ensure a Blaziken sweep. Porygon2 is stopped cold by the likes of Lanturn and Chansey, so pairing it with a strong physical attacker such as Hitmonlee will easily let Porygon2 bypass these defensive threats.

This is Porygon2's best defensive set for covering the wide variety of threats that reside in UU. Discharge and Ice Beam are the main choices, as they form the BoltBeam combo that nails every Pokemon in UU for at least neutral damage, with the exceptions of Lanturn, Magneton, and Shedinja. Discharge is the recommended move over Thunderbolt for the raised paralysis chance, which can help Porygon2 not only to get the jump on foes but also to support its teammates. However, Thunderbolt can be chosen if you find the damage output from Discharge disappointing. Recover lets Porygon2 keep itself healthy and allows it to become a general nuisance to your opponent. Finally, Toxic is chosen for the last slot to whittle down bulky foes, such as Regirock, Miltank, Uxie, and Spiritomb. If you find Toxic to be conflicting with Discharge's paralysis too much, then Thunder Wave can be chosen for the last slot to ensure that Porygon2 spreads paralysis on faster threats, such as Mismagius, Absol, and Kangaskhan. The EV spread is designed to give Porygon2 as much special bulk as possible, with 40 EVs placed into Special Attack for a chance to 2HKO offensive variants of Moltres with Discharge. An alternative spread of 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpA with a Bold nature can be used, but most physically attacking threats in UU carry a Fighting-type attack that easily smashes through Porygon2's invested defenses anyway. Trace is the recommended ability, as it is more defensive in nature than Download and allows Porygon2 to solidly counter some of UU's top threats. Porygon2 can Trace Flash Fire from Houndoom and Arcanine and absorb their Fire-type attacks; the same can be done to Volt Absorb Lanturn and Water Absorb users such as Quagsire and Poliwrath. Porygon2 can also Trace Intimidate from Arcanine and Hitmontop to buffer their attacks and then proceed to zap them with Discharge. Some other strategies include Tracing Dugtrio's Arena Trap and eliminating it with Ice Beam and Tracing Pressure from Spiritomb and Moltres and stalling them out of PP, assuming they aren't carrying Toxic. Download can be used over Trace to turn Porygon2 into a more offensive tank. Porygon2 will almost always be looking for Special Attack boosts, so some Pokemon that it can take advantage of include Slowbro, Cloyster, and Donphan. However, even with the Special Attack boost, Porygon2 still only manages a 2HKO on them, making the boost near worthless and Trace the better choice. Porygon2's main goal with this set is to paralyze and/or cripple as many foes as possible while also countering some problem Pokemon your team may be having trouble facing. Examples of excellent teammates that excel with the majority of the opponent's team paralyzed are Rhyperior, Marowak, and Azumarill. Great defensive teammates for Porygon2 include Ghost-types such as Mismagius and Rotom, which can absorb Fighting-type attacks. In return, Porygon2 can take on most Houndoom and other Dark-types and paralyze them or put them out of commission, though Porygon2 must beware of Absol's Superpower. Registeel and Aggron also make good teammates, as they can absorb hits from other strong physical attackers, such as Swellow, Scyther, and, in Registeel's case, Azumarill. Claydol gets a special mention as a teammate, as it can effortlessly switch into users of the EdgeQuake combination, such as Rhyperior without Megahorn, Aggron, and most Fighting-types, and threaten them out with Earth Power and Psychic.

This set capitalizes on Porygon2's ability to be a self-supporting Trick Room sweeper. After setting up Trick Room, Porygon2 can begin its BoltBeam-backed assault, hitting everything but Lanturn, Magneton, and Shedinja for at least neutral damage in UU. The fourth moveslot comes down to how you would like to play Porygon2. Tri Attack hits Lanturn for neutral damage and adds a STAB attack to Porygon2's arsenal. Recover is the more defensive option, allowing Porygon2 to attempt multiple sweeps and shrug off any damage it may take upon switching in. Be wary of using Recover in Trick Room, however; Trick Room only lasts for five turns, during which Porygon2 needs to be focused on sweeping. Finally, Hidden Power Fighting is a reliable option to hit Steel- and Dark-types harder and make a larger dent in Chansey as it switches in. Note that Porygon2 can't KO it, however. If you'd like to make Porygon2 a bit bulkier, an alternative spread of 252 HP / 156 SpA / 100 SpD is available. Utilizing this spread makes setting up Trick Room against the likes of Milotic and special Venusaur much easier. However, with this spread, Porygon2 will miss out on a 2HKO against specially defensive Clefable with Tri Attack. Because this set's goal is to sweep under Trick Room, Porygon2 needs to garner as much power as possible. With Download, Porygon2 has the chance to raise its Special Attack by one stage. So, when you're ready to commence a sweep, switch Porygon2 into a foe like Exeggutor or Weezing, get a Special Attack boost, use Trick Room, and proceed to sweep. Porygon2's teammates are quite variable and should depend on how you plan to use Trick Room, whether for Porygon2's benefit alone or for the team as a whole. While Trick Room is in effect, Pokemon with low Speed such as Azumarill, Hariyama, and Slowbro are all decent options, since all three have a much easier time sweeping in Trick Room. Azumarill is a fantastic Trick Room sweeper thanks to its low Speed and its ability to continue the sweep when Trick Room ends with Aqua Jet. Hariyama's ability Guts allows it to absorb status afflictions that might hinder other Pokemon. In fact, while under Trick Room, paralysis boosts both Hariyama's Attack and Speed, since it will quarter Hariyama's already low Speed stat and activate Guts at the same time. Slowbro's ability to set up Trick Room and use Slack Off to recover lost HP makes it an excellent supporting tank on Trick Room teams, although its sibling, Slowking, is a better offensive choice, since it can boost its Special Attack more quickly via Nasty Plot. Should you choose to make Porygon2 a standalone Trick Room sweeper, your options for teammates become much more conventional. Absol makes a great switch-in against Ghost-types that expect Tri Attack, as does Skuntank. Skuntank may be the better of the two, however, since it's not weak to the Fighting-type attacks that many Ghost-types carry. Blaziken is able to go on the offensive much more easily with the absence of Milotic—which this set KOes with minimal effort—and can handle any Registeel that may try to stall out Trick Room or wall Porygon2. This set struggles against Hitmontop, especially the TechniTop set, so plan accordingly. Common checks for Hitmontop include Flying-types such as Swellow, Ghost-types like Spiritomb, and Psychic-types such as the aforementioned Slowbro.

This set capitalizes on the fact that most Pokemon in UU are more specially frail and equips Porygon2 with a Choice Scarf to turn it into a revenge killer that can easily sweep late-game if given the opportunity. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt form the BoltBeam combination, and, alongside Tri Attack, grant Porygon2 perfect neutral coverage in UU with the exceptions of Magneton and Shedinja. The last slot comes down to personal preference. Trick is the recommended choice, as it allows Porygon2 to potentially cripple its counters, such as Registeel, Chansey, and Clefable, since none of them can make use of Choice Scarf. Psychic can be selected over Trick for additional type coverage, as it hits the ever-present Fighting- and Poison-types of UU for super effective damage and allows Porygon2 to effectively revenge kill Blaziken and Toxicroak. The EV spread given allows Porygon2 to outrun positive-natured base 105s, with the remaining EVs placed into Special Attack for power and HP for bulk. Modest can be used over Timid for additional power; however, Porygon2 then loses out on outpacing base 105s such as Mismagius and Scyther. Download is the recommended ability to effectively garner Porygon2 a Special Attack boost as it switches into a Pokemon with a higher Defense than Special Defense stat, allowing it to more easily revenge kill a majority of the UU tier. If the opposing Pokemon has equal defenses, like in the cases of Absol and Scyther, Porygon2 will get the Special Attack boost. Trace can be used, however, as it allows Porygon2 to counter weather teams centered around Chlorophyll and Swift Swim. As Porygon2 switches in, it'll Trace the opposing Pokemon's Chlorophyll or Swift Swim; Porygon2 is then free to outpace the sweeper and KO it with the appropriate move. This strategy is highly situational, however, and therefore Download is the more practical option to counter most teams. Fighting-type Pokemon that can remove Chansey, Clefable, and Registeel, such as Hitmonlee and Hariyama, are excellent teammates for Porygon2. Pursuit users, such as Drapion and Skuntank, make great teammates that can remove Ghost-types, which will aid Porygon2 in a Tri Attack sweep. Spiritomb is another great teammate, as it can Pursuit trap the aforementioned Ghost-types and cripple any Fighting-types with Will-O-Wisp. Many common sweepers, including Mismagius and Houndoom, love to have Milotic out of the picture, and so they appreciate Porygon2 as a partner.