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Does anyone use stuff like X Attack and Defend?

I remember that I once used those items in Norman's gym in Petalburg City. Just for fun, since all gym trainers used them too.
But besides that, no.
 
UltimateSephiroth said:
...yeah, I should learn how to take advantage of moves like Swords Dance, since I see most competitive players use them. But I still cannot see the point, you'll get hit first if you use statboosters!
Click to expand...

Granted in game you may take one hit while you boost, stat ups that provide +2 in one stat or +1/+1 in two stats pay for themselves after just 2 turns.

If you use Swords Dance first turn and attack second turn, you have done the same damage you would have done with 2 successive attacks. The difference is that your next attack will also do double damage. Here is how it would work, using an attack that does 'x' damage.

Turn 1: x damage
Turn 2: x damage
Turn 3: x damage

Total damage: 3x

Turn 1: 0 damage (Swords Dance)
Turn 2: 2x damage
Turn 3: 2x damage

Total damage: 4x

In the normal gameplay against a gym leader, you may take one or two hits setting up, but you will reap the benefits as you slaughter entire teams with boosted attacks (remember you can always use a Potion to heal and essentially get 'free' boosts). Mukubird has a video up of him raping the entire HG/SS E4 with Swords Dance Feraligatr. Once he has a few turns of setup, he is basically unstoppable against the computer opponents.

In competitive gameplay, the benefits of stat-up sweepers are many, but the way they are played is somewhat more complicated. When you are playing against an opponent that can switch, you need to time your boosts right to get the most benefit out of them. Generally, you'll want to use a boost when you have created a situation where your opponent will definitely switch, or you are up against a Pokemon that does not directly threaten you.

Here's a relatively simple example:

Your opponent has sent out a Tyranitar against your Zapdos. Since Zapdos will virtually never come out on top against Tyranitar, this is a turn when you will be switching. You choose to switch to Lucario, since it has a 4x resist to both of Tyranitar's STAB moves, and scares Tyranitar away. Tyranitar used Stone Edge, and you took a modest amount of damage.

Now that you have put your opponent in a situation where a switch is inevitable, you can use Swords Dance as they switch. If they don't have an available Lucario counter, you may have just won the match. A +2 Lucario, since it has a priority move in Extremespeed, can KO the majority of Pokemon in OU.

There are many moments in a battle where you force your opponent into a must switch situation, you can attempt to capitalize on these by predicting the right attack to use, or using substitute or status, but using a stat up move is often the best option (especially later on in the match).
 
I've used them a couple of times.

Useless as heck unless you REALLY need it and you don't have moves to up your stats.
 
I use them to make fun of cheryl at the battleground. On my latest attempt it was a lv 28 lanturn. It owned all of cheryl's pokémon!
 
I think I used one in the battle against Evice in Colosseum. And also one when I tackled the Hoenn league once (either first time in Sapphire or the first time in Emerald), I think it was an anti-critical hit thing against his Absol.
 
I rarely use them since I think they are a waste of time especially when I could just beat my opponet with a easy stratadegy that I usually use. What I would always do with them is sell them to make some yen back especially if I needed it to buy super potions or pokeballs.
 
only X accuracy, the only one aside this was X attack when fighting Roxanne. Later on the games i sell them
 
Think I've used one once before, It was a Dire hit though. I got a critical hit with Razor Leaf afterwards but I'm still skeptical that it was what made me get a Crit Hit.
Early game your better off selling them for pokeballs, repels or potions anyways
 
And I thought I was alone in the fandom w/r/t this. I also sell my temporary power ups.
 
In a Nuzlocke Challenge, they are (at some stages) almost essential if you don't want to spend your life grinding...
 
I use them in solo runs. If I can't switch out my Pokemon, I need to be able to boost or recover their stats. Especially accuracy, I can't win if I can't get a hit in. But it is still luck heavy, they could just lower mine again.

I used them in the Gamecube games. Since everything was double battle, I could devote one Pokemon's turn to using these, and have the other attack. It was pretty cool, like other RPGs where you could have like a Bard play songs to raise stats of the team.

In the main games? No I don't. I can't justify using them if I have to give up my only turn and get hit in the process. My team tends to be fragile speedsters anyway.
 
They're not really useful, and I didn't even bother to sell them for the most part, so I had about 10 of each in my bag.

They have their moments though...

Example: An X Attack helped me win the battle against Red.

So I tend to keep a few on-hand for "emergencies."
 
With the huge amount of money that the battles deliver now I need to spend it in something...

Plus those items may be useful for grinding (especially against Gym Leader/E4 rematches.
 
Not usually, but I do sometimes use them if I'm using Slaking. What else am I supposed to do when it can't attack?
 
X-items are useful on tank Pokemon like Vaporeon and Scizor.

If you use Pokemon that can take hits X-items are great. Of course X-items suck if you use frail Pokemon like Espeon, Infernape, Weavile etc.

I don't use them a lot. I used X special against Lance with my choice specs Vaporeon.
 
I don't buy them, but will use them anyway. Spamming X Special, X SpDef and X Defend was pretty much key to me beating Lance's second wave.
 
I've recently started to use those thing in two gym battles.
First I let my pokemon that's first at em, and then I'll start spamming those things.
The gym battles I'm useing those are Whitney and Norman.

Other than those, no.
 
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