Battle Center Discussion #4 - Bringing back the Physical/Special split

[Synthesis]

Battle Center Discussion #4 - Bringing back the Physical/Special split

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

This week's discussion topic is the Physical/Special split, which was removed with the advent of Gen IV. For anyone unsure, this was when every Type was either Physical or Special, instead of how every attacking move is either Physical or Special now.

Many people view it as one of the biggest changes to game mechanics ever made. Would things be different now if say Gengar's Shadow Ball/Sludge Bomb became physical, or if Gyarados had to rely on Surf, among many other differences? Which Pokemon would rise in usage and which ones would decline in usage? Would you welcome the changes?
​

 

[Takaki]

Well Dark types really loved the change because most carried high attack stats whilst Dark was a special type.

 

[Italy-kun]

Impact on the metagame aside, the old way's weird. I wouldn't welcome it. It just makes no sense.

 

[Synthesis]

I think it'd be interesting anyway. Some Pokemon remain untouched like Starmie, Mence, Nite, most bulky Pokemon, but some things are really hurt. Anything with Pursuit is hurt but some Pokemon can now run it to greater success. Weavile becomes pathetic with no Ice/Dark moves, Gengar loses its STABs and Focus Blast, Blissey becomes better with the effect of Psyshock negated and more Special moves overall, Keldeo and Breloom lose important coverage to the point of being much worse.

There's seriously a lot of changes that would ruin certain Pokemon.

 

[Takaki]

I used to play it when it was like this and it honestly was not very fun.

 

[Fabled]

Some Pokemon fared a lot better before the split. Alakazam got the elemental punches, since they were special. Sceptile with its special Leaf Blade/Pursuit was a nice addition to a few teams. Crobat and Nidoking, along with many others, got Sludge Bomb as a powerful Physical move.

There was also the matter of what Pokemon did better with the types playing on their defensive stats, i.e. water types were weak to grass and electric, two special types, and water types with better Special Defense like Tentacruel, Milotic, and Slowking did a lot better against those types than water types.

 

[Angad]

I wouldn't think that dragons would be as ridiculously viable with all Dragon Moves still being special.

 

[Faye Scarlet]

I'm way too used to how it is today. I was replaying Emerald in a Scramble Challenge, and I was confused that my Counter failed to Counter a foe's Ice Punch, I was like "WTF ITS PHYSICAL", then I remembered. 8D;

 

[Synthesis]

I wouldn't think that dragons would be as ridiculously viable with all Dragon Moves still being special.

Yeah, that's a good point. I think that would hurt a lot of them, although they'd still be able to run similar mixed and Specially-based sets. It does make Dragon Dance a lot less worrisome to face though.

 

[Angad]

I wouldn't think that dragons would be as ridiculously viable with all Dragon Moves still being special.

Yeah, that's a good point. I think that would hurt a lot of them, although they'd still be able to run similar mixed and Specially-based sets. It does make Dragon Dance a lot less worrisome to face though.

Specs Dragonite and Salamence would still see usage.

 

[Shiny Shinx]

I'm no competive player, but I bet that Haxorus would definitally decline in usage.