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Contest Contest-of-the-Week: Banette vs Dusclops

Winterdaze

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Welcome to Contest-of-the-Week! With the release of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire on the horizon, the attention of Pokémon fans everywhere turns to Hoenn, and all the cool and interesting Pokemon that live there.

Every week, we'll be looking at a few of the many Pokémon you'll meet along your journey through the Hoenn region, and asking for your opinions on them and how they stack up next to their counterparts or rival Pokemon looking to fill the same spot on your team.

250px-354Banette.png
vs
250px-356Dusclops.png

After you manage to beat Winona and her Altaria the next stop on the list is Lilycove City. Once you reach the end of the rainy Route 120 you'll find the evil team is off to cause trouble at Mt Pyre. You could give chase now or keep going ahead to Lilycove along Route 121, either way you're sure to encounter your game's version exclusive Ghost type Pokemon, Duskull for Ruby and Shuppet for Sapphire.

These two Pokemon are mono Ghost type and remain that way throughout their evolutionary lines, so the main difference between them is their stats. Banette is the definition of a glass cannon, with high attack but poor defenses and speed. In contrast Dusclops is quite bulky but is sorely lacking is offensive presence. Both Banette and Dusclops are capable of evolving further in games after their debut. Dusclops evolves the traditional way into Dusknoir, gaining a hearty boost to its Attack stat but little else, though unlike Mega Banette it is capable of holding items. Banette's Mega evolution is most notable for possessing Prankster, making it effective at disruptive strategies, and it hits rather hard with its 165 base attack too.

Which version exclusive Ghost type do you prefer, and why?

-Which has the better design?
-Which one is easier to train?
-Which is more useful throughout the game?
-Which do you think will be better in ORAS?
-Which is more useful in the competitive environment?
-Would you rather Banette had a regular evolution instead of a Mega? What about the opposite for Dusclops?

Let the contest begin!



Next week:Primal Groudon vs Primal Kyogre vs Mega Rayquaza
 
-Which has the better design?
Banette. It just looks creepy-er and the zip thing is pretty cool.

-Which one is easier to train?
Probably both are equal.

-Which is more useful throughout the game?
Maybe Dusclops if you use a eviolite, I think...

-Which do you think will be better in ORAS?
Roughly equal?

-Which is more useful in the competitive environment?
Not quite sure... I'll go with Banette

-Would you rather Banette had a regular evolution instead of a Mega? What about the opposite for Dusclops?
I'm pretty happy with how things turned out.

Voted Banette because it's one of my favourite ghost type Pokemon :p
 
Which has the better design?
Banette is cuter to me. Dusclops is just kinda creepy.

Which one is easier to train?/Which is more useful throughout the game?
I've never trained either and know nothing about their stats or anything, but even if I did I'd say it depends on the player's style and their team.

Which do you think will be better in ORAS?
I dunno. Banette has the Mega which may be obtainable before the post game. Dusclops has a normal evolution, but it requires an item which may or not be available before the post game (Pheobe has one so I think it's kinda likely). I guess it might depend on who's evolution item you can get earlier.

Would you rather Banette had a regular evolution instead of a Mega? What about the opposite for Dusclops?
No, I like everything the way it is now. I wouldn't really care if things ended up differently though since I really don't care about either of these Pokemon.

I'm picking Banette since, like I said, I think it's cuter.
 
-Which has the better design?
Hmm... tough call. Both are creepy and clearly resemble creatures from the darkness. However, I'm gonna have to go with Banette, as it looks more like what it's based off of.

-Which one is easier to train?
I've only trained Dusclops (though I did raise a Banette for dex data in Y), so it really boils down to the needs of the player. But I think Dusclops, as it's quite bulky, can deal some decent damage, and when using and Evolite, can be nigh-unbeatable. Banette is just too slow and fragile to fully maximize it's power with the exception of Shadow Sneak. Plus in online battles, I've beaten Mega Banette with relative ease, while Dusclops/Dusknoir have been very hard to beat.

-Which is more useful throughout the game?
Again, depends on what you're looking for: a heavy hitter or a tank-ish staller. If Dusknoir is available main game, then I think Dusclops would fit the bill better, as it will have access to more than Banette.

-Which do you think will be better in ORAS?
Same as above, depends on what you're looking for. But, again, I go with Dusclops for the above reasons.

-Which is more useful in the competitive environment?
Mega Banette gives it a powerful presence in the mainstream thanks to Prankster and the hefty Attack boost, but like I said, I've beaten competitively bred Mega Banettes with little trouble before. Dusclops and Dusknoir I've had a bit more problems with, especially if the former is holding and Evolite. However, I'll have to go with Banette mainly because its Mega Evo does give it greater capabilities (and Prankster seems to be very desirable in the competitive ring).

-Would you rather Banette had a regular evolution instead of a Mega? What about the opposite for Dusclops?
Nah, I think it's fine the way it is. While having a Mega Dusknoir would make it a brutal Mon, the way things are set right now is fine. Besides, as much as I like Mega Evo, it can be bit of a crutch at times, forcing you to depend on it.

So I voted for Dusclops.
 
-Which has the better design? Hmm...I suppose Dusclops > vBannete, but Mega Banette > Dusclops.
-Which one is easier to train? Banette I guess
-Which is more useful throughout the game? Dusclops?
-Which do you think will be better in ORAS? Duclops, maybe?
-Which is more useful in the competitive environment? Mega Banette is underrated imo, it may struggle to do much besides spread status and knock off items and whatever, but priority destiny bond is really useful. Dusclops can do bulky things, I guess, though it can't really attack for shit.
-Would you rather Banette had a regular evolution instead of a Mega? What about the opposite for Dusclops? Regular evolutions suck. I would have preferred a Mega Dusclops to Dusknoir cause Dusknoir, while sort of cool I guess, could really be a lot better. I'm sure a Mega Dusclops would have looked better. I hope Dusknoir gets a mega that looks a lot cooler.

Voted for Banette cause I like its mega, but I sort of like Dusclops as well.
 
Best design: Banette. Dusclops is okay, but Banette has the creepy appearance to match its disturbing Dex story.

Easier to train: Never tried either on my main team. I dunno.

More useful: Dusclops. While its offense isn't that great, it can soak up attacks (even without Eviolite) and has a wide range of negative-status moves.

More useful in ORAS: Depends on what you're going for... Megavolving monster or Eviolite wall.

More useful in competitive: Dusclops all the way. I use one on my Trick Room triple team to great results- Dusclops almost never gets OHKO'd (heck, it usually soaks up damage and doesn't get cut down to even 3/4ths HP), and its bulk often lets it outlast foes it has poisoned or burned. Banette's kinda delicate, even in zipper-monster form.

Would you have preferred Banette to get an actual evolution, or a mega for Dusclops? I'm fine with how they are now, really. Banette's mega makes a little sense, in-game... it lets that malevolent spirit-energy out and goes into overdrive temporarily, but it can't keep it going forever, thus it reverts to normal form. If Dusknoir was Dusclops' mega, it would lose the advantage of Eviolite and wouldn't be as useful as a Trick Roomer or bulky saboteur. Now, if Dusknoir got an offense-oriented Mega...

I vote for Dusclops. This one has served me well in the Maison and Battle Spot, and has earned my respect the hard way during my attempts at the Hoenn Pokemon League. Banette never did much to make it memorable, besides its disturbing Dex story and eerie Mega.
 
-Which has the better design?
Banette a million times over. Dusclops kinda freaks me out.

-Which one is easier to train?
I don't know.

-Which is more useful throughout the game?
Both equally, I'd think.

-Which do you think will be better in ORAS?
Again both.

-Which is more useful in the competitive environment?
Banette can be useful, I don't know about Dusclops.

-Would you rather Banette had a regular evolution instead of a Mega? What about the opposite for Dusclops?
No, I think both worked out perfectly.
 
Not a fan of either of these pokemon, but I'd say I like Banette's design better.
 
Oh, well, I like both of these pokemon. Why is it I so often like the really creepy ones?

-Which has the better design?
Both are suitably creepy, but I like banette more, because it's even creepier, while also somehow being quite cute. I have a bit of a thing for creepy puppets and dolls, it seems.

-Which one is easier to train?
Probably dusclops, seeing as it has great defences and you can be more careless with sending it out. Although I really don't know.

-Which is more useful throughout the game?
I'm not sure. A lot of dusclops' good moves will more likely be taught post-game when you have access to pain split and that. Probably banette, although I've never used either in a main game team.

-Which do you think will be better in ORAS?
I'm not sure. See above two answers for the argument.

-Which is more useful in the competitive environment?
Dusclops is the only one I've used competitively, and I quite like how it works. I'm not sure how good mega banette is in comparison, though.

-Would you rather Banette had a regular evolution instead of a Mega? What about the opposite for Dusclops?
Well, I hate mega banette, but at least as a mega I can just pretend it doesn't exist. I don't see where they could go for any future banette evolutions, and I'd rather its design wasn't put at risk. I'm very happy with dusknoir as it is, though.

Overall, I can only really give the vote to banette. Dusclops is good, but banette... I just really like banette.
 
I really like both and have used both before, but Banette has the edge for me, especially now because of its Mega.
 
Always Dusclops. Once upon a time I wasn't a fan, but that was only because I was always done in by Phoebe's. I love a defensive 'mon. I'm not really into Dusknoir, so I do love to just attach an Eviolite to Dusclops in the newer games.

They're not version-exclusive though!! In Mt. Pyre one of them is just a lot rarer than the other.
 
I prefer Dusclops. Banette has a decent design, but Dusclops’ is much cooler and creepier in my opinion. I like it’s mummy-ness and lone red eyeball.
 
I really like Mega Banatte's design, but I voted for Dusclops. I used one in Emerald and she was the team's MVP. Curse is a really useful move in the story since it deals more damage than normal status effects and can only be cured by switching out which the CPU almost never does
 
flies in
how did I only now see this

banette is awesome. iirc it was the first mon I got to lv. 100, and it was especially good in RSE since ghost moves were still physical and its attack stat was really good. I had such an easy time battling most trainers with it. Liked Banette so much I ended up training another to lv. 100 lol. I prefer it even in ORAS. my ghost baby <3
 
Banette is creepier than Dusclops both in design and dex entries. I love Duskull but I don't like any of it evolution and while I don't like Shuppet that much, Banette is great and it's only too bad that we don't have any reference or creepy scene if we take a Pokedoll to Mt. Pyre.
 
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