one of the funnier niche items is Big Nugget on Sneasler, where it uses Fling to get a 130 BP Dark type move to counter Gholdengo and activate the Unburden boost
@@marcoasturias8520 you can't go over each lefties use, but you can go over interesting stuff. Lefties in gen3 and gen5 are mostly used to offset sandstorm damage rather than healing for instance. The boots have challenged the lefties place as the de facto item on defensive pokemon. Thus, i feel like an episod on boots would be about the debate whether or not they are healthy for the meta, an episod on scarf would be very interesting, discussing every gens important speed tiers (ie the deoxys theorem), while band / specs would be combined and discuss important damage calcs and hazards impact on said calcs, life orb would be similar. Assault vest would be VERY interesting and there is much to say. Z move and gen5 type gems would be interesting. Berries could be cool as well.
Items are the singular reason why Mega Rayquaza was banned from Ubers. Megas were limited by holding Mega Stones with no beneficial items. Rayquaza didn't have that limitation. It could Mega Evolve on top of holding anything it wanted. It broke everything.
This is why Megas and Z Moves to a limited extent were the most balanced gimmicks introduced from Gen 6 onwards. Putting aside the more broken Megas, having to hold the Mega Stone/Z-Crystal means you can't use anything else. Meanwhile Dynamax and especially Terastallisation means you can also hold items with them and make then even more powerful.
And now we see Pokémon that can easily wall and sweep Mega Rayquaza. Zacian (crowned and normal), Koraidon, Miraidon, and you can bet Terapagos will be able to do the same. It may actually be knocked Down to UUbera.
One item that I'd like to note is Eviolite, boosting the defenses of not fully evolved Pokemon is huge, and is what helped give Little Cup some defensive backbone.
Eviolite Scyther is not to be underestimated (especially with Technician boosted Trailblaze) and let's not forget the inevitable arrival of Eviolite Duraludon.
While we're talking Megas here; it should be worth noting some of these pokémon were immune to trick and knock off. And having a mega to absorb these moves went a long way.
Really wish they'd nerf Knock Off now that we can no longer absorb it like this. It's such a pain in the butt and makes Psychic types virtually unusable
If you don't evolve, you rely on eviolite, so it's an extension of the Giratina theorem. The only other case would be murkrow, which loses prankster on evolving.
Dusknoir was also the worst cross generation evolution when it comes to providing actual buffs. The only stats that got buffed by more than 5 points are Atk and Speed. Buffing speed from 25 to 45 is pointless. And the Atk buff is offset by the fact that it got absolutely no good Ghost stap pre gen8 dlc, and by then, the power level was far too high (and Drain Punch and Knock Off are still strangely absent).
I'm surprised you didn't mention Gen 9's Covert Cloak. Being able to protect yourself from the secondary affects of moves like Scald, Fake Out and Garganacle's Salt Cure is such a useful and powerful tool.
I’m still waiting on Game Freak to make an item that’ll extend the duration of Trick Room, Wonder Room, and Magic Room. Personally, I’d call it “Wonder Clay”.
Other items that were missed in this list: 1. Effect prolonging items: after the loss of perma-weather of Gen V, weather-prolonging rocks were usually the go-to items of weather setters. This is usually the case unless they are more offensive weathers going for damage boosting items, or they are Hail/Snow-setters going for the other prolonging rock, Light Clay, to increase Aurora Veil turns. Dual Screens of course always carry the clay to get more bang for their walls. 2. Force switch items: Usually seen in doubles but can also see applications in singles, Eject Button and Red Card allows for free switching, negating the opponent's stat boost, allowing your entry ability to activate again later, and other mind games. 3. Eviolite: The item that has made Blissey inferior to Chansey for a while, the introduction of Heavy Duty Boots made an impact to this item's use, but it still has a big impact on the lower competitive tiers. Acting as both a physical and special Assault Vest without any drawback as long as the holder is not fully evolved, it is a particularly great boon to previously fully evolved Pokémon who find themselves with a new evolution stage such as Rhydon and Bisharp.
Another really set of extremely important users of Eviolite are pokemon who would lose a really strong ability by evolving, with some like Clefairy and Murkrow actually reaching meta dominance.
And that’s why Mega Audino is the most redundant Mega Evolution ever (why no Regenerator on a *defensive* Mega that already had Regenerator in its normal form?)
Yeah, that was an absolutely retarded decision. If they had to sacrifice Regenerator, they should have buffed Healer by making it work like Hydration without rain. If Mega Audino could Rest off all its damage and wake up at the end of the turn, it would be incredibly difficult to take down. That would make it a Mega Evolution that people would be eager to have on a defensive team.
I always had the passing thought of some niche format where each side could bring a set number of items to use. Like "each player has 5000 bucks to stock up before the fight" sort of thing
The Item Launcher in Gen V toyed with that. Every turn it would gain a charge, and every item had a charge cost. Weaker items like Potions were cheap, but if you waited 13 turns, you could use a Max Revive.
I know this series is about game mechanics for the most part but I'd love to see a video on why tiering isn't exactly everything going over lower tier pokemon being viable in higher tiers aka The Gastrodon Theorem
The tiering system is based on usage rate, not Pokémon power. Gastrodon isn’t and possibly never will be a Pokémon to be put in OU or Ubers. However, it’s still got a very niche and specific use, so when your team needs that niche and specific use it will be used. It won’t, however, get banned from the lower tier it’s in because it’s used in a higher tier. I don’t think there’s really a theorem there, cuz it’s working as intended. The tier list isn’t about viability, it’s about usage rate. Gastrodon isn’t a high tier cuz it’s not powerful enough to be banned and not used enough to shift tiers.
Underrated application of items only buffed to this level in 1 generation but a large answer in team building to Z moves in Generation 7 were the "pinch" berries [Figy, Iapapa, Wiki, Aguav, Mago] that restored 50% of a Pokemon's health when in a pinch (25% or less) Either using these berries on Pokemon that are difficult to 2 hit KO or that have the ability Gluttony allowing them to eat the pinch berries when they go under half instead of under 25% made Pokemon such as Alolan Muk & Snorlax extremely difficult to knock out without removing the berry. These two are notable because they both have access to Recycle, allowing them to eat the berries over & over.
Snorlax in particular also used those berries to OP effect in Gen 7 VGC, even winning two of the three World Championships in that gen. It was arguably the Pokémon most responsible for those berries getting nerfed in the following generation. I hope they get to cover this full stop in the upcoming Snorlax remake.
Surprised these weren't here. Sitrus was also a thing before gen 7 in niche cases (pinch berries healed way less back then). Berry Juice for little cup fans. Eviolite too. Single-handedly made pokemon like Chansey viable who qualified. Also Light Clay for screens + the rocks for weather guys. Nothing crazy but they're still important. Someone below mentioned Safety Goggles. That's... something.
Light Clay was floated for a ban this gen, so I'd say it's no small deal. I remember Iapapa berry Rotom-W being a big thing since it significantly boosted its ability to take hits in gen 7.
A niche user of gluttony and pinch berries was a gen 6 fairy Pokemon whose name I don't even remember. It was based on a dessert and had access to belly drum but almost no physical moves. The berries either recovered his hp to full after belly drum or helped it to still be able to use it even if the opposing Pokemon got it to below half HP. Or it could use the speed boosting berry so that if it managed to get belly drum it got a +1 speed boost alongside the +6 atk one. It wasn't a great Pokemon but it was always amusing to see it sweep unsuspecting players.
1. Shoutouts to Safety Goggles and Assault Vest as they allow you to maintain offense while having some form of defense in certain scenarios. 2. An interesting theory would be the importance of IVs as it was very important in gen 2-5 because you need to consider the Hidden Power type and the power of the move and later on, the importance of 0IVs on Speed and Attack to play around Trick Room and Foul Play, and special shoutout to Stakataka to get the IVs you need to get an Attack boost with Beast Boost.
my favorite less common use of items is the usage of resist berries in draft leagues, since you have a lot more incentive to tech your pokemon in specific matchups
The music choices for all the sections were perfect. I especially love using Eterna Forest for the berries section: humble little consumables that are as important as their reusable, counter parts.
the amount of relevant footage captured and edited in with what you are talking about is such a nice thing. it’s one thing to talk about a scenario and another to see it in that same moment and i appreciate that effect
Personally, I'm quite fond of Heavy Duty Boots. It finally made people have to do more than just gormlessly select Rocks and/or Spikes for the lead slot. And it freed up so many Mons from having to dedicate a move slot to removing them over and over.
I love these Theorems and it really delves DEEP into why competitive pokemon is very in depth and why it explains where pokemon are in the teir list...most of the time
I've been waiting for this one! Love these videos that go in depth on all the different facets of the competitive scene. Thanks so much for this quality content!
Its actually amazing to see clips being used where you are showing what you are talking about, its nice to just see and hear the info at the same time, and the vid itself is also just great
New Held Item idea: False Start Flag - "An item held by a Pokemon. This flag signals a false start, protecting the holder from priority moves." Blocks Prankster and Gale Wings affected moves too. Grassy Glide's priority is blocked if on Grassy Terrain. Sure Psychic Terrain is a thing, but the item would be good in battles where it doesn't happen.
That seems like it would be way to overpowered. Blocking ALL moves with priority is way to strong for a held item. If it was a consumable item and only worked once then it’d prob be more balanced
Speed Boost users: "Please allow me to introduce myself," Fast Calm Minders: "I'm a man of wealth and taste." Dragon Dancers: "Been around for a long, long year," Quiver Dancers: "Stole many a man's soul and faith."
@@JellifiShugoIt's a false start‚ it would work only once and break like Balloon if the Mon was attacked. I guess it would be strong but balanced that way.
Gen 9's Loaded Dice is also an insane item when coupled with sets like Technician Bullet Seed Breloom, it effectively gives the user Skill Link in addition to its ability
Remember when the griseous globe was made as a replacement for the orb in Legends arceus as a key item in a game where held items didnt exist. Fine, right? But when the globe was put in scarlet violet, it was a held item, and the orb lost its transformative properties. Meaning giratina origin lost damage on its stab attacks in gen 9, when it (and dialga and palkia) should have been able to transform without an item.
The globes also provide the boost to STAB in all 3 Origin formes. But yeah, they should have worked like the Glacidea and free the item slot for the Origins.
@@gregorymirabella1423it’s probably confusion because the griseous core item description literally doesn’t tell you this in game which honestly makes it worse than the original griseous orb pre gen 9 from a gameplay design level. Frankly I honestly think the griseous core, adament crystal/ lustrous globe either should have remained key items like pla or they shouldn’t even exist and just give the adamen and lustrous orb the origin form transformation effect. In their current form all the new items did is add needles bloat to the item pool
Giratina-Origin: Loses a good portion of its bulk for Ground immunity and Gen 4 Ubers levels of offense. Dialga-Origin: Gains a very niche, mini Assault Vest boost. It can run status moves like Stealth Rocks and Thunder Wave unlike running AV, but loses out on any form of recovery outside of Rest. Palkia-Origin: Gains Speed. Which is actually kind of decent. Too bad it has overall way worse damage compared to LO or Specs Altered form. Ogerpon Masked forms: *LMAO*
I’d love to see an item that removes the holders ability, I think it’d be a good way to let Pokémon like Slaking and Regigigas find a way to work in singles while also being a new potential trick casualty outside of just black sludge or toxic orb
I think an item of that design would be well worth the slot for those two in their current guise. Truth be told though, I don't think either should have ever had their abilities in the first place. Regigigas is a legend, no reason for his ability. Slaking may be strong but he doesn't have any super effective STAB.
@@skeetermania3202 I agree. They don't need their hindering abilities either. People forget that Pokémon is a children's single-player RPG first and foremost. Balance should never be the philosophy behind the game design and the mons they make. Fun should be number one. Recently I was watching a JRose video I had to click off of. It was a "review" about a romhack made by some sellout. Everything in the game was hyper balanced around nuzlocking. Boring. I'll pass. There is nothing wrong with there being good and bad mons. Not every mon can have a 600+ BST, sandstream, the best typing and movepool in game. It's ignorant to think that way... And unfortunately it is one of the reasons I am personally taking a step away from modern Pokémon. Other than the horrendous inexcusable pathetic quality standard they're being made to nowadays.
I thought he was also gonna go over Ogerpon’s masks in the form-changing items section, but I guess the Teal Mask DLC wasn’t out yet at the time this video was made.
I think what needed more talk is not an item, but a move: Knock Off. Even before its buff in Gen 6, the limited number of Pokemon who had the move like Hariyama - who had a garbage Special Attack stat back when it was a Special move in Gen 3 - still used it for its incredibly useful effect of removing the opposing Pokemon's held item. It made defensive Pokemon easier to overpower since they couldn't recover their HP with Leftovers (wearing many down quickly with Tyranitar's Sand Stream), and offensive Pokemon easier to defend against without their Choice Bands or other items. Then Gen 6 made the move an offensive option too, going from a paltry power of 20 to a much more respectable power of 65, with an additional 50% boost if the move knocks off the opposing Pokemon's item. It threatens nearly every Pokemon in the game due to its combined power and especially its utility. It's also why Z-Crystals, Mega Stones, and plenty of other items that allowed for form changes are as important as they are - they cannot be removed by Knock Off.
I thought I was the only person to ever use Z-Stealth Rock. It happened in a draft league match, I used it as a means of forcing Stealth Rock with my Heatran knowing my opponent's Defoggers were Mega Scizor (obvious no-no) and Gliscor. Assuming the latter would switch into my Heatran, it would then live an Earthquake after the Defense boost and proceed to either kill Gliscor with HP Ice or make it choose between using Defog or finishing Heatran off, depending on its spread. Unfortunately, his switch-in ended up being Slowbro, for whom I had considered running Z-Solar Beam. Stealth Rock stayed up, so mission accomplished, I guess. Other situational items you forgot to mention were Red Card, Eject Button, Light Clay, the Weather Rocks, Safety Goggles (more of a VGC item to be honest, same thing for the Terrain seeds), Pokémon-specific items, Eviolite (and Berry Juice in LC), King's Rock, Sitrus-like berries (especially in gen 7), pinch berries (though they sadly got overshadowed by Choice items for the most part), the Herbs, Sticky Barb (could've made it into the Trick section of the video, alongside Mail), and Leppa berry (even if just for the fun of it).
You should do videos similar to your Pokémon videos but with items! So like “How GOOD was Choice Band actually?” And you delve into the item’s competitive history and notable pokemon and strategies that took advantage of the item in each generation.
King's Rock did so much work for keeping paraflinch available in as many tiers as possible. Spent a ton of time with Cincinno and Weavile in gen 7 and Persian and Durant for the short time they could actually have their fun
As someone who's been playing Competitive since Gen IV, this is so fun to watch. I remember all these items coming out and strategies. I used to run Expert Belt Electivire and I loved baiting a thunderbolt with Gyarados to activate the motor drive pre team preview. You're the best competitive historian dude I appreciate what your do.
This might be more of a podcast topic, but do you think it would be good for the game if there was a physical version of assault vest? Or a special intimidate/burn?
When I fought Cynthia in my first BDSP playthrough, I specifially gave palkia Ice Beam to take one attack from her garchomp and hit back for a 1HKO. The only problem is that Cynthia's garchomp holds a yarche berry so my plan did not work. Cynthia literally schooled me on the Giratina Theorem 😂
I think these items also deserve a mention and are really good on the right pokemon: assault vest, eviolite, light clay, red card, king's rock, figy berry, power herb and white herb.
Probably the next broad topic that can be covered: "Faster than Speed: the Scizor Thereom". Can be about the history of priority moves and their place in the game. With Scizor's STAB Technician Bullet Punch being its most defining characteristic for several generations.
4:40 There's another case of this I can think of when I play natdex formats in draft league: waiting to get a kill with Moxie Pinsir to get an attack boost before Mega Evolving so I can go straight to killing without having to spend a turn or moveslot on Swords Dance. I know it's very niche and probably outright stupid but it got me a couple wins so I think it's still something to consider
Wait, you completely forgot eviolite? Not exactly well versed in competitive, but I’m pretty sure it led to cottonee winning a VGC tournament once, and causing chansey to sometimes be more viable than blissey.
It’s niche but I like float stone. Also, fling is such a cool move with how it changes based on the item. With kings rock, u get a free flinch, as well as recently how big bugget can be good.
Surprised you didn't mention Eviolite. +50% to both defenses with no inherent drawbacks (sure, it means you can't hold other items, but that technically goes for anything) is massive, and contributes a lot to the survivability of things like Ferroseed and Porygon2. ❤
Funfact, in PWT from Gen 5, there was a downloadable Tornament where Lamina used a Giratina Origin, holding another Item. Tricky Mistake. And no Idea what Laminas english Name was, Phantina, or something?
The drawback of Heavy Duty boots is that they assume that your opponent is using entry hazards in the first place. If they aren't then you've wasted your item slot.
Biggest item I can think of that wasn't mentioned here is Rocky Helmet. Slapping that on a bulky ground type to punish and shut down volt turn is huge, and while you miss the leftovers healing, wish teams or mons with other forms of recovery like amoonguss or hippowdon really shine with rocky helmet chip. And then if you're a real sicko you can slap it onto Garchomp or Ferrothorn to do 30% every time the opponent touches you, including the knock off they are all but required to click to stave off the damage. It can feel like a waste in comparison to the greater consistency of lefties or boots, but rocky helmet can be hugely impactful in the right situation.
Video request I think would be very good- Why stat spread are close to everything- The Clefable Theorem. This video can highlight cool Pokémon with well distributed stats and why people with really high BST still struggle like fully evolved mons and starters like meganium.
While it was covered in Pokeaim's youtube channel, one of the most unique uses of an item that always enthralled me was Blissey running a piece of Mail in Gen 5 OU. It doesn't sound like it has much practical application at first glance, since Mail has no damage boost or healing functionality. However, what it does do is completely stop Trick, particularly Trick being used on Choiced Rotom, Latitwins, and other Trick/Switcheroo users from being able to trick an item onto Blissey, effectively allowing Blissey to remain strong in the face of those stallbreaking tactics. It also meant Blissey was freely to 100% switch in on said Pokemon without having to fear an item getting tricked onto it on the switch-in, allowing Blissey's mail set to fully counter those dangerous offensive Pokemon.
One item that I always saw interesting potential in was Iron Ball, while its speed stat halving effect could be used in an interesting way, like putting it on a fast Pokémon so you can use it on a trick room team, the aspect of it that I always saw fun potential in was using it on a set with Fling Bisharp in gens 5, 6 and 7 in order to get a STAB 130bp physical dark move on it to be able to just outright delete or otherwise cripple something especially if you can force the opponent to switch out in response to it coming in not knowing about its held item, plus you could pair it with fling on the fast Pokémon on a trick room team example from earlier allowing the fast mon to switch back to being fast if the trick room setter faints and the trick room wears off or never goes up.
So, I don't see another comment saying this anywhere, apologies if it's been pointed lit, but the thumbnail says "you should have it" when it (assumably) should say "you shouldn't have it". Regardless, great video, cheers!
Thank you for finally explaining choice item. I don't play pokemon but like these vids, and I never understood what you meant in your vids when you talked about being locked into a move.
Weaker type-boosting items are used in VGC due to Item Clause and helps in Ranked matches by concealing the fact that the user is not holding Choice Band or Choice Specs.
Covert Cloak is great to pretty much give any pokemon the ability Shield Dust. Not flinching to Fake Out or getting haxed from secondary status effects can come clutch.
Im a singles player myself and I get the video is focused on singles metagames, but Safety Goggles had a massive impact on VGC metagames since it got introduced in XY, basically made the user inmune to the most common redirection move Rage Powder (usually used by Amoonguss) and also give a Spore inmunity. Tho this item is mainly used in VGC, it has applications in some singles metagames, SS UU for example where Spore Amoonguss is very common, some pokemon use Safety Goggles like Scizor and Galarian-Slowbro just so they can have a Sleep inmunity and dont have to rely on a Sleep fodder.
One of my favorite uses of z crystals was the normalium z nature power whismicott in vgc, depending on what terrain was up with the two tapus on the team meant even if you knew which mon was going to use their z crystal and when you still didn't know what z move they were gonna use AND IT HAD PRIORITY FROM PRANKSTER since nature power is a status move
Although it isn't an item used in competitive play much, Shell Bell is one of my favorite items to use in casual playthroughs. It helps make grinding sessions in older games feel less tedious when i have to spend less time going back to the Pokemon Center to heal my team members because of Shell Bell's hp recovery. Also, it let's me not worry about using moves with recoil damage since i will be getting a good chunk of that hp back, which is always nice. 👌
My fav item is one of the new ones loaded dice cause I really love bullet seed and using skill minchinno was always fun so that ability becoming an item is amazing
Heavy Boots are my favorite held item; they enable me to sweep with my favorite mon, Feraligatr. No sticky web slow, no t-spike poison, no stealth rock chunks. [Sheer Force, Heavy Boots, Jolly, 252 Atk 252 Spe] (Liquidation, Ice Punch, Iron Tail, D-Dance)
I'm unsure if it was mentioned, but flame orb on Guts pokemon is super powerful, because it makes them immune to status, punishes pokemon that love spamming trick/switcheroo, and gives the guts user a choice band boost while ignoring the burn damage reduction and giving them the freedom to switch what moves it uses. Likewise, giving a burn orb to a special attacker with quick feet, or a specially defensive wall with marvel scale, gives a 50% to their speed/defense, respectively, which can make those pokemon terrifying, despite giving them a timer of effectiveness, while also giving all those aforementioned benefits. The only pokemon with any of these abilities that can't benefit from flame orb, thus needing toxic orb, is Flareon, which is why it is unfortunately in the low tier that it is now, despite being an absolute monster in physical attack with Flare Blitz.
Ngl, Launcher Mode in Gen 5 slapped. For those who dont know, you had a launcher that built charges, every turn. You could spend said charges on items like full heals, potions, and revives.
My favorite strat with Assault Vest on a Monotype Psychic team in Gen 7 was to slap it on Meloetta, to pair with the defensive tank Slowbro. The only thing that kept that core from being immortal was Meleotta's lack of healing, but I also didn't really need it.
One item that i think shld have been talked about is light clay. Being almost banned in Gen 9 is a testament to how op it is for sweepers to get multiple opportunities, and also made Shed Tail Cyclizar a nightmare when seeing it with Grimmsnarl due to its speed. Speaking of Shed Tail, sitrus berry also deserves to be talked about, especially on Orthworm as well as Belly Drum sweepers. It may be very niche but it has some uses on different mons Also whats happening to Hitmonlee in Gen 5 RU, has it drop to NU due to its unburden set being gone, or its reckless set still good enough for it to be used
Eviolite! While some not fully evolved mons are solid without it, Eviolite gives new life to mons that may not be considered usable unless they have that item. Huge in both singles and VGC formats.
I find it funny how in the thumbnail arceus is bullying giratina about being bad without the orb but arceus himself is much worse without his plates...
one of the funnier niche items is Big Nugget on Sneasler, where it uses Fling to get a 130 BP Dark type move to counter Gholdengo and activate the Unburden boost
Chinese sets stock📈📈
It's the TM for Big Nugget
Better than iron ball?
@@Hilight277 iron ball halves speed before losing it with fling
FLING BIG NUGGET
A "how good was *this item* actually" series would be very interesting
The leftovers episode is either the longest video ever or just a "yes".
Great idea!
@@marcoasturias8520 you can't go over each lefties use, but you can go over interesting stuff. Lefties in gen3 and gen5 are mostly used to offset sandstorm damage rather than healing for instance. The boots have challenged the lefties place as the de facto item on defensive pokemon. Thus, i feel like an episod on boots would be about the debate whether or not they are healthy for the meta, an episod on scarf would be very interesting, discussing every gens important speed tiers (ie the deoxys theorem), while band / specs would be combined and discuss important damage calcs and hazards impact on said calcs, life orb would be similar. Assault vest would be VERY interesting and there is much to say. Z move and gen5 type gems would be interesting. Berries could be cool as well.
@@lulu82othis please. It would be so cool tbh
Maybe it makes for good shorts-form content (and you could do multi part series on a complicated item, or even special full youtube episodes)
Items are the singular reason why Mega Rayquaza was banned from Ubers. Megas were limited by holding Mega Stones with no beneficial items. Rayquaza didn't have that limitation. It could Mega Evolve on top of holding anything it wanted. It broke everything.
This is why Megas and Z Moves to a limited extent were the most balanced gimmicks introduced from Gen 6 onwards. Putting aside the more broken Megas, having to hold the Mega Stone/Z-Crystal means you can't use anything else. Meanwhile Dynamax and especially Terastallisation means you can also hold items with them and make then even more powerful.
And now we see Pokémon that can easily wall and sweep Mega Rayquaza. Zacian (crowned and normal), Koraidon, Miraidon, and you can bet Terapagos will be able to do the same.
It may actually be knocked Down to UUbera.
@@azurai3934Z-Crystals took the item slot but they were definitely not as balanced as GF thought they would be
@@stonalisa3729only bc they were impossible to predict and was a cheap delete button
Badly designed
@@manoftruth0935Tera normal choice band extreme speed
One item that I'd like to note is Eviolite, boosting the defenses of not fully evolved Pokemon is huge, and is what helped give Little Cup some defensive backbone.
Eviolite Scyther is not to be underestimated (especially with Technician boosted Trailblaze) and let's not forget the inevitable arrival of Eviolite Duraludon.
Eviolite Chansey says hi.
In Black 2, I used a Magmar with eviolite and that mfer was the only way I managed to beat Ghetsis lol.
My beloved: Eviolite Dusclops :)
I use Eviolite Mantyke because that Special Defense stat is unholy, especially with Amnesia
I feel there should've been a segment about exclusive items, such as the Thick Club, Soul Dew, and Light Ball
What I said.
Rip soul dew
I think those still fall into the boosting items like life orb
Tell me how that is any different than boosting items?
Agreed, those are very specific boosting items
While we're talking Megas here; it should be worth noting some of these pokémon were immune to trick and knock off. And having a mega to absorb these moves went a long way.
Really wish they'd nerf Knock Off now that we can no longer absorb it like this. It's such a pain in the butt and makes Psychic types virtually unusable
@@munchrai6396at least psychics don't have to deal with pursuit anymore
I like how absol can switch into Knock Off to get a Justified boost, then mega.
What's next, the Dusknoir theorem on why evolving isn't everything
Not a bad idea at all, kudos
If you don't evolve, you rely on eviolite, so it's an extension of the Giratina theorem.
The only other case would be murkrow, which loses prankster on evolving.
@@Djtu75Porygon 2
Dusknoir was also the worst cross generation evolution when it comes to providing actual buffs. The only stats that got buffed by more than 5 points are Atk and Speed. Buffing speed from 25 to 45 is pointless. And the Atk buff is offset by the fact that it got absolutely no good Ghost stap pre gen8 dlc, and by then, the power level was far too high (and Drain Punch and Knock Off are still strangely absent).
@@MaxiemumKarnage... which relies on Eviolite
I'm surprised you didn't mention Gen 9's Covert Cloak. Being able to protect yourself from the secondary affects of moves like Scald, Fake Out and Garganacle's Salt Cure is such a useful and powerful tool.
This item is crazy, you literally are immune to flinching and freezing since they are only from damaging moves
@teddywarlock5379 I mentioned it too in case no one else did, now scrolling through the comments and seeing it😂
@@tonyperez2703 Prankster Liepard in the corner, seething.
Eviolite wasn't mention too
It's like a defensive punching glove.
I’m still waiting on Game Freak to make an item that’ll extend the duration of Trick Room, Wonder Room, and Magic Room. Personally, I’d call it “Wonder Clay”.
Or another version of eviolite that boosts special attack and special defence for the unevolved
trick key - when an enemy uses a 'room' move the first time this item is consumed to cancel it out immediately and reset its stat changes.
@@Ninja1Ninja2a Skeleton Key?
@@Ninja1Ninja2 I would call it "Room Key" since it counters all the 'room' moves.
@@Labyrinth6000 Eviolite already boosts Special Defense. It doesn't boost Attack.
Other items that were missed in this list:
1. Effect prolonging items: after the loss of perma-weather of Gen V, weather-prolonging rocks were usually the go-to items of weather setters. This is usually the case unless they are more offensive weathers going for damage boosting items, or they are Hail/Snow-setters going for the other prolonging rock, Light Clay, to increase Aurora Veil turns. Dual Screens of course always carry the clay to get more bang for their walls.
2. Force switch items: Usually seen in doubles but can also see applications in singles, Eject Button and Red Card allows for free switching, negating the opponent's stat boost, allowing your entry ability to activate again later, and other mind games.
3. Eviolite: The item that has made Blissey inferior to Chansey for a while, the introduction of Heavy Duty Boots made an impact to this item's use, but it still has a big impact on the lower competitive tiers. Acting as both a physical and special Assault Vest without any drawback as long as the holder is not fully evolved, it is a particularly great boon to previously fully evolved Pokémon who find themselves with a new evolution stage such as Rhydon and Bisharp.
Another really set of extremely important users of Eviolite are pokemon who would lose a really strong ability by evolving, with some like Clefairy and Murkrow actually reaching meta dominance.
I'd like abilities that sets Light Screen and Reflect. Then you gotta choose which of those Pokemon is going to equip the Light Clay.
@@TaLeng2023 These abilities would be likely way too good, even on shitmons.
@@grrgrrgrr0202 you think so? I'm curious how it would turn out tho, if people would start using Brick Break, Infiltrator, etc.
Giratina; Father, Please give me a good item
Arceus: No
Volo the Cheat: Then,, I shall rob you of all your Abilities and create my own game!!!!1
And that’s why Mega Audino is the most redundant Mega Evolution ever (why no Regenerator on a *defensive* Mega that already had Regenerator in its normal form?)
Yeah, that was an absolutely retarded decision. If they had to sacrifice Regenerator, they should have buffed Healer by making it work like Hydration without rain. If Mega Audino could Rest off all its damage and wake up at the end of the turn, it would be incredibly difficult to take down. That would make it a Mega Evolution that people would be eager to have on a defensive team.
@@tomnorton4277at least Mega Audino was good in the tcg
@@princesscrystal6410World Chanpionship level good
Of all the gen 5 mons I still can’t believe they gave Audino a mega. So much wasted potential.
@@arti987100 yep. Good on Mega Audino. You're the king of games
I always had the passing thought of some niche format where each side could bring a set number of items to use. Like "each player has 5000 bucks to stock up before the fight" sort of thing
I'll be using it with my friends now, thanks for the great idea
That's called item clause and draft leagues do that
@@ryannichols8239 it literally isn't item clause lol. item clause means you cant use the same item twice.
The Item Launcher in Gen V toyed with that. Every turn it would gain a charge, and every item had a charge cost. Weaker items like Potions were cheap, but if you waited 13 turns, you could use a Max Revive.
@@zetaggwp8473 Sure did! I remember reviving one of my tanks that changed the course of the battle. A shame that's not an option anymore.
I know this series is about game mechanics for the most part but I'd love to see a video on why tiering isn't exactly everything going over lower tier pokemon being viable in higher tiers aka The Gastrodon Theorem
Skeledirge theorem
or why evolution isn’t everything aka the chansey/porygon theory
Quagsire theorem
Or shedinja theorem
The tiering system is based on usage rate, not Pokémon power. Gastrodon isn’t and possibly never will be a Pokémon to be put in OU or Ubers. However, it’s still got a very niche and specific use, so when your team needs that niche and specific use it will be used. It won’t, however, get banned from the lower tier it’s in because it’s used in a higher tier. I don’t think there’s really a theorem there, cuz it’s working as intended. The tier list isn’t about viability, it’s about usage rate. Gastrodon isn’t a high tier cuz it’s not powerful enough to be banned and not used enough to shift tiers.
Underrated application of items only buffed to this level in 1 generation but a large answer in team building to Z moves in Generation 7 were the "pinch" berries [Figy, Iapapa, Wiki, Aguav, Mago] that restored 50% of a Pokemon's health when in a pinch (25% or less)
Either using these berries on Pokemon that are difficult to 2 hit KO or that have the ability Gluttony allowing them to eat the pinch berries when they go under half instead of under 25% made Pokemon such as Alolan Muk & Snorlax extremely difficult to knock out without removing the berry. These two are notable because they both have access to Recycle, allowing them to eat the berries over & over.
Snorlax in particular also used those berries to OP effect in Gen 7 VGC, even winning two of the three World Championships in that gen. It was arguably the Pokémon most responsible for those berries getting nerfed in the following generation.
I hope they get to cover this full stop in the upcoming Snorlax remake.
Surprised these weren't here. Sitrus was also a thing before gen 7 in niche cases (pinch berries healed way less back then). Berry Juice for little cup fans.
Eviolite too. Single-handedly made pokemon like Chansey viable who qualified.
Also Light Clay for screens + the rocks for weather guys. Nothing crazy but they're still important.
Someone below mentioned Safety Goggles. That's... something.
Light Clay was floated for a ban this gen, so I'd say it's no small deal.
I remember Iapapa berry Rotom-W being a big thing since it significantly boosted its ability to take hits in gen 7.
A niche user of gluttony and pinch berries was a gen 6 fairy Pokemon whose name I don't even remember. It was based on a dessert and had access to belly drum but almost no physical moves.
The berries either recovered his hp to full after belly drum or helped it to still be able to use it even if the opposing Pokemon got it to below half HP. Or it could use the speed boosting berry so that if it managed to get belly drum it got a +1 speed boost alongside the +6 atk one.
It wasn't a great Pokemon but it was always amusing to see it sweep unsuspecting players.
@@Greiderenslurpuff had access to unburden + belly drum, a far better combination than the gluttony one
1. Shoutouts to Safety Goggles and Assault Vest as they allow you to maintain offense while having some form of defense in certain scenarios.
2. An interesting theory would be the importance of IVs as it was very important in gen 2-5 because you need to consider the Hidden Power type and the power of the move and later on, the importance of 0IVs on Speed and Attack to play around Trick Room and Foul Play, and special shoutout to Stakataka to get the IVs you need to get an Attack boost with Beast Boost.
No mention of power herb making Geomancy Xerneas into one of the scariest sweepers around? I still have nightmares.
my favorite less common use of items is the usage of resist berries in draft leagues, since you have a lot more incentive to tech your pokemon in specific matchups
Seeing the berry farm at the beginning makes me so nostalgic. I loved experimenting with it in soul silver
Thats not a farm and there was no way to experiment with it in Johto. And it wasn't berry, but apricorns
@@powerfulberry237🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓
Why everything is everything the mega rayquaza theorem
The music choices for all the sections were perfect. I especially love using Eterna Forest for the berries section: humble little consumables that are as important as their reusable, counter parts.
Pokemon is really a world of wonders
So much so that my pokemon can eat its leftovers forever!!
Truly living the dream
Ok but neverending leftovers of tasty food sounds amazing
the amount of relevant footage captured and edited in with what you are talking about is such a nice thing. it’s one thing to talk about a scenario and another to see it in that same moment and i appreciate that effect
Personally, I'm quite fond of Heavy Duty Boots. It finally made people have to do more than just gormlessly select Rocks and/or Spikes for the lead slot. And it freed up so many Mons from having to dedicate a move slot to removing them over and over.
I love these Theorems and it really delves DEEP into why competitive pokemon is very in depth and why it explains where pokemon are in the teir list...most of the time
I’d like to see more of these on moves. One on the history of Explosion would make a good episode.
BKC has a 2hr long video on the history of early gen explosion. he writes for false swipe so for you it might b worth checking out ^_^
Summery: great till Gen 5 then rip
I've been waiting for this one! Love these videos that go in depth on all the different facets of the competitive scene. Thanks so much for this quality content!
Its actually amazing to see clips being used where you are showing what you are talking about, its nice to just see and hear the info at the same time, and the vid itself is also just great
gotta love the chuggaconroy love
It'd be really cool if we could get a video on priority moves and how important they are: It could be called "The Talonflame Theorem"
New Held Item idea:
False Start Flag - "An item held by a Pokemon. This flag signals a false start, protecting the holder from priority moves." Blocks Prankster and Gale Wings affected moves too. Grassy Glide's priority is blocked if on Grassy Terrain.
Sure Psychic Terrain is a thing, but the item would be good in battles where it doesn't happen.
That seems like it would be way to overpowered. Blocking ALL moves with priority is way to strong for a held item. If it was a consumable item and only worked once then it’d prob be more balanced
Someone wants certain sweepers to get a buff I see.
Speed Boost users: "Please allow me to introduce myself,"
Fast Calm Minders: "I'm a man of wealth and taste."
Dragon Dancers: "Been around for a long, long year,"
Quiver Dancers: "Stole many a man's soul and faith."
@@JellifiShugoIt's a false start‚ it would work only once and break like Balloon if the Mon was attacked. I guess it would be strong but balanced that way.
this is interesting, could be two different items :D
"False Start" and "False Start Penalty"@j.b.5422
Gen 9's Loaded Dice is also an insane item when coupled with sets like Technician Bullet Seed Breloom, it effectively gives the user Skill Link in addition to its ability
Remember when the griseous globe was made as a replacement for the orb in Legends arceus as a key item in a game where held items didnt exist. Fine, right?
But when the globe was put in scarlet violet, it was a held item, and the orb lost its transformative properties. Meaning giratina origin lost damage on its stab attacks in gen 9, when it (and dialga and palkia) should have been able to transform without an item.
The globes also provide the boost to STAB in all 3 Origin formes. But yeah, they should have worked like the Glacidea and free the item slot for the Origins.
What are you talking about? The core still gives the boosts.
@@gregorymirabella1423it’s probably confusion because the griseous core item description literally doesn’t tell you this in game which honestly makes it worse than the original griseous orb pre gen 9 from a gameplay design level. Frankly I honestly think the griseous core, adament crystal/ lustrous globe either should have remained key items like pla or they shouldn’t even exist and just give the adamen and lustrous orb the origin form transformation effect. In their current form all the new items did is add needles bloat to the item pool
No, Griseous Core still boosts Ghost and Dragon damage. The devs aren't that stupid.
Giratina-Origin: Loses a good portion of its bulk for Ground immunity and Gen 4 Ubers levels of offense.
Dialga-Origin: Gains a very niche, mini Assault Vest boost. It can run status moves like Stealth Rocks and Thunder Wave unlike running AV, but loses out on any form of recovery outside of Rest.
Palkia-Origin: Gains Speed. Which is actually kind of decent. Too bad it has overall way worse damage compared to LO or Specs Altered form.
Ogerpon Masked forms: *LMAO*
I’d love to see an item that removes the holders ability, I think it’d be a good way to let Pokémon like Slaking and Regigigas find a way to work in singles while also being a new potential trick casualty outside of just black sludge or toxic orb
I think an item of that design would be well worth the slot for those two in their current guise. Truth be told though, I don't think either should have ever had their abilities in the first place. Regigigas is a legend, no reason for his ability. Slaking may be strong but he doesn't have any super effective STAB.
@@gamermanzeakeMight it also be true for Archeops and Golisopod?
If they do that, than those Pokemon would be absolutely broken.
Add in toadscruel too
@@skeetermania3202 I agree. They don't need their hindering abilities either. People forget that Pokémon is a children's single-player RPG first and foremost. Balance should never be the philosophy behind the game design and the mons they make. Fun should be number one.
Recently I was watching a JRose video I had to click off of. It was a "review" about a romhack made by some sellout. Everything in the game was hyper balanced around nuzlocking. Boring. I'll pass. There is nothing wrong with there being good and bad mons. Not every mon can have a 600+ BST, sandstream, the best typing and movepool in game. It's ignorant to think that way... And unfortunately it is one of the reasons I am personally taking a step away from modern Pokémon. Other than the horrendous inexcusable pathetic quality standard they're being made to nowadays.
I thought he was also gonna go over Ogerpon’s masks in the form-changing items section, but I guess the Teal Mask DLC wasn’t out yet at the time this video was made.
I think what needed more talk is not an item, but a move: Knock Off. Even before its buff in Gen 6, the limited number of Pokemon who had the move like Hariyama - who had a garbage Special Attack stat back when it was a Special move in Gen 3 - still used it for its incredibly useful effect of removing the opposing Pokemon's held item. It made defensive Pokemon easier to overpower since they couldn't recover their HP with Leftovers (wearing many down quickly with Tyranitar's Sand Stream), and offensive Pokemon easier to defend against without their Choice Bands or other items. Then Gen 6 made the move an offensive option too, going from a paltry power of 20 to a much more respectable power of 65, with an additional 50% boost if the move knocks off the opposing Pokemon's item. It threatens nearly every Pokemon in the game due to its combined power and especially its utility. It's also why Z-Crystals, Mega Stones, and plenty of other items that allowed for form changes are as important as they are - they cannot be removed by Knock Off.
I thought I was the only person to ever use Z-Stealth Rock. It happened in a draft league match, I used it as a means of forcing Stealth Rock with my Heatran knowing my opponent's Defoggers were Mega Scizor (obvious no-no) and Gliscor. Assuming the latter would switch into my Heatran, it would then live an Earthquake after the Defense boost and proceed to either kill Gliscor with HP Ice or make it choose between using Defog or finishing Heatran off, depending on its spread. Unfortunately, his switch-in ended up being Slowbro, for whom I had considered running Z-Solar Beam. Stealth Rock stayed up, so mission accomplished, I guess.
Other situational items you forgot to mention were Red Card, Eject Button, Light Clay, the Weather Rocks, Safety Goggles (more of a VGC item to be honest, same thing for the Terrain seeds), Pokémon-specific items, Eviolite (and Berry Juice in LC), King's Rock, Sitrus-like berries (especially in gen 7), pinch berries (though they sadly got overshadowed by Choice items for the most part), the Herbs, Sticky Barb (could've made it into the Trick section of the video, alongside Mail), and Leppa berry (even if just for the fun of it).
You should do videos similar to your Pokémon videos but with items! So like “How GOOD was Choice Band actually?” And you delve into the item’s competitive history and notable pokemon and strategies that took advantage of the item in each generation.
King's Rock did so much work for keeping paraflinch available in as many tiers as possible. Spent a ton of time with Cincinno and Weavile in gen 7 and Persian and Durant for the short time they could actually have their fun
As someone who's been playing Competitive since Gen IV, this is so fun to watch. I remember all these items coming out and strategies. I used to run Expert Belt Electivire and I loved baiting a thunderbolt with Gyarados to activate the motor drive pre team preview. You're the best competitive historian dude I appreciate what your do.
This might be more of a podcast topic, but do you think it would be good for the game if there was a physical version of assault vest? Or a special intimidate/burn?
frostbite is Special burn already
@@Musasensei1674frostbite isn’t even in legends. There’s no Will o wisp
Early in my playthroughs I din't use them much but later I realized their importance
Please keep the series going FSG, its amazing.
When I fought Cynthia in my first BDSP playthrough, I specifially gave palkia Ice Beam to take one attack from her garchomp and hit back for a 1HKO. The only problem is that Cynthia's garchomp holds a yarche berry so my plan did not work. Cynthia literally schooled me on the Giratina Theorem 😂
I think these items also deserve a mention and are really good on the right pokemon: assault vest, eviolite, light clay, red card, king's rock, figy berry, power herb and white herb.
Your thumbnails are soo unique and interesting 🤩
Probably the next broad topic that can be covered: "Faster than Speed: the Scizor Thereom". Can be about the history of priority moves and their place in the game. With Scizor's STAB Technician Bullet Punch being its most defining characteristic for several generations.
He finally did it
After so many videos he has answered my idea I'm so happppyyy thank you and its a wonderful video
Oh hey, it's footage for Chuggaaconroy at the beginning. What a combo.
Still waiting for the scizor theorem, strong priority is everything
Shoutouts to eject button in generation 8 allowing you to swap out a dynamaxed pokemon, giving you an insane advantage in doubles especially
Alr, whats next, "why evolving isnt everything: the chansey theorum"
Thanks for using my idea and adapting it, I appreciate it.
When are you guys gonna do another history of types video? That one on ice types was great I'd like to see some more of that
4:40 There's another case of this I can think of when I play natdex formats in draft league: waiting to get a kill with Moxie Pinsir to get an attack boost before Mega Evolving so I can go straight to killing without having to spend a turn or moveslot on Swords Dance.
I know it's very niche and probably outright stupid but it got me a couple wins so I think it's still something to consider
Wait, you completely forgot eviolite? Not exactly well versed in competitive, but I’m pretty sure it led to cottonee winning a VGC tournament once, and causing chansey to sometimes be more viable than blissey.
Eviolite is a big one you forgot and same for minor ones that are Pokemon-specific like Thick Club and especially pre-nerf Soul Dew
It’s niche but I like float stone. Also, fling is such a cool move with how it changes based on the item. With kings rock, u get a free flinch, as well as recently how big bugget can be good.
Surprised you didn't mention Eviolite.
+50% to both defenses with no inherent drawbacks (sure, it means you can't hold other items, but that technically goes for anything) is massive, and contributes a lot to the survivability of things like Ferroseed and Porygon2. ❤
Funfact, in PWT from Gen 5, there was a downloadable Tornament where Lamina used a Giratina Origin, holding another Item. Tricky Mistake.
And no Idea what Laminas english Name was, Phantina, or something?
Only possible if the battle somehow took place in the Distortion World.
That's Fantina, and yes, Giratina-Origin was used with a Ghost Gem
Arceus talking to the creation trio on seeing silvally for the first time: Look what they did to mimick just a fraction of my power.
Rayquaza, doesn't enter in Giratina Theorem, cause Rayquaza doesn't need a item to change his form, that's very OP, while the other legendaries do.
To be fair, it's the exception that proves the rule. When a powerful Forme change doesn't require an item, it's now incredibly powerful.
It does enter the theorm, because it's the only mega that can use items without a mega stone. This made it so broken, It made the anything goes tier.
Same with Blaziken. It was pretty broken in Gen. 5 due to Speed Boost. But with Mega Evolution, it's more broken.
The drawback of Heavy Duty boots is that they assume that your opponent is using entry hazards in the first place. If they aren't then you've wasted your item slot.
Isn't the thumbnail text supposed to say "shouldn't have it"?
Air Balloon section should have referenced current gen's Gholdengo who is probably the most prolific abuser of it ever
Love that you all are using Chugga’s videos for footage. Been a fan of his for years! I’m glad y’all are too!
I think it is worth mentioning that Light Bulb helped Pikachu greatly over the years.
Evulite, the sole reason why, Pokémon like Chancey and Porygon 2 worked so well and even still work in some shape or form today.
Biggest item I can think of that wasn't mentioned here is Rocky Helmet. Slapping that on a bulky ground type to punish and shut down volt turn is huge, and while you miss the leftovers healing, wish teams or mons with other forms of recovery like amoonguss or hippowdon really shine with rocky helmet chip. And then if you're a real sicko you can slap it onto Garchomp or Ferrothorn to do 30% every time the opponent touches you, including the knock off they are all but required to click to stave off the damage. It can feel like a waste in comparison to the greater consistency of lefties or boots, but rocky helmet can be hugely impactful in the right situation.
Helmet was mentioned in the video.
@@skeetermania3202 oh I went back and you're totally right, I just missed that part when I watched.
I use Starf Berry + Harvest occasionally on sun teams to mess with people.
I don't normally comment. But my jaw dropped at ~6:20 when I heard the Pokémon xd/colosseum music. Please use it more. It's so good.
Video request I think would be very good- Why stat spread are close to everything- The Clefable Theorem. This video can highlight cool Pokémon with well distributed stats and why people with really high BST still struggle like fully evolved mons and starters like meganium.
While it was covered in Pokeaim's youtube channel, one of the most unique uses of an item that always enthralled me was Blissey running a piece of Mail in Gen 5 OU. It doesn't sound like it has much practical application at first glance, since Mail has no damage boost or healing functionality. However, what it does do is completely stop Trick, particularly Trick being used on Choiced Rotom, Latitwins, and other Trick/Switcheroo users from being able to trick an item onto Blissey, effectively allowing Blissey to remain strong in the face of those stallbreaking tactics. It also meant Blissey was freely to 100% switch in on said Pokemon without having to fear an item getting tricked onto it on the switch-in, allowing Blissey's mail set to fully counter those dangerous offensive Pokemon.
One item that I always saw interesting potential in was Iron Ball, while its speed stat halving effect could be used in an interesting way, like putting it on a fast Pokémon so you can use it on a trick room team, the aspect of it that I always saw fun potential in was using it on a set with Fling Bisharp in gens 5, 6 and 7 in order to get a STAB 130bp physical dark move on it to be able to just outright delete or otherwise cripple something especially if you can force the opponent to switch out in response to it coming in not knowing about its held item, plus you could pair it with fling on the fast Pokémon on a trick room team example from earlier allowing the fast mon to switch back to being fast if the trick room setter faints and the trick room wears off or never goes up.
So, I don't see another comment saying this anywhere, apologies if it's been pointed lit, but the thumbnail says "you should have it" when it (assumably) should say "you shouldn't have it". Regardless, great video, cheers!
Thank you for finally explaining choice item. I don't play pokemon but like these vids, and I never understood what you meant in your vids when you talked about being locked into a move.
Chuggaaconroy at the start was a great flashback.
Weaker type-boosting items are used in VGC due to Item Clause and helps in Ranked matches by concealing the fact that the user is not holding Choice Band or Choice Specs.
Covert Cloak is great to pretty much give any pokemon the ability Shield Dust. Not flinching to Fake Out or getting haxed from secondary status effects can come clutch.
Ogrepon's masks not only change her form, but also, they give a 20% boost on ALL attacking moves, all types and on both the special and physical side
...With all these Theorem videos, it makes me wonder if a team built out of the mons named for each theorem could work.
Im a singles player myself and I get the video is focused on singles metagames, but Safety Goggles had a massive impact on VGC metagames since it got introduced in XY, basically made the user inmune to the most common redirection move Rage Powder (usually used by Amoonguss) and also give a Spore inmunity.
Tho this item is mainly used in VGC, it has applications in some singles metagames, SS UU for example where Spore Amoonguss is very common, some pokemon use Safety Goggles like Scizor and Galarian-Slowbro just so they can have a Sleep inmunity and dont have to rely on a Sleep fodder.
The music and gameplay during the “choice items” part of the video is so hype 🔥
One of my favorite uses of z crystals was the normalium z nature power whismicott in vgc, depending on what terrain was up with the two tapus on the team meant even if you knew which mon was going to use their z crystal and when you still didn't know what z move they were gonna use AND IT HAD PRIORITY FROM PRANKSTER since nature power is a status move
Although it isn't an item used in competitive play much, Shell Bell is one of my favorite items to use in casual playthroughs. It helps make grinding sessions in older games feel less tedious when i have to spend less time going back to the Pokemon Center to heal my team members because of Shell Bell's hp recovery. Also, it let's me not worry about using moves with recoil damage since i will be getting a good chunk of that hp back, which is always nice. 👌
It is used in competitive, on Aron in a version of FEAR
My fav item is one of the new ones loaded dice cause I really love bullet seed and using skill minchinno was always fun so that ability becoming an item is amazing
6:08 *Shedinja laughing nervously*
Heavy Boots are my favorite held item; they enable me to sweep with my favorite mon, Feraligatr. No sticky web slow, no t-spike poison, no stealth rock chunks.
[Sheer Force, Heavy Boots, Jolly, 252 Atk 252 Spe]
(Liquidation, Ice Punch, Iron Tail, D-Dance)
I'm unsure if it was mentioned, but flame orb on Guts pokemon is super powerful, because it makes them immune to status, punishes pokemon that love spamming trick/switcheroo, and gives the guts user a choice band boost while ignoring the burn damage reduction and giving them the freedom to switch what moves it uses.
Likewise, giving a burn orb to a special attacker with quick feet, or a specially defensive wall with marvel scale, gives a 50% to their speed/defense, respectively, which can make those pokemon terrifying, despite giving them a timer of effectiveness, while also giving all those aforementioned benefits.
The only pokemon with any of these abilities that can't benefit from flame orb, thus needing toxic orb, is Flareon, which is why it is unfortunately in the low tier that it is now, despite being an absolute monster in physical attack with Flare Blitz.
I think when it comes to the Normal Gem being still in future games is to give normal type moves a power up as no other types are weak against it.
Might not be as relevant in some competitive scenes, but Eviolite turns Chansey, Dusclops, Porygon2, and more mid-volutions into devastating walls.
Metronome is one that come to mind, I'm pretty sure kyurem used it successfully in one of the more recent gens
Yay this is one of the ones I suggested a while back! Using Giratina as the theorem name is pretty creative!
Ngl, Launcher Mode in Gen 5 slapped. For those who dont know, you had a launcher that built charges, every turn. You could spend said charges on items like full heals, potions, and revives.
My favorite strat with Assault Vest on a Monotype Psychic team in Gen 7 was to slap it on Meloetta, to pair with the defensive tank Slowbro. The only thing that kept that core from being immortal was Meleotta's lack of healing, but I also didn't really need it.
Why hazards are close to everything the Ferrothorn Theorem
yo shoutouts to berserk gene ttar landing a dynamic punch crit with it saved my life once
One item that i think shld have been talked about is light clay. Being almost banned in Gen 9 is a testament to how op it is for sweepers to get multiple opportunities, and also made Shed Tail Cyclizar a nightmare when seeing it with Grimmsnarl due to its speed.
Speaking of Shed Tail, sitrus berry also deserves to be talked about, especially on Orthworm as well as Belly Drum sweepers. It may be very niche but it has some uses on different mons
Also whats happening to Hitmonlee in Gen 5 RU, has it drop to NU due to its unburden set being gone, or its reckless set still good enough for it to be used
I always loved the rough skin- Rocky Helmet combo😮
Eviolite! While some not fully evolved mons are solid without it, Eviolite gives new life to mons that may not be considered usable unless they have that item. Huge in both singles and VGC formats.
I find it funny how in the thumbnail arceus is bullying giratina about being bad without the orb but arceus himself is much worse without his plates...