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.
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).
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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. ❤
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.
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.
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. 👌
What about Eviolite? An item that made what pre-gen 5 players thought was impossible: it made some pokémon (like Dusclops) better than their evolved forms!
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 occasionally use but nobody else does is shell bell. I use it on quaquaval and I used to use it on annhilape back when it was legal. there are times where you get more health back than you would with leftovers. I only reccomended this item on pokemon that are heavy hitters and have good speed and at least average bulk. bulk.
I'm so in love with Loaded Dice this gen. It's hilarious that Scale Shot and Icicle Spear, formally admonished for being a complete dice roll on whatever you're using it on, to completely usurping most sets.
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)
My favorite item was emergency exit. No one expected it and it made supportive leads quite handy. Like, I used to have a prankster Whimsicott lead. Use tailwind, the other attacks, or does something like hazard/boost. Next turn, use encore and force a switch or, in the case they attacked, surprise them with counter emergency exit switch + tailwind set up. I loved my Whimsicott 🥰
In Gen IV, I had a Swellow transferred from Gen III that was taught Counter by the move tutor. I would often field it against my friends' stuff that would normally be risky like Electivire or Aerodactyl. They'd use their supereffective physical move to bring me down to 1, as Sash would activate, I'd Counter the damage back (if they didn't also have a sash they often wouldn't survive), and if their priority was lost, I'd Endeavor their next non-Ghost pokemon and possibly pick up a KO with Quick Attack. Gimmick, but fun.
Surprised Zacian wasn't mentioned in the video. Rusted Sword grants it a boost to it's base stats, which isn't as much as Mega Evolutions but is enough for it to outspeed and KO other Pokemon. It also turns Iron Head to Behemoth Blade giving it a stronger move to attack it. Lastly, it gets a secondary Steel typing which helps it offensively and defensively with STAB Behemoth Blade that's stronger than Play Rough, a Stealth Rock and quad U-Turn resistance, turning immunity to Toxic and Sandstorm, and a bunch of resistances as well as removing its Poison and Steel weaknesses but giving it a weakness to Fire and Ground. The only thing that doesn't get boosted by it's item is it's Ability which I'm sure was for the best. Another item I was surprised to see not mentioned was Soul Dew. It made Latias and Latios two of the best Pokemon in ADV Ubers, made Latias one of the most reliable checks to Kyogre in DPP Ubers, made both of them too good to be allowed in BW OU, a big reason why Darkrai was used in Ubers, and the main reason why both of them fell out of favour after ORAS Ubers. But like always, I enjoy these videos and am looking forward to seeing the next theorem on why status conditions are everything.
Eject Pack! It's one of my favorites on Pokemon with strong SpAtk dropping moves - my personal favorite is mixed draco meteor dracozolt, who can usually chip the opposing ground type for around 60%, leaving the opponent vulnerable to a lategame bolt beak sweep
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.
I'm a sucker for Evolite myself. opening up a world of pokemon who have no business staying in their previous-gen pre-evolved forms is super awesome. I also am a sucker for King's Rock on Scerene Grace Pokemon... but honestly? I kinda love Red Card and it's ability to allow you to use a sturdy mon or something for Phasing or to just have a good way to check a scarf or assault vest check to your setup sweeper.
If no one mentioned covert cloak yet, neglecting scald burns and fake out flinch is such an amazing trait on an item, easy top 10 or even top 5 items in the game
Scarf is annoying if facing it or using it. Scarf made me run Frisk pokemon in every match and eventually desire for held items to be removed entirely.
Fr its wild ppl think scarf was a good idea like having only band and specs atleast makes it obvious that the mon youre facing has this max speed and thats it but with scarf its just unnecessary prediction and versatility or whtver and its kinda frustrating ngl
I like the idea of a phys vest but like imagine something like Garchomp with rough skin or idk any other mon that punishes contact?? And we still dont have the equivalent of burn to spa so like theres 1 billion checks to phys attackers but 2 to 3 to specials In practice a phys vest would make everyone run special attackers or smth
Expert Belt specifically can be good for faking a Choice Item. For example let’s say your opponent can withstand a Super Effective Hit without a boost of any kind. They then get hit be your Expert Belt user and think “damn, that did more than I thought; but it was probably a Choice Item, I can switch in a resist or immunity to that move and force a switch to gain tempo and turn this around.” Now you have the option to use a different Super Effective attack and kill the “resist” that just came in. I love using this on Gen 4 Weavile because people will lose a Pokémon that’s weak to ice or dark and think “Tyranitar can handle this” and get it killed bc Low Sweep exists and is 120BP against Tyranitar due to his massive weight-which with Weavile’s massive attack and Tyranitar’s 4x weakness to fighting guarantees a KO against everything except Focus Sash.
In any metagame where oricorio or quiver dance users are super relevant, mirror herb is a hilarious choice. I've gotten mirror herb Omni boosts as well from falinks
I remember having so much fun with a klutz assault vest lopunny to switcheroo my assault vest to walls like chansey, once they get the assault vest on they can't use their status moves like healing or toxic any longer it's so funny XD
People are inventing items in the comment so I would too. Laser Pointer: This Pokemon's non-contact moves cannot miss (except OHKO moves) but the BP is reduced to 60. Koffin Vial: A bottle filled with Koffin toxin. Breaks when the holder is sent out or hit, releasing the Neutralizing Gas, removing the ability of all Pokemon currently on the field. Lopunny Pumps: Boost the damage of Kicking moves by 25% and they ignore screens and Substitute (but does not remove them).
What about Eviolite? Well, I think that should be saved for a video about how evolving isn’t always everything, or as I proposed, The Porygon2 Theorem.
Galarian Corsola is part of the theorem, however Porygon2 has been around longer and it’s a totally functional Pokémon with or without Eviolite, even more so than its evolved form.
Weakness Policy + Weak Armour Armarogue in gen 9. Tera Psychic/Grass and lead with Scarf, max HP and Timid Anihilape. U-Turn your own Armarogue and switch into Indeedee then enjoy your +2 Sp.Atk and +2 Speed Expanding Forces under psychic terrain. One of my favourite tactics
Wasn't held items also why nobody used Mega Garchomp? Garchomp was already so good that the gains you got by changing to Mega Garchomp did not outweigh losing the ability to hold an item. That and the speed loss, which was also a big deal.
Someone educate me, please. When he mentioned shed shell was in gen 4 to help maneuver trapping moves, did it not work like that in gen 3 when it was introduced?
![Cody Johnson - I'm Gonna Love You (with Carrie Underwood) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yy9PuYMU29g/mqdefault.jpg)
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
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 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
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
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.
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
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
Why everything is everything the mega rayquaza theorem
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🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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. ❤
I think it is worth mentioning that Light Bulb helped Pikachu greatly over the years.
He finally did it
After so many videos he has answered my idea I'm so happppyyy thank you and its a wonderful video
Why hazards are close to everything the Ferrothorn Theorem
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.
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.
6:08 *Shedinja laughing nervously*
...With all these Theorem videos, it makes me wonder if a team built out of the mons named for each theorem could work.
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
What about Eviolite? An item that made what pre-gen 5 players thought was impossible: it made some pokémon (like Dusclops) better than their evolved forms!
i wonder whats the next theorem, maybe the azumarill theorem: why the special physical split of gen 4 mattered
Flame Orb deserves some love for giving us the strongest Bear
4:11 AKA Heaven Scorching Light Of Destruction
Imagine being such an overpowered item you get your own segment...
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.
Might not be as relevant in some competitive scenes, but Eviolite turns Chansey, Dusclops, Porygon2, and more mid-volutions into devastating walls.
one item that I occasionally use but nobody else does is shell bell.
I use it on quaquaval and I used to use it on annhilape back when it was legal.
there are times where you get more health back than you would with leftovers.
I only reccomended this item on pokemon that are heavy hitters and have good speed and at least average bulk. bulk.
One of the few items that I used in my first White Version playthrough.
I'm so in love with Loaded Dice this gen. It's hilarious that Scale Shot and Icicle Spear, formally admonished for being a complete dice roll on whatever you're using it on, to completely usurping most sets.
Unless you like the acrobatics move a lot.
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)
Both mah boi Ultra Necrozma and Mega Rayray being described with superlatives feels goooood.
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.
I always loved the rough skin- Rocky Helmet combo😮
My favorite item was emergency exit. No one expected it and it made supportive leads quite handy. Like, I used to have a prankster Whimsicott lead. Use tailwind, the other attacks, or does something like hazard/boost. Next turn, use encore and force a switch or, in the case they attacked, surprise them with counter emergency exit switch + tailwind set up. I loved my Whimsicott 🥰
Next: Why Weather is close to Everything (The Baxcalibur Theorem)
Why Forms are close to everything - The Rotom Theorem
In Gen IV, I had a Swellow transferred from Gen III that was taught Counter by the move tutor. I would often field it against my friends' stuff that would normally be risky like Electivire or Aerodactyl. They'd use their supereffective physical move to bring me down to 1, as Sash would activate, I'd Counter the damage back (if they didn't also have a sash they often wouldn't survive), and if their priority was lost, I'd Endeavor their next non-Ghost pokemon and possibly pick up a KO with Quick Attack.
Gimmick, but fun.
Feels like this could have been the Garchomp theorem.
Balanced Hackmons is a good example of how insane some Pokemon get when they don't need their mega stones lol
A big one is Eviolite. The +1 in both defenses is huge for the viability of NFE in higher tiers and is a classic LC item
Covert cloak blocking residual damage from Garganacl's Salt cure was huge finding out the same gen
Also blocking Fake Out.
Surprised Zacian wasn't mentioned in the video. Rusted Sword grants it a boost to it's base stats, which isn't as much as Mega Evolutions but is enough for it to outspeed and KO other Pokemon. It also turns Iron Head to Behemoth Blade giving it a stronger move to attack it. Lastly, it gets a secondary Steel typing which helps it offensively and defensively with STAB Behemoth Blade that's stronger than Play Rough, a Stealth Rock and quad U-Turn resistance, turning immunity to Toxic and Sandstorm, and a bunch of resistances as well as removing its Poison and Steel weaknesses but giving it a weakness to Fire and Ground. The only thing that doesn't get boosted by it's item is it's Ability which I'm sure was for the best.
Another item I was surprised to see not mentioned was Soul Dew. It made Latias and Latios two of the best Pokemon in ADV Ubers, made Latias one of the most reliable checks to Kyogre in DPP Ubers, made both of them too good to be allowed in BW OU, a big reason why Darkrai was used in Ubers, and the main reason why both of them fell out of favour after ORAS Ubers.
But like always, I enjoy these videos and am looking forward to seeing the next theorem on why status conditions are everything.
Behemoth Blade also devastates Dynamaxed targets, and that was huge in VGC.
Eject Pack! It's one of my favorites on Pokemon with strong SpAtk dropping moves - my personal favorite is mixed draco meteor dracozolt, who can usually chip the opposing ground type for around 60%, leaving the opponent vulnerable to a lategame bolt beak sweep
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.
Surprised there was no mention of ditto in the choice item section, scarf is the only reason that blob is even usable competitively
12:35
Resist Puffs! Resist Puffs!
Eat 'em up, eat 'em up, eat 'em up, eat 'em up!
mental herb. was a staple on tornadus throughout gen 8 for a reason. Also light clay. Grimmsnarl and a few other basically cannot live without it.
I'm a sucker for Evolite myself. opening up a world of pokemon who have no business staying in their previous-gen pre-evolved forms is super awesome. I also am a sucker for King's Rock on Scerene Grace Pokemon...
but honestly? I kinda love Red Card and it's ability to allow you to use a sturdy mon or something for Phasing or to just have a good way to check a scarf or assault vest check to your setup sweeper.
Never doubt the comedic potential of a Quick Claw, 20% of the time it works every time.
Loaded Dice is the closest we'll ever get to Heracross having Skill Link again from its Mega.
Adrenaline Orb is the reason why I did so well in OU. With Lando leads everywhere, my Defiant and Competitive Pokemon would overwhelm the Meta.
I don’t know even what’ll be the next one outta this series. My guess would be competitive formats like singles, duos and trios
If no one mentioned covert cloak yet, neglecting scald burns and fake out flinch is such an amazing trait on an item, easy top 10 or even top 5 items in the game
I'm just delighted to see Chugga's videos getting used.
Scarf is annoying if facing it or using it. Scarf made me run Frisk pokemon in every match and eventually desire for held items to be removed entirely.
Fr its wild ppl think scarf was a good idea like having only band and specs atleast makes it obvious that the mon youre facing has this max speed and thats it but with scarf its just unnecessary prediction and versatility or whtver and its kinda frustrating ngl
I smiled when I saw chuggaaconroy gameplay at the start
I have a new topic for a video if wanted, "Why status affects are close to everything: The Toxepex Theorm"
Can’t forget how important the weather extending items are given that various forms of weather have dominated the meta game at different times.
I like the Spider-Man Homecoming reference, I like these types of videos
Fave items, 1 evolite, 2 razor claw/scope lens, 3 assault vest, 4 weakness policy 5 Lansat berry
I wonder how many more Pokémon would become viable if we got an Assault Vest for physical defense. Call it a Tank Top
I like the idea of a phys vest but like imagine something like Garchomp with rough skin or idk any other mon that punishes contact?? And we still dont have the equivalent of burn to spa so like theres 1 billion checks to phys attackers but 2 to 3 to specials
In practice a phys vest would make everyone run special attackers or smth
Occa berry scizor with natural gift gotta be one of My favorite niche little items. If you know you know
Great analysis video! Thanks for uploading!
Expert Belt specifically can be good for faking a Choice Item. For example let’s say your opponent can withstand a Super Effective Hit without a boost of any kind. They then get hit be your Expert Belt user and think “damn, that did more than I thought; but it was probably a Choice Item, I can switch in a resist or immunity to that move and force a switch to gain tempo and turn this around.” Now you have the option to use a different Super Effective attack and kill the “resist” that just came in. I love using this on Gen 4 Weavile because people will lose a Pokémon that’s weak to ice or dark and think “Tyranitar can handle this” and get it killed bc Low Sweep exists and is 120BP against Tyranitar due to his massive weight-which with Weavile’s massive attack and Tyranitar’s 4x weakness to fighting guarantees a KO against everything except Focus Sash.
Next: Why format is everything - The Toxapex/Incineroar (Toxaroar? Incinepex?) Theorem.
Ah, Necrozma. The official "Jumping the Shark" Pokémon. It could fuse with another Pokémon, then Mega Evolve, then use a Z-Move on top of that.
Next theorem:
The articuno theorem: why being a legendary isn't everything
In any metagame where oricorio or quiver dance users are super relevant, mirror herb is a hilarious choice. I've gotten mirror herb Omni boosts as well from falinks
Life Orb and Leftovers are like the yin and yang of competitive Pokemon when it comes to items.
I feel like you definitely shouldn't have brushed over Knock Off as much as you did, definitely worth talking about in a video about items
The Zoroark theorem. Why team preview meant everything.
Sometimes you need an item for comedic effect. Big quick claw fan
My favourite held item is TR43 (It's the TR for overheat)
That thumbnail is kinda wholesome
I myself enjoy a Electrode with a choice band. Your mind can take it from there
Eviolite not getting mentioned seems like a significant oversight, as it's been the only reason why many Pokemon over the years have even been viable.
Still being very patient on "How GREAT was Latios Actually?"
I remember having so much fun with a klutz assault vest lopunny to switcheroo my assault vest to walls like chansey, once they get the assault vest on they can't use their status moves like healing or toxic any longer it's so funny XD
I feel like running no item and thief in gen 2 should've been an honorable mention
It definitely tells that Z-Moves and Dynamaxing needs to go through some real serious reconstruction.
Surprised this wasn't the "Chansey/Dusclops Theorem" while using the Eviolite.
yoooo the Chuggaaconroy LP at the start
Next video needs to be:
Why playing Pokemon is close to everything - The Gamefreak Theorem
The mega stones do provide a boost but not in the traditional sense because of the stat value increases
People are inventing items in the comment so I would too.
Laser Pointer: This Pokemon's non-contact moves cannot miss (except OHKO moves) but the BP is reduced to 60.
Koffin Vial: A bottle filled with Koffin toxin. Breaks when the holder is sent out or hit, releasing the Neutralizing Gas, removing the ability of all Pokemon currently on the field.
Lopunny Pumps: Boost the damage of Kicking moves by 25% and they ignore screens and Substitute (but does not remove them).
A Pokemon using Cosmic Power while holding Leftovers versus a Primal Kyogre using Aqua Ring?
Leftovers on shedinja is pretty underrated ngl
What about Eviolite? Well, I think that should be saved for a video about how evolving isn’t always everything, or as I proposed, The Porygon2 Theorem.
alternatively- the galarian corsola theorem
Galarian Corsola is part of the theorem, however Porygon2 has been around longer and it’s a totally functional Pokémon with or without Eviolite, even more so than its evolved form.
Why momentum is everything - The HO theorem
Thick club alolan marowack immediately comes to my mind!
Weakness Policy + Weak Armour Armarogue in gen 9. Tera Psychic/Grass and lead with Scarf, max HP and Timid Anihilape. U-Turn your own Armarogue and switch into Indeedee then enjoy your +2 Sp.Atk and +2 Speed Expanding Forces under psychic terrain. One of my favourite tactics
Wasn't held items also why nobody used Mega Garchomp? Garchomp was already so good that the gains you got by changing to Mega Garchomp did not outweigh losing the ability to hold an item.
That and the speed loss, which was also a big deal.
As a Blaziken fan, I'm absolutely happy. 🔥 🐓
Someone educate me, please. When he mentioned shed shell was in gen 4 to help maneuver trapping moves, did it not work like that in gen 3 when it was introduced?