- Okay, so Abilities first: Speedrun is a little bit meta and might require context. P:
- Uh, basically, Nidoking is kind of the iconic Gen I speedrun Pokémon (like, it's in all of the best runs, including the current world record so I don't think this is outdated), and the strat to make it work has historically relied heavily on X Speed and X Accuracy.
See, uh, in a Gen I context, X Accuracy isn't just a +1 or +2 accuracy like in later games - it actually just guarantees your moves will hit, straight-up, for as long as you stay in - and also unlike later games, it works on OHKO moves. OHKO moves also don't require a level advantage in this Gen, but rather a Speed advantage, so... yeah. That's where X Speeds come in; basically Nidoking becomes completely unstoppable and incredibly efficient in the hands of someone who knows exactly when and how much to set up, and it's all thanks to Speed and accuracy boosts.
- Here, we don't have OHKO moves to worry about!!! (thankfully!!!!) and if we did - such as in a VGC format? please? (: - regular accuracy modifiers don't work on them anyway in the current Gen, so we'd still be totally safe from that kind of strategy!
However, this Nidoking loves the Speed and accuracy boosts for a different reason! Nidoking has a pretty bonkers special movepool, as we know, and it usually relies on Sheer Force-boosted Ice Beams and Thunderbolts among other things... so wouldn't it be kinda neat if it could upgrade to Stone Edge, Blizzard, Thunder and Fire Blast? O:
- Just like in its in-game X Accuracy sweeps, though, it's the Speed boost that goes with it that really makes that count! You could think of this as a take on Moxie, for a mixed attacker with absolutely ludicrous coverage; it can really punch holes in just about anything if it gets to go first, but it's kept in check by needing to get a KO first and not having the most dangerous offensive setup for a real snowball sweep. I did add Work Up for a reason though .w. that's something that could definitely be neat!
- Now for the one I'm
absolutely dumbfounded no one took before me...! Nidoqueen's biggest new selling point obviously comes from Parental Bond, allowing it to function as a wallbreaker with the same incredible coverage as always on top of some insane status-spreading utility.
- Despite its lower attacking stats, Nidoqueen's Special Attack is essentially identical to Nidoking's in practice, and its Attack edges just slightly higher; Parental Bond essentially gives a 1.25x boost to attacking moves, so the difference in their attacking stats is really evening them out rather than making Nidoqueen passive.
In practice, Nidoking's advantage comes down to its Speed and cleaning potential, while Nidoqueen's real edge over it is the pseudo-Serene Grace that comes from Parental Bond in tandem with its significantly higher bulk.
- Poison/Ground is a combination I love for status-spreading Pokémon (somehow it strikes me as a bit silly that the original canon Poison/Ground-types ended up with an Ability that nullified all of their secondary effects...) - it really has it all...!!
See, the awesome thing about Ground-types is that they're super effective against Fire, Electric, Poison and Steel - all of the types with innate immunities to the standard status conditions, which creates a lose-lose situation for anyone trying to take a status-inducing move.
Nidoqueen has access to the dual STABs of Sludge Bomb and Scorching Sands on the special side, letting it spread poison and burns with a 51% chance per move, and its physical side has more tech options like Barb Barrage (a 75% chance to poison and double the power if the target is already poisoned), Poison Fang (a 75% chance to badly poison) and Body Slam (a 51% chance to paralyze).
This is basically Serene Grace, but on one of the strongest and most flavorful possible users in existence...!
- As a really minor thing, aside from the
really obvious flavor of Parental Bond on the Nidoran line, what actually inspired me to pick Parental Bond was
this Nidoqueen card from the ORAS era of the TCG. I remember using it in a local tournament once when I was a kid, so when I was looking at cards for inspiration and stumbled into it, it made me feel really nostalgic somehow : D and I just wanted to use the concept for something cool!
- For move additions, the utility and flavor of Barb Barrage should be pretty obvious! but I also wanted to draw attention to Pain Split and Work Up, which I expect to be a pretty big deal as well.
Pain Split isn't at its best on Pokémon with high HP like this, but it's their only form of recovery, and it can
definitely be used to great effect on a Stealth Rock-resistant, poison-immune Pokémon like Nidoqueen;
moreover, both Nidoran lines already have Taunt, and that in tandem with that same poison immunity, wide mixed coverage and breaking power is a pretty compelling set of tools to justify running even a relatively slow boosting option like Work Up, especially with Nidoqueen's bulk making it easier to set up and Nidoking's snowball potential making it all the more rewarding when it does.
I think both of these could be really compelling additions to the format, and I'm really happy with the tradeoffs between the two forms and with the way they represent the Pokémon not only flavorfully but also on a bit of a meta level... I really hope they seem fun to you guys, too!!