If you don't know what Research Week is, slap yourself.
Then, read this:
Test, discuss, and all that stuff.
Then, read this:
This week aims to focus on general teammates. Gligar and other offensive Pokemon currently lead the metagame, so using anti-metagame Pokemon to defeat them is exactly how to win a game. Pokemon like Swinub, Shellos, and Numel are all the definition of anti-metagame, as they can tear apart common offensive and defensive Pokemon using different sets that people don't expect. Your job is to try out these Pokemon and report any discoveries back here. Remember, no discovery is a bad one! If you find something that you think works, don't hesitate to share it! We will be looking at the following Pokemon:Research Week attempts to investigate Pokemon who have potential, be it in stats, movepool, or supporting their team, to serve as an innovative choice in today's metagame. These are Pokemon that, for the most part, remain relatively untested. I have selected 3 Pokemon we feel, with help from everyone else, could see use as they fill a particular niche. Perhaps the title is a bit of a misnomer; in fact, this installment (and perhaps future ones) of Research Week will continue as long as the discussion does, and that's where you all come in.
Swinub may not look like much, but it has one thing a ton of Pokemon crave: STAB Ice Shard. With a Choice Band or Life Orb, Swinub makes an excellent Gligar check, easily eliminating it. Choice Band Ice Shard or Icicle Crash won't be a pretty sight for Murkrow hoping to switch in on Earthquake. With additional Ground typing, Swinub gets excellent coverage just in its STAB moves, making it a great candidate for a Choice item. It can also set up Stealth Rock to aid its team.
Shellos actually has all the tools it needs to be a useful Gligar check and wall. Wonderful HP, above-average defenses, and access to a plethora of support moves like Scald, Clear Smog, and Yawn make Shellos very useful. Its typing leaves it with only Grass and Electric weaknesses, which its team can easily take care of with a Grass- or Dragon-type. Shellos also has Storm Drain, making it a good switch-in to Water-type moves.
Numel is a strange case. The thing that makes it useful is its ability: Simple. With this cool ability, all stat changes are doubled, meaning moves such as Stockpile, Flame Charge, and Howl have much better effects. After a single Flame Charge, Numel sits at 28 Speed, which ties with Jolly Choice Scarf Gligar. Numel can even go mixed with Hidden Power Ice or Overheat to destroy Gligar. Stockpile and Toxic make it a good defensive Pokemon, too.
Test, discuss, and all that stuff.