Community POTW #51

[Serebii]

Right guys, time for the Pokémon that will go live on December 25th



http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/225.shtml

It's Delibird. Delibird got an amazing new Hidden Ability and has the most diverse level up learnset in the game.

Go nuts.

Merry Christmas

[Voice Of The Forest]

FIRST
@ Power Herb
Nature Jolly
Ability Hustle
Evs 252 atk 252 spd 6 hp
Sky Attack
Seed Bomb
Ice Punch
Fake Out

[ajhockeystar99]

NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO i lost out by one minute on being first... anyway, delibird: the most amazing pokemon in the game!! the best pokemon.... at being HORRIBLE. delibird is one of the worst pokemon FOR SURElook at its stats: mediocre all around. i would never recommend using it. NEVER:

delibird@ air balloon
-splash
-no attack
-no attack
-no attack
air balloon to cover its flying weakness... OOPS :P spash to cover its fire weakness... OOPS AGAIN :P

okay, i'm not that mean:
Give the Gift of choice this Christmas:
delibird@choice band
ability: hustle
252 attack 252 speed 4 hp jolly/adamant nature
-ice punch
-aerial ace
-brick break/seed bomb/ice shard
-brick break/seed bomb/ice shard

the set speaks for itself....

[TimmahX]

Abilities

Vital Spirit: Sleep immunity is very nice against threats that run around with Sleep Powder and Hypnosis in the NU, few though they may be. It certainly has its uses.
Hustle: Sacrifices accuracy to booster Attack. With moves like Ice Shard and Focus Punch, Delibird can certainly put this to good use.
Insomnia: Sleep immunity is very nice against threats that run around with Sleep Powder and Hypnosis in the NU, few though they may be. It certainly has its uses. This description feels familiar.



Christmas Town Beatdown
Item: Choice Band / Life Orb
Ability: Hustle
EVs and Nature: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 HP and Adamant / Jolly

- Ice Shard
- Focus Punch
- Substitute (Life Orb Only) / Other Options
- Rapid Spin

Delibird is certainly a hard Pokemon to pull off, but it does have its uses. The priority STAB attack Ice Shard backed by Choice Band or Life Orb and Hustle can really dent things in the NU. Focus Punch can certainly work on Delibird with a bit of prediction, and SubPunch can be done as well. Rapid Spin gives Delibird a utility move that can certainly be of use in any tier really.

Other Options

- Seed Bomb: Catches some Water types that may try to wall it.
- Fake Out: A free hit usually sounds good, but Hustle does cut its accuracy, so it becomes a little less than free.
- Aerial Ace: A Flying STAB attack.
- Brick Break: Breaks Screens, which I guess is nice.
- Ice Punch: A stronger STAB attack.

[The3DOstrich]

YES! Only the best Ice / Flying around.

HUSTLER!
Delibird @ Choice Band
Nature: Jolly / Adamant
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
~ Ice Punch
~ Aerial Ace / Ice Shard
~ Brick Break / Focus Punch
~ Seed Bomb

Hustle gives him pretty good attack, especially after the CB boost. Too bad he misses so much. Ice Punch is STAB, hurts Grass-types. Aerial Ace does the same, but neve misses. Ice Shard gives you STAB priority however to cure your rather lackluster Speed (better if using Adamant). Brick Break hits Steels, but Focus Punch smashes them if you predict a switch in to a Steel who think's you'll Ice Punch. Seed Bomb hits bulky Waters, and can snag some surprising KO's.

Quick Attack is a possibility if you want to hit things that resist Ice with priority, and if you want to use a Life Orb over Choice Band, Fake Out is possible. Another option is Gunk Shot, but you already hit Grass-types with your STAB, and its accuracy is abysmal after Hustle. Rapid Spin can clear the field of Rocks.

Gets a decent special movepool too.

Delibird @ Choice Specs
Nature: Timid / Modest
Ability: Vital Spirit / Insomnia
Evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
~ Ice Beam / Blizzard
~ Hidden Power [Electric] / [Fire]
~ Water Pulse
~ Signal Beam

Ok... maybe not such a good movepool. Ice Beam or Blizzard for STAB, latter to be used in Hail. Hidden Power Electric hits Waters, while HP Fire hits Steels. Water Pulse hits Fire-types for... some damage. Signal Beam is pretty much the last decent special move it learns, and hits Psychics.

[grantholomew]

Delibird is…a bird…who runs a deli…and works for Santa?

Hardcore Delibird Set
Delibird @ Poison Barb/Iron Ball/Ring Target
Trait: Insomnia
EVs: Whatever
Whatever Nature
- Present
- Splash
-
-
Like the set name says, this is hardcore. Takes full advantage of Delibird’s new ability, because frankly, his old one sucks.

Actual Delibird Set
Delibird @ Leftovers
Trait: Hustle
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Ice Punch
- Ice Shard
- Aerial Ace/Brick Break/Focus Punch
- Rapid Spin/Present
So…if you like Santa then Delibird is the bird-thing for you. Ice Punch and Ice Shard are STAB, and Ice Shard has priority. Aerial Ace is also STAB, but there’s Brick Break or Focus Punch for coverage. Rapid Spin can make Delibird useful, otherwise go with Present JUST CUZ. I know Delibird’s Special Attak is by definition higher, but he’s generally got better physical attacks, hence Hustle. Merry Christmas, yo

[Monster Guy]

Delibird got an amazing new hidden ability, and it has the most diverse level up learnset in the game.

I sense sarcasm.

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

*looks at stats*

HP: Atrocious
Attack: Sucks
Defence: Atrocious
Sp.Atk: Sucks a bit
Sp.Def: Atrocious
Speed: Poor

what can this thing actually hope to achieve? Perhaps it got a useful new ability. Oh wait, it's Insomnia, which does EXACTLY THE SAME THING as vital spirit does that it already had. It's Delibirds destiny to be weak, set upon it by Gamefreak, just like they did with Unown and Luvdisc.

Anyways, Reno, in your Fake Out set for Hitmonlee you also have Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch and Unburden are incompatible, Unburden is a 5th gen ability while Sucker Punch is a 4th gen only move. And you forgot to mention Endure-Reversal, a trick that Lee does well because of its high speed with an Unburden boost leaving its held item free to be a Liechi berry for an attack boost. With Unburden, it outruns so much its insane. Adamant unburden Lee outruns up to base 130s with a choice scarf if they don't have a speed boosting nature, as well as the entire game without a scarf. Jolly unburden Lee outruns up to base 150s with a choice scarf if they don't have a speed boosting nature, as well as everything with a scarf at base 130, even with a speed boosting nature.

[Sala-imence]

Support Delivery

Item: Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Ability: Vital Spirit
Moveset:
- Ice Shard
- Brick Break
- Theif
- Protect

I really stuggled to find anything decent. But Delibird is a fun pokemon to use. Basically, this set is good for annoying the opponent and so crippling it ready for a team mate to take it out. Hustle is not needed here, even with the power boost, it does not make a major difference. You just need your moves to hit. So vital spirit. (It has an overworld effect unlike insomnia)

Ice shard: A STAB priority move. Your finishing off move, if you live that long.
Brick Break: Reflect/Lightscreen = gone.
Theif: Once your item is gone, just take the opponents!
Protect: You never know when it will come in handy. (Explosion, surf, etc)

[Missingno. Master]

Hey! My prediction for this week was right!

A Choice Band Christmas
Delibird@Choice Band
Adamant nature
Hustle
252 Atk/252 Spd/4 HP
~Ice Shard/Ice Punch
~Aerial Ace
~Seed Bomb
~Brick Break

Ebeneezer Scrooge works for GameFreak. It's the only explanation as to why the Pokémon based off of Santa Claus sucks so hard. Base 55 Attack stat is horrible. So why, you might be wondering, am I suggesting a Choice Band set? Because of Delibird's Hustle ability, which acts like a second Choice Band boost, at the cost of a little accuracy. Aerial Ace is a crucial move, as it benefits from Hustle's Attack boost, but isn't hindered by the Accuracy drop. Ice Punch is the more powerful of its two Ice-type STABs, but Ice Shard helps to circumvent its Arceus-awful Speed (base 75; sadly its highest stat). The other two moves are for whatever coverage they can provide.

Item and ability are essential for making Delibird's Attack stat not suck.

I Want A Wobbuffet For Christmas
Delibird@Focus Sash
Lonely nature
Vital Spirit
252 HP/252 Atk/4 Spd
~Counter
~Quick Attack

Delibird gets Counter through Generation III move tutors, which means it can attempt to pull this off. The idea is simple. Bring in Delibird when something else faints to a physical attacker, and select Counter. As long as there's no Stealth Rock or Sandstorm in play, and your opponent isn't Cloyster, Counter should knock out the opponent. Quick Attack is good for additional damage. You may be tempted to add Ice Shard to this, but as a Generation IV and on egg move, it's illegal with Counter.

Item is obvious. Ability is so Hustle doesn't make Counter miss.

Other options:
*Don't be tempted to use Delibird's signature move of Present. Anything that has the potential to heal the opponent is a big no-no.
*Delibird gets Rapid Spin, but these days, a good Spinner kinda has to be able to, oh, how shall I put this... live long enough to use the move. Not only does Delibird have defenses that induce uncontrollable facepalming in their trainers, but the fact that half their HP is wiped out by the mere presence of Stealth Rock makes the idea of using it for Rapid Spin laughable.
*Focus Punch is a powerful option, but if Delibird takes a hit, it'll probably faint before it has a chance to lose its focus.
*Avalanche is a powerful option, but it relies on Delibird doing exactly what it was not built to do; take a hit. It could go on the Counter set, but without Hustle or a Choice Band, don't expect much of it.
*Oh, yeah. This thing. Can be bred. To get SPLASH. What the **** is up with that?!

Abilities:
*Hustle: The one thing that stops Delibird from totally sucking, and even then, it's very iffy. Ups its Attack by x1.5, and lowers the accuracy of its physical moves by 20%. It would make Aerial Ace an unstoppable force if Delibird had the power to pull it off.
*Vital Spirit: Prevents Delibird from sleeping. Useful on the Counter set because you can't afford to have Counter miss due to Hustle.
*Insomnia: Delibird's Hidden Ability, and a giant middle finger from Gamefreak. Seriously, what were they smoking? Delibird already has, as they say on GameFAQs... VITAL MOTHER****ING SPIRIT! Insomnia and Vital Spirit are EXACTLY THE SAME! Here they had an opportunity to give Delibird an ability that could actually help it somewhat. Like, oh, say, Magic Guard? But no! They have to capitalize on its already sad uselessness by giving it an exact copy of an ability it's had for the past two generations!

Partners:
Smashpassers, dual screeners, Rapid Spinners, Tailwind, the whole nine yards. Using Delibird requires a buttload of support from the rest of the team to make it work. Though using an entire team to support one sucky Pokémon sounds like a lot of unpleasant work, the results can be amusing. I remember back in the days of Netbattle, I managed to pull off an Azurill sweep after much Baton Passing.

Counters:
Just play normally. Your team as it stands probably works just fine to counter Delibird.

Opinion:
I'm a big fan of the underdog, and Delibird is just that. The concept is awesome, but they just made it suck so bad.

Prediction for next week:
Weezing

[grantholomew]

I sense sarcasm.

No way, man. He's telling the truth. Delibird is super hardcore. Hence my hardcore Delibird set.

[KYOGRE-D]

Delibird is obviously ubers standard; especially whilst comparing its new ability to its old ones . OK, so this think sucks, we all know. bad stats all round, you'd only use this poke if you were planning to lose spectacularly, even in NU.

Delibird@Choice Scarf
Adamant Nature
Hustle/Insomnia (never use vital spirit over insomnia, for obvious reasons...)
252 speed/252 atk/4hp
-Ice Punch
-Aerial Ace
-Frost Breath/Ice Ball
-Ice Shard/Brick Break

Ice Punch for an *ahem* "strong" STAB, Aerial Ace to get Hustle boost and not miss, Frost Breath to KO on the special side - STAB and critical hit is OK. Ice Shard for Priority, if you want it, or Brick Break to do a tincy wincy bit more damage to steels, like it really matters.

Magikarp used Splash! Delibird fainted...
-

[Kraleck]

Options
*uncontrollable laughter for 10 minutes*
Okay, *ahem* seriously, Delibird's only decent options come from 4th Gen or earlier. Frost Breath is a nifty new toy for the Santa bird, as well as Round, despite the gimmick factor.

If you're breeding for a certain Hidden Power and trying to avoid Hustle, a Female DW Delibird will help you get a better chance of Insomnia or its twin. As to Hustle itself, you can go with Swift, Focus Punch, Blizzard (with active Hail), or anything with Wide Lens/Zoom Lens.

The biggest factor in Delibird's favor is the WTF-psych-out factor. Combined with Status Effects (Toxic and Swagger), you can do a little bit of annoyance with your opponent's lowered psychological defenses.

Then again, one of Delibird's best options is to STAY IN THE BOX AND OUTSIDE OF BATTLE.

[KYOGRE-D]

oh yeah... counters: Roggenrola, Stealth Rock, Boldore, Stealth Rock, Pikachu, Stealth Rock, Raichu, Pichu, Stealth Rock, Emolga, Stealth Rock, geodude, Magikarp, Stealth Rock, Nosepass, Sudowoodo, Probopass, pretty much all other 648 pokemon (except maybe hoppip) - oh, and Stealth Rock. Did I mention that?

[SwiftGrovyle]

Don't dis the Delibird, guys. It's cuuuuuuuute!
No but seriously though, just because it's not an awesome Ou, this guy is fun on baton pass teams, Nu, and a monster in Little cup.(and by baton pass teams, I mean it's the one you baton the goodies into.)


I'll be back with my set soon.


Ps. Reno- Hitomonlee can't learn sucker punch and have the Dw ability unburden. Better fix that, quick.

[KYOGRE-D]

I don't think delibird can evolve, so it cant be on LC. Just saying. Also, Delibird needs an incredible amount of support - hail would be good, partners need to get rid of threats (most of the tier) and i think archeops is NU last time i checked, so archeops would eat it alive

[RockPaperScizor]

So, delibird, the santa-bird with one pitiful move.
Delibird is really good, but only because there is a chance that the opposing team could use it. Its best stat is its speed, which just about sneaks into the "quite bad" category, and all Gen 5 really brought it was some new abilitytext.

Here goes nothing:
SURPRISING CHOICE FOR CHRISTMAS POTW:
Item-Choice band
Ability-Hustle
-Ice punch/Avalanche if you feel lucky
-Focus punch
-Ice shard
-Aerial ace
Ivs: Attack, then Hp if avalanche (Focus punch and Ice shard will have priority anyway, so speed is not really needed), and speed if Ice punch.

[Missingno. Master]

Don't dis the Delibird, guys. It's cuuuuuuuute!
No but seriously though, just because it's not an awesome Ou, this guy is fun on baton pass teams, Nu, and a monster in Little cup.(and by baton pass teams, I mean it's the one you baton the goodies into.)


I'll be back with my set soon.


Ps. Reno- Hitomonlee can't learn sucker punch and have the Dw ability unburden. Better fix that, quick.

Delibird isn't eligible for Little Cup, because it doesn't have an evolution.

[Blue Harvest]

It's Delibird. Delibird got an amazing new Hidden Ability and has the most diverse level up learnset in the game.

I lol'd.

Anyhow Delibird obviously sucks and the only reason you would use it is for a joke Christmas team since the "rapid spinning recovering ice type" was outdone by the snowflake. It gets Hustle but that only gives it 107 base attack. You could maybe run Power Herb Sky Attack with Ice Shard.

Or you can use a real Pokemon.

[Sucker_Punch]

I've often thought Delibird was cool.
I was wrong.
SHALL WE HAVE A CHRISTMAS THEMED SET?!

Time for presents, and exchanging kisses...


Delibird@Flame Orb/Toxic Orb/Iron Ball/Choice Item/ Anything else you think you could annoy you're opponent by Flinging or Bestowing.
Adamant/ Jolly Nature
Hustle/ Insomnia
252Atk/252Spd/4HP (not that it matters at all, you're still going to be destroyed pretty quickly)
-Fling
-Bestow
-Present
-Ice Punch/ Ice Shard/ Anything else.

Just spread a smile this yule time, as well as manic laughter that you're using Delibird. Just Fling whatever you're holding, or Bestow it if you're certain the opponent is carrying no item. Present could potentially be a strong attack with 120bp... Ice Punch/ Shard/ whatever is basically there so you have an attack once you've flung/ don't trust present. So yeah... Happy Christmas!

[Charizard Lizzy]

Oh man, Delibird? I hate this thing with every fiber of my being. There is nothing worthwhile in its stats – it’s slow, it’s frail, and has boring Attack and Special Attack for something so delicate. And, just to show how much of a waste of space Delibird is, it’s special Dream World ability is... Insomnia. When it already has Vital Spirit. Which does the exact same thing in battle.

But I need to stop being a Grinch and really, really try and find a use for this Ice-Flying bird. After all, he just wants to spread some Christmas cheer! Such a kind-hearted lad must therefore truly be a boss!


Abilities:
Vital Spirit – Delibird can’t be put to sleep. Apparently, sleep-inducing moves are more common in the NU tier, so this will help.

Hustle – By sacrificing accuracy, Delibird’s Attack is increased. It makes him capable as a mixed sweeper in this sense, so that’s nice. Although having all attacks at 80% of their normal accuracy is kind of iffy to rely on.

Insomnia (Dream World) – Delibird can’t be put to sleep – WAIT WUT. Wow, the game-changing difference this ability makes compared to the others is right up there with Levitate for fan Rotom! Troll much, Game Freak?



Trollibird
Item: Lum Berry
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: Max Speed, but whatever otherwise.
Nature: Naïve (+ Spd, - Sp. Def) / Hasty (+ Spd, - Def)
- Protect
- Endure
- Recycle/Ice Shard
- Present

Forget about what little scrap of offensive power Delibird has when you can just troll the opponent instead! Protect negates damage from your opponent. Because your health will inevitably drop to zero in like two seconds, Endure keeps you just barely alive. From there, to ensure you stay alive with just one measly HP without fail, cycle through Protect-Endure-Protect-Endure, et cetera!

Now, your opponent will most likely catch your strategy and attempt to lay a status condition on you to finally get rid of you. In that case, the Lum Berry will fix that. Plus, provided you can outrun the opponent and still survive the turn (yeah right), bring that Lum Berry back with Recylcle! Of course, there’s also Ice Shard as a choice for STAB and priority. Finally, Present is obviously such a great move to use because Delibird is such a boss being the only one who can learn it via level-up.

To ensure a long-lasting troll session, max out the PP for Protect and Endure.


Partners:
Wow, I’m putting way too much effort into this. Trick Room support helps. If in 2-v-2 battles, while Delibird is using Recycle, you’ll want to redirect all damage to your partner – so have Amoonguss use Rage Powder and call it a day. It’ll do just fine with all that HP and whatnot.

EDIT: Well, this stinks. I should have done a little more research. The "Trollibird" set isn't possible because Endure, Protect, and Detect's succession rate halves each time you use any of those three attacks consecutively. It makes sense, but still... DELIBIRD CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!


Attacks Index:
- Endure – Gen IV TM58
- Ice Shard – EGG
- Present – Lvl. 1
- Protect – TM17
- Recycle – Gen IV TM67

[Ilan]

Just do a POTW about sunflora or the mighty feebass... why didn't you just put the snowflake we all love to use in RU (now I was serious)?

Dlibird sucks.. just NO.. NO just a mere novelity pokemon....

best set evar
@WHY USE ITEM?
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Speed , 4 FAIL
Nature: who need nature anyway?
Ability: Magic guard.. oh wait... multiscale? nah it have vital spirit which stop stuff like butterfly's sleep powder
Splash
Protect
Double team/Present
Swagger

Splash IS AWESOME doing nothing? YES PLEASE
Protect gives your opponent to set up, double team is for being UBER! or present heals your opponent which helps a lot... to him.
Swagger help physical attackers sweep your team Isn't it awesome?

Counters: magikarp,feebass, and even farfetch'd.

What can he beat: Arceus,kyogre,excadrill everything dies to delibird (of Laughter of course)

[wildman101093]

*looks at stats*

HP: Atrocious
Attack: Sucks
Defence: Atrocious
Sp.Atk: Sucks a bit
Sp.Def: Atrocious
Speed: Poor

what can this thing actually hope to achieve? Perhaps it got a useful new ability. Oh wait, it's Insomnia, which does EXACTLY THE SAME THING as vital spirit does that it already had. It's Delibirds destiny to be weak, set upon it by Gamefreak, just like they did with Unown and Luvdisc.

Anyways, Reno, in your Fake Out set for Hitmonlee you also have Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch and Unburden are incompatible, Unburden is a 5th gen ability while Sucker Punch is a 4th gen only move. And you forgot to mention Endure-Reversal, a trick that Lee does well because of its high speed with an Unburden boost leaving its held item free to be a Liechi berry for an attack boost. With Unburden, it outruns so much its insane. Adamant unburden Lee outruns up to base 130s with a choice scarf if they don't have a speed boosting nature, as well as the entire game without a scarf. Jolly unburden Lee outruns up to base 150s with a choice scarf if they don't have a speed boosting nature, as well as everything with a scarf at base 130, even with a speed boosting nature.

Actually, unburden and sucker punch come from the same generation, but only drifloon and drifblim had it during the time.

[Charizard Lizzy]

Actually, unburden and sucker punch come from the same generation, but only drifloon and drifblim had it during the time.

True, but for Hitmonlee the combination is not possible because Unburden is its Dream World ability and it learns Sucker Punch in 4th gen. Because Hitmonlee is always a male, there is no way to pass both Unburden and Sucker Punch to him.

[Meowmeow]

I'm going to be honest, Delibird can actually perform decent as a Baton Pass recipient thanks to Hustle and an interesting movepool. It has STAB Ice attacks and Aerial Ace compensates for Hustle's drawback quite well. Passing Hone Claws and speed to this guy can make Delibird quite scary actually.
That being said, Delibird sucks. What I said earlier was not sarcasm. Delibird pales in comparison to fellow Hustle attackers Durant, Zweillous, and even little Darumakka to an extent. Not only that, being a Baton Pass recipient with 4x weakness to Stealth Rock does no favors whatsoever. In addition, Delibird's base stats leave an obvious amount to be desired.
Delibird can make a decent performance on Baton Pass teams, but it will not make a big impact.
Always use Hustle as the ability.

Santa wears a Scarf!
Nature: Jolly (ironic isn't it?)/adamant
EVs: 252 attack and speed, 4 HP
@: Choice Scarf

Ice Punch
Aerial Ace
Seed Bomb
Focus Punch/Brick Break

Be. A. Baton Pass. Receiver.


Santa wore a...Band?
Nature: Jolly (still ironic isn't it?)/adamant
EVs: 252 attack and speed, 4 HP
@: Choice Band

Ice Punch
Aerial Ace
Seed Bomb/Ice Shard
Ice Shard/Focus Punch/Brick Break

Be. A. Baton Pass. Receiver.

Other Options:
Rapid Spin is a great move, but Delibird is not the one to use it for obvious reasons.
Fake Out is a good move and has some power with Hustle backing it up.
Bestow is an interesting thing that won't get much use since it lacks Knock Off.
Using Special attacks makes you lose Hustle's benefits.