Pokemon Sun - 0 Exp Part 10: Totem Vikavolt

Channel:

MoogleBoss

Subscribers:

6,590

Published on February 23, 2017 6:10:32 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-kx-1DAA_8

Game:

Pokémon Sun and Moon (2016)

Duration: 10:03

1,495 views

29

Challenge playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbSv8zSDR9c3UXPZqUgrokIuZtllPl-9A

The first of the two trials of the 3rd island. It's an electric-type trial and, surprisingly, a ground-type move doesn't quite do the job here (which isn't unprecedented, what with those Emolgas in Unova). Much like the fire-type trial, we have to fight a series of battles before the actual trial itself begins, which limits us again a bit - whoever faces the pre-trial battles needs to be good against the boss as well.

The Totem Vikavolt is dual bug/electric, which is not new (the Joltik line exists) but a good typing nevertheless. It leaves it with just two weaknesses - rock and fire, the latter not easily exploited and ultimately ineffective due to it holding an Occa Berry (an item that's unique for a while which I didn't care to steal).

Vikavolt gets a stat increase across the board - basically starting the battle as if it had used Ancientpower prior or something. With 145 base special attack (higher than Alakazam and Lunala) and a +1 boost, it would be nonsensically destructive; however, this is why they gave it no special moves whatsoever, which actually makes it meek offensively, especially if a good ground-type has switched in.

My choice of offence against Vikavolt is the only offensive Pokemon effective against it - Minior, prepared to enter the field below 50% health in advance. This gives it 100 base atk/sp. atk and 120 base speed, outspeeding Vikavolt even after its speed buff. It's got a +sp. atk. nature and this lets it target the boss's weakest defensive stat with Ancient Power (which ties Rock Tomb in base power). The only problem is that neither Ancientpower nor a Continental Crush is capable of OHKOing the boss, and you can imagine how good Minior is at taking a Spark at low health.

Before that though, Minior faces a Grubbin and two Charjabugs, OHKOing the first with Rock Tomb but requiring a Z-move to do the same with its 2nd tier evolution.

When Vikavolt finally does show up, which happens a half of the video in, we switch out since Minior is not surviving the first turn. This is rather detrimental as a minion Charjabug will appear and whoever switches in may eat an attack on the way in, but this is something we have to do since Minior is most effective at both dealing with the pre-trial mons and the boss itself.

Magnemite switches in, and its job is to lower Vikavolt's special defence with Metal Sound. I haven't mentioned it yet (though many players know) but Vikavolt not only has a terrible movepool but also an equally dreadful AI - it will frequently use Charge to boost its special defence repeatedly instead of chipping away at something weak, like A-Diglett. This allowed me to solo the boss with said Diglett even though you can imagine how well Diglett would take a Bug Bite, but the boss never used it!

However, Charge is in fact bad news in this strategy, because the sole purpose of Magnemite switching in is to reduce the boss's special defence not sit there while it bolsters it, which may well happen if Magnemite is hit with Mud-Slap and gets accuracy hax.

Two special defence debuffs are sufficient to OHKO the boss with Minior switching in. Hax prevents Minior from emerging triumphant in its anticlimactic duel with Charjabug (which lacks electric-type moves of any kind), so a certain unevolved fire/poison lizard finishes what we started - believe it or not, in spite of its underwhelming base stats, it's been used in three totem battles in a row already, two of which it has won (though the credit should go to the real MVPs, Fletchinder in the Lurantis fight and Minior here).

P.S. I just realised the Malie City Hau battle was my 1,337th video according to YouTube. 2017 smells like a year of great milestones for this channel!

Other Statistics