Assorted Questions

[m4tt]

I'm working on finalising my team (in game) and am trying to decide between Gengar and Weavile. My others are Infernape, Gyarados, Roserade, Golem and Staraptor. Which would compliment the team best?

Also, how do I go about getting Sneasel to learn Ice Punch? The only ice moves he learns through level up are Icy Wind and Ice Shard which i) comes off his awful Sp.Atk and ii) has low base power.

[Cytosine]

Ice Punch is an egg move. Personally, I used a Smeargle as the father but there might be another option.

EDIT: As for the first question, it depends on a) what movesets/stuff you are using for the rest of the pokemon and b) what type of Gengar/Weavile you wanted to use.

[m4tt]

I don't have access to a Smeargle. Are additional pokémon available in game when I get the National Dex or do I need to have one of the earlier games (R/S/E)?

Infernape - Close Combat, Flare Blitz, Slack Off, Flamethrower (I know two moves of the same type is bad, but it lets him attack the lower stat).
Gyarados - Waterfall, Dragon Dance, Ice Fang, Earthquake
Roserade- Energy Ball, Sludge Bomb, Synthesis, Aromatherapy
Golem - Stone Edge, Double Edge, Earthquake, Explosion
Staraptor - Brave Bird, Close Combat, Fly, Defog

and I'm thinking about these moves for the other two

Gengar - Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, Hypnosis
Weavile - Night Slash, Brick Break, Ice Punch, Swords Dance

[Cytosine]

More pokemon are available in the game after the National Dex.

I think that Gengar might benefit your team more, but I'd recommend training both just in case.

[Seerow]

Are you playing Platinum? If you're playing Platinum there's a Move Tutor who teaches Sneasel Ice Punch.

An alternative to breeding Ice Punch from Smeargle is to breed it from Hitmonchan or Medicham to Lopunny and from there to Sneasel. There are also several Pokémon that can get it by breeding (Machamp, Alakazam, Hypno, Electabuzz, Delibird families) that can pass it onto Lopunny and then to Sneasel, but the first four get it through Hitmonchan or Medicham as well and I can't remember if the latter is available before the National Dex (even if it is it gets it through the Feraligatr family, which certainly isn't).

For in-game purposes you should be looking at minimizing any common weaknesses and optimizing attack coverage. That said, I'd probably go with Gengar, because Psychic attacks are few and far between and because Weavile shares a few weaknesses with the rest of your team (Rock with Staraptor and Gyarados, Fire with Roserade, Fighting with Golem) and Weavile does not pack resistances that your team can make good use of.

[Bulbasaurus Rex]

I'd also go with Gengar, because you already have an Ice attack but not an Electric attack (while Shadow Ball and Night Slash have the same type coverage). There's also the weakness problem mentioned by Seerow, plus the rest of your team has 4 physical attackers and only 1 special attacker.

[Alice!]

Ice Shard which i) comes off his awful Sp.AtkWait, what? Ice Shard is most certainly a physical attack.

[m4tt]

I meant that as Icy Wind comes off the Sp.Atk and Ice Shard has a low base power.

I'll start training a Gastly as soon as I start playing again. If I hatch one from an egg will it know Hypnosis or will I need to visit the move tutor and exchange a Heart Scale?

[Alice!]

Oh, read that wrong. Ice Shard is still a great move, but as this is just in-game Ice Punch is definitely the way to go. You don't need the priority.

I'll go learn how to read now.

[Seerow]

I think if you hatch one from an egg it should know Hypnosis, assuming Hypnosis is a move that isn't learned at any specific level, I didn't actually check that.

[m4tt]

It's the first move they learn but no wild Gastlys know it. They're Lv12+ and have learned another four moves, forcing Hypnosis off the list.

[m4tt]

Hope you don't mind me keeping all my questions in one thread. Just makes it a little easier to keep track of things.

i) When is the nature of an egg pokémon decided? Can I save a few steps before the egg hatches and reload to get a different result?

ii) Do status effects and damage inflicted on Mesprit remain once it flees?

iii) What sort of damage can I expect from an Infernape using Close Combat against an Empoleon?

iv) Do the effects of Intimidate/Keen Eye and Cleanse Tag stack?

[Shur'tugal]

Hope you don't mind me keeping all my questions in one thread. Just makes it a little easier to keep track of things.

i) When is the nature of an egg pokémon decided? Can I save a few steps before the egg hatches and reload to get a different result?

ii) Do status effects and damage inflicted on Mesprit remain once it flees?

iii) What sort of damage can I expect from an Infernape using Close Combat against an Empoleon?

iv) Do the effects of Intimidate/Keen Eye and Cleanse Tag stack?

i) It is decided as soon as you get the egg. If you want a different natured pokémon your going to have to get another egg and hope for the best.

ii) Yes it does. However, I beleive that it resets after you turn your game off so you'll have try and do it ll in one go or leave your DS in sleep mode. Don't quote me on that last part though.

iii) Assuming that they are roughly the same level you can expect an OHKO.

iv) What do you mean by stack? If you mean that you use a move, say shadow ball, and it lowers the opponents special defence and then does it again next turn yes they will stack. I'm not sure what you mean by "stack" when Keen Eye and Cleanse Tag don't affect stats themselves.

[m4tt]

They reduce the encounter rate if the pokémon is leading the party. I wondered if the rate stayed at 50% or if the ability and item stacked to give a 75% reduction.

[SuperSimon]

Im pretty sure that they stack.

[Seerow]

Slight clarification to Shur'tugal's answer to your first question, I believe a bred Pokémon's nature is decided upon "conception" as opposed to when you receive the egg, so you can't save before receiving the egg, hatch, and then reset if you don't like the nature.

[SuperSimon]

Your correct seerow, the Soft Reseting method of breeding, is once you get parents you like, you breed until you get an egg that hatches to be the desired nature and ability. To do this method you must save before you hatch the egg each time, so when you do get an egg with correct nature and abilitiy, you can soft reset for IVs.