Featured LC Pokemon: Meditite

History

Meditite gets the honor of being the first Little Cup Pokemon covered to actually have a true history. Granted, it was banned for almost the entirety of Generation IV, but at least it's something. Meditite was banned because of its ability, Pure Power. To be brief, 24 Attack was terrifying in Generation IV. With Choice Band or Bulk Up, there was no safe switch-in to Meditite. Access to priority in the form of Fake Out and Bullet Punch didn't help Meditite's case either. As a result, Meditite was sent to "LC Ubers" where, along with other powerhouses like Scyther, Tangela and Sneasel, it stayed for the rest of Generation IV.

When Generation V initially rolled in, all of the old "LC Ubers" were thrown back into the fray. Meditite didn't get a chance to really shine due to Scyther and Yanma running around. As soon as they were banned though, Meditite appeared on the scene. Although Meditite's ability may have been incredibly overpowered in Generation IV, Generation V brought along something that helped keep Meditite in check: Eviolite. Without the raw power to break through Pokemon that carried Eviolite, Meditite's middling Speed and average defenses finally caught up to it. Despite this, Meditite has established itself as a dominant force in the Generation V metagame that everyone should be prepared to face.

Meditite's Qualities

If you look solely at Meditite's base stats, it would come off as below-average. Terrible HP, poor offenses, mediocre defenses, and an average base 60 Speed don't really scream "powerhouse". Pure Power changes this. That terrible 12 Attack skyrockets to a brutal 24 without the help of Choice Band or any stat boosting moves. With that kind of raw power, Meditite can attack right from the get-go, which is arguably why it's so good. This also means that even Pokemon with Clear Smog or the ability Unaware have to be careful around Meditite. Pure Power is the only reason anyone would use Meditite, so don't even bother with its Dream World ability, Telepathy.

When it comes to typing, Meditite's is a mixed bag. Being part Fighting-type is almost always a good thing. It provides Meditite with an amazing STAB, powerful moves, and resistances to Dark- and Rock-type moves. Usually, having Psychic as a subtype is a bad thing, but it really doesn't hurt Meditite too much. While taking neutral damage from Dark-type moves is painful, gaining a resistance to Fighting-type attacks makes up for it. Meditite now takes neutral damage from Psychic-type attacks itself, which is a bonus. Unfortunately, Psychic is pretty poor in the physical STAB department, leaving Meditite with 70 Base Power Psycho Cut and 80 Base Power Zen Headbutt. Overall, Meditite's typing is average. It could be better, but it could also be a lot worse.

Meditite may have the power and the typing, but does it have the moves? You better believe it does! The gem of its movepool is the buffed Hi Jump Kick, which can absolutely rip through anything that doesn't resist it. Other Fighting-type moves to note are Drain Punch and Brick Break. For Psychic-type STAB, Meditite has access to Psycho Cut and Zen Headbutt. Fake Out and Bullet Punch give Meditite priority to work with, making it great at finishing off weakened Pokemon. For coverage, Meditite can learn all three elemental punches, although Ice Punch is the one you'll see more often. Meditite can also use Bulk Up or Acupressure to increase its stats or Recover in conjunction with Eviolite to act as a bulky attacker.

Playing with Meditite

Meditite has a very simple strategy: hit things, and when that doesn't work, switch. Despite its simplicity, Meditite has quite a few sets it can run. It can really pack a whallop with Life Orb further boosting its already amazing power. Fake Out can be used to scout or finish off weakened opponents. Follow up the Fake Out with a brutally powerful Hi Jump Kick or Drain Punch for a even greater effect. If you are worried that a Ghost-type like Misdreavus will come in, you could use Psycho Cut or Zen Headbutt. If Gligar wants to come in and tank Meditite's STAB attacks, hit it with a 4x super effective Ice Punch! Other moves worth noting include Bullet Punch for priority or ThunderPunch for hitting pesky Slowpoke.

Choice Scarf gives Meditite enough Speed to outpace most of the metagame. Even without a Life Orb boost, Hi Jump Kick is doing a ton of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Just be wary of your opponents Ghost-types, as they will cause Meditite to take massive recoil. Drain Punch can be used when you don't want to risk recoil or as a form of recovery. Zen Headbutt is preferred over Psycho Cut here. Although it has lower accuracy, the added chance to flinch works better with the Speed boost. Ice Punch hits Gligar for massive damage, who would otherwise laugh at Meditite.

Acupressure and Bulk Up Meditite may be uncommon, but they can be very frightening after a few turns. Acupressure can potentially double Meditite's Speed or Attack after one turn, which can easily spell disaster for the opponent's team. It also has a chance of increasing Meditite's evasion. Bulk Up Meditite, especially when combined with Recover, has the ability to take even super effective attacks and hit back with a boosted Drain Punch. Meditite also has access to Light Screen and Reflect, but Meditite appreciates them more when other Pokemon set them up. A more recent set to appear on the scene is Meditite with Eviolite, sometimes called Eviotite. With the ability to heal via Recover or Drain Punch, boosted defenses, and the same awesome power, Eviotite can be a tough opponent to bring down.

Playing Against Meditite

Let's say Meditite is a wrecking ball. It destroy things with lots of force, loud noise, and a swinging iron ball in the form of its fist. How does one stop a wrecking ball? With a giant pink salamander of course! Poorly executed real-life comparisons aside, Slowpoke is the go-to guy when it comes to stopping Meditite. It resists both its STABs and Ice Punch while taking mediocre damage from Fake Out. All it needs to watch out for is the occasional ThunderPunch. Frillish can also work with the added benefit of Shadow Ball, but it needs to be a bit more wary of Zen Headbutt and Psycho Cut than Slowpoke.

Gligar can switch into Hi Jump Kick or Drain Punch easily and threatens Meditite with a STAB super effective Aerial Ace. Just watch out for Ice Punch on the switch. Misdreavus, or any Ghost-type really, can also switch in on Meditite's Fighting STAB without worry. Even better, if you bring it in on a Hi Jump Kick, Meditite is going to be taking a ton of recoil damage. Other extremely bulky physical walls, such as Hippopotas, can hold off Meditite for a while, but they dislike taking repeated assaults. If you can get Meditite afflicted with a status condition, especially burn, it is much more manageable. If all else fails, revenge killing Meditite with a faster Choice Scarf user, such as Choice Scarf Gligar, is always an option.

Fitting Meditite Onto Your Team

Meditite does not require as much field support as other sweepers, but picking the right teammate is important.

Environmental Factors

All Meditite really requires is Stealth Rock. Ferroseed, Baltoy or Hippopotas are all great options for setting up Stealth Rock for Meditite. Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and dual screens are nice, but not crucial. If you choose to use Spikes support, Ferroseed, Dwebble, or even Trubbish can provide it with ease. Trubbish can also supply Toxic Spikes, which can help wear down defensive Pokemon that may trouble Meditite, such as Slowpoke and Frillish. The previously mentioned Baltoy works great at setting up dual screens. Sandstorm and hail can be annoying when using Life Orb Meditite, so running a Rain Dance or Sunny Day Pokemon would be beneficial, but hardly necessary.

Teammates

This is where the second part of the "hit things, and when that doesn't work, switch" strategy comes into play. Despite all its power, Meditite still needs help from its buddies in order to work at its best. Anything with STAB Pursuit works great with Meditite. Being able to remove fleeing Ghost-types makes Meditite's job a lot easier. Pawniard is a fantastic teammate with Meditite. Not only does it threaten Ghost-types, but it resists Ghost- and Flying-type attacks that threaten Meditite. Scraggy, another Dark-type and a fellow Fighting-type, is also a fantastic teammate. While Meditite weakens the opponents team with Fake Out and its STAB attacks, Scraggy can come in and clean up with Dragon Dance. Anything that can spread paralysis is also welcome, such as Thunder Wave Slowpoke.

Get Out There!

There isn't much to say that hasn't been said already. So I'll just say it again. Meditite hits like Rambo on 'roids, a Tyrannosaurus Rex with rabies, or even Seven Deadly Sins with his kicking boots on. If you haven't tried Meditite yet, go on ahead. You won't be disappointed.

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