Redirection in VGC
For those making the transition from singles into the VGC format, one of the main differences you will find in a huge percentage of teams, is the inclusion of a pokemon whose primary function is to redirect attacks, either through Rage Powder or Follow Me. Throughout this article, I'll discuss which move is the better option, followed by examples of the most common pokemon used in the redirector role.
Usually when mentioning redirection, the first player that will immediately come to mind is Sejun Park. Renounded for making Top 8 in Worlds 2013 with a Follow Me Magmar, he even managed to top that in 2014, becoming World Champion using a Follow Me Pachirisu + Dragon Dance Mega Gyarados. This player alone represents an advert for how strong redirection is in the VGC format.
Rage Powder Vs Follow Me:
Let's start off by looking at the differences between the two options. Both moves have +2 priority and 20PP, so the only difference between the two, is that the effects of Rage Powder can be nullified through grass types, a Pokemon holding Safety Goggles, or a Pokemon with the "Overcoat" ability, whilst Follow Me bypasses all 3 of these options.
Therefore, Follow Me is clearly the superior option, however, this doesn't mean that Rage Powder should be ignored, as it is still a fantastic move in its own right.
So without further ado, let's look at the most common users of both moves, with a couple of niche choices thrown in too.
Follow Me:
Togekiss
Togekiss is probably the most common user of Follow Me. This can be attributed to it's superior bulk in comparison to other options, sporting base stats of 85/50/95/120/115/80, it has a fantastic mixture of bulk, whilst still posing as an offensive threat, a rare mix in redirectors.
Sample Set-
Togekiss @ Sitrus Berry
Bold Nature - 236hp/196def/4SpAtk/12SpDef/60spd
-Protect
-Follow Me
- Air Slash
-Moonblast/Thunder Wave/Tailwind
The following spread was used by Fatum in the earlier half of the season to success in a number of Premier Challenges across Germany, and R Inanimate during the 2013 season. EV's provide optimal recovery from Sitrus Berry after dealing with Super Fang, whilst outspeeding Choice Scarf Landorus in Tailwind.
Togekiss has a few tricks up it's sleeve that separates it from its rival. Noticeably, the first is Tailwind. This gives it a further supporting role outside of redirection, adding even more defensive value to a team as a supporting mon. Secondly, the combination of Serene Grace and Air Slash is a rare combination, similar to Swagger, which can provide a player with a win condition, in what would otherwise seem to be an unwinnable position, with a 60% chance to flinch the opponent. More support options include extra variety in speed control, with Thunder Wave, and some interesting niche sets, such as a Choice Scarf set, briefly popularised by Baz Anderson, with the moves After You, Follow Me, Air Slash and Dazzling Gleam. The setbacks however, are glaring weaknesses to some of the most common offensive types in the current metagame.
Clefable
For the players that can't afford to add an extra Ice or Rock weakness into their team, but want a somewhat similar role to Togekiss, the next port of call has to be Clefable. With base stats of 95/70/73/85/90/60, this Pokemon certainly isn't bad. Couple this with a typing that only makes it weak to 2 somewhat uncommon attacking types and you have the perfect fit for a Follow Me User.
Sample Set -
Clefable @ Sitrus Berry/Safety Goggles
Bold - 252hp/156def/28SpAtk/68SpDef/4spd
-Protect
-Follow Me
-Ice Beam
-Helping Hand/Icy Wind/Moonblast/Moonlight
The above spread is the spread recommended by the Nugget Bridge Damage Calculator, and through investigating it's use against some of the stalwarts of VGC, it's clear to see why this is a popular choice, surviving some of the strongest common hits in the game, whilst still leaving enough special attack in reserve to maintain some sort of offensive presence. The pick of the calculations are shown below.
252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Clefable: 160-190 (79.2 - 94%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
252+ SpA Heatran Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 68 SpD Clefable: 152-182 (75.2 - 90%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
252 SpA Gengar Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 68 SpD Clefable: 156-186 (77.2 - 92%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
28 SpA Clefable Ice Beam vs. 4 HP / 4 SpD Landorus: 160-192 (96.9 - 116.3%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
Clefable's biggest weakness is to the most common Steel and Poison types. There isn't a lot it can do in return to pokemon such as Heatran and Venusaur, both will have an easy time despatching of it. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing, as a lot of the time, redirecting one steel or poison move away from your partner allowing Clefable to faint can be enough to win the match.
Clefairy:
Lets briefly touch on Clefairy. On the surface, it looks ridiculous to consider Clefairy when Clefable is a perfectly good option, but there is one significant difference which means Clefairy is almost an equally legitimate decision as Clefable is... Friend Guard. This ability reduces the damage done to allies by 25%, which could prove significant through the course of a battle, particularly for instances such as allowing your Mega Kangaskhan to survive an opposition's Low Kick with ease, whilst often being able to OHKO in return. Here, there is no real reason to run any different moves to the standard Clefable set, except perhaps Icy Wind over Ice Beam, due to a lack of power, however, the main sacrifice is that clefairy is basically forced to hold an eviolite in order to make it somewhat bulky. There are downsides to using Clefairy, however, the fact that this Pokemon has already had a respectable number of high placements in Regionals is enough to prove that this option should not be overlooked.
Honourable Mentions:
A couple of honourable mentions for Follow Me users include Pachirisu, who has the unique niche of being the only legal electric type to carry Follow Me, giving it only one weakness, also making it the only Pokemon capable of redirecting Thunder Waves from the ever-present Thundurus with ease. One final mention goes to Lucario, occasionally seen in VGC 2014 when fewer options were available, who has the niche of being the only Steel type which can legally use Follow Me, providing it with a number of resistances which could be just what some specific teams require. Both very usable mons in their own right, but often more suited to restricted formats.
Rage Powder:
Amoonguss holds the title of being the most used pokemon for redirection as it stands. At the time of writing, Amoonguss stands at #10 in the overall usage rankings, proving that it doesn't necessarily matter that Follow Me is technically is a stronger move, as long as the Pokemon itself is still good enough to hold its own in the format. Amoonguss was lucky enough to be blessed with 2 of the greatest moves in the history of Pokemon, Rage Powder and Spore, the only move with a 100% chance to guarantee a Pokemon will asleep. Pair this with incredible bulk, solid typing, and one of the best abilities in the game (Regenerator), and it's no surprise that you end up with a simply excellent pokemon, which has remained around the top 10 in usage since it was let loose to wreak havoc in VGC in 2011.
Sample Set -
Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Sassy/Calm - 252hp/172def/84SpDef
-Protect
-Rage Powder
-Spore
-Giga Drain
A very standard set here, but it simply doesn't matter, Amoonguss is so good that it still has an impact despite the fact that virtually every VGC player will be aware of this set. This set can survive unboosted Heat Waves and Zen Headbutts from the likes of Heatran and Metagross, whilst also having a chance to survive even stronger attacks such as Talonflame's Brave Bird. Further advantages to using Amoonguss are its ability to dominate in and out of Trick Room, and it can also have versatility in item choice. Rocky Helmet will be the main item of choice, but is equally useful holding a Sitrus or Coba Berry, or a more interesting choice, the Custap Berry, which at the right moent, can devastate teams with a priority Spore in a Best of 1 match setting.
Volcarona
Tangela
Tangela is a very similar choice to Amoonguss, similar to the way that Clefairy can be chosen over Clefable. It is forced to run an eviolite, but this makes it bulkier than Amoonguss at the expense of an item slot, while keeping the regenerator ability, and a slightly less reliable status move in Sleep Powder. It's difficult to overlook Amoonguss for Rage Powder usage, but Tangela is definitely an option.
Honourable Mentions:
There are some honourable mentions that are extremely uncommon in VGC, but deserve a mention due to niche options or unexpected Nationals performances.
Firstly, there's Vivillon, which exploded onto the scene from almost nowhere when Nemanja Sandic (Porengan) shocked everyone by not only Top cutting 2014 Germany Nationals with it, but further progressing in the tournament, finishing in 4th place, where Rage Powder was again used to support a Mega Gyarados. Vivillon also has access to Compundeyes and Sleep Powder which can give a similar function to Amoonguss. All in all, Vivillon has it's shortcomings, but should never be overlooked on team preview.
Jumpluff is very similar to Vivillon, in that it is less bulky than it's counterparts, but makes up for it with speed, being able to put threats to sleep before they can move. Also like Vivillon, almost always requires a focus sash to be effective.
Finally there's Parasect, the only real reason to use this over Amoonguss is that outside of Smeargle, it is the only pokemon that has access to redirection and wide guard in the same moveset. With the abundance of Landorus and Sylveon, who often rely on Earthquake and Hyper Voice, redirection and wide guard on the same pokemon seems appealing, but there would have to be a really good reason to require both of these moves when Amoonguss remains an option.
Conclusion
Hopefully this demonstrates just how crucial it can be to have one of these pokemon on your team. While they are not essential, they definitely provide a great way to start your team building, supported by the fact that Amoonguss and Pachirisu were crucial members of the World Championship winning teams of 2013 and 2014 respectively. Thanks for reading!
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