Is Floatzel a Good or Bad Pokemon?
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Floatzel, the Sea Weasel Pokemon, presents a mixed bag in terms of viability. While it boasts a respectable base Speed and Attack stat, placing it firmly in the offensive glass cannon archetype, it suffers from a shallow movepool, mediocre bulk, and competition from other Water-type Pokemon that often outshine it. Therefore, whether Floatzel is considered “good” or “bad” heavily depends on the context – it’s a situational Pokemon that can be effective in specific roles, but it’s far from a top-tier choice for competitive battling.
Floatzel’s Strengths and Weaknesses
To truly evaluate Floatzel’s worth, we need to dissect its capabilities.
Strengths
- High Speed: Floatzel’s most defining characteristic is its base 115 Speed. This allows it to outspeed a significant portion of the Pokemon roster, giving it the opportunity to strike first with powerful attacks.
- Decent Attack: Its base 105 Attack is respectable and allows it to deal considerable damage with physical moves, particularly against Pokemon weak to Water-type attacks.
- Strong Physical Water-type STAB: Floatzel has access to powerful STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus) Water-type moves, like Aqua Jet for priority, Waterfall, and Aqua Tail.
- Ability – Water Veil: This ability prevents Floatzel from being burned, neutralizing a crippling status condition that would severely hinder its offensive capabilities.
- Situational Coverage: Floatzel does learn some useful coverage moves such as Ice Punch, Crunch, and Brick Break, but its reliance on them is typically limited due to its shallow movepool overall.
Weaknesses
- Poor Defenses: With a paltry base 55 Defense and base 50 Special Defense, Floatzel is incredibly frail. It struggles to take even moderately strong hits, often being OHKO’d (One-Hit Knocked Out) by super-effective moves.
- Shallow Movepool: This is perhaps Floatzel’s biggest downfall. While it has access to decent STAB moves, its coverage options are severely limited. It struggles to deal with Pokemon that resist Water-type attacks.
- Competition: The Water-type category is one of the most crowded in the Pokemon world. Floatzel faces stiff competition from Pokemon with better stats, movepools, or abilities, such as Greninja, Swampert, and Keldeo.
- Reliance on Setup: To maximize its damage output, Floatzel often relies on setup moves like Bulk Up. However, its poor defenses make it difficult to set up safely.
- Lack of Versatility: Floatzel is primarily a physical attacker. It lacks the Special Attack stat and movepool to be an effective special attacker, making it predictable and easier to counter.
Where Does Floatzel Shine?
Despite its weaknesses, Floatzel can be effective in certain situations:
- In-Game Teams: Floatzel’s high Speed makes it a valuable asset in playthroughs. It can quickly take down weaker opponents and outspeed many common threats.
- Lower Tiers: In competitive formats with usage-based tiers (like Smogon’s RU, NU, or PU tiers), Floatzel can find a niche due to its Speed and offensive presence being more valuable in a less power-crept environment.
- Priority with Aqua Jet: Aqua Jet, being a priority move, allows Floatzel to bypass its low defenses and get a hit in first. This is especially useful for revenge killing weakened opponents.
- Rain Teams: While not optimal, Floatzel’s Water-type STAB moves are boosted by Rain, increasing its damage output. However, other Water-types typically benefit more from rain due to better stats and movepools.
Conclusion: A Niche Pick
Ultimately, Floatzel is not a consistently “good” Pokemon in the upper echelons of competitive battling. Its frail defenses, shallow movepool, and strong competition make it a difficult Pokemon to utilize effectively. However, it can be a decent pick in lower tiers or in-game, where its Speed and Aqua Jet can prove useful. Players choosing Floatzel need to be aware of its limitations and build a team that can support its weaknesses.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is Floatzel’s best nature?
The best nature for Floatzel is Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack). This maximizes its physical attack power, which is crucial for its offensive strategy. Alternatively, Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack) can be used to ensure it outspeeds as many opponents as possible.
2. What are the best moves for Floatzel?
A common moveset for Floatzel includes Waterfall (or Aqua Tail), Ice Punch, Crunch, and Aqua Jet. Waterfall or Aqua Tail provides a powerful STAB move, Ice Punch offers coverage against Grass and Dragon-types, Crunch deals with Ghost and Psychic-types, and Aqua Jet offers priority.
3. Is Floatzel a physical or special attacker?
Floatzel is primarily a physical attacker. Its base Attack stat (105) is significantly higher than its base Special Attack stat (85). Its movepool also leans heavily towards physical attacks.
4. What abilities does Floatzel have?
Floatzel has two abilities: Water Veil (prevents burns) and Swift Swim (doubles Speed in Rain – Hidden Ability). Water Veil is generally the preferred ability, as burns can severely cripple physical attackers.
5. How does Floatzel evolve?
Floatzel evolves from Buizel starting at level 26.
6. Is Floatzel good in Pokemon GO?
In Pokemon GO, Floatzel is considered below average. Its stats aren’t impressive, and it lacks strong moves. It’s primarily useful as a Pokedex entry rather than a competitive battler.
7. What are Floatzel’s weaknesses?
Floatzel is weak to Electric and Grass type attacks.
8. What is Floatzel strong against?
Floatzel is strong against Fire, Ground, and Rock type attacks.
9. Can Floatzel learn any TM moves?
Yes, Floatzel can learn a variety of TM moves, although its overall movepool remains somewhat limited. Notable TMs include Waterfall, Ice Beam, Dig, and U-Turn, depending on the specific game.
10. What role does Floatzel play on a team?
Floatzel typically plays the role of a fast physical attacker or a revenge killer. Its high Speed and decent Attack allow it to quickly take down weakened opponents or outspeed and KO faster threats with a well-timed attack.
11. Is Floatzel viable in competitive VGC (Video Game Championships)?
Floatzel is not generally considered viable in VGC due to its frail defenses and the prevalence of powerful, bulky Pokemon in the format. Other Water-types offer far more utility and survivability.
12. What items are good for Floatzel to hold?
Good items for Floatzel include Life Orb (increases damage output but reduces HP), Choice Band (boosts Attack but locks into one move), Focus Sash (allows it to survive one hit from full HP), or Expert Belt (increases damage of super effective moves).
13. How does Floatzel compare to other Water-type Pokemon?
Floatzel generally compares unfavorably to other Water-types. Pokemon like Greninja, Swampert, and Tapu Fini offer superior stats, movepools, and abilities, making them more versatile and reliable choices.
14. Can Floatzel Mega Evolve?
No, Floatzel cannot Mega Evolve. Mega Evolution is a feature available to specific Pokemon, and Floatzel is not one of them.
15. What are some Pokemon that synergize well with Floatzel?
Pokemon that can provide Rain Support (such as Politoed) can boost Floatzel’s Water-type attacks if using Swift Swim as an ability (although Rain support typically benefits other, better water type Pokemon). Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock (such as Ferrothorn or Garchomp) can also help Floatzel secure KOs by weakening opponents as they switch in. Because Floatzel is frail, partners that can provide support in the form of healing and/or status clears are also helpful.