Administrative Stuff + Lead Game Discussion
Feb 8, 2013 19:45:17 GMT -8
Post by t3h Icy on Feb 8, 2013 19:45:17 GMT -8
A little while ago, Proboards upgraded to v5, which includes being faster, easier to use, and has a built-in chatbox! I haven't upgraded just yet since I've been busy and want to make sure things are flowing well after it happens, but I plan on doing that tonight. There may be some downtime for the site to upgrade as well as me adjusting stuff, but it won't take long.
Also, March is coming soon, which is our anniversary month. As mentioned before, our activity is lower than it has been and due to how our previous annual tournaments have gone, we aren't going to be putting up any prize money this year. We're planning on having a scheduled day where everyone comes to hang out and play some RBY, and it'll be good times! If we go with that idea, it'll happen on March 3rd, which is our official birthday, and happens to be a Sunday this year. If we go with this, we'll give more details later.
And Plus stuff! It's been stagnant for awhile, like years, lol for one reason or another. There's some discussion about setting up a server with it shortly after the database is upgraded and fixed up, etc, for the latest version. More details on this later too, but hopefully we can finally get it rolling. If it happens and things are going smoothly, we're going to be pushing for it as RBY is pretty much drained out and something fresh and new would be a blast!
---
The early game in RBY is important in starting the pace of the match and getting any early leads possible, so it's important to be competent in its metagame. Most people should have it down pretty solid, but it's nice to have a newer analysis and discussion about it.
The lead metagame mostly revolves around is Sleep, whether deciding to use it immediately or later. Simply put, Sleep lasts 1-7 turns, with an average of 4 turns, which is usually enough to take down just about anything. It's very powerful, and using it early on is beneficial in guaranteeing you have it happen at some point in the match, as it can be blocked by Paralyzed Pokemon in some cases. So the early metagame ends up involving the best Sleepers and best Pokemon to lead with a Sleeper being saved for later.
The most common three are Alakazam, Jynx, and Gengar, the next two are Starmie, and Exeggutor, and anything else is rather rare and arguably less effective on average.
Gengar: Gengar is the fastest Sleeper simply put, so if he's against another Sleeper, he has the best chance to win the Sleep war. More importantly, he has great follow-ups afterward as he can pressure with Explosion, attack with high powered Special moves, and has Night Shade for anything resisting (particularly Exeggutor). He also has a high CH chance to add to the risk of switching into him. Of course, if the Sleeping Pokemon is left out and Gengar switches out, it can be trouble. For example, if the opponent is Sleeping, Gengar can switch to Tauros with no risk for Tauros at all, though often, Tauros may want to switch right back out again, but the purpose is if the Sleeping Pokemon stayed out and didn't wake up.
Gengar has disadvantages though as his Sleep move is the least accurate, and while he still has the greatest chance against other Sleepers, it's riskier to use at times later in the game. Gengar also isn't KOing Pokemon consistently outside of Explosion like Exeggutor and Jynx can with their STAB moves. Gengar also struggles against Alakazam and Starmie, and while it's still doable, Gengar is at risk of a OHKO Psychic CH, or an awkward situation if he survives and Hypnosis misses. Alternatively, he could use Explosion immediately, but it costs you your Explosion protection. Some players may also prefer to keep Gengar hidden which leading obviously doesn't do.
Gengar's movesets as a lead should include Hypnosis and Explosion, while the other moves can vary. Thunderbolt is his best attacking move and hits Jynx and Starmie well, Psychic is great for other Gengars, and Night Shade helps against Exeggutor and Alakazam. Mega Drain doesn't help for leading, but covers the Rocks later on. Lick also has a case where it's the best option if you desire to KO the opposing Gengar. The reason is because Psychic cannot 2HKO, and Lick actually covers the remaining damage. The reason why it helps is due to the 30% chance to Paralyze. Very silly fact, and I wouldn't call it viable by any means, especially since it doesn't work against 4/6 Pokemon on most teams.
Jynx: Jynx is the second fastest Sleeper and is the fastest with a 75% accurate Sleep move. She also hits extremely hard with Blizzard, but she takes heavy damage back, making her a glass cannon of sorts. She's better than Gengar is against Alakazam and Starmie, and she can use Blizzard against Exeggutor if desired. Psychic is also available for Gengar. Ideally, Jynx puts something to Sleep and pressures by spamming Blizzard immediately after. Only a handful of Pokemon can safely switch into it and none of them can take her out quickly. Chansey is a popular choice, or for the other approach, Snorlax. The occasional Lapras is a problem for her, but Psychic helps somewhat. Since Jynx is usually left Paralyzed if not Sleeping, she loses most of her ability to attack hard, so I would recommend spamming Blizzards at whatever comes because if they can take them, Jynx will hang in for awhile where she can attempt for a Freeze. Body Slam is another option for some Paralysis spreading, and Counter helps scare off Physical attackers.
Jynx's disadvantages are she's probably the least useful as a non-lead compared to the other popular four. She's mostly a fragile Pokemon that hits hard and she can't do that well when she has a status problem. She also struggles vs Gengar who wins the Sleep war exactly 2/3 times and also has the option to use Explosion for an immediately OHKO. Otherwise, Jynx is a very solid lead Pokemon and she's very consistent. I personally would recommend keeping her out until she's on the verge of death and then switching her out so you can use her as a sacrifice for Explosions or sacrifice-switching later on.
Alakazam: He's the fastest of the popular leads and is essentially guaranteed to Paralyze a Pokemon immediately. He also has Reflect if you want to leave him in after being put to Sleep, or can use Seismic Toss for damage against Starmie, Exeggutor, and Jynx (watch for Counter). Also, the fact that he won't be Paralyzed should he wake up later in the match allows him to attack or heal afterward, allowing him to be very useful. He's very consistent and all-around solid.
The main problem of leading him is he's often the fastest source of Paralysis on any team, and with him Sleeping, it can be somewhat more difficult to Paralyze Pokemon. Starmie and Chansey are possible options, but they're easy to switch into to avoid Paralysis spread. Of course, it's not necessary for winning a match, but the initial lead that Alakazam brings may quickly turn around as the opponent catches up with the status advantage. Alakazam also can't fit both Reflect and Seismic Toss into his moveset, so either he's Physically frail, or he can't attack anything except Gengar well. He can slowly pierce through them through CHs, FPs, and Special falls, but when he can possibly fall Asleep each turn, it's not likely you'll have enough time to do that. Overall though, Alakazam is a fantastic lead.
Starmie: Starmie is a mini-Alakazam in terms of leading, who is slightly slower, less powerful, and has a few other differences. Starmie excels in being able to Paralyze the opponent on turn one, and follow-up with an attack against anything though, and with Starmie as a lead, that allows the player to save Alakazam for later if desired. If you're smart, it's also possible to draw out Chansey and counteract by bringing out your backup Sleeper, though a risky move. But basically, Starmie works like Alakazam.
Starmie's main drawback as a lead is being Water-typed. While it helps later on and blocks Jynx's Blizzard much better, she can be hit hard by Gengar's Thunderbolt, and Exeggutor's Mega Drain. Being Water also means more Pokemon can use Electric moves when she tries to wake up later on. She also lacks power as Surf isn't too helpful against the popular leads. In most cases, Starmie is like an inferior Alakazam. It's also impossible to fit all the move she needs. Thunder Wave and Recover are essentials, but she needs Thunderbolt for Jynx and other Starmies, Psychic for Gengar, Blizzard for Exeggutor, and (ideally) Surf for Alakazam. You have to pick which moves you want and hopefully overcome bad match-ups. I would recommend Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Psychic, Recover as a pure lead, but the moveset is lacking for late game.
Exeggutor: Exeggutor is the slowest of the popular Sleepers, but he makes up for it in other uses. Exeggutor is the best of the Sleepers against Alakazam by walling him very well, and in general, he's much tougher to take out than Jynx and Gengar. He also has a much stronger Explosion if you want to go boom on the first turn. He's a Sleeper, but his advantages are non-Sleep related for the most part, as he has a ton of roles he can play and can survive against a variety of things when he tries to awaken later.
Exeggutor does poorly against the other Sleepers though, and in the match-up chart of the popular five leads, Exeggutor is arguably the worst. His main advantage is being the best against Alakazam, but at the expense of likely falling Asleep to Gengar and Jynx, and having to deal with Starmie's Blizzard. On top, if the opponent is using something unique as a lead, Exeggutor is likely to be slower against them too. He's also doing the least damage to the popular five outside of Explosion.
He should definitely have Sleep Powder, Psychic, and Explosion, and the last move can be a few things. Mega Drain is a solid fourth move, but it doesn't help much for leading purposes. Stun Spore is great to follow-up Sleep Powder with, but the chance of hitting both is only 56.25%, and much lower considering he'll likely be Paralyzed if he's not Asleep. He has a variety of other moves that can be used, although not many others are helping him against Alakazam, Starmie, Jynx, Gengar, or other Exeggutors.
There are also a handful of other Pokemon that have unique abilities and gimmicks that can help, but overall are less viable than the five mentioned above.
Snorlax: Snorlax is terrible against Sleep leads and costs you a Physical attacker, but if the opponent is using Starmie or more particularly Alakazam, Snorlax can hit for high damage. Against Alakazam, Alakazam cannot use both Thunder Wave and Reflect before Snorlax attacks, so he's not safe. He also might not even have Reflect if he's a Seismic Toss variant. Snorlax is also very difficult to switch into, although early on, it's fairly likely the opponent will have a Rock or Gengar to switch to, though Snorlax also has Earthquake. Overall, he's a bit of a niche Pokemon but probably shouldn't be leading. If you're worried about Alakazam leads, switching into him on Seismic Toss is safe and sets up for nasty pressure of you using either Counter on a switch out, or Body Slam as Alakazam uses Thunder Wave or attacks (as Seismic Toss Alakazam won't have Reflect). Better yet, use Exeggutor or Jynx.
Dodrio: Dodrio is mainly a gimmick as a counter to Jynx and also does very well against Exeggutor. By having Snorlax's power at 298 Speed, he can OHKO Jynx with Hyper Beam on the first turn about 60% of the time (CHs, accuracy, and damage ranges all factored in). He also 2HKOs Exeggutor with Drill Peck and a CH is a OHKO. On the other hand, Dodrio is terrible vs Alakazam, Starmie, and Gengar for the most part who not only all outspeed him, but do massive damage to him back. Not to mention Jynx OHKOs with Blizzard and Exeggutor can use Explosion. But the more likely case is that if the opponent has a Rock or Electric (if leading Exeggutor), Dodrio gets walled. It's also not a good idea to be using Hyper Beam on the first turn when there are a ton of potential Pokemon that don't mind switching into that. A gimmick, but can potentially dent a team on the first turn.
Ninetales: Similar to Dodrio, Ninetales counters Jynx and Exeggutor, but does poorly against the faster Gengar, Alakazam, and Starmie. Ninetales outspeeds Jynx and Exeggutor and 2HKOs with Flamethrower. She also has Confuse Ray which does indeed increase her chances of successful KOs, but may result in her doing 0 damage. The main problems is she's pretty useless later on and pretty easy to switch into. Fire Blast may be another option as though it's less accurate, it can Burn Rocks that may attempt to switch in. Confuse Ray is also useful for anything that tries to jump in, but it's not permanent. Ninetales is even more gimmicky than Dodrio, and much less useful later in the game. Should you decide to use her, I would recommend Flamethrower, Confuse Ray, Body Slam, and Dig/Fire Blast.
Jolteon: Jolteon works in the same manner as Alakazam by Paralyzing Pokemon immediately, except he's even faster. He also has Thunderbolt as his general move and Pin Missile covers Exeggutor well. Sand-Attack is a nice option as it makes anything the opponent uses unreliable. Thunder Wave first though. His drawbacks is that unlike Alakazam and Starmie, he can't heal, so will he be whittled away at and is less likely to do much if he wakes up later. He also has hard counters of Golem and Rhydon who normally can't switch in on turn one into Alakazam and Starmie. Overall, Jolteon is quite possibly the next best lead, but there is a noticeable gap in viability compared to the top five.
Electrode: In similar manner to Jolteon, Electrode Thunder Waves first. While his further extra Speed is mostly useless, his personal advantage is having Explosion to pressure with. Of course like Jolteon, that's useless against Rocks, but it's tough for teams without them. Electrode doesn't have much of an answer to Exeggutor though. I would only suggest trying Electrode lead for advanced players that can play with the opponent's head, such as confidently going to Exeggutor as a Rock tries to jump in.
Tauros: Tauros is not bad as a lead as he can hit everything hard, but comparatively, he's like Dodrio except he Speed ties and can hit Gengar. But really, you shouldn't be wasting him as a lead. Please don't do it.
Charizard: Like Tauros to Dodrio, Charizard is like Ninetales except gains Earthquake for Gengar, at the cost of being Electric weak. Not a good trade-off, but Charizard has more Physical power and also Slash. But really, Ninetales isn't very good to begin with herself.
Dugtrio: Dugtrio has a similar gameplan to Jolteon by giving Alakazam some trouble. His main advantage is being Thunder Wave immune and having a nearly 50/50 match-up against Alakazam. He also has Slash and Sand-Attack for the others, and Rock Slide OHKOs Jynx on a CH or can let Tauros revenge KO if Jynx Blizzards. He also destroys Gengar, but is unfortunately shy of OHKOing him. Dugtrio gets walled a lot though, especially by Exeggutor, and really can't do much against them. He also has terribly low HP and can't take hits. Like Jolteon, he requires smart play to be used at his fullest, and overall is a good lead Pokemon. It's between him and Jolteon for 6th best.
And finally, there are some non-lead Sleepers that are important.
Chansey: Sing Chansey is an uncommon variant, but can catch opponent's by surprise in awkward situations. Often, an opposing Specialist will battle Chansey, and Sing puts them to Sleep, though at the low accuracy of 55%. While it could just be used again, the opponent should be ready for it after seeing it the first time, so it's more of a one-time shot to get the full benefit.
Lapras: Like Chansey, she can surprise opponents with Sing. Combined with Confuse Ray can be a bit of a nasty combo too as she can follow up switches with it, or use it against Paralyzed Pokemon in hopes of blocking Sing. Otherwise, she plays like normal, but she can't heal with Recover or Softboiled, so she has to be used carefully. You're also relying on a 55% accurate move, so even with perfect play, the RNG may deny you the reward.
And realistically, that covers all the Pokemon involved in the lead and Sleep game. While there are some details about using Sleep later, I mostly wanted to keep this related to starting off matches. Feel free to discuss this and the site stuff!
Also, March is coming soon, which is our anniversary month. As mentioned before, our activity is lower than it has been and due to how our previous annual tournaments have gone, we aren't going to be putting up any prize money this year. We're planning on having a scheduled day where everyone comes to hang out and play some RBY, and it'll be good times! If we go with that idea, it'll happen on March 3rd, which is our official birthday, and happens to be a Sunday this year. If we go with this, we'll give more details later.
And Plus stuff! It's been stagnant for awhile, like years, lol for one reason or another. There's some discussion about setting up a server with it shortly after the database is upgraded and fixed up, etc, for the latest version. More details on this later too, but hopefully we can finally get it rolling. If it happens and things are going smoothly, we're going to be pushing for it as RBY is pretty much drained out and something fresh and new would be a blast!
---
The early game in RBY is important in starting the pace of the match and getting any early leads possible, so it's important to be competent in its metagame. Most people should have it down pretty solid, but it's nice to have a newer analysis and discussion about it.
The lead metagame mostly revolves around is Sleep, whether deciding to use it immediately or later. Simply put, Sleep lasts 1-7 turns, with an average of 4 turns, which is usually enough to take down just about anything. It's very powerful, and using it early on is beneficial in guaranteeing you have it happen at some point in the match, as it can be blocked by Paralyzed Pokemon in some cases. So the early metagame ends up involving the best Sleepers and best Pokemon to lead with a Sleeper being saved for later.
The most common three are Alakazam, Jynx, and Gengar, the next two are Starmie, and Exeggutor, and anything else is rather rare and arguably less effective on average.
Gengar: Gengar is the fastest Sleeper simply put, so if he's against another Sleeper, he has the best chance to win the Sleep war. More importantly, he has great follow-ups afterward as he can pressure with Explosion, attack with high powered Special moves, and has Night Shade for anything resisting (particularly Exeggutor). He also has a high CH chance to add to the risk of switching into him. Of course, if the Sleeping Pokemon is left out and Gengar switches out, it can be trouble. For example, if the opponent is Sleeping, Gengar can switch to Tauros with no risk for Tauros at all, though often, Tauros may want to switch right back out again, but the purpose is if the Sleeping Pokemon stayed out and didn't wake up.
Gengar has disadvantages though as his Sleep move is the least accurate, and while he still has the greatest chance against other Sleepers, it's riskier to use at times later in the game. Gengar also isn't KOing Pokemon consistently outside of Explosion like Exeggutor and Jynx can with their STAB moves. Gengar also struggles against Alakazam and Starmie, and while it's still doable, Gengar is at risk of a OHKO Psychic CH, or an awkward situation if he survives and Hypnosis misses. Alternatively, he could use Explosion immediately, but it costs you your Explosion protection. Some players may also prefer to keep Gengar hidden which leading obviously doesn't do.
Gengar's movesets as a lead should include Hypnosis and Explosion, while the other moves can vary. Thunderbolt is his best attacking move and hits Jynx and Starmie well, Psychic is great for other Gengars, and Night Shade helps against Exeggutor and Alakazam. Mega Drain doesn't help for leading, but covers the Rocks later on. Lick also has a case where it's the best option if you desire to KO the opposing Gengar. The reason is because Psychic cannot 2HKO, and Lick actually covers the remaining damage. The reason why it helps is due to the 30% chance to Paralyze. Very silly fact, and I wouldn't call it viable by any means, especially since it doesn't work against 4/6 Pokemon on most teams.
Jynx: Jynx is the second fastest Sleeper and is the fastest with a 75% accurate Sleep move. She also hits extremely hard with Blizzard, but she takes heavy damage back, making her a glass cannon of sorts. She's better than Gengar is against Alakazam and Starmie, and she can use Blizzard against Exeggutor if desired. Psychic is also available for Gengar. Ideally, Jynx puts something to Sleep and pressures by spamming Blizzard immediately after. Only a handful of Pokemon can safely switch into it and none of them can take her out quickly. Chansey is a popular choice, or for the other approach, Snorlax. The occasional Lapras is a problem for her, but Psychic helps somewhat. Since Jynx is usually left Paralyzed if not Sleeping, she loses most of her ability to attack hard, so I would recommend spamming Blizzards at whatever comes because if they can take them, Jynx will hang in for awhile where she can attempt for a Freeze. Body Slam is another option for some Paralysis spreading, and Counter helps scare off Physical attackers.
Jynx's disadvantages are she's probably the least useful as a non-lead compared to the other popular four. She's mostly a fragile Pokemon that hits hard and she can't do that well when she has a status problem. She also struggles vs Gengar who wins the Sleep war exactly 2/3 times and also has the option to use Explosion for an immediately OHKO. Otherwise, Jynx is a very solid lead Pokemon and she's very consistent. I personally would recommend keeping her out until she's on the verge of death and then switching her out so you can use her as a sacrifice for Explosions or sacrifice-switching later on.
Alakazam: He's the fastest of the popular leads and is essentially guaranteed to Paralyze a Pokemon immediately. He also has Reflect if you want to leave him in after being put to Sleep, or can use Seismic Toss for damage against Starmie, Exeggutor, and Jynx (watch for Counter). Also, the fact that he won't be Paralyzed should he wake up later in the match allows him to attack or heal afterward, allowing him to be very useful. He's very consistent and all-around solid.
The main problem of leading him is he's often the fastest source of Paralysis on any team, and with him Sleeping, it can be somewhat more difficult to Paralyze Pokemon. Starmie and Chansey are possible options, but they're easy to switch into to avoid Paralysis spread. Of course, it's not necessary for winning a match, but the initial lead that Alakazam brings may quickly turn around as the opponent catches up with the status advantage. Alakazam also can't fit both Reflect and Seismic Toss into his moveset, so either he's Physically frail, or he can't attack anything except Gengar well. He can slowly pierce through them through CHs, FPs, and Special falls, but when he can possibly fall Asleep each turn, it's not likely you'll have enough time to do that. Overall though, Alakazam is a fantastic lead.
Starmie: Starmie is a mini-Alakazam in terms of leading, who is slightly slower, less powerful, and has a few other differences. Starmie excels in being able to Paralyze the opponent on turn one, and follow-up with an attack against anything though, and with Starmie as a lead, that allows the player to save Alakazam for later if desired. If you're smart, it's also possible to draw out Chansey and counteract by bringing out your backup Sleeper, though a risky move. But basically, Starmie works like Alakazam.
Starmie's main drawback as a lead is being Water-typed. While it helps later on and blocks Jynx's Blizzard much better, she can be hit hard by Gengar's Thunderbolt, and Exeggutor's Mega Drain. Being Water also means more Pokemon can use Electric moves when she tries to wake up later on. She also lacks power as Surf isn't too helpful against the popular leads. In most cases, Starmie is like an inferior Alakazam. It's also impossible to fit all the move she needs. Thunder Wave and Recover are essentials, but she needs Thunderbolt for Jynx and other Starmies, Psychic for Gengar, Blizzard for Exeggutor, and (ideally) Surf for Alakazam. You have to pick which moves you want and hopefully overcome bad match-ups. I would recommend Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Psychic, Recover as a pure lead, but the moveset is lacking for late game.
Exeggutor: Exeggutor is the slowest of the popular Sleepers, but he makes up for it in other uses. Exeggutor is the best of the Sleepers against Alakazam by walling him very well, and in general, he's much tougher to take out than Jynx and Gengar. He also has a much stronger Explosion if you want to go boom on the first turn. He's a Sleeper, but his advantages are non-Sleep related for the most part, as he has a ton of roles he can play and can survive against a variety of things when he tries to awaken later.
Exeggutor does poorly against the other Sleepers though, and in the match-up chart of the popular five leads, Exeggutor is arguably the worst. His main advantage is being the best against Alakazam, but at the expense of likely falling Asleep to Gengar and Jynx, and having to deal with Starmie's Blizzard. On top, if the opponent is using something unique as a lead, Exeggutor is likely to be slower against them too. He's also doing the least damage to the popular five outside of Explosion.
He should definitely have Sleep Powder, Psychic, and Explosion, and the last move can be a few things. Mega Drain is a solid fourth move, but it doesn't help much for leading purposes. Stun Spore is great to follow-up Sleep Powder with, but the chance of hitting both is only 56.25%, and much lower considering he'll likely be Paralyzed if he's not Asleep. He has a variety of other moves that can be used, although not many others are helping him against Alakazam, Starmie, Jynx, Gengar, or other Exeggutors.
There are also a handful of other Pokemon that have unique abilities and gimmicks that can help, but overall are less viable than the five mentioned above.
Snorlax: Snorlax is terrible against Sleep leads and costs you a Physical attacker, but if the opponent is using Starmie or more particularly Alakazam, Snorlax can hit for high damage. Against Alakazam, Alakazam cannot use both Thunder Wave and Reflect before Snorlax attacks, so he's not safe. He also might not even have Reflect if he's a Seismic Toss variant. Snorlax is also very difficult to switch into, although early on, it's fairly likely the opponent will have a Rock or Gengar to switch to, though Snorlax also has Earthquake. Overall, he's a bit of a niche Pokemon but probably shouldn't be leading. If you're worried about Alakazam leads, switching into him on Seismic Toss is safe and sets up for nasty pressure of you using either Counter on a switch out, or Body Slam as Alakazam uses Thunder Wave or attacks (as Seismic Toss Alakazam won't have Reflect). Better yet, use Exeggutor or Jynx.
Dodrio: Dodrio is mainly a gimmick as a counter to Jynx and also does very well against Exeggutor. By having Snorlax's power at 298 Speed, he can OHKO Jynx with Hyper Beam on the first turn about 60% of the time (CHs, accuracy, and damage ranges all factored in). He also 2HKOs Exeggutor with Drill Peck and a CH is a OHKO. On the other hand, Dodrio is terrible vs Alakazam, Starmie, and Gengar for the most part who not only all outspeed him, but do massive damage to him back. Not to mention Jynx OHKOs with Blizzard and Exeggutor can use Explosion. But the more likely case is that if the opponent has a Rock or Electric (if leading Exeggutor), Dodrio gets walled. It's also not a good idea to be using Hyper Beam on the first turn when there are a ton of potential Pokemon that don't mind switching into that. A gimmick, but can potentially dent a team on the first turn.
Ninetales: Similar to Dodrio, Ninetales counters Jynx and Exeggutor, but does poorly against the faster Gengar, Alakazam, and Starmie. Ninetales outspeeds Jynx and Exeggutor and 2HKOs with Flamethrower. She also has Confuse Ray which does indeed increase her chances of successful KOs, but may result in her doing 0 damage. The main problems is she's pretty useless later on and pretty easy to switch into. Fire Blast may be another option as though it's less accurate, it can Burn Rocks that may attempt to switch in. Confuse Ray is also useful for anything that tries to jump in, but it's not permanent. Ninetales is even more gimmicky than Dodrio, and much less useful later in the game. Should you decide to use her, I would recommend Flamethrower, Confuse Ray, Body Slam, and Dig/Fire Blast.
Jolteon: Jolteon works in the same manner as Alakazam by Paralyzing Pokemon immediately, except he's even faster. He also has Thunderbolt as his general move and Pin Missile covers Exeggutor well. Sand-Attack is a nice option as it makes anything the opponent uses unreliable. Thunder Wave first though. His drawbacks is that unlike Alakazam and Starmie, he can't heal, so will he be whittled away at and is less likely to do much if he wakes up later. He also has hard counters of Golem and Rhydon who normally can't switch in on turn one into Alakazam and Starmie. Overall, Jolteon is quite possibly the next best lead, but there is a noticeable gap in viability compared to the top five.
Electrode: In similar manner to Jolteon, Electrode Thunder Waves first. While his further extra Speed is mostly useless, his personal advantage is having Explosion to pressure with. Of course like Jolteon, that's useless against Rocks, but it's tough for teams without them. Electrode doesn't have much of an answer to Exeggutor though. I would only suggest trying Electrode lead for advanced players that can play with the opponent's head, such as confidently going to Exeggutor as a Rock tries to jump in.
Tauros: Tauros is not bad as a lead as he can hit everything hard, but comparatively, he's like Dodrio except he Speed ties and can hit Gengar. But really, you shouldn't be wasting him as a lead. Please don't do it.
Charizard: Like Tauros to Dodrio, Charizard is like Ninetales except gains Earthquake for Gengar, at the cost of being Electric weak. Not a good trade-off, but Charizard has more Physical power and also Slash. But really, Ninetales isn't very good to begin with herself.
Dugtrio: Dugtrio has a similar gameplan to Jolteon by giving Alakazam some trouble. His main advantage is being Thunder Wave immune and having a nearly 50/50 match-up against Alakazam. He also has Slash and Sand-Attack for the others, and Rock Slide OHKOs Jynx on a CH or can let Tauros revenge KO if Jynx Blizzards. He also destroys Gengar, but is unfortunately shy of OHKOing him. Dugtrio gets walled a lot though, especially by Exeggutor, and really can't do much against them. He also has terribly low HP and can't take hits. Like Jolteon, he requires smart play to be used at his fullest, and overall is a good lead Pokemon. It's between him and Jolteon for 6th best.
And finally, there are some non-lead Sleepers that are important.
Chansey: Sing Chansey is an uncommon variant, but can catch opponent's by surprise in awkward situations. Often, an opposing Specialist will battle Chansey, and Sing puts them to Sleep, though at the low accuracy of 55%. While it could just be used again, the opponent should be ready for it after seeing it the first time, so it's more of a one-time shot to get the full benefit.
Lapras: Like Chansey, she can surprise opponents with Sing. Combined with Confuse Ray can be a bit of a nasty combo too as she can follow up switches with it, or use it against Paralyzed Pokemon in hopes of blocking Sing. Otherwise, she plays like normal, but she can't heal with Recover or Softboiled, so she has to be used carefully. You're also relying on a 55% accurate move, so even with perfect play, the RNG may deny you the reward.
And realistically, that covers all the Pokemon involved in the lead and Sleep game. While there are some details about using Sleep later, I mostly wanted to keep this related to starting off matches. Feel free to discuss this and the site stuff!
