#29 - #31: Nidoran (F), Nidorina and Nidoqueen

I know that this came before genders were introduced in Pokemon, but it's still rather annoying for me to write this and not get confused.

Nidoran (F), which I will call NidoF for this post, and the male version as NidoM, as I will probably compare a little as a teaser for the next post, is a pure poison, 100% female ratio Pokemon. Will that do? The Nidos are Pokemon I always forget about, and I'm not really sure why...

As the baby of the family, NidoF has decent bulk in terms of HP and physical defence, and though lower, the special defence isn't awful, but it doesn't really hit too hard. The constant theme of the Nidos is that the females have more survivability but less threat, that is their HP is a little higher but their speed is lower by the same amount (9 point difference), and their defences are higher with the attack being lower by the same amount (discrepancy of 10, here). Both lines are more physically inclined, but not by too much, making them viable as mixed defence or mixed attack, and since a 10 point discrepancy isn't much, then they could basically swap for each other.

It does look kinda pathetic and forgettable

NidoF is fairly slow, 41 base speed only just beating Sandshrew (40), and the defence is pretty mediocre compared to the 'mouse Pokemon' (don't know why they didn't go with 'shrew Pokemon'...). The thing is, 52 physical and 40 special defence isn't too poor for a first evolution that isn't either a starter or late game pseudo-legendary, so it doesn't draw too much ire, yet it also doesn't set the world ablaze. 55 HP is nice, but 47 physical and 40 special attack means that it won't be doing much damage output compared to Spearow or Charmander. All in all, decent but unspectacular stats.

Ability-wise you get poison point or rivalry as the more common ones, with hustle as hidden. Poison point is kind of cool in that if a Pokemon makes contact when attacking, there is a 30% chance of it being poisoned, so that could make up for the reduced damage output that makes way for the bulk (remember that not everything can be poisoned, however). Rivalry is a bit dangerous, since it buffs base power of moves by 25% if facing a same gendered Pokemon, but reduces by 25% if facing the opposite gender, so there is risk If your opponent is genderless, it has no effect. Hustle is also risky, since it boosts the attack stat by 50% but reduces physical accuracy by 20%, leaving special and status alone, so it's almost like being swaggered only without self-damage (or Nick Young of the LA Lakers).

Remembering that being pure poison gives weakness to both ground and psychic makes learning bite and crunch quite useful for the latter weakness (especially since Nidorans and family on both sides are more physically oriented), but since you evolve at level 16, and bite only comes in at 21, you'll probably not have these until you are Nidorina. Instead you get scratch (a rather pathetic normal move that is now weaker than tackle), double kick (a not dreadful fighting move since it can sash break hitting twice at base 30) and poison sting, which is weak, but STAB and physical, with the chance to poison. Also before level 16 you can pick up growl and tail whip...

For over the evolution level if you continue, you get access to bite an crunch as stated, as well as toxic spikes, which is pretty cool as an entry hazard, as well as poison fang, flatter and captivate (I'm choosing to ignore helping hand and fury swipes). You can pick up venoshock from TMs, but special attack here isn't a strong point, so don't. Ice beam and blizzard are also available and special, but do at least check ground opponents. Thunderbolt and thunder can be found, but I'm not sure why. Dig isn't a bad shout, especially if you go all the way up the chain and gain ground typing with Nidoqueen. Sludge bomb isn't worth while since it's special and you can take poison jab, as well as aerial ace to also check ground types in a more reliable (if more confusing) choice over the special ice attacks. Shadow claw and thief also make viable options, along with return/frustration. Facade is a possibility, but more interesting would be things like rest and sleep talk if you run for defence and just grinding out, and swagger is a possibility as it boosts their attack (unless they run something like contrary) whilst confusing them, causing them to hit themselves quite hard.

While I wouldn't take rest, sleep talk and swagger since there would be a 75% chance of not actually doing anything during a sleep turn and also limiting you to next to nothing attack wise, there are some options here for not going all out attack, which I don't consider enough myself, and I should, as should you. These strategies could also work well on Blastoise and Venusaur if you play them that way... But for now I'm telling you more about attack-wise things, since I will do a blog specifically on decent defensive moves when I understand them better get to the end of a generation and do a special post that isn't about favourites and least favourites.

NidoF can get rock smash, cut and strength from HMs, but I've given my thoughts on these before, so... Egg moves: you get beat up (dark and the way it works confuses me greatly, but it can work as a sash breaker... I'm very confused about the damage calculations here...), iron tail isn't bad in power but has crappy power, and chip away is pretty cool, poison tail and pursuit aren't bad, though poison tail isn't as good as poison jab, and pursuit is weak unless done right, skull bash and take down hit hard but hit you as well, and if you're trying to withstand damage then they unnecessarily weaken you, and venom drench is an odd one, since it does no damage, and relies on the target being poisoned, but can really cripple their stats. Tutor moves are mainly special other than iron tail and super fang, though water pulse hurts ground and can confuse.

So you've now reached level 16 and evolved, but lost the ability to breed... Hmm... Well, to make up for this, you get a nice rise in stats such as a fairly respectable 70 HP and 67 defence, but still nothing really stands out. Eviolite can make a good held item here if you want to be tanky, with base special at 55 which isn't dreadful but does need boosting, really. 62/55/56 for attack, special attack and speed still means no real sweeping here.

It's maybe coming back to me now...

You get basically the same moveset as before, so you're either thinking about hard hitters (attack isn't so bad that you can't think about being a bulky attacker like if Homer Simpson could at least punch as hard as the average human when he was a boxer) or you're thinking about withstanding and grinding, so you could run toxic and either take a coverage move or pray nobody runs steel and or poison against you whilst buffing your defences with nothing other than just using protect every few turns, or ruining their damage output with things like confide and captivate (which relies on gender being opposite, NOT NEUTRAL or the same but does two stages instead of one) for special, or growl and charm (egg move) for physical.

You can run sets that make use of flatter (boosts special attack of opponent but confuses them) and swagger (boosts physical but confuses them) so you could make the opponents self-destruct a little (not literally in terms of the move). Supersonic from egg moves confuses them without the risk of a killer attack slipping the net, but there are other uses, since you could attack a team mate with say swagger in a multi-battle, if you have a berry on the recipient to remove confusion or if you have own tempo. Bear in mind two things: upping their stats makes themselves self-damage with greater impact, and confusion can be baton-passed, so if you can sneak it in you can possible ruin their sweeper. Also worth thinking about if you're running as a multi-battle assistant: you get access to helping hand which hikes base power of the next move of the team mate by 50% (coming with a huge +5 priority, so it'll even get in before extreme speed), and things like sunny day and rain dance.

Now you've considered the strategies and maybe levelled to 58 to get poison fang, then you use your moon stone to get Nidoqueen and swear loudly that you missed out on level up moves chip away (which was available from breeding but now is from level 23 if you must have it rather than crunch at level 43), body slam (level 35) and earth power at the same damn level as crunch on Nidorina... DAMN! If you can live without chip away and body slam (though chip away can be bred in, remember), then level NidoF to 37 for crunch, then evolve and get earth power if you want it, since with the final evolution special attack gets up to 75. Thing is I guess it isn't really worth getting earth power, since you can't breed, and either going with the defences all the way or focusing the 92 base physical attack are probably more worth it unless you are aiming to surprise...

Wait, yes, the Pokemon they drew boobs on...

On top of the mentioned boosts to attacks, 87/85 defences are good, not great, with the same applying to 90 HP. 76 speed is rather disappointing. It is quite nice that you get superpower at level 58, but don't overuse this since it reduces your attack and defence each time and has limited PP, even if it hits at base 120! The TM list here is also gigantic, with far too many to cover, so see before, and I'll give you the more worthwhile additions, such as earthquake to go with that fancy new ground-typing you add to poison, giga impact if you don't mind it being normal and needing a recharge turn, stone edge if you don't mind iffy accuracy (80%) for good power (100), though you could take rock slide (90% and 70 power but with the chance to flinch), brick break and dragon tail, which will basically hit last, hit fairly hard (60), and knock the opponent out of battle, ending wild encounters or bringing in their next.

HM wise, you can get surf for overworld usage. Tutor wise, you are again spoiled for choice. Hey, if you missed out on earth power to get crunch (I don't blame you), then you can tutor it if you want to waste resources. You could instead get drill run (80, 95% accuracy and STAB physical), ice punch (possibly an ok idea as it hurts flying and takes advantage of the better physical attack) or thunder punch (pretty much the same and kills water). Fire punch can wreck the ice-types looking to punish your new groundiness, and aqua tail is a fairly powerful choice. Hey, it's up to you... Just be wary if you take focus punch, since I don't recall substitute being available unless you baton pass it on or draw attention with something else in doubles...

NidoF and Nidorina have a nice array of moves for support, tanking (except they have no defence buff moves) and support (in a way), whereas Nidoqueen can royally screw people over with an enormous movepool that keeps them all guessing, not to mention running scared due to seriously heavy hitting moves.

(All artwork presented by Ken Sugimori, taken from the Bulbapedia image archives)