What is a good moveset for Porygon-Z?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Porygon-Z, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for Porygon, if any, can also be shared on this thread. Movesets for Porygon2 may be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Porygon-Z Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Porygon-Z @ Focus Sash
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tri Attack / Hyper Beam
- Psychic
- Ice Beam / Thunderbolt / Dark Pulse
- Nasty Plot
Analysis
Tri Attack is your STAB. 160 BP with Adaptability is not bad. If you want to use Hyper Beam, go ahead. It just has a 10% chance to miss and I don't like that you have to recharge. 300 BP if you choose Hyper Beam.
Shadow Ball hits the Ghost types that aren't affect by your Tri Attack. Deals with Psychics as well.
Ice Beam has the best coverage out of the four but this slot is entirely up to you.
Nasty Plot is your setup move. Focus Sash is there so you can take a hit and then sweep.

Sweeper EVs.

Answer 2

SubConversion
National Dex Monotype (Normal)

Porygon-Z @ Normalium Z
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
- Conversion
- Recover

SubConversion set. Substitute helps you to avoid status. Conversion is for Z-Conversion, which raises all of your stats by one stage and turns you into a ghost type. Shadow Ball is STAB after you use Z-Conversion and also gets an Adaptability boost. Recover is for healing. You should take out or weaken dark and normal types before attempting to set up.

Answer 3

Gen 8 (moves and abilities)
Role: Really Fast Sweeper

Porygon-Z @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Tri Attack / Hyper Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Recycle

Psychic to beat fighting types its only weakness. Tri Attack Gets STAB and with the adaptability it is x2 instead of a 1.5 boost. Hyper Beam could replace Tri attack, but pp problems. Dark pulse to hit ghost types. Recycle to stall with the Sitrus Berry. Modest nature ups special attack and lowers attack, MAX Def and SAtk EVs, also max out the pp on all the moves.

Comments

Uhhh, you can't use Porygon-Z in Gen 8 NU, as it's in NUBL. Also, what's up with the EV spread?

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Have seen other peoples Ev spread, the total seems to be 508, so I chose the EVs based on its base stat total to help it be a sweeper, and I didn't know about the ranking system I will fix it now, thank you, ManectricMadness?

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You can't have 508 EVs in a stat. The max is 255. However, the last three EVs in that stat wouldn't be of any use, so people run 252. Also, four EVs equals a stat point, so what's up with numbers such as 127 and 95? I suck with math, but I'm pretty sure those numbers can't be reached in fours. If anyone wants to correct me, feel free. And what kind of an EV spread is 127 HP / 127 Def / 127 SpA / 32 SpD / 95 Spe on a sweeper? This confuses me.

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Unless I misinterpreted the part you said to max out defense and special attack EVs, is there a reason you have 252 Defense EVs over 252 Speed EVs? Also, if this set is supposed to be a really fast sweeper, why Recycle over a coverage move or something like Nasty Plot, and why Sitrus Berry over an item that boosts attacks like a Life Orb or something?

Answer 4

Porygon @ Eviolite
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Tri Attack
- Psychic/Ice Beam
- Protect/Thunderbolt
Why Porygon and not Porygon2? Well, I like Porygon! This is a NU set that I made for fun!

Comments

Why Protect? I don't think Protect does anything.

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Porygon is awful in nu

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since this is supposed to be a competitive moveset, nobody would ever use this moveset because it's not a competitive moveset.

Answer 5

Porygon-Z @ Blunder Policy
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Tri Attack
- Dark Pulse
- Zap Cannon

Nasty plot + blunder policy

Nasty plot boosts special attack
Zap cannon is good even if you hit or miss. You always paralyse and do a good amount of damage and when you miss blunder policy activates
Tri attack works well with adaptability with the added chance to burn, freeze and paralyse
Dark pulse is for those ghost types that is immune to tri attack

Comments

yes, but what else when Zap Cannon misses again?

Answer 6

Gen 8 BDSP Monotype (Normal)

Porygon-Z @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tri Attack
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Shadow Ball

On Normal-type teams in BDSP Monotype, Porygon-Z uses a Choice to revenge kill weakened Pokemon. Choice Scarf Porygon-Z also has potential as a late game cleaner. Tri Attack is STAB that has a 2x boost instead of a 1.5x boost thanks to Adaptability (Why is Adaptability called Adaptability if it basically just lets you use the same move over and over?) and has a chance to either burn, freeze, or paralyze opposing Pokemon. Thunderbolt provides coverage against Pokemon like Mantine, Empoleon, and Skarmory. Ice Beam targets Pokemon like Gliscor and Dragonite. Shadow Ball is useful coverage against Ghost-types as well as certain Psychic-types like Jirachi and Metagross.

Answer 7

Porygon-Z @ Focus Sash
Ability: Adaptability
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tri Attack (160 BP with STAB Adaptability, overall great move)
- Shadow Ball (Coverage for Psychics and Ghosts)
- Ice Beam (Amazing coverage, hitting 5 types super-effectively)
- Psychic/Psyshock (Both are great coverage, but Psyshock hits different on Blissey and Chansey)

While this Pokemon isn't amazing for sweeping in UU, it still is great for having a versatile moveset and stats that are rivaling Gen 1 Alakazam, here's a somewhat viable moveset for Porygon-Z.

Answer 8

Gen 9 NU Dual Dance

Porygon-Z @ Mirror Herb
Ability: Adaptability
Tera Type: Ghost / Fighting
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tri Attack / Tera Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Nasty Plot
- Agility

A Dual Dance set Porygon-Z can use on HO teams in Gen 9 NU. I already know there's one on here, but I wanted to post one with Tera and a (funny) different item. With Nasty Plot to boost it's Special Attack and Agility to boost its speed, Porygon-Z can be a scary sweeper. Note that you won't always be able to get off both Nasty Plot and Agility, and sometimes you might be able to only get one off. If there are faster Pokemon left on the opposing team, you would want to use Agility. If there aren't faster Pokemon left, you would want to use Nasty Plot. Tri Attack is used for the Normal STAB since it's consistent and has a chance to either burn, paralyze, or freeze. Shadow Ball is chosen as the coverage move to hit Ghost-types named Brambleghast, Chandelure, Basculegion, as well as being able to hit Bronzong and Cresselia super effectively. Plus, no Pokemon (aside from Hisuian Zorua, but it's not a real NU Pokemon) resists both Tri Attack and Shadow Ball. Tera Ghost is used to boost the power of Shadow Ball and lets Porygon-Z become immune to Normal and Fighting moves, which is useful to be immune to Mach Punch and Extreme Speed, as well as being useful against Choice locked Pokemon so you can be able to get off both Nasty Plot and Agility. Do note that using Tera Ghost will make Tri Attack lose the Adaptability boost, so keep that in mind. Alternatively, you can use Tera Blast instead of Tri Attack with Tera Fighting instead of Tera Ghost. Tera Blast Fighting lets Porygon-Z hit Steel-types such as Copperajah and Orthworm super effectively, as well as being able to hit Dark-types such as Incineroar, Umbreon, and Brute Bonnet super effectively. Plus, you don't lose the Adaptability boost on Tera Blast if you turn into a Fighting-type. Adaptability is used to boost your STAB move (and Shadow Ball if you go the Tera Ghost route). Modest Nature is used to give Porygon-Z as much power as possible.

Now for the item, Mirror Herb. At first I used Spell Tag on Dual Dance PZ, but then I settled for Mirror Herb. Mirror Herb is nice to copy stat boosts to make Porygon-Z a scary threat. If you have an opposing Pokemon against a Shell Smash Pokemon such as Torterra, Drednaw, and Minior, you can switch Porygon-Z on the predicted Shell Smash, allowing you to copy the boosts with Mirror Herb. Mirror Herb is also nice to boost past Cresselia and Sylveon, as you can get a free Calm Mind boost from them. So, yeah, that's the reason for Mirror Herb for this set, as it was able to win me games. Enjoy this set!