Mastering Rage Fist: A Guide to Evolving Primeape into Annihilape
As an avid Pokémon Scarlet & Violet player and content creator, I was eager to get my hands on Primeape‘s new evolution, Annihilape. This formidable Fighting/Ghost-type has already made waves in the competitive scene for its tremendous Attack stat and access to the powerful signature move, Rage Fist.
But evolving Primeape into Annihilape is no simple task. The evolution method is quite unique and requires precise execution. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about mastering Rage Fist and evolving your Primeape, from what items to bring into battle to advanced strategies. Let‘s do this!
What is Rage Fist and Why It Matters
Rage Fist is a 75 Base Power Ghost-type special move that gets more powerful with each hit the user takes, maxing out at a whopping 200 Power after enough turns. It‘s Primeape‘s signature move, meaning no other Pokémon can learn it.
Annihilape itself boasts an intimidating stat spread, with a staggering 165 Attack and solid 95/70/70 bulk. Combined with a diverse movepool like Close Combat, Gunk Shot, and U-turn for pivoting, Annihilape is already deemed an OU threat capable of blasting apart unprepared teams.
Evolving Primeape gives it a 30 point Attack buff compared to its 400 base stat total pre-evolution form. Competitively, the power spike and addition of Rage Fist gives Primeape new life. Casual players also have reason to be excited – you can ride on Annihilape as a mount!
Step-By-Step Guide to Using Rage Fist
First, you‘ll need to train your Primeape to level 35 when it learns Rage Fist. Be sure to replace one of its current moves with Rage Fist once it hits level 35! I recommend deleting Thrash, Rage, or Karate Chop as less useful coverage moves.
Finding the Right Target
Rage Fist is a Ghost-type move, making Normal-types like Lechonk ideal targets. Their lack of Ghost resistance lets you blast them efficiently. You can also use Rage Fist on other types, but it won‘t deal much damage. The goal is racking up uses more than big damage.
I recommend battling low level Normal-types around level 15-25. This ensures they can attack you back to power up Rage Fist, while still being easy one-shot targets.
Tracking Uses
Be sure to keep a notebook or counter handy to track exactly how many times you‘ve used Rage Fist! Remember, it counts even if the move misses or has no effect on the target. I highly recommend the Twisty Counter app to help count.
Level Up After Using
The key requirement is that after you use Rage Fist 20 times in one battle, you MUST level up Primeape before switching out or letting it faint. This means having Rare Candies on hand to immediately level it up after hitting the 20 use threshold.
Make sure Primeape doesn‘t faint mid-battle, necessitating a trip to the Pokémon center which would ruin the evolution. This is why I suggest Revives and Potions just in case!
Held Items
Equipping Primeape with a Focus Sash or Focus Band ensures it can better survive opponent attacks after each Rage Fist boosts their power. And have Primeape hold a Shell Bell for residual healing after each use.
The Path to Annihilape
Once you use Rage Fist 20 times consecutively in one battle without any outs, level up Primeape by Rare Candy and…congrats, your Primeape will evolve into Annihilape! Welcome that massive 165 Attack stat and enjoy using Rage Fist boosted to a 200 base power nuke!
You‘ll also gain access to several moves Primeape doesn‘t get, like Earthquake, Stone Edge, and the perfectly named Annihilator. This gives you awesome coverage options to freely switch up Annihilape‘s moves for type matchups.
However, you do lose out on Primeape signature moves Thrash and Outrage. While powerful, locking into Outrage was often dangerous for Primeape competitively. Overall Annihilape acquires more than it loses.
Advanced Tips and Strategies
Natures/Abilities
I recommend an Adamant nature for the Attack boost with either Anger Point or Defiant abilities. Anger Point boosts Annihilape to +6 Attack if critically hit, enabling it to deliver absolutely devastating strikes.
Defiant sharply raises Attack if any of Annihilape‘s stats are lowered, punishing opponents relying on Intimidate or Charm strategies.
Held Items
Choice items like Choice Band or Scarf synergize incredibly well with Annihilape for added damage and speed control. Other solid options include Life Orb, Expert Belt, Assault Vest for bulk, or Weakness Policy to get attack boosts.
Team Support
Great teammates for Annihilape include Hazards setters like Garganacl to chip away at foes, clerics like Blissey to heal it up, and Psychic-types like Orthworm to block priority Fighting moves that threaten Annihilape. Having a slow Volt Switch user gives it free switch-ins too!
Additional Evolutions
Annihilape isn‘t the only Pokémon with a unique evolution method this generation. Pawmi into Pawmo needs 1000 steps registered in your Pokédex. And evolved forms Brambleghast and Arboliva require Let‘s Go walks of 1000 steps and defeating 30 opposing trainers in battle!
I‘meager to see what weird evolution methods GameFreak cooks up next. Perhaps we may get evolutions for older Pokémon like Dunsparce or Qwilfish! Or even fossil evolutionswalking like Arctovish. The possibilities have us theorists speculating wildly.
Let me know if this guide to mastering Rage Fist has you itching to raise your own Annihilape! I‘m happy to answer any other questions down below. This Primeape evolution is definitely worth the effort – ride on into battle and start demolishing your opponents!
