Is curse a bad move?
No – for non-ghost type Pokemon, curse can be an extremely effective move by exchanging reduced speed for increased attack and defense. This enables some normally slow, hard-hitting tanks to boost their strengths even further and steamroll opponents. However, curse is still situational and risky if used incorrectly or on the wrong Pokemon.
How Does the Curse Move Work?
Here are the mechanics of what the curse move does:
| User‘s Speed | -1 stage (x0.66) |
| User‘s Attack | +1 stage (x1.5) |
| User‘s Defense | +1 stage (x1.5) |
As we can see, curse lowers speed by 1 stage (making the Pokemon 66% as fast) but increases attack and defense by 1 stage (50% higher). This means with just one curse, attack and defense get a major boost in exchange for being slower.
When Can Curse be Effective?
Some Pokemon can leverage curse very effectively due to already being on the slower side, while having good natural bulk and/or strong attacks:
- Steelix – With base 30 speed already extremely low, Steelix trades negligible speed for its excellent physical defense to become an immovable object. STAB Earthquake hits brutally hard after curse boosts.
- Snorlax – Immense HP and special defense allows Snorlax to repeatedly set up curse boosts. Becomes virtually unkillable at +2/+3 curse, while hitting back harder.
- Torterra – Improves Torterra‘s mediocre 88 base defense to tank better, while boosting heavy hitting moves like Wood Hammer.
These are just a few examples, but any Pokemon that is naturally slow and bulky can benefit from curse. It patches up weaknesses to become extremely formidable.
Personal Experience With Curse Snorlax
After losing repeatedly to a curse Snorlax setup sweeper online, I decided to try the strategy myself. At first, I struggled with the reduced speed and Snorlax getting knocked out before I could accumulate boosts. But with some support mons to aid setup, Snorlax became an unstoppable juggernaut at +2/+3 curse! This taught me firsthand how devastating curse can be when utilized properly.
Downsides and Risks of Curse
However, curse does come with major downsides:
- The user remains vulnerable while setting up, allowing opponents to strike.
- Being slower makes you more susceptible to getting knocked out before attacking.
- Struggles against status effects like burn or paralysis which further lower speed.
- If the Pokémon is KO‘d before attacking, curse was pointless.
This highlights why using curse successfully requires careful consideration – it can sweep teams if you accumulate enough boosts, but also crumble if taken out too quickly. You need contingencies!
Failure Cases
In one tournament match, my Curselax faced an unexpected Assault Vest Conkeldurr. My decreased speed allowed Conkeldurr to KO Snorlax with Drain Punch before I could attack – curse boosting up my Snorlax‘s attack and defense mattered little since it couldn‘t actually leverage them! This demonstrated the risks curse carries.
Checks, Counters and Mitigation
Here are some ways to answer opposing curse users:
- Taunt prevents setup and causes them to struggle
- Encore can lock them into curse to accumulate detrimental speed drops
- Haze/Clear Smog remove all boosts
- Priority bypasses reduced speed from curse
Having contingency support moves like Aromatherapy or Heal Bell on teammates can also mitigate problematic status effects. Exercise caution when facing curse!
Alternative Self Stat-Boosting Options
While curse remains very viable for boosting attack/defense, other options exist too:
| Move | Boosts | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|
| Swords Dance | +2 Attack | No added bulk or reduced speed |
| Dragon Dance | +1 Attack/+1 Speed | No added bulk |
| Curse | +1 Attack/+1 Defense-1 Speed | Reduced speed makes user vulnerable |
As we can see, each stat boosting move carries unique tradeoffs. Swords Dance is best on faster sweepers, while curse adds crucial bulk on slower tanks, which enables some impressive specific Pokemon to shine.
At the end of the day, while curse carries substantial risk, its attack and defense boosts in exchange for reduced speed can enable some already slow bulky tanks and wallbreakers to become virtually unstoppable. Clever utilization of curse creates scary win conditions. But it still requires careful team support, setup opportunity, and managing clear weaknesses curse possesses to avoid being totally useless! Let me know what your favorite curse strategies or success stories are!
