Here is a guide courtesy of [member]Jay[/member] on the various items used throughout the online battling community and examples of what Pokemon commonly use said items. A must read for those just starting out their competitive experience!
Jay said:
Some of the most important factors of a game lie in the items that a Pokemon holds. This can be a tricky concept for newer players, as items are not displayed on Team Preview, and can be game-breaking if a player is not aware of them. Playing around Choice Items, Life Orb, and other items can give an un-rivaled advantage over the lesser-experienced player. The following is a collection of some of the most common and threatening Items that every player should be aware of, and the Pokemon commonly holding them in the OU tier.
Items
Every Pokemon can hold an item when entering a battle. The items a Pokemon holds should enhance their performance. Different Pokemon have different roles, and they need to be equipped accordingly. For a defensive wall like Skarmory, a good choice for a held item would be Leftovers. Leftovers recover 6.25% of the users HP at the end of each turn, effectively letting the Pokemon wall longer. Skarmory is also commonly used to lay Spikes. Leftovers' recovery can be the difference between two, or three layers of spikes. A poor choice for a defensive wall, would be a Choice Item or Life Orb. Choice Items increase attack, or speed, while also limiting the user to one move. This is very hindering to a wall, as its main purpose is to use a variety of moves to stall the opponent, not try to attack it. Life Orb increases the power of a Pokemon's Attacks, at the cost of 10% of the Pokemon's max HP in Recoil. With Life Orb attached, defensive Pokemon will get little support, as they don't attack very often.
Roles, Movesets, Typing, and Team Type are the main things to keep in mind when determining equipping items to Pokemon, and when trying to figure out the items of the opponent's Pokemon.
Air Balloon
- When held by a Pokémon, the Pokémon will float into the air, making them immune to Ground-Type attacks. When the holder is attacked, this item will burst.
Competitive Use: Many Pokémon suffer from a Ground-Type weakness. This often prevents them from walling, or sweeping to their maximum potential. Air Balloon eliminates the holder's Ground-Type weakness until they are hit by another attack, efficiently saving them from potential harm.
Common Holders:[animate]magnezone[/animate] [animate]485-1[/animate] [animate]terrakion[/animate]
Black Sludge
- A held item that gradually restores the HP of Poison-type Pokémon by 6.25% at the end of each turn. It inflicts damage on all other types.
Competitive Use: This is basically a Leftovers for Poison-Types. The only true benefit of using Black Sludge over Leftovers is that Pokemon that aren't Poison-type will be hurt when holding it. At the chance that Black Sludge gets swapped by Trick or another move, the opponent will be damaged by it.
Common Holders:[animate]tentacruel[/animate] [animate]venusaur[/animate] [animate]gengar[/animate] [animate]amoongus[/animate]
Chesto Berry
- A Poffin ingredient. It may be used or held by a Pokémon to recover from sleep.
Competitive Use: Many sweepers suffer from fragility, and lack a reliable recovery move. Some of them will use Rest, which gives them full HP and Status recovery. Chesto Berry then removes the Sleep Status, then allowing them to continue fully refreshed. The only reason to use this item over Lum Berry, is to remove the possibility of curing a Status condition that you would rather remove by Rest.
Common Holders:[animate]kingdra[/animate] [animate]volcarona[/animate]
Choice Band
- An item to be held by a Pokémon. This headband ups Attack by 50%, but allows the use of only one of its moves.
Competitive Use: Many Pokemon are blessed with sky-high Attack stats. While limiting them to only one move, the Choice Band complements this strength.
Common Holders:[animate]dragonite[/animate] [animate]dugtrio[/animate] [animate]haxorus[/animate] [animate]scizor[/animate] [animate]terrakion[/animate] [animate]landorus-t[/animate]
Choice Scarf
- An item to be held by a Pokémon. This scarf boosts Speed by 50%, but allows the use of only one of its moves.
Competitive Use: Some Pokemon duffer from low, or mediocre speed. Choice scarf allows them overcome this. In other cases, faster Pokemon are also given Choice Scarf. This is sometimes used to outspeed other fast opponents, or sometimes for Tricking the Scarf to the opponent, crippling them.
Common Holders:[animate]latios[/animate] [animate]terrakion[/animate] [animate]hydreigon[/animate] [animate]magnezone[/animate] [animate]rotom-w[/animate] [animate]heatran[/animate] [animate]politoed[/animate] [animate]thundurus-t[/animate] [animate]landorus-tt[/animate] [animate]genesect[/animate]
Choice Specs
- An item to be held by a Pokémon. These distinctive glasses boost Sp. Atk by 50% but allow the use of only one of its moves.
Competitive Use: Many Pokemon are blessed with sky-high Special Attack stats. While limiting them to only one move, the Choice Specs complements this strength.
Common Holders:[animate]starmie[/animate][animate]latios[/animate] [animate]latias[/animate] [animate]rotom-w[/animate] [animate]politoed[/animate] [animate]hydreigon[/animate] [animate]tornadus-t[/animate] [animate]keldeo[/animate]
Eviolite
- A mysterious evolutionary lump. When held, it raises the Defense and Sp. Def of a Pokémon that can still evolve by 50%.
Competitive Use: Many Pokemon used to be Basic or Stage 1, and later were given a new evolution. These Pokemon often still have viable defensive qualities, in which Eviolite enhances, sometimes putting them above their evolved counterparts.
Common Holders:[animate]chansey[/animate] [animate]porygon2[/animate]
Expert Belt
- An item to be held by a Pokémon. It is a well-worn belt that slightly boosts the power of supereffective moves by 20%.
Competitive Use: Sweepers often carry a wide variety of moves. Expert belt compliments this diversity, as the sweepers main goals is to exploit the weaknesses of its enemies.
Common Holders:[animate]jirachi[/animate] [animate]azelf[/animate] [animate]genesect[/animate] [animate]hydreigon[/animate] [animate]latios[/animate]
Flame Orb
- An item to be held by a Pokémon. It is a bizarre orb that inflicts a burn on the holder in battle.
Competitive Use: Some Physical Sweepers have the Ability Guts. This gives a 50% Attack boost when affected by a Status Condition. The Flame Orb gives it this boost, and prevents the Holder from obtaining other crippling Conditions. On the defensive side, some Pokemon with Magic Guard hold it. Magic Guard prevents the Burn damage, and some Pokemon Trick or Psycho Shift the Status onto the opponent.
Common Holders:[animate]conkeldurr[/animate] [animate]reuniclus[/animate]
Focus Sash
- An item to be held by a Pokémon. If it has full HP, the holder will endure one potential KO attack, leaving 1 HP.
Competitive Use: Many Pokemon suffer from fragility, but still have legitimate competitive use. Focus Sash buys them an extra turn, leaving them with one HP when an attack would normally Knock Out the Pokemon. The use of Focus Sash has severely gone down this generation, as Sand, Hail, and Hazards all break Focus Sash, rendering it useless.
Common Holders:[animate]azelf[/animate] [animate]dugtrio[/animate]
Gems
- Gems are one-use type-enhancing items. There are 17 types of Gems, one corresponding to each of the 17 types. A Gem is consumed when the Pokémon holding it uses a damaging attack of the same type; the attack's power is boosted by 50%.
Competitive Use: Gems give Pokemon a one-time boost for an attack of a certain type. This boost can be the difference between winning or losing a particular match-up. In addition, some Pokemon utilize the lack of an item after a gem is used, by using moves that are more powerful without a held item.
Common Holders:[animate]terrakion[/animate][animate]gliscor[/animate]
Leftovers
- An item to be held by a Pokémon. The holder's HP is gradually restored during battle. 6.25% of the Holder's HP is restored at the end of each turn.
Competitive Use: Leftovers is probably the most common item seen in battle. Just about every single team carries it. Leftovers provides un-rivaled recovery that neutralizes Sandstorm damage, and is generally helpful in keeping Pokemon alive.
Common Holders:Most all Pokemon in OU can utilize leftovers
Life Orb
- An item to be held by a Pokémon. It boosts the power of moves by 30%, but at the cost of 10% of the Holder's max HP on each hit.
Competitive Use: Life Orb is another very common item. It gives sweepers a nice 30% boost, which is often the difference between K.O.ing the opponent, and leaving them able to attack once more.
Common Holders:[animate]scizor[/animate] [animate]gengar[/animate] [animate]dragonite[/animate] [animate]latios[/animate] [animate]starmie[/animate] [animate]tornadus-t[/animate] [animate]salamence[/animate] [animate]celebi[/animate] [animate]heatran[/animate] [animate]hydreigon[/animate] [animate]lucario[/animate] [animate]volcarona[/animate]
Lum Berry
- A Poffin ingredient. It may be used or held by a Pokémon to recover from any status problem.
Competitive Use:Lum Berry cures a Pokemon of any status condition. This is particularly useful to Pokemon who's offensive abilities are severely hindered by many kinds of Status.
Common Holders:[animate]salamence[/animate] [animate]dragonite[/animate] [animate]haxorus[/animate]
Rocky Helmet
- If the holder of this item takes damage, the attacker will also be damaged 6.25% of their Maximum HP upon contact.
Competitive Use: Rocky Helmet is used to hurt the opponent upon contact. It is often used on Walls who switch in, take little damage, and end up hurting the foe in doing so.
Common Holders:[animate]ferrothorn[/animate] [animate]deoxys_d[/animate]
Shed Shell
- When this item is held by a Pokémon, if the trainer tries to switch the holder with another Pokémon, the switch is not affected by any moves or abilities which would prevent it leaving.
Competitive Use: Pokemon with the Magnet Pull and Shadow Tag abilities can prevent certain Pokemon from switching out, leaving them vulnerable to harmful attacks. Shed shell allows these endangered Pokemon to switch out in spite of such abilities.
Common Holders:[animate]ferrothorn[/animate] [animate]skarmory[/animate] [animate]forretress[/animate][animate]heatran[/animate]
Super-Effective Berries
- A Poffin ingredient. If held by a Pokémon, it weakens a foe’s Super-Effective attack.
Competitive Use: Some of the top Pokemon suffer from a severe, and sometimes double weakness. Super-Effective Berries eliminate this weakness once, allowing the user to more efficiently wall or sweep.
Common Holders:[animate]garchomp[/animate] [animate]dragonite[/animate][animate]salamence[/animate] [IMG=25x25]http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss12/Juliacoolo/Bag_Yache_Berry_Sprite.png[/img] [animate]heatran[/animate] [IMG=25x25]http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss12/Juliacoolo/Bag_Shuca_Berry_Sprite.png[/img] [animate]tyranitar[/animate] [IMG=25x25]http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss12/Juliacoolo/Bag_Chople_Berry_Sprite.png[/img] [IMG=25x25]http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss12/Juliacoolo/Bag_Babiri_Berry_Sprite.png[/img] [animate]azelf[/animate] [IMG=25x25]http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss12/Juliacoolo/Bag_Colbur_Berry_Sprite.png[/img]
Toxic Orb
- An item to be held by a Pokémon. It is a bizarre orb that badly poisons the holder in battle.
Competitive Use: Like Flame Orb, Some Pokemon use Toxic Orb to activate the Guts ability, which boost their attack. Other Pokemon use it because of their Poison Heal ability. This gives them HP recovery when they are Poisoned, and prevents other Status Conditions from crippling them.
Common Holders:[animate]gliscor[/animate] [animate]conkeldurr[/animate] [animate]breloom[/animate]
