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It gets Follow Me! As previously noted, any Pokemon with redirection can only be so bad. Hell, Magmortar is really good! Plus, this isn’t some half-measure like Rage Powder, this is the full, unadulterated original. Outside of the ability Stalwart (which doesn’t exist in Sinnoh), there is no getting around the redirection of Follow Me. Any single-target moves will be diverted into Magmortar. And Magmortar is a great redirection user as both of its abilities help out. Flame Body gives a 30% chance to burn when hit with a contact move, and Vital Spirit prevents it from falling asleep if redirecting a move like Hypnosis or Sleep Powder (Spore is mercifully not learned by any Sinnoh natives). It also has the added benefit of being the fire type thus preventing burns. This means it can tank a Will-O-Wisp and keep a physical attacker safe. Since it can’t use Eviolite, it can’t take quite as well as its previous evolution, but still has decent bulk to stick around. This also means it is free to use a more diverse set of items. Try Safety Goggles to avoid sleep and use Flame Body, use Sitrus Berry to stick around longer, use a type-resist berry, and so on. Even if you aren’t using a supportive set, with a 125 base special attack, you can hit decently hard. The speed stat is a bit awkward and the attacking move pool isn’t very deep, the ability to use Follow Me and use it so well, means this is a great pokemon for any team. It is probably worth a late round 2/ early round 3 get.

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