NU Metagame Report: February-April

Introduction

NeverUsed is generally one of the more stable metagames around, as the general power level is low enough to prevent too many Pokémon from being destabilizing or overcentralizing. However, it would be a mistake to say that the tier is stagnant because of this; new sets and threats are identified all the time, and with two suspect tests within the space of a few weeks, the metagame is quite different from how it was a few months ago! This article will summarize the key changes that have occurred since the usage-based updates on February, look at what Pokémon and movesets have risen or declined in popularity, and make predictions on how the tier might look in another three months' time.

Tier Changes

NU has been a tier relatively free of suspect tests for many months, with the most recent before February being the suspect of Sneasel and Gallade in July 2015, both of which have long since become RU staples. However, this has all changed recently, with Sawk finally being brought up for a suspect test and the recently dropped Sceptile being suspected shortly after.

+ Charizard and Omastar from RU to NU:

February started off strong with two powerful threats in Charizard and Omastar both dropping from RU. Charizard was highly anticipated for weeks before its drop, as it failed to find a niche in RU compared to more powerful Fire-type special attackers such as Houndoom and Delphox, and even defensive Emboar gave bulky sets a run for their money. As a result, Charizard was highly popular in NU for the first few weeks, and it still remains a key threat to look out for whether it runs a bulky Swords Dance set with Will-O-Wisp and Roost, a specially based Life Orb set, or a more niche option such as Dragon Dance, Choice Specs, or even Choice Scarf. However, as time has passed, the hype has died down to a degree, and it has somewhat fallen out of favor compared to Pyroar and Magmortar, which fit on a wider variety of teams because they lack the 4x weakness to Stealth Rock that makes anti-hazard support mandatory for Charizard.

Meanwhile, Omastar was almost a complete surprise, making many people worry about the potency of its Shell Smash set against a more vulnerable tier. During both of the recent suspect tests, rain was an very popular archetype for laddering, in no small part due to Omastar's sheer power and excellent Speed under the weather condition, Shell Smash or not. However, due to repeated exposure on the ladder, many solid checks to its Shell Smash set were found in Choice Scarf Rotom, Jynx, Lanturn, and Hariyama, and Omastar is now generally viewed at a similar threat level to Barbaracle. Omastar is also commonly seen as a hazards supporter, packing a combination of Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes alongside a Water-type move and coverage. While the most common early hazard set was a suicide lead with Focus Sash and Weak Armor, as Omastar has settled into the metagame, a physically defensive set with Leftovers and Shell Armor has become the preferred choice for most teams.

- Sawk Suspect (BAN), Gurdurr from NU to RU:

Sawk was finally given a suspect test in February after years of being an NU staple, due to the potency of its Choice Band and Choice Scarf sets, its excellent coverage (now including Knock Off and Zen Headbutt), and Sturdy ability making it a centralizing influence. Two suspect ladders were put up, one with Sawk and one without, to truly test how the metagame would change without its presence. While some thought that Sawk had an unhealthy presence in the tier, forcing teams to pack defensive Fighting-resistant Pokémon due to the lack of consistent offensive counterplay against Sturdy, others thought that Sawk could be handled well enough due to its dependence on good prediction when running a Choice item and due to the overall predictability of its sets. Nevertheless, Sawk was eventually banned with a 67% majority on March 4th, coincidentally on the same day that Gurdurr moved up to RU. This changed the NU metagame significantly by removing a huge amount of Fighting-type presence, making teams less reliant on the aforementioned Fighting-type checks to survive and diversifying the metagame in general. Furthermore, as both of these threats used Knock Off as their primary tool for breaking through Psychic- and Ghost-types, these responses are now less pressured to run Colbur Berry to act as reliable Fighting-type checks; while it is still a viable option for some, it's no longer a necessity for others such as Mesprit and Musharna that might want to run a different item instead.

- Sceptile Suspect (BAN):

Sceptile was a threat that people struggled to prepare for, as it dropped fairly recently in December and had extreme power in Overgrow Leaf Storm, one of the best Speed tiers at base 120, excellent coverage with options like Focus Blast, Earthquake, and Rock Slide, and the capability to run both special and physical sweeping sets with equal viability. The combination of these traits warped the metagame around it, making previous staples such as Tauros, Archeops, and even Samurott considerably less viable, as well as rival Grass-types such as Lilligant. Floatzel, previously one of the best general cleaners, was turned into a joke by Sceptile's better Speed tier, superior power, and ability to crush it easily in a one-on-one matchup. The opportunity cost of running Sceptile as an offensive Pokémon was so low that it quickly climbed to #1 in usage as its potency became common knowledge. Shortly after the Fighting-types departed, it was suspected and quickly banned with an 82% majority on March 27th. As a result, the metagame's Speed tiers have reverted to how they were before, and teams are less pressured to pack a sturdy Grass-type switch-in or two that can take multiple Leaf Storms, as outspeeding the tier's main Grass-types is now also an option. Swellow became the revenge killer of choice for most offensive teams, with a Scrappy Choice Specs set with Boomburst becoming more popular than the Guts set due to its lack of recoil and increased reliability in a more physically defensive metagame.

+ Manectric from RU to NU:

Last and probably least, Manectric dropped down from RU at the start of April. While it certainly gives rival Electric-types such as Electivire and Raichu a run for their money with its base 105 Special Attack and Speed, its complete lack of defensive merit outside of Lightning Rod means that it is only really suitable for offensive teams. Furthermore, while it has strong Fire-type coverage to get rid of Steelix, the most popular Ground-type around, most Electric-types in the tier already have a good matchup against Steelix, and Electivire in particular has a much better matchup against Lanturn thanks to a strong Earthquake, which has become more popular than ever since Sceptile's departure. While it has yet to fully settle into the metagame, it is unlikely to have a huge influence on teambuilding unless Lanturn leaves the tier, and it is more of a niche option for offensive teams that want a strong and fast Volt Switch user.

? Predictions for May:

While many Pokémon dipped below the magic 3.41% usage during RU's suspect tests for Durant, Sharpedo, and Mega Abomasnow, Aggron has the dubious honor of dropping below this number in the non-suspect ladder as well, with Trevenant being an extremely borderline case. Aggron has declined in popularity recently due to the competition it faces from Tyrantrum as an offensive Head Smash user and from Mega Steelix as a Steel-type defensive tank, with the Tyrantrum suspect test making Rock-type checks more popular (hence the rise of Gurdurr) and thus making life even more difficult for Aggron, with Mega Steelix reaching over 36% usage during the suspect test. While regular Steelix is still one of the most common Pokémon in NU, Aggron would have a lot more room to spam Head Smash in the tier and would most likely establish itself as one of its most threatening wallbreakers. Meanwhile, Trevenant would also be an interesting spinblocker for balanced and offensive teams, boasting a strong STAB Wood Hammer and Natural Cure over Gourgeist-XL but generally being outclassed by it defensively. Gurdurr's popularity has also waned considerably in RU since the suspect and removal of Sharpedo and Mega Abomasnow, and it's likely to find itself back in NU next month, possibly being one of the better checks to Aggron if it drops.

Popular Choices

As the metagame has adjusted to the arrival and departure of various threats over the last few weeks, many of the most common Pokémon have had to adjust their sets to maintain their viability, while others have changed little and simply benefited from the tier shifts. While the range of viable Pokémon in NeverUsed is vast, these threats will appear most often due to their versatility and general offensive and defensive utility.

Mesprit:

Mesprit still stands as one of the main figureheads of the tier, with its excellent base stats and vast movepool allowing it to fulfil a multitude of different roles. Most notably, Mesprit is one of the only users of Stealth Rock to resist Fighting-type attacks, and a physically defensive Colbur Berry set was its standard during the times of Sawk and Gurdurr, mostly using Psychic to bypass Gurdurr's potential Bulk Up boosts. However, with these Fighting-types leaving the tier, Mesprit is no longer forced to run Colbur Berry to act as a Fighting-type check, and its other sets have started to return to prominence alongside the existing defensive set, which can now run Leftovers to avoid being worn down so easily. These include an offensive Stealth Rock + Healing Wish set to support teammates, offensive sets with Life Orb to sweep and break through usual checks such as Steelix, and even a Choice Scarf set to catch offensive Pokémon by surprise. During the suspect tests, Mesprit was also well-known as one of the best bulky Rain Dance users, and it can pull off a Sunny Day set to a similar degree of success.

Steelix:

Ever since Steelix dropped alongside Sceptile in December 2015, it has been the premier Steel-type of NU, facing little competition either defensively or offensively. Its typical set runs 244 HP / 136 Atk / 128 SpD with an Adamant nature to ensure that it can avoid the 2HKO from Tauros's Fire Blast while still maintaining good offensive presence with its dual STAB attacks and good enough physical bulk to act as a reliable check to Normal-types such as Kangaskhan. Sturdy also makes it one of the most reliable Stealth Rock users, being able to set the move even against otherwise lethal foes if required, while its Steel typing makes it an excellent check to Calm Mind Psychic-types such as Musharna, especially in combination with Toxic and Leftovers. On the other hand, while Steelix enjoys the absence of Sawk and Gurdurr, Xatu can now afford to run more Defense investment because it no longer has to outspeed Sawk to be effective, giving Steelix a worse matchup against it. While Steelix has changed little since its introduction, the increased popularity of checks such as Rotom, Weezing, and physically defensive Xatu has made a specially offensive set with Sheer Force and a Life Orb more deadly as a lure. This set still packs Stealth Rock but uses Flash Cannon and Earth Power to break through physically defensive targets, alongside Dark Pulse to beat Rotom, Thunder Fang to beat Pelipper and Mantine, or Rock Slide to beat Charizard as it switches in, letting a teammate such as Tauros clean up after these defensive checks have been removed.

Lanturn:

Lanturn was always a common choice as a defensive cleric, but it has rapidly become one of the most common Pokémon in the tier following Sceptile's departure. While previously it was most commonly seen as a mixed defensive tank with Scald, Volt Switch, Heal Bell, and Toxic, an Assault Vest set has become more popular recently, as it preserves Lanturn's utility as a special tank while also giving it more offensive presence and preventing it from being set up on as easily. The extra offensive power is important, as it lets Lanturn actually damage bulky Fire-types such as Magmortar and Charizard rather than tickle them lightly with an uninvested Scald. Meanwhile, Lanturn's immunity to Volt Switch and lack of susceptibility to moves such as Rotom's Will-O-Wisp (when running Heal Bell) and Manectric's Overheat make it one of the best checks to Electric-type Pokémon around, and it can even run Whirlpool in combination with Heal Bell to trap opposing Lanturn and beat them one-on-one if required.

Hariyama:

Hariyama was always a common sight on balanced teams due to its excellent Special Defense with investment and an Assault Vest and its unique defensive typing when combined with Thick Fat making it a great response to Ice- and Fire-types such as Aurorus and Magmortar. Meanwhile, an excellent Attack stat, powerful STAB attack in Close Combat, superior coverage in Knock Off, and access to priority attacks in Fake Out and Bullet Punch prevent it from being too passive and give it a better matchup than most tanks against offensive threats. With Sawk's and Gurdurr's departure, Hariyama's offensive attributes have recently become a lot more valuable, and while Hariyama doesn't fill their roles directly, it appreciates their absence in that opponents prepare less for the combination of Fighting STAB and Knock Off. While Hariyama has changed little overall, Guts has become more viable as an alternate ability due to the lack of competition from Gurdurr, and a Choice Band set with Speed investment can be a highly effective gimmick.

Rotom:

Rotom remains one of the tier's most consistent spinblockers due to its excellent typing, decent bulk when invested, good Speed tier, and varied offensive and supportive movepool. Typically it runs a combination of Will-O-Wisp, Volt Switch, Hex, Pain Split, Discharge, and Substitute with full Speed investment, making it very difficult to outright counter, while it can just Volt Switch out of slower threats such as Magmortar that could otherwise wall it and KO it. It has also benefited from Charizard and Omastar entering the tier, as it can check the former's physical set with ease while dealing with a boosted Shell Smash Omastar with its Choice Scarf set. Rotom still occasionally runs a Colbur Berry to provide better matchups against other Knock Off users such as Hariyama and Shiftry, but it can also use items such as Spell Tag to surprise foes with a more powerful Hex or Leftovers to act as a more reliable spinblocker and defensive utility check.

Winners and Losers

Many Pokémon have become more viable as the tier has changed, either by replacing previous members, by acting as good checks to new ones, or by their own checks leaving the tier. On the other hand, some Pokémon have become worse as their niches are lost with their key targets leaving the tier or declining in popularity, or if new threats have thoroughly outclassed them or placed too much pressure on them to remain effective.

+ Barbaracle from BL4 to NU:

Barbaracle increased drastically in popularity with the start of NUPL, where its Shell Smash set proved to be extremely deadly if given a chance to set up, and its popularity in tournaments quickly translated to a boost in usage on the ladder. Unlike with Carracosta and Omastar, its superior Speed stat makes it very difficult to revenge kill outside of priority, and its excellent neutral coverage in Tough Claws-boosted Razor Shell and Return ensures that defensive checks have to rely on raw bulk rather than resistances to stop it. Furthermore, this two-move coverage gives Barbaracle a lot of flexibility in what it can run in its fourth slot, ranging from other attacks like Stone Edge and Earthquake to support options such as Substitute or even Stealth Rock, while the sheer power of these attacks at +2 allows Barbaracle to run support items such as Shuca Berry and White Herb instead of a power-boosting item, letting it sweep more consistently. However, the hype for Barbaracle has somewhat faded recently with the rise of Choice Scarf Primeape, which forces Barbaracle to run a Jolly nature, and teams becoming more prepared for Shell Smash users in general due to Omastar's prominence in the recent suspect tests, using checks such as Mach Punch Hitmonchan.

+ Primeape and Hitmonchan:

With both Sawk and Gurdurr leaving the tier, the other Fighting-types have all seen more usage in general as they try to fill the gaps. Primeape has been the biggest beneficiary, as it is no longer outclassed by Sawk and has become a dangerous threat in its own right, taking advantage of people not focusing on sturdy Fighting-resistant pokemon as much. While the Choice Scarf set is very popular, it lacks power on both its STAB and coverage moves and as a result over-relies on U-turn to bypass its checks, making it somewhat easy to exploit in the early-game. On the other hand, its Choice Band set is powerful but struggles more than Sawk against offensive teams due to the lack of Sturdy. Meanwhile, Hitmonchan has steadily grown in popularity, reaching #4 in usage just after Sawk's departure due to its combination of increasingly-rare Fighting-type STAB attacks, powerful priority in Mach Punch, and Rapid Spin support. Access to Mach Punch is particularly important for dealing with the multiple Shell Smash users now popular in the tier, such as Omastar and Barbaracle, and even Carracosta, which has returned to viability since Sceptile is no longer around to outspeed it when it's at +2. Overall, offensive sets using Close Combat have become more common now that they are overlap less with Sawk's area of expertise, while the Assault Vest set is still a good catch-all for teams that need spin support and lack a dedicated special tank. Hariyama has also improved with Sawk's and Gurdurr's departure, having less competition for a teamslot as a powerful or bulky Fighting-type, respectively.

+ Floatzel:

While Floatzel was a good cleaner for offensive teams before Sceptile dropped, it completely lost all purpose upon Sceptile's arrival, as Floatzel's Speed tier suddenly became obsolete, its power had been exceeded, and its reliability had become compromised. Now that Sceptile has been banned, Floatzel has seen a resurgence in usage and has become more popular than it ever was before, making its name as a general revenge killer that can force out other dominant offensive threats such as Tauros and Archeops. While its Attack stat is superior to its Special Attack stat, specially based sets are the most common due to Floatzel's access to high-Base Power moves in Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Focus Blast, in addition to NU's relative lack of dedicated special tanks. However, physically based and mixed sets can still be seen as well. Floatzel can also make excellent use of Baton Pass due to its ability to force switches, wearing down responses with hazard damage as they fail to catch it repeatedly. This also allows a teammate such as Vileplume to enter battle against a threat such as Lanturn that aims to stop Floatzel, gaining momentum as they are forced to switch out. At 3.38% usage in November 2015, the month before Sceptile dropped, it is highly likely that Floatzel will rise to NU once May comes around.

+ Abomasnow:

When Abomasnow dropped to NU back in January, the general reaction was that its amazing mixed coverage and high-powered STAB attacks would place immense pressure on defensive teams and that its lack of counters would make it unbalanced. While this is true, Abomasnow's vulnerability to passive damage, mediocre Speed tier, and multiple type weaknesses made it difficult to fit on balanced teams over conventional wallbreakers such as Magmortar and Samurott, and it remained fairly uncommon despite its positive attributes. However, with the departure of Sawk and Gurdurr reducing the pressure on it, and Sceptile leaving and reducing its competition as a Grass-type wallbreaker, Abomasnow has become more common over time, boasting a deadly mixed attacking set alongside an equally useful Swords Dance set. It also acts as a decent check to Omastar due to its resistance to Water and neutrality to Ice-type attacks, as Omastar rarely runs Rock-type coverage, and Snow Warning can stop rain teams in their tracks.

+ Miltank:

Miltank's role as a physical wall and tank has always been compromised to a degree by its weakness to Fighting-type attacks. However, it has become much more reliable with the removal of the tier's most dangerous Fighting-types, as Primeape and Hitmonchan are generally easier for defensive teams to check and can fail to OHKO Miltank with their less-powerful sets. Meanwhile, access to reliable recovery in Milk Drink ensures that Miltank is an almost complete counter to anything that can't 2HKO it or boost its power, and access to Heal Bell also reduces its vulnerability to status in addition to supporting its teammates. It can also run a specially defensive set that can handle weaker attacks such as Manectric and Swellow that lack Fighting-type coverage, and it can use both Sap Sipper and Thick Fat to good effect to suit its team. The Thick Fat set has become one of the best general checks to Fire-types that lack Fighting-type coverage, especially as Sawk is no longer around to break past it for its teammates.

› Sliggoo:

As Sceptile asserted itself on the metagame, Sliggoo rose up as one of the most prominent and comprehensive counters to it, only really fearing a boosted Acrobatics. Its mono-attacking Curse set became a mainstay for defensive teams that needed a wincon and a way to beat Sceptile definitively, and it became a popular choice for balanced teams too due to its synergy with Steelix and ability to absorb status with RestTalk and Sap Sipper. Sliggoo also has a good matchup against specially offensive Fire-, Water-, and Electric-types in general due to its rare Dragon typing providing it with useful resistances. However, after Sceptile left the tier, Sliggoo's main niche became less valuable, and while it is still rarely seen as a hard counter to other Grass-types and a general special tank, it has a poor matchup against Shiftry, the new go-to offensive Grass-type, due to its access to Knock Off and Sliggoo's reliance on Eviolite to take hits. While Sliggoo will probably stick around as a niche choice, it is unlikely to ever again reach the levels of popularity it held previously.

- Ampharos, Cryogonal, and Prinplup to PU:

Ampharos thoroughly failed to establish a niche for itself as a defensive Electric-type due to the presence of Lanturn, which makes up for a lower Special Attack stat with extra resistances, an actual immunity to Volt Switch, powerful alternative STAB attacks in Scald and Hydro Pump, and even a better Speed tier. Offensively, it lacked the Speed to threaten teams without an Agility boost, and it was easy to wall after the boost due to its reliance on Focus Blast and Hidden Power for coverage. Cryogonal and Prinplup both declined as hazard control options, but for different reasons. Cryogonal dropped as people realized how easy it was to take advantage of its low Defense stat, making it susceptible to most priority attacks and even Pursuit trapping, while special attackers it could sometimes beat, such as Sceptile, could easily run physical coverage to OHKO it. Meanwhile, Prinplup suffered heavily from Sceptile's arrival, and it failed to return to prominence after Sceptile left as people realized how passive it was compared to similar Defog users such as Pelipper and Mantine and how easy it was to pressure. In particular, its vulnerability to all entry hazards and lack of reliable recovery made it extremely easy to wear down after switching in to Defog or set Stealth Rock multiple times.

- Crustle to PU:

Crustle can still be decent in its own right, but it is almost entirely outclassed by Omastar as a hazard lead due to the latter's superior typing, access to Scald, ability to provide Toxic Spikes support if required, and even a much more threatening Shell Smash set. Although Crustle can still be a good choice for teams that already carry a lot of Water-types, or teams that need their hazard lead to not be setup fodder for Malamar, it has declined from the go-to suicide lead into a niche choice that should only be used over Omastar in specific circumstances.

- Rotom-Fan:

Rotom-S's main niche over Rotom as a defensive Electric-type was its relative lack of vulnerability to Knock Off, its superior bulk, and its STAB Air Slash for dealing with Fighting-types directly, making it a more reliable general response to Fighting-types than Rotom. It commonly used to run physically defensive sets that capitalized on these attributes alongside Will-O-Wisp and Volt Switch to act as a good defensive pivot. However, with Sawk and Gurdurr leaving the tier, this niche has become a lot smaller in comparison to Rotom's advantages, namely Speed and outright Fighting-type immunity. Meanwhile, its lure set has become a lot less effective as it more or less became standard, meaning Steelix and Rhydon would rarely stay in and take a Will-O-Wisp or Hidden Power Grass. As a result, its most common set these days is a Choice Scarf set, but this has also declined in usefulness due to its inability to deal with increasingly popular Electric-types such as Lanturn, Manectric, and the aforementioned Rotom.

? Predictions for May:

Assuming that Aggron, Trevenant, and Gurdurr all return to NU and nothing rises up to RU, Quagsire is one of the Pokémon that stands to gain the most, as it is one of the most concrete checks to both Choice Band Aggron and Bulk Up Gurdurr, being able to Recover off Head Smashes with ease and prevent a boosted Gurdurr from being able to break through its Curse set. While Trevenant poses a threat, its Wood Hammer can easily be exploited by Grass-resistant teammates such as Garbodor and Ferroseed. Other Rock-resistant Pokémon such as Torterra and Poliwrath will probably also become more useful as Aggron's Head Smash becomes one of the key attacks that teambuilders must account for, while Vileplume and Pelipper may decline in popularity as physical tanks due to their inability to outspeed Aggron without significant investment or to take repeated Head Smashes.

Conclusions

While NU usually lacks absolutely terrifying tier shifts, such as Mega Pinsir and Mega Gyarados entering UU or Sharpedo dropping to RU, the tier still changes constantly as its players continue to innovate and improve. Lots of different sets and Pokémon are viable in this tier due to the lack of centralization, making it easy for individual players to make a difference and bring certain Pokémon, like Sliggoo and Barbaracle, into the limelight. With knowledge of which Pokémon are commonly seen, which sets are becoming more common and which are declining in usage, be sure to give NeverUsed a try, and maybe even see if you can start your own trends. Stay tuned for the next instalment of the NU Metagame Report in July!

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