Threats in Other Metagames: A Cross-Section

By Eevee General. Art by Bummer.
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Chansey by Bummer

Introduction

Other Metagames can look like a laboratory at times. It's a true testing ground, a place where Pokémon can be examined and re-purposed into roles different from what they'd normally take on in the standard tiers. Because of the many types of metagames we feature, a single Pokémon may have a unique role for each: sweeping here, walling there, or even doing both at the same time, all due to a few minor tweaks in the game's mechanics. This diversification is what often draws newcomers to our section. Where else can you find a Skarmory or Chansey sweeping through teams, or use a defensive Gyarados to wall physical attackers and support its team with hazard removal? Keep reading to find out!

Of course, some Pokémon still function quite well in their standard role after a few adjustments to fit them into the new environment. Skarmory is still a stalwart defender in most Other Metagames, but also has some new weapons in its arsenal. Gyarados can still set up with the utility of Intimidate and then later muscle through obstacles thanks to Mold Breaker in its Mega forme. This article will examine a handful of threats from various Other Metagames and display just how quickly things can change for them from one metagame to the next, showing you where they can excel with standard sets or where they're more likely to take on innovative roles instead.

Skarmory

Gale Wings Skarmory in Almost Any Ability

Skarmory

In Almost Any Ability, Skarmory's role is threefold: to use its ability Gale Wings to sweep or revenge kill with +1 priority Brave Birds, to check opposing users of Gale Wings such as Braviary or other physical attackers with its great typing and bulk, and to mitigate hazards for your team with Defog. Sharp Beak powers up Brave Bird, while Leftovers can grant it longevity if you prefer to capitalize on its ability to pivot. Shed Shell is also viable because Magnet Pull is no longer exclusive to Magnezone and Probopass, allowing Pokémon such as Heatran and Rotom-W the chance to capture and remove Skarmory that lack the item. Overall, this role compression is what makes Skarmory an S-rank threat, all by tweaking a single element, its ability. Skarmory can also run other abilities effectively, such as Intimidate and Unaware. However, they are not as potent and metagame-defining as Gale Wings due to the value the player gains all in one set.

Defensive Skarmory in STABmons

Skarmory

Similarly to Almost Any Ability, STABmons is a fast-paced metagame filled with powerful priority. This time around Skarmory is utilized for its defensive merits exclusively, and, because of how STABmons works, for its access to new moves that help it defeat offensive threats. One such new tool it gains is King's Shield, a move that lowers the opponent's Attack by two stages if it makes contact that turn. This helps Skarmory handle some of the metagame's scariest attackers. In particular, it was one of the best answers to Huge Power Diggersby before its ban because Skarmory's typing gives it an immunity to Ground and resistance to Normal, only fearing Wild Charge or Fire Punch coverage, two moves that make contact. Another new move that Skarmory can use is Metal Burst, which deals back 1.5 times the damage received that turn so long as Skarmory endures the hit, and it often does, thanks to Sturdy. A Rocky Helmet is added to further punish physical attackers, namely the users of Fake Out + Extreme Speed.

Chansey

Pink Blob Chansey in Inverse Battle

Chansey

Even though these two metagames are incredibly distinct, Chansey's roles in both take advantage of her monstrous bulk when backed up by Eviolite. However, due to the two metagame's wildly differing mechanics, the results couldn't have been more divergent. In Inverse Battle, she maintains a role similar to her standard set: tanking unboosted hits with ease, spreading status, and healing her team. On top of that, Chansey is one-half of a common defensive core that also features Avalugg. This core (dubbed Chanslugg) is akin to the infamous Blissey + Skarmory core from earlier generations because of its ability to cover a huge swath of threats between them. Chansey only fears Ghost-type attacks, and Avalugg must only be wary of Ice, making the duo nigh unbreakable if the opponent isn't carrying any super effective attacks.

Imposter Chansey in Balanced Hackmons

Chansey

Balanced Hackmons has produced such unique sets as Sturdy Shedinja and Prankster Assist Primal Groudon, but none are as infamous as Imposter Chansey, a set that has defined the metagame since its inception. Balanced Hackmons couldn't subsist without Imposter Chansey due to its ability to keep so many huge threats in check. Because of Imposter's mechanics, Chansey can transform into the foe upon switching in and copy any boosts it may have (in most cases), all while retaining her gigantic HP stat and the benefits from Eviolite. Fake Out is there should the opponent be shrouded in Illusion, and Skill Swap bypasses any Substitutes that block Imposter, forcing the foe to transform into Chansey instead. All in all Chansey—just by virtue of Imposter and Eviolite—is the biggest threat you'll come across in the metagame because it can be literally any Pokémon on your team, except much, much bulkier. Now that's something you don't see anywhere else.

Gyarados

Mega Gyarados in Monotype

Mega Gyarados

The key to playing Monotype is covering your type's weaknesses while balancing your offensive coverage to hit across the collection of the other types. For instance, while playing with Water, it's important to have checks for Electric and Grass (Water's two weaknesses) while also maintaining pressure against those two types and against the rest of your potential matchups, particularly those that resist Water (i.e. Dragon and opposing Water). Gyarados is a solid teammate on Water teams for its ability to put offensive pressure on Grass and Dragon (with Ice Fang) and for its ability to go toe-to-toe with other Water teams thanks to its resistance to Water and ability to hit back with a neutral Earthquake. If Gyarados is used on a Flying team, it's able to run a more defensive spread because when it mega evolves it gains a resistance to Ice, one of the types that hits Flying super effectively. A set with Rest, Sleep Talk, Dragon Dance, and Waterfall or Crunch gives your team an Ice resist, a status sponge, and a powerful physical sweeper all in one.

Defensive Gyarados in STABmons

Gyarados

When you look at Gyarados's stats, typing, and abilities under normal circumstances, the conclusion to run offensive sets makes sense. It has a strong base 125 Attack, usable base 81 Speed, which can outpace most threats after a Dragon Dance, plus Intimidate, which helps soften physical blows while it begins to setup. But throw something like the move Roost into the equation and suddenly Gyarados has a different song to sing. Its defensive stats of 95 / 79 / 100 backed up by Intimidate allow it to tank many common attacks from big STABmons threats such as Scizor, Keldeo, Heatran, and Mega Charizard X reliably throughout the match, cripple them with a Thunder Wave, and / or hit back hard with one of its STAB attacks. It even has access to Roar and Dragon Tail to shuffle the team and spread more paralysis. When combined with Ferrothorn, the two make a fantastic defensive core, covering each other's weaknesses nicely and putting pressure on the opponent with statuses and hazards.

Mega Rayquaza

Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza in Anything Goes

Mega Rayquaza

You can only find Mega Rayquaza in a few metagames, Anything Goes and Balanced Hackmons being the main ones. In Anything Goes, its power is unrivaled, especially with setup moves such as Dragon Dance and Swords Dance at its disposal. Here, you'll see it holding a Lum Berry so it can brush off Klefki's Thunder Wave or Swagger and Darkrai's Dark Void after it has set up and then dispatch them with a +1 or +2 Earthquake or Dragon Ascent, respectively. Not many Pokémon can survive a boosted hit and have the strength to KO Rayquaza back, leading some players to run things such as defensive Fairy Arceus just to handle the ascendant dragon.

Aerilate Revenger Mega Rayquaza in Balanced Hackmons

Mega Rayquaza

In Balanced Hackmons, Mega Rayquaza takes the concept of revenge killing and carries it to astronomical heights. Balanced Hackmons has few limits compared to other metagames, and as such you can run Mega Pokémon without their stones and give them just about any ability and moveset. With a base 180 Attack, the ability Aerilate, and Normal-type moves that turn into Flying-type such as Fake Out and Extreme Speed, there is little that can stand before Mega Rayquaza once it comes in. Physical walls must be wary of Boomburst, and Steel-types run the risk of taking Magma Storm if they try to absorb the Flying-type attacks. Safety Goggles give Mega Rayquaza an immunity to the ubiquitous Spore and allow it to fire off its own Spores without fearing Magic Bounce throwing the move back in its face. Whereas the Mega Rayquaza of Anything Goes is a smoldering threat that gains in intensity overtime, this one flashes in quick bursts, blasting holes in the opponent's team before receding away and waiting to strike again later.

Raikou

Red Orb Raikou in Mix and Mega

Raikou

Red Orb Raikou was an innovation created to check the prevalence of Absolite and Sceptilite Manaphy in Mix and Mega. With a Red Orb, it gains a secondary Fire typing, and while Desolate Land is active all Water-type attacks fail, giving Raikou an immunity to Manaphy's Water STAB. It also resists Ice Beam and Energy Ball thanks to the new Fire typing. Manaphy has since been banned, so the longevity of this set has yet to be seen. However, Raikou still makes for a solid Red Orb user thanks to its access to Weather Ball, which turns into a 100 Base Power Fire-type attack and gains STAB, and because of its primary Electric typing, Raikou can threaten most Water-type Pokémon in the metagame while they fail to do any damage with any Water-type attacks.

Weather Control Raikou in Almost Any Ability

Raikou

Where there is sun in Mix and Mega, in Almost Any Ability there is rain. Again, Raikou is performing in an offensive pivot capacity, but where it was concerned with checking Water attackers in Mix and Mega, here it would rather put an end to Fire abuse with one of two abilities. Drizzle gives more team support should you opt to run Swift Swim or another rain-based ability on your team, or if you'd just prefer to halve Fire-type attacks in general. On the other hand, Primordial Sea is a full stop to any Fire-type attack, meaning Victini's V-create and Entei's Sacred Fire will hit for no damage, and considering both are oft running Choice items, their hard-switch out of Raikou gives you a free turn to gain momentum or just slam the incoming target with a Choice Specs-boosted Thunder. And if the target is Ground-type it risks taking a rain-boosted Weather Ball instead!

Assault Vest Raikou in STABmons

Raikou

Lastly, in STABmons we see Raikou performing in yet another pivot role, but this time it's more defensive and supportive thanks to a particular move. Nuzzle has low distribution normally, but in STABmons it gives Electric-types a guaranteed attack that paralyzes the target (so long as it's not Ground, Electric, or has the ability Limber) that can't be impeded by Magic Bounce or Taunt. This move lets Raikou disable certain threats such as Shift Gear Mega Scizor as it sets up and then swap with a teammate via Volt Switch. Unlike Thunder Wave, Nuzzle also breaks Focus Sash and Sturdy, so if a foolish player were to keep in their Yanmega against your weakened Raikou hoping to set up Tail Glow and live your attack with their Sash and then sweep you, they will be sorely disappointed. The Assault Vest allows Raikou to hold its own versus other top threats such as Thundurus, and it even guarantees Raikou will survive a +2 Life Orb Serperior Leaf Storm before crippling it with Nuzzle and preventing any further rampage.

Conclusion

Pokémon fit into many different roles across Other Metagames thanks to the wide variety of different mechanics in each metagame. When playing in an Other Metagame for the first time, it's important to separate the Pokémon from what you know about it in standard play if you want to uncover its greatest potential. Then, as you move to a new metagame, to separate that knowledge again. With the examples above, we know that standard sets can work, and often they still work the best. But that won't always be the case. Not only will you sell yourself short if you ignore these other options and only use your favorite Pokémon in their standard archetype, you'll be missing the greatest perk that comes with playing in Other Metagames: the discovery of something new. So try out a few metagames and take your Pokémon for a spin in a different direction than you're used to. Who knows, you might be the one to unlock the next great Balanced Hackmons sweeper or STABmons supporter or Monotype tank. People are rediscovering new roles for Pokémon all the time, and the best part is there's always more to explore. Just remember this: in Other Metagames, anything goes isn't just a format, it's a reality.

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