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Smogon Shoddy Server Statistics - November 2008
- Thread starter DougJustDoug
- Start date
No surprise with Scizor.
And nice to see Rhyperior, Flygon and Empoleon sneak into UU. I love my CB Rhyperior =]
And nice to see Rhyperior, Flygon and Empoleon sneak into UU. I love my CB Rhyperior =]
1) To me, it would seem that the top Pokémon in the tier should automatically be a suspect. On the other hand, maybe that's just 'cause I'm high (which I'm not).
2) That's basically what I said. That really wasn't a comment that one would expect to see criticized.
3) Again, I knew that. I was just pointing it out, because (at least in my opinion) Dragonite must be a little better than Flygon.
4) Re-read my previous two comments.
5) I've come to the conclusion that Scizor probably has to switch out because of all these Choice Bands. Obviously Scizor locked into a Bullet Punch can't stay in on Empoleon whether it's got Superpower or not. Steel/Water is some amazing typing. It beats Kingdra and just about anything else that relies mainly on Water attacks, since they usually only carry Toxic to beat bulky Waters. If only it had Levitate to go with it (since it is a bird, after all) it would be used almost as much as Bronzong.
6) Naw, I'm sure Trick is the number one noobie strategy now. :P
Oh yeah, and to the above poster ^ Rhyperior, Flygon and Empoleon have snuck into OU, not UU. XD
what do I say to this?
how does this even make sense?
edit: also, not surprised to see Rhyperior get some use, but I'm surprised to see it OU so soon. Same for Empoleon. Also lovely to see the original "omg gaaaaay" grasser beating Shaymin-S significantly in usage :)
| 91 | Venusaur | 4860 | ._.
Am I the only one who thinks that this thing needs to be used more? It easily cripples a lot of OU and is much much more durable than Roserade. Hidden Power Ice really gives Mence problems and it has the bulk to do it and take a non Spec'd Fire move from that Dragon too. Also Sleep Powder and Leech Seed mind games are way too sexy to pass up.
Am I the only one who thinks that this thing needs to be used more? It easily cripples a lot of OU and is much much more durable than Roserade. Hidden Power Ice really gives Mence problems and it has the bulk to do it and take a non Spec'd Fire move from that Dragon too. Also Sleep Powder and Leech Seed mind games are way too sexy to pass up.
Are you serious? When you make a team you'd almost have to be trying to not include a Scizor counter. Getting Bullet Punch and Superpower hardly make it a suspect. Next month its usage will be down and anyone crying suspect will get over it, like (most) of the Shaymin people were a couple months ago.
Haha, Yanmega's out of OU.
Why do people still use E-vire? Especially more than things like Heracross?
The Flygon whoring has made me happy, in BL play I've always found Scarfgon to be a formidable opponent. Keep the Flygon usage up, maybe one day I'll use a BL team on the OU ladder...
Kingdra at #21 right below Suicune looks to be firmly OU for the time being. Let's hope that it's permanent this time.
In UU ladder news, seems like Lapras at #30 shows that people aren't too crazy about Platinum DD Lapras...
Why do people still use E-vire? Especially more than things like Heracross?
The Flygon whoring has made me happy, in BL play I've always found Scarfgon to be a formidable opponent. Keep the Flygon usage up, maybe one day I'll use a BL team on the OU ladder...
Kingdra at #21 right below Suicune looks to be firmly OU for the time being. Let's hope that it's permanent this time.
In UU ladder news, seems like Lapras at #30 shows that people aren't too crazy about Platinum DD Lapras...
Dont forget the great leaf storm =]
I think people see it as to sub-par to use in OU, although its beast in UU
As always, thank you for your hard work, Doug.
Uber analysis for this month:
1. Kyogre (=)
2. Rayquaza (=)
3. Groudon (=)
~Significant Rift in Usage~
4. Darkrai (+3)
5. Dialga (-1)
6. Mewtwo (+2)
7. Palkia (-1)
~SRiU~
8. Lugia (+1)
9. Scizor (+3)
10. Deoxys-e (=)
11. Deoxys-f (-6)
12. Giratina (+1)
13. Blissey (+2)
14. Latias (-3)
~SRiU~
15. Mew (+5)
16. Metagross (=)
17. Garchomp (-3)
--- OU cut-off point ---
18. Bronzong (=)
19. Tyranitar (=)
20. Giratina-o (+1)
21. Forretress (-4)
22. Ho-oh (+3)
23. Manaphy (+4)
24. Shedinja (+7)
25. Latios (-2)
Top leads: Deoxys-e and Darkrai, by twice as many usages over #3 on.
The RSE trio continues to dominate the top 3. The decline of usage after Groudon is steeper this month than ever before. Kyogre's iron-grip on #1 is loosening, and he will most likely heed the #1 seat to Rayquaza by next month! Last month, Kyogre was used approximately 10.6% more often than Ray and 46.4% more than Groudon. This month, his lead over them has shrunk to 1.5%(!) and 6.6%. Kyogre hasn't gotten any worse; many other pokemon have just gotten better.
Rayquaza's usage hasn't slowed down one bit in response to ScarfDialga, but his common movesets have splintered off. SD is no longer the standard Ray set - DD has gained a significant lead (although continue to expect SD). Mixed sets have also been rising in popularity, and I expect them to rise throughout the month.
Support Groudon has dropped in favor of Rock Polish Groudon - who fits well in the current special, speedy metagame. The metagame is evolving to deal with the potent threat RP Groudon posed, and many Groudon users are mixing and matching various sets in order to counter.
Darkrai needs little explaining. Scarfrai functions as an excellent anti-lead and can usually incapacitate at least two opponents to Dark Void and Trick before going down. The Nasty Plotter can sweep a team clear if you're not ready for him. (I personally have had little trouble dealing with them though - bar misses or critical hits, which can end the game - and not much success using it, although I have been using the one attack variant)
BUrestalk and support Dialgas have taken a back seat to Choice Scarf Dialga, who is keeping a myriad of current metagame threats at bay with its handy defensive typing - foremost among them being Rayquaza. ScarfDialga is the primary reason Rayquazas are running DD.
LO Mewtwo has become tremendously popular this month - most people are probably using him as a Deoxys-f substitute - Mewtwo's superior movepool and durability make him a better choice in a metagame filled with scarfers, priority moves, and "everything else" (which usually won't die in one hit). *Unfortunately, unlike Deoxys though, the standard LO Mewtwo will never beat Blissey one on one without Self-Destruct.
Choice Scarf Palkia continues to be the most popular variant by far (well over 60%). Recently though, it hasn't felt as threatening as some of the other major threats. It might just be misuse though (more Groudons and fewer Kyogres certainly don't help, since most Palkias don't, although they should, run Fire Blast) I see the other variants becoming more popular this month (and while I have no proof, I could swear Lustrous Orb usage was increasing, but maybe I'm underestimating Spacial Rend's power).
Standard physical wall Lugia usage has risen slightly this month, probably in response to sweeping-oriented Groudons and the rising popularity of Scizor. The CM variant has also picked up some steam - they either succeed completely or fail utterly, in my experience, usually the latter.
Scizor's usage has skyrocketed since the addition of Bullet Punch, making the trapper set more threatening than ever. Many Scizors now choose to eschew Roost though for Brick Break - partly for Blissey, partly to destroy screens.
Deoxys-e's usage remains steady this month - the standard spiker lead follows the same premise as in OU - get down SR (and maybe spikes) at all costs. Most run Focus Sash, but a few were desperate enough to run Choice Scarf to stop lead Scarf Darkrais from stopping them.
Deoxys-f took the heaviest hit this month. The SR lead set is completely shut down by Deoxys-e, and Bullet Punch/Pursuit Scizor, Extreme Speed Ray, and a number of scarfers who can all shut him down one way or another (Darkrai, Dialga, Palkia) hamper his attempt at a rampage.
Like Lugia, Giratina's usage has risen a little this month, probably to deal with the same threats Lugia is tackling. The great wall set continues to be the most dominating, although there are more CMRestalkers this month (as there should be, since the Wow/Restalk set can very easily become set-up bait).
Blissey's usage rose this month - just in line with Latias' decline too, since Blissey has an easier time handling many of the current special threats. Most of them are choiced users who don't pose too much of a threat to Blissey (and Darkrai). Blissey also has an easier time dealing with Scizor. Coverage over Kyogre is also getting covered by other things.
Almost 100% of the time Mew is a straight speed BPer, usually without outside screen and rock/spike support. Irritating to play against, actually, but people are finding ways around it, so I don't expect it to climb any higher.
Metagross and Garchomp remain about the same. No significant changes. Interestingly, Garchomp's usage has dropped a bit while Metagross' remains constant.
Other comments: I could swear there were more Tyranitars this month. 19th doesn't seem right. More people should use Giratina-o - those ground and fighting immunities (and all those resistances) really come in handy, and even a straight-up attacking stat is monstrously powerful. It takes resisted hits like a champ - SE hits are pretty damaging though (which is why I've been running a Sub/Draco Meteor/Shadow Ball/Outrage set with maxed attack stats). For some reason, there were a bunch of Ho-ohs this month, many without Groudon too. Anyone want to take a stab at that? Finally, Latios usage has plummetted. He's 25th now, far below standard. That sounds about right. The special attackers of this metagame outclass him.
Miscellaneous:
Total pokemon usages: 50946
There were approximately 28.5% fewer uber battles played this month.
Uber analysis for this month:
1. Kyogre (=)
2. Rayquaza (=)
3. Groudon (=)
~Significant Rift in Usage~
4. Darkrai (+3)
5. Dialga (-1)
6. Mewtwo (+2)
7. Palkia (-1)
~SRiU~
8. Lugia (+1)
9. Scizor (+3)
10. Deoxys-e (=)
11. Deoxys-f (-6)
12. Giratina (+1)
13. Blissey (+2)
14. Latias (-3)
~SRiU~
15. Mew (+5)
16. Metagross (=)
17. Garchomp (-3)
--- OU cut-off point ---
18. Bronzong (=)
19. Tyranitar (=)
20. Giratina-o (+1)
21. Forretress (-4)
22. Ho-oh (+3)
23. Manaphy (+4)
24. Shedinja (+7)
25. Latios (-2)
Top leads: Deoxys-e and Darkrai, by twice as many usages over #3 on.
The RSE trio continues to dominate the top 3. The decline of usage after Groudon is steeper this month than ever before. Kyogre's iron-grip on #1 is loosening, and he will most likely heed the #1 seat to Rayquaza by next month! Last month, Kyogre was used approximately 10.6% more often than Ray and 46.4% more than Groudon. This month, his lead over them has shrunk to 1.5%(!) and 6.6%. Kyogre hasn't gotten any worse; many other pokemon have just gotten better.
Rayquaza's usage hasn't slowed down one bit in response to ScarfDialga, but his common movesets have splintered off. SD is no longer the standard Ray set - DD has gained a significant lead (although continue to expect SD). Mixed sets have also been rising in popularity, and I expect them to rise throughout the month.
Support Groudon has dropped in favor of Rock Polish Groudon - who fits well in the current special, speedy metagame. The metagame is evolving to deal with the potent threat RP Groudon posed, and many Groudon users are mixing and matching various sets in order to counter.
Darkrai needs little explaining. Scarfrai functions as an excellent anti-lead and can usually incapacitate at least two opponents to Dark Void and Trick before going down. The Nasty Plotter can sweep a team clear if you're not ready for him. (I personally have had little trouble dealing with them though - bar misses or critical hits, which can end the game - and not much success using it, although I have been using the one attack variant)
BUrestalk and support Dialgas have taken a back seat to Choice Scarf Dialga, who is keeping a myriad of current metagame threats at bay with its handy defensive typing - foremost among them being Rayquaza. ScarfDialga is the primary reason Rayquazas are running DD.
LO Mewtwo has become tremendously popular this month - most people are probably using him as a Deoxys-f substitute - Mewtwo's superior movepool and durability make him a better choice in a metagame filled with scarfers, priority moves, and "everything else" (which usually won't die in one hit). *Unfortunately, unlike Deoxys though, the standard LO Mewtwo will never beat Blissey one on one without Self-Destruct.
Choice Scarf Palkia continues to be the most popular variant by far (well over 60%). Recently though, it hasn't felt as threatening as some of the other major threats. It might just be misuse though (more Groudons and fewer Kyogres certainly don't help, since most Palkias don't, although they should, run Fire Blast) I see the other variants becoming more popular this month (and while I have no proof, I could swear Lustrous Orb usage was increasing, but maybe I'm underestimating Spacial Rend's power).
Standard physical wall Lugia usage has risen slightly this month, probably in response to sweeping-oriented Groudons and the rising popularity of Scizor. The CM variant has also picked up some steam - they either succeed completely or fail utterly, in my experience, usually the latter.
Scizor's usage has skyrocketed since the addition of Bullet Punch, making the trapper set more threatening than ever. Many Scizors now choose to eschew Roost though for Brick Break - partly for Blissey, partly to destroy screens.
Deoxys-e's usage remains steady this month - the standard spiker lead follows the same premise as in OU - get down SR (and maybe spikes) at all costs. Most run Focus Sash, but a few were desperate enough to run Choice Scarf to stop lead Scarf Darkrais from stopping them.
Deoxys-f took the heaviest hit this month. The SR lead set is completely shut down by Deoxys-e, and Bullet Punch/Pursuit Scizor, Extreme Speed Ray, and a number of scarfers who can all shut him down one way or another (Darkrai, Dialga, Palkia) hamper his attempt at a rampage.
Like Lugia, Giratina's usage has risen a little this month, probably to deal with the same threats Lugia is tackling. The great wall set continues to be the most dominating, although there are more CMRestalkers this month (as there should be, since the Wow/Restalk set can very easily become set-up bait).
Blissey's usage rose this month - just in line with Latias' decline too, since Blissey has an easier time handling many of the current special threats. Most of them are choiced users who don't pose too much of a threat to Blissey (and Darkrai). Blissey also has an easier time dealing with Scizor. Coverage over Kyogre is also getting covered by other things.
Almost 100% of the time Mew is a straight speed BPer, usually without outside screen and rock/spike support. Irritating to play against, actually, but people are finding ways around it, so I don't expect it to climb any higher.
Metagross and Garchomp remain about the same. No significant changes. Interestingly, Garchomp's usage has dropped a bit while Metagross' remains constant.
Other comments: I could swear there were more Tyranitars this month. 19th doesn't seem right. More people should use Giratina-o - those ground and fighting immunities (and all those resistances) really come in handy, and even a straight-up attacking stat is monstrously powerful. It takes resisted hits like a champ - SE hits are pretty damaging though (which is why I've been running a Sub/Draco Meteor/Shadow Ball/Outrage set with maxed attack stats). For some reason, there were a bunch of Ho-ohs this month, many without Groudon too. Anyone want to take a stab at that? Finally, Latios usage has plummetted. He's 25th now, far below standard. That sounds about right. The special attackers of this metagame outclass him.
Miscellaneous:
Total pokemon usages: 50946
There were approximately 28.5% fewer uber battles played this month.
What? Choice Specs is not listed under Heatran's items? WTF? Don't people like the thought of burning 80+% off from Starmie with a fire attack?
Venusaur's problem is that he's too similar to celebi. His only real advantage is sleep powder.
People are getting a bit overzealous with Scizor if you ask me. Everyone is drooling over it and I found people throwing it into random teams that don't support it, or just leaving it in against stupid shit it can't win. So far my bulky RestTalk DD gyarados is about 55-3 against Scizor's. Only 3 losses being if I was too weak or got haxed.
Yanmega usage falling still disappoints me though.
Yanmega usage falling still disappoints me though.
Too bad Yanmega beats 3 out of those 4 pokemon handily...
Yeah, I mean people actually leave their Swords Dance Scizor's into Gyarados thinking it will actually win
I'm still disappointed at the lack of Specstran in November.
How the hell can Yanmega beat Zapdos and Bullet Punch Scizor (I doubt it can survive LO BP at 50% but I could be wrong ~_~).
Scizor is no surprise as the #1 poke, though.
What surprised me was Hitmontop. It is a top tier and all (and I use him on most of my teams) but never thought he would be #1.
On the other side, Froslass popularity as a suicide lead is not surprising at all. Everyone and their mothers are using it and it is effective as HELL.
2 layers of spikes minimum. And Rotom makes it even worse to spin.
Stall teams are all the rage at the UU ladder (even myself used one for a while).
Anyway, I'm still waiting for all the BLs to go down... (not that I don't like the actual metagame, but people have been talking about that for ages. I also don't see the problem of testing UU together with OU but yeah).
Scizor is no surprise as the #1 poke, though.
What surprised me was Hitmontop. It is a top tier and all (and I use him on most of my teams) but never thought he would be #1.
On the other side, Froslass popularity as a suicide lead is not surprising at all. Everyone and their mothers are using it and it is effective as HELL.
2 layers of spikes minimum. And Rotom makes it even worse to spin.
Stall teams are all the rage at the UU ladder (even myself used one for a while).
Anyway, I'm still waiting for all the BLs to go down... (not that I don't like the actual metagame, but people have been talking about that for ages. I also don't see the problem of testing UU together with OU but yeah).
Air Slash? Although most Yanmegas have Speed Boost...
I love how Skymin went down as people harped about how big of an influence he had.
When a trend is high, then decreases, one can only assume it's because the trend is no longer as effective, no?
Oh well. Smogonites will ban anything that makes them change their team.
When a trend is high, then decreases, one can only assume it's because the trend is no longer as effective, no?
Oh well. Smogonites will ban anything that makes them change their team.
Probably the presence of Skymin and its general utility as a physical wall supported its comeback
Some of these numbers are pretty surprising. Just judging by what I've seen on the ladder, I would've thought that there were far fewer Electivires, and far more Magnezones. I'm especially shocked that there are so few Mamoswines, considering how well Mamo does against so many of the top threats. Especially when paired with Magnezone, which can take out Bronzong, Forretress, Scizor, etc. And I'd like to point out that I predicted in the Shaymin-S thread that this month's stats would reflect its power in favor of OU. Before someone brings up Wobbuffet, by the way, I'd like to point out that Wobbuffet has always been hated, and that not nearly as many people ever used Wobb as used Skymin in the first month it came out. Tickle Wobb wasn't incredibly common because it flew under the radar, and few people were even willing to use it. Lots of people were willing to use Skymin, and stopped using it. Doesn't that communicate?