RU Theorymonning

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

I'll go down the list of theories, I guess.

What if Klinklang learned Baton Pass?

Well, Klinklang would become all the more deadly, as it can then pass its mighty Shift Gear (Which is DD on steroids) boosts to many physical sweepers. Klinklang can sweep with Gear Grind and Return/Wild Charge easily, but if there's something like Steelix or Ferroseed to stop it, it can pass the deadly speed and Attack boosts to something like Scolipede or even Scraggy and get the party started. Klinklang would definitely find itself a spot on many teams because of this.

What if Tail Slap's accuracy was raised to 100%?

Cinccino is quite the boss already, with a powerful STAB move, although it does miss at the most crucial times, which means Cinccino may not accomplish much if it misses (because it is so frail). That said, a perfectly accurate Tail Slap may make Cinccino a bit more dangerous, because it can then just spam Tail Slap with no fear of missing, and it can have a smoother time sweeping teams once the Steels are gone. I'd say this would make Cinccino a bit easier to use, and it is already a beast, so why not?

What if Cinccino got a 25 BP-like Arm Thrust?

This would make Cinccino a lot harder to stop imo, since Steel-types will have a lot of a harder time dealing with it, and it would give it a nice coverage move so that it can't be walled too easily. As I said before though, Ghost-types may still give it trouble, particularly Spiritomb and Misdreavus, and a potential Dusclops drop doesn't help either. That said, Cinccino may still get a big improvement here.

What if Aggron got Shift Gear?

I would love it. Aggron gets CB's power to destroy, and also hits a good Speed tier to actually sweep something. It can set up and hit insanely hard while few can take a hit from this monster. It has Stone Edge+Heavy Slam+EQ to just hit like a damn truck and also do well. It might have to dump Head Smash for Stone Edge and also use Sturdy, because Aggron really would need to grab a turn to set up, although I see Head Smash Rock Head with this being usable. That said, it might find a hard time setting up, but it would be good.

What if Miltank learned Rapid Spin?

This would send most Spiker+Spinblocker cores into the bin, because this would be absurd. Something that can guarantee a spin 100% of the time, even against Rotom, makes sure spikers like Scolipede and Qwilfish don't set up beforehand. This may make Miltank a top supportive Pokemon, and actually make good use of SR+Rapid Spin, unlike Sandslash and Claydol. It would make Miltank popular, that's for sure, and this would be a really good tool for Miltank to have.

What if Hariyama, Poliwrath, and Throh got Drain Punch?

Throh would like this, as it could run a BU set and run multiple attacking moves in one set, and be a great hard hitter. It doesn't have to rely on RestTalk anymore since it could be a good bulky attacker and fit Payback and Stone Edge in. Hariyama could run it on a Guts set to make sure he lasts longer, as previously stated, and it could be cool over Fake Out (which is a bad move, end of story). Poliwrath, it might be cool to run BU, although standard RestTalk likes Scald and Circle Throw a lot, so that might be hard.

What if Electivire learned Volt Tackle?

This would make Electivire a legitimate threat, since it can actually KO the things it needs to, and could run a full time mixed set to just break down shit. This would actually KO Slowking and Feraligatr, which is nice, and overall it would make Electivire better and might make it lose its bad rap. This would make Electivire insanely easy to wear down though, as this may keep its HP down even more quickly than Wild Charge already does. Electivire would be a threat though, that's for sure.

I'll bring my own theory here:

What if Blastoise dropped to RU?

While I know this is never, ever going to happen, when I was looking through old RU stats threads from early BW1, I found out something I didn't expect to see: Blastoise was once an RU Pokemon. It is reasonably bulky, has Spin, and a rage inducing Scald and phazing to make a decent bulky spinner that also racks up hazard damage. So how would Blastoise do if it were RU?

 

[Mack the Knife]

What if Snover got Endeavor?

This could make for annoying Lvl. 1 lead due to Endeavor and hail. This would be great for hail teams since they'd usually be able start the battle 5-5, which is pretty good. Also, Snover would be way more useful to the team itself. If Snover ever got Endeavor, Cincinno and Ghost-types would be the only things that'd be able to deal with it. What do you guys think?

 

[Molk]

Here are two more mechanics based questions that i think might interest you guys! :)


What if the physical/special split never happened in generation 4

So basically, this would mean that all moves would be classified like they were back in advance: with certain types always being physical regardless of nature, and some types always being special. For reference heres a list that shows what types were what to make the theorymonning a little bit easier.

Physical:
Normal
Flying
Ground
Rock
Fighting
Ghost
Steel
Poison
Bug

Special:
Fire
Water
Grass
Electric
Psychic
Ice
Dragon
Dark

So, how do you think the meta would be affected if the physical/special split never happened or was reversed? What Pokemon would benefit from the change? and which Pokemon might be taken down a peg by this huge mechanics change? Would there be any Pokemon that wouldn't be affected at all? For me, Druddigon would definitely be nerfed quite a bit, as even though most Dragon-type moves are physical these days, it was classified as a special type back in the day, and Druddigon's base Special Attack is only exactly half of its physical Attack, pretty much ridding Druddigon with any STAB worth using. Of course it might still be viable, but the lack of a physical Outrage would definitely hurt. Other Pokemon that might dislike the change include Accelgor, Entei, Galvantula, and Kabutops as the lack of the split would remove some of their best STAB moves. As for a Pokemon that would benefit, i think Tangrowth might enjoy the new meta a bit, as not only does it remove most of its physical weaknesses bar Bug-type moves, making its walling job a bit easier, but it now has a slightly stronger Special power while to play with, allowing it to hit just a little bit harder.

What if the special stat was never split into special attack and special defense in gen 2. I will be taking into account the higher special stat for each Pokemon, and also take note that this question is completely seperate to the previous one, so the physical/special split is in effect.

For those of you who don't know (although i'm assuming a lot of you do) Special Attack and Special Defense didn't exist in generation 1, only one stat existed: special, and it was used for both a Pokemon's ability to deal special damage and take special attacks. Now, i'm wondering what would happen if this split never happened and which Pokemon would benefit from the change, there are probably quite a few. Off the top of my head, Uxie, Cryogonal, and Dusknoir would definitely benefit from there being only one special stat. Uxie now has a great base 130 Special to work with, greatly strengthening its offensive abilities and making it easier for it to sweep with Calm Mind, in my opinion it would probably end up in BL2 if it didn't end up moving to a higher tier eventually. Cryogonal would definitely love having the ability to throw Ice Beams and Blizzards around from the equivalent of a base 135 Special Attack, meaning even uninvested Cryogonal would pack a significantly bigger punch. Dusknoir would probably benefit the most out of the three, as its lack of a good physical STAB has been remedied by its massive base 135 Special and good Special STAB in Shadow Ball, Dusknoir would definitely get significantly better in a single special stat metagame. Some other Pokemon that might benefit include Articuno, Moltres, Tauros, and the vast majority of hail abusers, especially Glaceon and Regice . So what do you guys think, what would a single special stat RU be like?

EDIT: @Scordestroyer: i actually didn't think about eviolite at all when making this post x_x, i'm really not sure how eviolite would work tbh :/, maybe there'd be some way for it to reduce the damage it takes without increasing its damage output? idk ;-; also oh god regice x_____x

 

[scorpdestroyer]

Question: regarding your second theorymon, what happens when the Pokemon holds the Eviolite?
I see Tangrowth and Regice (and lol Shuckle) becoming huge threats. Tangrowth will have both defense stats being good, allowing it to switch into special attacks better. Meanwhile, Regice will become the ultimate threat especially in Hail, where it can spam the most powerful Blizzard in the game (200 base special iirc). And when it gets Ice Body, well... Destruction. Shuckle can run offensive sets much better since it is incredibly tanky and has a damn 230 special.

About the physical/special split, one thing to note is that Ghost and Dark types will become shittier. Absol will take a huge tumble without Pursuit and Sucker Punch. Spiritomb will rise as the top Dark-type in the tier as it can set up Calm Mind and fire off boosted Sucker Punches. Ghost-types will fall as well. Rotom has to rely on another coverage move apart from Shadow Ball. Misdreavus with Foul Play instead of Shadow Ball will also become more common. Dusknoir will become a decent offensive Ghost-types with Shadow Ball becoming physical, but unfortunately Spititomb still outclasses it :(

Other things:
Cincinno can no longer run Bullet Seed to rid Rock-types
Klinklang now is forced to run Return over Wild Charge
Ghost and Psychic types that used to run Focus Blast for coverage are sad
Aqua Jet, Sucker Punch and Ice Shard are now special

I'm too lazy to think of more

 

[TheSpecialOne]

I've been lurking on this thread for a while and since now Molk dropped a "bomb" about mechanics, this may now be the right time to come out with a new mechanic:

What if in the future, due to te large amount of moves, Pokemon start to have FIVE moves on their arsenal?

 

[MicfiJasan]

I'm not sure how appropriate mechanics changes are for this thread, but screw it, I find these interesting so I'll post about them anyway.

Special Stat Split: I find it ironic that just before I came here, I was looking at the Smog Articles for Pokemon who would have hit it big in RBY. Of course, almost all of them abused stuff like Amnesia and Slash, whose mechanics aren't part of these proposals, and a couple others were Rock-types that were valued for their normal resists, but there were a couple that fit into the category for this discussion.

Regice: Yeah 200 Special is quite ridiculous. I also don't think it'd stay in RU for more than a day.

Uxie: Uxie is now backed up by a powerful 130 Special stat. This allows him to dish out serious damage, and his SubCM set would become even more deadly.

Cryogonal: Keeping the 135 Special gives him a BST that would fit in with RBY, and makes his Ice Beams (or better yet, Hail-assisted Blizzards) hit a lot harder.

Tangrowth: This guy would have to take the SpA stat for this, otherwise Tangela would have 50 higher Special, which makes no sense whatsoever. However, this gives him massive 100/125/110 defenses, which is why the new adjustments presented in the article would be likely to hold.

The obvious problem with this is that the split into SpAtk and SpDef was so drastic that if we assume it isn't applied to RU only, then everything goes to hell. But pretty much anything that has a huge disparity between SpAtk and SpDef will either benefit a lot (like the guys I listed) or be absolutely crushed Sceptile and Emboar would likely take their lower SpDef stat to match BSTs with the Kanto starters of RBY, meaning Sceptile's Special sets go down the drain. Emboar wouldn't be affected, but he would miss the potential Special Sponging capabilities. The Hitmons would also be shattered, with their pathetic base 35 SpDef making them die to just about anything that can tank one hit from them. As for Shuckle, he's kinda in a weird spot, because his BST would either be legendary (495, Moltres level) or just suck (275, less than Farfetchd), so it'd be hard to determine what would be more appropriate for him.

Physical/Special Split: As for this part, the major moves that would be affected (outside of the ones already given): Bug Buzz, Crunch, Pursuit, Outrage, Flare Blitz, Hurricane, Shadow Ball, Leaf Blade, Psycho Cut, Flash Cannon and Waterfall. Earth Power, Sludge Wave/Bomb, and Icicle Crash are others that aren't seen as much but also affected. Basically, anything that liked using these moves is worse (poor Druddigon). One other thing is the elemental punches. Anything that would have run Hidden Power with one of these types could just run the elemental punch instead, opening up the slot for a different Hidden Power. Speaking of Hidden Power, physical Hidden Power is a thing again. Hidden Power Ground springs to mind as the best one, allowing Escavalier to easiliy beat Magneton and Birds like Swellow to break through Rock- and Steel-types.

Five Moves: Change 4MSS into 5MSS basically. Kabutops is the one who comes to mind for me, being able to run Waterfall, being more powerful than Aqua Jet, but more reliable than Stone Edge. Pokemon like Entei and Escavalier can run 4 attacks and Sleep Talk on choiced sets, but must beware the fact that Sleep Talk's reliability decreases as the number of options increases (but I guess they can always keep running 4 moves).

 

[Swamp-Rocket]

I hate to stop all mechanics stuff this but don't forget the OP

Here's how it's gonna work. I'm going to come up with a reasonable change to the RU metagame, and you guys discuss the aftereffects of this change, how it will affect the meta, some interesting sets you might use to combat this new change, any plausible counters, anything that you can think of to talk about this new potential change. This change could be anything from new DW abilities being released to UU drop-downs - even changes to the moves or abilities that current Pokemon have could be discussed. I'll also provide several questions to work off of (though you can make your own theories as well!), so hopefully it should be easy to just jump in and start discussing. I'm gonna give you guys an example or two of what's good and what's bad, just for clarification..

2.Leave base stats, typing, and everything else alone. This is an exercise about moves and abilities, not anything else.

Changing a mechanic doesn't seem reasonable especially because it completely alters the metagame, potentially causing so many dropdowns and move-ups to the point where it is hardly RU anymore. You could all of a sudden see something like Gengar show up in RU because it lost its STAB and Focus Blast, for example.

That means all this stuff about the orbs, 5 moves, and stat/move type changes doesn't fit the criteria of the thread.

 

[Explorer]

What if Uxie got Will-o-Wisp?

Many Psychic types get it, but this one sadly does not. Pokemon that are usually safe switch-ins (Aggron springs to mind immediately, as does Golurk) are now crippled by burns. Specially Defensive sets would rise in popularity since Will-o-Wisp patches up physical defense. Other Pokemon also absolutely hate burns (some even more than paralysis), such as Medicham, Fealigatr, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Escavalier, Ferroseed, Druddigon, Torterra, Primeape, Scolipede, the list goes on and on. One of these could serve as burn bait for Hariyama's Guts, but Uxie manhandles Hariyama pretty easily outside of the rare boosted Payback, so I don't think this is doing many Pokemon many favors, unless all Uxie run Will-o-Wisp over Thunder Wave, crippling Pokemon less so such as Galvantula, Cryogonal, and so forth. What sets do you imagine Uxie now running?

 

[EonX]

WIll-O-Wisp Uxie: This would be a pain in the rear end to deal with. When you think of many of the Pokemon that try to switch into Uxie, many of them are physical attackers due to the set of weaknesses Uxie has. Escavalier, Spiritomb, Absol, Aggron, Druddigon, Golurk, Steelix, and Scolipede. All get screwed over by burns. Will-O-Wisp probably becomes the main status move Uxie has with its Standard Support set looking something like SR, Psychic, U-Turn, Will-O-Wisp / Thunder Wave. I still think the EV spread on it would stay the same (with Defense EVs shifted to Special Defense and a Calm nature obviously) since one of Uxie's best traits as a defensive Pokemon is its high (for defensive standards) base 95 Speed.

 

[Nozzle]

11:33 Molk hone claws drudd =)
11:36 SuperJOCKE Man, if it got Dragon Rush, I'd use it
11:37 Molk dittocrow said it was really good when he tried it out
11:37 Silvershadow234 hc seems cool
11:37 Nozzle i was just gonna say that
11:38 Nozzle i was literally looking through its movepool and screaming WHY NO DRAGON RUSH
11:38 Silvershadow234 ikr
11:38 Silvershadow234 druddigon would be the only mon
11:38 Silvershadow234 that would use dragon rush
11:38 Silvershadow234 and it doesn't get it
11:38 Silvershadow234 ;_;

What if Druddigon got Dragon Rush?

As stated in the log Hone Claws Druddigon will be much better with the addition of Dragon Rush. Do you think it would affect the metagame a bit?

11:46 Silvershadow234 it prolly wouldn't affect the metagame in a huge way
11:46 Silvershadow234 but hc would be a lot better
11:46 Nozzle yeah
11:46 Silvershadow234 and cb maybe
11:46 Silvershadow234 idk if it hits harder than outrage with sheer force
11:47 Silvershadow234 I think it does tho
11:47 Silvershadow234 just
11:47 SuperJOCKE Oh I see
11:47 SuperJOCKE They didn't give Druddi Dragon Rush because it would be OP
11:47 SuperJOCKE with Sheer Force
11:48 SuperJOCKE +1 + Sheer Force boost + no LO recoil
11:48 Silvershadow234 that would be cool lol
11:48 SuperJOCKE Plus, Fire Blst gets better
11:49 SuperJOCKE Fuck, I want that now... ;-;

 

[EonX]

Dragon Rush Druddigon: This would be interesting. I could see a Hone Claws set coming out of this, but I can also see some people using Dragon Rush on the Mixed set as well as a STAB move that doesn't lock Druddigon in and still has a lot of power. (heck, the Mixed set may even use HC to utilize the slightly stronger Heat Wave!) btw, Druddigon doesn't get Fire Blast...

 

[Nozzle]

btw, Druddigon doesn't get Fire Blast...

SuperJOCKE had a derp moment I guess. Most Dragons get Fire Blast so I understand him thinking it has access to it.

but I can also see some people using Dragon Rush on the Mixed set as well as a STAB move that doesn't lock Druddigon in and still has a lot of power.

Dragon Rush still has terrible 75% accuaracy so it should'nt be used outside of HC sets.

 

[Mack the Knife]

If Druddigon got Dragon Rush?
I wouldn't expect an extremely huge change. Boosting moves on very slow Pokemon is usually a bad idea, but the sheer power it would bring might make this an exception. However if unable to set up Hone Claws, Druddiogn will be left with a move less accurate than Stone Edge. Also, Druddigon would be hard pressed to find time to set up. All in all, it would be used a bit, but CB Druddigon would still be used more. Best for TR.

 

[Explorer]

If Druddigon got Dragon Rush?
I wouldn't expect an extremely huge change. Boosting moves on very slow Pokemon is usually a bad idea, but the sheer power it would bring might make this an exception. However if unable to set up Hone Claws, Druddiogn will be left with a move less accurate than Stone Edge. Also, Druddigon would be hard pressed to find time to set up. All in all, it would be used a bit, but CB Druddigon would still be used more.

Trick Room would be a possibility. Good TR setters such as Uxie and Spiritomb can spread hazards, dual screens, burns, and then Trick Room, softening up a team to let Druddigon sweep more easily.

Druddigon (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 SpD
Nature: Brave
IVs: 0 Spe
-Hone Claws
-Dragon Rush
-Fire Punch
-Rock Slide/ThunderPunch/Earthquake/Sucker Punch/Superpower

Dragon + Fire is amazing coverage, and then basically pick one more move to fill in gaps you need. Note that Rock Slide, Thunder Fang, and Iron Tail all get a Sheer Force boost, while Sucker Punch has priority. Hone Claws boosts all the moves and Dragon Rush is a STAB.

 

[Explorer]

With the end of June on the horizon I think we should start discussing potential drop-downs from UU come the start of July. Based on UU usage stats, here are the Pokemon I see potentially making the drop:

In particular I fear that Moxie cleaning will become a thing again in RU as Scarf Krookodile rampages through the tier. Mismagius will give a faster, frailer alternative to Spiritomb for when necessary. Lastly, Dusclops will outclass Dusknoir in pretty much everything Dusknoir viably does (read: burn things, set up Trick Room, launch weak attacks, not much else). Dusknoir as a result would land in NU.

What does everybody think of these potential drops?

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

About the potential dropdowns (most of which I'm excited for)

Dusclops:

Dusclops would make an excellent spinblocker, he will definitely be a top choice for a Ghost-type and staple on stall teams. He has titanic defenses thanks to Eviolite, and can make use of them to be able to take on both Kabutops and Cryogonal one-on-one, putting good hurt on Kabutops while enduring Stone Edge, and Cryogonal will definitely lose. If I remember correctly, an unboosted Adamant Kabutops's Stone Edge only does about 30% to Dusclops, which means after a burn, combine Pressure and Stone Edge's low PP and horrid accuracy, Dusclops is going to be a solid answer to Kabutops. Cryogonal is definitely going to have difficulty breaking Dusclops, Pain Split can take advantage of recover while RestTalk sets stall it for weeks. Dusclops isn't just a spinblocker either; he has a pretty good defensive typing which allows him to take on common threats such as Cinccino, Gallade, and Scolipede, and Will-O-Wisp is wonderful. Dusclops would be complete bitch to take down, and can wall pretty much the whole RU tier without much effort. Roselia+Dusclops would be pretty legit on stall teams, as Roselia is an excellent spiker while Dusclops makes an outstanding spinblocker. Trick Room is also cool, and Dusclops can make a great Trick Room supporter, taking on Steelix and Escavalier while being bulky enough to set up TR. Dusclops is also LU on PO, where I went and gave him a swing, and I even managed to fit him nicely onto my offensive Spike-stacking team, as he spinblocks pretty well, making sure Scolipede's work never goes to waste, and he also manages to take down a couple of opponents, surprisingly enough. Dusclops will definitely be a solid choice in RU, and is sure to do well.

Also, Dusclops will make Dusknoir drop to NU, which will please most of us considering Dusknoir has been regarded as terrible.

Mismagius:

In my opinion, Mismagius would be one of, if not the best Pokemon in RU. Her ability to spinblock, along with her ability to sweep with Nasty Plot, would make her an excellent asset to offensive Spike-stacking teams. She can spinblock, and her speed and Thunderbolt allow her to put a quick end to Kabutops, while she can use Sub and set up NP to wear down Cryogonal. She's not just limited to spinblocking either; her sweeping potential can allow her to sweep teams and use the hazards she aims to spinblock to pull off quite a nice sweep. I think we may see the glory back to her days in DPP UU; special walls are about how well they can take Mismagius's Shadow Ball. Mismagius is going to be a pretty dangerous sweeper with Shadow Ball, HP Fighting, and T-bolt to sweep teams. Her access to CM also allows her to go for SubCM, and be a pretty good sweeper as well. I'm also seeing a good stallbreaker set with Taunt, WoW, and Pain Split, functioning similarly to Sableye in many aspects, being a bitch to face. Mismagius is, in my opinion, definitely going to be a prominent threat in RU.

Krookodile:

Well firstly, it would make a pretty welcome return for the senior players of RU, as it was here a while ago. It would make a pretty fearsome sweeper, with Scarf Moxie and its solid coverage allowing it to decimate teams. It has Pursuit, making things like Rotom-N and Uxie run for their lives at the beast. It can use a Life Orb set as well, breaking down slower mons. It would do well on Spike-stacking teams as a great sweeper. It has a pretty solid typing overall, and would make a top Dark-type in UU.

I think Dusclops might be a B-Rank threat, Mismagius an S-Rank threat, and Krookodile an A threat.

Just my thoughts on the three potential drops.

 

[EonX]

Dusclops: We've been wanting a Ghost-type that can actually switch into and beat Kabutops one-on-one with consistency. Well, this would be it. Pressure, titanic defenses, Will-O-Wisp, and the ability to use RestTalk for some sort of healing means that Dusclops could easily put a stop to Kabutops. However, that said, Dusclops would pretty much be limited to Stall teams (SV would approve haha) as it has next to no offensive presence. TR teams may also rise since Dusclops can pretty much take any single hit and set it up.

Mismagius: This would make me overjoyed. Mismagius is pretty much my favorite Pokemon from DPP UU. It would be a great addition in RU. I can see SubNP being hell to deal with considering it would have pretty much all the coverage it needs in Shadow Ball + HP Fighting (sorry, Poliwrath can't phase with Circle Throw whereas Steelix can with Roar) Sub would protect Missy from status ailments and revenge killers alike and pretty much makes stuff like Uxie and Clefable setup bait. SubCM would also be potent since it would allow Missy to boost her Special Defense as well, ensuring the likes of Poliwrath and Uxie can't break her Subs. Base 105 Speed would just add to it all as this could be utilized to make a pretty solid Stallbreaker set that can lure out the likes of Absol and Escavalier, only to burn them as they go for Sucker Punch / Pursuit.

Krookodile: This would seem like a mixed bag. It's weak to some pretty common types in RU atm (Water, Grass, and Bug) but that typing that lets it down defensively would help it tons offensively, allowing it to smash top threats such as Slowking, Uxie, and Entei for heavy, if not lethal, damage. It would probably become the premier late-game cleaner in the tier with Moxie. One thing's for sure though. I can see Poliwrath usage rising quite a bit if this thing drops.

There's my two cents worth lol.

 

[Mack the Knife]

What if Cryognal got spikes?

I think it could make it much more versatile. It'd also be one of the few Pokemon in the tier that can lay down hazards and spin. This could make it fill different roles on the team as well. What do you guys think?

 

[Explorer]

Mismagius's attacking options

Interestingly Mismagius also gets Power Gem and Energy Ball, moves that could work specifically to solve a team's Moltres and Quagsire problems, respectively. It of course has Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, and HP Fighting to use too, or HP Fire for Escavalier, Tangrowth, and Ferroseed.

In summary here are Mismagius's different attacking options:

Energy Ball*
Power Gem**
Psychic
Shadow Ball
Hidden Power***
Sucker Punch****
Thunderbolt (Thunder in rain)

I would not generally use physical moves other than Sucker Punch.

*Only really for teams that are very weak to Quagsire and to a lesser extent Kabutops
**For teams very weak to Moltres, especially Hail teams
***Fighting, Fire, Ice, Ground
****Only with attack investment; a Hasty nature will likely be preferred here

Dusclops cores

Like Roselia, Qwilfish will also make a good partner for Dusclops since it spreads status (Thunder Wave) and Spikes, giving a very potent defensive core for defensive or stall teams (you could even do Physically Defensive Qwilfish + Specially Defensive Dusclops + three HO sweepers + cleaner). The aforementioned Scolipede could also work to abuse SpikeStacking; Omastar has access to all three types of hazards and can surprise opponents by setting hazards since it is usually seen sweeping with Shell Smash.

 

[MegaKick]

As one of the few people who actually use stall in ru, those drops would certainly be interesting. While dusclops would be nice to have as a spinblocker who can actually beat the spinners (until people start using subtops) but mismagius... I can't even think of something on stall that could beat subcm missy, maybe a CBtomb if its at max health of so wierd clefable set, but thats about it. Of course I doubt that subcm will be its most common set but still a huge threat. As for krook, I really don't see it being too good. It's walled hard by amoongus/alomomola and earthhquake/crunch are very risky moves to be locked into, so he would require some really good skills to use effectively.

On another topic, people should really stop using sigilyph as a cosmic power mon, its still pretty easy to beat even at +1 and spiritomb laughs at him (and the rare resting drapion) . On the other hand, it's offensive set, with or without cm, is a fantastic sweeper with a great speed tier and 2 great abilities to choose from.

 

[Nozzle]

What if Klinklang was part Electric type?

Imo it should've been. It get's a ton of Electric moves. Variying from Volt Switch to Thunder Wave to Zap Cannon. He doesn't quite make use of those but what he does make use of is it's STAB on Wild Charge.

Would this make Klinklang more of a threat?
Would Air Balloon be its new favorite item due to x4 weakness to ground?

 

[Mack the Knife]

I'll start with the 2nd question: Yes, Klinklang would love using Air Balloon, but it would face competition from Lum Berry or Leftovers, but it all depends on what most people choose. It could go either way. Now on to the 1st question: He would get a new STAB which would be very useful. Also, STAB boosted Wild Charge would be great for breaking through Slowking, Qwilfish, and Poliwrath. It would still keep the same threats however. Steelix would be even more of a threat do to Earthquake. Also, Ferroseed and Magneton would continue to wall it as well. The resistance to Electric would be useful.
P.S. R.I.P. James Gandolfini. I shouldn't be the one saying this, since I never watched The Soparanoes, but nobody else was.

 

[ryan]

Super late to the party, but I wanted to respond to the Blastoise drop question.

Blastoise to RU

I think this could be really cool. With Wish support from something like Clefable (I would say Alomomola but the compounded weakness would suck), Blastoise could really excel in RU. While Kabutops—and to an extent Cryogonal—would easily serve as a better offensive Rapin Spin user, Blastoise will definitely outclass Sandslash, a Pokemon it might otherwise be compared to due to the struggles they could both have with beating Ghost-types, through the use of Foresight alongside Rapid Spin. This gets off a nearly guaranteed spin, since the idea of running two Ghost-types in RU—especially with the effectiveness of CB Spiritomb—is fairly absurd. While yes, Hitmonchan also has access to both of these moves, it sports nowhere near the bulk that Blastoise has.

Blastoise in RU would probably be great for stall and balanced teams. Having a bulky Rapid Spin user that is neither weak to Stealth Rock nor named Sandslash would be a great thing for these types of teams!

I'll also throw out my own question.

What if Rotom-Cut had access to Giga Drain?

Rotom-Cut is most commonly seen wielding a Choice Scarf, and for good reason; it has pretty good power, a couple of high Base Power moves, good Speed, an immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, and access to Trick. Some of these qualities would also make it a great Pokemon for bulky offense teams—especially because it's no slouch on the defensive side, with 50 / 107 / 107 bulk. Giga Drain would allow it to perform more consistently outside of the role of a Choice Scarf user. I would imagine a set with something like Giga Drain / Will-O-Wisp / Hidden Power Fire / Thunderbolt | Volt Switch with either Leftovers or an Expert Belt to bluff a Choice Scarf would probably be most common when using Rotom-Cut without a Scarf. What do you guys think? Would this lead to more bulky spreads being used? Would it benefit it greatly, or would people just continue to use Leaf Storm?

 

[Explorer]

What if Rotom-Cut had Giga Drain?

Hey, why not? Gamefreak, give it to us for Gen VI!

Anyway, Rotom-C now has a source of recovery beyond Leftovers/Pain Split, and it has STAB. It still keeps all of the advantages it has, such as Volt Switch, multiple status moves, and great STAB moves. Here is one set I see as a possibility, inspired by the Sceptile that fly around everywhere in RU:

Rotom-C @ Grass Gem
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA/4 SpD/252 Spe
Nature: Timid
IVs: 0 Atk
-Leaf Storm
-Giga Drain
-Volt Switch
-Pain Split

This set also bluffs a choice item. When ready, Rotom can launch an absolutely devastating Grass Gem-boosted Leaf Storm with 315 BP factoring in STAB and the gem. With a lowered Special Attack, Rotom can quickly switch out with Volt Switch. Then, later in the battle, it can use Giga Drain and Pain Split to recover lost health and compensate for the lack of Leftovers.

While this is thus certainly helpful for Rotom-C to have, it is not game-revolutionizing by any means, and its typical checks and counters will remain pretty much the same.

What if Sceptile got Technician?

Technician Acrobatics. Enough said.

Well, this is Sceptile's most commonly used move that gets a boost. Hidden Power can be adjusted to 60 BP with the proper IV spread to technically get you a base power of 90 rather than 70.

I think this is a great place to show some offensive calcs for Sceptile:

252Atk Flight Gem +2 Technician Sceptile (Neutral) Acrobatics vs 252HP/252Def Escavalier (Neutral): 88% - 104% (306 - 361 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO. 30% chance to OHKO. (Guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock or one layer of Spikes)
252Atk Flight Gem +2 Technician Sceptile (Neutral) Acrobatics vs 252HP/240Def Thick Fat Walrein (+Def): 73% - 86% (312 - 368 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO. (almost a guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock or three layers of Spikes)
252Atk Flight Gem +2 Technician Sceptile (Neutral) Acrobatics vs 252HP/0Def Druddigon (Neutral): 122% - 144% (438 - 516 HP). Guaranteed OHKO.

While this lets Sceptile get tons of KOs with certain setup, there are no other viable moves besides Acrobatics and Hidden Power that get a boost. I am not sure if Sceptile would rather have the speed boost from Unburden, as it already outspeeds almost everything anyway.

 

[EonX]

Giga Drain Rotom-C: This would be neat for any Rotom-C not using a Choice item. Support-based sets would appreciate the healing and lack of a Special Attack drop after using a Grass STAB while an Expert Belt set would also be made a good bit better for its ability to actually stay in after using its Grass STAB.

Technician Sceptile: I really don't think this would be too useful. Outside of Acrobatics and Hidden Power, Sceptile doesn't have any low power moves that would help it out much. Physical Sceptile actually likes Unburden since the only 2 common Pokemon that run priority that it takes neutral damage from are Spiritomb and Entei and Sceptile outruns everything after Unburden. This is why physical Sceptile is such a nightmare for Offensive teams to face since it outpaces everything after an Unburden boost and still has pretty good power despite the lack of Life Orb.

What if Mesprit could learn Flamethrower?

Mesprit's BoltBeam coverage is really good, but the common flaw is Mesprit's inability to hit Steels for major damage as most have ways of KOing Mesprit (Escavalier has Megahorn / Pursuit. Durant outspeeds. Steelix and Klinklang have the bulk to take Ice Beam and Thunderbolt respectively and respond) With Flamethrower, Mesprit could solve a lot of its coverage issues by putting it over Ice Beam (with the lone fact of not hitting Druddigon for super effective damage) and striking every Steel-type in the tier for super effective damage bar Aggron. Mesprit could also maybe run an All-Out Attacker set running all 4 moves (Psychic / Psyshock, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and Flamethrower) as well to lure out and KO certain targets after revealing certain coverage moves.