So I was thinking back to the GSC + Celebi/Ho-oh mini-tours from a while back that... well, failed miserably. The idea behind these, though, was to see what GSC might look like with one of these Ubers added to the mix. It's interesting because most of GSC's Ubers are defensively-oriented, whereas in other generations most Ubers are behemoths that can very obviously overpower standards with their attacking prowess.
Basically, what I'm looking for is:
Alternatively, you can just comment on what somebody else has said if you only have something quick to add about a Pokemon somebody else has already discussed. To start things off, I'll discuss what happens with the addition of Ho-oh to GSC OU:
Ho-oh @ Leftovers
If you add Ho-oh to GSC OU, this is the standard set in my eyes. It's got a great BST, but despite those nice attacking stats, it doesn't have a decent Physical STAB or access to DynamicPunch, so an attacking set is out of the question. A Sunny Day set might seem nice until you realize that in addition to having to worry about Snorlax, Waters, and Tyranitar, you now also have to deal with other Ho-oh. Really, the thing Ho-oh is best at is burning things and not dying, so it's better off running a semi-offensive support set like this. It can Recover stall all sorts of crazy stuff, can Phaze even +1 Surf Vaps, and can spread status thanks to its attacks' secondary effects.
Ho-oh would probably be a standard, even with everything it has going against it (namely, poor typing and suboptimal matchups against Snorlax and the Electrics). Its stats are just way too good for it not to be used a ton. Because of this, the metagame would definitely shift around it. Its propensity to Burn and Paralyze things would send Bell usage through the roof, and mixed offensive stuff would probably plummet since Ho-oh walls it all and threatens status. Nidoking would go all but extinct. Exeggutor usage would dip because even though Exploding on Ho-oh would be a great role, Egg would need to catch it on the switch whereas against Electrics it can tank a hit. Gengar would struggle as well, since Ho-oh doesn't really let it do anything but try to explode on it, and even then Ho-oh needs to be weakened a bit before Gengar can kill it. Tyranitar usage would probably be up, too, further limiting Exeggutor's and Gengar's usefulness.
Overall, Ho-oh seems to make GSC a good bit more stall-oriented by limiting mixed offense the way it does. I guess if Recover on Ho-oh were banned it wouldn't be as bad, but that really just takes away its ability to be the team's Phazer, as it's still a devastating mixed wall with RestTalk. Most non-STAB Thunders and Thunderbolts still fail to 3HKO Ho-oh, let alone 2HKO it, so Recover isn't absolutely necessary to tank those.
Basically, what I'm looking for is:
- What is the Uber you're adding to GSC?
- What is/are its best set(s) in this metagame?
- What happens to the metagame around it?
Alternatively, you can just comment on what somebody else has said if you only have something quick to add about a Pokemon somebody else has already discussed. To start things off, I'll discuss what happens with the addition of Ho-oh to GSC OU:
Ho-oh @ Leftovers
- Sacred Fire
- Thunder
- Recover
- Whirlwind
If you add Ho-oh to GSC OU, this is the standard set in my eyes. It's got a great BST, but despite those nice attacking stats, it doesn't have a decent Physical STAB or access to DynamicPunch, so an attacking set is out of the question. A Sunny Day set might seem nice until you realize that in addition to having to worry about Snorlax, Waters, and Tyranitar, you now also have to deal with other Ho-oh. Really, the thing Ho-oh is best at is burning things and not dying, so it's better off running a semi-offensive support set like this. It can Recover stall all sorts of crazy stuff, can Phaze even +1 Surf Vaps, and can spread status thanks to its attacks' secondary effects.
Ho-oh would probably be a standard, even with everything it has going against it (namely, poor typing and suboptimal matchups against Snorlax and the Electrics). Its stats are just way too good for it not to be used a ton. Because of this, the metagame would definitely shift around it. Its propensity to Burn and Paralyze things would send Bell usage through the roof, and mixed offensive stuff would probably plummet since Ho-oh walls it all and threatens status. Nidoking would go all but extinct. Exeggutor usage would dip because even though Exploding on Ho-oh would be a great role, Egg would need to catch it on the switch whereas against Electrics it can tank a hit. Gengar would struggle as well, since Ho-oh doesn't really let it do anything but try to explode on it, and even then Ho-oh needs to be weakened a bit before Gengar can kill it. Tyranitar usage would probably be up, too, further limiting Exeggutor's and Gengar's usefulness.
Overall, Ho-oh seems to make GSC a good bit more stall-oriented by limiting mixed offense the way it does. I guess if Recover on Ho-oh were banned it wouldn't be as bad, but that really just takes away its ability to be the team's Phazer, as it's still a devastating mixed wall with RestTalk. Most non-STAB Thunders and Thunderbolts still fail to 3HKO Ho-oh, let alone 2HKO it, so Recover isn't absolutely necessary to tank those.
