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Resource Ask a simple question, get a simple answer: NU Edition
- Thread starter Raseri
- Start date
quick question
If RU or NU ban something relevant for lower tiers like Rain, Hail, or Baton Pass, would lower tiers not be able to use that stuff either?
Like, if RU bans Sun, can NU still use it? If NU bans Baton Pass, can PU still use it?
If RU or NU ban something relevant for lower tiers like Rain, Hail, or Baton Pass, would lower tiers not be able to use that stuff either?
Like, if RU bans Sun, can NU still use it? If NU bans Baton Pass, can PU still use it?
If the tier above us bans something, it takes effect in the tiers lower. Examples would be like drought and drizzle being banned and having it take effect in every tiers lower. Same with like Shadow Tag. So if RU would to ban snow warning, NU and PU would lose the ability to use it as well.
Okay, so I'm going to try to give you a rundown of the most relevant things the best I can. There is a lot so excuse me if I miss a thing or two.
Awhile ago it was decided that megas and their base forms should be tiered separately, so things like Sceptile and Steelix dropped back down. Since then we've had a few suspects in which we banned both Sawk and Sceptile, so they're now not apart of NU. We also have a new clause on Baton Pass which makes it so you can't BP both speed + stat boosts, so for example Combusken can no longer baton pass Bulk Up boosts + speed boosts to a Xatu. With that in place we decided to unban it, and it now plays the role of an offensive speed boost passer.
I think that just about covers all the relevant changes since then.
Awhile ago it was decided that megas and their base forms should be tiered separately, so things like Sceptile and Steelix dropped back down. Since then we've had a few suspects in which we banned both Sawk and Sceptile, so they're now not apart of NU. We also have a new clause on Baton Pass which makes it so you can't BP both speed + stat boosts, so for example Combusken can no longer baton pass Bulk Up boosts + speed boosts to a Xatu. With that in place we decided to unban it, and it now plays the role of an offensive speed boost passer.
I think that just about covers all the relevant changes since then.
Thanks a bunch for the info, Kay.
A last question, how did that shape the meta? Back then I think it was becoming pretty stale, and I just wanna know if that is still the case. I am looking for a fun tier to play for shits and giggles, nothing too serious right now. NU always seemed perfect for that, but ya, IDK if thats true again, hence the question.
A last question, how did that shape the meta? Back then I think it was becoming pretty stale, and I just wanna know if that is still the case. I am looking for a fun tier to play for shits and giggles, nothing too serious right now. NU always seemed perfect for that, but ya, IDK if thats true again, hence the question.
Well it depends on what you mean by "that". With Steelix dropping a lot of things like Mawile and Klinklang dropped in viability due to their inability to beat it using their once standard sets, Sceptile dropping made things like Archeops, Tauros, and Flaotzel a lot less useful before the speed tier had risen past the 110-115 mark to a new speed mark of 120-125, so Choice Scarfed mons became key as well a Specs Swellow. Now that Sceptile is gone tho we're seeing a rise of things like Tauros, Archeops, and Lilligant again who were really held down by Sceptile. The BP change didn't effect too much other then smash passing is no longer a thing which I think everyone is thankful for. Combusken is nice but nothing meta changing.
Tho with Sawks bans a lot has changed. With it being gone we need a lot less fighting checks on teams now as Hitmonchan, Primeape, and Hariyama are now the big 3 which are much easier to handle now, and we also are seeing things like Xatu and Mesprit run different ev sets now because they no longer need to creep Sawk. Xatu have started to go even bulkier often running as little speed as 16 timid to creep Hitmonchan. Needless to say without this huge wall breaker, defensive and bulky teams have gotten a huge boost in viability and they just feel better to play and build.
I think NU is a really fun tier to get into if you just want a fun tier to play and a chill community to hang around. Tho don't be fooled by our fun meta, we're super serious too!
Tho with Sawks bans a lot has changed. With it being gone we need a lot less fighting checks on teams now as Hitmonchan, Primeape, and Hariyama are now the big 3 which are much easier to handle now, and we also are seeing things like Xatu and Mesprit run different ev sets now because they no longer need to creep Sawk. Xatu have started to go even bulkier often running as little speed as 16 timid to creep Hitmonchan. Needless to say without this huge wall breaker, defensive and bulky teams have gotten a huge boost in viability and they just feel better to play and build.
I think NU is a really fun tier to get into if you just want a fun tier to play and a chill community to hang around. Tho don't be fooled by our fun meta, we're super serious too!
Alright,
I'm back again and I must say I have enjoyed dabbling in NU for the last week or so. The meta seems really shaked up from what I used to know, to the point where I no longer recognize it to be a stable meta at all. That is probably mostly due to me not having enough games yet to correctly gauge it and the fact I'm mostly playing a bunch of accounts from zero whenever I try new teams, so I don't get very high on the ladder. This leads me to my question though:
I'm kind of lost when building a team. What threats do I currently have to prepare for? Back when I left, Fighting/Dark/Psycho was all the rage, with stuff like sneasel, sawk, calm mind barrier musharna, malamar, uxie etc running rampant. Back then I had a clear idea of what I was going to have to cover, but nowadays I'm pretty lost. I know the answer to my question is highly based on the team I play, but I need a general idea of what I should fear.
Right now, I have deducted that I need answers to Tauros, Steelix, Rain teams, Fire Types. What else should I worry about?
Also, any cool sets I could build teams around? I have scanned this forum but didn't find lots of sets I liked. SubPass Floatzel into Sawsbuck is pretty cool and I did that, and I'm looking for similar off-meta cores. Any help is appreciated!
I'm back again and I must say I have enjoyed dabbling in NU for the last week or so. The meta seems really shaked up from what I used to know, to the point where I no longer recognize it to be a stable meta at all. That is probably mostly due to me not having enough games yet to correctly gauge it and the fact I'm mostly playing a bunch of accounts from zero whenever I try new teams, so I don't get very high on the ladder. This leads me to my question though:
I'm kind of lost when building a team. What threats do I currently have to prepare for? Back when I left, Fighting/Dark/Psycho was all the rage, with stuff like sneasel, sawk, calm mind barrier musharna, malamar, uxie etc running rampant. Back then I had a clear idea of what I was going to have to cover, but nowadays I'm pretty lost. I know the answer to my question is highly based on the team I play, but I need a general idea of what I should fear.
Right now, I have deducted that I need answers to Tauros, Steelix, Rain teams, Fire Types. What else should I worry about?
Also, any cool sets I could build teams around? I have scanned this forum but didn't find lots of sets I liked. SubPass Floatzel into Sawsbuck is pretty cool and I did that, and I'm looking for similar off-meta cores. Any help is appreciated!
If you're looking for anti-meta mons, then offensive Mega Audino is one of the best. Its defensive Calm Mind sets are very threatening and usually convince opponents to bring in their Steel-, Poison-, or Fire-types only to fall to a +1 Fire Blast, Psychic, or Surf, often being outsped in the process if it runs max Speed. Aurorus or any strong Ice-type can also be really effective at the moment, with many people's sole Ice-resist being an easily worn-down Hariyama.
Common threats at the moment are Normal-spam (with Kangaskhan + Toxic Spikes being a sub-type of that), FWG cores (stuff like Shiftry / Magmortar / Samurott can be difficult to wall consistently and often gets switchin opportunities), and just bulky offense in general. Memento + Barbaracle / Omastar is also a somewhat common archetype, and VoltTurn with Scyther / Lanturn / Primeape and such has also become more common.
Common threats at the moment are Normal-spam (with Kangaskhan + Toxic Spikes being a sub-type of that), FWG cores (stuff like Shiftry / Magmortar / Samurott can be difficult to wall consistently and often gets switchin opportunities), and just bulky offense in general. Memento + Barbaracle / Omastar is also a somewhat common archetype, and VoltTurn with Scyther / Lanturn / Primeape and such has also become more common.
Spike stack. Garbo and Kanga are pretty much set, we have plenty of spinblockers and defog is not as relevant any more, but even then there's stuff like Taunt and Defiant mons to play around that. Get a stealth rocker, some special coverage and you're pretty much set.
Other than that - VoltTurn teams. Lots of both fast and slow Volt Switchers and U-Turners to chose from, with plenty of stuff that likes to receive both of those.
Balance is widely seen as not only the easiest playstyle to build, but also the easiest playstyle to play with. Having both offensive threats and a strong defensive backbone to rely on is very helpful particularly for players new to the tier. Here is a link to our Sample Teams thread, where you can find a variety of well built teams, including Balance ones. Here is a link to the teambuilding lab, where you can request a team to be made by some of NU's most experienced builders: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/nu-teambuilding-lab-v3-spo-ink-teambuildinglab.3564365/. Some other useful links to keep in mind while teambuilding in the future are our Viability Rankings: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/oras-nu-viability-rankings.3555650/ , and our Checks Compendium: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/nu-checks-compendium.3563159/. Good luck building :)
Are there any good stallbreakers in NU?
your best options for stall breakers include: Magmortar (the standard set is assault vest, but if you want to really wallbreak, try life orb or taunt), Samurott, Tauros (work up helps facilitate wallbreaking), Barbaracle, Relicanth, Aurorus, Golurk etc. Those are just the first that come to mind, if you need more help or clarification feel free to drop by the NU room and ask.
e: mismagius is also a good option with access to taunt will-o-wisp hex and pain split
e: mismagius is also a good option with access to taunt will-o-wisp hex and pain split
ah, didn't think of Mismagius. Thanks. (though i must say I miss Golbat)
It was mentioned in the NU theorymon thread that there had been a STABmons NU tour. I was wondering if something like that could be done again, and if so who would be the right people to ask?
Real quick, I don't know where else to ask this, but what's the Pokemon in between Pyroar and Tauros in the new NU viability ranking banner?
(I'm likely going to be called dumb (and or going off-topic) for asking this, but still)
(I'm likely going to be called dumb (and or going off-topic) for asking this, but still)
jynx i think
The NU Theorymon thread has gone silent for the last couple of weeks. I've offered to take it over, as it appears the current owner has either given up or is too busy. I was advised to spead to a mod regarding this - who is the mod(s) I should speak to? Thanks in advance.
Raseri, myself, boltsandbombers, and Evan. are the moderators of this forum. You can engage us in a private message if you wish to take over a thread
havent played nu literally since before combusken got banned (i still have a team with typhlosion lol) and im wanting to get back into the tier. how prevalent is offense compared to bulkier builds in this meta? also i saw smeargle dropped - i know there hasnt been much time to mess around with smeargle webs yet but is it looking like a viable style?
Offense and bulky offense/balancy happily coexist in this meta and both can be built effectively, though you'll mostly see the same old defensive stuff on bulky builds - You have your Steelixes, Hariyamas, Musharnas, Rhydons, Garbodors, Weezings, MAudinos and obviously the ever dominant Lanturn. That being said, I think the arche type is pretty strong right now and definitely has a bunch of ways to build around it.
Smeargle sticky webs is insanely good (in comparison to what it was before, that is. still not broken over all, just alright) right now, and a big part of that is the fact that mismagius prevents every single pokemon in the tier bar Archeops from spinning or defogging (I know Scyther is a speed tie and Swellow can technically run defog, but come on.) There's always been enough pokemon who'd be a lot better if it weren't for their awful speed tie, so webs obviously helps those mons shine. People cite Xatu as a big issue but between Skill Swap and the old Malamar/Servine/Pawniard core to play around your webs being bounced back, I don't think it's much of a problem.
Smeargle sticky webs is insanely good (in comparison to what it was before, that is. still not broken over all, just alright) right now, and a big part of that is the fact that mismagius prevents every single pokemon in the tier bar Archeops from spinning or defogging (I know Scyther is a speed tie and Swellow can technically run defog, but come on.) There's always been enough pokemon who'd be a lot better if it weren't for their awful speed tie, so webs obviously helps those mons shine. People cite Xatu as a big issue but between Skill Swap and the old Malamar/Servine/Pawniard core to play around your webs being bounced back, I don't think it's much of a problem.
Not gonna rehash what Deeerpz said above, but sticky web has never really kicked off in NU for the past few months. Certainly Smeargle helped with getting Sticky Web offense off the ground, but in my opinion it won't go very far. Smeargle is very easy to play around (see: low speed tier = get taunted bro). Not only that, but the abundance of hazard control options and a lack of punishers of said options makes it somewhat difficult to pull off. This is my opinion at least, and I certainly can be swayed otherwise.
Smeargle's main problem IMO is it's frailty. Its required to run Focus Sash or else it gets one shot by pretty much anything. (In addition to its low base 75 speed) The only time Sticky Web has ever "kicked off" in a meta was RU when Shuckle was allowed. What made Shuckle different was its bulk (Which was complimented by the Sturdy ability, pretty much making it so it didn't even need Focus Sash to get off a Web, and as such, it can run Mental Herb to bypass Taunt/Encore/what have you) and incredible support options. Because of its attributes, the RU ladder was pretty much filled with Sticky Web teams to the point of overcentralization, resulting in Shuckle's ban.
Still, Smeargle Webs isn't necessarily a bad playstyle. You're pretty much required to run Skuntank with it though because of Xatu. (Any other viable Pursuit trapper works as well) A hazard remover of your own is a nice choice due to the fact that your team will likely be worn down quickly. (Spinners over Defoggers as Smeargle will really only be able to get Rocks/Webs up once per game and Defog pretty much removes your effort entirely; Claydol's what I use personally) A Pokemon that isn't reliant on Webs to outspeed stuff is also really good. There are several Wallbreakers that are good when paired up with Sticky Web, such as the also recently dropped Aggron, Aurorus, and Abomasnow. (There are several others as well, but these are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head)
Still, Smeargle Webs isn't necessarily a bad playstyle. You're pretty much required to run Skuntank with it though because of Xatu. (Any other viable Pursuit trapper works as well) A hazard remover of your own is a nice choice due to the fact that your team will likely be worn down quickly. (Spinners over Defoggers as Smeargle will really only be able to get Rocks/Webs up once per game and Defog pretty much removes your effort entirely; Claydol's what I use personally) A Pokemon that isn't reliant on Webs to outspeed stuff is also really good. There are several Wallbreakers that are good when paired up with Sticky Web, such as the also recently dropped Aggron, Aurorus, and Abomasnow. (There are several others as well, but these are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head)