Differences Between BW OU and Dream World (GP 2/2)

Differences Between BW OU and Dream World
Written by Birkal, Engineer Pikachu, Harsha, Joeyboy, Mafeking, Steamroll.

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to the exciting metagame that is Dream World! This guide seeks to explain the differences between the BW OU and the Dream World metagames. It includes discussion on Pokemon that currently don't exist within BW OU, both unreleased and currently banned, and provides information on Pokemon that have gained new abilities and egg moves from the Dream World. We'll be discussing which tactics are prevalent within this metagame and not BW OU, from the re-addition of pinch Berries to strategies that prevent Shadow Tag from wrecking your team.

Brand New Threats

Genesect


One of the most dangerous new threats in the Dream World metagame, Genesect can rip holes through unprepared teams with impressive base 120 offensive stats and access to Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, and STAB U-turn. Its excellent Bug / Steel typing gives it many opportunities to switch in as well. To further add to Genesect's offensive presence, its ability, Download, raises either of its offensive stats by one stage upon switching in. The key to stopping Genesect is exploiting its base 99 Speed stat, which leaves it easily outsped by base 100 Speed Pokemon, such as Salamence, Volcarona, and Jirachi. However, please note that Genesect is almost always run with Choice Scarf; plan accordingly when attempting to stop it. Also note that Genesect has access to Rock Polish, which can make it a fierce late-game sweeper.

Keldeo


Although Keldeo's movepool is limited, it is enough to get the job done. With access to Hydro Pump and a massive base 129 Special Attack stat, Keldeo can muscle through the bulkiest of special walls. This insane power can be further boosted via Calm Mind, Choice Specs, and the abundant rain provided by Politoed. Keldeo also has access to a great move in Secret Sword, which hits the likes of Blissey on their weaker Defense. Rounding out Keldeo's coverage is the choice between Hidden Power Ghost or Hidden Power Ice; in addition to hitting Latios and Latias, the former also covers Jellicent, and the latter Dragonite. However, the aforementioned Pokemon can either easily wall or beat down any Keldeo that lacks the appropriate Hidden Power. Keldeo is also stopped by strong attacks from faster Pokemon, such as Thundurus and Tornadus, who can use the rain to fire off a super effective STAB Thunder or Hurricane, respectively.

Meloetta


Meloetta is not too common in the Dream World metagame, but she is a versatile threat nonetheless. Her signature move, Relic Song, lets her change between two formes: Aria and Pirouette. The former has great base 128 Special Attack and Special Defense, which make her a great Calm Mind user and special attacker, while the latter takes on a more hyper-offensive approach with base 128 Attack and Speed. However, the most potent strategy takes advantage of the forme switch of Relic Song; counters to the Aria forme, such as Tyranitar, fall to the Pirouette forme's Close Combat, for example. This can either destroy troublesome opponents or force switches; entry hazards are therefore a welcome support option.

Threats that are Banned from BW OU

Deoxys-S


The premier hazard setter from BW OU of old is still around in the Dream World metagame, and is still as unpredictable as ever with the greatest support movepool in the game. Access to Stealth Rock, Spikes, Taunt, Reflect, Light Screen, Rain Dance, and Sunny Day really diversify Deoxys-S and make it a dangerous opponent to face. Deoxys-S also has a wide attacking movepool to delve into; it can surprise a ton of switch-ins with attacks such as Ice Beam, Focus Blast, Superpower, Psychic, and Thunderbolt. Deoxys-S is one of the most threatening Pokemon in the metagame, so take caution when facing it. Nonetheless, there are a few ways to stop Deoxys-S from setting up Spikes or dual screens. Of these, the most notable is Prankster Taunt from Pokemon such as Thundurus, as they can always outspeed Deoxys-S and shut it down. As Deoxys-S is often a suicide lead that does not stick around for long after providing hazard or screens support, there are a few other ways to thwart its strategy, such as by spinning right after Deoxys-S faints, and using Brick Break while Deoxys-S is setting up screens.

Excadrill


Excadrill is the crux of many a sand team, as its Sand Rush ability makes it the fastest Pokemon in the game in sand, and it possesses a highly threatening Attack stat as well. Excadrill has a limited movepool, but pseudo-EdgeQuake coverage and Swords Dance are often more than enough. Furthermore, it has access to Rapid Spin and can easily pull one off, as Ghost-types that attempt to spinblock risk being KOed by Rock Slide. This makes Excadrill a great team supporter, a potent sweeper, as well as a reliable revenge killer. Breloom easily checks Excadrill with a Technician-boosted Mach Punch, and Gliscor and Skarmory can wall it and either KO it or phaze it out, respectively. Another way to stop Excadrill is to simply change the weather, as this will bring it back to its abysmal base 88 Speed and open up many more checks to dispatch this monster.

Garchomp


Despite being booted out of BW OU and into Ubers, Garchomp is one of the most frightening suspects to have been allowed a second chance in the Dream World metagame. With Sand Veil at its disposal, not even completely accurate moves can reliably beat down Garchomp. It even works well on sun and rain teams due to its great coverage, bulk, versatility, and ability to check sand teams, the most common type of team in DW OU. Garchomp's capability to choose between both a Substitute + Swords Dance set and a Choice Scarf set makes it particularly terrifying. Its base 102 Speed is quite good for the fast-paced Dream World metagame, though it is outsped by key threats such as Thundurus, Keldeo, and Choice Scarf Genesect.

Manaphy


The most dangerous Pokemon under rain, Manaphy, must always be treated as a threat that you should eliminate as soon as possible. With the Hydration ability and access to Rest, Manaphy gets instant recovery under rain, which grants it far greater longevity than other sweepers. Manaphy also has access to two great boosting moves in Calm Mind and Tail Glow, both of which make it a dangerous threat once it gets a boost. Access to Surf and Ice Beam gives Manaphy great coverage, but it leaves it completely walled by Jellicent even with plenty of boosts under its belt. Other ways of dispatching of Manaphy include Thundurus's Thunder, or simply by changing the weather to deprive it of instant recovery. Even outside of weather, however, Manaphy must still be treated with extreme caution, as once it acquires enough boosts, the game is pretty much over.

Thundurus


Boasting excellent 115 / 125 offenses, Thundurus hits hard right off the bat. With a great ability in Prankster and access to key moves in Thunder Wave, Taunt, Substitute, Toxic, and Nasty Plot, Thundurus can get the jump on faster opponents, especially ones that are equipped with a Choice Scarf. Thundurus also has a very good Speed stat; at base 111 Speed, it outruns Gengar, Keldeo, Terrakion, Garchomp, Latios, and Latias, and can smack them with powerful STAB Thunder or Hidden Power Ice. Additionally, Thundurus can use Volt Switch to scout the opponent, but it needs to be careful of Ground-types, such as Quagsire, Gastrodon, and Excadrill, which can switch in for free and completely wall Thundurus, although the latter must be wary of Hammer Arm.

Old Pokemon, New Tricks

Breloom


Breloom is a common sight in Dream World due to its amazing new ability, Technician, which grants it the ability to handily KO troublesome Pokemon such as Excadrill and Keldeo. While it is limited in coverage with only Bullet Seed, Mach Punch, and Drain Punch, it is still a deadly sweeper because of Swords Dance. Breloom often holds a Shed Shell because Chandelure resists everything Breloom can throw at it and has the ability to trap and set up on Breloom. Dragonite too is an amazing counter because of its powerful moves and resistances to Breloom's most common attacks.

Chandelure


Chandelure might have been given the biggest blessing of all from the Dream World: Shadow Tag lets it effectively set up on many Pokemon that cannot touch it, such as Blissey and Breloom. In fact, these Pokemon are often forced to hold Shed Shell to escape the wrath of Chandelure. With Substitute, Chandelure can avoid Blissey's Toxic or Thunder Wave and begin its rampage, as it is immune to Seismic Toss and takes a pittance from Ice Beam and Flamethrower. Chandelure also has plenty of boosting options, including Flame Charge and Calm Mind. Alternatively, Choice Scarf Chandelure is the most common revenge killer used in DW OU, and can often clear the field effectively despite the presence of Pursuit users such as Tyranitar. With Shadow Ball and either Flamethrower or Fire Blast, Chandelure has plenty of coverage against foes not named Heatran, and it can utterly decimate opposing teams. All in all, Chandelure is a noteworthy threat that one should play against with great caution; locking a Choice Band user into ExtremeSpeed could often spell inevitable doom if the opponent has Chandelure.

Ditto


While it still might not look like much, Ditto became a force with the advent of the Dream World. Imposter enables it to become the opposing Pokemon, stat boosts and all! Choice Scarf Ditto is a fantastic revenge killer, as it will be able to take down the opponent and simply switch out, making the opponent pay for any stat boosts he or she had obtained. Imposter has its downfalls, however. Firstly, it is thwarted by Substitute; secondly, each copied move only has 5 PP. One thing to note is that one must set Ditto's IVs to achieve the desired Hidden Power, as Ditto will have the default Hidden Power Dark if its IVs are left untouched.

Golurk


Dream World gives the otherwise rarely used Golurk access to what was once Machamp's exclusive ability, No Guard. With a base 124 Attack stat and guaranteed confusion from DynamicPunch, Golurk is certain to pack a deadly punch against many threats that are not prepared to take it on. Additionally, Golurk's Ghost / Ground typing nets it a handy Fighting-type immunity, fantastic dual STAB, and spinblocking capability. This same typing, however, is not the greatest defensively, as the rise of Multiscale Dragonite has led to a surge in Ice-type attacks; Water-type moves are as common as ever, too. A poor Speed stat and only average defenses force Golurk to be a rather situational threat as it will not get many opportunities to boost its Speed with Rock Polish, but when Golurk hits—and it always will—the resulting blow is devastating.

Raikou


In Dream World, Raikou gains the Volt Absorb ability, and along with that, a new lease on life. Volt Absorb is incredibly useful as it helps Raikou stop two huge influences in the Dream World metagame: Thundurus and Volt Switch. In fact, Raikou boasts the title of being one of the few true counters to Thundurus, as it can survive any Nasty Plot-boosted hit and swiftly revenge kill Thundurus with its powerful STAB Electric-type attacks without worry of Thunder Wave, to boot. Furthermore, Raikou can be a solid answer to VoltTurn teams, as it can come in on Rotom-A's Volt Switch and proceed to severely dent the switch-in; it can even use Hidden Power Fire to stop the Bug / Steel types that tend to accompany Rotom-A.

Scrafty


Scrafty is known for its top-notch abilities, and thanks to the Dream World, it can add another one onto its resume: Intimidate. Intimidate, which lowers the Attack stat of the opponent's Pokemon by one stage upon switching in, is widely regarded as one of the most powerful abilities a Pokemon can have. It grants Scrafty numerous new opportunities to begin setting up with moves such as Bulk Up and Dragon Dance; thanks to Intimidate and its awesome natural bulk, it is not hard for Scrafty to gain even two Dragon Dance boosts.

Serperior


Though a rare sight in BW OU, Serperior is a common menace in Dream World due to its ability, Contrary. With Contrary reversing the drawback of Leaf Storm—a sharp decrease in Special Attack—Serperior is able to grow continuously more powerful while repeatedly firing off high-powered attacks and easily nabbing momentum; while its coverage is limited mainly to Leaf Storm and Hidden Power, a neutral hit from either move will still pack a punch once Serperior gains a couple of boosts. Furthermore, Serperior possesses a plethora of support options, such as dual screens, Leech Seed, Glare, and Substitute, all of which can give the opponent a hard time. Once it has a few turns to repeatedly use Leaf Storm, Serperior becomes a gigantic threat; however, dispatching it with several strong blows as soon as possible will preclude this from happening.

Venusaur


Venusaur's perks make it a very useful Pokemon on sun teams. In sun, its Chlorophyll ability doubles its Speed stat, and Growth boosts both of its attacking stats, which combine to make it a potent sweeper of sorts. Giga Drain, in addition to providing STAB, also helps Venusaur stick around for a while. Furthermore, Venusaur has a diverse movepool to tap into, which includes Substitute, Leech Seed, Sleep Powder, Sludge Bomb, and Hidden Power Fire. Venusaur is much more manageable after Sleep Clause has been activated, because Pokemon such as Heatran and Blissey can easily wall Venusaur, although the latter must be careful of mixed variants. Other ways to make Venusaur more manageable include changing the weather and crippling it with Prankster Thunder Wave, but one must still be careful of switching Politoed and Tyranitar into Venusaur's strong Grass-type attacks.

New Strategies

Shadow Tag and Shed Shell

Upon receiving Shadow Tag as its Dream World ability, Chandelure has made a huge impact on the metagame by being able to trap any Pokemon it switches in on. The item Shed Shell thus becomes a highly enticing option for the likes of Blissey, Skarmory, and Breloom; sacrificing Leftovers recovery or a Life Orb power boost is a small price to pay for Pokemon that would otherwise be a free kill or complete setup bait. On the flip side, two common Pokemon that can completely stop Chandelure are Tyranitar and Heatran. Tyranitar is not easily KOed by even boosted Fire Blasts and can trap Chandelure with Pursuit, while Heatran can snag a Flash Fire boost and force Chandelure out. When battling, taking away Chandelure's trapping will give you the upper hand. Finally, note that Chandelure cannot trap other Shadow Tag users, including other Chandelure.

Pinch Berries

The stat-boosting Berries are an underrated threat in the Dream World metagame that can turn a check into setup fodder. There are nine in total, but only three will see use, namely Petaya, Liechi, and Salac, which raise Special Attack, Attack, and Speed, respectively. Users of these Berries commonly carry Substitute as well; making three consecutive Substitutes is a safe and reliable way to activate the Berry. Prime examples of pinch Berry users include SubPetaya Empoleon and Drifblim.

Conclusion

Well, those are some of the new, exciting surprises that Dream World has to offer! Don't be alarmed, though; many of your favorite Pokemon are still present and viable to use. It's a fun change of pace from the slower OU metagame, and is enjoyable for just about any player looking for quick battles. Why not take advantage of all the fun, unbanned threats and try out Dream World play for yourself? It is an exciting metagame and will surely not disappoint!
 

bugmaniacbob

Was fun while it lasted
is an Artist Alumnusis a CAP Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Minor presentational point, but I was quite confused by the heading "unreleased threats" as that sort of implies that they are unusable in Dream World. It's also inconsistent with the second heading, "unbanned threats". Could you change it to something along the lines of "newly released threats" or similar?
 

Engineer Pikachu

Good morning, you bastards!
is a Contributor Alumnus
Woo, let's give this a shot.

Serperior

Though a rare sight in BW OU, Serperior is a common menace in Dream World due to its ability, Contrary. With Contrary reversing the drawback of Leaf Storm—a sharp decrease in Special Attack—Serperior is able to grow more and more powerful while repeatedly firing off high-powered attacks, easily nabbing momentum; while its coverage is limited mainly to Leaf Storm and Hidden Power, a neutral hit from either move will still pack a punch once Serperior reaches a couple boosts. Furthermore, Serperior possesses a plethora of support options, such as dual screens, Leech Seed, Glare, and Substitute, all of which can give the opponent a hard time. Once it has a few turns to repeatedly use Leaf Storm, Serperior becomes a gigantic threat; however, dispatching it with several strong blows as soon as possible will preclude this from happening.
 

Birkal

We have the technology.
is a Top Artistis a Top CAP Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
Engineer Pikachu, that's perfect! I made a few minor changes in wording, but I've added it to the OP and given you credit. Keep up the good work!
 
So I guess I'd like to try? :)

Breloom

While the only Breloom sets seen in BW OU are the SubPunch and Bulk Up variants, Breloom is commonly used throughout Dream World due to its amazing new ability, Technician. With Technician, Breloom gains the ability to handily KO troublesome Pokemon like Excadrill and Keldeo among others. While it is limited in coverage with only Bullet Seed, Mach Punch, and Drain Punch, it still is a deadly sweeper due to its access to Swords Dance. Breloom often holds a Shed Shell because Chandelure resists all attacks and has the ability to trap and set up on it. Furthermore, Dragonite provides an amazing counter because of its high Base Power moves and resistances to all of Breloom's moves. Despite these shortcomings, Breloom is still a top-tier threat in the Dream World metagame and should always be played against with caution.

Ditto

While it still may not look like much, Ditto became a force with the advent of the Dream World. With Imposter, Ditto becomes the opposing Pokemon, even copying stat boosts! While it cannot use Imposter if the opponent has a Substitute up, Ditto still is a very good revenge killer when equipped with a Choice Scarf. Though it gets locked into one move, Ditto will be able to take down the opponent and then switch out, as well as making the opponent pay for any stat boosts he or she obtains. One of the downfalls to Ditto's Imposter is that each copied move only has 5 PP. Additionally, one must set Ditto's IVs to achieve the Hidden Power they want, as Ditto will have the default Hidden Power Dark if the IVs are left untouched.

Chandelure

Chandelure may have been given the biggest blessing of all Pokemon that received benefits from the Dream World. With Shadow Tag, Chandelure can effectively set up on many Pokemon that cannot touch it such as Blissey and Breloom. In fact, these Pokemon are often forced to run Shed Shells to escape the wrath of Chandelure. With Substitute, Chandelure can avoid Toxic or Thunder Wave from Blissey and begin its rampage, as it is immune to Seismic Toss and takes a pittance from Ice Beam and Flamethrower. Chandelure also has plenty of boosting options including Flame Charge and Calm Mind. With Shadow Ball and Flamethrower / Fire Blast, Chandelure has plenty of coverage against most foes excluding Heatran and it can utterly decimate opposing teams. It's a very noteworthy threat, and one should play against it with caution because using a Choice Band ExtremeSpeed when a Chandelure is on the opposing team could often spell impending doom. Choice Scarf sets are the most common revenge killers used in DW OU, and they often clear the field effectively despite the presence of Pursuit users like Tyranitar.

EDIT: no problemo, steam :)

EDIT 2: Also, Birkal, do you think you should make it so that you aren't allowed to edit posts in Co-op articles like in the small objective changes thread so that there are no disagreements? Someone who has posted earlier can easily edit a description into his work and make it look like he did the work first, so I feel as though this could be a rule for these types of articles. Just a thought :P
 
Keldeo



One of the most prominent threats in Dreamworld OU, Keldeo definitely is one to prepare a team for. Although Keldeo has a limited movepool, they are enough to get the job done. With access to Hydro Pump Keldeo can muscle through the bulkiest of special walls. This insane power is further boosted via Calm Mind, Choice Specs and the abundant rain provided by Politoed. Keldeo also has access to a great move in Secret Sword, able to hit Pokemon like Blissey in their weaker defensive stats. Rounding out Keldeo's coverage is the choice between Hidden Power Ghost or Hidden Power Ice, covering either Jellicent, Latios and Latias or Dragonite, Salamence and the aforementioned Latis. Pending on the Hidden Power the opposite mons can easily wall Keldeo, and either toxic it or beat it down offensively. Keldeo is also stopped by strong attacks from faster pokemon like Thundurus and Tornadus who can abuse the rain to fire off their STABs, both of which are super-effective against Keldeo.

I am on my phone so please forgive mistakes I've made (and the missing sprite). I am also gonna snag Blaziken Deoxys-S, Thundurus, Manaphy and Excadrill for when I get home or at a comp in school.

EDIT: thanks harsha!
 

Deoxys-S

The premiere hazard setter from Standard OU is still around here in Dreamworld, and is still as unpredictable as ever with the greatest support movepool in the game. Access to Stealth Rock, Spikes, Taunt, Reflect, Light Screen, Rain Dance and Sunny Day really diversify Deoxys-S and make it a really dangerous opponent to face. Deoxys-S also has a wide attacking movepool to delve into, surprising a ton of switch-ins with attacks like Ice Beam, Focus Blast, Superpower, Psychic and Thunderbolt. Deoxys-S is one of the most threatening Pokemon in the metagame so caution must be taken when it is sent out by your opponent. There are a few things that will stop Deoxys-S short from setting up full Spikes or dual screens like Thundurus and other pranksters, which will always outspeed with Taunt and shut Deoxys-S down. Since Deoxys-S serves a sort of "Suicide Hazard/Screens Setter" role there are a few other ways to clear out the hazards and screens Deoxys-S has set, like Rapid Spinning right after Deoxys-S is dead and Brick Breaking while Deoxys-S is setting up screens.

Thundurus

The thunder genie makes a spash in Dreamworld, boasting very good 115 / 125 offenses, Thundurus hits very hard right off the bat. With a great ability in Prankster and access to key moves in Thunder Wave, Taunt, Substitute, Toxic and the great Sp. Atk boosting move Nasty Plot, Thundurus gets the jump on faster opponents, especially ones that are scarved. Thundurus also has a very good Speed Stat at Base 111, outspeeding Gengar, Keldeo, Terrakion, Garchomp, Latios and Latias and smacking them with powerful attacks in the name of Thunder and HP Ice. Thundurus also can use Volt Switch in order to scout the opponent, but needs to be careful of Ground-types like Quagsire, Gastrodon and Excadrill switching in for free and completely walling Thundurus. Thundurus can, however, carry Hammer Arm and be able to dispatch Excadrill switch-ins expecting Volt Switch. Either way, Thundurus is a prominent threat in Dreamworld OU and should be played against with extreme caution.

Manaphy

The most dangerous Pokemon under rain must always be treated as a kill as soon as possible threat. With the ability Hydration and access to Rest, Manaphy gets free instant recovery under rain, allowing it to stay in battles much longer than other sweepers. Manaphy also has access to two great boosting moves in Calm Mind and Tail Glow, both making Manaphy a dangerous threat once it gets a boost. Access to Surf and Ice Beam give Manaphy great coverage but not perfect coverage, leaving her completely walled by Jellicent, even with plenty of boosts under its belt. Other ways Manaphy can be dispatched are fast Thunders from Thundurus before it gets too many Calm Minds or simply changing the weather on it, disallowing instant recovery. Even outside of weather Manaphy must still be treated with extreme caution as once Manaphy acquires enough boosts your game is pretty much over.

Excadrill

Excadrill is a sand team's crux, becoming the fastest Pokemon in the game thanks to the ability Sand Rush and bolstering a very threatening Attack Stat on top of it. Excadrill has a limited movepool but pseudo-Edgequake coverage and access to Rapid Spin and Swords Dance more than make up for it. Excadrill can easily perform a Rapid Spin as any Ghost-types that attempt to spin block will be easily KO'd by Rock Slide, especially after a Swords Dance boost. This makes Excadrill a very good team supporter along with a potent sweeper and revenge killer when the situations arise. Breloom easily checks Excadrill with Technician boosted Mach Punch and Gliscor and Skarmory can wall Excadrill and kill or shuffle it out. Another way to stop Excadrill is to simply change the weather on it, bringing its speed back to the abismol Base 88 and opening up many more checks to dispatch this monster. Even though there are a variety of ways to try and stop Excadrill, one must be extremely careful when seeing it on your opponent's team, as it is one of the top threats in the meta for a reason.

Venusaur

Venusaur is blessed with quite a few perks that make it a very useful Pokemon for Sun teams. The ability Chlorophyll doubles Venusaur's Speed stat making him a threatening attacker to face. Growth boosts both of Venusaur's Attacking stats making it a potent sweeper of sorts, and with access to Giga Drain Venusaur is going to stay around for a while. Venusaur has a very diverse movepool to tap into, with access to Substitute, Leech Seed, Sleep Powder, Sludge Bomb, and Hidden Power Fire, it covers its bases well. Venusaur can be much more manageable after Sleep Clause has been enabled and Pokemon like Heatran and Blissey can easily wall Venusaur, although Blissey must be careful of a mixed set. Changing weather and using Prankster Thunder Wave are also ways to make Venusaur more manageable, but one must still be careful switching Politoed and Tyranitar in fearing Venusaur's strong Grass attacks.

Pinch Berries


The integral stat boosting berries are an underrated threat in the Dreamworld tier, allowing every pokemon to receive a free stat boost when below 25% health. There are nine total but only three will see use, being Petaya, Liechi and Salac, raising Special Attack, Attack and Speed respectively. What makes these berries so underrated is that all you have to do is sub up for three turns in order to activate them. Some prime examples of Pinch Berry users from DPP include SubPetaya Empoleon and Drifblim. Although the Pinch Berries are not widely used in the metagame they should still be treated with caution, due to the surprise of turning one of your checks into death fodder.

Shadow Tag and Shed Shell


Upon receiving Shadow Tag as its Dream World ability, Chandelure has made a huge impact on the metagame by being able to trap any Pokemon it switches in on. With an ability like this, the item Shed Shell becomes a very enticing option for quite a few pokemon like Blissey, Skarmory, Breloom and others, just for fear of being a free kill or complete set-up bait. Sacrificing key recovery from leftovers or power boosts from Life Orb is a wise decision when your pokemon really can't do anything to Chandelure, and will easily die in Skarmory's and Breloom's cases or be total set up bait in Blissey's case. Shed Shell allows these key pieces of your team to switch out scot free and allow you to switch in something that will threaten Chandelure. Two common Pokemon that can completely stop Chandelure are Tyranitar and Heatran. Tyranitar cannot easily be KO'd by Chandelure's Fire Blast even with boosts and it can trap Chandelure with Pursuit, while Heatran can snag a flash fire boost and force Chandelure out. When battling, taking away Chandelure's top roles will definitely give you the upper hand in the match. One additional thing to keep in mind with Shadow Tag is when the rare event of Shadow Tag versus Shadow Tag happens, you can freely switch out to a safe Chandelure check without the need for a Shed Shell.
 
"Access to Stealth Rock, Spikes, Taunt, Reflect, Light Screen, Rain Dance and Sunny Day really diversify Deoxys-S and make it a really dangerous opponent to face."

You posted this sentence twice. Just thought I'd mention. Also, the mechanics of Shadow Tag mean that Chandelure can actually switch out of Wobbuffet as well as being an interesting trapper (not enough speed to do it like Dugtrio, too frail to do it like Wobb), so that's something to mention.

edit: Do we need a sprite to go with their four-line summary?
 
"Access to Stealth Rock, Spikes, Taunt, Reflect, Light Screen, Rain Dance and Sunny Day really diversify Deoxys-S and make it a really dangerous opponent to face."

You posted this sentence twice. Just thought I'd mention. Also, the mechanics of Shadow Tag mean that Chandelure can actually switch out of Wobbuffet as well as being an interesting trapper (not enough speed to do it like Dugtrio, too frail to do it like Wobb), so that's something to mention.

edit: Do we need a sprite to go with their four-line summary?
Thank you for pointing that out Break, I figured it was a bit longer that what it should be.

Well I think they're both stuck unless one packs Shed Shell, that mechanic needs to be confirmed.

And I like the asthetic of showing the Pokemon, even though it's a pain in the arse to find the sprite number @_@.
 
no when 2 shadow tag pokemon face each other both have free ability to switch. It's been that way since gen 4. Nintendo didn't want anymore wobb vs wobb 4 hour duel offs.
 

Mafeking

channels his inner Wolverine
is a Contributor Alumnus
Golurk


Despite Golurk's relegation to RU in standard play, Dream World gives it access to what was once Machamp's exclusive ability—No Guard. With a base Attack stat of 124 and guaranteed confusion from DynamicPunch, Golurk is certain to pack a deadly punch against many threats that are not prepared to take it on. Additionally, Golurk's Ghost / Ground typing nets it a handy Fighting-type immunity, fantastic dual STAB, and allows it to function as a spinblocker if necessary. Golurk's typing, however, is not the greatest defensively, as the rise of Multiscale Dragonite has lead to a surge in Ice-type attacks, as well as Water-type moves being as common as ever. A poor Speed stat and only average defenses force Golurk to be a rather situational threat as it will not get many opportunities to boost its Speed with Rock Polish, but when Golurk hits—and it always will—the resulting blow is devastating.
 
I've been using Garchomp a lot now, sooooo

Garchomp

Despite being shoved out of OU and into Ubers in standard play, Garchomp is one of the most frightening suspects to have been allowed a second chance in the Dream World metagame. With Sand Veil at its disposal, not even Pokemon with access to moves with 100 accuracy can reliably beat down Garchomp. It even works well on sun and rain teams due to its great coverage, bulk, and versatility. It even checks sand teams, the most common type of team in DW OU. Its ability to run a SubSD set or a Choice Scarf set makes it even more gruesome, and it strikes fear in opponents who cannot take it down quickly. Garchomp's base 102 Speed is quite good for the faster paced Dream World metagame, though it is outsped by key threats such as Thundurus, Keldeo, and Choice Scarf Genesect. However, that should not deter one from using Garchomp, as it is quite literally one of the scariest Pokemon in the metagame.
 

Joeyboy

Has got the gift of gab
is a Team Rater Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Blaziken

Blaziken was gifted with the amazing ability Speed Boost from Gamefreak's Dream World and was quickly banned due to its influence. By increasing its speed every turn it could potentially snowball to the point where it would be impossible to revenge kill. Combine that with Swords Dance and you have one of the mightiest sweepers of the Dream World tier on your hands. Blaziken especially excels on Sun Teams, who's Drought boost turns his Flare Blitz into an impossibly hard hitting move, which crushes even bulky resists like Jellicent and Gyarados. In the Dream World Blaziken also has access to the move Baton Pass; this lets it pass all of those accumulated boosts and pass them to another pokemon who could then easily sweep. Blaziken does however need to be careful of certain threats; Adamant +2 Blaziken is still outrun by an Adamant Excadrill in the Sand and Choice Scarf Ditto can turn an almost assured sweep into a very dangerous situation.

Raikou

Raikou is given the ability Volt Absorb in the Dream World and with that it is given a new lease on life. Volt Absorb is incredibly useful as it helps Raikou stop two huge influences of the Dream World meta; Thundurus and Volt Switch. Raikou has the satisfaction of being one of the few true counters to Thundurus. It can survive any hit from the Nasty Plot boosted Genie and quickly revenge kill with its powerful STAB Electric-type attacks, it doesn't even need to worry about any crippling Thunderwaves. Raikou can even be a solid answer to Volt-turn teams, it can come in on Rotom's Volt Switchs and proceed to severely dent any pokemon coming in. It can even use Hidden Power Fire to stop the Steel/Bug-type pokemon who tend to accompany Rotom-W.

Scrafty

Scrafty is a pokemon known for its top-notch abilities and thanks to Dream World it can add another one onto its resume, Intimidate. Intimidate is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and influential abilities a pokemon can have, lowering the Attack Stat of the opponent's pokemon when switching in. This grants Scrafty numerous new opportunities to begin setting up with moves such as Bulk Up or Dragon Dance. A Scrafty with two Dragon Dances under its belt is not hard to imagine thanks to Intimidate and its awesome natural bulk; Scrafty is definitely not a threat to be forgotten in the Dream World tier.

(Lemme know if I should add anything, especially for Scrafty. Didn't have a whole lot to say for him :)
 

Joeyboy

Has got the gift of gab
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Haha sorry I must be missing something, I don't see the Blaziken one anywhere. I did find it odd though that it hadn't been done. Anyway :) glad the other two are good haha.
 

Joeyboy

Has got the gift of gab
is a Team Rater Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Oh, I hadn't seen he'd reserved it, he's more than welcome to do it of course :) I'm sure it'd be even better.
 

Birkal

We have the technology.
is a Top Artistis a Top CAP Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
Hello! This is almost done. I'm going through right now and adding images and credits for all who participated. I did a few minor tweaks to some of the paragraphs, but I tried to keep them as original as possible. Thank for the help, you guys =)

We still need Meloetta to be completed! Once that's done, I'll get up my conclusion and we can send this out for GP checks.
 
Amoonguss

While in BW OU, Amoonguss seems like an everyday standard double powder Grass type, in DW it is an impressive Regenerator user with many tricks up its...shrooms. With access to Spore, Stun Spore, and Clear Smog, in addition to coverage from Hidden Power, it can stop many sweepers in their tracks, such as Terrakion, Garchomp out of sand, and some Thundurus. Its usefulness is vastly increased in rain, where it can tank Fire hits even better, and with its vast mixed bulk, Amoonguss is a must for stall teams and balanced teams alike.
 

Lemonade

WOOPAGGING
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Meloetwa
[pimg]uh like 600 something[/pimg]

Meloetta is not too common in Dream World, but is a versatile threat nonetheless. Her signature move, Relic Song, lets her change between two formes: Aria and Pirouette. The former has great 128 Special Attack and Special Defense, making it a great Calm Mind user and Special Attacker. The latter takes on a more hyper-offensive approach, with base 128 Attack and Speed. However, perhaps the most potent strategy is abusing the forme switch of Relic Song--counters to the Aria forme such as Tyranitar fall to Pirouette's Close Combat, for example. This can either destroy troublesome opponents or forces switches, making entry hazards a welcome support option.
 
Amateur GP Check
Status: done

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to the exciting tier that is Dream World! This guide seeks to explain the differences between the Black & White Overused tier and the Dream World tier. It includes discussion on Pokemon that currently don't exist within Standard OU, both unreleased and currently banned. It also has information on which Pokemon have gained new abilities and egg moves from the Dream World. We'll also be discussing which tactics are prevalent within this tier and not BW OU, from the re-addition of pinch bBerries to strategies that prevent Shadow Tag from wrecking your team.

Brand New Threats

Genesect


One of the most dangerous new threats in the Dream World tier is Genesect. With impressive base 120 offensive stats and access to Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, and STAB U-turn, Genesect can rip holes through unprepared teams. Its excellent Bug (space)/(space) Steel typing gives it many opportunities to switch in as well. To further add to Genesect's offensive presence, its ability, Download, raises its Attack or Special Attack by one stage upon switching in. The key to stopping Genesect is exploiting its base 99 Speed stat, which canmakes it easily be outsped by base 100 Speed Pokemon like Salamence, Volcarona, and Jirachi. However, please note that Genesect is almost always run with Choice Scarf; plan accordingly when attempting to stop it. Also note that Genesect has access to Rock Polish, which can make it a fierce late-(hyphen)game sweeper.

Keldeo


OAs one of the most prominent threats in the Dreamw World OUtier, Keldeo definitely is a Pokemone to prepare a team for. Although Keldeo has a limited movepool, they areit has enough to get the job done. With access to Hydro Pump and a massive base 129 Special Attack stat,(comma) Keldeo can muscle through the bulkiest of special walls. This insane power is further boosted via Calm Mind, Choice Specs,(comma) and the abundant rain provided by Politoed. Keldeo also has access to a great move in Secret Sword, as it is able to hit Pokemon like Blissey in their weaker defensive stats. Rounding out Keldeo's coverage is the choice between Hidden Power Ghost or Hidden Power Ice, covering eith; Hidden Power Ghost covers Jellicent, Latios, and Latias or Dragonite, Salamence and the aforementione, while Hidden Power Ice covers Dragonite, Salamence, Latios, and Latias. PDepending on the Hidden Power the opposite mons,(comma) Keldeo can easily be wall Keldeo, and either toxic it or beat it down offensivelyed or beaten down offensively by the aforementioned Pokemon that resist it. Keldeo is also stopped by strong attacks from faster pPokemon likesuch as Thundurus and Tornadus,(comma) who can abuse the rain to fire off their STABsa STAB Thunder or Hurricane, respectively, both of which are super- effective(remove hyphen) against Keldeo.

Meloetta


Meloetta is not too common in the Dream World tier, but is a versatile threat nonetheless. Her signature move, Relic Song, lets her change between two formes: Aria and Pirouette. The former has great 128 Special Attack and Special Defense, making it a great Calm Mind user and Sspecial Aattacker. The latter takes on a more hyper-offensive approach, with base 128 Attack and Speed. However, perhaps the most potent strategy is abusing the forme switch of Relic Song—counters to the Aria forme such as Tyranitar fall to the Pirouette forme's Close Combat, for example. This can either destroy troublesome opponents or forces switches, making entry hazards a welcome support option.

Threats That Are Banned from BW OU

Deoxys-S

The premiere hazard setter from Standard OU is still around here in the Dreamw World tier, and is still as unpredictable as ever with the greatest support movepool in the game. Access to Stealth Rock, Spikes, Taunt, Reflect, Light Screen, Rain Dance,(comma) and Sunny Day really diversify Deoxys-S and make it a really dangerous opponent to face. Deoxys-S also has a wide attacking movepool to delve into, which will surprisinge a ton of switch-ins with attacks like Ice Beam, Focus Blast, Superpower, Psychic,(comma) and Thunderbolt. Deoxys-S is one of the most threatening Pokemon in the metagame,(comma) so caution must be taken when it is sent out by your opponent. There are a few things that will stop Deoxys-S short from setting up full Spikes or dual screens likesuch as Thundurus and other pPokemon with the ability Pranksters, whichas they will always outspeed Deoxys-S with Taunt and shut Deoxys-Sit down. SinceBecause Deoxys-S serves a sort of "Suicide Hazard/Screens Setter" role,(comma) there are a few other ways to clear out the hazards and screens Deoxys-S has set, like Rapid Ssuch as spinning right after Deoxys-S is dead andfaints, and using Brick Breaking while Deoxys-S is setting up screens.

Excadrill


Excadrill is a sand team's crux, becomingas it becomes the fastest Pokemon in the game in sand thanks to the ability Sand Rush and bolstering a very threatening Attack Sstat on top of it. Excadrill has a limited movepool,(comma) but pseudo-EdgeqQuake coverage and,(comma) access to Rapid Spin,(comma) and Swords Dance more than make up for it. Excadrill can easily perform a Rapid Spin,(comma) as any Ghost-types that attempt to spinblock will be easily KO'ed by Rock Slide, especially after a Swords Dance boost. This makes Excadrill a very good team supporter along with,(comma) a potent sweeper,(comma) and a revenge killer when the situations arise. Breloom easily checks Excadrill with a Technician -(hyphen)boosted Mach Punch,(comma) and Gliscor and Skarmory can wall Excadrill and either kill it or shuffle it out, respectively. Another way to stop Excadrill is to simply change the weather on it, bringing its speed back to the abismol Base 88, as this will bring it back to an abysmal base 88 Speed and opening up many more checks to dispatch this monster. Even though there are a variety of ways to try andto stop Excadrill, one must be extremely careful when seeing it on your opponent's team, as it is one of the top threats in the metatier for a reason.

Garchomp


Despite being shoved out of OU and into Ubers in standard play, Garchomp is one of the most frightening suspects to have been allowed a second chance in the Dream World metagame. With Sand Veil at its disposal, not even Pokemon with access to moves with 100 accuracy can reliably beat down Garchomp. It even works well on sun and rain teams due to its great coverage, bulk, and versatility. It even,(comma) and checks sand teams, the most common type of team in DW OU. Its ability to run a SubSDstitute + Swords Dance set or a Choice Scarf set makes it even more gruesome, and it strikes fear in opponents who cannot take it down quickly. Garchomp's base 102 Speed is quite good for the faster paced Dream World metagame, though it is outsped by key threats such as Thundurus, Keldeo, and Choice Scarf Genesect. However, that should not deter one from using Garchomp, as it is quite literally one of the scariest Pokemon in the metagame.

Manaphy


The most dangerous Pokemon under rain, Manaphy, must always be treated as athreat that you should kill as soon as possible threat. With the ability Hydration and access to Rest, Manaphy gets free instant recovery under rain, allowing it to stay in battles much longer than other sweepers. Manaphy also has access to two great boosting moves in Calm Mind and Tail Glow, both making Manaphy a dangerous threat once it gets a boost. Access to Surf and Ice Beam gives Manaphy great coverage but not perfect coverage, leaving her,(comma) but it leaves it completely walled by Jellicent,(remove comma) even with plenty of boosts under its belt. Other ways Manaphy can be dispatched are fast Thunders from Thundurus before it getby using Thundurus's Thunder before Manaphy uses too many Calm Minds or by simply changing the weather on it, disallowing instant recovery. Even outside of weather,(comma) Manaphy must still be treated with extreme caution,(comma) as once Manaphy acquires enough boosts your,(comma) the game is pretty much over.

Thundurus


The thunder genie makes a splash in the Dreamw World tier, and boasting very good 115 / 125 offenses, Thundurus hits very hard right off the bat. With a great ability in Prankster and access to key moves in Thunder Wave, Taunt, Substitute, Toxic,(comma) and the great Special Attack boosting move, Nasty Plot, Thundurus gets the jump on faster opponents, especially ones that are equipped with a Choice Scarf. Thundurus also has a very good Speed stat at base 111, outspeeding Gengar, Keldeo, Terrakion, Garchomp, Latios,(comma) and Latias and smacking them with powerful attacks in the name of Thunder and Hidden Power Ice. Thundurus can also can use Volt Switch in order to scout the opponent, but needs to be careful of Ground-types like Quagsire, Gastrodon,(comma) and Excadrill switching in for free and completely walling Thundurus. Thundurus can, however, carry Hammer Arm and be able to dispatch Excadrill switch-ins expecting Volt Switch. Either way, Thundurus is a prominent threat in the Dream World tier and should be played against with extreme caution.

Old Pokemon, New Tricks

Breloom


While the only Breloom sets seen in BW OU are the SubPunch and Bulk Up variants, Breloom is commonly used throughout the Dream World tier due to its amazing new ability, Technician. With Technician, Breloom gains the ability to handily KO troublesome Pokemon likesuch as Excadrill and Keldeo among others. While it is limited in coverage with only Bullet Seed, Mach Punch, and Drain Punch, it is still is a deadly sweeper due to its access to Swords Dance. Breloom often holds a Shed Shell because Chandelure resists all attackseverything Breloom can throw at it and has the ability to trap and set up on itBreloom. Furthermore, Dragonite provideis an amazing counter because of its high Base Power moves and resistances to all of Breloom's most common moves. Despite these shortcomings, Breloom is still a top-tier threat in the Dream World metagame and should always be played against with caution.

Chandelure


Chandelure may have been given the biggest blessing of all Pokemon that received benefits from the Dream World: Shadow Tag. With Shadow Tag, Chandelure can effectively set up on many Pokemon that cannot touch it,(comma) such as Blissey and Breloom. In fact, these Pokemon are often forced to hold Shed Shell to escape the wrath of Chandelure. With Substitute, Chandelure can avoid Toxic or Thunder Wave from Blissey and begin its rampage, as it is immune to Seismic Toss and takes a pittance from Ice Beam and Flamethrower. Chandelure also has plenty of boosting options including Flame Charge and Calm Mind. With Shadow Ball and Flamethrower / Fire Blast, Chandelure has plenty of coverage against most foes excluding Heatran,(comma) and it can utterly decimate opposing teams. It's a very noteworthy threat, and one should play against it with caution because using a Choice Band ExtremeSpeed when a Chandelure is on the opposing team could often spell impending doom. Choice Scarf sets are the most common revenge killers used in DW OU, and they often clear the field effectively despite the presence of Pursuit users like Tyranitar.

DittoCrow


While it still may not look like much, Ditto became a force with the advent of the Dream World. With Imposter, Ditto becomes the opposing Pokemon, even copying stat boosts! While it cannot use Imposter if the opponent has a Substitute up, Ditto still is a very good revenge killer when equipped with a Choice Scarf. Though it gets locked into one move, Ditto will be able to take down the opponent and then switch out, as well as makinge the opponent pay for any stat boosts he or she obtains. One of the downfalls to Ditto's Imposter is that each copied move only has 5 PP. Additionally, one must set Ditto's IVs to achieve the Hidden Power they want, as Ditto will have the default Hidden Power Dark if the IVs are left untouched.

Golurk


Despite Golurk's relegation to RU in standard play, Dream World gives it access to what was once Machamp's exclusive ability—No Guard. With a base Attack stat of 124 and guaranteed confusion from DynamicPunch, Golurk is certain to pack a deadly punch against many threats that are not prepared to take it on. Additionally, Golurk's Ghost / Ground typing nets it a handy Fighting-type immunity, fantastic dual STAB, and allows it to function as a spinblocker if necessary. Golurk's typing, however, is not the greatest defensively, as the rise of Multiscale Dragonite has lead to a surge in Ice-type attacks, as well as Water-type moves being as common as ever. A poor Speed stat and only average defenses force Golurk to be a rather situational threat as it will not get many opportunities to boost its Speed with Rock Polish, but when Golurk hits—and it always will—the resulting blow is devastating.

Raikou


Raikou is given the ability Volt Absorb in the Dream World,(comma) and with that,(comma) it is given a new lease on life. Volt Absorb is incredibly useful,(comma) as it helps Raikou stop two huge influences ofin the Dream World meta;tier:(colon) Thundurus and Volt Switch. Raikou has the satisfaction of being one of the few true counters to Thundurus. It can survive any hit from the Nasty Plot -(hyphen)boosted Ggenie and quickly revenge kill it with its powerful STAB Electric-type attacks, it; Raikou doesn't even need to worry about any crippling Thunder Waves. Raikou can even be a solid answer to Volt-tTurn teams, as it can come in on Rotom-A's Volt Switchs and proceed to severely dent any Pokemon coming in. It can even use Hidden Power Fire to stop the Steel / Bug type Pokemon who tend to accompany Rotom-WA.

Scrafty


Scrafty is a pokemon known for its top-notch abilities,(comma) and thanks to the Dream World,(comma) it can add another one onto its resume,:(colon) Intimidate. Intimidate is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and influential abilities a pPokemon can have, as it lowerings the Attack Sstat of the opponent's pPokemon wheby one stage upon switching in. This grants Scrafty numerous new opportunities to begin setting up with moves such as Bulk Up orand Dragon Dance. A Scrafty with two Dragon Dances under its belt is not hard to imaginachieve thanks to Intimidate and its awesome natural bulk; Scrafty is definitely not a threat to be forgotten in the Dream World tier.

Serperior


Though it is a rare sight in BW OU, Serperior is a common menace in the Dream World tier due to its ability, Contrary. With Contrary reversing the drawback of Leaf Storm—a sharp decrease in Special Attack—Serperior is able to grow continuously more powerful while repeatedly firing off high-powered attacks, easily nabbing momentum; while its coverage is limited mainly to Leaf Storm and Hidden Power, a neutral hit from either move will still pack a punch once Serperior reaches a couple boosts. Furthermore, Serperior possesses a plethora of support options, such as dual screens, Leech Seed, Glare, and Substitute, all of which can give the opponent a hard time. Once it has a few turns to repeatedly use Leaf Storm, Serperior becomes a gigantic threat; however, dispatching it with several strong blows as soon as possible will preclude this from happening.

Venusaur


Venusaur is blessed with quite a few perks that make it a very useful Pokemon for Ssun teams. The ability Chlorophyll doubles Venusaur's Speed stat,(comma) making himit a threatening attacker to face. Growth boosts both of Venusaur's Aattacking stats,(comma) making it a potent sweeper of sorts, and with access to Giga Drain,(comma) Venusaur is going to stay around for a while. Venusaur has a very diverse movepool to tap into,;(semicolon) with access to Substitute, Leech Seed, Sleep Powder, Sludge Bomb, and Hidden Power Fire, it covers its bases well. Venusaur can be much more manageable after Sleep Clause has been enabled,(comma) and Pokemon likebecause Pokemon such as Heatran and Blissey can easily wall Venusaur, although Blissey must be careful of a mixed set. Changing the weather and using a Prankster-assisted Thunder Wave are also ways to make Venusaur more manageable, but one must still be careful of switching Politoed and Tyranitar in fearingto Venusaur's strong Grass-type attacks.

New Strategies

Shadow Tag and Shed Shell

Upon receiving Shadow Tag as its Dream World ability, Chandelure has made a huge impact on the metagame by being able to trap any Pokemon it switches in on. With an ability like this, the item Shed Shell becomes a very enticing option for quite a few pPokemon likesuch as Blissey, Skarmory, Breloom and others, just for fear of being a free kill or complete set-up(remove hyphen) bait. Sacrificing key recovery from lLeftovers or power boosts from Life Orb is a wise decision when your Pokemon really can't do anything to Chandelure, ands otherwise they will easily die in Skarmory's and Breloom's cases,(comma) or be total setup bait in Blissey's case. Shed Shell allows these key piecemembers of your team to switch out scot-free and allow you to switch in something that will threaten Chandelure. Two common Pokemon that can completely stop Chandelure are Tyranitar and Heatran. Tyranitar cannot easily be KO'ed by Chandelure's Fire Blast even with boosts,(comma) and it can trap Chandelure with Pursuit, while Heatran can snag a fFlash fFire boost and force Chandelure out. When battling, taking away Chandelure's top roles will definitely give you the upper hand in the match. One additional thing to keep in mind with Shadow Tag is whenNote that in the rare event of Shadow Tag versus Shadow Tag happens, you can freely switch out to a safe Chandelure check without the need for a Shed Shell.

Pinch Berries

The integral stat -(hyphen)boosting berries are an underrated threat in the Dreamw World tier, as they allowing every Pokemon to receive a free stat boost when below 25% health. There are nine in total,(comma) but only three will see use, those being Petaya, Liechi,(comma) and Salac, raising Special Attack, Attack,(comma) and Speed,(comma) respectively. What makes these berries so underrated is that all you have to do is sub upuse Substitute for three turns in order to activate them. Some prime examples of Ppinch Berry users from DPP include SubPetaya Empoleon and Drifblim. Although the Ppinch Berries are not widely used in the metagame,(comma) they should still be treated with caution,(remove comma) due to the surprise of turning one of your checks into death fodder.

Conclusion

Well, those are some of the new, exciting surprises that Dream World has to offer! Don't be alarmed, though; many of your favorite Pokemon are still present and viable to use. It's a fun change of pace from the slower OU metagame, and is funenjoyable for almost any player looking for quick battles. Why not take advantage of all the fun, unbanned threats and try out the Dream World tier yourself? It is a funn exciting metagame and is sure not to disappoint!

Too much fun! (repetition :p)
 

Lemonade

WOOPAGGING
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis an Artist Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Some things to say~~~BW2 will most likely cause some shake ups so we have to do something about that. Also, Keldeo is OU legal now, is it not? If so then it's not a new threat anymore. In any case I thInk we should wait a bit since the difference now is between old OU and limbo DW
 
I'm just going to say, get this through GP quickly and on-site asap, then we can make edits to the article on-site as needed, so it doesn't have to sit here without being uploaded.
 

Lemonade

WOOPAGGING
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis an Artist Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
IMO it's easier to change content on the forums since the article and the place to reply are on the same page. And if it goes up right now, it could cause confusion since there's stuff that exists that the article makes no mention of.
 

Jukain

!_!
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I know that the article is in GP and limbo/whatever, but could I write something for Zapdos and Lightningrod? I can't find it in the article, and it's DW usage vs. it's OU usage shows what difference Lightningrod makes.
 
Differences Between BW OU and Dream World
Written by Birkal, Engineer Pikachu, Harsha, Joeyboy, Mafeking, Steamroll.

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to the exciting metagame that is Dream World! This guide seeks to explain the differences between the BW OU and the Dream World metagames. It includes discussion on Pokemon that currently don't exist within BW OU, both unreleased and currently banned, and provides information on Pokemon that have gained new abilities and egg moves from the Dream World. We'll be discussing which tactics are prevalent within this metagame and not BW OU, from the re-addition of pinch Berries to strategies that prevent Shadow Tag from wrecking your team.

Brand New Threats

Genesect


One of the most dangerous new threats in the Dream World metagame, Genesect can rip holes through unprepared teams with impressive base 120 offensive stats and access to Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, and STAB U-turn. Its excellent Bug / Steel typing gives it many opportunities to switch in as well. To further add to Genesect's offensive presence, its ability, Download, raises either of its offensive stats by one stage upon switching in. The key to stopping Genesect is exploiting its base 99 Speed stat, which leaves it easily outsped by base 100 Speed Pokemon, such as Salamence, Volcarona, and Jirachi. However, please note that Genesect is almost always run with Choice Scarf; plan accordingly when attempting to stop it. Also note that Genesect has access to Rock Polish, which can make it a fierce late-game sweeper.

Keldeo


Although Keldeo's movepool is limited, it is enough to get the job done. With access to Hydro Pump and a massive base 129 Special Attack stat, Keldeo can muscle through the bulkiest of special walls. This insane power can be further boosted via Calm Mind, Choice Specs, and the abundant rain provided by Politoed. Keldeo also has access to a great move in Secret Sword, which hits the likes of Blissey on their weaker Defense. Rounding out Keldeo's coverage is the choice between Hidden Power Ghost or Hidden Power Ice; in addition to hitting Latios and Latias, the former also covers Jellicent, and the latter Dragonite. However, the aforementioned Pokemon can either easily wall or beat down any Keldeo that lacks the appropriate Hidden Power. Keldeo is also stopped by strong attacks from faster Pokemon, such as Thundurus and Tornadus, who can use the rain to fire off a super effective STAB Thunder or Hurricane, respectively.

Meloetta


Meloetta is not too common in the Dream World metagame, but she is a versatile threat nonetheless. Her signature move, Relic Song, lets her change between two formes: Aria and Pirouette. The former has great base 128 Special Attack and Special Defense, which make her a great Calm Mind user and special attacker, while the latter takes on a more hyper-offensive approach with base 128 Attack and Speed. However, the most potent strategy takes advantage of the forme switch of Relic Song; counters to the Aria forme, such as Tyranitar, fall to the Pirouette forme's Close Combat, for example. This can either destroy troublesome opponents or force switches; entry hazards are therefore a welcome support option.

Threats that are Banned from BW OU

Deoxys-S


The premier hazard setter from BW OU of old is still around in the Dream World metagame, and is still as unpredictable as ever with the greatest support movepool in the game. Access to Stealth Rock, Spikes, Taunt, Reflect, Light Screen, Rain Dance, and Sunny Day really diversify Deoxys-S and make it a dangerous opponent to face. Deoxys-S also has a wide attacking movepool to delve into; it can surprise a ton of switch-ins with attacks such as Ice Beam, Focus Blast, Superpower, Psychic, and Thunderbolt. Deoxys-S is one of the most threatening Pokemon in the metagame, so take caution when facing it. Nonetheless, there are a few ways to stop Deoxys-S from setting up Spikes or dual screens. Of these, the most notable is Prankster Taunt from Pokemon such as Thundurus, as they can always outspeed Deoxys-S and shut it down. As Deoxys-S is often a suicide lead that does not stick around for long after providing hazard or screens support, there are a few other ways to thwart its strategy, such as by spinning right after Deoxys-S faints, and using Brick Break while Deoxys-S is setting up screens.

Excadrill


Excadrill is the crux of many a sand team, as its Sand Rush ability makes it the fastest Pokemon in the game in sand, and it possesses a highly threatening Attack stat as well. Excadrill has a limited movepool, but pseudo-EdgeQuake coverage and Swords Dance are often more than enough. Furthermore, it has access to Rapid Spin and can easily pull one off, as Ghost-types that attempt to spinblock risk being KOed by Rock Slide. This makes Excadrill a great team supporter, a potent sweeper, as well as a reliable revenge killer. Breloom easily checks Excadrill with a Technician-boosted Mach Punch, and Gliscor and Skarmory can wall it and either KO it or phaze it out, respectively. Another way to stop Excadrill is to simply change the weather, as this will bring it back to its abysmal base 88 Speed and open up many more checks to dispatch this monster.

Garchomp


Despite being booted out of BW OU and into Ubers, Garchomp is one of the most frightening suspects to have been allowed a second chance in the Dream World metagame. With Sand Veil at its disposal, not even completely accurate moves can reliably beat down Garchomp. It even works well on sun and rain teams due to its great coverage, bulk, versatility, and ability to check sand teams, the most common type of team in DW OU. Garchomp's capability to choose between both a Substitute + Swords Dance set and a Choice Scarf set makes it particularly terrifying. Its base 102 Speed is quite good for the fast-paced Dream World metagame, though it is outsped by key threats such as Thundurus, Keldeo, and Choice Scarf Genesect.

Manaphy


The most dangerous Pokemon under rain, Manaphy, must always be treated as a threat that you should eliminate as soon as possible. With the Hydration ability and access to Rest, Manaphy gets instant recovery under rain, which grants it far greater longevity than other sweepers. Manaphy also has access to two great boosting moves in Calm Mind and Tail Glow, both of which make it a dangerous threat once it gets a boost. Access to Surf and Ice Beam gives Manaphy great coverage, but it leaves it completely walled by Jellicent even with plenty of boosts under its belt. Other ways of dispatching of Manaphy include Thundurus's Thunder, or simply by changing the weather to deprive it of instant recovery. Even outside of weather, however, Manaphy must still be treated with extreme caution, as once it acquires enough boosts, the game is pretty much over.

Thundurus


Boasting excellent 115 / 125 offenses, Thundurus hits hard right off the bat. With a great ability in Prankster and access to key moves in Thunder Wave, Taunt, Substitute, Toxic, and Nasty Plot, Thundurus can get the jump on faster opponents, especially ones that are equipped with a Choice Scarf. Thundurus also has a very good Speed stat; at base 111 Speed, it outruns Gengar, Keldeo, Terrakion, Garchomp, Latios, and Latias, and can smack them with powerful STAB Thunder or Hidden Power Ice. Additionally, Thundurus can use Volt Switch to scout the opponent, but it needs to be careful of Ground-types, such as Quagsire, Gastrodon, and Excadrill, which can switch in for free and completely wall Thundurus, although the latter must be wary of Hammer Arm.

Old Pokemon, New Tricks

Breloom


Breloom is a common sight in Dream World due to its amazing new ability, Technician, which grants it the ability to handily KO troublesome Pokemon such as Excadrill and Keldeo. While it is limited in coverage with only Bullet Seed, Mach Punch, and Drain Punch, it is still a deadly sweeper because of Swords Dance. Breloom often holds a Shed Shell because Chandelure resists everything Breloom can throw at it and has the ability to trap and set up on Breloom. Dragonite too is an amazing counter because of its powerful moves and resistances to Breloom's most common attacks.

Chandelure


Chandelure might have been given the biggest blessing of all from the Dream World: Shadow Tag lets it effectively set up on many Pokemon that cannot touch it, such as Blissey and Breloom. In fact, these Pokemon are often forced to hold Shed Shell to escape the wrath of Chandelure. With Substitute, Chandelure can avoid Blissey's Toxic or Thunder Wave and begin its rampage, as it is immune to Seismic Toss and takes a pittance from Ice Beam and Flamethrower. Chandelure also has plenty of boosting options, including Flame Charge and Calm Mind. Alternatively, Choice Scarf Chandelure is the most common revenge killer used in DW OU, and can often clear the field effectively despite the presence of Pursuit users such as Tyranitar. With Shadow Ball and either Flamethrower or Fire Blast, Chandelure has plenty of coverage against foes not named Heatran, and it can utterly decimate opposing teams. All in all, Chandelure is a noteworthy threat that one should play against with great caution; locking a Choice Band user into ExtremeSpeed could often spell inevitable doom if the opponent has Chandelure.

Ditto


While it still might not look like much, Ditto became a force with the advent of the Dream World. Imposter enables it to become the opposing Pokemon, stat boosts and all! Choice Scarf Ditto is a fantastic revenge killer, as it will be able to take down the opponent and simply switch out, making the opponent pay for any stat boosts he or she had obtained. Imposter has its downfalls, however. Firstly, it is thwarted by Substitute; secondly, each copied move only has 5 PP. One thing to note is that one must set Ditto's IVs to achieve the desired Hidden Power, as Ditto will have the default Hidden Power Dark if its IVs are left untouched.

Golurk


Dream World gives the otherwise rarely used Golurk access to what was once Machamp's exclusive ability, No Guard. With a base 124 Attack stat and guaranteed confusion from DynamicPunch, Golurk is certain to pack a deadly punch against many threats that are not prepared to take it on. Additionally, Golurk's Ghost / Ground typing nets it a handy Fighting-type immunity, fantastic dual STAB, and spinblocking capability. This same typing, however, is not the greatest defensively, as the rise of Multiscale Dragonite has led to a surge in Ice-type attacks; Water-type moves are as common as ever, too. A poor Speed stat and only average defenses force Golurk to be a rather situational threat as it will not get many opportunities to boost its Speed with Rock Polish, but when Golurk hits—and it always will—the resulting blow is devastating.

Raikou


In Dream World, Raikou gains the Volt Absorb ability, and along with that, a new lease on life. Volt Absorb is incredibly useful as it helps Raikou stop two huge influences in the Dream World metagame: Thundurus and Volt Switch. In fact, Raikou boasts the title of being one of the few true counters to Thundurus, as it can survive any Nasty Plot-boosted hit and swiftly revenge kill Thundurus with its powerful STAB Electric-type attacks without worry of Thunder Wave, to boot. Furthermore, Raikou can be a solid answer to VoltTurn teams, as it can come in on Rotom-A's Volt Switch and proceed to severely dent the switch-in; it can even use Hidden Power Fire to stop the Bug / Steel types that tend to accompany Rotom-A.

Scrafty


Scrafty is known for its top-notch abilities, and thanks to the Dream World, it can add another one onto its resume: Intimidate. Intimidate, which lowers the Attack stat of the opponent's Pokemon by one stage upon switching in, is widely regarded as one of the most powerful abilities a Pokemon can have. It grants Scrafty numerous new opportunities to begin setting up with moves such as Bulk Up and Dragon Dance; thanks to Intimidate and its awesome natural bulk, it is not hard for Scrafty to gain even two Dragon Dance boosts.

Serperior


Though a rare sight in BW OU, Serperior is a common menace in Dream World due to its ability, Contrary. With Contrary reversing the drawback of Leaf Storm—a sharp decrease in Special Attack—Serperior is able to grow continuously more powerful while repeatedly firing off high-powered attacks and easily nabbing momentum; while its coverage is limited mainly to Leaf Storm and Hidden Power, a neutral hit from either move will still pack a punch once Serperior gains a couple of boosts. Furthermore, Serperior possesses a plethora of support options, such as dual screens, Leech Seed, Glare, and Substitute, all of which can give the opponent a hard time. Once it has a few turns to repeatedly use Leaf Storm, Serperior becomes a gigantic threat; however, dispatching it with several strong blows as soon as possible will preclude this from happening.

Venusaur


Venusaur's perks make it a very useful Pokemon on sun teams. In sun, its Chlorophyll ability doubles its Speed stat, and Growth boosts both of its attacking stats, which combine to make it a potent sweeper of sorts. Giga Drain, in addition to providing STAB, also helps Venusaur stick around for a while. Furthermore, Venusaur has a diverse movepool to tap into, which includes Substitute, Leech Seed, Sleep Powder, Sludge Bomb, and Hidden Power Fire. Venusaur is much more manageable after Sleep Clause has been activated, because Pokemon such as Heatran and Blissey can easily wall Venusaur, although the latter must be careful of mixed variants. Other ways to make Venusaur more manageable include changing the weather and crippling it with Prankster Thunder Wave, but one must still be careful of switching Politoed and Tyranitar into Venusaur's strong Grass-type attacks.

New Strategies

Shadow Tag and Shed Shell

Upon receiving Shadow Tag as its Dream World ability, Chandelure has made a huge impact on the metagame by being able to trap any Pokemon it switches in on. The item Shed Shell thus becomes a highly enticing option for the likes of Blissey, Skarmory, and Breloom; sacrificing Leftovers recovery or a Life Orb power boost is a small price to pay for Pokemon that would otherwise be a free kill or complete setup bait. On the flip side, two common Pokemon that can completely stop Chandelure are Tyranitar and Heatran. Tyranitar is not easily KOed by even boosted Fire Blasts and can trap Chandelure with Pursuit, while Heatran can snag a Flash Fire boost and force Chandelure out. When battling, taking away Chandelure's top roles will definitely give you the upper hand in the match (I don't really understand what this means!). Finally, note that Chandelure cannot trap other Shadow Tag users, including other Chandelure.

Pinch Berries

The stat-boosting Berries are an underrated threat in the Dream World metagame that can turn a check into setup fodder. There are nine in total, but only three will see use, namely Petaya, Liechi, and Salac, which raise Special Attack, Attack, and Speed, respectively. Users of these Berries commonly carry Substitute as well; making three consecutive Substitutes is a safe and reliable way to activate the Berry. Prime examples of pinch Berry users include SubPetaya Empoleon and Drifblim.

Conclusion

Well, those are some of the new, exciting surprises that Dream World has to offer! Don't be alarmed, though; many of your favorite Pokemon are still present and viable to use. It's a fun change of pace from the slower OU metagame, and is enjoyable for just about any player looking for quick battles. Why not take advantage of all the fun, unbanned threats and try out Dream World play for yourself? It is an exciting metagame and will surely not disappoint!


one note, under New Strategies -> Shadow Tag and Shed Shell

 

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