I have found Foretress to be quite a cool pokemon in this meta. It can take a hit from the psychical boosting sweepers that plague this meta, and U-Turn out into an appropriate offensive/defensive check. It pairs pretty well with Jellicent, as they both resists common priority, and Jellicent can burn psychical attackers too.
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Gen V STABmons
- Thread starter EV
- Start date
- Status
Congrats, STABmons is now Other Metagame of the Month!
LADDER HARD
LADDER HARD
SpartanMalice
Y'all jokers must be crazy
Yeah I noticed before. Finally.
It's biggest boost came in the form of Heal Order though which makes it arguably one of the best physically defensive spinners around. The blobs do get spin + recovery and all but there is no normal type with that high defense.
So glad that this is finally on main. Before I could never get any battles.
Miltank. Its HP and defence are excellent. STAB body slam does decent damage with a chance to get a para. Scrappy for ghosts, thick fat for superior tanking.
So I don't know if I'm the first to discover this or not, but Shuckle is a veritable monster now. Get him in Sand, as usual, with some Toxic Spikes up and use Rest/Sleep Talk/Heal Order/Toxic. It's super helpful in a metagame full of Dark Voids and Spores, since you have a sleep absorber, while it stays totally functional for late game trolling. Pair it with your traditional steel-killer Magnezone and try to avoid Rapid Spins. If you can get it all set up right, it trolls whole teams.
I could have PP stalled you with Zam if I had the time but I wanted to hurry up and finish. A crit would have ruined you also. BTW I'd rather take a loss than play silly stall games with you for another 10-20 minutes. All your Shuckle managed to do was wall a random hyper offence team.
Alrighty, I'm not used to playing altered variations of Pokemon gameplay already, and I'm relatively new to PS in general. STABmons really interests me, because at first I thought Pokemon were restricted just to their STAB moves, like a hyper-offensive metagame of sorts. This is a lot more interesting now that I know what it is, so I'd like to see if this team is any good.
Electivire (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Impish Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Cross Chop
This is my dedicated lead to counter every other dedicated lead. For starters, sleep inducing Prankster users are rampant in the metagame, especially during the first turns of a match, and a hard-hitting Electivire immune to sleep with a bevy of coverage moves is something most aren't prepared for. Whether it be Jumpluff, Whimsicott, or Sableye, Electivire is fully capable of ruining most of their standard sets. For the Water Spout Keldeo leads that I see often, the Focus Sash and perfect accuracy Fusion Bolt guarantee that I cripple Keldeo enough to either survive another Water Spout, outright kill it, or send in Sawsbuck to finish the job. The coverage moves are for the other leads that try to break the mold and throw me off guard, which just backfires when I KO with a coverage move.
Quagsire (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Def
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Yawn
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
With such ridiculous Baton Passing shenanigans in the metagame, such as Simple Shell Smash Bibarel, someone with Unaware is a necessity to keep them in check and force them to retaliate or be destroyed. Quagsire is my main man, with only one (albeit crippling) weakness and considerable bulk to survive, set up, and wreck shop. Yawn forces most active Pokemon to switch out or become useless for the rest of the match, giving Quagsire a turn or two to use Curse to bulk up and sweep away. The two STAB moves are used instead of the one to make sure I hit stat boosters of all kinds, which unfortunately means I have to circumvent Recover.
Sawsbuck (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
- Baton Pass
- Ingrain
- ExtremeSpeed
- Substitute
Once every threat is out of the way, Sawsbuck can come in and begin my own nightmarish Baton Pass chain. To get the choice of ability out of the way, Sap Sipper is there to handle any stray grass type who tries to use Spore to cripple me before I set up my Substitute (Chlorophyll is useless due to my lack of dependence on weather). Once I'm comfortably protected, I set up Ingrain to ensure Roar and Whirlwind or even the occasional Red Card can't break my chain, and ExtremeSpeed to pick off those attempting to break through my Substitute. Once everything is in place, I Baton Pass to Bibarel, where the real magic begins.
Bibarel (M) @ White Herb
Trait: Simple
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Jolly Nature
- Shell Smash
- Stockpile
- Baton Pass
- ExtremeSpeed
Yes, I use Simple Shell Smash Bibarel, but only because I admire the efficiency of this set. The Substitute really only matters for Bibarel to get off the only Shell Smash I bother to do, landing a staggering +4 offenses and a White Herb to eliminate the defense decrease. Then I use Stockpile to amplify my defenses, usually only twice to save time. ExtremeSpeed is for the occasion that my Substitute is broken and I need a way to destroy a Taunt or Encore user I wasn't expecting. Once I'm satisfied with my stats, I baton pass to one of two people, depending on what I want to do.
Ursaring (M) @ Flame Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP
Jolly Nature
- ExtremeSpeed
- Fake Out
- Crunch
- Close Combat
Behold, the destroyer. Whenever I feel physical power is cut out for the job, I Baton Pass into Ursaring to wrap everything up. Fake Out does a ton of damage with +4 attack, but its real purpose is to guarantee that Flame Orb activates, shooting my attack to unfathomable levels. With the prevalance of priority, Quick Feet is unnecessary unless I'm going up against another ExtremeSpeed user, which shouldn't happen too much. Guts ensures that priority wars end quickly in my favor. The burn that gives Ursaring his unshakable power also drains his health consistently, but the health recovery from Ingrain helps mitigate the damage and prolongs his longevity. Crunch and Close Combat round out the set, ensuring that those who resist ExtremeSpeed are eliminated quickly, and those that are immune will have to deal with a powerful Dark type move, such as Ghosts or Psychics.
Victini @ Expert Belt
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Hasty Nature
- Psystrike
- Blue Flare
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
When I feel that I need to actually use the Special attack boost offered through Shell Smash, I opt for Victini and his slew of powerful Special attacks. There really isn't much to explain, except that Victini's lack of priority might be a problem, but these attacks generally should be enough to wreck shop regardless.
Please tell me if I have any major holes in this team. Also, I am aware of the whole Suspect/Banned thing, but I don't know much else about it beyond that some of these tactics are only available in later rounds of the tournament. If that could be explained to me, I'd greatly appreciate it.
P.S. If someone could tell me what tag is used to hide the list, I'd appreciate that as well.
Electivire (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Impish Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Cross Chop
This is my dedicated lead to counter every other dedicated lead. For starters, sleep inducing Prankster users are rampant in the metagame, especially during the first turns of a match, and a hard-hitting Electivire immune to sleep with a bevy of coverage moves is something most aren't prepared for. Whether it be Jumpluff, Whimsicott, or Sableye, Electivire is fully capable of ruining most of their standard sets. For the Water Spout Keldeo leads that I see often, the Focus Sash and perfect accuracy Fusion Bolt guarantee that I cripple Keldeo enough to either survive another Water Spout, outright kill it, or send in Sawsbuck to finish the job. The coverage moves are for the other leads that try to break the mold and throw me off guard, which just backfires when I KO with a coverage move.
Quagsire (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Def
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Yawn
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
With such ridiculous Baton Passing shenanigans in the metagame, such as Simple Shell Smash Bibarel, someone with Unaware is a necessity to keep them in check and force them to retaliate or be destroyed. Quagsire is my main man, with only one (albeit crippling) weakness and considerable bulk to survive, set up, and wreck shop. Yawn forces most active Pokemon to switch out or become useless for the rest of the match, giving Quagsire a turn or two to use Curse to bulk up and sweep away. The two STAB moves are used instead of the one to make sure I hit stat boosters of all kinds, which unfortunately means I have to circumvent Recover.
Sawsbuck (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
- Baton Pass
- Ingrain
- ExtremeSpeed
- Substitute
Once every threat is out of the way, Sawsbuck can come in and begin my own nightmarish Baton Pass chain. To get the choice of ability out of the way, Sap Sipper is there to handle any stray grass type who tries to use Spore to cripple me before I set up my Substitute (Chlorophyll is useless due to my lack of dependence on weather). Once I'm comfortably protected, I set up Ingrain to ensure Roar and Whirlwind or even the occasional Red Card can't break my chain, and ExtremeSpeed to pick off those attempting to break through my Substitute. Once everything is in place, I Baton Pass to Bibarel, where the real magic begins.
Bibarel (M) @ White Herb
Trait: Simple
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Jolly Nature
- Shell Smash
- Stockpile
- Baton Pass
- ExtremeSpeed
Yes, I use Simple Shell Smash Bibarel, but only because I admire the efficiency of this set. The Substitute really only matters for Bibarel to get off the only Shell Smash I bother to do, landing a staggering +4 offenses and a White Herb to eliminate the defense decrease. Then I use Stockpile to amplify my defenses, usually only twice to save time. ExtremeSpeed is for the occasion that my Substitute is broken and I need a way to destroy a Taunt or Encore user I wasn't expecting. Once I'm satisfied with my stats, I baton pass to one of two people, depending on what I want to do.
Ursaring (M) @ Flame Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP
Jolly Nature
- ExtremeSpeed
- Fake Out
- Crunch
- Close Combat
Behold, the destroyer. Whenever I feel physical power is cut out for the job, I Baton Pass into Ursaring to wrap everything up. Fake Out does a ton of damage with +4 attack, but its real purpose is to guarantee that Flame Orb activates, shooting my attack to unfathomable levels. With the prevalance of priority, Quick Feet is unnecessary unless I'm going up against another ExtremeSpeed user, which shouldn't happen too much. Guts ensures that priority wars end quickly in my favor. The burn that gives Ursaring his unshakable power also drains his health consistently, but the health recovery from Ingrain helps mitigate the damage and prolongs his longevity. Crunch and Close Combat round out the set, ensuring that those who resist ExtremeSpeed are eliminated quickly, and those that are immune will have to deal with a powerful Dark type move, such as Ghosts or Psychics.
Victini @ Expert Belt
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Hasty Nature
- Psystrike
- Blue Flare
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
When I feel that I need to actually use the Special attack boost offered through Shell Smash, I opt for Victini and his slew of powerful Special attacks. There really isn't much to explain, except that Victini's lack of priority might be a problem, but these attacks generally should be enough to wreck shop regardless.
Please tell me if I have any major holes in this team. Also, I am aware of the whole Suspect/Banned thing, but I don't know much else about it beyond that some of these tactics are only available in later rounds of the tournament. If that could be explained to me, I'd greatly appreciate it.
P.S. If someone could tell me what tag is used to hide the list, I'd appreciate that as well.
Thanks for the warm welcome. I realize now that the team IS able to be posted in the Rate My Team section (which I thought was only for legitimate metagames). Also, just so my giant post isn't an eyesore, can you tell me the tag used to condense the list? Thanks.
DD Kyu-B as well as other boosting sweepers are underwhelming. Sableye and other pranksters can usually just dark void / will-o / destiny bond to check them. Ursaring and other Espeeders can handle them too.
I think the best Kyu-B set right now is lead CB with Ice Shard / Icicle Spear / Outrage / Fusion Bolt. There are so many shell smashers, quiver dancers etc who try and set up in its face only to eat CB Outrages. Its supreme bulk usually allows it to live any hit and KO a threat in return. Even the premier Shift Gear abusers (Metagross and Jirachi) that don't invest in bulk are 2HKO'd. Anyone trying to subspam gets icicle spear'd. Ice shard is your prio, which TBH isn't very useful in a tier full of Espeeders. Fusion Bolt OHKOs Thundurus-T (huge offensive threat IMO), if for some reason they try to switch it in. Then again, Kyu-B can survive Thundurus' modest Focus Blast (flying stab seems to have replaced it though) with a little investment in bulk.
I think the best Kyu-B set right now is lead CB with Ice Shard / Icicle Spear / Outrage / Fusion Bolt. There are so many shell smashers, quiver dancers etc who try and set up in its face only to eat CB Outrages. Its supreme bulk usually allows it to live any hit and KO a threat in return. Even the premier Shift Gear abusers (Metagross and Jirachi) that don't invest in bulk are 2HKO'd. Anyone trying to subspam gets icicle spear'd. Ice shard is your prio, which TBH isn't very useful in a tier full of Espeeders. Fusion Bolt OHKOs Thundurus-T (huge offensive threat IMO), if for some reason they try to switch it in. Then again, Kyu-B can survive Thundurus' modest Focus Blast (flying stab seems to have replaced it though) with a little investment in bulk.
I'm too tired to actually comment the team but here are the natures I assume you'd actually want from your EV spread and moveset.
Has anybody had success with stall? I'm doing surprisingly well with sunstall, currently sitting at #4 on the ladder, however I'm having trouble handling banded kyurem-b :/
Some quick theorymon (a note in case I forget):
Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Trait: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 200 SDef / 60 Def
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Water Spout
- Ice Beam
- Toxic / Earth Power
Somewhat decent counter to rain spoutspam. EVs need some work. Can take Secret Swords from Keldeo but dies to Thundurus-T's Hurricanes.
P2 rapid spin?
Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Trait: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 200 SDef / 60 Def
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Water Spout
- Ice Beam
- Toxic / Earth Power
Somewhat decent counter to rain spoutspam. EVs need some work. Can take Secret Swords from Keldeo but dies to Thundurus-T's Hurricanes.
P2 rapid spin?
Sucker Punch in STABmons can really do you good, with good mons that can use it now, thanks to every move for your type rule. I just wanted to put Hydreigon and Ttar out there for STABmons, they can really do work with Sucker Punch. Hydreigon now has access to Dragon Dance and Sucker Punch with a LO, nice combo, you can even throw Hydreigon on a Rain Team with Aqua Tail. You can play mind games with SP+DD, it's a nice strategy, since your opponent would be afraid to attack you, thanks to Sucker Punch and you can get free set ups and then, attack when it's time. It just takes good prediction and timing. Ttar with Sucker Punch+Choice Band is deadly, you can one shot all OU Psychic types I don't know about Jirachi though since it's part Steel type and many other things that aren't Steel types with the help of little hazard support and you can easily get rid of frail mons. Once again, you can play mind games with Ttar as well, faking the revenge kill and get free switch ins. I think SP is a valuable move in STABmons and players should abuse the advantages of it, Sucker Punch just takes prediction and careful planning.
Agreed. Ttar with Sucker Punch is just awesome. I used a Sucker Punch + Pursuit combo, which works really well. Another awesome pokemon I want to give credit is Skarmory. Skarmory just walls entire teams, Whirlwinds them away, and pairs very well with Chansey. Skarm just doesn't care about any physical attack. Many Ursaring I see carry Fire Punch. Skarm just doesn't care and roosts it of until Ursaring dies of poison/burn. I reached #1 on the ladder with a team with both Ttar and Skarm.
I used a Skarm with Spikes/Whirlwind/Roost/Brave Bird, but I've seen someone use a Skarm with Shift Gear over Spikes. It sounds stupid on a wall, but it's quite amazing. While it still walls everything it needs to, it can now boost its speed. It can't be phazed, because its own Whirlwind is faster than the opponents after a boost. Same with Transform Chansey. With hazard support it just wrecks. Only problem is special attackers that can live a +1 Brave Bird, which are taken care of with a Chansey.
EV
Banned deucer.
Hey all! Now that the ladder has been running for a few days (I know, I know, it's still early), what are some things you've seen that other players new to STABmons have adopted?
This is some of what I've noticed:
-HYPER OFFENSE
- As you can tell, STABmons is starting out very physical.
Of course there are some special attackers I've seen, too, like
, but it looks like the majority of attackers prefer to be physical.
This guy is everywhere! Essentially they all run Fake Out, ESpeed, Crunch, and Close Combat, though I have seen some with Swords Dance in there, too.
The blobs are still here, doing their thing, walling special attackers, sleeping with Lovely Kiss, Transforming, etc.
Speaking of which, this guy
is fairly common, too. I guess people don't want to wait a turn to Transform and would rather use Imposter knowing that the metagame is full of powerful boosters. (
:`B )
And if it's boosters you fear, bring your Unaware
. He's more popular than I expected, which means there is hope for the metagame to balance out once the thrill of hyper offense runs its course.
Of course how could I forget him? Sableye is probably one of the most recognizable Pokémon in the game, since it has Prankster Dark Void, WoW, Taunt, Recover, and Destiny Bond to royally screw over a lot of teams both offensive and balance.
I have spotted some bulky mons here and there, like
and some we didn't embrace in the beginning but the ladder is giving new life like
.
What's absent? The scrappymons like
.
I've only seen 1.
I thought he'd be way more popular.
This thing is so useful even though it plays essentially the same as OU. It walls Keldeo, Bibarel, and Azumarill!
So, what have you guys seen? What haven't you seen?
This is some of what I've noticed:
-HYPER OFFENSE
Of course there are some special attackers I've seen, too, like
Speaking of which, this guy
And if it's boosters you fear, bring your Unaware
I have spotted some bulky mons here and there, like
What's absent? The scrappymons like
So, what have you guys seen? What haven't you seen?
Some things I've seen are people running 6 set up sweepers, often using the weirdest stuff like ferrothorn and skarmory, which didn't work out to well for them (obviously).
Swellow, this is a cool pokemon. I've had success with him so far. He is super fast, packs a punch with facade and brave bird, and most importantly, carries one of the fastest extremespeeds there is, which is useful for taking down pokemon who rely on priority. The downsides though are that swellow is easily worn down with status and hazards. I get around this by using a toxic orb hit-and-run swellow, with rapid spin support to decrease the residual damage. Swellow's a cool pokemon, who is quite handy to have around when something like an ursaring is going on a rampage. Oh yeah, and it gets nature power, which gives it the coverage it needed.
I've seen quite a lot of Scizors, Gear grind after one or two shift gears is tough to beat. It also has that steel typing to resist common priority. It also packs powerful priority of it's own.
Sableye, another awesome (but annoying) pokemon. He really pulls his own in a match, and never fails to impress me (except when dark void misses :confused: ). Sableye can stop almost any sweeper in it's tracks with A prankster Dark Void or Destiny Bond. It's handy typing allows it to come in on extremespeeds, which is awesome. It can also be a handy tool for winning the weather war. It also has taunt, WoW, switcheroo, and a few other options to annoy and cripple almost any team you may face. This guy, a lot of times, won't go down without crippling at least one (A lot of times two) of your opponent's pokemon. He is really annoying to face and should be something for every team to watch out for.
Jellicent and forretress are two more mons that can wall the common psychical attackers in the tier. They make a good defensive core and can take on many common offensive pokemon.
Swellow, this is a cool pokemon. I've had success with him so far. He is super fast, packs a punch with facade and brave bird, and most importantly, carries one of the fastest extremespeeds there is, which is useful for taking down pokemon who rely on priority. The downsides though are that swellow is easily worn down with status and hazards. I get around this by using a toxic orb hit-and-run swellow, with rapid spin support to decrease the residual damage. Swellow's a cool pokemon, who is quite handy to have around when something like an ursaring is going on a rampage. Oh yeah, and it gets nature power, which gives it the coverage it needed.
I've seen quite a lot of Scizors, Gear grind after one or two shift gears is tough to beat. It also has that steel typing to resist common priority. It also packs powerful priority of it's own.
Sableye, another awesome (but annoying) pokemon. He really pulls his own in a match, and never fails to impress me (except when dark void misses :confused: ). Sableye can stop almost any sweeper in it's tracks with A prankster Dark Void or Destiny Bond. It's handy typing allows it to come in on extremespeeds, which is awesome. It can also be a handy tool for winning the weather war. It also has taunt, WoW, switcheroo, and a few other options to annoy and cripple almost any team you may face. This guy, a lot of times, won't go down without crippling at least one (A lot of times two) of your opponent's pokemon. He is really annoying to face and should be something for every team to watch out for.
Jellicent and forretress are two more mons that can wall the common psychical attackers in the tier. They make a good defensive core and can take on many common offensive pokemon.
I have been wondering lately how Lucario would do in a Shift Gear set, hehe.
The Genies are very common, now that they all have access to great flying STAB moves, wether it be Roost, Hurricane or Brave Bird. Like I've said in chat before Flying and Normal are STABmons best types, followed by Steel, Bug, Grass & Psychic.
Another mon that is scary is SS Staraptor. With White Herb it can run Acrobatics so that Brave Bird recoil doesnt ruin it's day. Extremespeed provides the priority, Close Combat (or Nature Power) the coverage. Intimidate makes it easier to set up.
The Genies are very common, now that they all have access to great flying STAB moves, wether it be Roost, Hurricane or Brave Bird. Like I've said in chat before Flying and Normal are STABmons best types, followed by Steel, Bug, Grass & Psychic.
Another mon that is scary is SS Staraptor. With White Herb it can run Acrobatics so that Brave Bird recoil doesnt ruin it's day. Extremespeed provides the priority, Close Combat (or Nature Power) the coverage. Intimidate makes it easier to set up.
God, I just want to put Forretress on the spot here, I think I'm like, the only one who uses this. Everyone pls use Metal Burst Forretress, it's basically a Steel type Counter and Mirror Coat, now that Forretress has access to it, it works perfectly with him, plus he has Heal Order and Sturdy. It's an easy way to kill a threat that needs to be dealt with and with Heal Order, Forretress can do Metal Burst many times. This can even work with Skarmory as well, since it has Sturdy and Metal Burst. Metal Burst can easily knock out almost anything and no one ever expects it, plus Heal Order with reliable recovery, while Skarmory has Roost. Thank me later guys. This is my Forretress set btw.
Forretress @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Heal Order
- U-turn
- Metal Burst
- Stealth Rock
Forretress @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Heal Order
- U-turn
- Metal Burst
- Stealth Rock
EV
Banned deucer.
Too bad we don't have a Mold Breaker Fire-type! This is why hazards are needed.
I'm so glad this is on the main server now. I'm sad I'm not the first to think of Metal Burst Forretress but I run Custap/Explosion for those fire types that get it too low to be heal ordered back up. I've also been running the Curse Sableye set but with Dark Void in the place of protect and it works great as a counter to the Vital Spirit pokes I've seen a lot of. I've been really surprised at just how many Judgment Espeons I've seen.
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Apart from Gengar and Chandy, what other offensive ghost types can be viable? Gengar doesn't really get anything other than toxic spikes. Chandelure gets some pretty insane stuff like Blue Flare, Magma Storm, Eruption and Searing Shot (no reason to run lava plume anymore except for PP). They're both good switch ins to Ursaring, since they're immune to its priority and can naturally outspeed and KO.
I think Heatran has huge potential. It can still run bulky sets with Searing Shot and maybe even Metal Burst, since it has so many great resistances. But with Shift Gear, it could run a mixed set with Blue Flare / Searing Shot / Eruption, Earthquake / Explosion and Meteor Mash. It is immune to will-o, can take out the other shift gear abusers Jirachi and Metagross and it can beat Ursaring (although most steel types beat it anyway). Azumarill and Toed will scare it out but a +1 Explosion has a good chance of OHKOing Azumarill and will always OHKO Toeds that are not fully defensive.
I think Heatran has huge potential. It can still run bulky sets with Searing Shot and maybe even Metal Burst, since it has so many great resistances. But with Shift Gear, it could run a mixed set with Blue Flare / Searing Shot / Eruption, Earthquake / Explosion and Meteor Mash. It is immune to will-o, can take out the other shift gear abusers Jirachi and Metagross and it can beat Ursaring (although most steel types beat it anyway). Azumarill and Toed will scare it out but a +1 Explosion has a good chance of OHKOing Azumarill and will always OHKO Toeds that are not fully defensive.
Ghosts did not gain much at all outside of Shadow Force, which really only benefits Golurk. They mostly rely on their other STABs for pickups, and the only really notable ones there are Toxic Spikes Gengar, Chandelure, Bonemerang/Spikes Golurk, and maybe Aeroblast/Hurricane Drifblim.
Shedinja actually seems interesting. He's still gimmicky, but he got some cool new moves like Earthquake, Bonemerang, Spikes, and Megahorn. Most notable, however, are U-turn and Shadow Force. Shedinja walls many of the set-up sweepers in the meta, forcing them to switch and prematurely ending their sweep, while it either maintains momentum with U-turn or fires off a Shadow Force. The protect-effect on the first turn of Shadow Force is fantastic for Shedinja. Due to its low Speed, many of its counters can outspeed it and KO before it manages to do much of anything, but Shadow Force, along with a Focus Sash and Shadow Sneak, means that Shedinja can often take out its usual counters. When Shedinja forces a switch, most switch-ins will be forced to eat 2 Shadow Forces and a Shadow Sneak before Shedinja goes down.
Shedinja actually seems interesting. He's still gimmicky, but he got some cool new moves like Earthquake, Bonemerang, Spikes, and Megahorn. Most notable, however, are U-turn and Shadow Force. Shedinja walls many of the set-up sweepers in the meta, forcing them to switch and prematurely ending their sweep, while it either maintains momentum with U-turn or fires off a Shadow Force. The protect-effect on the first turn of Shadow Force is fantastic for Shedinja. Due to its low Speed, many of its counters can outspeed it and KO before it manages to do much of anything, but Shadow Force, along with a Focus Sash and Shadow Sneak, means that Shedinja can often take out its usual counters. When Shedinja forces a switch, most switch-ins will be forced to eat 2 Shadow Forces and a Shadow Sneak before Shedinja goes down.
Personally, I've found that the best way of dealing with Shedinja is just to sacrifice a sweeper, allowing something to come in and either (1) Pursuit it and break its sash or (2) wall it, forcing it out, and setting up a hazard. That usually works unless the opponent is psychic or something...
One problem with Shedinja, though, is that Ursaring is a common threat in this metagame. Not only is it capable of wrecking Shedinja with a Crunch, but it can underspeed Shedinja and take it out after Shadow Force hits (for nothing). Furthermore, Shedinja is heavily reliant on Rapid Spin support, which is a huge liability in this heavily offensive metagame, thanks to the huge distribution of Spikes and Toxic Spikes. That said, I've lost one or two games to Shedinja; it's also forced me to run Pursuit on my Scizor :P! If you run a team without hazards, then yes, Shedinja is definitely something to watch out for.
- Status