Pokemon like Weaville, CSHeracross, and other high speed/high attack users seem like very good leads atm. But in my experience on WiFi, Focus Sash seems to undermine the effort to use the leads to get easy kills. Weaville is OHKO'd by Mence Stone Edge after expecting a kill with Ice Punch. Focus Sash needs to be considered, unlike Endure, because it is very accessible and doesn't take up a move slot.
My first team included a CSHeracross lead, but had to replaced after my first few battles where I encountered a Focus Sash PorygonZ with Psychic, a Focus Sash Lucario with Psychic, and a Focus Sash Weavile with Aerial Ace. I considered the fact that this might as well be coincidence, but I realized my Heracross lead was unfit to handle Focus Sash leads. And most fragile but potent sweepers are.
And this leads to the point of my thread, that with the addition of Focus Sash to the game, players have to tailor their lead pokemon to address it. Focus Sash is arguably most effective on the leading pokemon, with a low chance of SS and Stealth Rock and Spikes, the things that undermine Focus Sash. You could lose a pokemon due to this error, and in Smogon's upcoming Item Clause tournament the chances of Focus Sash being somewhere greatly increases.
I generally choose more bulky leads that can still keep their offensive power. Things like Gyarados, Metagross, and Tyranitar, who are all bulky and still pose a sweeping threat. Gyarados also had intimidate, Metagross is immune to the popular intimidate, and Tyranitar has Sandstorm, which already makes it harder for people depending on Focus Sash to use their pokes. The bulkier leads are probably what should be standard on most teams, be able to take a hit and stay a offensive threat as well.
This Focus Sash issue could even be worse with the Counter/Mirror Coat Deoxys-F @ Focus Sash, this could spell death to someone who mispredicts. With Kyogre/Groudon being able to change weather, Sandstorm is rarer than usual, which makes Focus Sash that much more potent. You could see Focus Sash outside of leading pokemon, in more unexpected places. Although the Uber environment probably will not fully develop until Competitor is well into a few releases, Focus Sash is a factor that should go into the "threat" checklist in the minds of the players during team building for ubers, defitnetaly.
With Tyranitar/Hippowdon being more rampant in OU, and Abomasnow a threat in UU, Focus Sash has less of a place in tiers below ubers. Although it may be less of a factor than it is in Ubers, it should be considered on lead pokemon especially, due to the absence of SR/Spikes. A Focus Sash user could also theoretically pull of its gambit, since I think SS damages after the turn it is unleashed(So the two pokes can do the move they do, your Focus Sash user surviving with Focus Sash, and also attacking. But dying to SS right after). If anyone can clarify this, please do.
Focus Sash will probably be a big factor in the Smogon WiFi tournament in July, so I think its safe to actually stress about this item.
My first team included a CSHeracross lead, but had to replaced after my first few battles where I encountered a Focus Sash PorygonZ with Psychic, a Focus Sash Lucario with Psychic, and a Focus Sash Weavile with Aerial Ace. I considered the fact that this might as well be coincidence, but I realized my Heracross lead was unfit to handle Focus Sash leads. And most fragile but potent sweepers are.
And this leads to the point of my thread, that with the addition of Focus Sash to the game, players have to tailor their lead pokemon to address it. Focus Sash is arguably most effective on the leading pokemon, with a low chance of SS and Stealth Rock and Spikes, the things that undermine Focus Sash. You could lose a pokemon due to this error, and in Smogon's upcoming Item Clause tournament the chances of Focus Sash being somewhere greatly increases.
I generally choose more bulky leads that can still keep their offensive power. Things like Gyarados, Metagross, and Tyranitar, who are all bulky and still pose a sweeping threat. Gyarados also had intimidate, Metagross is immune to the popular intimidate, and Tyranitar has Sandstorm, which already makes it harder for people depending on Focus Sash to use their pokes. The bulkier leads are probably what should be standard on most teams, be able to take a hit and stay a offensive threat as well.
This Focus Sash issue could even be worse with the Counter/Mirror Coat Deoxys-F @ Focus Sash, this could spell death to someone who mispredicts. With Kyogre/Groudon being able to change weather, Sandstorm is rarer than usual, which makes Focus Sash that much more potent. You could see Focus Sash outside of leading pokemon, in more unexpected places. Although the Uber environment probably will not fully develop until Competitor is well into a few releases, Focus Sash is a factor that should go into the "threat" checklist in the minds of the players during team building for ubers, defitnetaly.
With Tyranitar/Hippowdon being more rampant in OU, and Abomasnow a threat in UU, Focus Sash has less of a place in tiers below ubers. Although it may be less of a factor than it is in Ubers, it should be considered on lead pokemon especially, due to the absence of SR/Spikes. A Focus Sash user could also theoretically pull of its gambit, since I think SS damages after the turn it is unleashed(So the two pokes can do the move they do, your Focus Sash user surviving with Focus Sash, and also attacking. But dying to SS right after). If anyone can clarify this, please do.
Focus Sash will probably be a big factor in the Smogon WiFi tournament in July, so I think its safe to actually stress about this item.
