Metagame np: Stage 6 - The Boys Are Back

[Raseri]

With this month, we get a gigantic change to the NU metagame. Kabutops, Pinsir, Fletchinder, and Magneton are now NU!!! However, we are saying goodbye to our friend, Seismitoad as he is moving up to RU to combat the giants there.

In this thread you can about the new drops and anything related to the NU metagame. To quote Molk again:

• New Stage - If there are tier shifts, make some predictions on what the metagame will be like or comment on the changes
• Suspect Testing - If you believe that anything is worthy of a suspect test, post about it and why you think it deserves a suspect test. (nothing will be chosen as a suspect until at least two weeks in though, if even that)
• Metagame trends - What are the most common or effective strategies? Are there any Pokemon that you think will rise in usage?
• Top threats - What should the main priorities be when considering a team for NU?
• Playstyles - Which are most effective? Are there any that cannot succeed?
• Cores - What are some popular or solid cores? Why do they work so well, and what can be used to beat them?
• Underrated Pokemon - Just because a Pokemon isn't used much doesn't mean its bad! There are plenty of hidden gems scattered throughout low NU and PU, and possibly even Little Cup!
• New sets - If you have a unique set that you've had success with recently, share it.

and come join us on PS! to talk about the new changes, we are always looking for new people!

 

[Raseri]

hollywood

WE PARTYING NOW

 

[ryan]

time to start over

 

[rural]

MAG IS FREED

 

[Haruno]

all hail the king

 

[Finchinator]

Shifts are pretty cool imo. While losing Seismitoad (and Camel to a lesser extent) is irksome, especially in conjunction with gaining an electric like Magneton that will be noteworthy in the metagame, I still can't wait to try out new pokemon like Fletch and Pinsir to see how well they work with hex wisp rotom to see how well they work in the tier. Overall, nothing stands out as being too good per se, but quite a few highly viable pokemon will be throw into the mix for sure and it'll be interesting to see how things play out oo

 

[ryan]

seismitoad on every team is so yesterday

 

[Evan.]

hollywood sucks and likes drag queen music

pumped for new shifts, fletch and magnets were imo the best part of late NU Alpha and its nice to see them back.

stunfisk is your new god. it beats magneton, fletchinder as well as everything it beat prior to shifts. It also doesnt have to worry about bad matchups against seismitoad since thats gone! just made a quick post to watch this thread get my opinions out here, and looking forward to the new meta!

 

[Deej Dy]

Quagsire stayed! Thats a win for stall in my books ;)

 

[Raseri]

So to all you people that expected Klinklang to take over the meta, you can learn how magnets work now.

I'm really happy with all these drops, I think theyll all have niches in NU, and none of them stand out to me as overpowered. I cant wait to try out this meta

Magneton in particular looks really cool, a way to remove Steel-types like Klinklang and Ferroseed is a fun thing to have


iplaytennislol use volt switch klink to lure magneton yn

 

[boltsandbombers]

As with everyone else, super hyped about the new drops. Kabutops was one of my favorite mons to use in xy because of its power, typing, and utility that it brought to a team and I was pretty disappointed to see it go. Lord Fletchinder is back to wreak havoc once again, and magenton its sweet to hit super hard and remove steel types.
Can't wait to try out the new meta n_n

 

[ryan]

fletchinder means you have to prepare for archeops whether you like it or not :)

drops are cool. stoked for lil bird. magneton is crazy, i remember that fucker being a problem in beta. we'll see how it is now.

 

[Choice Banned]

Will Magneton's best set likely be Analytic (as a wallbreaker) or Magnet Pull (as a trapper, allowing stuff to sweep easier)?

 

[watashi]

rotom just keeps getting better

 

[Choice Banned]

Barbaracle seems pretty cool rn, just based on theorymon. While Electrics certainly will certainly rise in usage, which sucks for Barb (well if you really want to check magnets you can run eq), it still has quite a bit of power with SS boosts. I could see a potential core with Fletchinder, considering whatever stops it generally is beaten by bird, although again, you may need something that removes electrics, considering both are weak to electrics.

EDIT: and it doesn't even get stopped by Quag, considering it learns Grass Knot.

 

[Karane]

Holy shit man, I'm so excited for this new metagame. At this point in time, all we can do is make some predictions about of the shifts and how they will shape the metagame. First off Seismitoad leaving as a huge blow for many. Not only was it a good all round sponge, it kept certain threats like Klingklang & Archeops in check and prevented from water types from spamming water moves. This means steel types like Klingklang & Mawile, physical waters like Carracosta and Samurott, poison types and fire types have more chances to use their stabs freely. Also choiced electric types like Rotom have one less thing to worry about and can freely Volt Switch.

About the drops, all three things look pretty exciting to use because lets be honest, the metagame was starting to look kinda stale. I was contemplating on discussing how Mega-Audino is too bulky for NU (still is) but gaining Magneton helps immensely. Its so damn versatile with Eviolite, Specs, Scarf including utility like trapping opposing Steels which should be rampant in the tier. It is good against the new drops too like bopping both Kabutops and Fletch with Scarf and Analytic Specs hits like a nuke as we all know. Kabutops was a great mon in earlier stage checking burds and fires and bringing rain teams back to life again. I see spikes stacking fall because we gained one more spinner and good defoggers in the tier but we'll have to wait and see. Also checks Fletch so that'll be pretty handy. Good ol' fletch is a bane for hyper offensive teams and its Acro revenges so many threats like Jynx, Sawk, Lilli etc. But the new drops in Kabutops and Magneton along with Quagsire who is expected to rise, its a double edged sword for your boy. Pinsir on the other hand. Mold Breaker is pretty hyped and so is its power. Finally keen to use a bug type who doesn't require the entire team based around hazard support (wink Scyther wink). Scarf Moxie was cool in gen 5 so Pinsir may run something like Life orb Quick Attack or something lol. Klingklang and Magneton though.

 

[Punchshroom]

Man I really wanted to see some truly new faces like Registeel or Shitmonchan or whatever, but this is cool I guess.

So much for Claydol's title of 'best offensive spinner in the tier'; Kabutops is back in town, and this time there is no Seismitoad to stop it, meaning it has a great matchup against nearly every SR user in the tier (bar the pixies). Gourgeist is now a lot more popular than it was tho so Tops would have to keep an eye out for that. Aside from being a powerful offensive threat in its own right, Rain really appreciates its return. We know what Tops does, no need to go into detail.

Hey Pinsir, welcome back! Now you can go back to doing....Bug stuff I guess. Yeah Pinsir wasn't really a significant standout threat during its time in BW NU, in part due to its awful defensive typing combined with mediocre speed and decently strong but not overwhelming attacks, so I can't really see it doing that better now. It shares the same powerful offensive characteristics as say Sawk, but its attacks lack the punch Sawk has due to its strongest STAB (base 80) only carrying it so far, and being easy to pick off in response doesn't help it (especially when it comes to Moxie). Its coverage attacks, abilities, and access to Swords Dance are decent for it, is all I have to say.

Now for the 'good' mons, and by 'good' I mean 'godammit why are these mons so easy to use it's almost bullshit how user-friendly they are'.

#SWOOPSWOOP. We all know how potent Flying STAB is, and Fletchinder brings it back in spades in the form of 110 BP STAB priority, that stands to be further boosted by Swords Dance. Anything that resists Flying isn't capable of shrugging off Will-O-Wisp, as nearly none of them possess recovery, much less clerical moves to be rid of the burn. Oh, and the meta both lost a prominent SR setter and gained a potent hazard remover, so it's looking all sunshine for Fletch atm.

FUCK. YOUR. ANALYTIC. BULLSHIT. If you don't outright pack an immunity to Volt Switch, Specs Magneton will hit you like a bastard, and it has the typing and bulk to do it over and over more times than you would like (aka more than once >.>). Scarf Magneton hits offense pretty hard too, while Magneton can also play a support role using a Magnet Pull Eviolite set with Substitute + Charge Beam to utterly lay waste to the Steels in the tier. Toad leaving is huge for it too, as that is one less fat target to soak up Volt Switches from it. Either way, get your Lanturns / Stunfisks out, or Magneton will bring on the pain.

On the other hand, Fletch and Magnets do an excellent job of curbing Mega Audino, so that is good news for those who have problems with it.

 

[Shuckleking87]

klinklang + diglett = gg unless you got quagsire. But no klinklang is gonna be really good this gen with one of the safest switch ins being gone. the better access to hazard removal is forcing even more pressure on ghosts types like rotom and mismagius to stick aroun, which rotom still does a good job with (as it also takes on flecthider and pinsir well). Both moxie and mold breaker seem like good options on pinsir, though id probably go with mold breaker to hit levitators as it will be too easy to revenge kill pinsir. But I'd say some more underappreciated pokes like lanturn, rotom-s and stunfisk may be seen more as they can all take on these new threats fairly well

 

[mallpal]

does specsanal mag even have a single switchin? i mean, for real:

252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Magneton Hidden Power Grass vs. 252 HP / 88 SpD Stunfisk: 244-288 (57.8 - 68.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Magneton Hidden Power Grass vs. 40 HP / 216+ SpD Lanturn: 236-278 (58.8 - 69.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Magneton Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Torterra: 303-357 (76.9 - 90.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Magneton Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Uxie: 178-211 (50.2 - 59.6%) -- 82.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

there's ferro i guess but that's volt switch fodder and dies to hp fire sets


edit: BASED NUMEL
252+ SpA Choice Specs Magneton Hidden Power Grass vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Numel: 78-92 (24.1 - 28.4%) -- 97.2% chance to 4HKO

 

[honchkrow]

So to all you people that expected Klinklang to take over the meta, you can learn how magnets work now.

I'm really happy with all these drops, I think theyll all have niches in NU, and none of them stand out to me as overpowered. I cant wait to try out this meta

Magneton in particular looks really cool, a way to remove Steel-types like Klinklang and Ferroseed is a fun thing to have


iplaytennislol use volt switch klink to lure magneton yn

n, im still in denial. The day I accept volt switch klink and run it on a team of mine is the day you can ban me from nu

 

[Aladyyn]

does specsanal mag even have a single switchin? i mean, for real:

252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Magneton Hidden Power Grass vs. 252 HP / 88 SpD Stunfisk: 244-288 (57.8 - 68.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Magneton Hidden Power Grass vs. 40 HP / 216+ SpD Lanturn: 236-278 (58.8 - 69.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Magneton Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Torterra: 303-357 (76.9 - 90.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Magneton Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Uxie: 178-211 (50.2 - 59.6%) -- 82.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

there's ferro i guess but that's volt switch fodder and dies to hp fire sets


edit: BASED NUMEL
252+ SpA Choice Specs Magneton Hidden Power Grass vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Numel: 78-92 (24.1 - 28.4%) -- 97.2% chance to 4HKO

Just pull a BT, think inside the vest.

252+ SpA Choice Specs Magneton Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Torterra: 156-184 (39.5 - 46.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock

 

[Disjunction]

Is your Magneton having problems dealing with obscure, bulky Ground-types? Do you find yourself silently whispering to yourself "I wish this stupid mud pancake would just disappear and never come back"? Well, I have the answer for you!!

Can-Eh-Dian Slayer (Magneton) @ Eviolite
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Magnet Rise
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt / Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Grass] / Hidden Power [Fire] / Substitute

This turns any silly Electric/Ground-type mons into delicious set up fodder and forces your opponent into the position of switching into a powerful, Analytic boosted attack. Similarly, this set will deal with Rhydon, Claydol, Quagsire (assuming you have HP Grass), and Piloswine. Assault Vest Fire Punch Golurk is your only savior. Good luck.


EDIT: OK not double posting but I came up with another really cool idea that needed to be shared.

Fletchinder @ Eviolite
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 196 Def / 64 Spe
Impish Nature
- Acrobatics
- Roost
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp

Stallbreaker Fletch is going to be amazing, I swear. Despite a crippling weakness to Stealth Rock, this thing's typing allows it to check a long list of mons including Mawile, Pawniard, Hariyama, Sawk, Musharna, SubCM Uxie, Ferroseed, Mega Crodino, Non-HP Rock Lilligant, and Servine. Plus, even if you were to switch into a Knock Off, it gives you the added benefit of boosting your Acrobatics.

Super Cool List of Calcs

252+ Atk Life Orb Sheer Force Mawile Play Rough vs. 248 HP / 196+ Def Eviolite Fletchinder: 75-90 (22.9 - 27.5%) -- 58.4% chance to 4HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Sawk Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 196+ Def Eviolite Fletchinder: 115-136 (35.1 - 41.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Sawk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 248 HP / 196+ Def Eviolite Fletchinder: 124-147 (37.9 - 44.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Hariyama Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 196+ Def Eviolite Fletchinder: 75-88 (22.9 - 26.9%) -- 40.6% chance to 4HKO
252+ Atk Pawniard Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 248 HP / 196+ Def Eviolite Fletchinder: 96-114 (29.3 - 34.8%) -- 8.4% chance to 3HKO
+1 0 SpA Musharna Psyshock vs. 248 HP / 196+ Def Eviolite Fletchinder: 102-120 (31.1 - 36.6%) -- 66% chance to 3HKO
+1 36 SpA Uxie Psyshock vs. 248 HP / 196+ Def Eviolite Fletchinder: 79-94 (24.1 - 28.7%) -- 98.8% chance to 4HKO

 

[freddymc]

Well I used to play in ru so I already know all the strats to taking down these nu newbies.
How the hell did magneton get moved down? I mean I used eviolite analytic magneton and it killed EVERYTHING in ru. I guess it didn't get enough usage but damn, this thing is gonna get straight up in s or at least a+ in the viability rankings.

 

[Sweet Jesus]

Flecthinder, magneton and no toad... Lanturn is gonna be my bro in this meta.

Everybody talking about magneton's magnet pull or analytic but I think I'm gonna love a strong sturdy special attacker.

 

[Teddeh]

No toad means kabu is going to be an even bigger threat this time around so i'm a little worried that we'll be forced to run evio nfes who resist it or tangela on every team that isn't offense since it's a major pain in the booty.
as for fletch, it's really good :x works so well with magneton that i can't see either or them staying in the long run but who knows n_n
i think fighting types are going to have a fun time during this meta aswell with so many fighting weak threats dropping, pack a probopass for fletch then run a gurdurr to chill and bop the crap that attempts to attack n_n