SM UU Beta (Mewnium Z, Staraptor, Victini banned)

[Patrick1088]

Glad to see ScoliPass go!

Been loving Z-Conversion PZ though. Most teams are HO now, so I've been running hazard stacking with Terrakion and Froslass (love WoW) and it can clean up nicely.

Also, have been testing up Sub BU Bewear. Return and Shadow Claw give it near perfect coverage in the meta (with the exception of Bishar which can be checked by Terrakion). Even then after a few BU can take hits easily thanks to Fluffy. Definitely fun to use!

 

[CozyPoop]

How is Zoroark in UU this gen? I haven't tried him in a while, but now he is immune to Prankster and I'm thinking that has to give him an advantage with Illusion.

 

[Patrick1088]

How is Zoroark in UU this gen? I haven't tried him in a while, but now he is immune to Prankster and I'm thinking that has to give him an advantage with Illusion.

Eh not much better tbh. You have newcomers like Primarina, Azumarril and Terrakion which are nukes, along with the UU classics like Cobalion, Sylveon and Whimsicott. We even have more defensive fairies like Comfey, Florges and Silvally.

 

[SuperSkylake]

Here's something I've been messing with. I think it will work better in the lower tiers but sometimes it pulls through. Good for the late game sweep once faster threats and priority users are weakened.

Swoobat @ Psychium Z
Ability: Simple
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psycho Shift
- Air Slash
- Giga Drain
- Heat Wave

Be warned this is 0 bulk, so it's really, really difficult to set up. If you did manage to set it up though, it can be deadly. Z Psycho shift gives you +4 special attack so you can sweep stuff, and giga drain/air slash/heat wave has perfect neutral coverage on everything. Calm Mind might just be better for that added special bulk though.

Also, what are your thoughts on Araquanid? It's a really difficult wallbreaker with the combo of leech life and Water Bubble liquidation. The water bubble stops it from being burned, and it has a really solid typing also in bug/water that makes it erally difficult to switch stuff in because the combination of bug and water stab hits so many types hard. Your best bet is probably something like Azumerill which can hit it hard with banded Play Rough.

Also I have to say Tentacruel really is not aging well with this new gen. Its bulk just isn't as good as it used to be, especially physically ,even with full investment. Things are just hitting harder, and with new powerful attackers like Keldio, Scizor and old ones like Mega Absol i feel like it has to switch in to much. Yet I couldn't find a replacement toxic spiker that did the job as well.

Speaking of Scizor, it's insanely good. You just don't see that much fire types or Fire coverage and a stab u-turn is nothing to scoff at. Scizor also has defog if you really need that, swords dance to break through defensive teams, superpower for bulky Steel types, and Knock Off to just be annoying.

 

[SolCalibre]

I'm guessing Charizard was too hot for UU amirite?

(But seriously how was he there in the first place?) Also rip baton pass.

Now I wait for the bad news on Genesect.

 

[guan123]

I'm guessing Charizard was too hot for UU amirite?


Now I wait for the bad news on Genesect.

You want genesect banned or unbanned? Also, could this work
Charizard @ Firium Z
Ability: Solar Power
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Sunny Day
- Roost/Dragon Pulse/Focus Blast
This is used as a substitute (inferior) to Mega Charizard Y. Turn 1, set up Z-sunny day (activating solar power and +1 speed). It's practically a special dragon dance, with the benefit of helping charizard's other moves.
Moltres @ Firium Z
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Sunny Day
- Roost
Same idea here.

 

[Patrick1088]

You want genesect banned or unbanned? Also, could this work
Charizard @ Firium Z
Ability: Solar Power
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Sunny Day
- Roost/Dragon Pulse/Focus Blast
This is used as a substitute (inferior) to Mega Charizard Y. Turn 1, set up Z-sunny day (activating solar power and +1 speed). It's practically a special dragon dance, with the benefit of helping charizard's other moves.
Moltres @ Firium Z
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Sunny Day
- Roost
Same idea here.

Gigalith with its bulk powered by Sand Stream checks both of this sets. Firium-Z is one time use, so it can be a bit of a waste if Giga switches in after Sunny Day.

 

[guan123]

Gigalith with its bulk powered by Sand Stream checks both of this sets. Firium-Z is one time use, so it can be a bit of a waste if Giga switches in after Sunny Day.

I know gigalith and hippowdon check this but I wouldn't use this against a team with one of those (or when those are fainted).

 

[fatty]

woo another gen of uu!!! now that it's out of alpha stage and there looks to be an actual meta I'm super excited.

but fuck pz

 

[MaroGod]

Here's something I've been messing with. I think it will work better in the lower tiers but sometimes it pulls through. Good for the late game sweep once faster threats and priority users are weakened.

Swoobat @ Psychium Z
Ability: Simple
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psycho Shift
- Air Slash
- Giga Drain
- Heat Wave

Be warned this is 0 bulk, so it's really, really difficult to set up. If you did manage to set it up though, it can be deadly. Z Psycho shift gives you +4 special attack so you can sweep stuff, and giga drain/air slash/heat wave has perfect neutral coverage on everything. Calm Mind might just be better for that added special bulk though.

Also, what are your thoughts on Araquanid? It's a really difficult wallbreaker with the combo of leech life and Water Bubble liquidation. The water bubble stops it from being burned, and it has a really solid typing also in bug/water that makes it erally difficult to switch stuff in because the combination of bug and water stab hits so many types hard. Your best bet is probably something like Azumerill which can hit it hard with banded Play Rough.

Also I have to say Tentacruel really is not aging well with this new gen. Its bulk just isn't as good as it used to be, especially physically ,even with full investment. Things are just hitting harder, and with new powerful attackers like Keldio, Scizor and old ones like Mega Absol i feel like it has to switch in to much. Yet I couldn't find a replacement toxic spiker that did the job as well.

Speaking of Scizor, it's insanely good. You just don't see that much fire types or Fire coverage and a stab u-turn is nothing to scoff at. Scizor also has defog if you really need that, swords dance to break through defensive teams, superpower for bulky Steel types, and Knock Off to just be annoying.

Not only is that a waste of a Z-Crystal (the thing gets Nasty Plot iirc) its a pretty shit mon and you are way better off just using the plethora of other Psychic Types available

 

[skies]

I'm gonna try out Leech Seed a bit and see how that works out, I liked Synthesis for stalling a bit better when Draining Kiss was still too weak.

Also remembered that this thing gets Celebrate, so if you wanna forgo Leftovers in favor of +1 in all stats using the Z-move that's also an option.

hi was reading this - celebrate requires a jolly nature as it's from an event (source) so it's probably not a very good option D:

 

[Amaroq]

Haven't really been involved in UU Alpha, but I've played a bit of Beta and been following the threads and I'm surprised no one has really been talking about Keldeo.

Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Scald
- Icy Wind

From what I've seen, heard, and experienced, it's extremely threatening. Its Choice Scarf set is probably the best right now, but Choice Specs, Calm Mind + 3 attacks, and Substitute + Calm Mind are all very strong as well. Choice Scarf gives it enough speed to outspeed threats such as +1 Dragonite, +1 Salamence, Weavile, Mega Aerodactyl, Zygarde-10%, Gengar, Raikou, and Serperior, in order to either revenge kill them or slow them down with Icy Wind so that something else can finish them off, and its natural power allows it to still hit hard against the offensive teams that make up most of the meta right now. Choice Specs provides a lot of immediate power and the Calm Mind sets destroy bulky teams. Its typing also offers cool defensive benefits, such as allowing it to check dangerous Pokemon like Weavile, Scizor, Bisharp, and Kabutops. Keldeo is versatile and easy to fit on teams, but it does have some drawbacks. A lot of common Pokemon in UU resist its STABs (like Latias, Dragonite, Azumarill, Salamence, Primarina, Tentacruel, Starmie, and Slowbro). That said, a smart player can take advantage of many of the tier's Keldeo answers, and Choice Scarf Keldeo in particular benefits heavily from Pursuit support.

Primarina @ Choice Specs
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Moonblast
- Scald
- Psychic

Primarina is another specially offensive Water-type with typing that allows it to serve as an offensive answer to many prominent threats. It's a lot slower than Keldeo, but its offensive typing makes it harder to wall and its special bulk is better. It offers a lot of value to a team because it can check Dragon-types, Weavile, and Keldeo while also pressuring slower Pokemon and anything it can survive a hit from. Primarina is held back a bit by its mediocre speed tier, which leaves it outsped by Pokemon like Breloom and Bisharp. Sacri' also mentioned a defensive set in the Alpha thread here. I haven't had the chance to test it out myself yet, but it looks like it could have potential.

Salamence @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw/Outrage
- Fly
- Earthquake

Salamence was something I used extensively while it was still ORAS legal, and this is basically a better version of the old Moxie Dragon Dance set. Z-Fly lets it get past a lot of checks and counters that stop it otherwise (not needing to hit Fairy-types with Iron Tail and run the risk of missing is really useful, as is the ability to beat bulky stuff like Suicune, Swampert, and whatever else without locking itself into Outrage). Salamence has the bulk, typing, and immediate threat to find a lot of setup opportunities and rolls through teams as soon as it finds the right moment. I've been testing Outrage over Dragon Claw to see if the immediate power is worth the cost of being locked into the move, since Dragon Claw is really weak without a boost and sometimes I just want Salamence to smash something right off the bat. The testing has been inconclusive so far, since Salamence has usually gotten its opportunities to set up when the opposing team is weakened enough that the Dragon-type STAB move I chose didn't matter. I haven't had the chance to try offensive or defensive Defog sets or Choice Band, mixed attacking sets, or Dragon Dance sets without a Z-move, but this seems like the best Salamence set in this meta by far.

In other news, Porygon-Z, Mega Slowbro, and Azumarill are all broken.

Edit: Sacri' has informed me that Dragonite and Salamence are also broken. I agree that Dragonite is busted. I'm not sure if Salamence is borderline broken or actually broken and just overshadowed by stuff that's even worse so that it seems semi-balanced.

 

[Aquadext]

I've played my share fair of games in both alpha and beta metas, and while most of the broken and interesting stuff has been covered, I'm still surprised that almost nobody plays or even talks about what I believe is a greatly underrated Pokémon.

Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Moonblast
- Freeze-Dry
- Encore / Hypnosis / whatever

While Ninetales-Alola is an interesting mon by itself, what really sets it apart in this meta is its access to one of the stupidest moves introduced in this gen, Aurora Veil. With this move, Ninetales-A can basically, in one turn, set double Screens that will last 8 turns thanks to Light Clay. This gives its teammates around 6 turns to do whatever they want while taking half damage from the opponent, which is huge when we have so many threatening setup sweepers in the tier. Pokémon such Azumarill, Z-Fly Mence or Volcarona greatly appreciate the additional bulk, as they now have a much easier time setting up, sometimes even on their usual checks. This strat is not without counterplay though, since Aurora Veil can be removed by Defog for example, but that move is easy to exploit with Defiant/Contrary users, such as Bisharp, Thundurus and Serperior, all of which also happen to benefit from the augmented bulk provided by Veil. Other than that, Ninetales also bring useful utility with Snow Warning to break sashes or Dnite's Multiscale but also shut down rain abusers, and is a decent Weavile check with its typing. The fox isn't without flaws though, since it lacks power even with investment, it's not as useful in some matchups, and it can't do much against Steel types. But these flaws are fairly easy to overcome, and IMO worth the unique utility that Ninetales bring to its team.

 

[CozyPoop]

Eh not much better tbh. You have newcomers like Primarina, Azumarril and Terrakion which are nukes, along with the UU classics like Cobalion, Sylveon and Whimsicott. We even have more defensive fairies like Comfey, Florges and Silvally.

Aw :( I just hope he's allowed in RU at least. It was so sad last gen when he was stuck between a tier with fairies and fighting types, and a tier where he was broken in. No reason to use him last gen.

 

[Donphantastic]

Okay so I am kind of shocked that nobody has mentioned scizor in here yet. Thanks to it having access to the combination of bullet punch + pursuit + U-turn it is one of the best latias checks in the tier (provided it lacks hp fire) while also using its strong priority to check menacing threats such as: Weavile/Weakened Dnite/ Terrakion/ Mega aero etc. It can even make use of its technician ability and an expert belt to be its own best lure (while also hitting cobalion/doublade/etc)

sets

CB (Scizor) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Knock Off

Defog (Scizor) @ Iron Plate
Ability: Technician
EVs: 244 HP / 16 Atk / 248 SpD
Careful Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch

Bulky SD (Scizor) @ Leftovers
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 144 Atk / 116 Def
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost

Offensive SD (Scizor) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Bug Bite

Ebelt lure (Scizor) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Technician
EVs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 144 SpA / 16 Spe
Rash Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Pursuit (Scizor) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Technician
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower

CB/Defog/ and Bulky SD are the most splashable sets, but any one of these can put in a great amount of work for almost any team.

 

[sam-testings]

I've been fooling around with Serperior and it just so customizable to your team. Leaf storm is obviously really powerful, and you can choose between several Hidden Powers depending on what your team needs. It also gets access to Glare, which is amazing now that Thunder Wave has a chance to miss. Glare hits so many important targets such as Tornadus T, Volcarona, Scolipede, Hydreigon etc etc. Serperior also gets Knock Off which seems interesting, but I'm not too sure if it is exactly needed. Getting rid of stuff like Assault Vest on Tornadus is always nice tho. Serperior is just really good right now even with stuff like Scizor and Tornadus-T everywhere.

 

[CBU]

Decidueye (M) @ Decidium Z
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Spirit Shackle
- Leaf Blade
- Sucker Punch​

Hi there. I have seen many people post sets that from their experience are very threatening in the meta rn, so i decided to talk about a mon that hasn't really got the love it deserves(at least from my experience). That pokemon is decidueye and more specifically an all out offensive variant. Decidueye's mediocre speed allows to get away with running adamant nature, which helps it hit harder with its double stab that very few relevant mons can resist (no drampa is not relevant). What made me a huge supporter of this mon is its ability to trap walls like mega slowbro, amoonguss, necrozma etc, set up on them and muscle through them. Another nice thing with this set is its ability to live knock off from non cb/lo like rocks krookodile and diggersby and proceed to knock them out with the leaf blade. Finally decidueye's access to sucker punch makes it a much more threatening sweeper if it manages to trap something and set up on it. Overall, i am not saying that decidueye is the sweeper to take the sm uu meta by storm, but it definately is a pokemon that can cause big problems to an opposing team or even pave the way for another physical sweeper to clean up (Just click sinister arrow raid and kill everything).

 

[Melons-N-Soda]

What made me a huge supporter of this mon is its ability to trap walls like mega slowbro, tangrowth, necrozma etc, set up on them and muscle through them.

Which is banned now because OU took it :P. You did also lose Kyub, Char-Y, and Mamoswine though, so you have less counters to an extent.

 

[CBU]

Which is banned now because OU took it :P. You did also lose Kyub, Char-Y, and Mamoswine though, so you have less counters to an extent.

played through alpha with it as well. fixed the post tho

 

[yuukafu]

+

I feel like this will become one of the most important cores in UU this gen. The synergy is insane. Hippowdon deals with most non-water physical attackers and takes on electric and rock type attacks that hurt Aero. Aerodactyl has 80/95 defenses on the special side and with sand up it becomes reasonably specially bulky to be able to trap Latias, easily deal with non-glare Serperior, revenge kill even a boosted Volcarona (it isn't 2HKOd by any of its attacks at +2), pursuit-trap Chandelure, Gengar, Alakazam, possibly check Nidos if you pack EQ and force Tornadus-T to U-Turn for the whole game as this boy counters it.. But mostly this traps Latias effectively. And if you are feeling funky you can possibly trap Starmie as well.

If you are crazy you can go full t-tar and use Crunch, which due to tough claws is almost STAB and just kill them if they stay in.

Good other teammates are spike-stacking mons as Latias and Starmie will form the hazard control on 50% of the teams you will find, so Forretress, Qwilfish (its defenses got buffed and with intimidate that thing is incredibly bulky, also walls Scizor forever which Aero hates), Roserade (very good partner as it deals with bulky waters as they are a problem for this core), Chesnaught or Froslass.

In Sand:
184 SpA Life Orb Latias Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega: 161-191 (53.4 - 63.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

 

[Amaroq]

I played a bit more UU Beta today, so I'll talk about a few additional things I've observed.

Sharpedo-Mega @ Sharpedonite
Ability: Strong Jaw
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Protect
- Crunch
- Waterfall
- Psychic Fangs

Mega Sharpedo tends to be strong in offense-oriented metagames, and the current meta is no exception. A lot of teams in the current meta are fast and frail and rely on outspeeding opposing threats in order to check them. With Speed Boost, Mega Sharpedo can nullify the speed advantage offense normally possesses and its power and coverage allow it to shred offensive Pokemon not meant to take hits. Mega Sharpedo is a great cleaner in the current meta and is quite rewarding if given the correct support. However, it does have its downsides. It has no way of boosting its power and it's forced to make a choice between Psychic Fangs and Ice Fang, depending on what it wants to hit (it can also forego Waterfall in favor of the second coverage move, but giving up Water-type STAB generally isn't a great idea). 105 Speed is also outsped by a few common Choice Scarf users, such as Terrakion and Keldeo, and the Sharpedo user is forced to create situations in which he or she can attain two turns of Speed Boost in order to outspeed these Pokemon. Finally, Sharpedo's lackluster defensive stats make it hard to contribute to a team's defensive synergy. Something to note is that, while the change to the Mega Evolution mechanic that applies Speed changes on the turn a Pokemon Mega Evolves means that Sharpedo doesn't have to run Jolly in order to outspeed Mega Aerodactyl at +1, it's still worth running in order to beat stuff like +1 Salamence.

Breloom @ Life Orb / Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore / Swords Dance
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Tomb / Swords Dance

Breloom is pretty cool in this meta. Spore + 3 attacks seems to be the standard, but I've been thinking about trying Swords Dance in the event that people start trying to build stall in this meta, since Breloom runs through fat teams after a boost with a little luck on Bullet Seed rolls. Focus Sash allows Breloom to serve as an emergency answer to a variety of threats since it gets a free Spore or Rock Tomb to either slow down an opposing Pokemon or put it to sleep. With the number of threats in the current meta that can take over a game if given one free turn, that kind of insurance is extremely valuable. Life Orb increases its damage output at the cost of safety. Mach Punch gives it another tool to check dangerous Pokemon such as Terrakion and Mega Sharpedo, as well as various weakened Pokemon it hits neutrally. It also has a decent Speed tier that lets it pressure slow Pokemon and teams. It's fast enough to outspeed Primarina and Azumarill and provides a "check" to Belly Drum Azumarill because it survives a +6 Aqua Jet and KOs in return. Its greatest tool, however, is Spore. Spore makes Breloom incredibly hard to switch into because being asleep is almost like being KO'd in a meta this fast-paced and offensive. I actually think Breloom is almost as broken as what I consider the big 5 broken threats of this meta.

Cobalion @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
- Stealth Rock / Stone Edge / Rock Polish

Cobalion benefited enormously from the introduction of Z-moves. Its biggest problem in past metagames was its lack of power, even after a Swords Dance. All-out Pummeling solves the power issue and allows Cobalion to get past things that ordinarily check it. As anyone familiar with ORAS UU knows, Cobalion's defensive typing and stat spread allows it to check a lot of prominent threats, and this still holds true in SUMO. Cobalion is splashable and provides a team with a Weavile answer, an Aerodactyl check, and a Sharpedo counter in one slot. Its speed tier is nice in this meta and Shuca/Chople Berry is still viable if a teammate is running a Z-move, but the team still requires Cobalion's unique advantages. The fourth slot on the posted set is pretty open to customization. Rock Polish makes Cobalion very threatening to offensive teams, Stealth Rock is general utility, and coverage moves hit the appropriate threats.

Some general observations: this meta has a ton of great Fighting-types, Water-types, Ground-types, and Flying-types. I haven't tested any typespam strategies yet, but it seems viable in such an offensively-oriented tier.

 

[drakylon]

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Def / 56 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Fling

This looks like a funky set, and it probably is. But, for the current meta, this can check a decent few threats, namely Amoonguss, Breloom, Bisharp and a couple of non-Water/Ice-carrying physical attackers. Note that Swords Dance can also work on the first slot; I put Stealth Rock there mostly because I needed an offensively-oriented rocker along with a Breloom lure. Acrobatics always OHKOs Breloom, even when still holding a Toxic Orb; Breloom, in turn, cannot Spore a poisoned Gliscor and does pitiful damage with Mach Punch. While extremely weak, Fling is a one-use Toxic that also conveniently disposes of Gliscor's item and power up its Acrobatics, which in turn hits quite hard when fully invested. Earthquake rounds off the set, hitting (most) Steels and Rocks resistant to Acrobatics. Do note that Gliscor will not be able to poison itself again after using Fling, so take care if using this with a cleric. 180 HP hits a Poison Heal number, and 56 Speed outspeeds the speed bracket that neutral natured Breloom and Bisharp occupy, and Attack is maxed for maximal damage; the rest are stored in Defense to better survive physical attacks. A spread of 84 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Def (or SpD) / 148 Spe can be used instead to always outspeed positive natured base 70s at a cost of a significant portion of the set's bulk.

Calcs

252+ Atk Gliscor Acrobatics (55 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Breloom: 384-456 (147.1 - 174.7%)
252+ Atk Gliscor Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Bisharp: 288-342 (106.2 - 126.1%)
252+ Atk Gliscor Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 248 HP / 168+ Def Amoonguss: 314-372 (72.8 - 86.3%)

252 Atk Life Orb Technician Breloom Mach Punch vs. 180 HP / 20 Def Gliscor: 52-62 (15.4 - 18.4%)
252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 180 HP / 20 Def Gliscor: 130-153 (38.6 - 45.5%)
0 SpA Amoonguss Giga Drain vs. 180 HP / 0 SpD Gliscor: 90-106 (26.7 - 31.5%)

Gliscor also gets a plethora of useful moves such as Knock Off, Roost, Taunt, U-turn and Tailwind. Sadly, Defog is still not compatible with Poison Heal.

 

[Sacri']

Hi! Was laddering earlier on and I noticed something which I think has the potentiel to be extremely annoying.

Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Thunder Wave
- Swagger
- Foul Play

Swagger got banned early on during 6th gen but is now allowed back and it seems like it has gone unnoticed until now. There's not even that much to say, this combination has proven itself to be extremely unhealthy last gen and I still think it is. The only actual difference is that Dark types are immuned to Prankster this generation which makes it slighlty less annoying but in Klefkis case it doesn't actually matter since it could just run a Fairy Stab which deals well with most Dark types anyway. The Self hit chance also has dropped to 33% as opposed to 50% last gen which, while it seems like it reduces the problem, doesn't make it any less uncompetitive. Don't know the TLs view on this but I personally don't see any reason to keep this around just because of how uncompetitive Swagger is as a whole.

 

[Bouff]

read aquadexts post and decided to give ninetales a spin...its alright i guess. stab combo is really nice but sometimes getting an aurora veil off is more annoying than it should be..but pairing it with threats like azu, pz, mence, dnite, volc, etc really does make it potent because setting up any of these threats will typically shift the match into your favor. nasty plot could actually be a cool slot though, +2 blizzards aren't easy to switch into. but then again, encore is encore..

been also spamming a rain team that br made. rain is unsurprisingly better in this meta but its also a little matchup dependent i think. realistically all you need is poli / kabu / torn / rocks and two other things and call it a day lol

also agree with sam-testings on serperior. running leaf storm / hp fire / dpulse / glare covers a majority of the meta barring stuff like volca. unlike loom offense still has decent ways of checking it but given that it still outspeeds most things on those kinds of teams anyway and that its extremely easy to get a sweep going its way more splashable

 

[rs]

Didn't really play alpha and just started playing beta yesterday, but anyway I was just playing around with a couple of sets that are insanely useful in the current meta for checking some of the biggest threats

Keldeo @ Mystic Water / Rocky Helmet / LO
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Secret Sword

Really useful set in the current meta with really strong priority users/fast stuff like Bisharp, Weavile, and Scizor running around. This specific Keldeo set gives a nice check to them (and also doesn't get worn down as easily :D) for the more offensively oriented teams which would otherwise have a hard time dealing with them because of how threatening they are to those kinds of teams. My item of choice was Mystic Water for the power/no LO recoil, but in OU in past generations I've seen them run Helmet or Life Orb. Regardless, it's probably gonna get Knocked so I'd feel free to try some different stuff like lefties or even itemless

Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Scald
- Reflect Type / Ice Beam / Toxic

Starmie is a Pokemon I really haven't seen when playing or even watching games. It was actually kind of surprising because I'd think it would be one of the top hazard removers. Regardless, I'd recommend a bulky set like the one above. It's versatility as a Spinner is probably unmatched due to how many moves they can run in the last slot. Reflect Type and Ice Beam I'd think are the by far the best options, with Reflect Type allowing you to check things like Breloom (to an extent u_u), Scizor, and Bisharp by copying their typing then threatening them with a Scald burn, and Ice Beam hitting huge threats like Dnite, Mence, and Zydog. Toxic is also a solid option for stuff like Mega Bro and Porygon Z before it sets up.

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin

The offensive set is insanely good too due to its coverage as a whole and Analytic, limiting its switch-ins. Thunderbolt is an option I guess if you want to hit Slowbro a bit harder, but usually offensive starmie should be paired with teammates that can take it on à la Volt Switch or strong U-turn users like Kou or Scizor. But yeah, overall, good spinner = use it

Probably more to come soon
ban swagger and free zapdos from ou