Don't Use That, Use This: AG
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Introduction
Anything Goes, one of Smogon's most inclusive metagames, has countless choices for your team members and strategies. However, all choices are definitely not created equal. Whether they are outperformed, too costly, or simply outclassed, these are five common options you shouldn't run on your team, and five improvements to use instead.
Don't use that:
Why it's bad: Greninja's Speed and ability in Protean may seem to make it a respectable offensive Pokémon. However, particularly since it lacks strong priority itself, it is very vulnerable to priority moves (especially the common Extreme Speed) and being outsped by powerful attackers such as Darkrai, Mewtwo, and Pokémon with a Choice Scarf. Any offensive set it tries to run will be nearly completely outclassed, largely because of its imperfect movepool, wanting Speed, and difficulties in running mixed sets. |
Instead, use this:
Why it's better: Deoxys-A is much faster than Greninja, outspeeding Darkrai, Mewtwo, and Choice Scarf Xerneas. Even if it doesn't hold Life Orb, Deoxys-A has a greater offensive presence, since its Psycho Boost hits harder than anything Greninja has. Otherwise, Deoxys-A has the same power as Greninja, if the two use the same items and EV spreads. Extreme Speed is another major selling point, allowing Deoxys-A to strike before all priority besides Fake Out. While Deoxys-A is obviously lacking in bulk, it doesn't need bulk to execute its role, and Greninja is far from bulky itself. |
Don't use that:
Why it's bad: Dragon-type coverage, as cool as it may look (and is), is unhelpful and inhibitive on physical Mega Rayquaza. Nearly anything that would die to a +1 Outrage or Dragon Claw dies just as easily to a +1 Dragon Ascent or coverage move. Dragon Ascent is just as powerful as Outrage, but it doesn't have the disadvantage of locking Mega Rayquaza in and leaving it bait for a Xerneas or Fairy Arceus switch-in. Dragon Claw is rather weak and unremarkable. Perhaps the most important reason that a Dragon-type attack is bad is because Rayquaza dearly needs every moveslot. |
Instead, use this:
Why it's better: Giving Mega Rayquaza at least two out of its three "Holy Trinity" alternate moves lets it win in the maximum number of scenarios, as opposed to being burdened with a move it rarely needs or wants. Extreme Speed gives Rayquaza very powerful priority, and Earthquake hits Primal Groudon and most Steel-types. V-create is absurdly powerful and secures coverage on Steel-types, including those immune to Ground (such as Skarmory and Magnet Rise Klefki). |
Don't use that:
Why it's bad: Togekiss is a mediocre and outclassed Pokémon in AG. Its bulk is sufficient for lower tiers, but for AG it is rather poor. It is very slow and requires the target to be paralyzed in order to outspeed and immobilize anything. Pokémon with Magic Coat, Substitute, Lum Berry, or Aromatherapy (in addition to Ground-types) can take free turns as Togekiss tries to paralyze them. Its typing is decent, but many of its resistances are too situational to be of much use. Base 120 Special Attack seems strong enough, but the low Base Power of its moves and its preference towards carrying Leftovers undermine that. It is simple to revenge kill due to its poor bulk, low Speed, and susceptibility to strong priority. While it isn't "horrible" in any of these categories, it doesn't have the Speed, bulk, power, movepool, or typing to do anything outside of its specific niche (Serene Grace hax), and even in that specific niche it is clearly outdone by other options. This leaves Togekiss as a near-completely outclassed choice. |
Instead, use this:
Why it's better: Shaymin-S far outperforms Togekiss. Its much higher Speed means that Shaymin-S doesn't need to run Thunder Wave to function, freeing up a moveslot and ensuring that it isn't giving opponents free turns. Seed Flare is a STAB attack that actually has strong Base Power in addition to a very high chance (80%) to harshly lower the foe's Special Defense. This allows it to pseudo-boost and deal damage at the same time, greatly increasing its ability to break through counters. The only way Togekiss can boost is by Nasty Plot, which gives a free turn to the opponent, and does nothing to remedy Togekiss's poor Speed and other flaws. Shaymin-S also has an excellent support option in Healing Wish that can make it very useful even when its time is up. |
Don't use that:
Why it's bad: At first glance, Aeroblast seems like a decent option for Lugia. It has good Base Power, good accuracy, STAB, and a high critical hit chance to boot. However, it still proves to be an ineffective and outclassed option. Coming off of an uninvested base 90 Special Attack, Aeroblast is still rather weak. Flying coverage is super effective against very few Pokémon in AG, which compounds this problem. Further, its low maximum PP of 8 is harmful for a defensive Pokémon that spends many turns walling foes. These factors make Aeroblast, more often than not, a waste of a moveslot. |
Instead, use this:
Why it's better: These two options make much better use of Lugia's final moveslot. Reflect makes Lugia less reliant on Multiscale to check several Pokémon and helps it handle physical threats even better, particularly Mega Rayquaza. It also provides support to teammates. Substitute makes Lugia immune to status (especially Toxic), makes restoring Multiscale easier, and makes Lugia even harder to break past. If you still decide to carry an attack on this Lugia set, use Ice Beam, which at least gets coverage on Pokémon such as Mega Rayquaza and Yveltal. |
Don't use that:
Why it's bad: Talonflame doesn't have the outstanding traits to provide it a niche in AG. Priority Brave Bird isn't as impressive in a tier saturated with Extreme Speed Arceus and Mega Rayquaza, especially because of Talonflame's simply poor base 81 Attack and Brave Bird's recoil. Talonflame's pitiful bulk and acute susceptibility to priority itself also do not help. Further, this bulk and the prevalence of Lum Berry make defensive sets with Will-O-Wisp and Roost far more often a liability than an asset. Besides its vulnerability to simply being set up on, getting removed, and having its team swept by virtue of a higher priority user such as Arceus, its reliance on Choice Band to have a semi-usable damage output makes it even more predictable and able to be checked and forced out. The prevalence of Stealth Rock further compounds its many flaws. |
Instead, use this:
Why it's better: In exchange for not having access to Gale Wings and having a lower Speed, Ho-Oh takes the advantage in practically every other regard. It sports immense bulk, with very respectable HP, a massive 154 Special Defense, and Sacred Fire to patch up its more suspect physical Defense. This allows it to use its typing to check threats such as Geomancy Xerneas. Its high Attack stat both increases Ho-Oh's damage output and gives it the freedom to run items besides Choice Band; using Choice Band makes Ho-Oh even more powerful, instead of merely usable. This freedom coupled with its bulk makes Ho-Oh much more versatile. Its fantastic ability in Regenerator greatly increases its staying power over the course of a match and makes Stealth Rock somewhat less crippling. |
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Greninja @ Life Orb / Focus Sash
Rayquaza-Mega @ Lum Berry
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Talonflame @ Choice BandConclusion
Now you know some common Pokémon and move choices you shouldn't use, as well as improvements to step up your game!
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