Don't Use That, Use This: NatDex Ubers

By Bobsican. Released:2024/10/08
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Don't Use That, Use This: NatDex Ubers Art

Art by IMakeNoSense.

Introduction

As one of the metagames with the highest variety of options in Pokémon Showdown!, National Dex Ubers can be attractive for users to experiment with new ideas that may not be possible in other tiers, but some ideas have persisted for months and have proven to be less effective than they might appear. The following shows some Pokémon and sets that may seem appealing on paper to newer players, but they're actually either heavily outclassed or competitively unviable.

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Why it's bad:

While Spectral Thief + Focus Sash sounds like a good combination to let Marshadow snowball against teams by revenge killing a setup sweeper such as Zacian-C, the inability of Focus Sash Marshadow to wallbreak properly out of lacking the damage output that gives it a niche in the tier in the first place is a major hindrance. For example, Focus Sash Marshadow is unable to 2HKO defensive Ho-Oh and defensive Primal Kyogre, OHKO opposing Marshadow with Shadow Sneak, or OHKO Arceus with Low Kick, and a major weakness to entry hazards also renders it unable to do its intended niche, not to mention the foe being capable of just switching out to prevent such snowballing. Drain Punch may seem appealing to mitigate the chip damage from entry hazards, but it's too weak to be consistent on that.

Why it's better:

In a metagame where most relevant Pokémon are hit hard by Low Kick, Close Combat is suboptimal beyond niche scenarios when facing Chansey, Ferrothorn, and Tera Dark Ho-Oh, as its use leaves Marshadow easier to revenge kill, and it's easier for foes such as Eternatus to PP stall. Marshadow can often spam its Ghost-type STAB move of choice with minimal prediction, notably 2HKOing defensive Ho-Oh and defensive Primal Kyogre with Poltergeist, which in turn is why Choice Band is a solid item of choice to wallbreak. Having both Poltergeist and Spectral Thief at once may seem weird, but Spectral Thief retains the niche of being more accurate and forcing out Coil Zygarde and Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM. Ice Punch and Rock Tomb are alternatives over either move, with Ice Punch focusing on Zygarde and Rock Tomb being enhanced by Technician, OHKOing Ho-Oh and crippling foes that try to switch into Marshadow. Choice Band Marshadow hits so hard that it demands some of the bulkiest Pokémon in the metagame such as Arceus-Fairy, Eternatus, and Coil Zygarde to check it.

Why it's better:

Teams that mainly want a revenge killer that punishes setup sweepers more consistently without allowing the foe to just switch out may want to use Ditto instead. Ditto in itself also provides utility against other team structures such as balance and stall, as its endless PP long-term thanks to Imposter means that it can outlast defensive foes like Ho-Oh and Eternatus, unlike Focus Sash Marshadow. Ditto's Tera type is also quite flexible and can be used to ease the matchup against certain foes, such as Tera Ghost blocking Extreme Speed from Arceus and Deoxys-A and Tera Fairy mitigating Yveltal's Sucker Punch even when it's transformed into another Pokémon.

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Why it's bad:

Galarian Darmanitan is a surprisingly fast and strong wallbreaker on paper, but a high weakness to entry hazards causes it to be very impractical to build around, as the offensive team structures that may want it can't easily afford a hazard remover. More defensively oriented teams also can generally afford more consistent speed control options such as Choice Scarf Yveltal.

Why it's better:

Despite lacking bulk to withstand much of note, Pheromosa's neutrality to Stealth Rock grants it more longevity, allowing it to wear down foes with U-turn more consistently. Thanks to its Bug typing, its U-turn hits even harder than Galarian Darmanitan's, and it's also backed up by a secondary STAB option in Close Combat to 2HKO even the physically bulkiest foes in the metagame like Necrozma-DM and Dondozo. It even compresses utility in Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards as it forces a switch.

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Why it's bad:

Choice-locked Kyogre may seem like an appealing sweeper, as it can either outspeed the entire unboosted metagame bar Deoxys-S or 2HKO stuff like Blissey with Choice Specs Tera Water Water Spout, but the near omnipresence of Primal Groudon severely discourages being Choice-locked into a Water-type move. Primal Groudon's high presence in the metagame also leads to rain teams being unviable, as Desolate Land removes normal weather in place of itself.

Why it's better:

Primal Kyogre may not be as fast, but the capability to override Desolate Land with its own Primordial Sea allows it to directly overwhelm Primal Groudon while remaining difficult to switch into with its base 180 Special Attack, and the increase in bulk also helps to favor bulky setup with Calm Mind and remain as a wincon in itself.

Why it's better:

As a faster speed control option that also hits surprisingly hard, Choice Specs Eternatus is also a viable option to overwhelm opposing teams while also having some defensive utility out of its typing and bulk; notably, it can automatically remove Toxic Spikes for its team, which is generally threatening for the teams that would desire this Pokémon, and it can Terastallize on top to reach OHKOs on Pokémon like defensive Primal Groudon and Yveltal with Draco Meteor. Choice Specs Eternatus works best on teams that can provide it with pivoting from allies such as Alomomola and Yveltal.

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Why it's bad:

Lugia's bloated stats for a defensive Pokémon are appealing at first glance, and so are its decent support movepool and ability in Multiscale to avoid being OHKOed by nearly any attack, but its typing is rather terrible defensively for the tier, as it has common weaknesses in Rock, Dark, and Ghost. Additionally, Lugia is vulnerable to poisoning and burns because they shut down Multiscale, and its poor offenses also leave it extremely passive and vulnerable to Taunt from support Arceus formes and Yveltal.

Why it's better:

Ho-Oh is a premier defensive staple in the metagame that covers far more threats, notably including Eternatus, Deoxys-A, and multiple Calm Mind Arceus formes; holds more options to cripple foes within a single set; and avoids passivity with Sacred Fire. Regenerator also prevents Ho-Oh from being too concerned with being worn down, allowing its use as a good scouting option of a matchup mid-game. These traits in total make Ho-Oh far more consistent to use and easier to build with than Lugia.

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Why it's bad:

Porygon2 has been synonymous with Trick Room over the last couple of generations, and it isn't hard to see why at a glance. Its Eviolite-boosted bulk enables it to tank nearly any hit and reliably set up Trick Room. It can also safely bring in its teammates via Teleport and can set Trick Room again later. Though these are good traits for a Trick Room setter in a vacuum, Porygon2 doesn't have the tools to help against Pokémon that are hindrances to Trick Room teams. It is unable to use Mental Herb due to its reliance on Eviolite, so it is easily shut down by common Taunt users such as utility Arceus formes and Yveltal. Porygon2 also lacks the means to meaningfully harm these Pokémon in return. Its passivity also allows Tera Water Zygarde to set up freely in front of it with Coil, which is disastrous, as Trick Room teams predominantly use physical attackers, and Tera Water Zygarde can easily wall most offensive Pokémon on Trick Room teams outside of Primal Kyogre.

Why it's better:

Lunala directly outclasses Porygon2 as a Trick Room setter. Despite having worse bulk than Porygon2, it still has sufficient bulk to sponge neutral attacks, set up Trick Room, and pivot out with Teleport. Lunala's high Special Attack in conjunction with powerful Ghost- and Fairy-type coverage enables it to threaten Pokémon that many Trick Room attackers struggle with such as defensive Necrozma-DM, Yveltal, and Zygarde. Lunala can also utilize Tera Fairy in a pinch to remove threats if needed.

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Why it's bad:

Despite Tera Water Choice Band Fishious Rend in rain OHKOing foes such as Ferrothorn and Mega Salamence, Dracovish is unviable. Unlike many of its D-rank companions, Dracovish isn't there solely because it is outclassed by more consistent Dragon-types for the tier such as Eternatus and Rayquaza. Primal Groudon is the best Pokémon in the tier and is on the vast majority of teams, rendering Dracovish near unusable until it is removed. There are plenty of Pokémon that Primal Groudon forces out, so why is Dracovish unviable compared to the others?

Dracovish has significant problems that extend beyond Primal Groudon. It is easily walled by Zygarde, which often uses Tera Water. Additionally, even with a Choice Scarf, Dracovish is unable to outspeed Zacian-C and Deoxys-A, which can both OHKO it. It also has trouble with many Dragon-types such as Eternatus. Consequently, Dracovish is constantly struggling for both power and Speed. It runs into too many roadblocks in nearly any game to be worth using.

Why it's better:

Palkia-O is an excellent wallbreaker against bulky offense and balance. It is capable of 2HKOing almost all of the defensive Pokémon found on these teams while also outspeeding most of them. While Palkia-O may not enjoy Primal Groudon negating Hydro Pump, Spacial Rend 2HKOes it, dissuading it from switching in. Unfortunately, Palkia-O has a poor matchup against hyper offense, as it is often outsped and OHKOed by Pokémon such as Zacian-C and is setup fodder for Calm Mind Arceus formes. Palkia-O also completely thuds against stall because it is unable to make progress against Chansey, and its low-PP moves are quickly depleted.

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Why it's bad:

If you've played NatDex Ubers for even a small period of time, you've probably ran into some permutation of Tera Normal Extreme Speed Zygarde. The appeal of the set is obvious: Marshadow can't steal your boosts. What is befuddling is the degree of usage this set receives even in the upper echelons of the ladder. It is bad because other Dragon Dance Zygarde sets already beat Marshadow while offering so much more.

Why it's better:

Zygarde already OHKOes Marshadow with minimal chip damage at +1 or can outright OHKO it if Groundium Z or Tera Ground is used. Thousand Arrows is such a good move that it is all Zygarde needs. This affords Dragon Dance Zygarde immense flexibility to use its item and free moveslots to pick and choose what is actually able to beat it. Dragon Tail allows Zygarde to prevent phazing attempts from Pokémon such as Ho-Oh and Giratina-O. This also 'Ditto-proofs' Zygarde, since Dragon Tail sheds its negative priority when powered up as Devastating Drake.

If some added longevity and simplicity to use is preferable, Leftovers is a great option that lets Zygarde Terastallize. Tera Ground and Fairy are both excellent options, with the former enabling Zygarde to hit deceptively hard after a boost. Tera Fairy provides Zygarde with an immunity to phazing attempts via Dragon Tail from opposing Zygarde, Giratina, and, less commonly, Primal Groudon and Eternatus. Trading a Dragon weakness for an immunity is also a huge benefit, and Zygarde does not fear Eternatus's Sludge Bomb, as it outspeeds Eternatus at +1 and can scout it with Substitute. Teams that want an Extreme Speed sweeper may want to instead consider the old and reliable Extreme Killer Arceus.

Why it's better:

Not requiring to Terastallize to gain a STAB boost on Extreme Speed, combined with a wide movepool to adapt its utility at compressing speed control and wallbreaking to the teams it can fit on, Extreme Killer Arceus is a classic set that keeps being effective in Uber metagames, even having the capability to afford its use of Tera Ghost to become harder to be revenge killed by Marshadow and opposing Arceus while also gaining a STAB move in Shadow Claw to have a nearly unresisted move combination, or alternatively hit even harder with Extreme Speed by using Tera Normal.

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Why it's bad:

A huge reason for Mega Salamence's success over the years is because its Aerilate-boosted attacks are so strong that running Earthquake is sufficient coverage to handle the Steel-types that resist its nuclear Flying-type attacks. Some players fit in a Dragon-type STAB move, but no Dragon-type is keen to switch in. Mega Salamence's Flying-type attacks are powerful enough that it benefits more from other moves such as Roost and Facade.

Why it's better:

Defensively checking Mega Salamence is significantly more difficult when it isn't wasting a moveslot. Although Roost is most commonly used, Mega Salamence does have other alternatives. With Facade, using Ho-Oh to status Mega Salamence with Sacred Fire or Toxic is a dangerous proposition for the opponent, as they would struggle to figure out how to handle a +1 Mega Salamence that throws out 168-Base Power Facades. Refresh is a niche option that requires Mega Salamence to be checked directly rather than passively through status. Mega Salamence can mix and match its moveset fairly easily to change which Pokémon are able to answer it, but it can handle what it needs to without a Dragon-type STAB move.

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Why it's bad:

Thunder, Thunderbolt, and Earth Power seem like appealing options for Palkia-O to hit foes that resist or are immune to one of its STAB moves, such as Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon. However, the high Base Power of Hydro Pump and Spacial Rend and their boost from Lustrous Globe mean these moves are usually the best choice. While Thunder can net some 2HKOs against foes such as Primal Kyogre and Arceus-Water that Spacial Rend fails to do, Palkia-O's Draco Meteor is stronger, so its combination of Spacial Rend into Draco Meteor usually gets the job done. Super effective Earth Power and Thunderbolt are actually barely stronger than Spacial Rend and weaker than Palkia-O's neutral Hydro Pump, making them useless. Fire Blast is the only real exception as coverage due to Ferrothorn resisting both Water and Dragon.

Why it's better:

Because it doesn't need coverage beyond Fire Blast, Palkia-O can instead maximize its wallbreaking power with its STAB moves. Substitute can take advantage of switches Palkia-O forces, while the sheer power of Draco Meteor fells even the sturdiest of checks.

Final Thoughts

With this information in mind, you should be able to avoid common misconceptions in the metagame and improve yourself, so give this knowledge a try!

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