OU's Evergreens
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Art by Deka.
Introduction
Smogon's tiers both change and, often, stay the same. In no tier is this more true than OU, where new additions and mechanics can take a Pokémon from the pits of lower tiers to the highest of highs. This article will seek to identify which Pokémon have been most resilient to OU's ever-changing list and crown a champion—OU's most consistent and brightest star. The contestants will be given scores for consistency, meaning how many generations they see OU usage, and impact, meaning how good they were at their peak. For example, a score of 5 / 5 for consistency would indicate a Pokémon that has seen OU usage in all but perhaps one generation, while a score of 5 / 5 for impact would indicate a Pokémon that could make the claim to being the best in a generation. With that out of the way, let's take a look at OU's evergreens!
Clefable
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Clefable is everyone's favorite, or least favorite, depending on who you ask, pink blob. It excels at soaking up damage in the most frustrating way possible and making your opponents question life, and it has been doing that for quite some time. Clefable is, of course, the poster child of the Fairy-type, so it may surprise you to learn that it has seen OU usage when it was still a lowly Normal-type. Its only truly weak generation is RBY, and it has been at least OU-relevant and at most tier-defining in every other generation. Generations 2 and 3 are somewhat alien iterations of Clefable, seeing it perform the role of sweeper, often with Belly Drum. However, once DPP rolled around, giving Clefable Magic Guard, it quickly took up the familiar roles of utility and sweeping with Calm Mind. Magic Guard's impact on Clefable cannot be stressed enough, especially with it coming in the same generation that Stealth Rock was introduced. Clefable's biggest strengths have always been its unpredictability and wide array of coverage and utility options, but an underrated and consistent part of its game is just how hard it is to keep Clefable from doing what it wants to do. It's pretty much always been difficult to pressure it meaningfully, and that's often been enough to keep it in OU. Of course, being gifted the Fairy typing in generation 6 helped it go from just being a good Pokémon that would eventually be power-crept to a perennial OU contender. If not for that, Clefable would be nowhere close to this list; however, the pink blob did just enough in the early generations and more than enough in the later ones to warrant consideration. It gets a 2 / 5 for consistency due to its more niche status before it gained the Fairy typing outside of DPP, but Clefable will also have a 5 / 5 on impact for how dominant it was in generations 6 through 8.
Alakazam
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Alakazam has always inspired fear whenever it hits the field. One of OU's most prolific special attackers historically, Alakazam has been defining metagames as far back as RBY. Alakazam's only true weak generations are 4 and 8, though GSC and ADV weren't the best of times for it either. To go along with its few low points, Alakazam's highs have been nothing short of magnificent. As previously mentioned, it was a defining Pokémon of RBY OU, it rivaled Keldeo and Latios for the title of best special attacker in generation 5, carrying better coverage and higher Speed than both of its competitors, and Mega Alakazam was a true terror in both ORAS, where it was one of the tier's best revenge killers, and SM, creating havoc when facing popular archetypes like rain and balance. Some of Alakazam's prowess in SM can be attributed to Tapu Lele's introduction, making an already strong special attacker even stronger, but do not let that distract you from what was a truly incredible special wallbreaker, one of the strongest Pokémon has ever seen. Similar to Clefable, a Pokémon that would've been passed up by power creep, generation 6 breathed new life into Alakazam, this time with a Mega Evolution. Sadly, once Mega Evolution became a thing of the past in generation 8, Alakazam saw next to no usage in its old stomping ground outside of niche Psychic Terrain teams, getting passed up for faster threats like Dragapult and stronger Psychic-types like Tapu Lele. Still, Alakazam's points of dominance in generations 1, 5, and 7 earn it consideration. For consistency, Alakazam earns a 2 / 5 due to its more up-and-down history in OU and its absence from the Scarlet and Violet metagame, and for impact, it gets a 4 / 5 for its domination in RBY, BW, and SM.
Gengar
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Gengar, like Alakazam, has been offering its special attacking prowess since RBY. A dastardly support Pokémon in generations 1 through 3, offering sleep in RBY and spinblocking + other status in GSC and ADV, that morphed into a walloping special attacker after the physical / special split in generation 4, Gengar had quite the OU experience. Gengar represents the longest unbroken streak of OU representation of any of the RBY Pokémon, inhabiting the tier from RBY all the way through ORAS. If only its Mega Evolution was not so insanely broken to be banned, Gengar may have stood a chance at going 7 for 7 through SM; alas, Gengar dropped to UU in SM due to it losing Levitate and general power creep and, though it still saw some rare OU play, never quite recovered, with Dragapult's introduction in generation 8 really being the nail in the coffin, even with the addition of Nasty Plot to its arsenal. Gengar is, however, proof that a few good qualities—a Ghost-typing, great utility, awesome coverage, and Special Attack stat that is still ridiculous to this day—can carry a Pokémon in OU from generation to generation. Consistency-wise, Gengar earns a score of 3 / 5 for its 6-generation stretch of high usage that sadly regressed past ORAS. Impact is a little higher at a 4 / 5, for while Gengar has definitely been an important Pokémon in many generations, especially GSC and ADV, it really has no claim to being the best in any.
Zapdos
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The name of Zapdos's game has been consistency. Blessed with one of the best typings in the game and just the right stats in just the right places, Zapdos has been OU, and used heavily in it, for all but one generation, that being BW. Outside of RBY where it was a dangerous Agility sweeper, Zapdos has inhabited one of two roles usually: physically defensive wall or special wallbreaker. However, it has done everything from being a mixed attacker to specially defensive wall; it is a truly versatile Pokémon. Zapdos's virtues do not stop with its versatility. Not only has it been in OU for 8 out of 9 generations, but it has never dropped below a B rank in those generations, really just showing off its consistency at ruling the OU roost. It has always come in clutch as a check to some of the most dangerous attackers like Metagross in ADV, Mega Lopunny in ORAS, and Kartana in SM and SS, particularly with its Static in SM and SS. It feels like each and every generation, Zapdos has gotten some new tool or matchup to keep it not only relevant but important. It cannot be stressed enough just how good Zapdos's typing is and how that quality consistently lands it among OU's top Pokémon. Zapdos's crowning achievement is GSC, where it is probably the best special attacker in the tier and definitely one of, if not the best offensive threats in the generation. For consistency, Zapdos earns our first 5 / 5 for obvious reasons. If not for its GSC heroics, Zapdos might have shared an impact score with Gengar; however, it also receives a score of 5 / 5 for how important it was to the GSC OU metagame. Just a perfect bird.
Dragonite
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Dragonite is the rare case of a Pokémon that seems to get better with time. It seems that each generation gives Dragonite more and more tools to work with, and while it started slow with niche usage as an AgiliWrap user in RBY and a mixed attacker in GSC, DPP breathed new life into Dragonite via the physical / special split, allowing it to make use of its excellent coverage, letting it outcompete fellow Dragon-/Flying-type Salamence. However, it would be generation 5 that saw Dragonite take to the stars with the addition of Multiscale to its arsenal, giving rise to its now signature Dragon Dance sets. Access to Extreme Speed and all the physical coverage in the world made Dragonite quite the contender in ORAS, SM granted it Z-Moves to give it a powerful physical Flying-type attack, and it was even better in SS due to Heavy-Duty Boots, whose importance to the Pokémon cannot be overstated, all but guaranteeing Multiscale's defensive boost along with Dual Wingbeat giving it a usable, albeit inconsistent, physical Flying-type STAB move. SS saw Dragonite inhabit a more mid-game-centric role, which was new for it, using its bulk and typing to defeat threats like Volcarona. SV proved to be much like other new generations, granting Dragonite the boon of Terastallization, which it used to devastating effect to gain a consistent Flying-type STAB move in Tera Blast or boost its Extreme Speed. Dragonite's defensive traits also allowed it to dominate common early generation 9 compositions like sun. Dragonite's sweeping capabilities in the early SV OU metagame were almost defining for the metagame, earning it a 4 / 5 for impact; however, it saw little to no use in generations 1, 2, 3, and 7, giving it a consistency score of 2 / 5.
Scizor
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Our first look into the OU staple that came up from GSC is Scizor, which much like Dragonite, took some time to get going, but once it did, it skyrocketed. Generations 2 and 3 were not great for Scizor, to put it lightly; however, much like Dragonite, DPP changed the game for it, granting it Technician, Bullet Punch, and U-turn. Overnight, Scizor became a deadly priority and pivoting weapon, its crazy strong Bullet Punch and U-turn altering OU for generations to come. Scizor's peak came in ORAS and SM with its Mega Evolution, which was used not only for strong priority but the usefulness of Scizor's defensive typing and access to utility like Defog, a strong, slow U-turn, Knock Off, and Pursuit. Sweeping sets also had success with either Swords Dance or Curse. However, unlike the previously discussed Alakazam and Gengar, Scizor did not disappear from the tier once its Mega Evolution left for greener pastures. It carved out a role as a Melmetal and, while it was in the tier, Kyurem answer in SS, and it came full circle from its BW incarnation in SV, running offensive sets to make the most of Terastallization's staggering boost to its Bullet Punch. For essentially missing the first two generations of its existence and its more niche roles in SS and SV, Scizor gets a 3 / 5 for consistency. Luckily for the metal bug, its ORAS and SM Mega Evolution escapades earn it a higher score of 4 / 5 for impact.
Skarmory
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Skarmory has been doing one thing and one thing only since its conception in GSC: walling every physical attacker known to man. For the entirety of its existence, Skarmory has never dropped below a B on the OU VR. That in and of itself is quite an accomplishment. Generation 3, where Skarmory gained Spikes, is absolutely its best moment; it is undoubtedly one of the best Pokémon in ADV OU. It didn't just fall off afterward either, with 3 straight generations ranked in the A-tier, all running essentially the same set, being defensive Spikes. DPP awarded Skarmory Roost, giving it longevity to match its walling prowess, while BW gave it a buffed Sturdy, giving it versatility as a dedicated lead. While it did drop from OU to UU based on usage in SS, Skarmory has and will continue to offer up its beastly physical defense and ridiculous defensive typing to any and all teams that need it. It was still quite used in SS, with Iron Defense + Body Press giving it sweeping capabilities for the first time in its OU career since GSC while letting it pressure Pokémon that used to completely wall it like Heatran. It should also be noted that Skarmory is one of the best Pokémon in SV OU currently, often running through teams by itself with its devastating IronPress combo. Skarmory is perhaps the model of consistency in OU; it does one thing very well and still does that one thing very well. Skarmory earns a 5 / 5 on consistency for its total ubiquity across the generations it has been around, and it also earns a 5 / 5 for impact given how much it and its Spikes ruled the roost (no pun intended, at least not for another generation) in ADV.
Tyranitar
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Tyranitar's place is almost indescribable. A mainstay in the tier from its introduction in GSC through SS, Tyranitar has run almost every imaginable set a Pokémon can run in its time in the tier. Over the years, Tyranitar has run utility sets with Stealth Rock and Pursuit, Choice item sets to make use of its frankly ridiculous stats and STAB combination, special attacking sets to go with its coverage, Dragon Dance sweeper sets, and specially defensive status-oriented sets; the list goes on. Tyranitar has been so good in the past that it was even better than its own Mega Evolution, ranking A and A-, respectively, in ORAS. Tyranitar's best moment is, arguably, ADV, the generation that gave it Sand Stream. As the lone legal weather-setter in a tier with permanent weather, Tyranitar was usually good no matter how you used it. Its sand was so significant in these tiers that it influenced most team structures and EV benchmarks on its own. So, why would it be an argument to say Tyranitar was at its best in ADV? Well, it was also ridiculously dominant in generation 5 as well, Pursuit trapping the tier's many Pyshic-types like Latios like no other while making full use of the range of its coverage, running everything from Superpower to Ice Beam to Fire Blast, all while creating an entire team archetype around itself during the generation of weather wars. Its special bulk was of particular note, making it an incredible Pursuit trapper in a generation with a whole lot of Latios. Generation 6 saw Tyranitar falter, but only slightly, as while it still was one of the tier's best Dark-types, it had new competition from the buffed Weavile. Tyranitar's first meaningful drop in usage would not occur until generation 9, but when it hit, it hit hard. Generation 9's fast-paced metagame, the loss of Pursuit back in SS, lack of viable Sand Rush users, and overall power creep saw Tyranitar fall not one, but two tiers, all the way to RU, which is still such an alien sentence to read. Time will tell if Tyranitar can recover from this dishonor to its name, especially with the recent addition of Knock Off to its movepool and Excadrill to the tier, and if not for generations 8 and 9, Tyranitar would've earned a perfect score for consistency; however, it gets a "measly" 4 / 5 for now. For impact, it obviously more than earns a 5 / 5, potentially being the best Pokémon in not one but two generations.
Conclusion
As we conclude this exercise, there are two winners that stand apart from all the other contenders for OU's most consistent, most impactful Pokémon: Zapdos and Skarmory. Both, surprisingly or not, share some traits, with Zapdos often joining Skarmory as a physical wall in the metagame. While all of these Pokémon have had their moments in OU's spotlight, none have shined so brightly, or for as long, as the tier's favorite birds. As each generation comes and goes, these Pokémon have the chance to carry on their streaks of excellence as OU's evergreens.
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