The Ascendants: RU Pokémon in UU

By Threw. Art by LifeisDANK.
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Introduction

RU Pokemon in UU art by LifeisDANK

That viability does not translate across metagames is a fundamental reality of usage-based tiering. In no way is this more clearly born out than in the recent rises of Amoonguss and Quagsire to OU from RU and NU, respectively. At the surface level, this should make no sense; after all, while certainly not awful, these Pokémon weren't even S rank in their previous tiers, which are full of Pokémon objectively inferior to those in a tier two or even three tiers above.

Pokémon that find particular success in higher tiers without moving up tend to do so because they mostly fit exclusively on playstyles that are unpopular on the ladder. Defensive threats tend to be the biggest victims: although high ladders are typically dominated by stall, the rest of ladder despises the playstyle, which is the sole reason that Alomomola is ranked B+ in the UU VR but is RU by usage while Vaporeon stubbornly holds fast to UU.

That said, trying to reason through certain usage trends (why is Arcanine the sixth-most-used Pokémon on low ladder, and why is Donphan used more than Mamoswine?) is not only futile but mind-numbing and even, to an extent, painful. So enjoy these Pokémon that, while RU by usage, defy the numbers to perform well (sometimes better!) in UU, too.

Offensive

Rotom-C

UU

Rotom-C

As the best Volt Switch user in the tier, Rotom-C is a popular option on UU VoltTurn squads. Its typing is as excellent as it is unique, especially considering its typical role as an offensive pivot. This typing allows it to punish (read: OHKO) typical Ground-type VoltTurn killers like Swampert and Krookodile, forcing the opponent to play guessing games by either risking their Ground-type eating a Leaf Storm or getting pivoted on for the entire match. Running Expert Belt over a Choice item is a great way to bluff the opponent into thinking they're safe after they correctly predict a Volt Switch before decimating their switch-ins with Leaf Storm. The sheer number of Water-types in the tier also increases Rotom-C's usefulness, especially because it serves as a solid Scald switch-in.

RU

Rotom-C

While the departure of Amoonguss has certainly helped its standing, Rotom-C is somewhat less of a threat in RU than it is in UU, partly due to the fact that the most relevant Ground-type in the tier in Flygon has a second type that resists Leaf Storm, meaning it cannot threaten this switch-in nearly as much. In addition, the ubiquitous Virizion and Venusaur serve as phenomenal middle-ground switch-ins, especially against teams that generally bring in an obvious Choice Scarf user or defensive Pokémon off of Volt Switch. These two can make it exceedingly difficult to maintain pressure and keep momentum.

Escavalier

UU

Escavalier

Escavalier was largely a middling Pokémon in UU until Alakazam's drop. Almost immediately, it emerged as one of the few threats capable of countering the extreme power, Speed, and diversity Alakazam brought to the table, although this does require it holding an Assault Vest, which is generally a suboptimal option. The Swords Dance + Leftovers and Choice Band sets are capable of trapping the same threats but more effectively, even if they can't pivot into as many attacks. With the recent tier shift and even with Alakazam's departure, Escavalier continues to receive a significant uptick in popularity due to its ability to check non-Hidden Power Fire Sylveon and Celebi.

RU

Escavalier

Rarely, if ever, does Escavalier forego an Assault Vest or a Choice Band in RU. The former allows it to counter and trap threatening Psychic-types such as Meloetta and Hoopa as well as other key special attackers such as Virizion and Accelgor. The latter set has a STAB Megahorn that is simply nightmarish to switch into without a sturdy Pokémon that resists it (even Alomomola is comfortably 2HKOed!) and a Pursuit that will put any uninvested Psychic-type to rest. While the surge in usage of Registeel has done it no favors and its atrocious Speed tier is as noticeable as ever, Escavalier's sheer power and unique typing have more than guaranteed its niche as a solid wallbreaker in RU, and it stands to gain quite a bit from Mega Steelix's departure.

Aerodactyl

UU

Aerodactyl

As one of the tier's premier suicide leads (perhaps its best, depending on whom you ask) Aerodactyl finds its way onto a number of hyper offense teams. Access to Stealth Rock and Taunt and its place as the fastest non-Mega in the tier make it an obvious choice for this role. Other suicide leads such as Azelf and Froslass are completely shut down by Aerodactyl, and it is easily the best way to virtually guarantee that your team ends up with the hazard advantage as well as momentum.

RU

Aerodactyl

In RU, the suicide lead of choice is Archeops, as it has access to Stealth Rock and Taunt as well as Endeavor, allowing it to significantly weaken the opposing team before going down. Aerodactyl's base 130 Speed tier is key in UU due to the presence of other suicide leads such as Azelf and Froslass that outspeed Archeops. However, in a tier lacking these threats, Endeavor and Head Smash are tools too valuable to pass up. Rather than act as a dedicated lead, then, Aerodactyl fills a role very similar to that of its Mega forme in UU: an anti-offense cleaner and expert revenge killer thanks to its high power and blazing Speed that has lost two major checks in Mega Steelix and Tyrantrum.

Defensive

Slowking

UU

Slowking

Slowking is one of the premier defensive pivots in UU. The sheer amount of utility it can provide with Thunder Wave for speed control, Dragon Tail for phazing, and Scald for spreading burns to annoy offensive teams make defensive sets an easy pick for anything from balance to full stall squads. Furthermore, it has the best recovering capabilities of any threat in the tier—between Regenerator, Slack Off, and the passive recovery of Leftovers, Slowking can be very difficult to take down. This allows it to capitalize even further on its phenomenal defensive typing and be one of a handful of dependable Entei counters. Thanks to access to Trick Room, Calm Mind, Nasty Plot, and a number of excellent attacking coverage options, Slowking is perfectly capable of running both bulky setup sweeping and offensive Trick Room sets in addition to defensive ones.

RU

Slowking

While the defensive set listed above is certainly still around, RU tends to take much more advantage of Slowking's offensive potential than UU does. Bulky Calm Mind is easily its best set, although even this has some deviations from its higher-tier version, most notably that Fire Blast is an effective option that 2HKOes Assault Vest Escavalier and nearly does so to AV Tangrowth. Another point of interest: in RU, Choice Specs Slowking (a set that most UU players never even consider, as indicated by its less than 1% usage) is a solid set capable of wallbreaking very effectively on bulky offense squads, not least because of its ability to catch walls such as Alomomola off-guard with its power. Slowking's offensive Trick Room set is also extremely effective in bothering offensive teams due to its phenomenal bulk and Special Attack as well as access to Regenerator, which allow it to check a number of offensive Pokémon and give it ample opportunities to set up.

Bronzong

UU

Bronzong

Another superb defensive pivot, Bronzong is capable of hard checking an alarming number of UU's top threats, including Mega Aerodactyl, Dragon Dance Salamence and Nidoqueen. Swap Leftovers with a Colbur Berry and it can add Mamoswine to that list, which is a massively important niche indeed. Bronzong is truly one of the most reliable Stealth Rock setters in the tier due to the sheer number of relevant Pokémon against which it sets up the entry hazard for free. It's sure to see much more usage in the near future due to its almost unparalleled ability to switch relatively easily into Choice Specs Sylveon and its favorable matchup against the suddenly very popular Crobat.

RU

Bronzong

Bronzong is a solid Stealth Rock setter in RU as well, largely due to its ability to beat every Defogger in the tier bar Fire Blast or Fire Punch Flygon. It also has the unique trait of resisting the EdgeQuake combo, which allows it to function as a counter to physical threats like Rhyperior and Aerodactyl without requiring the corresponding investment. Psywave, which tends to have a higher damage output against the increasingly common Registeel, can be used over Earthquake if catching Fire-types on the switch is deemed less important. While it faces competition from Registeel due to its inferior bulk, lack of room for Protect, and weakness to Pursuit trappers, Levitate and the traits listed above effectively distinguish it as a uniquely useful defensive threat. That said, the Hoopa drop resulted in a spike of Pursuit trappers that really hurts Bronzong.

Alomomola

UU

Alomomola

Alomomola's most significant distinction from other bulky Water-types in the tier is its near-unparalleled ability to act as a hard, reliable counter to Mamoswine. Its massive bulk, excellent defensive typing, and access to Regenerator, however, make it an invaluable counter to a number of threatening physical attackers such as Mega Aerodactyl, Entei, and, most importantly for stall teams, Feraligatr, although it cannot touch Substitute variants. Alomomola also happens to synergize extremely well with Mega Steelix both in typing and in the former's ability to pass Wishes to the latter, which has no form of recovery otherwise, so they can often be seen on the same teams. Although the passive recovery of Leftovers is usually preferable, Rocky Helmet is a solid option that punishes VoltTurn cores and provides a way of beating SubDD Gyarados without resorting to the extremely situational Hidden Power Electric.

RU

Alomomola

Like Slowking, Alomomola's level of versatility is significantly higher in RU than in UU. Its huge bulk and superb defensive typing make it extremely easy to fit on balance teams, and it is capable of dealing with many offensive threats such as Flygon and Sneasel due to its unequaled bulk and staying power. While Toxic prevents it from being setup bait for bulky sweepers like Slowking, Knock Off is becoming more popular as an option that OHKOes Hoopa, prevents Alomomola from being setup fodder for SubCM Meloetta, and cripples everything else.

Tangrowth

UU

Tangrowth

Tangrowth's huge physical bulk is of great importance in UU, as it allows it to take on even the strongest of physical attackers such as Mega Swampert and Choice Band Krookodile. Its typing helps in general with dealing with Water-types, and it has access to a variety of helpful utility moves that make it an excellent Pokémon on stall teams. While it faces severe competition from Chesnaught as a physically defensive threat because of the latter's access to Spikes and Spiky Shield, Tangrowth's access to Regenerator, a slew of utility moves, and mono-Grass typing as well as overall superior bulk comfortably prevent it from being outclassed. In addition, Tangrowth's superior offensive stats and superb movepool create the potential for some underrated wallbreaking sets and give it a certain level of diversity that Chesnaught simply cannot match.

RU

Tangrowth

Assault Vest Tangrowth is definitively superior to the physically defensive version in RU. Tangrowth makes for an ideal Assault Vest user due to its access to Regenerator and its very impressive offensive stats, which enable it to run an effective mixed set. With a huge boost to its Special Defense and already phenomenal HP, it's capable of eating attacks such as Life Orb Flygon's Fire Blast with breathing room after Stealth Rock. Its physical bulk, however, is still massive, allowing it to deal with bulky offensive threats such as non-Megahorn Rhyperior. Following the common trend thus far, Tangrowth is hardly limited to defensive teams and is most commonly see on bulky offense and balance squads. This Pokémon can expect to see more usage as a result of Amoonguss's rise.

Conclusion

Don't let usage stats deter you from using a Pokémon that you feel fits well on your team—consider them more a guideline than a rule. Just as in every tier, delving into RU when building a UU team to find just the right threat to fill out your squad can make it that much better. The more skilled a player you become, the more comfortable you can feel reaching outside your typical comfort zone into a group of Pokémon you had previously never considered. Who knows—you might even be the next ABR, starting a trend that flips the entire usage precedent on its head.

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