RU Underdogs

By Take Azelfie. Art by FellFromtheSky.
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ru_underdogs

Introduction

Tiers are constructed based on the usage Pokémon see on their ladder. If a Pokémon doesn't have enough usage, it will drop to the tier below or lie inside a BL spot if previously banned from that tier. But if a Pokémon is used enough and is not in the tier already, it will be bumped up. This gives users a pretty good idea of what is used in the tier, but this does not mean that the Pokémon in the lower tiers aren't good. In fact, they can be arguably better than the Pokémon in the tier above it. So here are seven NU Pokémon that are great in RU.

Garbodor

Garbodor fits itself onto bulkier teams because it is able to compress a lot of roles into one teamslot. Like Qwilfish, it can effectively use both Spikes and Toxic Spikes; like Granbull, it can check Fighting-types; and like Golbat, it can check Venusaur. Filling all of these roles relieves stress on teambuilding quite a bit. Garbodor can also blanket check many physical attackers because of its good bulk, allowing it to use Rocky Helmet and take advantage of its ability Aftermath. It is also no lightweight in the combat division, since Gunk Shot can hurt neutral targets quite a bit. But Garbodor does have its issues, like being countered by RU's premier hazard remover Flygon without having absolutely anything to handle it that doesn't result to limiting its viability. And while mono-Poison typing does have notable upsides, there are some very exploitable downsides as well, such as being weak to Ground- and Psychic-types, which are commonly seen in Pokémon like Rhyperior and Meloetta. Garbodor also lacks a great self-recovery move, having to resort to Pain Split, which leaves it to get whittled down rapidly when taking on Grass- and Fighting-types and sponging random physical attacks. It is also limited to checking Fighting-types only when using Rocky Helmet and Venusaur only when using Black Sludge, making it harder to decide its item. Garbodor also faces four-moveslot syndrome because it wants both Toxic and Haze to more easily deal with Flygon and Braviary, respectively.

Mesprit

Mesprit can pull off many tricks due to its supportive movepool that gives it it a combination of moves other Pokémon don't have access to like Stealth Rock and the rare Healing Wish. Mesprit also has well-rounded stats with a good offensive and defensive presence. It also sits at a decent Speed tier, outpacing Pokémon like Jolly Absol and Hidden Power Fire Venusaur. Levitate grants it a Ground immunity, and its Psychic typing gives Mesprit an important Fighting-type resistance, something no other Stealth Rock user has bar Uxie. Mesprit can even utilize Colbur Berry + Dazzling Gleam to weaken or KO Dark-types; however, it is still weak to them, most notably those that carry Knock Off or Pursuit, which are very common sights. A four-moveslot syndrome stops Mesprit from using much more of its movepool, often struggling to find room for moves like U-turn, Knock Off, and Ice Beam. Finally, its Speed tier can still be preyed upon by faster Pokémon that can OHKO Mesprit before it is able to use Healing Wish.

Rotom

Rotom is one of the tier's most capable spinblockers. Obviously, it has its Ghost typing to stop Rapid Spin from removing entry hazards, but Rotom also is able to pressure Blastoise, RU's best spinner, with its Electric-type STAB moves. Rotom can also be extremely annoying, as it spreads status via Will-O-Wisp and Discharge, which cripple the opponent's team, and then deals a large amount of damage with Hex. Rotom works well on Toxic Spikes teams, since it doesn't have to spend a turn on Will-O-Wisp or fish for paralysis with Discharge. But Rotom is not without its disadvantages; first off, it has a very glaring weakness to Dark-type moves like Knock Off and Pursuit, which are very common in the RU metagame. Rotom is also very frail and can rarely take resisted hits well. Finally, Rotom really needs the foe to be statused or weak to Electric for it to apply any pressure.

Malamar

Malamar is feared for its ability to reverse stat changes thanks to Contrary. This, in tandem with Superpower, lets Malamar heavily pressure bulkier Pokémon and teams. Malamar's STAB move is Knock Off, which annihilates Superpower switch-ins like Psychic- and Ghost-types. Finally, RestTalk is added to this set to take advantage of the bulk Superpower gives Malamar to recover its HP. Sleep Talk, while it is a roll, allows Malamar to at least react to the situation so it isn't completely passive for the two Rest turns. The first spread is meant to maximize bulk, but the second one can be used to outspeed Exploud if your team is weak to it. Malamar also has a decent defensive typing, as Dark resists a lot of Psychic's weaknesses and vice versa. While this stat-stacking behemoth is very difficult to deal with, it does have some weak points like its exploitable weakness to Bug and Fairy, letting U-turn users and Fairy-types pressure it. Psychic-types also use Dazzling Gleam and Signal Beam (the latter designated specifically for Malamar) alongside a Colbur Berry to lure in and remove Malamar and other Dark-types.

Abomasnow

Abomasnow is famous for its ability to freely spam STAB and its anti-meta coverage. This allows it to check a range of Pokémon, from bulky Water-types to Dragon- and Flying-types. Abomasnow is seen more as a balance breaker, even more than Venusaur, due to having better coverage than it. This means Abomasnow is a very hard Pokémon to switch into, and slower teams are heavily pressured by this Pokémon. However, a poor defensive typing and mediocre Speed stat make other Grass-types such as Venusaur, Virizion, and Rotom-Cut being preferred over Abomasnow. Moreover, Abomasnow's longevity is hindered by Life Orb recoil, but it is pitifully weak without it.

Vivillon

Vivillon takes advantage of its typing, which allows it to set up on the prominent Fighting-types in the tier. Vivillon can also turn bulkier Pokémon into setup fodder due to having Sleep Powder, which is made more reliable by Compound Eyes. After putting a foe to sleep, Vivillon usually begins to set up with Quiver Dance, which allows it to hit powerful Hurricanes. Energy Ball hits Rhyperior and Diancie, while Endeavor can weaken a wall easily. As a result, Vivillon is a great late-game cleaner that benefits from Pokémon that can KO Steel- and Rock-types, such as Flygon, as a partner. However, lack of bulk means that many moves will force it down to 1 HP, which makes it prone to being revenge killed by priority moves. Fletchinder also heavily threatens Vivillon due to Gale Wings Acrobatics.

Weezing

Due to the prevalence of Grass-types in the tier, Weezing stands as a solid check to most of them, including key Pokémon such as Venusaur and Virizion. On top of that, Weezing also acts as a soft check to Fighting-types. It can spread status ailments with Will-O-Wisp and Sludge Bomb while stacking up Toxic Spikes as well. As it benefits from Levitate, Weezing is a better Toxic Spikes setter than Garbodor, since it can cripple Flygon and Blastoise, which will try to Defog and Rapid Spin on it. Pain Split allows Weezing to recover HP, although it is unreliable. Weezing can be paired up with Registeel and Alomomola to form a very solid core that is great for balance builds. However, Weezing is rather passive, and as Psychic-types are dominating in RU, Weezing faces problems in being a top-tier Pokémon.

Conclusion

All seven of these Pokémon have a standout niche in the RU metagame that makes them viable and deserve a place on a team. There are many other lower-tier Pokémon that also stand out in RU, and the same can be said for all the tiers, so go out there and try out unexplored Pokémon. Who knows, you may find something with untapped potential!

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