A Tale of Trailing Terrors: Pursuit in SM OU

By royalfluxh. Released: 2022/09/21.
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Pursuit in SM OU art

Art by Shadowshocker.

"The terrifying tale told through time;
an awakened anomaly awaiting ambush,
patiently pursue its petrified prisoners,
trapping them to a tantalizing tomorrow."

The Tale's Takeoff

One of the moves removed in the transition to Sword and Shield, Pursuit was one of the most unique moves throughout the world of Pokémon. Its pitiful Base Power might seem unappealing, but make no mistake: it is powerful. It has a profound impact on one of competitive Pokémon's most fundamental concepts: switching. Switching is so powerful that Shadow Tag and Arena Trap are banned from standard play, while U-turn and Stealth Rock, which both directly interact with switching, are some of the best moves in the game. Similarly, Pursuit is one of the few ways to directly punish an opponent's switch, making it an incredibly useful tool. Thus, with how game-changing Pursuit is, Pursuit trappers are a recognized role in the metagame, increasing the viability of the Pokémon that can use the move effectively. This article will cover how Pursuit is utilized in SM OU and some of the relevant users to look out for—they might be right behind you!

Throughout the Times

Before jumping straight to the seventh generation, let's take a look at how Pursuit was used in the earlier generations. Beginning with its introduction in GSC and all the way to DPP, Pursuit trappers were mostly known for one thing: the ability to remove spinblockers. Due to how potent entry hazards were and Rapid Spin being the only method to remove them, spinblockers played a huge role in the metagame by consistently keeping them up. Hence, Pursuit trappers came into the picture as a reliable way to remove these Ghost-types, which makes spinning away Spikes and, with DPP, Stealth Rock, easier. Tyranitar commonly Pursuit traps Rotom in DPP and Gengar in GSC and ADV to clear the way for a teammate to spin. In fact, the move is so effective that it's even used to great effect against another type: Psychic. Tier staples like Celebi in ADV OU and Latias in DPP OU were common targets of Pursuit trapping. Pursuit trapping became even more popular in BW with the introduction of dangerous threats like Latios, Magic Guard Alakazam, and Reuniclus. Two of the top Pokémon in the metagame, Tyranitar and Latios, perfectly illustrated this scenario, as Tyranitar was valued for its ability to switch into and remove Latios; this only became more important with the introduction of Mega Latios. ORAS came around and gave Defog a new life as another option for entry hazard removal, which diminished the necessity of a spinner. Additionally, a handful of Pursuit trappers such as Mega Metagross, Mega Tyranitar, and Weavile entered the fray as more dangerous Psychic-types like Mega Latios and Mega Alakazam came into existence.

With SM, the demand for a spinner plummeted even more due to Defog gaining wide distribution, including for some of the metagame's best Pokémon such as Landorus-T, Tornadus-T, and Gliscor. Mega Sabeleye was reintroduced into the metagame after its stint in ORAS Ubers as another form of entry hazard control for defensive teams thanks to Magic Bounce. It's also the only viable Ghost-type that happens to not fear Pursuit. Other Ghosts like Blacephalon, Mimikyu, and Gengar are fringe options in the metagame and are pitifully frail, preventing them from switching into and spinblocking the tier's only spinner, Excadrill. Hence, Pursuit trappers fully shifted their sights onto Psychic-types.

One of the more prominent Psychic-types in the tier is Mega Latias. It's one of the best defensive Mega Pokémon due to its valuable typing, ability, impressive defensive stats, and sufficient supportive movepool. Since Mega Latias is remarkably resilient against passive damage thanks to Defog, Refresh, and an immunity to Spikes, Pursuit trapping is an effective and reliable way to guarantee significant damage on it. This enables various teammates that would otherwise be checked by Mega Latias to put in work such as Choice Scarf Kartana, Mega Charizard Y, and Swords Dance Gliscor, which had recently surged in viability as a potent wincon due to its valuable defensive profile, even eclipsing its competition, Landorus-T, in usage. Mega Latias isn't entirely passive either, as aside from boosting its sturdiness even further, Calm Mind lets it take advantage of its solid offensive movepool to be a reliable wincon. Ironically, this variant enjoys the existence of Pursuit as well; by trapping opposing bulky Psychic-types that also tend to use Calm Mind such as Reuniclus and opposing Mega Latias, it can sweep much more easily.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, offensive Psychic-types are stronger than ever thanks to the newly introduced Tapu Lele; in particular, Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele form the infamous PsySpam core. This forced most teams to have a sturdy Steel-type such as Magearna, Heatran, or Celesteela, or even straight up Chansey, the catch-all special wall, as a defensive response lest they get completely obliterated. Due to Mega Alakazam's unmatched Speed tier, both it and Tapu Lele's near-perfect offensive movepool, and Psychic Terrain's ability to block priority attacks, checking them offensively can be quite the hassle; thus, Pursuit stepped up to the plate as one of the few offensive responses to limit the amount of destruction they can cause. Though niche, Hoopa-U came back to SM OU with a terrifying vengeance after its long stay in ORAS Ubers and cemented itself as a potent wallbreaker. It also became one of the prime targets for Pursuit trapping, especially due to its poor physical bulk and tendency to compromise it more with its trademark Hyperspace Fury.

Pursuit has had a huge influence on the metagame, from punishing Psychic-types to getting reliable damage against neutral targets. In the next section, we will introduce the prominent Pursuit trappers; some are familiar faces that dominated the metagame, while others showed up once in a blue moon before retreating back to the shadows.

The Trappers

Tried and True—The Top-Tier Trappers

Mega Tyranitar

Mega Tyranitar

Mega Tyranitar towers amongst its competition as one of the tier's best Mega Pokémon due to its perfect blend of offense and defense and, most importantly, utility in Pursuit. Defensively, its solid typing and impressive special bulk, further boosted by sand, let Mega Tyranitar switch into Heatran, Mega Latias, Tornadus-T, and the niche Blacephalon easily. Offensively, it possesses a colorful offensive movepool that lets it threaten many Pokémon, with Fire Punch for Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor, Earthquake for Heatran and Magearna, and Ice Punch for Landorus-T and Gliscor. It is also a solid Stealth Rock setter, as it has a strong matchup against common Defoggers like Zapdos and Tornadus-T. Hence, its ability to switch in and proceed to chase out a large portion of the metagame outside of the Psychic-types lends it to be a very potent Pursuit trapper, punishing even neutral targets.

Mega Tyranitar settles in comfortably on balance and bulky offense teams that appreciate its solid defensive profile while also being capable of dishing out huge offensive pressure in its own right. It can Pursuit trap Zapdos, Tornadus-T, and Mega Latias, which is appreciated by teammates like Swords Dance Tapu Bulu and Gliscor. Both Pokémon can also cover for Mega Tyranitar's defensive weaknesses; Tapu Bulu checks Ash Greninja and Mega Swampert and provides Grassy Terrain to improve Mega Tyranitar's longevity, while Gliscor checks Toxapex and provides an immunity to Ground. Aside from facilitating Sand Rush, Excadrill forms a potent sand core with Mega Tyranitar, as its Pursuit can guarantee chip damage on Zapdos, potentially putting it in range of Excadrill's +2 Corkscrew Crash. Heatran can enable Mega Tyranitar's Pursuit antics, as both Mega Latias and Mega Latios tend to switch into its Magma Storm, which traps them in the process and gives Mega Tyranitar easy entry to Pursuit trap them as the eon twins are incapable of double switching.

Weavile

Weavile

Don't let its UUBL label fool you—this cunning little fella has weaseled into the top of the food chain as one of the tier's best and most reliable Pursuit trappers! Weavile is the embodiment of pure offense in a Pursuit trapper by taking advantage of its high offensive stats coupled with a Choice Band and a terrifying STAB combo. It outspeeds and threatens Mega Latias with its Icicle Crash, while the sturdiest defensive Psychic-types like Slowbro, Reuniclus, and Mew dislike its strong Knock Off. Weavile's immense offensive pressure easily forces them to switch out, which it can capitalize on with a boosted Pursuit. Aside from that, it also naturally threatens other tier staples like Gliscor, Landorus-T, Tornadus-T, and Tapu Lele, making it a solid offensive Pokémon itself. Weavile can also utilize a Choice Scarf to get the jump on common Choice Scarf users and, most importantly, Mega Alakazam; however, missing out on Choice Band's damage boost is generally undesirable.

With how offensively-oriented Weavile is, it surprisingly sees the most consistency on more defensive teams such as balance and semi-stall. Its valuable Pursuit can punish potent stallbreakers like Choice Specs Tapu Lele and Choice Band Hoopa-U that give these teams trouble. Pressure, surprisingly useful for once on Weavile, lets it scout if Tapu Lele is running a Choice Scarf based on the order of ability activation, which allows Weavile to Pursuit trap it much more safely. Weavile also provides a solid revenge killing option that these teams tend to lack, and, in return, they possess the defensive security for Weavile to fall back on. The latter is especially important, as Weavile's monstrous offense still falls short against Pokémon like Mega Mawile and Shift Gear Magearna, and its reliance on a Choice item can potentially be taken advantage of by more foes. Swords Dance Gliscor and Calm Mind Mega Latias are usually found in these team structures and can cover for Weavile's defensive shortcomings; the former can switch into status moves from the likes of Toxapex and Heatran, while the latter checks faster threats like Choice Scarf Kartana and Mega Lopunny. Both bulky setup sweepers appreciate Weavile's Pursuit to trap opposing Mega Latias, especially Calm Mind variants.

Naturally, Weavile can also fit on offensive and VoltTurn teams by providing a strong wallbreaker, solid revenge killing with its Speed tier and Ice Shard, and most importantly, Pursuit support. These teams possess defensive pivots like Rotom-W and Landorus-T that can bring Weavile in safely; the former also has the tendency to invite in Mega Latias and Chansey, while the latter does so with Tornadus-T, Zapdos, and Slowbro; all of which are prime targets for Weavile's Pursuit. Choice Scarf Kartana is a potent partner that can clean up late-game once their shared checks like Ferrothorn and Celesteela are overwhelmed. It also enjoys Weavile forcing damage onto Heatran and Magearna, as well as Pursuit trapping Mega Latias, Zapdos, and Tornadus-T; notably, a Tornadus-T that gets Pursuit trapped by Weavile can no longer safely switch into Kartana's Leaf Blade due to the solid chance of getting 2HKOed. Mega Charizard Y enjoys Mega Latias and Chansey being Pursuit trapped as well as Toxapex's Black Sludge being removed; in return, Mega Charizard Y handles the Steel-types like Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory, and bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Alomomola for Weavile. Both Mega Medicham and Mega Gallade appreciate Weavile's Pursuit to significantly chunk the likes of Slowbro and Reuniclus that comfortably resist their STAB combination, allowing the fighters to wallbreak much more easily.

Tyranitar

Tyranitar

Tyranitar is certainly the first Pokémon that comes to mind when one thinks of Pursuit. It's the classic and iconic Pursuit trapper that has existed since the move's introduction in GSC. It still retains its reputation as a strong Pursuit trapper in SM OU, even with its Mega Evolution taking the throne. Tyranitar's niche lies in its ability to lean into one specific aspect of Mega Tyranitar: it can tap onto its offensive side with Choice Band or embrace its bulk by going fully specially defensive with Assault Vest. With Choice Band, its offensive and Pursuit trapping capabilities are even more vicious and ensures that Tyranitar's Pursuit is the strongest in the whole game, notably guaranteeing the OHKO on a switching Mega Latias. On the other hand, a more specially defensive spread with Assault Vest lets Tyranitar switch into the specially offensive Psychic-types much more easily, remarkably letting it survive Mega Alakazam's Focus Blast comfortably. By forgoing its Tyranitarite, another teammate such as Mega Charizard Y can Mega Evolve instead, which is a classic pairing that has existed since the ORAS days; Tyranitar can switch into and Pursuit trap Heatran, Chansey, and Mega Latias, which allows Mega Charizard Y to wreak havoc. In particular, Choice Band Tyranitar's Pursuit will put Chansey into range of two Mega Charizard Y Focus Blast after Stealth Rock and one turn of sand damage. Their abilities also reset each other's weather, which lets them take advantage of maximum weather turns every time they enter the field.

Tame and Timid—The Technically-Usable Trappers

Mega Scizor

Mega Scizor

Mega Scizor is no stranger to the metagame, though it rarely takes on the role of a Pursuit trapper. It's already well-known as one of the tier's sturdiest Steel-types, capable of switching into and checking non-Fire move Tapu Lele, Mega Alakazam, Mega Latias, and Mega Latios consistently. Even uninvested, its STAB U-turn can still sting, easily forcing them out to give Mega Scizor ample opportunities to punish them with Pursuit. However, the opportunity cost of running Pursuit is something Mega Scizor can't afford easily; without a boosting move like Swords Dance or Curse, it becomes incredibly passive and is easily exploitable by threats like Swords Dance Gliscor and Bulk Up Tapu Bulu. Dropping U-turn isn't an option either, as it becomes easy pickings for Magnezone. Moreover, U-turn is usually enough to stave off these dangerous Psychic-types, since Mega Scizor isn't obligated to remove them quickly due to its remarkable longevity and propensity to play the long game. It also gains momentum in the process, putting the player in an advantageous position without having to run Pursuit. This is what separates Mega Scizor from the other Pursuit trappers: it's the only one with reliable recovery and a pivoting move, letting it fit in on bulky offense alongside other strong pivots or all the way to stall for its defensive prowess. Notably, it can fit on balance teams alongside Swords Dance Gliscor, as even its weak Pursuit can still force progress against Mega Latias by PP stalling its recovery move.

Krookodile

Krookodile

Choice Scarf Krookodile's niche comes from its unique role compression; it is a Pursuit trapper that also provides a revenge killing option, a Volt Switch immunity, and utility with Knock Off, Foul Play, and potentially Intimidate. With a Choice Scarf, it becomes the fastest Pursuit trapper in the metagame, capable of outspeeding the immensely terrifying Mega Alakazam and allowing Krookodile to offensively check and Pursuit trap it easily without having to risk taking its Focus Blast. It fits best on balance teams that appreciate this role compression, especially the ones weak to the Psychic-types like Tapu Lele, Mega Alakazam, and Mega Latios. Foul Play also lets it check scary physical wallbreakers like Swords Dance Kartana and Garchomp that tend to overwhelm these team archetypes. However, it faces tough competition with the tier's best Ground-type, which happens to also use a Choice Scarf exceptionally well, Landorus-T, as it can fit onto more team archetypes and provide more relevant utility with Defog, U-turn, and an immunity to Ground.

Alolan Muk

Alolan Muk

Alolan Muk is exclusively found on select stall teams as a very bulky Pursuit trapper to various potent stallbreakers, namely Choice Specs Tapu Lele, Hoopa-U, and the rare Substitute + Calm Mind Blacephalon and Gengar, all thanks to its unique defensive typing and impressive special bulk. It can even Pursuit trap Choice Band variants of Hoopa-U, though it can only do it in a pinch due to its middling physical bulk. Being able to check the combination of Tapu Lele and Mega Alakazam is also valuable, as Alolan Muk separates itself from the Steel-types like Celesteela, Heatran, and Jirachi that are usually tasked to check them by shrugging off Hidden Power Fire and Focus Blast. Specifically, it can Pursuit trap Knock Off Mega Alakazam to relieve pressure off of Chansey, which can get easily overwhelmed by the immense amount of Psychic attacks, especially without its Eviolite. In return, Chansey, as well as Pokémon like Clefable and Alomomola, provide Wish support to compensate for Alolan Muk's lack of recovery. Unfortunately, it has a very poor offensive presence, as it is unable to threaten various tier staples like Toxapex, Heatran, Gliscor, and Mega Tyranitar. Rock Slide lets it check Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y, but forgoing Fire Punch means it's also walled by common Steel-types like Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, Mega Mawile, and Magearna. That being said, its proclivity to spread poison with Pursuit thanks to Poison Touch can annoy even defensive Pokémon like Mega Latias, Slowbro, and Zapdos.

Metagross

Metagross

Possessing a solid defensive typing and sufficient special bulk with Assault Vest, Metagross can check the monstrous PsySpam core of Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele. It can safely switch into their STAB attacks and proceed to Pursuit trap them thanks to the threat of its strong STAB Meteor Mash. Although similar in this regard, Metagross differs from Alolan Muk by having a significantly higher offensive presence; its impressive Attack stat and adequate coverage moves let it threaten a solid portion of the metagame, most notably Heatran, Toxapex, Gliscor, and Mega Tyranitar, that Alolan Muk could only dream of. Even then, Metagross is still generally outclassed by other specially defensive Steel-types such as Magearna, Jirachi, and Celesteela, either due to their better overall bulk, typing, or more utility options. They also possess some form of recovery, which makes them capable of fitting in on more defensive builds on top of the offensive teams that Metagross is exclusively found on.

Bisharp

Bisharp

Generally seen as a niche setup sweeper and wallbreaker with Swords Dance on an already uncommon team archetype that is Sticky Web offense, Bisharp can be an even more rarely-seen Pursuit trapper. Its newfound Speed thanks to Choice Scarf can let it threaten out and outspeed Tapu Lele and Mega Latios with both of its STAB attacks, letting Bisharp punish them with Pursuit. It can also play a similar role to Krookodile by letting it offensively check Swords Dance Kartana and Garchomp with Foul Play, performing this specific task even better due to the surprise factor. Even though Choice Scarf Tapu Lele is faster than both Bisharp and Krookodile, the former's Steel typing allows it to take a Moonblast in a pinch, something the latter can't afford to do. But there's a reason why Bisharp is not used as much; its poor Speed tier means it still can't get the jump on Mega Alakazam even with a Choice Scarf, something one is generally looking out for when running a Choice Scarf Pursuit trapper.

Pelipper

Pelipper

Pelipper is not your typical all-purpose Pursuit trapper like the other ones discussed previously. It's the least splashable among them, as it only fits in rain teams. It has no way of pressuring the relevant Psychic-types whatsoever, and is even threatened by them. So one might be wondering, why does Pelipper run Pursuit? The answer is simple: Shedinja. One of Pelipper's common teammates is Manaphy; it's one of the most threatening stallbreakers in the tier due to the combination of Rest + Hydration and Tail Glow, capable of keeping itself healthy to set up and muscle past even the bulkiest of walls like Chansey and Toxapex with a devastating Hydro Vortex. However, stall teams started to adjust by using Shedinja, since none of Manaphy's standard coverage can touch it. This is where Pursuit Pelipper comes in—by guaranteeing the trap and, thus, the KO on Shedinja, Manaphy can then truck through the opposing team effortlessly. However, due to Shedinja stall teams being very rare in the current metagame, the opportunity cost to run Pursuit becomes way too big. Instead, the same moveslot can be used to run another utility move in Knock Off or Defog, or even another strong STAB attack in Hurricane that can help pressure the bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Mega Venusaur to open up the onslaught of rain-boosted Water attacks from its teammates.

The Tale's Terminus

Pursuit's application has changed drastically in SM OU since its debut generation, but Tyranitar still remains as one of the few reliable Pursuit trappers alongside new faces like its Mega forme and Weavile. However, don't discredit the niche ones either, as they can still put in a tremendous amount of work on the right teams. Nonetheless, one thing they have in common is their ability to force their intended targets to switch out—that's how they take advantage of Pursuit, after all.

So, go ahead; don't be afraid of walking in the dark to meet all of them (and possibly even more) yourself, as you'll quickly realize the same feeling of sheer terror that their oblivious victims had felt all this time...

HTML by Ryota Mitarai.
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