Top 10 Titans of Generation 8 Almost Any Ability
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Art by Zephyri.
Introduction
Generation 8 has been an experience like no other. We've seen Pokémon cut for the first time ever, witnessed DLC make drastic changes to the Pokédex mid-generation, and even seen this generation's main mechanic—Dynamax—get banned. Throughout all of these unprecedented events, many Pokémon have risen and fallen, while others have stayed strong throughout the entire generation. DLC added another level of complexity, disrupting the metagames multiple times with the sudden addition of new threats. All of these things have to be considered when rating the impact Pokémon had in this generation and subsequently which Pokémon are the top 10 Titans. In this series of five installments, we will be ranking the top 10 Titans of each major Other Metagame (OM). Each Titan was nominated and then voted on in this thread in the Other Metagames forum, with the top 10 making the final cut.
Other Metagames is a group of formats that fall outside of Smogon's official tiering. These formats involve a single change such as Almost Any Ability allowing Pokémon to choose their ability or NFE restricting the pool of available Pokémon. The major OMs that will be featured in this series are Balanced Hackmons, Almost Any Ability, Mix and Mega, NFE, and STABmons, which are all permanent ladder formats that have been featured in the OM Circuit this entire generation.
The first metagame in this series is Almost Any Ability, which lets Pokémon use, well, almost any ability! Examples include Magic Guard Talonflame, which no longer cares about sneaky pebbles or recoil, Grassy Surge Zarude, which replaces a frankly useless ability with priority, damage amplification, and healing, and Regenerator Tapu Fini, which now never dies. Some Pokémon, like Technician Weavile and Aerilate Noivern, flew too close to the sun and got banned, but not before leaving large impacts on the metagame. Of course, some abilities like Huge Power, Wonder Guard, and Poison Heal are too good when given to every Pokémon, hence the "almost." Becoming a Titan in AAA, with its rapidly changing landscape, high power level, and wider range of possible threats, is no easy task. To stand out, a Pokémon needs a variety of viable sets and abilities, or one really, really dominant one. Let's take a look at what Pokémon were a cut above the rest!
10
Starting off the list is everyone's second-favorite Steel bird, Corviknight! Corviknight has been the most consistent defensive force in Generation 8 AAA, and it's not hard to see why. With its amazing typing, reliable recovery, Defog, and U-turn, it has all the tools it needs to reliably clear entry hazards and be a slow pivot. This has allowed Corviknight to run a wide range of abilities to suit whatever needs its team has—Intimidate, Dauntless Shield, Flash Fire, Magic Bounce, Volt Absorb, Delta Stream, Unaware, and even Wandering Spirit. Wallbreakers, especially physical wallbreakers, are largely judged by their ability to break past Corviknight consistently—and ones that do that too consistently have a habit of getting banned. While Corviknight is rarely going to sweep—although it does sometimes run Bulk Up with an immunity ability—it has consistently remained a top defensive stalwart that you always need to prepare for and is a good start to our AAA Titans.
9
Genesect was one of the few Ubers free in AAA and the only one to make the top 10 Titans. Thanks to its excellent typing, well-rounded stats, and vast offensive movepool, Genesect was an unpredictable and terrifying Titan. Many of its sets revolved around Shift Gear, as Genesect outsped all relevant unboosted and Choice Scarf Pokémon at +2 and resisted most common forms of priority attacks. With powerful ability choices like No Guard, Sheer Force, Tinted Lens, Tough Claws, and even niche options like Guts and Serene Grace, correctly predicting Genesect's set and responding appropriately was not always easy. Its vast mixed coverage, including Iron Head, Leech Life, Flamethrower, Energy Ball, and BoltBeam, left it with few consistent checks. It also had a valuable Choice Scarf Regenerator set, which used its great typing and good bulk to switch into and force out a wide range of threats. Genesect consistently sat just under the radar in terms of tiering action—always close, but never quite actionable—for years, until it finally earned a suspect test in September 2022 that resulted in a resounding ban!
8
Weavile's offensive STAB combination, high-Base Power moves, and excellent Speed tier made it an absolute force in AAA. Its most common set, Magic Guard Life Orb, had excellent longevity and power, mitigating chip damage from entry hazards and Rocky Helmet while receiving a free 30% boost from Life Orb. It also had the ability to set up with Swords Dance and access to priority in Ice Shard, letting it put in work against offensive and defensive teams alike. More terrifyingly, Weavile could opt for Technician Choice Band to boost Triple Axel and Beat Up to terrifying levels, overwhelming all but the most dedicated of walls. Tapu Fini and Cobalion were its most consistent checks, but they demanded a Regenerator slot and still risked getting sniped by Poison Jab and Low Kick, respectively. Offensively pressuring Weavile was no easy task either, as its base 125 Speed was only eclipsed by a few relevant threats—none of which could safely switch in either. Calls for Weavile's ban echoed for months before it finally received a quick ban in November of 2021, and Cobalion was never seen again.
7
It's probably not very surprising that a Pokémon with a 180-Base Power STAB move finds its way into a top 10 list. In AAA, Victini was able to augment the power of V-create even further with Desolate Land, Tough Claws, Tinted Lens, and even Magic Guard Life Orb. Whether it was carrying a Choice Scarf or Choice Band, Victini was able to blast through bulky Water-types like Swampert and Tapu Fini, and its excellent coverage with Bolt Strike meant it even had the means to deal with Flash Fire Corviknight. Victini also had alternatives such as Sheer Force + Life Orb and Choice Scarf Regenerator; the former enabled it to deal surprise damage to physical tanks like Dauntless Shield Hippowdon, and the latter allowed it to become a surprising hybrid of revenge killer and defensive utility, typically carrying Will-O-Wisp and even Final Gambit. Last, but certainly not least, is the fact that even in the event that it couldn't score a KO, Victini could always monopolize momentum with a swift U-turn out of any troublesome situation.
6
Snorlax's main appeal was its terrifying consistency despite virtually always running the same set. Taking advantage of Poison Heal, it almost always ran Facade, Curse, Protect, and Darkest Lariat or Earthquake to typically round out its coverage. Because of Snorlax's massive base 160 HP and 110 Special Defense, it was able to serve as a bulky setup sweeper that could continually absorb damage over the course of a game and heal it off with the combination of Poison Heal, Protect, and switching. Even though it often opted to run 0 Attack investment, Snorlax largely benefited from being able to throw out 140-Base Power Facades and forcing defensive switch-ins like Dauntless Shield Mew to use recovery moves, often resulting in PP stalling. The Poison Heal ban in March 2021 was a massive fall from grace for Snorlax, and while it has not been able to pull off anywhere near its former level of success since then, Snorlax will always be known as a representative of Poison Heal.
5
Garchomp has a frightening mix of offensive and defensive traits that make it another varied and adaptable threat. Thanks to its solid 108/95/85 bulk, great typing, great defensive utility, and powerful setup options, it was a premier Poison Heal user. After Poison Heal's ban, Regenerator sets have added to Garchomp's longevity by allowing it to consistently switch into dangerous and hard-to-check weather users like Primordial Sea Zapdos and Desolate Land Heatran. Garchomp is also a premier entry hazard setter, as with Swords Dance, Earthquake, and Stone Edge, it could force out common Magic Bounce users to set Stealth Rock. Of course, Garchomp's offensive sets, complemented by Scale Shot finally giving it a way to boost its Speed, remain potent wallbreakers and sweepers. It can run a wide range of offensive abilities including Adaptability, Dazzling, and even Regenerator to offset Life Orb recoil.
4
Some people like to point out that based on its design, Zeraora should have been given Tough Claws as an ability. Based on the havoc it wreaked in AAA with Tough Claws-boosted Knock Off, Grass Knot, Close Combat, and Play Rough—not to mention its already powerful 100-Base Power Plasma Fists—maybe they should be careful what they wish for. Because it was faster than even top revenge killing options like Tapu Koko and Barraskewda, it was able to consistently threaten an OHKO or 2HKO against most of its would-be checks. Zeraora was introduced to the generation with Pokémon Home, where nothing could outspeed it. While Zeraora's Tough Claws set was certainly a staple and the most commonly used, it also made use of Magic Guard Life Orb and even Regenerator Life Orb sets to gain a slight edge of longevity while retaining the damage amplification. It's no surprise that Zeraora is one of only two Pokémon that managed to be banned from AAA twice over the course of Generation 8.
3
Even though it doesn't appear to be built to bellow, Noivern's proficiency for bombarding opposing Pokémon with Aerilate Boomburst sets it comfortably in the top three. The vast majority of Noivern ran a Choice Specs set with Boomburst and U-turn followed by any feasible combination of Switcheroo, Flamethrower, Roost, and Toxic. Aside from the fact it threatened to OHKO or 2HKO nearly every switch-in that did not resist Flying, Noivern managed to adapt to even the sturdiest switch-ins such as RegenVest Jirachi and Silvally-Electric by running coverage moves or status in order to weaken them. While Noivern was allowed, virtually every decent team was required to run either a Blissey, Chansey, or a Flying-resistant RegenVest user in order to have viable counterplay. Special shoutout to Sticky Hold Chansey,'cause that's the sign of a healthy metagame. It also didn't take very long for Noivern to start running a Choice Scarf in order to outspeed and score KOs against offensive counterplay like Tapu Koko and Barraskewda, limiting the amount of ways to play against it even further. Noivern did end up being banned through a suspect test in May 2021, but not without leaving its mark as one of the most influential Pokémon of the generation.
2
From the earliest onset of Gen 8, Dragapult cemented its position as a versatile threat. Prior to the Pokémon Home update that released Zeraora, Dragapult's base 142 Speed made it far and away the fastest Pokémon in the tier. It ran exactly what it needed to succeed in any given situation: Choice Scarf Regenerator or Queenly Majesty served as an ultimate revenge killing option that outsped even Unburden Kommo-o, Choice Band Technician made Dragon Darts a 150-Base Power move that dismantled non-Fairy-type switch-ins, Adaptability or Dragon Maw with Life Orb or even Choice Specs meant it could run both Dragon Darts and Draco Meteor to deal massive burst damage, and Sheer Force Life Orb gave Dragapult near-perfect coverage with the combination of Dragon Rush, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, and Steel Wing—which ended up being dropped for Fire Blast after the pre-DLC era. Dragapult could even pull off a defensive Poison Heal set with Infestation, Hex, and Will-O-Wisp to beat its normal checks. Dragapult was banned in May 2020 and then again in October 2020 after the next wave of DLC, proving too powerful even with the introduction of new Pokémon.
1
The scariest thing in AAA is a Mew with an unrevealed ability. Thanks to its wide movepool and all-around good stats, Mew can run a wide variety of sets. While it most commonly runs defensive sets featuring Dauntless Shield and Magic Bounce, it often runs Choice Scarf Regenerator and Magic Guard Cosmic Power, and it can even run niche sets like Dragon Dance Tough Claws, Meteor Beam Unburden, and Sheer Force Life Orb Nasty Plot! It also had a large presence in the Poison Heal meta, as it could run Worry Seed to force out Poison Heal users. In short, Mew has the tools to do just about anything and do it well. Even though the offensive sets may appear outclassed, the surprise value dramatically increases their effectiveness. Mew has been a large, powerful, and versatile force in the post-Home metagame, and its combination of longevity, flexibility, and effectiveness makes it the top Titan of Gen 8 AAA.
Conclusion
Generation 8 of AAA was turbulent and always changing. Multiple waves of DLC continually disrupted the metagame with new threats, and just these 10 Titans alone were banned a combined seven times, highlighting even more massive shifts. Generation 8 also saw Poison Heal, perhaps the most controversial ability in AAA over the last three generations, suspected and banned. With all these frequent shifts and rapid changes, it takes a staggering degree of versatility to be a Titan of the metagame, which is perfectly encapsulated by the top Titan, Mew. With Generation 8 drawing to a close, we look forward to the wide range of changes—and hopefully exciting new abilities!—that await us in Generation 9, and what new Titans will emerge there!
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