UU Suspect Coverage: Galarian Moltres

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Introduction

Galarian Moltres has been a controversial Pokémon ever since its introduction to the tier during the Crown Tundra DLC. Despite being one of the scariest Pokémon to face on hyper offense teams, taking advantage of many metagame staples like Zarude for free setup, it really struggled to have long term consistency, occasionally rising to the top of the metagame only to descend into simply being decent. Outside of being a dangerous sweeper, it often used a defensive RestTalk set to check top threats like Aegislash and Zarude, and this set was seen as healthy for the tier. However, Galarian Moltres has grown to be a thorn in many players' side with recent metagame developments. Common checks like Nihilego and Mamoswine have declined with the addition of Hippowdon and Scizor to UU. With so many different threats like Aegislash, Thundurus-T, Scizor, Zygarde-10%, and Primarina to account for, Galarian Moltres's unparalleled sweeping potential and massive strain on the teambuilder prompted the UU council to suspect test it at last, believing removing it could be beneficial to the development of the tier.

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The Sets

• Moltres-Galar @ Sitrus Berry
• Ability: Berserk
• EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
• Modest Nature
• - Nasty Plot
• - Fiery Wrath
• - Hurricane
• - Agility

Galarian Moltres's flagship set is its very potent Nasty Plot + Agility set, also known as Double Dance. Powerful Dark + Flying STAB attacks hit almost every viable Pokémon in the tier at least neutrally, except for the very niche Diancie, so Galarian Moltres can focus on boosting both Special Attack and Speed to sweep. It notably outspeeds every UU Pokémon, boosted and unboosted, at +2. Its very solid bulk, especially on the specially defensive side, allows it to set up on many common Pokémon including Aegislash, Zarude, Salamence, Tangrowth, Mandibuzz, Azelf, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. Sitrus Berry in conjunction with Berserk gives Galarian Moltres more chances to naturally boost its Special Attack while making it less vulnerable to priority from Scizor. It can also run other items as well; Weakness Policy lets it turn even powerful wallbreakers like Thundurus-T into setup bait by surviving an Electric attack, while Charti Berry is useful for taking hits from Nihilego, Galarian Moltres's most common check. By far the scariest sweeper in the tier, the fact it needs very little support to start sweeping attests to its unhealthiness in the eyes of many players.

• Moltres-Galar @ Chesto Berry
• Ability: Berserk
• EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
• Modest Nature
• IVs: 0 Atk
• - Nasty Plot
• - Fiery Wrath
• - Rest
• - Agility

This set is a different variation of the previous Nasty Plot set, instead using Rest + Chesto Berry to keep itself healthy and bypass Chansey, a common counter. Dark is a very dangerous offensive typing, with very few Fairy- and Fighting-types in UU to resist it, so Galarian Moltres still can pull off a sweep even with Fiery Wrath as the only attacking move. However, it can get punished by being forced into a second Rest and left open to Pokémon like Nihilego and Primarina, thus requiring support against them. While not as consistent nor dominant as the set with both STAB moves, this is still another option in Galarian Moltres's dominant arsenal to punish would-be counters like Chansey.

• Moltres-Galar @ Heavy-Duty Boots
• Ability: Berserk
• EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 16 SpD / 28 Spe
• Calm Nature
• IVs: 0 Atk
• - Rest
• - Sleep Talk
• - Hurricane
• - Fiery Wrath / Foul Play

This set lacks the outright sweeping potential of the prior two and instead acts as a specially defensive wall. RestTalk Galarian Moltres is a fantastic counter to top threat Aegislash, as it can switch into any attack, outspeed, and KO it while also healing itself with Rest. Beyond this, it's an excellent status absorber against the likes of Swampert and Amoonguss and checks Azelf and Zarude. It also has offensive potency with its amazing STAB combination and ability to accumulate Berserk boosts. Foul Play is an option to limit its initial passivity and punish physical sweepers like Gyarados, Scizor, and Swords Dance Aegislash. This set is considered healthy in the eyes of many UU players, being the best Aegislash counter available and an overall great defensive tank.

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Sample Team

This hyper offense team, made by yours truly, is an excellent example of the teams Galarian Moltres best operates on. Excadrill sets and removes entry hazards so Galarian Moltres and the other sweepers can destroy teams more easily. Pokémon like Aegislash and Azelf weaken checks to Galarian Moltres like Chansey, Nihilego, and Celesteela, giving it ample opportunities to clean late-game.

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The Arguments

Ban Reasoning

Many players argue Galarian Moltres is an extremely difficult Pokémon to deal with both in game and in the teambuilder. Galarian Moltres has few defensive checks that are easy to fit in the metagame, as Chansey and Nihilego have declined with the prominence of Scizor, while others like Rhyperior and Diancie are barely viable. Furthermore, defensive checks like the aforementioned Nihilego and Celesteela are prone to getting flinched down by Fiery Wrath. With its amazing defensive typing and bulk, Galarian Moltres gets far too many opportunities to set up and single-handedly sweep, and the fact its defensive checks aren't even guaranteed to handle it due to flinches makes it all the more important Galarian Moltres is banned from UU. Even Nihilego, the most splashable check, can be turned into setup bait with the right circumstances since it fails to OHKO Galarian Moltres with Power Gem. With Sitrus Berry putting resorting health, Galarian Moltres can easily survive priority from the likes of Scizor and Zygarde-10%, whereas priority that can reasonably KO it like Mamoswine's Ice Shard and Lycanroc-D's Accelerock is far less common. The need to resort to niche Pokémon like Diancie to be safe against Galarian Moltres further attests to its unhealthiness.

Do Not Ban Reasoning

While Galarian Moltres has few counters, it has many checks that can keep it from setting up. Pokémon like Nihilego, Celesteela, Chansey, Thundurus-T, and RestTalk Primarina can wear it down into range of priority from Lycanroc-D, Mamoswine, and Scizor. Galarian Moltres often struggles to set up both Nasty Plot and Agility and will be either slow or overly reliant on flinches. It is also very inconsistent, as a reliance on Hurricane means a sweep can be cut short. Bulkier playstyles can fit multiple answers to Galarian Moltres like Chansey and Nihilego, so these teams have very limited issues with it. Other players have cited Scizor, in particular, to be the real unhealthy presence, not Galarian Moltres, and say banning Scizor instead would make Galarian Moltres easier to handle.

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Conclusion

Galarian Moltres was quickly banned from UU with a 70% majority. With Galarian Moltres's ban, notable changes such as hyper offense becoming worse and top threat Aegislash becoming even better are likely to happen.

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