What's New in VGC Series 7

By zeefable. Released: 2020/12/18.
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VGC Series 7 artwork

Art by Shadowshocker.

Introduction

The Crown Tundra DLC has brought with it the long awaited return of some of VGC's most staple Pokémon such as Landorus-T and Tapu Fini. However, Gen 8 has thrown a ton of toys our way and has shaken up the metagame way more than anticipated. While the aforementioned historically strong Pokémon are still seeing as much usage as ever, a ton of new and old Pokémon have quickly risen to prominence thanks to tournaments such as the Victory Road Challenge and Player's Cup II demanding fast innovation.

Returning Pokémon

Nihilego

Nihilego

Somehow, someway, players find a way to innovate new ways to use Nihilego in every metagame. With the introduction of Meteor Beam, Nihilego finds a way to gain back a strong Rock-type STAB option that seemed lost with the removal of Rockium Z. Nihilego can use the combination of Meteor Beam and Beast Boost to pick up quick knockouts and spiral out of control easily. And as if that wasn't enough, Nihilego also has one of the best offensive typings in the metagame, as it hits many common metagame staples (see: Good Matchups) for super effective damage. Conversely, teams very rarely actually have more than one Rock-resistant Pokémon, making it hard to shut down without resorting to speed control or a desperate Dynamax. As for its third move options, Power Gem can be used in the last slot to have a consistent Rock-type STAB option once Meteor Beam has been used, and Trick Room can be used either to exert more offensive pressure on the player's team or reverse the opponent's Trick Room to maintain momentum.

Thundurus

Thundurus

For the first time in seven years, Defiant genies are legal in VGC. While back in the day Tornadus was the more common Defiant attacker, Thundurus finds itself taking the spotlight now thanks to Dynamax allowing it to make great use of both of its STAB moves, with Fly giving it access to an insanely strong Max Airstream. Thundurus is the absolute epitome of punishing passive play, as it's immune to Intimidate and, if Dynamaxed, Fake Out flinches, as well as being able to bypass opposing Tailwind strategies after a Max Airstream boost or two. Rounding out its incredibly potent STAB combination is Superpower, allowing it to OHKO the likes of Incineroar, Kartana, and even Tyranitar while Dynamaxed with an Attack boost. Defiant is also great for punishing other Max Moves, as Thundurus will gain a Defiant boost if it's affected by common Max Moves such as Max Phantasm, Max Darkness, and Max Wyrmwind.

Metagross

Metagross

Replacing former titans such as Rhyperior, Lapras, and Tyranitar, Metagross finds itself as the premier Weakness Policy user in Series 7. With the aid of Dynamax, Max Steelspike, and Max Quake, Metagross cements itself as one of the most potent offensive and defensive behemoths of the current metagame. Its typing and great natural bulk almost ensure that any move that hits it for relevant damage will be super effective, meaning that Weakness Policy will activate and Metagross will wreak havoc. It can fit on a variety of playstyles such as Tailwind offense, dual screens, Bulldoze spam, and even Trick Room. It even has leeway to play around with its third coverage move, with Rock Slide punishing the likes of Rotom-H, Ice Punch for Dragapult and Landorus-T, or Zen Headbutt for a consistent secondary STAB option as well as a way to manually override terrains other terrains with Max Mindstorm.

New Pokémon

Glastrier

Glastrier

With insanely good bulk, high Attack, and low Speed, it's not hard to see why Glastrier is the most viable Trick Room attacker in Series 7. While most Ice-types suffer from poor bulk, an abysmal movepool, or some other debilitating factors, Glastrier is void of all of these flaws. Ice is one of the best attacking types right now, hitting tons of metagame staples (see: Good Matchups) so hard it'll make their heads spin. In addition, the horse also has access to the insanely valuable Max Move combination of Max Quake and Max Steelspike, allowing its already insane defenses to skyrocket to the point where super effective attacks are lucky to score a 2HKO. But the fun doesn't stop there: with Chilling Neigh, Glastrier can create a snowball effect similar to that of Beast Boost attackers like Nihilego and Kartana, where one knockout can result in a game-ending sweep.

Galarian Moltres

Galarian Moltres

While it started out mostly as an anti-meta pick for its strong matchup against Dragapult and Metagross, Galarian Moltres has become a metagame mainstay. It possess two insanely deadly STAB Max Moves in Max Airstream and Max Darkness, allowing it to snowball by either boosting its Speed to blistering high levels or drastically lowering the foes' Special Defense. It also has phenomenal natural special bulk allowing it to make good use of Weakness Policy as well as have the opportunity to set up with Nasty Plot often. Factor Berserk into the equation, and it's not hard at all to see how Galarian Moltres can blitz through teams. And if that wasn't enough, it also has an incredibly spammable STAB move in Fiery Wrath, doing consistent spread damage and occasionally netting clutch flinches.

Regieleki

Regieleki

Magnet Attacker

Screens

Regieleki has found itself as one of the most common Electric-types in the format, replacing the likes of Tapu Koko, for a variety of reasons. Thanks to the Terrain nerf, Regieleki with Magnet actually outdamages Tapu Koko in Electric Terrain. Regieleki also has way more synergy with Tapu Fini, Indeedee-F, and Rillaboom, as it does not overwrite their respective Terrains. On its own, with this offensive set Regieleki is able to spread quick and fast damage with Thunderbolt or pivot around with Volt Switch before the opponent knows what hit them. Fast Electroweb is also amazing, as it can be capitalized on to its fullest extent thanks to the Generation 8 Speed mechanics. Support Regieleki offers more utility rather than offensive presence. Thanks to dual screens and Electroweb, it is an ideal partner for most of the metagames common Dynamax sweepers while still hitting for respectable damage.

Other Good Cores

Tyranitar Dracoish Thundurus

Thanks to the Ability Patch, Dracovish's previously unavailable Hidden Ability in Sand Rush has been freed. This has created a rise in physically offensive sand cores, overwhelming the opponent with a combination of lightning fast and incredibly strong attacks. This core's viability is further increased by the natural synergy of Dracovish and Thundurus, as the two cover each other's threats and Thundurus wards off Attack drops from Intimidate that would otherwise reduce Dracovish's damage output. Tyranitar itself is also a solid attacker within the current metagame, boasting positive matchups versus common threats such as Galarian Moltres.

Tornadus Lapras Metagross

Tailwind + Gigantamax Lapras has been a staple hyper offensive core for quite some time now, but its largest weakness has always been its linearity. The Tailwind Pokémon, usually either Whimsicott or Talonflame, struggled to contribute much else to the game, and the team was pretty much always relying on Lapras as a Dynamax user. With the addition of Brutal Swing Tornadus and Weakness Policy Metagross, Lapras + Tailwind has gained a vital second mode that allows it to have both special and physical strong Dynamax options. These Pokémon's natural bulk, especially during Dynamax, allows them to shrug off hits with ease while taking huge blows turn by turn.

Torkoal Venusaur Stakataka

In a similar vein to Lapras + Tailwind, sun + Trick Room cores always felt like they were constantly in an awkward spot where all the offensive pressure came from the faster components of the team such as Venusaur, Gyarados, and Togekiss. Thankfully, everyone's favorite volcanic tortoise has found an amazing ally in Stakataka. While Gigantamax Venusaur is as solid of an offensive option as ever, the offensive combination of Stakataka and Torkoal breathes more life into the Trick Room mode of the team. The two complement each other phenomenally with their stats, coverage, and plethora of spread moves in Eruption, Heat Wave, and Rock Slide. After Dynamaxing, Stakataka in sun is also nearly impossible to easily remove without a strong special Ground-type attack.

Regigigas Weezing

Our final core on this list is probably the most controversial: Regigigas + Weezing. Thanks to its insanely high BST, access to good Max Moves, and Weezing's Neutralizing Gas invalidating Slow Start, Regigigas has finally been unchained. With its base 100 Speed and base 160 Attack, it shreds teams quickly before they can appropriately respond. Kantonian Weezing is considered the more optimal of the two formes to pair with Regigigas, as it is not week to Steel-type attacks and can bait Max Steelspikes less often, which is one of the few ways to halt Regigigas's momentum. Top players are gradually warming up to the idea that Regigigas + Weezing is a legitimate strategy, and it will be interesting to see what strategies round out the core as the metagame progresses.

Conclusion

It's truly incredible that in such a short amount of time, we're already seeing the metagame develop and change at a breakneck pace. With the Player's Cup II finals quickly approaching, there could be even more innovation that has yet to be seen. However, as the series continue to change and the metagames continue to develop, one thing is absolutely clear: Generation 8 and Dynamax have shaken up the landscape of VGC far more than any other centralizing mechanic, and players will constantly find new ways to use these new factors to their fullest potential. To keep up with metagame trends going forward, be sure to check out Pikalytics's detailed usage stats, a great resource to stay up to date with current happenings in VGC.

HTML by Ryota Mitarai.
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