★ VGC 2024 Regulation G Metagame Discussion

[PokeknightVGC]

I think that shed tail choice scarf cylizar could potentially combo well with terapagos because it adds setup time and can potentially tank multiple hits because of Tera shell.

I wouldn't really consider cyclizar that great, especially with scarf. Cyclizar is already a pokemon that struggles in every department (Stats, Movepool, Typing) paired with its weakness to common restricteds and bad MU into fake out, it doesn't really provide enough for a slot on a team. Adding on to that is the fact that Terapagos nowadays have been leaning more towards using Choice Specs as an item compared to setup.

 

[Bright Size]

I do think will pop off sooner or later once people start underestimating it a bit. imo, the reason why it's not placing well is it's been over-prepped for. The current "standard" team has some flaws which can be exploited, and it's only a matter of time till a new standard is established which might end up dominating.

Call it a hunch if you want, but I do believe time hasn't yet started yet, and it certainly shouldn't be underestimated.

I very much agree, I do think all the initial over-prep for it was well deserved going into the first few tournaments of the format. It feels like most people are switching to overpreparing against Miraidon with its winning Indianapolis Regionals, which may give it some breathing room going into Los Angeles Regionals this weekend and NAIC (I'm sure there are other events going on in the world but I am an ignorant American, I apologize). LA Regionals might be too soon for it to come out and win, but I can see it coming back in full force by the time we get to NAIC.

A little off topic from Regulation G: I imagine Calyrex-Shadow will do much better in a 2 restricted format. One of its big flaws is it pretty much just does one thing very well with little variability and very clear flaws to exploit, which makes it a lot easier to team build against by slapping on some normal and dark types onto a team. I'm looking forward to trying Calyrex-Shadow + Koraidon if we get a 2 restricted format, those two look like they would cover the others issues fairly well, with Koraidon being able to whack the Normal/Darks that Calyrex-Shadow struggles against.

 

[wholesomeisland]

I very much agree, I do think all the initial over-prep for it was well deserved going into the first few tournaments of the format. It feels like most people are switching to overpreparing against Miraidon with its winning Indianapolis Regionals, which may give it some breathing room going into Los Angeles Regionals this weekend and NAIC (I'm sure there are other events going on in the world but I am an ignorant American, I apologize). LA Regionals might be too soon for it to come out and win, but I can see it coming back in full force by the time we get to NAIC.

A little off topic from Regulation G: I imagine Calyrex-Shadow will do much better in a 2 restricted format. One of its big flaws is it pretty much just does one thing very well with little variability and very clear flaws to exploit, which makes it a lot easier to team build against by slapping on some normal and dark types onto a team. I'm looking forward to trying Calyrex-Shadow + Koraidon if we get a 2 restricted format, those two look like they would cover the others issues fairly well, with Koraidon being able to whack the Normal/Darks that Calyrex-Shadow struggles against.

Adding on to this I think in dual restricted the pairing of zamazenta + csr will also be a thing, with zama hitting dark/normals as well

I think as more of a niche pick zacian + csr, the combo that won worlds in 2022 will also do decently for all of us zacian believers

Supportive csr I think will also rise, with will-o-wisp it's pretty good into ice rider and just fast willo in general is always nice especially with such physical mons in the meta, like both urshifus, zamazenta, and ice rider

I currently am running a team with zacian, incineroar, rillaboom, urshifu RS, tornadus, and spectrier, and the spectrier is there to help into mons like ice rider and zamazenta, and I plan on changing it to a csr when dual restricted rolls around.

 

[Mr.GX]

I very much agree, I do think all the initial over-prep for it was well deserved going into the first few tournaments of the format. It feels like most people are switching to overpreparing against Miraidon with its winning Indianapolis Regionals, which may give it some breathing room going into Los Angeles Regionals this weekend and NAIC (I'm sure there are other events going on in the world but I am an ignorant American, I apologize). LA Regionals might be too soon for it to come out and win, but I can see it coming back in full force by the time we get to NAIC.

A little off topic from Regulation G: I imagine Calyrex-Shadow will do much better in a 2 restricted format. One of its big flaws is it pretty much just does one thing very well with little variability and very clear flaws to exploit, which makes it a lot easier to team build against by slapping on some normal and dark types onto a team. I'm looking forward to trying Calyrex-Shadow + Koraidon if we get a 2 restricted format, those two look like they would cover the others issues fairly well, with Koraidon being able to whack the Normal/Darks that Calyrex-Shadow struggles against.

Agree. CSR will pop up when you least expect it. I also expect to see a rise in Koraidon usage in response to the recent Zamazenta/Terapagos wave. While Koraidon generally struggles against the plethora of Pelipper and Rain Dance Torn, it is possible to get around those match ups by either setting up manual Sun or by locking out opponent's options with the likes of Shadow Tag Gothitelle. Volt Switch Raging Bolt is also very much feasible in such a team to regain weather control.

Moreover, Flame Charge Koraidon does very well into CSR matchups (assuming they don't run Pelipper). Korai team compositions also have a certain degree of liberty when playing around with tech options. Excited to see what all comes out of LA this weekend.

 

[Bright Size]

Raging Bolt definitely feels like a must have with Koraidon teams, I used it on my Indianapolis team. It made playing into teams with Pelipper/Kyogre/Rain Dance much more manageable. My Raging Bolt also had Weather Ball! With it I was able to pick up sneaky KOs on Amoonguss (and even one unlucky Zamazenta) with Koraidon switchins. I was able to beat all of the Pelipper (and one Kyogre) teams I played against that tournament thanks to Raging Bolt.

I tried Walking Wake briefly with Koraidon but dealing with opposing rain became very difficult, as those teams often had waters that were harder to break through with Walking Wake as opposed to Raging Bolt.

 

[Mr.GX]

Raging Bolt definitely feels like a must have with Koraidon teams, I used it on my Indianapolis team. It made playing into teams with Pelipper/Kyogre/Rain Dance much more manageable. My Raging Bolt also had Weather Ball! With it I was able to pick up sneaky KOs on Amoonguss (and even one unlucky Zamazenta) with Koraidon switchins. I was able to beat all of the Pelipper (and one Kyogre) teams I played against that tournament thanks to Raging Bolt.

I tried Walking Wake briefly with Koraidon but dealing with opposing rain became very difficult, as those teams often had waters that were harder to break through with Walking Wake as opposed to Raging Bolt.

Agree, Bolt seems very good with Sun. How important do you think Tailwind is? For me, I found Wake to be a targeted striker against FWG cores and Zama/CalyS stuff tbh. I'm not yet sure how to build Sun at this point in the format, but I can see certain potentials in the team building area.

 

[Bright Size]

Agree, Bolt seems very good with Sun. How important do you think Tailwind is? For me, I found Wake to be a targeted striker against FWG cores and Zama/CalyS stuff tbh. I'm not yet sure how to build Sun at this point in the format, but I can see certain potentials in the team building area.

Tailwind felt super important for what I was running since it was important for playing into Calyrex-Shadow, it was also really important against the 2 Miraidon teams I played at Indianapolis. If I'm unable to match a Tailwind I usually get out pressured and lose pretty easily.

Koraidon on its own felt strong enough into FWG cores, since it has Flare Blitz/Flame Charge to hit Grass, the most common Fire type (Incineroar) gets one shot by Collision Course when you have Clear Amulet (which you should be using), and setting sun guts water damage and you resist it already with the Dragon typing. Walking Wake didn't seem like it was doing anything additional for the team other than giving a better Groudon match up (the Groudon match up for Koraidon actually sucks, you can't easily tera fire Koraidon in front of their Flutter Mane when they're also threatening P Blades)

I'll go ahead and post the Koraidon team I used at Indianapolis here: https://pokepast.es/6d89d8f1de4b76c9

I would make updates to EVs now and probably change Electroweb on the Raging Bolt to Thunderbolt. Chi-Yu should be another point faster now since mine speed ties max speed Terapagos, something I wasn't expecting to see but we've been getting specs Terapagos that are doing that. Raging Bolt can drop Speed EVs for more SpA, originally to outspeed Calyrex-Shadow under Tailwind but that ended up never coming up. The Koraidon spread definitely needs to be changed up since it is actually a leftover spread from when I was trying out Substitute on Koraidon! The HP EVs were optimized for that and it ended up living +3 Body Presses from Zamazenta reliably so I just left it.

 

[Sappaling]

I wouldn't really consider cyclizar that great, especially with scarf. Cyclizar is already a pokemon that struggles in every department (Stats, Movepool, Typing) paired with its weakness to common restricteds and bad MU into fake out, it doesn't really provide enough for a slot on a team. Adding on to that is the fact that Terapagos nowadays have been leaning more towards using Choice Specs as an item compared to setup.

I don't really find it great. I am just finding a fun niche for it. I really only have it one 1 team.

 

[Mr. Goodra]

Calyrex-S beat the washed allegations pretty convincingly this weekend I would say!

Nice to see Koraidon teams evolving to a point where they’re holding their own very well too.

The Zacian top cut team was absolutely brilliant and it was so unfortunate two High Horsepowers AND a Play Rough missed in one game. Genuinely think it could have gone all the way, but a harsh reminder that if you don’t / can’t run 100% acc moves you always risk giving your opponent an out.

Finally, the top cut Umbreon (part of the Zacian team I believe) was a great showcase of its strengths but also its flaws. It did amazing into Caly-I on stream and had fantastic utility, but it was also susceptible to getting worn down slowly over time relative to mons like Amoongus, which were being a pivoting nightmare for it.

Overall, reg G is definitely becoming more interesting and I think we’ve got a lot of creativity yet to come.

Question for the group here - what are your thoughts on Kyogre not making top 8 restricted use in day 2? I’ve been shocked personally, especially when Groudon still made top 8 stats. I feel rain is really strong with incredible abusers such as Archaludon, Urshifu-R, etc. Kyogre also boosts its own STABs in a way Groudon can’t without Tera now it lost access to primal, so I find it immediately way more threatening.

 

[Sugarbear]

OK, so the LA regionals have wrapped up. Top 8 teams:

1st Montana Mott:
2nd Ryan Haig:
3rd Kian Campbell:
4th Aditya Subramanian:
5th Justin Burns:
6th Rajan Bal:
7th Collin Heier:
8th John Miller:

My thoughts:

• Shadowrex has been a no show throughout most of Reg G, but now makes 2 appearances. Guess it's better than I gave it credit for.
• Did not expect Zacian to place so high. This is a mon most people thought had dropped off hard. What gets me most is that the team doesn't even have any anti-Intimidate tech.
• No Miraidons. This was a surprise, I thought it was one of the big new things.
• No Zamazentas. This has been fairly consistent mon so far, so surprised it didn't make the cut.
• No Terapagos. This was the biggest surprise, it's come second multiple times.
• Yay, Koraidon finally placed! That looks like such a cool team, Gothitelle is another mon I feel deserves more use. Interestingly, neither of those teams featured Sunny Day Whimsicott (then again Pelipper wants nothing to do with Raging Bolt).
• No Ogerpon. AFAIR, this is the first regional since the Teal Mask dropped where not one team had it.
• Gothitelle finally gets a good result, that thing is super scary when played right.
• Not one of the Incineroars were running Flare Blitz.
• Overall very similar looking teams. Dissapointing lack of diversity. Last regional had a more interesting top 8 IMO.

 

[PokeknightVGC]

OK, so the LA regionals have wrapped up. Top 8 teams:

1st Montana Mott:
2nd Ryan Haig:
3rd Kian Campbell:
4th Aditya Subramanian:
5th Justin Burns:
6th Rajan Bal:
7th Collin Heier:
8th John Miller:

My thoughts:

• Shadowrex has been a no show throughout most of Reg G, but now makes 2 appearances. Guess it's better than I gave it credit for.
• Did not expect Zacian to place so high. This is a mon most people thought had dropped off hard. What gets me most is that the team doesn't even have any anti-Intimidate tech.
• No Miraidons. This was a surprise, I thought it was one of the big new things.
• No Zamazentas. This has been fairly consistent mon so far, so surprised it didn't make the cut.
• No Terapagos. This was the biggest surprise, it's come second multiple times.
• Yay, Koraidon finally placed! That looks like such a cool team, Gothitelle is another mon I feel deserves more use. Interestingly, neither of those teams featured Sunny Day Whimsicott (then again Pelipper wants nothing to do with Raging Bolt).
• No Ogerpon. AFAIR, this is the first regional since the Teal Mask dropped where not one team had it.
• Gothitelle finally gets a good result, that thing is super scary when played right.
• Overall very similar looking teams. Dissapointing lack of diversity. Last regional had a more interesting top 8 IMO.

I think something that's a key takeaway is definitely in new threats like Gothitelle and Umbreon, with these results we will most likely see some more usage of them pop up which will be very interesting for the format. Gothitelle's rise could see a surge in trapping balance teams or encore + disable strats as a whole. Umbreon as a solid support flex slot could be interesting, with it being a strong Amoonguss + Calyrex-I answer.

 

[Pengu]

Since we are now a few events into the regulation, I would like to drop my tier list (not ordered within tiers).

Explanation:
Starting from the bottom,is never and has never really seen any play, as its fellow winged friendis way better.

is just unfortunate, could be in the C Tier. This Pokemon is a physical attack that doesn't have to worry about Intimidate, thanks to the Full Metal Body ability. This is good, until you realize thatis still scary.does get Wide Guard, but you might want a Assault Vest to patch up that surprisingly low 89 Special Defense. This Pokemon's attack is also only 137, but with no way to boost that, it can be underwhelming. Hard loses toas well, with absolutely no coverage to beat it, beside Tera. Now, you want Tera Fire to block burn, but thencomes along. Tera Grass/Water seems good, yet you then get hit really hard by's teammates, like Flare Blitz, Moonblast, and Thunderclap. Just something that needs that one little buff to be a really good Pokemon. Althoughis not super powerful, its bulk doesn't make up for up, unlike.

is next, and it's here for a reason. It carries no truly good physical Ice STAB, outside of the gimmicky Loaded Dice sets with Icicle Spear, Scale Shot, Protect and DDance. And then, the big ugly cat known astrampled you with Intimidate. "Tera Ice Tera Blast" you may say, alongside the Clear Amulet item, but 1: Tera is not really doing much but giving you STAB and 2: Ice? Just use the other form (not the base form please).

Next up,. This Pokemon is a physical attacker, with better attack than! Clear Amulet here. Good physical Electric STAB is nice, but it has really no good physical dragon moves, as it can't really run Outrage (unreliable), Dragon Claw is weak, and Scale Shot? Really. Physical Dragon moves are just kind of underwhelming. Plus,exists. Evenworks, while giving you another option likeand.

Let's pick up the pace, shall we? These are the rest of the D Tier Pokemon.is just not strong enough. Bulky Ghost?. Strong Ghost?.is a little stronger, but the same thing prevails. Better ghosts and better dragons. Plain oldis just outclassed by his past, original variant. Finally, the notorious. Outclassed as hell.

C Tier
The non-crowned variant ofis now here, with the added bonus of longevity items, like Leftovers or Pinch Berries. Also drops weaknesses toand. Obviously, losing loads of resists and gaining Fairy vulnerability is scary, but not as bad as the D Tier Pokemon.

is here, above. Hear me out. This guy has way more attack, actually making use of it, with a nice Trick Room speed stat. He has more Defense and Special Defense than his non-corrupted version of himself, so that's nice. Also, Photon Geyser becomes a physical attack if the user has more attack than special attack, kind of like Tera Blast. Better Psychic STAB and more attack makes this Pokemon a C Tier.

Next is plain old, which yet again loses power and the best type combination in the game, but gets to hold the beloved upon physical restricted Pokemon, Clear Amulet. This allows Racism to just demolish:incineoar:with the commonly run Sacred Sword or even Close Combat.

Here is, and it is definitely better than its sibling. This is because it has good Ice and Dragon STAB with Draco Meteor, Blizzard, Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse, which isn't affected by Intimidate. Only good on Snow Teams, yet the premier Pokemon there.

is ending off the Tao Trio with a bang. This Special Attack that isn't hurt by Intimidate allows it to deal loads of Fire+Dragon damage, even under sun. This Pokemon is kind of slow, but not slow enough for Trick Room. If you are considering Iron Ball, don't talk to me.

Both forms ofare here, boasting the same thing. The reason regularis lower than it's counterpart is that Telepathy is really good onwith Earthquake no longer being a constant threat.was seen next toback in Generation 8, but now it must settle for partners such asandwhich are good, but not anything close to the Ice Riding Behemoth.

Here is my beloved. This guy is really good at Trick Room and damage. Here, I even have a team! https://pokepast.es/0532a691d8a03a58 He also works with Tailwind.

We'll cover these two together, as they mesh pretty well. First,. My guy is a regenerator TANK good damage and burn support in Sacred Fire, not to mention Brave Bird and slotting in really nice into pivoting slow cores alongside U-Turn Rillaboom, U-Turn Urshifu and Parting Shit Incineroar. Its Special Defense allows you to invest into other stats, but being weak to electric,ain't going to sugarcoat it. You forced to Clear Amulet. Now is the really bulky, just like its friend.andshare the same HP and Special Defense, yethas more Speed and Defense, buthas more Special Attack (talk about useless) and Attack. One does more damage, but one just sits there with Calm Mind and Tailwind boosts.

B Tier

Getting into notable legends, we start with. A defensive Pokemon with a offensive typing, kind of annoying with your two quad weaknesses to ghost and dark, but under Trick Room, you beatand, and you beatwhen next toor, which you could then slap Expanding Force to wreck any Fighting/Poison type. Shadow Shield is literally Multiscale, and you then live everything (when at full HP)., with its kind of good speed, can even utilize Tailwind. This Pokemon not only gets Trick Room and Tailwind, but Wide Guard as well! Really good, but not as good as the rest of the Pokemon.

Here is the mighty (and underrated). This guy literally shuts down any weather by just existing, destroyingandandin the doing, not to mentionand. I've seen some Choice Band sets running Extreme Speed with Tera Normal, with powerful Dragon Ascents as well. It is run alongsidefor extra damage. I think that Clear Amuletis the way to go, dropping Dragon STAB for Protect, running SD, Tera Normal ESpeed, Protect and Dragon Ascent. This is just so powerful and underrated and it's insane.

The last Pokemon in the B Tier is. I know, I know. "Why?" You may ask. Well,. This Pokemon isn't that frail, stronger, and has a better typing. It is even a lot faster. Has a lot better synergy withas well, with both pressing loads offensive pressure on each other's weaknesses. This doesn't meanis bad. It still hits super hard and has the bulk. It can run SD with Blades, but I have tried many sets, and I found a supportive set running Protect, Tera Fairy, Wisp, Dragon Claw (let me cook) and Helping Hand, with any item really. This Groudon sits next to Trick Room Pokemon and either A) Does damage B) Negates physical damage C) Powers Allies D) Protects or E) Just is useless. Yeah, use SD sets.

A Tier

Here, we start it off with. Now, I wouldn't have said this a couple of years ago, but this Pokemon is great. With Body Press, it shreds through even resists. Its obscene bulk allows it to take almost any hit, while being crippled by burn. It even has decent attack, hitting hard with STAB Behemoth Bashes. No item is sad, but it is definitely worth it.destroys the likes of,,and more. Losing to Ghosts is sad, but Dark type partners such as orare really good.beatsand makessuper bulky on the special side. Overall a super powerful Pokemon that got the one thing it needed.

Now we have reached the new legendary in. This little cutie gets Multiscale, which is just so good as we've seen. With some bulk, Calm Mind sets can set up and sweep next to helpful partners like and. A set picking up is Choice Specs. This set either Terastilizes and nukes with spread Tera Starstorms, picks up a free KO on non-resists with Hyper Beam, or uses niche coverage that it rarely presses like Earth Power or Dark Pulse. Tera is needed for this Pokemon to function, but it gets a power spike and more health and bulk, which is good. This limitation definitely keepsfrom the S Tier.

Next up:. This amazing sun setter can abuse it loads thanks to its ability, alongside Tera Fire Flare Blitz shredding through literally everything. Collision Course is just so strong with the boosts, and SD sets prove that. Dragon STAB isn't even necessary on a Clamulet SD, Blitz, Collision Course and Protect set, with Tera Fire. I've cooked up a Scarf set with the same moves and Tera, but drop SD and Protect for U-Turn and Dragon Claw. This Pokemon also has great offensive synergy with premier sun abuser,.hits steels and darks likeandfor, while that hits the annoying dragons and ghosts in's way.is also really good, destroying rain teams (mentioned by Bright Size).

Finally in the A Tier, we have. I know, I know, "Bro is Washed". No he is not. The almighty Mystic Water sets, with Tailwind and priority blocking with either psychic terrain or Armor Tail,is dishing out loads. I like Choice Specs, with the same,,andsupports.orare both good, patching up thematchup.can also catch a switch from, dealing loads of damage with Ice Beam.even functions under Trick Room, but not as well as. Rain abusers are running everywhere, with Weather Ball+Thunder, Electro Shot, Surging Strikes, and even niche options like Swift Swim. I could go on and on, but the point is, bro is not washed.

S Tier (kinda obvious ngl)

First up on the block, the infamous: calyrex shadow:. This Pokemon moves fast, and hits even harder. No wonder it's in the AG tier. Ok, I'm getting sidetracked. This Pokemon has so much flexibility in its sets, with Sash Tera Ghost and Nasty Plot, Choice Scarf EForce and Trick, or even Life Orb, Spell Tag or Choice Specs. Here is a list of's moves:
Astral Barrage
Calm Mind
Dark Pulse
Draining Kiss
Energy Ball
Expanding Force
Grass Knot
Hex
Nasty Plot
Pollen Puff
Protect
Psychic
Psyshock
Shadow Ball
Imprision
Trick Room
Substitute
Taunt
Will-O-Wisp
Tera Blast
Trick
There are probably more, but you get the idea. This Pokemon has a great movepool. Its stats are even better, and its offensive typing is a chef's kiss.is unmatched in bother the ghost and psychic department.

Here comes the mighty. With super boosted electric type moves and amazing KOs from Meteors, this monster wrecks. Tera Electric just KOs everything, every Volt Switch, Discharge and Electro Drift. And most people wouldn't know if it wasn't for Rajan Bal winning the first regional of Regulation G. This Pokemon is kind of hard to get accustomed to, with most beginners clicking big moves.revolves around Volt Switch and momentum.

Almost there! Next is, with it crushing the ladder in the early days of the single restrict format. This insanely bulky and powerful Trick Room sweeper not only sets it up, but sweeps under it too. Partners include,, and. All to say is that this Pokemon is just so powerful.

Finally,. Extremely underrated, and so, so powerful with good teammates. Check my post before to see's true potential. I am also a Zacian Believer.

Let me know if I missed anything

 

[Pengu]

OK, so the LA regionals have wrapped up. Top 8 teams:

1st Montana Mott:
2nd Ryan Haig:
3rd Kian Campbell:
4th Aditya Subramanian:
5th Justin Burns:
6th Rajan Bal:
7th Collin Heier:
8th John Miller:

My thoughts:

• Shadowrex has been a no show throughout most of Reg G, but now makes 2 appearances. Guess it's better than I gave it credit for.
• Did not expect Zacian to place so high. This is a mon most people thought had dropped off hard. What gets me most is that the team doesn't even have any anti-Intimidate tech.
• No Miraidons. This was a surprise, I thought it was one of the big new things.
• No Zamazentas. This has been fairly consistent mon so far, so surprised it didn't make the cut.
• No Terapagos. This was the biggest surprise, it's come second multiple times.
• Yay, Koraidon finally placed! That looks like such a cool team, Gothitelle is another mon I feel deserves more use. Interestingly, neither of those teams featured Sunny Day Whimsicott (then again Pelipper wants nothing to do with Raging Bolt).
• No Ogerpon. AFAIR, this is the first regional since the Teal Mask dropped where not one team had it.
• Gothitelle finally gets a good result, that thing is super scary when played right.
• Overall very similar looking teams. Dissapointing lack of diversity. Last regional had a more interesting top 8 IMO.

I think thatis going to be much more apparent, alongside. These two restricted Pokemon have been down in the depths, with them both not making many ripples in the metagame. Also Rajan Bal is the goat.

 

[PokeknightVGC]

Since we are now a few events into the regulation, I would like to drop my tier list (not ordered within tiers).
View attachment 636207
Explanation:
Starting from the bottom,is never and has never really seen any play, as its fellow winged friendis way better.

is just unfortunate, could be in the C Tier. This Pokemon is a physical attack that doesn't have to worry about Intimidate, thanks to the Full Metal Body ability. This is good, until you realize thatis still scary.does get Wide Guard, but you might want a Assault Vest to patch up that surprisingly low 89 Special Defense. This Pokemon's attack is also only 137, but with no way to boost that, it can be underwhelming. Hard loses toas well, with absolutely no coverage to beat it, beside Tera. Now, you want Tera Fire to block burn, but thencomes along. Tera Grass/Water seems good, yet you then get hit really hard by's teammates, like Flare Blitz, Moonblast, and Thunderclap. Just something that needs that one little buff to be a really good Pokemon. Althoughis not super powerful, its bulk doesn't make up for up, unlike.

is next, and it's here for a reason. It carries no truly good physical Ice STAB, outside of the gimmicky Loaded Dice sets with Icicle Spear, Scale Shot, Protect and DDance. And then, the big ugly cat known astrampled you with Intimidate. "Tera Ice Tera Blast" you may say, alongside the Clear Amulet item, but 1: Tera is not really doing much but giving you STAB and 2: Ice? Just use the other form (not the base form please).

Next up,. This Pokemon is a physical attacker, with better attack than! Clear Amulet here. Good physical Electric STAB is nice, but it has really no good physical dragon moves, as it can't really run Outrage (unreliable), Dragon Claw is weak, and Scale Shot? Really. Physical Dragon moves are just kind of underwhelming. Plus,exists. Evenworks, while giving you another option likeand.

Let's pick up the pace, shall we? These are the rest of the D Tier Pokemon.is just not strong enough. Bulky Ghost?. Strong Ghost?.is a little stronger, but the same thing prevails. Better ghosts and better dragons. Plain oldis just outclassed by his past, original variant. Finally, the notorious. Outclassed as hell.

C Tier
The non-crowned variant ofis now here, with the added bonus of longevity items, like Leftovers or Pinch Berries. Also drops weaknesses toand. Obviously, losing loads of resists and gaining Fairy vulnerability is scary, but not as bad as the D Tier Pokemon.

is here, above. Hear me out. This guy has way more attack, actually making use of it, with a nice Trick Room speed stat. He has more Defense and Special Defense than his non-corrupted version of himself, so that's nice. Also, Photon Geyser becomes a physical attack if the user has more attack than special attack, kind of like Tera Blast. Better Psychic STAB and more attack makes this Pokemon a C Tier.

Next is plain old, which yet again loses power and the best type combination in the game, but gets to hold the beloved upon physical restricted Pokemon, Clear Amulet. This allows Racism to just demolish:incineoar:with the commonly run Sacred Sword or even Close Combat.

Here is, and it is definitely better than its sibling. This is because it has good Ice and Dragon STAB with Draco Meteor, Blizzard, Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse, which isn't affected by Intimidate. Only good on Snow Teams, yet the premier Pokemon there.

is ending off the Tao Trio with a bang. This Special Attack that isn't hurt by Intimidate allows it to deal loads of Fire+Dragon damage, even under sun. This Pokemon is kind of slow, but not slow enough for Trick Room. If you are considering Iron Ball, don't talk to me.

Both forms ofare here, boasting the same thing. The reason regularis lower than it's counterpart is that Telepathy is really good onwith Earthquake no longer being a constant threat.was seen next toback in Generation 8, but now it must settle for partners such asandwhich are good, but not anything close to the Ice Riding Behemoth.

Here is my beloved. This guy is really good at Trick Room and damage. Here, I even have a team! https://pokepast.es/0532a691d8a03a58 He also works with Tailwind.

We'll cover these two together, as they mesh pretty well. First,. My guy is a regenerator TANK good damage and burn support in Sacred Fire, not to mention Brave Bird and slotting in really nice into pivoting slow cores alongside U-Turn Rillaboom, U-Turn Urshifu and Parting Shit Incineroar. Its Special Defense allows you to invest into other stats, but being weak to electric,ain't going to sugarcoat it. You forced to Clear Amulet. Now is the really bulky, just like its friend.andshare the same HP and Special Defense, yethas more Speed and Defense, buthas more Special Attack (talk about useless) and Attack. One does more damage, but one just sits there with Calm Mind and Tailwind boosts.

B Tier

Getting into notable legends, we start with. A defensive Pokemon with a offensive typing, kind of annoying with your two quad weaknesses to ghost and dark, but under Trick Room, you beatand, and you beatwhen next toor, which you could then slap Expanding Force to wreck any Fighting/Poison type. Shadow Shield is literally Multiscale, and you then live everything (when at full HP)., with its kind of good speed, can even utilize Tailwind. This Pokemon not only gets Trick Room and Tailwind, but Wide Guard as well! Really good, but not as good as the rest of the Pokemon.

Here is the mighty (and underrated). This guy literally shuts down any weather by just existing, destroyingandandin the doing, not to mentionand. I've seen some Choice Band sets running Extreme Speed with Tera Normal, with powerful Dragon Ascents as well. It is run alongsidefor extra damage. I think that Clear Amuletis the way to go, dropping Dragon STAB for Protect, running SD, Tera Normal ESpeed, Protect and Dragon Ascent. This is just so powerful and underrated and it's insane.

The last Pokemon in the B Tier is. I know, I know. "Why?" You may ask. Well,. This Pokemon isn't that frail, stronger, and has a better typing. It is even a lot faster. Has a lot better synergy withas well, with both pressing loads offensive pressure on each other's weaknesses. This doesn't meanis bad. It still hits super hard and has the bulk. It can run SD with Blades, but I have tried many sets, and I found a supportive set running Protect, Tera Fairy, Wisp, Dragon Claw (let me cook) and Helping Hand, with any item really. This Groudon sits next to Trick Room Pokemon and either A) Does damage B) Negates physical damage C) Powers Allies D) Protects or E) Just is useless. Yeah, use SD sets.

A Tier

Here, we start it off with. Now, I wouldn't have said this a couple of years ago, but this Pokemon is great. With Body Press, it shreds through even resists. Its obscene bulk allows it to take almost any hit, while being crippled by burn. It even has decent attack, hitting hard with STAB Behemoth Bashes. No item is sad, but it is definitely worth it.destroys the likes of,,and more. Losing to Ghosts is sad, but Dark type partners such as orare really good.beatsand makessuper bulky on the special side. Overall a super powerful Pokemon that got the one thing it needed.

Now we have reached the new legendary in. This little cutie gets Multiscale, which is just so good as we've seen. With some bulk, Calm Mind sets can set up and sweep next to helpful partners like and. A set picking up is Choice Specs. This set either Terastilizes and nukes with spread Tera Starstorms, picks up a free KO on non-resists with Hyper Beam, or uses niche coverage that it rarely presses like Earth Power or Dark Pulse. Tera is needed for this Pokemon to function, but it gets a power spike and more health and bulk, which is good. This limitation definitely keepsfrom the S Tier.

Next up:. This amazing sun setter can abuse it loads thanks to its ability, alongside Tera Fire Flare Blitz shredding through literally everything. Collision Course is just so strong with the boosts, and SD sets prove that. Dragon STAB isn't even necessary on a Clamulet SD, Blitz, Collision Course and Protect set, with Tera Fire. I've cooked up a Scarf set with the same moves and Tera, but drop SD and Protect for U-Turn and Dragon Claw. This Pokemon also has great offensive synergy with premier sun abuser,.hits steels and darks likeandfor, while that hits the annoying dragons and ghosts in's way.is also really good, destroying rain teams (mentioned by Bright Size).

Finally in the A Tier, we have. I know, I know, "Bro is Washed". No he is not. The almighty Mystic Water sets, with Tailwind and priority blocking with either psychic terrain or Armor Tail,is dishing out loads. I like Choice Specs, with the same,,andsupports.orare both good, patching up thematchup.can also catch a switch from, dealing loads of damage with Ice Beam.even functions under Trick Room, but not as well as. Rain abusers are running everywhere, with Weather Ball+Thunder, Electro Shot, Surging Strikes, and even niche options like Swift Swim. I could go on and on, but the point is, bro is not washed.

S Tier (kinda obvious ngl)

First up on the block, the infamous: calyrex shadow:. This Pokemon moves fast, and hits even harder. No wonder it's in the AG tier. Ok, I'm getting sidetracked. This Pokemon has so much flexibility in its sets, with Sash Tera Ghost and Nasty Plot, Choice Scarf EForce and Trick, or even Life Orb, Spell Tag or Choice Specs. Here is a list of's moves:
Astral Barrage
Calm Mind
Dark Pulse
Draining Kiss
Energy Ball
Expanding Force
Grass Knot
Hex
Nasty Plot
Pollen Puff
Protect
Psychic
Psyshock
Shadow Ball
Imprision
Trick Room
Substitute
Taunt
Will-O-Wisp
Tera Blast
Trick
There are probably more, but you get the idea. This Pokemon has a great movepool. Its stats are even better, and its offensive typing is a chef's kiss.is unmatched in bother the ghost and psychic department.

Here comes the mighty. With super boosted electric type moves and amazing KOs from Meteors, this monster wrecks. Tera Electric just KOs everything, every Volt Switch, Discharge and Electro Drift. And most people wouldn't know if it wasn't for Rajan Bal winning the first regional of Regulation G. This Pokemon is kind of hard to get accustomed to, with most beginners clicking big moves.revolves around Volt Switch and momentum.

Almost there! Next is, with it crushing the ladder in the early days of the single restrict format. This insanely bulky and powerful Trick Room sweeper not only sets it up, but sweeps under it too. Partners include,, and. All to say is that this Pokemon is just so powerful.

Finally,. Extremely underrated, and so, so powerful with good teammates. Check my post before to see's true potential. I am also a Zacian Believer.

Let me know if I missed anything

Personally there are a lot of things I don't really agree with. For starters based on your points: has actually seen some results in online tours exclusively on Psyspam. While it's definitely worse than the other Ghost/Psychic restricteds, its ability for much more burst damage on a Psyspam core brings it at least up a few tiers.

As for C-Tier, I believe that , , and are deserving of a higher placement. Both and haven't really seen many results due to them not being fully figured out yet, both having advantageous matchups into popular restricteds like and in 's case, and and for . Given some time, they will definitely become much stronger threats in the format. is also a case where it has extreme potential, great defensive and offensive attributes into the format and paired with an Assault Vest it can result in a powerful bulky restricted that has a good matchup into the likes of , , and .

Next for the mid-higher tiers. To start with, is a Pokémon I have extensively used as of late and I believe is a really powerful threat in the format. In a restricted setting people would most likely jump to go for a more supportive with a speed control option in either Trick Room or Tailwind, but I believe an option like Moonblast extremely enhances 's offensive capabilities, giving it the ability to also hit opposing Fighting, Dragon, and Dark-Types for good damage. Paired with the strength of Wide Guard, over time will potentially become a really relevant threat once someone fully figures it out.

As for , while it did recently get 3rd at LA Regionals, I don't believe it's nearly enough to warrant such a high placement. At the end of the day, still requires a lot of team support to work effectively at all due to the fact a single switch in from the best Pokémon in the format in completely nullifies your ability. Over time it might see a couple of small results but the likelihood of it reaching a placement similar if not better than LA is not very likely.

Overall the tier list idea is kind of there and I mostly agree with it but there are a lot of elements that I think could be fixed. Something like the list below (Which is ordered btw) is what I'm seeing being the general list for right now.

 

[Pengu]

Personally there are a lot of things I don't really agree with. For starters based on your points: has actually seen some results in online tours exclusively on Psyspam. While it's definitely worse than the other Ghost/Psychic restricteds, its ability for much more burst damage on a Psyspam core brings it at least up a few tiers.

As for C-Tier, I believe that , , and are deserving of a higher placement. Both and haven't really seen many results due to them not being fully figured out yet, both having advantageous matchups into popular restricteds like and in 's case, and and for . Given some time, they will definitely become much stronger threats in the format. is also a case where it has extreme potential, great defensive and offensive attributes into the format and paired with an Assault Vest it can result in a powerful bulky restricted that has a good matchup into the likes of , , and .

Next for the mid-higher tiers. To start with, is a Pokémon I have extensively used as of late and I believe is a really powerful threat in the format. In a restricted setting people would most likely jump to go for a more supportive with a speed control option in either Trick Room or Tailwind, but I believe an option like Moonblast extremely enhances 's offensive capabilities, giving it the ability to also hit opposing Fighting, Dragon, and Dark-Types for good damage. Paired with the strength of Wide Guard, over time will potentially become a really relevant threat once someone fully figures it out.

As for , while it did recently get 3rd at LA Regionals, I don't believe it's nearly enough to warrant such a high placement. At the end of the day, still requires a lot of team support to work effectively at all due to the fact a single switch in from the best Pokémon in the format in completely nullifies your ability. Over time it might see a couple of small results but the likelihood of it reaching a placement similar if not better than LA is not very likely.

Overall the tier list idea is kind of there and I mostly agree with it but there are a lot of elements that I think could be fixed. Something like the list below (Which is ordered btw) is what I'm seeing being the general list for right now.
View attachment 636441

Imma be honest, don't know how I feel about thatplacement. A+ seems high. I always thought of it as a A- or A tier restrict, especially with new threats giving it a hard time, likeand.
down with? I respect that Dragon and all, but just, other Dragons fill that powerful sweeper roll better, i.e,and.. I don't want to see it, has absolutely no use whatsoever. Use likeat that point.
feels a little gimmick/mechanic reliant, enough for it to be a A+ over S tier here. I forgot to rank, but B tier feels right for it.

 

[PokeknightVGC]

Imma be honest, don't know how I feel about thatplacement. A+ seems high. I always thought of it as a A- or A tier restrict, especially with new threats giving it a hard time, likeand.
down with? I respect that Dragon and all, but just, other Dragons fill that powerful sweeper roll better, i.e,and.. I don't want to see it, has absolutely no use whatsoever. Use likeat that point.
feels a little gimmick/mechanic reliant, enough for it to be a A+ over S tier here. I forgot to rank, but B tier feels right for it.

The thing with is the fact that it's still seen consistent results aside from LA, with AV it's still a potent bulky attacker with the option of Tera Grass to deal with checks like , while doesn't appreciate its weather being overwritten.

's role isn't to be an extremely powerful sweeper like and for obvious reasons, but a very bulky attacker that can still dish out good damage over time, leveraging its great bulk to stick around on the field longer to maximize its impact.

is a joke in that tier and not to be taken too seriously, but at least it provides a bulky pivot with Eviolite + Teleport (Still don't use it but it has a better niche than or )

being any lower than S feels a little disingenuous, it's seen multiple top results being able to abuse its two busted abilities with either a Calm Mind set or the now popular Choice Specs set paired with a 120 BP spread move that always hits for at least neutral damage. While yes it's a Tera-hog the overwhelming tools it has well make up for it.

 

[Account Namr]

Here are some cool Core ideas i tought of.

Ho-Oh and Gouging Fire
(Sacred Fire goes brrrrr especially with Gfs howl support boosting the Blazing birds offensive potential to downright unfair levels.)


Groundon,Gouging Fire and Ting-Lu

Two grounds are invaluable for Mirai and Ting is good into Deadrex, Gf howls up Don and Lus attacks and the Don sets sun up for Gf so it can run Amulet or Cloak and Ting well I've just covered him.

(I will update with more cool core ideas I thought of later).

 

[LeonLeeds]

+ feels really good. You would think defensive mons like helmet pelipper, incin, or Amoonguss would stop a physically dominant duo but this isn't the case. Ivy cudgel not being a contact move is huge, it allows you to keep your sash that would otherwise be broken by peli, now being able to take a ko on the partner or get valuable chip. Superpower at +1 cleanly gets the ko against incineroar whose intimidate is a headache for zacian users. One of Zacian's biggest weaknesses is a spore. It likes to have turns to set up sword dances rather than just get off 1 or 2 strong attacks like Mirai or terapagos, so follow me is a massive asset that can be used to take people by surprise or create mindgames.

Why not use or ? Zacian requires a combination of support and damage output from its partner to succeed. Terrain plus fake out are good assets, but incin is functionally better at this, and doesn't end up making opposing bulkier mons like calyrex I and terapagos harder to kill. Giving zacian neutrality to ground isn't all to relevant because stomping tantrum and earth power ignore it. There's a reason chien hasn't taken off alongside Zacian. E-speed was the true deal breaker in the original combo, and despite zacian's best speed in the game, allowing tailwind or trick room to go up on the opposing side spells doom for your team.

It's hard to tell where the ogerpon forms stand, they looked to be dominant enough to see usage on every team in this next world championships, but their unfavorable matchup versus many of the dragons and multi-hit moves makes its place more questionable. However, og ogerpon has a niche that I believe can make it the premier partner for sword doggo.

 

[timahgd]

The tiers to me should be based on team-building restriction. Consistently Miraidon, Koraidon, Shadow Rider, Ice rider, Kyogre, and Terapogos have stood out as meta defining restrictive threats. While the tier has been obviously diverse from the start, with even something like a kyurem white team still being a threat; those pokemon particularly are going to be a permanent threat that will not only dominate non meta restricted in tournaments by statistics, but also be able to rotate gimmicks to get suprise wins and keep themselves from being too predictable.
Examples

is utility wise the best weather setter, with his protosynthesis activation, gets to pick which to boost with no setup, multiple of the strongest team mons in the game with flutter mane and raging bolt. Along with the fire type boosts to chi yu and incineroar, turning off rain, and weakening rapid strikes.

goes boom, but even dazzling gleam fairy tera was used, and the mon seems under explored.

can just rotate between items and evs same old kyogre, you just hope it's not scarfed, etc. Predict a wrong turn against it, gg.

can either setup or spam choice specs, and depending on how the team is built, offers probably the most setup situations in the meta.

goes boom, but helping hand and tera, along with its speed stat, and preemptive team building is simply going to give it the first chance in a lead based meta. Sprinkle in minimal support and the thing smashes teams that were "over prepared" for it.

 

[Mr.GX]

The tiers to me should be based on team-building restriction. Consistently Miraidon, Koraidon, Shadow Rider, Ice rider, Kyogre, and Terapogos have stood out as meta defining restrictive threats. While the tier has been obviously diverse from the start, with even something like a kyurem white team still being a threat; those pokemon particularly are going to be a permanent threat that will not only dominate non meta restricted in tournaments by statistics, but also be able to rotate gimmicks to get suprise wins and keep themselves from being too predictable.
Examples
View attachment 636927 is utility wise the best weather setter, with his protosynthesis activation, gets to pick which to boost with no setup, multiple of the strongest team mons in the game with flutter mane and raging bolt. Along with the fire type boosts to chi yu and incineroar, turning off rain, and weakening rapid strikes.
View attachment 636928goes boom, but even dazzling gleam fairy tera was used, and the mon seems under explored.
View attachment 636929 can just rotate between items and evs same old kyogre, you just hope it's not scarfed, etc. Predict a wrong turn against it, gg.
View attachment 636930 can either setup or spam choice specs, and depending on how the team is built, offers probably the most setup situations in the meta.
View attachment 636931 goes boom, but helping hand and tera, along with its speed stat, and preemptive team building is simply going to give it the first chance in a lead based meta. Sprinkle in minimal support and the thing smashes teams that were "over prepared" for it.

I think it would be fair to replace there with . has proven to be a very viable meta threat to watch out for as seen from it's regional win and multiple top cuts and day 2. I feel we are quickly going through meta shifts as of now, and seeing a type of rotation. Another Pokemon that definitely belongs on the list would be CalyI. Not only has it placed 2nd in the most recent LA regionals, it had consistent showings and top cuts in prior events as well, and still functions solid into most of the format. The team certainly is undergoing slight changes as the meta develops in order to adapt so it might not be possible to pin point a "standardized 6" soon.

Just my 2 cents on the topic on prominent threats. Though I suspect to rise in usage after the recent CalyS win.

 

[Sugarbear]

Alright, Bologna regionals have just wrapped up. Here are the top 8 teams:

1st Ruben Gianzini:
2nd Luca Ceribelli:
3rd Antonio Sanchez:
4th Hippolyte Bernard:
5th Aleesio Fusca:
6th Giuseppe Alario:
7th Victor Medina:
8th Alessandro Fantinato:

My thoughts:

• Shadowrex pulls it off again. Seems last time wasn't a fluke.
• Nice and diverse top 8. 2 Shadowrexs, 3 Terapagoses, 1 Miradion, 1 Kyogre and 1 Zamazenta.
• Good to see Kyogre still getting results, I remember everyone saying it was bad in Reg G.
• We've seen yet another meta shift. Specs Terapagos was regarded as the best set before, but now all 3 of these were Calm Mind sets.
• Scream Tail! How the hell did that thing do so well? Never thought I'd see a top 8 where Scream Tail both appeared more and placed higher than Flutter Mane (I think Wolfe Glick won 1 with it way back in Reg B on a Perish Trap team).
• Still, with Shadowrex around, Flutter seems to be struggling more now. Not only is there another annoying cheap Ghost type around, much more people are bringing Ghost type checks.
• Iron Hands is back, getting a Silver Medal.
• I thought Dragapult's days were done, but it did well.
• Speaking of another mon I thought was long gone, Thundurus! Looks like a return of Ray Rizzo's bulky Thundurus that give BW players nightmares.
• Mienshao is interesting, but it makes a lot of sense. Smashes the Normal and Dark types Shadowrex hates so much.
• Iron Jugulis was a cool pick, I guess its Prankster immunity and Dark STAB to check Shadowrex was why it was chosen over Tornadus.
• Ice Calyrex seems to have fallen off hard. Still, I think its usage will pick back up once people realise how strong it can be.
• Overall a way more interesting top 8 than Los Angeles (though apparently below that everyone was spamming Shadowrex).

 

[LeonLeeds]

I have a question for people who have been playing VGC for a while... does it feel like this gen specifically require more difficult calcs? I mean you have all these multipliers like tera, ruin legendary abilities, weather, terrain, a plethora of setup mons, and sprinkle in the occasional friend guard, it's just, a lot. In singles, you're pretty much limited to booster energy and tera.

 

[Pengu]

Okay, so I've been testing a few teams out (that are NOT Zacian-based) and I think I've found a good ground to balance on. Here's my thought process and steps I took to come up with the idea.

This was the first Pokemon to enter the squad, as it has finally started to pop off as expected. I'm trying a generally unorthadox set, running Choice Specs with the standard Astral Barrage and Expanding Force. I ended up with Draining Kiss, because getting walled by every Dark type Pokemon isn't fun at all. I had trouble pinpointing the last move and I tried Trick. Nah, doesn't feel right. Taunt? No, not that either. Then I found it, the last move. I went with Shadow Ball. This allows me to hit Pokemon like opposing Calyrex and Lunala who generally hide behind either their partner's or own Wide Guard. Yeah, that's more I like it. Now, at first I liked Tera Fairy, but Draining Kiss+Tera Fairy still doesn't do enough damage. So I kept Draining Kiss for Koraidon and Miraidon that may be quite annoying, and dropped Tera Fairy for something else. I tried Ghost, but that didn't feel like it was it. Then I saw the golden gem, Tera Psychic (it'll make sense I promise). It clicked for me. Launching off these powerful moves with Calyrex wasn't enough, though. I needed more and more power. That's how I selected the first supportive partner:



These two nuisances are like a partner in crime. I went with Indeedee-F over the standard Clefairy here because I liked the fact that Psychic Terrain was able to power up Calyrex to new heights. Now here is where Tera Psychic comes in. I chose Tera Psychic to make something of a automatic delete button. And with a Helping Hand boost from Indeedee-F, and hardly anything survives that. I went with Psyshock because one, it does way more damage than people think and two, it weakness specially defensive Pokemon like Ho-Oh and AV Raging Bolt way better than Psychic will do, which allows Calyrex to get those guys aside and really start sweeping. I chose Protect here, as it helps into Trick Room and Tailwind matchups alike. Finally, Follow Me, the almighty support move. This allows me to redirect otherwise lethal Shadow Balls and Knock Offs into an otherwise less needed asset. Tera Fairy goes here, as it is really good at eating Dark and Fighting type attacks that would normally scare Indeedee-F. A really cool niche for this Pokemon is that it can actually help in the Miraidon matchup, which is always scary if you don't have counters like AV Ursaluna-BM or AV High Horsepower Tera Fire Rillaboom.



OK, so I knew I wanted Wide Guard support for Calyrex mirrors, but Mienshao felt iffy. I hadn't really used it before, and I couldn't figure out a exact moveset to slot on. I decided on Pelipper. When holding the Focus Sash, it allows this Pokemon to use a move I should have considered ahead of time: Tailwind. Calyrex can lose to Tailwind team, as they can then just hit the 112 speed stat to outspeed even max speed with a Timid nature. But with this, Tailwind goes up and Wide Guard support is possible. I could've gone with Tornadus or Whimsicott, but the Wide Guard was just too good to pass up (another reason comes into play later). If I had Pelipper and Calyrex into say a Tornadus and opposing Caly-S, I could just press Astral Barrage with Calyrex and either use Wide Guard, go into Indeedee, use Tailwind or attack. All the enemy can do is switch, as they could easily lose Calyrex or Tornauds. Plus, a comfort pick. I went with offensive Pelipper with Tera Stellar, Weather Ball and Hurricane, but I could choose Protect as well.



Thsi is the final member of this 4 part core, and I decided on Iron Crown. Okay, okay, hear me out. We not only get another Psychic Terrain abuser with boosted Expanding Forces, but we get a Miraidon counter. If we get overriden by Electric Terrain, I can bring Iron Crown to not only come in and abuse it, but use Terastilization. With Tera Ground Tera Blast, Miraidon gets wrecked. I don't even need to put up Tailwind for this, as investing enough EVs to get a speed boost under Terrain allows this paradox Pokemon to outspeed and not only threaten Miraidon, but Whimsicott, Iron Hands, opposing Iron Crown and even Chi-Yu in some cases. Yeah, Miraidon can get up Tailwind. But thanks to Iron Crown's Assault Vest and Dragon resist, it eats up not only Draco Meteors, but at least 1 of Miraidon's crazy powerful Electric type attacks (with enough investment). AND Iron Crown can use the Rain to take powerful Fire type attacks from Koraidon, Gouging Fire, Incineroar, Chi-Yu, etc. I originally ran Tera Water Tera Blast for this interaction but decided against it, as Miraidon is such a powerful and prevelant force that should be stopped. Btw, I'm running EForce, Tachyon Cutter, Tera Blast and Volt Switch.

Anyway, what should the last two Pokemon be? I think a good Grass type+Safety Goggles Incineroar should be good, but I don't know. I would love some advice.​

 

[iPetBigfoot]

Okay, so I've been testing a few teams out (that are NOT Zacian-based) and I think I've found a good ground to balance on. Here's my thought process and steps I took to come up with the idea.

This was the first Pokemon to enter the squad, as it has finally started to pop off as expected. I'm trying a generally unorthadox set, running Choice Specs with the standard Astral Barrage and Expanding Force. I ended up with Draining Kiss, because getting walled by every Dark type Pokemon isn't fun at all. I had trouble pinpointing the last move and I tried Trick. Nah, doesn't feel right. Taunt? No, not that either. Then I found it, the last move. I went with Shadow Ball. This allows me to hit Pokemon like opposing Calyrex and Lunala who generally hide behind either their partner's or own Wide Guard. Yeah, that's more I like it. Now, at first I liked Tera Fairy, but Draining Kiss+Tera Fairy still doesn't do enough damage. So I kept Draining Kiss for Koraidon and Miraidon that may be quite annoying, and dropped Tera Fairy for something else. I tried Ghost, but that didn't feel like it was it. Then I saw the golden gem, Tera Psychic (it'll make sense I promise). It clicked for me. Launching off these powerful moves with Calyrex wasn't enough, though. I needed more and more power. That's how I selected the first supportive partner:



These two nuisances are like a partner in crime. I went with Indeedee-F over the standard Clefairy here because I liked the fact that Psychic Terrain was able to power up Calyrex to new heights. Now here is where Tera Psychic comes in. I chose Tera Psychic to make something of a automatic delete button. And with a Helping Hand boost from Indeedee-F, and hardly anything survives that. I went with Psyshock because one, it does way more damage than people think and two, it weakness specially defensive Pokemon like Ho-Oh and AV Raging Bolt way better than Psychic will do, which allows Calyrex to get those guys aside and really start sweeping. I chose Protect here, as it helps into Trick Room and Tailwind matchups alike. Finally, Follow Me, the almighty support move. This allows me to redirect otherwise lethal Shadow Balls and Knock Offs into an otherwise less needed asset. Tera Fairy goes here, as it is really good at eating Dark and Fighting type attacks that would normally scare Indeedee-F. A really cool niche for this Pokemon is that it can actually help in the Miraidon matchup, which is always scary if you don't have counters like AV Ursaluna-BM or AV High Horsepower Tera Fire Rillaboom.



OK, so I knew I wanted Wide Guard support for Calyrex mirrors, but Mienshao felt iffy. I hadn't really used it before, and I couldn't figure out a exact moveset to slot on. I decided on Pelipper. When holding the Focus Sash, it allows this Pokemon to use a move I should have considered ahead of time: Tailwind. Calyrex can lose to Tailwind team, as they can then just hit the 112 speed stat to outspeed even max speed with a Timid nature. But with this, Tailwind goes up and Wide Guard support is possible. I could've gone with Tornadus or Whimsicott, but the Wide Guard was just too good to pass up (another reason comes into play later). If I had Pelipper and Calyrex into say a Tornadus and opposing Caly-S, I could just press Astral Barrage with Calyrex and either use Wide Guard, go into Indeedee, use Tailwind or attack. All the enemy can do is switch, as they could easily lose Calyrex or Tornauds. Plus, a comfort pick. I went with offensive Pelipper with Tera Stellar, Weather Ball and Hurricane, but I could choose Protect as well.



Thsi is the final member of this 4 part core, and I decided on Iron Crown. Okay, okay, hear me out. We not only get another Psychic Terrain abuser with boosted Expanding Forces, but we get a Miraidon counter. If we get overriden by Electric Terrain, I can bring Iron Crown to not only come in and abuse it, but use Terastilization. With Tera Ground Tera Blast, Miraidon gets wrecked. I don't even need to put up Tailwind for this, as investing enough EVs to get a speed boost under Terrain allows this paradox Pokemon to outspeed and not only threaten Miraidon, but Whimsicott, Iron Hands, opposing Iron Crown and even Chi-Yu in some cases. Yeah, Miraidon can get up Tailwind. But thanks to Iron Crown's Assault Vest and Dragon resist, it eats up not only Draco Meteors, but at least 1 of Miraidon's crazy powerful Electric type attacks (with enough investment). AND Iron Crown can use the Rain to take powerful Fire type attacks from Koraidon, Gouging Fire, Incineroar, Chi-Yu, etc. I originally ran Tera Water Tera Blast for this interaction but decided against it, as Miraidon is such a powerful and prevelant force that should be stopped. Btw, I'm running EForce, Tachyon Cutter, Tera Blast and Volt Switch.

Anyway, what should the last two Pokemon be? I think a good Grass type+Safety Goggles Incineroar should be good, but I don't know. I would love some advice.​

I think urshifu-r works because it kills most dark types and abuses rain. Then the last slot is up to you.

 

[galarian darmanitan]

Sogeking top 8 at NAIC LOLLLLLLL. THATS MY GOATTTTTTTTTTTTT