Great write-up btw! Sinistcha went from being something that wasn't even on my radar on release, to being one of my favourite 'mons released this gen. As you elaborated, it answers so much of the tier on the physical side, and CM sets, when positioned right, can win the game right there and then. Tera Water Rocky Helmet feels like the play rn for punishing all of the physical attackers in the tier, but I do like Leftovers on it as well, just to make it that extra bit harder to remove. Plus, there's a certain satisfaction gained in watching something chunk it down to >10%, only for it to recover all of its health with Strength Sap
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Metagame SV OU Metagame Discussion v4
- Thread starter TPP
- Start date
3 dragon dances before they ohko. 2 if we're spending a turn switching in on them.
That gives us 2-3 turns to nail the 20% burn before we get our team swept. I guess stun spore could try to chain enough para procs before strength sap runs out of pp.
Ps: hope I don't sound combative, Sinischa vs dragon dancers has just been a problem lately and I would love a solution.
That gives us 2-3 turns to nail the 20% burn before we get our team swept. I guess stun spore could try to chain enough para procs before strength sap runs out of pp.
Ps: hope I don't sound combative, Sinischa vs dragon dancers has just been a problem lately and I would love a solution.
It's also good to go for Chip turns in between clicking Sap, with Shadow Ball. Hooking a SpDef drop helps matters, but Shadow Ball puts them under pressure to Roost, which hands the Sinistcha the advantage either with another free CMcor Strength Sap
I don’t even think gambit is broken anymore, just uncompetitive nonsense that’s really unfun to play with and against. I can’t remember the last team I put him on because he’s so lame. Tera already causes a million 50/50s every game, we don’t need sucker punch bullshit tacked on. (Yes this applies to raging bolt too, fuck that mon)
Also add me to the Sinistcha believer list. That mon is genuinely so good in the tier right now, I would be shocked if it stayed uu
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With Cycle 1 done, it’s a good time to talk about some developments that occurred this past week. Here’s 5 notable mons that popped off this cycle.
CYCLE 1 WINNERS
No. 5 Toxapex
Pex has made appearances in a couple Balances and several Stall teams. The reason is simple. Toxapex is a really good Wogre switch in with Pwhip not getting the KO at +2 and Pex threatening to Toxic it in return. This means Stalls can save the valuable resource of Tera for something else.
Toxapex has other qualities such as being a decent DD Kyurem check, hard counters Zama, beats Valiant/Prima lacking coverage, pivots into Darkrai, and trades with Tusk/Gouging. Baneful Bunker is an underrated option that punishes obvious U-Turns from mons like Cinderace. We’ve seen a few glimpses of AV Pex which serves as a stopgap to Moth, Val, Darkrai, Prima, and Wake that can lure Gambit with Tera Blast Fighting in clutch situations.
Pex however still hates matchups like Glowking Balance or offensive Steels like Gambit, Ghold, and Crown, so not a mon that is easy to splash onto a team, but thanks to Pex’s involvement, Stall is able to keep up and punish many of the lazy offenses spammed on ladder.
No. 4 Hydrapple
OLT has gotten into the Hydrapple craze because there were six teams that had it (one being a Stall from 2023) as a response to Gliscor or Ting-Lu Spike Stacking structures. Hydrapple just has a great matchup into some Fat mons like Ting-Lu, Mola, Gliscor, Garg, Lando, Tea, and Molt. Thanks to its bulk, typing, and Regenerator, it has ample setup opportunities against them. After a single boost, Hydrapple becomes difficult to pivot around, with LO, you have a 50% chance to one-shot Glowking with +2 EP, or guarantee it with Tera Ground. Hydra also provides defensive value as a pivot into Samu, non-Play Rough Wogre, and Grasspon. This is the most play the apple dragon has gotten since Dec 2023. Love to see it.
No. 3 Tinkaton
Tinkaton hype was already high during WCOP, but OLT has brought it to an OU caliber mon. Tinka has the perfect blend of role compression with its utility and ability to fill the niche of a Steel type rocker which is rare in this metagame. Gambit never runs rocks, and Tran sucks. Eats Darkrai for days. We’ve seen both Balloon Pickpocket and Lefties Mold Breaker which sets rocks vs Hatt team comps and T-Waves/Encores Gholdengo.
No. 2 Gouging Fire
All the people that called this mon washed got packed. Gouging Fire performed excellently this OLT. Clutching games, eating hits like nothing, and doing G-Fire things. The most common set seen was DD Morning Sun + 2 Attacks, those usually being EQ with Blitz or Crash. Morning Sun and Boots help patch up its previous issue with being worn down by hazards and lets it get up more DDs in conjunction with a defensive Tera like Fairy or Ground. The main appeal of G-Fire is its a physical sweeper with a Wisp immunity. Molt was spammed a bunch in OLT and so G-Fire poses as an obstacle to those Moltres Balances/BOs. It also notably checks mons like Gholdengo, Rilla, Pre-Tera Moth, Cinder, and Crown. Sun teams also sometimes packed the Stallkiller of CB F-Fire. This mon has been so consistent in fact, some players called it broken. I don’t agree with this, I think it’s a great HO mon but can run into issues. Without Booster it’s not that strong and without Boots it needs pairing with a mon like Glimm, Tusk, or Treads. I’m interested in seeing how Cycle 2 will adapt to G-Fire.
No. 1: Kyurem
leng loi and ausma warned us about the dominance Kyurem will have this OLT, particularly the Sub-Tect Kyurem set. Sub-Tect with Tera proved to be one of the scariest sets to face, being able to outright 6-0 slower Balances reliant on Gking or Garg to check it or leave a trail of destruction in its wake. The duty of keeping hazards off is absolutely worth it when using Kyurem. Kyurem ofc has a ton of other equally dangerous sets. DD with either Tera Blast, Substitute, or Freeze Dry and EP all can clean up the right matchups. My favorite of these variations being Sub-DD with Tera Electric Blast which grants it the coverage needed to hit Mola, Dozo, and Prima while giving Kyurem the coveted Boltbeam combo. Specs and Boots pop up less, but are still dangerous. Players have already been bracing for its arrival, packing double Steel cores, aggressive HOs, Scizor, or tech like AV Play Rough Mola. OLT proved once again that Kyurem is one of the best wallbreakers in the tier. Is it broken? I think its healthy, but players like Finchinator who voiced their concerns of Kyurem are free to hold that sentiment.
Honorable Mention: Diancie
We saw two Diancie Trick Room teams in OLT. Trick Room matchup fishes HOs and Stall which were frequently spammed on the ladder. Diancie has good bulk and can break holes with Meteor Beam and Fairy/Ground coverage similarly to Glimmora but slower. Being a Fairy that beats Moltres and isn’t weak to Poison is nice.
I’m interested in seeing if Diancie will make an appearence on non-TR teams. It has good natural bulk, and access to Spikes. Rock/Fairy offensively or defensively lends it favorable matchups into Pult, Darkrai (very), Dnite, Iron Valiant, Kyurem, Raging Bolt, Cinder, Gouging Fire, Iron Moth, Moltres, Roaring Moon, Weavile, Enamorus, and Zapdos. Here’s a theorycraft set for reference.
Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Spikes
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Diamond Storm
Some other notable appearences were
, tera ground 
, 
, scarf 
, and 
.
Unranked Pokemon like
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, and 
have made appearances.
No
out of the hundreds of teams used is wild tho, where’s the Okidogi Nation at?
Anyways, I’ll be playing Cycle 2 regardless of if I’ll make top 8 or not. I’m just looking to vibe and play with some of the best players SV OU has to offer. Wish me luck.
CYCLE 1 WINNERS
Toxapex @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Recover/Toxic Spikes/Baneful Bunker
- Haze/Toxic Spikes/Baneful Bunker
- Toxic
Toxapex @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Sludge Bomb
- Tera Blast
- Infestation
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Recover/Toxic Spikes/Baneful Bunker
- Haze/Toxic Spikes/Baneful Bunker
- Toxic
Toxapex @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Sludge Bomb
- Tera Blast
- Infestation
Pex has made appearances in a couple Balances and several Stall teams. The reason is simple. Toxapex is a really good Wogre switch in with Pwhip not getting the KO at +2 and Pex threatening to Toxic it in return. This means Stalls can save the valuable resource of Tera for something else.
Toxapex has other qualities such as being a decent DD Kyurem check, hard counters Zama, beats Valiant/Prima lacking coverage, pivots into Darkrai, and trades with Tusk/Gouging. Baneful Bunker is an underrated option that punishes obvious U-Turns from mons like Cinderace. We’ve seen a few glimpses of AV Pex which serves as a stopgap to Moth, Val, Darkrai, Prima, and Wake that can lure Gambit with Tera Blast Fighting in clutch situations.
Pex however still hates matchups like Glowking Balance or offensive Steels like Gambit, Ghold, and Crown, so not a mon that is easy to splash onto a team, but thanks to Pex’s involvement, Stall is able to keep up and punish many of the lazy offenses spammed on ladder.
No. 4 Hydrapple
Hydrapple @ Heavy-Duty Boots/Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy/Ground/Steel/Poison
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fickle Beam
- Giga Drain
- Earth Power
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy/Ground/Steel/Poison
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fickle Beam
- Giga Drain
- Earth Power
OLT has gotten into the Hydrapple craze because there were six teams that had it (one being a Stall from 2023) as a response to Gliscor or Ting-Lu Spike Stacking structures. Hydrapple just has a great matchup into some Fat mons like Ting-Lu, Mola, Gliscor, Garg, Lando, Tea, and Molt. Thanks to its bulk, typing, and Regenerator, it has ample setup opportunities against them. After a single boost, Hydrapple becomes difficult to pivot around, with LO, you have a 50% chance to one-shot Glowking with +2 EP, or guarantee it with Tera Ground. Hydra also provides defensive value as a pivot into Samu, non-Play Rough Wogre, and Grasspon. This is the most play the apple dragon has gotten since Dec 2023. Love to see it.
No. 3 Tinkaton
Tinkaton (F) @ Air Balloon/Leftovers
Ability: Pickpocket/Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Water/Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 152 SpD / 104 Spe
Careful Nature
- Gigaton Hammer
- Knock Off/Thunder Wave
- Encore
- Stealth Rock/Thunder Wave
Ability: Pickpocket/Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Water/Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 152 SpD / 104 Spe
Careful Nature
- Gigaton Hammer
- Knock Off/Thunder Wave
- Encore
- Stealth Rock/Thunder Wave
Tinkaton hype was already high during WCOP, but OLT has brought it to an OU caliber mon. Tinka has the perfect blend of role compression with its utility and ability to fill the niche of a Steel type rocker which is rare in this metagame. Gambit never runs rocks, and Tran sucks. Eats Darkrai for days. We’ve seen both Balloon Pickpocket and Lefties Mold Breaker which sets rocks vs Hatt team comps and T-Waves/Encores Gholdengo.
No. 2 Gouging Fire
Gouging Fire @ Booster Energy/Heavy-Duty-Boots
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy/Ground/Dragon
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz/Heat Crash
- Earthquake/Outrage/Dragon Claw
- Morning Sun/Tera Blast/Dragon Tail
Gouging Fire @ Choice Band
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Raging Fury
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy/Ground/Dragon
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz/Heat Crash
- Earthquake/Outrage/Dragon Claw
- Morning Sun/Tera Blast/Dragon Tail
Gouging Fire @ Choice Band
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Raging Fury
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
All the people that called this mon washed got packed. Gouging Fire performed excellently this OLT. Clutching games, eating hits like nothing, and doing G-Fire things. The most common set seen was DD Morning Sun + 2 Attacks, those usually being EQ with Blitz or Crash. Morning Sun and Boots help patch up its previous issue with being worn down by hazards and lets it get up more DDs in conjunction with a defensive Tera like Fairy or Ground. The main appeal of G-Fire is its a physical sweeper with a Wisp immunity. Molt was spammed a bunch in OLT and so G-Fire poses as an obstacle to those Moltres Balances/BOs. It also notably checks mons like Gholdengo, Rilla, Pre-Tera Moth, Cinder, and Crown. Sun teams also sometimes packed the Stallkiller of CB F-Fire. This mon has been so consistent in fact, some players called it broken. I don’t agree with this, I think it’s a great HO mon but can run into issues. Without Booster it’s not that strong and without Boots it needs pairing with a mon like Glimm, Tusk, or Treads. I’m interested in seeing how Cycle 2 will adapt to G-Fire.
No. 1: Kyurem
Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ground/Steel
EVs: 56 HP / 228 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Protect
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
Kyurem @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Fire/Steel/Ground/Ice/Electric
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature/Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Scale Shot/Tera Blast
- Icicle Spear
- Tera Blast/Substitute
Kyurem @ Never-Melt Ice
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 168 Atk / 88 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
Kyurem @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
- Scale Shot
Kyurem @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Draco Meteor/Blizzard
- Earth Power
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ground/Steel
EVs: 56 HP / 228 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Protect
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
Kyurem @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Fire/Steel/Ground/Ice/Electric
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature/Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Scale Shot/Tera Blast
- Icicle Spear
- Tera Blast/Substitute
Kyurem @ Never-Melt Ice
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 168 Atk / 88 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
Kyurem @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
- Scale Shot
Kyurem @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Draco Meteor/Blizzard
- Earth Power
leng loi and ausma warned us about the dominance Kyurem will have this OLT, particularly the Sub-Tect Kyurem set. Sub-Tect with Tera proved to be one of the scariest sets to face, being able to outright 6-0 slower Balances reliant on Gking or Garg to check it or leave a trail of destruction in its wake. The duty of keeping hazards off is absolutely worth it when using Kyurem. Kyurem ofc has a ton of other equally dangerous sets. DD with either Tera Blast, Substitute, or Freeze Dry and EP all can clean up the right matchups. My favorite of these variations being Sub-DD with Tera Electric Blast which grants it the coverage needed to hit Mola, Dozo, and Prima while giving Kyurem the coveted Boltbeam combo. Specs and Boots pop up less, but are still dangerous. Players have already been bracing for its arrival, packing double Steel cores, aggressive HOs, Scizor, or tech like AV Play Rough Mola. OLT proved once again that Kyurem is one of the best wallbreakers in the tier. Is it broken? I think its healthy, but players like Finchinator who voiced their concerns of Kyurem are free to hold that sentiment.
Honorable Mention: Diancie
Diancie @ Power Herb
Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Meteor Beam
Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Meteor Beam
We saw two Diancie Trick Room teams in OLT. Trick Room matchup fishes HOs and Stall which were frequently spammed on the ladder. Diancie has good bulk and can break holes with Meteor Beam and Fairy/Ground coverage similarly to Glimmora but slower. Being a Fairy that beats Moltres and isn’t weak to Poison is nice.
I’m interested in seeing if Diancie will make an appearence on non-TR teams. It has good natural bulk, and access to Spikes. Rock/Fairy offensively or defensively lends it favorable matchups into Pult, Darkrai (very), Dnite, Iron Valiant, Kyurem, Raging Bolt, Cinder, Gouging Fire, Iron Moth, Moltres, Roaring Moon, Weavile, Enamorus, and Zapdos. Here’s a theorycraft set for reference.
Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Spikes
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Diamond Storm
Some other notable appearences were
, tera ground , , scarf , and .Unranked Pokemon like
, , , , , , , and have made appearances.No
out of the hundreds of teams used is wild tho, where’s the Okidogi Nation at?Anyways, I’ll be playing Cycle 2 regardless of if I’ll make top 8 or not. I’m just looking to vibe and play with some of the best players SV OU has to offer. Wish me luck.
I've made my stance extremely clear on Tera Blast in the past, and now with it becoming a more prevalent move in OLT and the later stages of WCOP, I wanted to reopen a dialogue about it. I discuss my thoughts in this shorthand video, and would be curious to hear your thoughts about Tera Blast as the metagame continues to grow at an exponential rate.
Well, I have always believe that Tera itself is problematic the way it is implemented. The general lack of limits or opportunity costs makes the bonuses and type chart flipping parts inherently unbalanced. However, this is the gen people decided they wanted. So Tera stays. You'll just never see me agreeing with people who claim it is balanced. It isn't.
While I don't believe a TB ban would fix all those issues, I do think it would help not having it for different reasons. Pokemon with limited coverage cannot abuse Tera in this way to gain coverage they aren't supposed to have, allowing us to be more certain with switching in defensive checks. We don't need to worry about every offensive mon potentially having a more powerful version of hidden power that can be special or physical. This could make mons such as Regieleki and Volcorona actually ok for OU. Maybe... I want to talk a bit more about these two mons in particular.
For Regileleki, a part of me really likes that idea of a really fast but limited coverage mon coming in to shake up gen 9's already dumb speed tiers. In particular, some of these fast BE mons that get a +1 could really do with the threat of Regileleki to balance that out. Eleki's limited coverage is also not likely to be problematic since most teams will have inherent answers to Electric STAB and the odd Normal type coverage move. The one area that gives me potential pause is the Transistor ability. When combined with tera Electric and an item slot, it could be problematic if the supporting cast could remove all Electric immunities and resistances. But this would depend more on how teams build around it than Eleki itself. So far, most of the Adaptability mons have not been too broken due to several factors I won't get into. My take is I lean towards it being healthy without TB.
For Volacrona, a lot of players miss it. And while I do think that there was never a more overblown point made on here than Volcarona's alleged defensive utility, the ban probably wouldn't have happened without Tera blast. Personally, though, I do not miss it because Quiver Dance is still nonsense this gen. I much prefer the setup sweepers being physical or mostly non-speed boosting (at least without BE) CM or NP mons on the special side. Let alone the special defense boost as well. Combine that with defensive Tera and you still have a very abusable mon that an set up too many boosts to steamroll a team. Adding Volc back in would make you need to approach special attackers differently again from a teambuilding perspective. On the other hand, Ribombee exists as a QD user and could maybe even become a QB abuser. So I don't know. Personally, I'm happy not to see it.
Another thing I want to mention is that I believe Tera Blast has been largely underutilized. Sets like Tera Fairy Roaring Moon, Tera Ground Ribombee, or Tera Flying/Ice Lando-T can completely blindside you with coverage they aren't supposed to have. There are many sets like this that, while often not too common, arguably should be since there aren't really many players prepared for this sort of thing. Type combination such as Fairy/Dark, Fairy/Ground, Ground/Flying, and Ground/Ice can be really difficult to switch into even if you know it is coming. If you don't, that just makes it nearly impossible to defend against. There are other potential dangerous type combinations such as Ghost/Fighting and the obvious bolt/beam.
Although TB does actually have a big opportunity cost, Normal type special attackers don't even share that opportunity cost because the default without Tera is just an 80 BP Normal type special move. Although this mostly includes lower tier mons, Indeedee, Horoark, and maybe Porygon-Z can all utilize choiced sets to TB to change coverage hit some would be checks despite being choice locked. The more people play around with TB, the more they will realize things like this.
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No. 1: Kyurem
Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ground/Steel
EVs: 56 HP / 228 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Protect
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
Kyurem @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Fire/Steel/Ground/Ice/Electric
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature/Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Scale Shot/Tera Blast
- Icicle Spear
- Tera Blast/Substitute
Kyurem @ Never-Melt Ice
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 168 Atk / 88 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
Kyurem @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
- Scale Shot
Kyurem @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Draco Meteor/Blizzard
- Earth Power
Yeah I fully expect Kyurem's dominance to continue, definitely if it keeps its dominance up we may have our next suspect target, because i'm sure Kyurem is super aggravating to deal with in OLT and with all these optimizations this mon is simply just stupid. I think its noticably too restrictive for bulkier teams to handle and restricts the builder for these teams too much
Round 2 of the SV OU Trio Tour is coming near the end and we got heat near the end. While the game technically didn’t matter as the series was decided, Jyussan brought a neat Blaziken set against IamLowTier.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2173547376-f1nwqd9d2ge02ypz9i63lqape89o2umpw
Set
Blaziken @ Razor Claw / Scope Lens ?
Ability: Speed Boost
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: Probably 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
? Nature
- Focus Energy
- Overheat
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
The premise seems to be to press Focus Energy with Tera easing setup opportunities. Then hit hard with Overheat and Focus Blast with no punishment since every hit you make is a crit. Speed Boost makes this insanely threatening to slower teams. Knock Off punishes switch-ins. Accuracy of STABs seem to be a problem with this set though although Sun support makes those Overheats obnoxiously powerful. It did excellent work in this battle and probably would have cleaned the opposing team if accuracy didn’t get in the way.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2173547376-f1nwqd9d2ge02ypz9i63lqape89o2umpw
Set
Blaziken @ Razor Claw / Scope Lens ?
Ability: Speed Boost
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: Probably 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
? Nature
- Focus Energy
- Overheat
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
The premise seems to be to press Focus Energy with Tera easing setup opportunities. Then hit hard with Overheat and Focus Blast with no punishment since every hit you make is a crit. Speed Boost makes this insanely threatening to slower teams. Knock Off punishes switch-ins. Accuracy of STABs seem to be a problem with this set though although Sun support makes those Overheats obnoxiously powerful. It did excellent work in this battle and probably would have cleaned the opposing team if accuracy didn’t get in the way.
what do you even need focus blast for? you should be able to use close combat just fine
Possibly so Atk and SpA doesn’t have to be split and to reduce revenge-killing opportunities. But only jyusaan can truly answer. Else we will never know the answer to this great mystery.
no way my blaziken set made it in here lmaooo
yeah focus blast is just so i can run max spa because max investment makes overheat crazy strong, especially in the sun, but honestly it can be equally annoying for both players so probably a mixed spread with cc works too
ggs to iamlowtier :)
yeah focus blast is just so i can run max spa because max investment makes overheat crazy strong, especially in the sun, but honestly it can be equally annoying for both players so probably a mixed spread with cc works too
ggs to iamlowtier :)
Are there any good Sand Comps? I tried putting together various mixtures of sand teams and every single time felt awful. Tyranitar felt good with AV under it though.
Ngl, I got literally cooked by this set while laddering yesterday. I got completely blindsided by it tbh, since most Blaziken are SD + Tect
With Cycle 1 done, it’s a good time to talk about some developments that occurred this past week. Here’s 5 notable mons that popped off this cycle.
No. 5 Toxapex
CYCLE 1 WINNERS
Toxapex @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Recover/Toxic Spikes/Baneful Bunker
- Haze/Toxic Spikes/Baneful Bunker
- Toxic
Toxapex @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Sludge Bomb
- Tera Blast
- Infestation
Pex has made appearances in a couple Balances and several Stall teams. The reason is simple. Toxapex is a really good Wogre switch in with Pwhip not getting the KO at +2 and Pex threatening to Toxic it in return. This means Stalls can save the valuable resource of Tera for something else.
Toxapex has other qualities such as being a decent DD Kyurem check, hard counters Zama, beats Valiant/Prima lacking coverage, pivots into Darkrai, and trades with Tusk/Gouging. Baneful Bunker is an underrated option that punishes obvious U-Turns from mons like Cinderace. We’ve seen a few glimpses of AV Pex which serves as a stopgap to Moth, Val, Darkrai, Prima, and Wake that can lure Gambit with Tera Blast Fighting in clutch situations.
Pex however still hates matchups like Glowking Balance or offensive Steels like Gambit, Ghold, and Crown, so not a mon that is easy to splash onto a team, but thanks to Pex’s involvement, Stall is able to keep up and punish many of the lazy offenses spammed on ladder.
No. 4 Hydrapple
Hydrapple @ Heavy-Duty Boots/Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy/Ground/Steel/Poison
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fickle Beam
- Giga Drain
- Earth Power
OLT has gotten into the Hydrapple craze because there were six teams that had it (one being a Stall from 2023) as a response to Gliscor or Ting-Lu Spike Stacking structures. Hydrapple just has a great matchup into some Fat mons like Ting-Lu, Mola, Gliscor, Garg, Lando, Tea, and Molt. Thanks to its bulk, typing, and Regenerator, it has ample setup opportunities against them. After a single boost, Hydrapple becomes difficult to pivot around, with LO, you have a 50% chance to one-shot Glowking with +2 EP, or guarantee it with Tera Ground. Hydra also provides defensive value as a pivot into Samu, non-Play Rough Wogre, and Grasspon. This is the most play the apple dragon has gotten since Dec 2023. Love to see it.
No. 3 Tinkaton
Tinkaton (F) @ Air Balloon/Leftovers
Ability: Pickpocket/Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Water/Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 152 SpD / 104 Spe
Careful Nature
- Gigaton Hammer
- Knock Off/Thunder Wave
- Encore
- Stealth Rock/Thunder Wave
Tinkaton hype was already high during WCOP, but OLT has brought it to an OU caliber mon. Tinka has the perfect blend of role compression with its utility and ability to fill the niche of a Steel type rocker which is rare in this metagame. Gambit never runs rocks, and Tran sucks. Eats Darkrai for days. We’ve seen both Balloon Pickpocket and Lefties Mold Breaker which sets rocks vs Hatt team comps and T-Waves/Encores Gholdengo.
No. 2 Gouging Fire
Gouging Fire @ Booster Energy/Heavy-Duty-Boots
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy/Ground/Dragon
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz/Heat Crash
- Earthquake/Outrage/Dragon Claw
- Morning Sun/Tera Blast/Dragon Tail
Gouging Fire @ Choice Band
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Raging Fury
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
All the people that called this mon washed got packed. Gouging Fire performed excellently this OLT. Clutching games, eating hits like nothing, and doing G-Fire things. The most common set seen was DD Morning Sun + 2 Attacks, those usually being EQ with Blitz or Crash. Morning Sun and Boots help patch up its previous issue with being worn down by hazards and lets it get up more DDs in conjunction with a defensive Tera like Fairy or Ground. The main appeal of G-Fire is its a physical sweeper with a Wisp immunity. Molt was spammed a bunch in OLT and so G-Fire poses as an obstacle to those Moltres Balances/BOs. It also notably checks mons like Gholdengo, Rilla, Pre-Tera Moth, Cinder, and Crown. Sun teams also sometimes packed the Stallkiller of CB F-Fire. This mon has been so consistent in fact, some players called it broken. I don’t agree with this, I think it’s a great HO mon but can run into issues. Without Booster it’s not that strong and without Boots it needs pairing with a mon like Glimm, Tusk, or Treads. I’m interested in seeing how Cycle 2 will adapt to G-Fire.
No. 1: Kyurem
Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ground/Steel
EVs: 56 HP / 228 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Protect
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
Kyurem @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Fire/Steel/Ground/Ice/Electric
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature/Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Scale Shot/Tera Blast
- Icicle Spear
- Tera Blast/Substitute
Kyurem @ Never-Melt Ice
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 168 Atk / 88 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
Kyurem @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
- Scale Shot
Kyurem @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Draco Meteor/Blizzard
- Earth Power
leng loi and ausma warned us about the dominance Kyurem will have this OLT, particularly the Sub-Tect Kyurem set. Sub-Tect with Tera proved to be one of the scariest sets to face, being able to outright 6-0 slower Balances reliant on Gking or Garg to check it or leave a trail of destruction in its wake. The duty of keeping hazards off is absolutely worth it when using Kyurem. Kyurem ofc has a ton of other equally dangerous sets. DD with either Tera Blast, Substitute, or Freeze Dry and EP all can clean up the right matchups. My favorite of these variations being Sub-DD with Tera Electric Blast which grants it the coverage needed to hit Mola, Dozo, and Prima while giving Kyurem the coveted Boltbeam combo. Specs and Boots pop up less, but are still dangerous. Players have already been bracing for its arrival, packing double Steel cores, aggressive HOs, Scizor, or tech like AV Play Rough Mola. OLT proved once again that Kyurem is one of the best wallbreakers in the tier. Is it broken? I think its healthy, but players like Finchinator who voiced their concerns of Kyurem are free to hold that sentiment.
Honorable Mention: Diancie
Diancie @ Power Herb
Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Meteor Beam
We saw two Diancie Trick Room teams in OLT. Trick Room matchup fishes HOs and Stall which were frequently spammed on the ladder. Diancie has good bulk and can break holes with Meteor Beam and Fairy/Ground coverage similarly to Glimmora but slower. Being a Fairy that beats Moltres and isn’t weak to Poison is nice.
I’m interested in seeing if Diancie will make an appearence on non-TR teams. It has good natural bulk, and access to Spikes. Rock/Fairy offensively or defensively lends it favorable matchups into Pult, Darkrai (very), Dnite, Iron Valiant, Kyurem, Raging Bolt, Cinder, Gouging Fire, Iron Moth, Moltres, Roaring Moon, Weavile, Enamorus, and Zapdos. Here’s a theorycraft set for reference.
Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Spikes
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Diamond Storm
Some other notable appearences were
Unranked Pokemon like
No
Anyways, I’ll be playing Cycle 2 regardless of if I’ll make top 8 or not. I’m just looking to vibe and play with some of the best players SV OU has to offer. Wish me luck.
very high-quality post as usual but i do want to add to this by saying lokix has made a few surprise appearances in OLT lately. as of right now it's rather sparse but it's a very scary mon that can revenge kill a ton of common offensive mons like darkrai, roaring moon, dragapult, weavile, ogerpon, etc. definitely something worth keeping an eye out for
nonetheless, i'm not at all surprised to see kyurem's resurgence but i really do not like having to deal with sub + protect kyurem on ladder. glad to see toxapex and hydrapple get used again though, and diancie carving out a niche for itself in OU is also very cool
Tbh, I am not too afraid of 4 attack Zam, cause it's pretty straightforward.
IronPress Zamn is the problem for me. I run 3 checks for it (Moltres, Lando-T and Glowking), but in an HO team it's difficult to keep everyone in good enough health to scout for Zam's 2 moves.
Sometimes I do have Moltres to go 1v1, but then it turns into tera fire Zam, and now even without Stone Edge, I can't deal with it. I want to fit in Scorching Sands but then I have to remove either U-Turn or Will-o-wisp.
Glowking is a choice, and I think Noise / TWave / Sludge Bomb / Chilly with tera fairy is good. but then I miss out Ice Beam to cheese on Lando-T and Gliscor.
Lando-T doesn't have the longevity to last til the end game, and if it doesn't tera, Earth Power doesn't hit as hard as it should.
V
Very interesting analysis.
With Cycle 1 done, it’s a good time to talk about some developments that occurred this past week. Here’s 5 notable mons that popped off this cycle.
No. 5 Toxapex
CYCLE 1 WINNERS
Toxapex @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Recover/Toxic Spikes/Baneful Bunker
- Haze/Toxic Spikes/Baneful Bunker
- Toxic
Toxapex @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Sludge Bomb
- Tera Blast
- Infestation
Pex has made appearances in a couple Balances and several Stall teams. The reason is simple. Toxapex is a really good Wogre switch in with Pwhip not getting the KO at +2 and Pex threatening to Toxic it in return. This means Stalls can save the valuable resource of Tera for something else.
Toxapex has other qualities such as being a decent DD Kyurem check, hard counters Zama, beats Valiant/Prima lacking coverage, pivots into Darkrai, and trades with Tusk/Gouging. Baneful Bunker is an underrated option that punishes obvious U-Turns from mons like Cinderace. We’ve seen a few glimpses of AV Pex which serves as a stopgap to Moth, Val, Darkrai, Prima, and Wake that can lure Gambit with Tera Blast Fighting in clutch situations.
Pex however still hates matchups like Glowking Balance or offensive Steels like Gambit, Ghold, and Crown, so not a mon that is easy to splash onto a team, but thanks to Pex’s involvement, Stall is able to keep up and punish many of the lazy offenses spammed on ladder.
No. 4 Hydrapple
Hydrapple @ Heavy-Duty Boots/Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy/Ground/Steel/Poison
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fickle Beam
- Giga Drain
- Earth Power
OLT has gotten into the Hydrapple craze because there were six teams that had it (one being a Stall from 2023) as a response to Gliscor or Ting-Lu Spike Stacking structures. Hydrapple just has a great matchup into some Fat mons like Ting-Lu, Mola, Gliscor, Garg, Lando, Tea, and Molt. Thanks to its bulk, typing, and Regenerator, it has ample setup opportunities against them. After a single boost, Hydrapple becomes difficult to pivot around, with LO, you have a 50% chance to one-shot Glowking with +2 EP, or guarantee it with Tera Ground. Hydra also provides defensive value as a pivot into Samu, non-Play Rough Wogre, and Grasspon. This is the most play the apple dragon has gotten since Dec 2023. Love to see it.
No. 3 Tinkaton
Tinkaton (F) @ Air Balloon/Leftovers
Ability: Pickpocket/Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Water/Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 152 SpD / 104 Spe
Careful Nature
- Gigaton Hammer
- Knock Off/Thunder Wave
- Encore
- Stealth Rock/Thunder Wave
Tinkaton hype was already high during WCOP, but OLT has brought it to an OU caliber mon. Tinka has the perfect blend of role compression with its utility and ability to fill the niche of a Steel type rocker which is rare in this metagame. Gambit never runs rocks, and Tran sucks. Eats Darkrai for days. We’ve seen both Balloon Pickpocket and Lefties Mold Breaker which sets rocks vs Hatt team comps and T-Waves/Encores Gholdengo.
No. 2 Gouging Fire
Gouging Fire @ Booster Energy/Heavy-Duty-Boots
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy/Ground/Dragon
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz/Heat Crash
- Earthquake/Outrage/Dragon Claw
- Morning Sun/Tera Blast/Dragon Tail
Gouging Fire @ Choice Band
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Raging Fury
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
All the people that called this mon washed got packed. Gouging Fire performed excellently this OLT. Clutching games, eating hits like nothing, and doing G-Fire things. The most common set seen was DD Morning Sun + 2 Attacks, those usually being EQ with Blitz or Crash. Morning Sun and Boots help patch up its previous issue with being worn down by hazards and lets it get up more DDs in conjunction with a defensive Tera like Fairy or Ground. The main appeal of G-Fire is its a physical sweeper with a Wisp immunity. Molt was spammed a bunch in OLT and so G-Fire poses as an obstacle to those Moltres Balances/BOs. It also notably checks mons like Gholdengo, Rilla, Pre-Tera Moth, Cinder, and Crown. Sun teams also sometimes packed the Stallkiller of CB F-Fire. This mon has been so consistent in fact, some players called it broken. I don’t agree with this, I think it’s a great HO mon but can run into issues. Without Booster it’s not that strong and without Boots it needs pairing with a mon like Glimm, Tusk, or Treads. I’m interested in seeing how Cycle 2 will adapt to G-Fire.
No. 1: Kyurem
Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ground/Steel
EVs: 56 HP / 228 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Protect
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
Kyurem @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Fire/Steel/Ground/Ice/Electric
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature/Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Scale Shot/Tera Blast
- Icicle Spear
- Tera Blast/Substitute
Kyurem @ Never-Melt Ice
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 168 Atk / 88 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
Kyurem @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
- Scale Shot
Kyurem @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Draco Meteor/Blizzard
- Earth Power
leng loi and ausma warned us about the dominance Kyurem will have this OLT, particularly the Sub-Tect Kyurem set. Sub-Tect with Tera proved to be one of the scariest sets to face, being able to outright 6-0 slower Balances reliant on Gking or Garg to check it or leave a trail of destruction in its wake. The duty of keeping hazards off is absolutely worth it when using Kyurem. Kyurem ofc has a ton of other equally dangerous sets. DD with either Tera Blast, Substitute, or Freeze Dry and EP all can clean up the right matchups. My favorite of these variations being Sub-DD with Tera Electric Blast which grants it the coverage needed to hit Mola, Dozo, and Prima while giving Kyurem the coveted Boltbeam combo. Specs and Boots pop up less, but are still dangerous. Players have already been bracing for its arrival, packing double Steel cores, aggressive HOs, Scizor, or tech like AV Play Rough Mola. OLT proved once again that Kyurem is one of the best wallbreakers in the tier. Is it broken? I think its healthy, but players like Finchinator who voiced their concerns of Kyurem are free to hold that sentiment.
Honorable Mention: Diancie
Diancie @ Power Herb
Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Meteor Beam
We saw two Diancie Trick Room teams in OLT. Trick Room matchup fishes HOs and Stall which were frequently spammed on the ladder. Diancie has good bulk and can break holes with Meteor Beam and Fairy/Ground coverage similarly to Glimmora but slower. Being a Fairy that beats Moltres and isn’t weak to Poison is nice.
I’m interested in seeing if Diancie will make an appearence on non-TR teams. It has good natural bulk, and access to Spikes. Rock/Fairy offensively or defensively lends it favorable matchups into Pult, Darkrai (very), Dnite, Iron Valiant, Kyurem, Raging Bolt, Cinder, Gouging Fire, Iron Moth, Moltres, Roaring Moon, Weavile, Enamorus, and Zapdos. Here’s a theorycraft set for reference.
Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Spikes
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Diamond Storm
Some other notable appearences were
Unranked Pokemon like
No
Anyways, I’ll be playing Cycle 2 regardless of if I’ll make top 8 or not. I’m just looking to vibe and play with some of the best players SV OU has to offer. Wish me luck.
Very interesting analysis.
I know this topic was abandoned a couple of pages ago but I was really busy last weekend, and I wanted to talk about it now that I have a bit of free time. It's the Kingambit discussion.
In my opinion Kingambit is not only clearly broken, it has been it since release when stuff like FMane or Bundle were still around, and I'm 100% sure this Pokémon would have been banned had it been released on DLC1 like BM Ursaluna (And I think the same about Gholdengo but that's another topic tbh).
Kingambit is the main reason why Zamazenta is ranked #2 in the tier based by usage and potentially the "best" mon (of course there are more reasons to use Zama but I think I'm not wrong its MU aganist Gambit is either his best trait or at least a good reason to run it. Yeah Gambit can tera fairy/flying but tera is an argument aganist anything. I think my point is clear) And as for other mons, it basically warps the tier around itself, more than Gliscor, Darkrai, Ghold, RBolt, Kyurem and Ogerpon. Why are Pokémon like Prim or Moltres that would appreciate some more bulk or sp atk having to run 219 speed when defensive? Why is Encore so necessary on a lot of mons? Why does every team need a Dondozo, a Tusk or a Zama (or even sometimes two of these 3 mons)? Easily; Kingambit.
And again playing aganist this mon a lot of times gets really coinflippy without even accounting for tera, because it hits too hard without SD. Tera Dark KC 3HKOs Dondozo (so with a bit of chip on it can destroy it) and tera dark also OHKO Offensive Kyurem which is just insane in my opinion. The fact that a lot of resources in the builder have to go into Gambit or you just run one is enough of an argument for me to make a suspect at least tbh.
Also, we shouldn't care about what Gambit's consequences are, and also old gen examples like Snorlax and Tauros are not logical in a gen 9 meta. That's my opinion tho anyways I wish everyone luck in OLT
In my opinion Kingambit is not only clearly broken, it has been it since release when stuff like FMane or Bundle were still around, and I'm 100% sure this Pokémon would have been banned had it been released on DLC1 like BM Ursaluna (And I think the same about Gholdengo but that's another topic tbh).
Kingambit is the main reason why Zamazenta is ranked #2 in the tier based by usage and potentially the "best" mon (of course there are more reasons to use Zama but I think I'm not wrong its MU aganist Gambit is either his best trait or at least a good reason to run it. Yeah Gambit can tera fairy/flying but tera is an argument aganist anything. I think my point is clear) And as for other mons, it basically warps the tier around itself, more than Gliscor, Darkrai, Ghold, RBolt, Kyurem and Ogerpon. Why are Pokémon like Prim or Moltres that would appreciate some more bulk or sp atk having to run 219 speed when defensive? Why is Encore so necessary on a lot of mons? Why does every team need a Dondozo, a Tusk or a Zama (or even sometimes two of these 3 mons)? Easily; Kingambit.
And again playing aganist this mon a lot of times gets really coinflippy without even accounting for tera, because it hits too hard without SD. Tera Dark KC 3HKOs Dondozo (so with a bit of chip on it can destroy it) and tera dark also OHKO Offensive Kyurem which is just insane in my opinion. The fact that a lot of resources in the builder have to go into Gambit or you just run one is enough of an argument for me to make a suspect at least tbh.
Also, we shouldn't care about what Gambit's consequences are, and also old gen examples like Snorlax and Tauros are not logical in a gen 9 meta. That's my opinion tho anyways I wish everyone luck in OLT
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Agree. Gen 9 is Kingambit: The Meta. The offensive queen piece that consistently tops the charts at #1 usage. But it doesn't have to be this way. I think a Gambit suspect at some point would be a nice way to shake things up. With how ban-hesitant many vocal top players are, I'm not sure if it will ever go, but surely it's worth a try?
It'll probably never get banned/suspected despite literally warping the entire gen around itself since day one lol. You can get away with a team without a dedicated darkrai check, same with kyurem, and several other big threats. A well made team is usually going to have a couple ways to circumvent them from straight bulldozing you. If you don't have at least 2 checks/counters to Gambit you either lose straight up to it, or be launched into some weighted ass coin flip end game. The love affair with Gambit is so deep rooted game breaking shit like Zama is seen as fine because its USUALLY a great answer to it. I'm never bringing up tera either because at that point you open a can of worms because anything can beat anything atp, I'm speaking on just base Gambit and its pull on every thing.
Munkidori @ Choice Specs
Ability: Toxic Chain
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Future Sight
- Psychic Noise
- Sludge Wave
- U-turn
Tried cooking with a Munkidori set in OU, took a page out of Galarian Articuno in Gen 8's PU with the Specs Future Sight shenanigans. Found even with the Choice Specs, Future Sight doesn't hit as hard as it should against most non-Steel targets unless they're made out of paper unless you commit to Tera Psychic. Depressing because I like the little monkey guy and seeing all of the other Loyal Three Members and Ogerpons numerous forms finding viability in OU gave me motive to try this set for a spin with support from the likes of Roaring Moon and Great Tusk.
Me being balls at making predictions doesn't help matters either.
Ability: Toxic Chain
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Future Sight
- Psychic Noise
- Sludge Wave
- U-turn
Tried cooking with a Munkidori set in OU, took a page out of Galarian Articuno in Gen 8's PU with the Specs Future Sight shenanigans. Found even with the Choice Specs, Future Sight doesn't hit as hard as it should against most non-Steel targets unless they're made out of paper unless you commit to Tera Psychic. Depressing because I like the little monkey guy and seeing all of the other Loyal Three Members and Ogerpons numerous forms finding viability in OU gave me motive to try this set for a spin with support from the likes of Roaring Moon and Great Tusk.
Me being balls at making predictions doesn't help matters either.
Does Toxic Chain proc on a Future Sight? or does Munkidori have to be on the field? I never actually thought about this before.
Munkidori has to be on the field for Toxic Chain to procc on Future Sight, unfortunately.
I wanna make sure, if it leaves the field, then returns the next turn, will Future Sight retain the boost? The way you worded it, I'd assume no.