Metagame USUM Pure Hackmons

I'm bored. You know what that means:

MMX Spam is a joke team I made a few weeks ago.
It was highly inspired by PDon Spam on how the spammed mon is one of the most prominent physical attackers in the game, and how the odd one out hardwalls the best counter for the spammed mon, which is in MMX's case, literally any Ghost-type move. In PDon's case, the counter is literally any Water-type move. Chansey and Mega Sceptile wall Ghost- and Water-type moves respectively. But I'm not here to whine about an egg. I'm hear to whine about this whole team I've assembled. So buckle up, this is gonna take a while.

Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Photon Geyser
- Head Smash
- High Jump Kick
- Shell Smash
Magic Guard does wonders to this team. It blocks Innards, one of MMX's biggest threats, and blocks damage from Life Orb, which makes this bad boy hit harder than a space shuttle. Photon/Head Smash/HJK is amazing coverage, meaning this hits almost everything (cough cough alolan muk cough).

Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Leftovers
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Light That Burns the Sky
- Close Combat
- V-create
- Shell Smash

Chansey (F) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic Spikes
- Baton Pass
- Heart Swap

This Chansey set is on literally every team I use.
"bUt MaYo, WhAt'S tHe InNaRdS mMx FoR???"
The answer is simple. People forget this set exists, making it easy to catch them lacking and start a comeback. Two Innards is pretty neat to have on spam, considering how most spam is a bunch of physical attackers or OHKO DSpeed.

Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Photon Geyser
- Let's Snuggle Forever
- Searing Sunraze Smash
- Trick

STag isn't seen as often in this meta (not from my perspective, at least). This set is to make people without any ghastly little guys feel the pain. By abusing CFZs, this is a great wallbreaker for MAudi and others.

Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Photon Geyser
- Sunsteel Strike
- Thousand Arrows
- Trick

I call this guy the Big Bonker for the obvious reasoning being that this hits harder than the Magic Guard set from earlier. Arrows is really important in situations where you play someone on low ladder with a pure-Electric WGer (also it murders PDon, so that's neat). Trick is really silly on Band sets. It ruins the viability of literally any supporter or special attacker.

Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Fire Memory
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Light That Burns the Sky
- Play Rough
- Thousand Arrows
- Multi-Attack

This set is just... kinda here. It easily the most mid of all this team has to offer, but Fire coverage with absolutely zero drawbacks is a plus.



And that's pretty much it! But you may be asking why I did this. There's actually two reasons:

1. As I said earlier, I'm bored.
2. This team has done surprisingly well, and I've considered offering it as a sample.

And that does it! Feel free to ask any questions about the team or such by replying.
 
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I'm bored. You know what that means:

MMX Spam is a joke team I made a few weeks ago.
It was highly inspired by PDon Spam on how the spammed mon is one of the most prominent physical attackers in the game, and how the odd one out hardwalls the best counter for the spammed mon, which is in MMX's case, literally any Ghost-type move. In PDon's case, the counter is literally any Water-type move. Chansey and Mega Sceptile wall Ghost- and Water-type moves respectively. But I'm not here to whine about an egg. I'm hear to whine about this whole team I've assembled. So buckle up, this is gonna take a while.

Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Photon Geyser
- Head Smash
- High Jump Kick
- Shell Smash
Magic Guard does wonders to this team. It blocks Innards, one of MMX's biggest threats, and blocks damage from Life Orb, which makes this bad boy hit harder than a space shuttle. Photon/Head Smash/HJK is amazing coverage, meaning this hits almost everything (cough cough alolan muk cough).

punchy punchy (Mewtwo-Mega-X) @ Leftovers
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Light That Burns the Sky
- Close Combat
- V-create
- Shell Smash

punching bag (Chansey) (F) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic Spikes
- Baton Pass
- Heart Swap

This Chansey set is on literally every team I use.
"bUt MaYo, WhAt'S tHe InNaRdS mMx FoR???"
The answer is simple. People forget this set exists, making it easy to catch them lacking and start a comeback. Two Innards is pretty neat to have on spam, considering how most spam is a bunch of physical attackers or OHKO DSpeed.

punchy punchy (Mewtwo-Mega-X) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Photon Geyser
- Let's Snuggle Forever
- Searing Sunraze Smash
- Trick

STag isn't seen as often in this meta (not from my perspective, at least). This set is to make people without any ghastly little guys feel the pain. By abusing CFZs, this is a great wallbreaker for MAudi and others.

Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Photon Geyser
- Sunsteel Strike
- Thousand Arrows
- Trick

I call this guy the Big Bonker for the obvious reasoning being that this hits harder than the Magic Guard set from earlier. Arrows is really important in situations where you play someone on low ladder with a pure-Electric WGer (also it murders PDon, so that's neat). Trick is really silly on Band sets. It ruins the viability of literally any supporter or special attacker.

punchy punchy (Mewtwo-Mega-X) @ Fire Memory
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Light That Burns the Sky
- Play Rough
- Thousand Arrows
- Multi-Attack

This set is just... kinda here. It easily the most mid of all this team has to offer, but Fire coverage with absolutely zero drawbacks is a plus.



And that's pretty much it! But you may be asking why I did this. There's actually two reasons:

1. As I said earlier, I'm bored.
2. This team has done surprisingly well, and I've considered offering it as a sample.

And that does it! Feel free to ask any questions about the team or such by replying.
Firstly what’s the anti slowbro mon the only thing that really scares it getting tricked a scarf something like adding moongheist on the innards set could fix this pretty easily
Secondly why multi attack fire? Yea it’s a 100% accurate fire move but sacred fire is better 95% of the time and you get an item slot on top of the burn chance and if you’re really scared of missing you can use wide lens yea it sucks but it’s better then multi attack that’s for sure
Thirdly magic guard deo a is a massive issue since it out speeds and ohko your entire team with the exception of your scar and chansey but the scarf can get out speed immediately after a shell smash and chansey can’t really scare it away or wall it effectively do to the fact it has no recover and heart swap can just be shell smash on again presenting a similar problem as before but now your chansey is way weaker, adding something like a focus sash on an mmx or roar on chansey it force a switch could resolve this issue pretty nicely
 
https://pokepast.es/21492216d160a193
Affectionately called the minefield team after a certain showdown member commented that my team "is like a freaking minefield"... I believe it should be a sample. Allow me to now explain the team. Oh and it's also the team that single handedly got me into the 1600s (check my alt Ezael_Katsukane on the ladder).
:Lunala: innards out lunala is the backbone of the team. It either sets up and sweeps or dies and drags the enemy mon with it using innards out. Carries secret sword for mons like slaking and arceus, though it can't ohko at +2. Also carries sludge wave for dealing with mega audino. Has safety goggles bc spore has stopped them too often.
:Heracross-Mega: this dude has single handedly saved multiple games. It counters all of this teams biggest threats, setup and magic guard focus sash and sticky web. More on that later. Either way this thing hits like a truck and has priority.
:Gengar-Mega: with scarf and pbond this guy hits really hard and can bypass non-magic guard focus sash. Menacing moonraze can even OHKO zygarde (though you may need a bit of chip damage)
:Mewtwo-Mega-X: huge power and choice scarf makes this thing not only strong but also fast as hell. Can bust through almost anything with the first three, though LTBTS can be used to ensure OHKO when needed

WEAKNESSES:
-sticky web slows down the scarfers and often costs you the game. Don't let webs stay up.
-magic guard focus sash. Blocks innards, hazards, pbond from OHKOing these can easily demolish the team if left unchecked. Counter with mega heracross on both of these.

Faq:
Imposter- you can pretty much just plow through it with no issues lol.
Magic guard+setup- can be deadly, again counter with heracross.
Late game setup after innards are dead- can be a problem if heracross is dead at that point, but mgar and mmx outspeed hoopa and gyarados even after shell smash, and those two are the Biggest offenders of late game setup.

As for why I think it should be a sample? Innards spam hyper offense is a legitimate Playstyle and I believe this team to be highly competent for the job of showcasing Innards spam and just the general concept of HO... as the usual HO team samples don't really showcase the core concept of HO in general. It took me... too long... to actually understand the concept. (This last point about the HO samples is mostly a personal note, so take it with a grain of salt)
Made a bunch of upgrades to the team to better let the lunalas sweep without sacking and make mgar more useful: https://pokepast.es/1c21c79869bca4b9
With steam eruption mgar can seriously threaten stuff like pdon and steelix a lot better. The main thing with the lunala sets is they all have varying coverage now
 
For a while now I've been working on a stall team to submit as a sample due to the relative lack of stall representation on the sample team list (and when I first started the only stall sample was the shed semi-stall). With a lot of fine tuning on ladder, I've finally found a version of the team that I think is consistent enough on ladder to be worthy of sample team status.

:chansey::zygarde-complete::slowbro-mega::audino-mega::muk-alola::steelix-mega: - Slowbro/Audino/Muk Full Stall

:chansey: - I've become a huge truther on Shed Shell Imposter since starting making this team - now that trapping to improof has become increasingly common in the meta, being able to guarantee that you can get Chansey out safely after scouting movesets is such a huge advantage for the team. Chansey's moveset has done a great job luring opposing Imposters to stay in for the potential trade only to switch out at the last turn of Perish Song (this has worked far more times than I can count).

:zygarde-complete: - This is just a standard PrankHaze set. DBond is my move of choice for the 4th slot as it provides extra insurance to prevent runaway sweepers/wallbreakers from wrecking the rest of the team.

:slowbro-mega: - Quite possibly my favorite WG in the meta, Slowbro has great role compression as both a top-level WGer and a top-level defensive wall, shutting down a lot of MMX/Regigigas/PDon sets. Both Scald and Lava Plume are viable for Slowbro's attack - I opted for Scald because it reliably forces PDon out and does slightly more damage.

:audino-mega: - Audino has great synergy with a lot of Pokemon, but I think Audino/Slowbro might be the best WG core in the meta - the two Pokemon just have incredible synergy and cover so many of each other's weaknesses. I decided to run Anchor Shot and U-Turn on Audino to self-improof the set as Impostered Audinos are very hard to break otherwise - Anchor Shot is also good for trapping and PP stalling attackers that can't manage to 2HKO Audino. Audino's attack IV is set to 10 to guarantee Audino's attacks cannot OHKO Innards Chansey from full.

:muk-alola: - Alolan Muk has good synergies with both Audino and Slowbro, making it a good fit to round out the WG core. There are practically no special attackers that can break both Audino and Muk in a single set, and Slowbro covers a lot of the weaknesses that Muk has. Knock Off is always a useful attack to have and Toxic as the support move helps put a timer on a lot of powerful wallbreakers. Muk being immune to Trick and being able to heal any Pokemon back to full is also very helpful when grinding the opposing team down.

:steelix-mega: - Another big physical wall with good role compression, Steelix serves as the team's Bouncer and hazards setter while threatening to trap opposing Imposters that try to bounce back its own Spikes. In its 4th moveslot I opted for Sunsteel Strike to chip away at various Wonder Guards and threaten Audino.

Replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2182750982-63ixrwmfebsv93guz8hu87nzmlulf8epw - ladder match against bullsht
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7purehackmons-792087 - HackPL match against lag=bad
I also beat NToTheN with this team when we were testing out teams before HackPL together but I didn't save that replay ;;
 
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Yesterday, I watched Casper the Friendly Ghost for the first time.



Spooky Spam is a team I made to fight Cazenovia/Illusio in Week 4 of HPL. However, the Gwaodons ended up pulling out the Guysmash, and I ended up losing. Bad. I asked the PH Discord (and I mean literally just Ransei) for any improvements they recommended, and made the V2 of the spoopy spam. So sit back, relax, and get that bowl of candy corn, because here comes a Ransei-level yap. Click on the big text for the paste.

gengar-mega.gif

Gengar-Mega @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moongeist Beam
- Sludge Wave
- Bug Buzz
- Ice Beam

Starting off with Ol' Reliable, PBond MGar. This is literally the most-used spoopy on ladder. Nothing really special or unusual about this set; it just gets the job done.

lunala.gif

Lunala @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Shell Smash
- Moongeist Beam
- Moonblast
- Photon Geyser

Ransei told me to scrap this and run WG NDW. But I refused because I like ticking timebombs like this silly goober. It murders whether it hits or you hit it.

lopunny-mega.gif

Lopunny-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Illusion
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Shell Smash
- Frustration
- Drain Punch
- Searing Sunraze Smash

This is a weird cook. You see, this thing is supposed to bait out Moongeisters and smash them shells, then troll with the all-purpose nuke that is the snake noise.

gengar-mega.gif

Gengar-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Secret Sword
- Moongeist Beam
- Sludge Wave

PBond's older washed brother. Same thing: gets the job done.

banette-mega.gif

Banette-Mega @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Shadow Sneak
- Ice Hammer
- Sunsteel Strike
- V-create

My beloved Lord Ragdoll. Where do I even start? Well:
1. Strongest Sneak in USUM PH.
2. Ice Hammer decimates Zygod.
3. Sunsteeldeals with the pesky white rat.
4. V-create is an all-purpose nuke.

marowak-alola.gif

Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Spectral Thief
- Let's Snuggle Forever
- Sunsteel Strike
- V-create

Worse Lord Ragdoll.

And that's all! Feel free to give feedback. :psyglad:
 
Yesterday, I watched Casper the Friendly Ghost for the first time.



Spooky Spam is a team I made to fight Cazenovia/Illusio in Week 4 of HPL. However, the Gwaodons ended up pulling out the Guysmash, and I ended up losing. Bad. I asked the PH Discord (and I mean literally just Ransei) for any improvements they recommended, and made the V2 of the spoopy spam. So sit back, relax, and get that bowl of candy corn, because here comes a Ransei-level yap. Click on the big text for the paste.

gengar-mega.gif

Gengar-Mega @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moongeist Beam
- Sludge Wave
- Bug Buzz
- Ice Beam

Starting off with Ol' Reliable, PBond MGar. This is literally the most-used spoopy on ladder. Nothing really special or unusual about this set; it just gets the job done.

lunala.gif

Lunala @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Shell Smash
- Moongeist Beam
- Moonblast
- Photon Geyser

Ransei told me to scrap this and run WG NDW. But I refused because I like ticking timebombs like this silly goober. It murders whether it hits or you hit it.

lopunny-mega.gif

Lopunny-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Illusion
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Shell Smash
- Frustration
- Drain Punch
- Searing Sunraze Smash

This is a weird cook. You see, this thing is supposed to bait out Moongeisters and smash them shells, then troll with the all-purpose nuke that is the snake noise.

gengar-mega.gif

Gengar-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Secret Sword
- Moongeist Beam
- Sludge Wave

PBond's older washed brother. Same thing: gets the job done.

banette-mega.gif

Banette-Mega @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Shadow Sneak
- Ice Hammer
- Sunsteel Strike
- V-create

My beloved Lord Ragdoll. Where do I even start? Well:
1. Strongest Sneak in USUM PH.
2. Ice Hammer decimates Zygod.
3. Sunsteeldeals with the pesky white rat.
4. V-create is an all-purpose nuke.

marowak-alola.gif

Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Huge Powerp
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Spectral Thief
- Let's Snuggle Forever
- Sunsteel Strike
- V-create

Worse Lord Ragdoll.

And that's all! Feel free to give feedback. :psyglad:
Spooky without the jack-o-lantern? smh my head
In all seriousness you should have listened to ransei because lunala is kinda mid
I also don't see what mlop does over slaking or regigigas here. 135 attack is kinda (very) mid for a sweeper
also your MU into mbro/maudi/amuk is kinda bad
knock amuk would be a massive pain in the ass for this team and you kinda dont have a way to stop it from getting free knock when it comes in, and when you bring in a sunsteel mon mbro + maudi can pivot around your steel and ghost moves if played right.
mlop can absorb knock if it wants but that reveals illusion and doesn't actually make any progress
0- Atk 0 IVs Muk-Alola Knock Off vs. 252 HP / 0- Def 0 IVs Lunala: 336-396 (70.2 - 82.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
lunala also isnt a consistent fix if they prepped for it
this team is also bad into any dark mold breaker because of how weak it is into knock
the team is like fine but its a rough mu against balance
 
Hello USUM PH, today I am sharing the worst sets I have ever used.

These are listed based on stupidity, inability to function and sheer fishiness. I do not have replays for these sets unfortunately, so you will have to trust that these sets are stupid enough to get wins (or don't believe me, I can't force you to.)

:Gyarados:

This thing removes haze. That's it. No more clearing my boosts. Imagine switching in your Zygarde or Steelix to the stupid fish. Before your eyes, you read the word Imprison. "this guy's an idiot" you will think. And all of a sudden, you can't remove the boosts, as it Power Trips in your face. Then BOOM. +2 252+ Atk Mold Breaker Gyarados-Mega Power Trip (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Zygarde-Complete: 360-424 (56.6 - 66.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO. It's a very simple set, not really much to explain here.

Counterplay includes but not limited to: Spectral Thief (scout carefully and don't mega until you remove the mon with it), whirlwind/roar (do the same thing as spectral), Pixilate FakeSpeed Post-Mega (idk just play around it. you have defensive wgs right?)

:chansey:

"It's innards. It didn't transform" you might think to yourself. IT'S NOT!!!!!!! Wonder Room is a move that creates a field effect that flips defensive stats around. Special bulk becomes Physical bulk and vise versa. What does this mean for the blob? Due to Prankster, it can flip its enormous 357,632 special bulk immediately, letting it suddenly become physical bulk, and therefore trying to wall whatever is in front of it (excluding adamant MMX). From there, it clicks Spider Web to trap its enemy and then chip it down with Toxic. Spider Web is probably interchangeable with Anchor Shot and other trapping moves, I just have that there because. Shore up... is... to... heal...

Counterplay includes but not limited to: Taunt (i swap and probably swear out loud), Priority Physical Moves (chansey will be in pain), Adamant MMX (252+ Atk Huge Power Mewtwo-Mega-X Photon Geyser vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Chansey in Wonder Room: 333-393 (47.3 - 55.8%) -- 78.5% chance to 2HKO), Magic Bounce (i poison myself and i regret clicking toxic 90% of the time)

:zygarde-complete:

It's a normal Zygarde set. Except it has electrify. Electrify lets Zygarde stare down the mon in front of it and hit the griddy as its Let's Snuggle Forever just became an electric type move. It eats CFZs, it eats the PP of moves (bonus points if you trapped the mon before), and it could have more uses I haven't recognised yet.

Counterplay includes but not limited to: idk just play around it like any zygarde. hit it with a toxic or something (unless electrify ate it)
[edit: thanks hendrit for reminding me priority moves exist. click ice shard against this and it gets 3rd degree trauma]
:groudon-primal:

Do NOT use this. This is so bad. I'm posting it anyway. This "Groudon" aims to bluff traditional Shadow Tag sets. Except as you expect, it's not. It has NO attacks, NO choice items, NO maidens. This Groudon stacks NO CASH! Duplicating Imprison on the move set allows you to click it infinitely after the first Imprison runs out of PP. This basically traps any defensive wonder guard, and PP stalls it to death. Imprison lets it prevent 2/3 available options for Audino to Audi-Go away. Other than forcing a 5v5 after bullying someone, it acts as a pivot, threat, or a sack to Booster Energy Iron Valiant (agency agency). Groudon could probably swap to any other mon to be completely honest, I just chose to do it because it had a common STAG set.

Counterplay includes but not limited to: Uturn, Whirlwind, Roar, Shed Shell, Any Attacking Move off a decent attack stat, Taunt, Disable, Any way for Leftovers to get removed. Heal Block, Hyper Offense, Stall, PDon Spam, probably anything you can think of.

In conclusion, thank you for reading this voluntarily. I'm sure both of us could have used our time better. We didn't, and now that Groudon will be imprinted into the sacred space which is the internet, and in the back of your mind.
 
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conversion is funnier tbh
Zygarde-Complete @ Shed Shell
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Anchor Shot
- Conversion
- Haze
- Shore Up
this is also a funny set, unfortunately i have not used it, ergo i cannot write about it
 
What's up ? I was wondering why no one use Heatran (and why it's not on th WG VR) :

Heatran has a pretty decent bulk : (Undefined bulk : 252/252+/252+) Physical : 132,012 Special : 132,012

A good typing with few weaknesses and usefull resistances :
Weak : (4) Ground, kinda annoying but Flying types exists (and other WGs), (2) fighting, except some weird MMX/Fist plate sets no one run it, (2) Water, except POgre and Ash Gren (and some Scald) this is safe.

Resist : (0,25) Steel, after Volcanion it's the better Sunsteel tanker, (0,5) Psychic, Heatran resists both physical and speciam Photon, thanks to its bulk, (0) Poison, a toxic immunity is always good to take.

High speed but not that much : you'll be slower than MGyarados, Meloetta, POgre (most offense mons) and Magikarp.

A intresting STAB with Searing Shot (100/100) (and 130 base SpA) with as much odds of burning as Scald (to be the best Kart check).

Some usefull calcs :
252+ Atk Huge Power Mewtwo-Mega-X Photon Geyser vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Heatran: 165-195 (42.7 - 50.5%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO

252+ Atk Huge Power Kartana Sunsteel Strike vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Heatran: 79-94 (20.4 - 24.3%) -- guaranteed 5HKO

252+ SpA Mewtwo-Mega-Y Photon Geyser vs. 252 HP / 252- SpD Heatran: 103-122 (26.6 - 31.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
 
What's up ? I was wondering why no one use Heatran (and why it's not on th WG VR) :

Heatran has a pretty decent bulk : (Undefined bulk : 252/252+/252+) Physical : 132,012 Special : 132,012

A good typing with few weaknesses and usefull resistances :
Weak : (4) Ground, kinda annoying but Flying types exists (and other WGs), (2) fighting, except some weird MMX/Fist plate sets no one run it, (2) Water, except POgre and Ash Gren (and some Scald) this is safe.

Resist : (0,25) Steel, after Volcanion it's the better Sunsteel tanker, (0,5) Psychic, Heatran resists both physical and speciam Photon, thanks to its bulk, (0) Poison, a toxic immunity is always good to take.

High speed but not that much : you'll be slower than MGyarados, Meloetta, POgre (most offense mons) and Magikarp.

A intresting STAB with Searing Shot (100/100) (and 130 base SpA) with as much odds of burning as Scald (to be the best Kart check).

Some usefull calcs :
252+ Atk Huge Power Mewtwo-Mega-X Photon Geyser vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Heatran: 165-195 (42.7 - 50.5%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO

252+ Atk Huge Power Kartana Sunsteel Strike vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Heatran: 79-94 (20.4 - 24.3%) -- guaranteed 5HKO

252+ SpA Mewtwo-Mega-Y Photon Geyser vs. 252 HP / 252- SpD Heatran: 103-122 (26.6 - 31.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252+ Atk Groudon-Primal Thousand Arrows vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Heatran: 576-676 (149.2 - 175.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

TArrows is very common in this meta, so this is pretty mid.
 
Yeah but muk is used and weak to TArrows too, MAudino is weak to Sunsteel which is everywhere.
You just need a non ground weak WG and switch.
 
What's up ? I was wondering why no one use Heatran (and why it's not on th WG VR) :

Heatran has a pretty decent bulk : (Undefined bulk : 252/252+/252+) Physical : 132,012 Special : 132,012

A good typing with few weaknesses and usefull resistances :
Weak : (4) Ground, kinda annoying but Flying types exists (and other WGs), (2) fighting, except some weird MMX/Fist plate sets no one run it, (2) Water, except POgre and Ash Gren (and some Scald) this is safe.

Resist : (0,25) Steel, after Volcanion it's the better Sunsteel tanker, (0,5) Psychic, Heatran resists both physical and speciam Photon, thanks to its bulk, (0) Poison, a toxic immunity is always good to take.

High speed but not that much : you'll be slower than MGyarados, Meloetta, POgre (most offense mons) and Magikarp.

A intresting STAB with Searing Shot (100/100) (and 130 base SpA) with as much odds of burning as Scald (to be the best Kart check).

Some usefull calcs :
252+ Atk Huge Power Mewtwo-Mega-X Photon Geyser vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Heatran: 165-195 (42.7 - 50.5%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO

252+ Atk Huge Power Kartana Sunsteel Strike vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Heatran: 79-94 (20.4 - 24.3%) -- guaranteed 5HKO

252+ SpA Mewtwo-Mega-Y Photon Geyser vs. 252 HP / 252- SpD Heatran: 103-122 (26.6 - 31.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
The biggest issue Heatran has an an offensive WGer is that PDon exists and tends to be a lot better.

PDon doesn't have to deal with a Fighting weakness, and stats wise is better in every way except for Heatran having slightly higher Special bulk. PDon doesn't have STAB Sunsteel, but has double the Attack Stat so it makes up for it. In fact, it's even stronger.

+2 252 Atk Groudon-Primal Sunsteel Strike vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Arceus: 194-229 (43.6 - 51.5%) -- 9.4% chance to 2HKO
+2 252 Atk Heatran Sunsteel Strike vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Arceus: 178-210 (40 - 47.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

The 4X Sunsteel resist is nice and a Photon resist is useful, but with how much you lose it's not ideal. For this fairly good upside, you lose out on a lot of damage, Ground STAB, some Speed and you're Fighting weak.

PDon isn't the only competition Heatran has as a bulky Sunsteel Sweeper: Mega Scizor, Mega Gyarados, Primal Kyogre even Dialga all give it competition as well with their own benefits over Heatran. Though PDon is still the most direct competition.

I also feel you kinda downplayed the weaknesses. Water is manageable though occasionally annoying, but both of the others are like really bad. Fighting is common coverage on MMX like you said, but it's also quite common on many other Pokemon too. While rarely the first option, it's a very good one and one I see very frequently and use quite often. Ground is just a horrible weakness to have, not only being a super common coverage typing but it also makes your WGer unreliable at stopping No Guard due to Fissure. (also worth noting that the Fighting weakness matters against No Guarders too 'cause of Dynamic Punch.)

BUT I've been talking about a sweeper set this whole time. I could see Heatran's ability to tank Sunsteel's so amazingly as a lot better on a Support set (by a lot better I mean like C tier.) It's lower Speed would also actually be a benefit, making it a better slow pivot, and the lower offensive stats wouldn't be as big of an issue. It still has a lot of issues, but has more going for it in this role.
 
I'm just gonna do a bit of a team dump because I'm bored and tilting.

https://pokepast.es/d21e27ce796cb3c1
Mold Breaker Gyara + Magic Guard Deo-A BO
:gyarados-mega: A pretty sandard Mold Breaker set. Knock helps to cripple things like chansey and doublade and spikes + taunt can pwn most magic bounce mons. I have shed shell because I'm a bit worried about trapping vs this team

:deoxys-attack: The last mon I added and I added it because I felt like it rounded the team out nicely. Bread and butter set; nothing more to say about the set itself. Deo-A helps against no guard and sweepers thanks to sash, which can both be problems against this team. It also bullies doublade and steelix which completely pwn slaking.

:slaking: Speaking of slaking, another pretty standard set. This helps against sweepers and no guard, as stated with deo-a but its also just a lead killer. Fakespeed also helps against random ladder bullshit.

:zygarde-complete: I don't think I really need to explain this choice. Standard prankhaze with reflect as my last move because I'm a bit scared of smash pdon with this team.

:muk-alola: Improofs Deo-A and absorbs knock from gyara. Magic coat is to pwn imp gyara by punishing the spikes/taunt play and also punish no guards for pressing sing if they're not fissure, and if they are it punishes the slowbro predict. Z parting to heal up something if it gets too low and I need it to win the game.

:slowbro-mega: Very solid wger with a pretty standard set. Improofs slaking and pwns phys set up mons while passing boosts to slaking or deo.


https://pokepast.es/2bef38e3132fe3e3
Double Z Balance
:solgaleo: So this team was originally me giving solgaleo another shot since my previous attempts at using it did not go well. Smash huge power with the obvious photon and sunsteel with ice hammer in the last slot because zygc is a pain in the ass. Solganium Z because if you aren't running it just use mmx.

:doublade: Annoying ass phys wall and improofs solg. Relatively standard "fuck you phys attackers" set with will-o and spectral + bpass.

:slowbro-mega: A lot of what i said about it in the previous team is true here but it improofs solg instead of slaking, doublade just does it better. Magic coat to pwn no guard mons because I find them annoying. Also nice to bounce hazards and status away.

:audino-mega: Probably the best wonder guard in the tier and pairs very well with slowbro. Pretty standard darkinium z set. My justification for using z parting here was 1. I wanted a knock absorber and 2. I wasn't gonna use it in most games anyway.

:gengar-mega: Magic guard sweeper because I needed a way to beat phys walls and also it can turn games around real quick. Secret sword lets it pwn blobs and mgyara while bug buzz is good into meloetta. I had mega audino as the improof here because it fit and because I already have a maudi check in solg.

:zygarde-complete: I am once again using zygc, it is my most used mon after all. Standard prankhaze but with dbond this time because it gives me a last ditch effort against sweepers, no guards and STag mons.


https://pokepast.es/a291af3a27b52746
Galvanize Zekrom
(no I will not shut up about it)
:zekrom: The team's meme and namesake. Galvanize because thats the point of this meme
Screenshot (155).png

This is it. This is all zekrom actually does. It's also fine into mbro + maudi but even mdia does it better.

:zygarde-complete: I'm just gonna stop writing about this thing. Shed shell because it wins zyg vs zyg with it.

:audino-mega: I also don't think I really need to explain this anymore either.

:ferrothorn: Honestly holding the team together. Improofs both my main attackers, but pretty standard support wg.

:mewtwo-mega-x: One part of the pair that actually does something offensively. Ssneak to pwn mmy and deo but otherwise standard. Lum because status can leave me alone.

:greninja-ash: Standard wg sweeper ashgren, not much else to say.


https://pokepast.es/76a6b40dd92462a5
Magnezone
:magnezone: For some unkown reason I wanted to use sweeper wg magnezone. This is like the best set I could cook up in under a minute so I stuck with it.

:zygarde-complete: Is zygc

:audino-mega: Is maudi

:slowbro-mega: is mbro

:mewtwo-mega-x: is mmx
(very insightful commentary I know but I just kind dont want to repeat everything, especially since the sets are standard and its a common core)

:diancie-mega: I'm a big believer in sweeper mdia and tbh it was this team's carry. If I had something else so many games would have gone significantly worse.


https://pokepast.es/3a3bb074e5476bf2
Steel Conversion ZygC
:articuno: Funny bounce mon. Absolutely pwns no guard mons, which means that it can also improof MY no guard mons, which is what I was using it for anyway. (on another note I got a guy to run horn drill on ladder after farming him with cuno)

:zygarde-complete: I wanted to test out a theory about conversion zygc being real. It's caused people a lot of trouble and its really funny to watch LSS or other cfzs getting eaten up by a resist. It can be REALLY strong if you scout well with chans.

:lopunny-mega: Standard no guard mon. Ends any non wg wall in a single turn and sleeps wgs. Improofed by cuno

:chansey: Imp is imp. Pretty much required with this zyg because conversion doesn't do much without scouting.

:greninja-ash: Standard wg sweeper, how I usually end games.

:meloetta: Standard support wg with Z parting. Useful to do things like bring ashgren or chans back.


https://pokepast.es/93335e65e3b2cfba
Mlop Spam
:lopunny-mega: Comaphase because it's funny and I was challenged to use comaphase on a team.

:lopunny-mega: Wg sweeper. Brought wg because I didn't want to get 6-0d by no guard.

:lopunny-mega: Bounce lead. Comaphase does nothing if I don't get hazards up and other stuff if too weak without them.

:lopunny-mega: Standard no guard. Making an mlop spam team without it sounds kinda dumb, even dumber than making mlop spam even.

:lopunny-mega: Huge power because I need some way to break things and it has a decent offensive type.

:groudon-primal: STag to remove problems for this team, of which there are a lot. Tarrows and V-create for STAB, LSF for zygarde and LTBTS for everything else.


https://pokepast.es/61fdc6e81d9d3262
https://pokepast.es/a96cf8a16a0d14fa (alternative)
Double Huge Power BO
:pheromosa: Huge power + life orb pheromosa hits like a freight train. STAB on first impression and u-turn is extremely valuable because of how psychic and dark heavy the meta is currently. Pursuit lets it kill the psychics it forces out with its combo of amazing speed tier and stab priority, the main targets for it are meloetta and mmy which both get forced out and killed. Sunsteel strike to hit stuff like mega audino and other wonder guards.

:celesteela: Magic bounce because I wanted a bouncer and also a mon that improofed pheromosa. Spectral + Bpass because set up sweepers can be a bit annoying for this team and passing the stolen boosts to one of my other mons could be game ending. Spikes and shore up round out the set because spikes are very valuable and it basically needs healing.

:groudon-primal: The second huge power mon. Pdon covers pretty much everything pheromosa doesn't with just its STAB, allowing me to run ice shard in the last slot for zygarde and for revenge killing. Band makes the thing basically ohko any non resist, making it an extremely deadly breaker.

:slowbro-mega: Standard support wonder guard slowbro. Improofs pdon and has u-turn to not be a massive momentum sink. It also happens to be my rocks setter on this team.

:audino-mega: Also a standard support wonder guard. Z parting shot to heal up my mons, mainly pheromosa, because they will take a lot of chip during the course of the game. Knock off is nice utility and also helps into the NDW matchup which ransei proved was a major issue. Z knock off kills a set up NDW with a bit of chip .
252 Atk Audino-Mega Black Hole Eclipse (120 BP) vs. -1 252 HP / 252 Def Necrozma-Dawn-Wings: 360-424 (90.4 - 106.5%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO

:greninja-ash: Specs water bubble because its a very good rkiller and helps a lot into the pdon matchup. Oceanic operetta is basically an instant kill on any mon i want as long as i don't whiff it into a wonder guard. Water shuriken hits really hard with specs water bubble. Moongeist to break a variety of stuff, and its also just good coverage. Icicle spear is good into innards out chansey, which is otherwise a really tough matchup for this team.

:steelix-mega: Standard prankhaze with dbond to take down troublesome mons. The better variant for ladder to deal with evoboost stuff. Replaces celesteela.

I have a bunch of other teams and I might add them later idk
if anyone wants to make suggestions hit me
 
Last edited:
The biggest issue Heatran has an an offensive WGer is that PDon exists and tends to be a lot better
Did I say anywhere that I wanted to make an offense WG, if yes I'm sorry I obvioulsly meant support WG.

However I now better see weaknesses of a WG heatran, so thanks y'all.
 
:Chansey: :Zygarde-Complete: :Audino-Mega: :Steelix-Mega: :Slowbro-Mega: Siphonaptera's October 2024 VR!!!!!
:Mewtwo-Mega-X:
:Gengar-Mega:
:Groudon-Primal:
:Greninja-Ash:
:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings:
I am here, and I have a VR. It hasn't been too long since my last VR. But since than not only have many of my opinions changed, but hpl happened and I think that was a great showcase of the format as well.

Unfortunately, much of what hpl showcased is that gen 7 is not as good as I'd thought. For quite a while I've always thought of the ladder being so weird as kinda separate from the meta. With many ladder players running a bunch of garbage you could never predict or prepare for so you often just get a bad MU against it and lose. Though recently I've come to a really annoying realization: a lot of those strats aren't bad.

Gen 7 is probably the PH format where you have the most freedom in teambuilding and that has shown itself to be far more of a curse than a blessing. This makes it often incredibly difficult to predict anything and forcing you to prepare for way too much stuff. Because of this combined with how volatile the meta can be even outside of this and it becomes very MU reliant to an extent I hadn't realized before. Innards Out especially gets a shout out as quite easily the worst single element of the format and one of the worst elements in any PH format.

There are still many elements of this meta that I like, but unfortunately I struggle to call this a "good meta" like I have in the past. I've found myself getting incredibly frustrated with the meta recently and idk if I care enough about this meta to want to continue being as involved with it as I have been in the past anymore.

Before I get on to the VR itself I wanted to clarify a few decisions I made.

I considered making a separate No Guard VR, but I feel that No Guard is in a far different place in gen 7 than gen 6. Unlike in gen 6 where when you use a No Guarder you're using a No Guarder, in gen 7 you'll often just have sweepers that toss No Guard on as a nice offensive option so idt the separation is necessary. I also considered making separate VRs for some other abilities (specifically Innards, Prankster and Magic Bounce) but I'd rather this be close to the official VR's formatting so decided against it.

Unlike my last VR, this VR is not ranked within tiers. I felt it was just kinda pointless. Idt you need much beyond a general idea of a Pokemon's viability from a VR unless it's for a very optimized meta. Understanding The actual roll of the Pokemon tends to be more important and while having a VR is useful, going as specific as ranking every Pokemon individually is just not really nessesary.

I've revised this quite a lot over the last couple of weeks and feel pretty confident over most of these placements. I plan to make a follow up post explaining a few more divisive placements, but otherwise I don't believe there's too much more to explain. So onto the VR proper.

Reminder: This VR is ranked alphabetically within subranks, not by viability.
S Tier
S+

:Audino-Mega:
Wonder Guard

S Tier
:Audino-Mega:
Audino-Mega

A Tier
A+
:Greninja-Ash:
Greninja-Ash
:Slowbro-Mega:
Slowbro-Mega

A
:Arceus:
Arceus
:Gyarados-Mega:
Gyarados-Mega
:Hoopa-Unbound:
Hoopa-Unbound
:Meloetta:
Meloetta
:Muk-Alola:
Muk-Alola
:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings:
Necrozma-Dawn-Wings
:Oranguru:
Oranguru
:Slaking:
Slaking

A-
:Kartana:
Kartana

Regigigas' Prison
:Regigigas:
Regigigas (Just use Slaking)

B Tier
B+
:Ferrothorn:
Ferrothorn
:Gardevoir-Mega:
Gardevoir-Mega
:Groudon-Primal:
Groudon-Primal
:Houndoom-Mega:
Houndoom-Mega
:Kyogre-Primal:
Kyogre-Primal
:Mewtwo-Mega-X:
Mewtwo-Mega-X

B
:Bisharp:
Bisharp
:Celesteela:
Celesteela
:Mewtwo-Mega-Y:
Mewtwo-Mega-Y
:Scizor-Mega:
Scizor-Mega
:Swampert-Mega:
Swampert-Mega
:Type-Null:
Type:Null

B-
:Blissey:
Blissey
:Cresselia:
Cresselia
:Gengar-Mega:
Gengar-Mega
:Gyarados:
Gyarados @ Gyaradossite
:Magearna:
Magearna
:Sableye-Mega:
Sableye-Mega
:Umbreon:
Umbreon

C Tier
C+
:Aggron-Mega:
Aggron-Mega
:Golisopod:
Golisopod
:Incineroar:
Incineroar
:Necrozma-Dusk-Mane:
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane
:Steelix-Mega:
Steelix-Mega
:Yveltal:
Yveltal

C
:Chansey:
Chansey
:Ditto:
Ditto
:Drapion:
Drapion
:Lopunny-Mega:
Lopunny-Mega
:Lunala:
Lunala
:Pheromosa:
Pheromosa
:Skuntank:
Skuntank
:Snorlax:
Snorlax
:Solgaleo:
Solgaleo
:Zeraora:
Zeraora

C-
:Beedrill-Mega:
Beedrill-Mega
:Deoxys-Attack:
Deoxys-Attack
:Dialga:
Dialga
:Escavalier:
Escavalier
:Heatran:
Heatran
:Lucario-Mega:
Lucario-Mega
:Registeel:
Registeel
:Sableye:
Sableye @ Sablenite

S
:Chansey:
Chansey
:Mewtwo-Mega-X:
Mewtwo-Mega-X
:Zygarde-Complete:
Zygarde-Complete


S-
:Blissey:
Blissey


A Tier
A+

:Doublade:
Doublade
:Gengar-Mega:
Gengar-Mega

:Groudon-Primal:
Groudon-Primal
:Steelix-Mega:
Steelix-Mega

A
:Diancie-Mega:
Diancie-Mega
:Greninja-Ash:
Greninja-Ash
:Kartana:
Kartana
:Mewtwo-Mega-Y:
Mewtwo-Mega-Y

:Slaking:
Slaking
:Slowbro-Mega:
Slowbro-Mega
:Solgaleo:
Solgaleo

A-
:Deoxys-Attack:
Deoxys-Attack

:Gyarados-Mega:
Gyarados-Mega
:Lopunny-Mega:
Lopunny-Mega
:Necrozma-Dusk-Mane:
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane
:Rayquaza-Mega:
Rayquaza-Mega

Regigigas' Prison
:Regigigas:
Regigigas (Just use Slaking)

B Tier
B+

:Aggron-Mega:
Aggron-Mega
:Alakazam-Mega:
Alakazam-Mega
:Necrozma-Ultra:
Necrozma-Ultra
:Type-Null:
Type:Null
:Yveltal:
Yveltal

B
:Arceus:
Arceus
:Banette-Mega:
Banette-Mega
:Deoxys-Speed:
Deoxys-Speed
:Gardevoir-Mega:
Gardevoir-Mega
:Kyurem-Black:
Kyurem-Black
:Lunala:
Lunala
:Marowak-Alola:
Marowak-Alola
:Metagross-Mega:
Metagross-Mega
:Pikachu:
Pikachu

B-
:Articuno:
Articuno
:Celesteela:
Celesteela
:Cresselia:
Cresselia
:Heracross-Mega:
Heracross-Mega
:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings:
Necrozma-Dawn Wings

C Tier
C+

:Giratina:
Giratina
:Giratina-Origin:
Giratina-Origin
:Lugia:
Lugia
:Mawile:
Mawile @ Mawilite
:Pheromosa:
Pheromosa

C
:Bisharp:
Bisharp
:Blacephalon:
Blacephalon
:Guzzlord:
Guzzlord
:Gyarados:
Gyarados @ Gyaradossite
:Kyogre-Primal:
Kyogre-Primal
:Muk-Alola:
Muk-Alola
:Registeel:
Registeel

C-
:Darmanitan-Zen:
Darmanitan-Zen
:Excadrill:
Excadrill
:Tyranitar-Mega:
Tyranitar-Mega

D Tier
:Aegislash-Blade:
Aegislash-Blade
:Avalugg:
Avalugg
:Cloyster:
Cloyster
:Drifblim:
Drifblim
:Ho-Oh:
Ho-Oh
:Magearna:
Magearna
:Sceptile-Mega:
Sceptile-Mega
 
Last edited:
:Chansey: :Zygarde-Complete: :Audino-Mega: :Steelix-Mega: :Slowbro-Mega: Siphonaptera's October 2024 VR!!!!!
:Mewtwo-Mega-X:
:Gengar-Mega:
:Groudon-Primal:
:Greninja-Ash:
:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings:
I am here, and I have a VR. It hasn't been too long since my last VR. But since than not only have many of my opinions changed, but hpl happened and I think that was a great showcase of the format as well.

Unfortunately, much of what hpl showcased is that gen 7 is not as good as I'd thought. For quite a while I've always thought of the ladder being so weird as kinda separate from the meta. With many ladder players running a bunch of garbage you could never predict or prepare for so you often just get a bad MU against it and lose. Though recently I've come to a really annoying realization: a lot of those strats aren't bad.

Gen 7 is probably the PH format where you have the most freedom in teambuilding and that has shown itself to be far more of a curse than a blessing. This makes it often incredibly difficult to predict anything and forcing you to prepare for way too much stuff. Because of this combined with how volatile the meta can be even outside of this and it becomes very MU reliant to an extent I hadn't realized before. Innards Out especially gets a shout out as quite easily the worst single element of the format and one of the worst elements in any PH format.

There are still many elements of this meta that I like, but unfortunately I struggle to call this a "good meta" like I have in the past. I've found myself getting incredibly frustrated with the meta recently and idk if I care enough about this meta to want to continue being as involved with it as I have been in the past anymore.

Before I get on to the VR itself I wanted to clarify a few decisions I made.

I considered making a separate No Guard VR, but I feel that No Guard is in a far different place in gen 7 than gen 6. Unlike in gen 6 where when you use a No Guarder you're using a No Guarder, in gen 7 you'll often just have sweepers that toss No Guard on as a nice offensive option so idt the separation is necessary. I also considered making separate VRs for some other abilities (specifically Innards, Prankster and Magic Bounce) but I'd rather this be close to the official VR's formatting so decided against it.

Unlike my last VR, this VR is not ranked within tiers. I felt it was just kinda pointless. Idt you need much beyond a general idea of a Pokemon's viability from a VR unless it's for a very optimized meta. Understanding The actual roll of the Pokemon tends to be more important and while having a VR is useful, going as specific as ranking every Pokemon individually is just not really nessesary.

I've revised this quite a lot over the last couple of weeks and feel pretty confident over most of these placements. I plan to make a follow up post explaining a few more divisive placements, but otherwise I don't believe there's too much more to explain. So onto the VR proper.

Reminder: This VR is ranked alphabetically within subranks, not by viability.
S Tier
S+

:Audino-Mega:
Wonder Guard

S Tier
:Audino-Mega:
Audino-Mega

A Tier
A+
:Greninja-Ash:
Greninja-Ash
:Slowbro-Mega:
Slowbro-Mega

A
:Arceus:
Arceus
:Gyarados-Mega:
Gyarados-Mega
:Hoopa-Unbound:
Hoopa-Unbound
:Meloetta:
Meloetta
:Muk-Alola:
Muk-Alola
:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings:
Necrozma-Dawn-Wings
:Oranguru:
Oranguru
:Slaking:
Slaking

A-
:Kartana:
Kartana

Regigigas' Prison
:Regigigas:
Regigigas (Just use Slaking)

B Tier
B+
:Ferrothorn:
Ferrothorn
:Gardevoir-Mega:
Gardevoir-Mega
:Groudon-Primal:
Groudon-Primal
:Houndoom-Mega:
Houndoom-Mega
:Kyogre-Primal:
Kyogre-Primal
:Mewtwo-Mega-X:
Mewtwo-Mega-X

B
:Bisharp:
Bisharp
:Celesteela:
Celesteela
:Mewtwo-Mega-Y:
Mewtwo-Mega-Y
:Scizor-Mega:
Scizor-Mega
:Swampert-Mega:
Swampert-Mega
:Type-Null:
Type:Null

B-
:Blissey:
Blissey
:Cresselia:
Cresselia
:Gengar-Mega:
Gengar-Mega
:Gyarados:
Gyarados @ Gyaradossite
:Magearna:
Magearna
:Sableye-Mega:
Sableye-Mega
:Umbreon:
Umbreon

C Tier
C+
:Aggron-Mega:
Aggron-Mega
:Golisopod:
Golisopod
:Incineroar:
Incineroar
:Necrozma-Dusk-Mane:
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane
:Steelix-Mega:
Steelix-Mega
:Yveltal:
Yveltal

C
:Chansey:
Chansey
:Ditto:
Ditto
:Drapion:
Drapion
:Lopunny-Mega:
Lopunny-Mega
:Lunala:
Lunala
:Pheromosa:
Pheromosa
:Skuntank:
Skuntank
:Snorlax:
Snorlax
:Solgaleo:
Solgaleo
:Zeraora:
Zeraora

C-
:Beedrill-Mega:
Beedrill-Mega
:Deoxys-Attack:
Deoxys-Attack
:Dialga:
Dialga
:Escavalier:
Escavalier
:Heatran:
Heatran
:Lucario-Mega:
Lucario-Mega
:Registeel:
Registeel
:Sableye:
Sableye @ Sablenite

S
:Chansey:
Chansey
:Mewtwo-Mega-X:
Mewtwo-Mega-X
:Zygarde-Complete:
Zygarde-Complete


S-
:Blissey:
Blissey


A Tier
A+

:Doublade:
Doublade
:Gengar-Mega:
Gengar-Mega

:Groudon-Primal:
Groudon-Primal
:Steelix-Mega:
Steelix-Mega

A
:Diancie-Mega:
Diancie-Mega
:Greninja-Ash:
Greninja-Ash
:Kartana:
Kartana
:Mewtwo-Mega-Y:
Mewtwo-Mega-Y

:Slaking:
Slaking
:Slowbro-Mega:
Slowbro-Mega
:Solgaleo:
Solgaleo

A-
:Deoxys-Attack:
Deoxys-Attack

:Gyarados-Mega:
Gyarados-Mega
:Lopunny-Mega:
Lopunny-Mega
:Necrozma-Dusk-Mane:
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane
:Rayquaza-Mega:
Rayquaza-Mega

Regigigas' Prison
:Regigigas:
Regigigas (Just use Slaking)

B Tier
B+

:Aggron-Mega:
Aggron-Mega
:Alakazam-Mega:
Alakazam-Mega
:Necrozma-Ultra:
Necrozma-Ultra
:Type-Null:
Type:Null
:Yveltal:
Yveltal

B
:Arceus:
Arceus
:Banette-Mega:
Banette-Mega
:Deoxys-Speed:
Deoxys-Speed
:Gardevoir-Mega:
Gardevoir-Mega
:Kyurem-Black:
Kyurem-Black
:Lunala:
Lunala
:Marowak-Alola:
Marowak-Alola
:Metagross-Mega:
Metagross-Mega
:Pikachu:
Pikachu

B-
:Articuno:
Articuno
:Celesteela:
Celesteela
:Cresselia:
Cresselia
:Heracross-Mega:
Heracross-Mega
:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings:
Necrozma-Dawn Wings

C Tier
C+

:Giratina:
Giratina
:Giratina-Origin:
Giratina-Origin
:Lugia:
Lugia
:Mawile:
Mawile @ Mawilite
:Pheromosa:
Pheromosa

C
:Bisharp:
Bisharp
:Blacephalon:
Blacephalon
:Guzzlord:
Guzzlord
:Gyarados:
Gyarados @ Gyaradossite
:Kyogre-Primal:
Kyogre-Primal
:Muk-Alola:
Muk-Alola
:Registeel:
Registeel

C-
:Darmanitan-Zen:
Darmanitan-Zen
:Excadrill:
Excadrill
:Tyranitar-Mega:
Tyranitar-Mega

D Tier
:Aegislash-Blade:
Aegislash-Blade
:Avalugg:
Avalugg
:Cloyster:
Cloyster
:Drifblim:
Drifblim
:Ho-Oh:
Ho-Oh
:Magearna:
Magearna
:Sceptile-Mega:
Sceptile-Mega
okay so i got a few things to say here.
1. B+ for mgarde in wonder guard is insane. It's okay but its not B+ material imo
2. after using it, C+ for phero is a crime. that mon is actually fucking insane. B or B+
3. marowak should probably be lower than banette but this isnt too egregious
4. alakazam is fine but i dont think its B+, probably closer to B-
5. pogre wonder guard is way too high. i've never been a believer and therefore i think B+ is absolutely insane
 
:Chansey: :Zygarde-Complete: :Audino-Mega: :Steelix-Mega: :Slowbro-Mega: Siphonaptera's October 2024 VR!!!!!
:Mewtwo-Mega-X:
:Gengar-Mega:
:Groudon-Primal:
:Greninja-Ash:
:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings:
I am here, and I have a VR. It hasn't been too long since my last VR. But since than not only have many of my opinions changed, but hpl happened and I think that was a great showcase of the format as well.

Unfortunately, much of what hpl showcased is that gen 7 is not as good as I'd thought. For quite a while I've always thought of the ladder being so weird as kinda separate from the meta. With many ladder players running a bunch of garbage you could never predict or prepare for so you often just get a bad MU against it and lose. Though recently I've come to a really annoying realization: a lot of those strats aren't bad.

Gen 7 is probably the PH format where you have the most freedom in teambuilding and that has shown itself to be far more of a curse than a blessing. This makes it often incredibly difficult to predict anything and forcing you to prepare for way too much stuff. Because of this combined with how volatile the meta can be even outside of this and it becomes very MU reliant to an extent I hadn't realized before. Innards Out especially gets a shout out as quite easily the worst single element of the format and one of the worst elements in any PH format.

There are still many elements of this meta that I like, but unfortunately I struggle to call this a "good meta" like I have in the past. I've found myself getting incredibly frustrated with the meta recently and idk if I care enough about this meta to want to continue being as involved with it as I have been in the past anymore.

Before I get on to the VR itself I wanted to clarify a few decisions I made.

I considered making a separate No Guard VR, but I feel that No Guard is in a far different place in gen 7 than gen 6. Unlike in gen 6 where when you use a No Guarder you're using a No Guarder, in gen 7 you'll often just have sweepers that toss No Guard on as a nice offensive option so idt the separation is necessary. I also considered making separate VRs for some other abilities (specifically Innards, Prankster and Magic Bounce) but I'd rather this be close to the official VR's formatting so decided against it.

Unlike my last VR, this VR is not ranked within tiers. I felt it was just kinda pointless. Idt you need much beyond a general idea of a Pokemon's viability from a VR unless it's for a very optimized meta. Understanding The actual roll of the Pokemon tends to be more important and while having a VR is useful, going as specific as ranking every Pokemon individually is just not really nessesary.

I've revised this quite a lot over the last couple of weeks and feel pretty confident over most of these placements. I plan to make a follow up post explaining a few more divisive placements, but otherwise I don't believe there's too much more to explain. So onto the VR proper.

Reminder: This VR is ranked alphabetically within subranks, not by viability.
S Tier
S+

:Audino-Mega:
Wonder Guard

S Tier
:Audino-Mega:
Audino-Mega

A Tier
A+
:Greninja-Ash:
Greninja-Ash
:Slowbro-Mega:
Slowbro-Mega

A
:Arceus:
Arceus
:Gyarados-Mega:
Gyarados-Mega
:Hoopa-Unbound:
Hoopa-Unbound
:Meloetta:
Meloetta
:Muk-Alola:
Muk-Alola
:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings:
Necrozma-Dawn-Wings
:Oranguru:
Oranguru
:Slaking:
Slaking

A-
:Kartana:
Kartana

Regigigas' Prison
:Regigigas:
Regigigas (Just use Slaking)

B Tier
B+
:Ferrothorn:
Ferrothorn
:Gardevoir-Mega:
Gardevoir-Mega
:Groudon-Primal:
Groudon-Primal
:Houndoom-Mega:
Houndoom-Mega
:Kyogre-Primal:
Kyogre-Primal
:Mewtwo-Mega-X:
Mewtwo-Mega-X

B
:Bisharp:
Bisharp
:Celesteela:
Celesteela
:Mewtwo-Mega-Y:
Mewtwo-Mega-Y
:Scizor-Mega:
Scizor-Mega
:Swampert-Mega:
Swampert-Mega
:Type-Null:
Type:Null

B-
:Blissey:
Blissey
:Cresselia:
Cresselia
:Gengar-Mega:
Gengar-Mega
:Gyarados:
Gyarados @ Gyaradossite
:Magearna:
Magearna
:Sableye-Mega:
Sableye-Mega
:Umbreon:
Umbreon

C Tier
C+
:Aggron-Mega:
Aggron-Mega
:Golisopod:
Golisopod
:Incineroar:
Incineroar
:Necrozma-Dusk-Mane:
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane
:Steelix-Mega:
Steelix-Mega
:Yveltal:
Yveltal

C
:Chansey:
Chansey
:Ditto:
Ditto
:Drapion:
Drapion
:Lopunny-Mega:
Lopunny-Mega
:Lunala:
Lunala
:Pheromosa:
Pheromosa
:Skuntank:
Skuntank
:Snorlax:
Snorlax
:Solgaleo:
Solgaleo
:Zeraora:
Zeraora

C-
:Beedrill-Mega:
Beedrill-Mega
:Deoxys-Attack:
Deoxys-Attack
:Dialga:
Dialga
:Escavalier:
Escavalier
:Heatran:
Heatran
:Lucario-Mega:
Lucario-Mega
:Registeel:
Registeel
:Sableye:
Sableye @ Sablenite

S
:Chansey:
Chansey
:Mewtwo-Mega-X:
Mewtwo-Mega-X
:Zygarde-Complete:
Zygarde-Complete


S-
:Blissey:
Blissey


A Tier
A+

:Doublade:
Doublade
:Gengar-Mega:
Gengar-Mega

:Groudon-Primal:
Groudon-Primal
:Steelix-Mega:
Steelix-Mega

A
:Diancie-Mega:
Diancie-Mega
:Greninja-Ash:
Greninja-Ash
:Kartana:
Kartana
:Mewtwo-Mega-Y:
Mewtwo-Mega-Y

:Slaking:
Slaking
:Slowbro-Mega:
Slowbro-Mega
:Solgaleo:
Solgaleo

A-
:Deoxys-Attack:
Deoxys-Attack

:Gyarados-Mega:
Gyarados-Mega
:Lopunny-Mega:
Lopunny-Mega
:Necrozma-Dusk-Mane:
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane
:Rayquaza-Mega:
Rayquaza-Mega

Regigigas' Prison
:Regigigas:
Regigigas (Just use Slaking)

B Tier
B+

:Aggron-Mega:
Aggron-Mega
:Alakazam-Mega:
Alakazam-Mega
:Necrozma-Ultra:
Necrozma-Ultra
:Type-Null:
Type:Null
:Yveltal:
Yveltal

B
:Arceus:
Arceus
:Banette-Mega:
Banette-Mega
:Deoxys-Speed:
Deoxys-Speed
:Gardevoir-Mega:
Gardevoir-Mega
:Kyurem-Black:
Kyurem-Black
:Lunala:
Lunala
:Marowak-Alola:
Marowak-Alola
:Metagross-Mega:
Metagross-Mega
:Pikachu:
Pikachu

B-
:Articuno:
Articuno
:Celesteela:
Celesteela
:Cresselia:
Cresselia
:Heracross-Mega:
Heracross-Mega
:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings:
Necrozma-Dawn Wings

C Tier
C+

:Giratina:
Giratina
:Giratina-Origin:
Giratina-Origin
:Lugia:
Lugia
:Mawile:
Mawile @ Mawilite
:Pheromosa:
Pheromosa

C
:Bisharp:
Bisharp
:Blacephalon:
Blacephalon
:Guzzlord:
Guzzlord
:Gyarados:
Gyarados @ Gyaradossite
:Kyogre-Primal:
Kyogre-Primal
:Muk-Alola:
Muk-Alola
:Registeel:
Registeel

C-
:Darmanitan-Zen:
Darmanitan-Zen
:Excadrill:
Excadrill
:Tyranitar-Mega:
Tyranitar-Mega

D Tier
:Aegislash-Blade:
Aegislash-Blade
:Avalugg:
Avalugg
:Cloyster:
Cloyster
:Drifblim:
Drifblim
:Ho-Oh:
Ho-Oh
:Magearna:
Magearna
:Sceptile-Mega:
Sceptile-Mega
Is it Heatrean on a WG Vr, am I dreaming ??

More seriously, things I would change :
- Putting blissey ( not WG ) in S BUT like regigas set a "Blissey's prison" or smth else : you lost the surprise effect (like imp/innards) but running a plate or a scarf is technically better on blissey. And rank up Chansey to S+, it may not be that strong, however only its presence is important in the metagame (improof on almost every offense mons and some MGuard just to bypass Innards)
-Pogre WG ranking is kinda too high, it is definitely not as good as other B+
-Arceus WG ranking should be like Kart imo : it is too fast, weak to secret sword and its high bulk isn't enough to make it A (except for the subseed set which deserves a S+++ rank).
-Why is darmanitan zen mode in the VR but not the WG VR (just asking I've never seen none WG Darmanitan) ?
-Why is Ditto on the WG VR ?

That's all, for the rest I either agree or I don't know what the pokemon does.
 
Teams I used in HPL. I hadn't touched the ladder in around a year so I primarily abused people not adequately prepping for Shadow Tag for the entirety of the tour (read: I forgot how to build). This actually worked pretty well for the first few weeks, but as expected later on this approach proved detrimental. I also didn't play any games on the ladder during the tour, and had no support so I pretty much just built with my intuition. 4-3 is probably worse than what I or anyone else expected but after the craziness I took part in it's kinda whatever.

I would make a VR noms post but given my lack of ladder/non-tour activity I don't feel confident in nomming a bunch of stuff that others have vastly greater experience with and going against. Non-WG Muk should definitely be ranked ~B though.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

W1 sussyamongusdrip (W) - Team - (:necrozma-ultra:) :slowbro-mega::type-null::zygarde-complete::muk-alola::meloetta::mewtwo-mega-x: vs. :blissey::rayquaza-mega::kartana::necrozma-dusk-mane::oranguru::gengar-mega: (:registeel:)

I couldn't decide what to bring, so 15 minutes before the game I slapped some generic STAG semistall together. Against someone like sussy, who's not averse to running Psyspam, not running Imposter seemed risky but I felt the counterplay was solid enough with the tools I had. Mold Breaker Muk's cool here since you can reliably set hazards and remove Shed Shells, and checks MG Gengar/special Shell Smash WGs while dissuading Band MMX from clicking Photon/LTBTS. STAG MMX over MRay or PDon since you outspeed Deoxys-S while also not dying to Ice Shard. Game was pretty straightforward after I traded opposing Innards and revenged Kartana.


W2 Cazenovia (W) - Team - (:necrozma-ultra:) :mewtwo-mega-x::groudon-primal::mewtwo-mega-y::ferrothorn::audino-mega::zygarde-complete: vs. :mewtwo-mega-x::mewtwo-mega-x::regigigas::chansey::chansey::lunala: (:groudon-primal:)

I made this team like 5 minutes before the scheduled time, which should explain Bold Ferro. I figured Sub MMX has an easier time with STAG than other non-Shed Shell MMX variants, and Photon/Low Kick/Moongeist actually hits quite a lot for a non-4a coverage set. No Guard 4a MMY actually hits 80% of wgs through Photon and raw coverage (helps that Fissure can be considered a coverage move, especially with STAG PDon for opposing Balloon Muk), with the common WGs the specific set I used struggling against being Mega Audino, Arceus, and Mega Sableye. Not much to say about the actual game, I just happened to have more useful material after KOing Innards Lunala almost scot-free with Beat Up (good move) and the subsequent 2 turns.


W3 NToTheN (W) - Team - (:necrozma-ultra:) :slaking::muk-alola::zygarde-complete::groudon-primal::celesteela::slaking: vs. :mewtwo-mega-x::groudon-primal::zygarde-complete::scizor-mega::muk-alola::mewtwo-mega-y: (:swampert-mega:)

I honestly didn't know what to run since I've battled N enough times that they have a good idea of my building habits (and therefore I wanted to avoid succumbing to easily exploitable building patterns). Eventually I remembered cscl used Leppa Searing Sunraze Smash WG Dialga in this game week 1 and thought a better version of that could be interesting. It could've been any WG that could take its own Searing Sunraze Smash reasonably well, but I chose Slaking because of the added terror convenient typing. You also have base 150 HP so if needed you can KO Innards Lunala, MMY, and anything else with HP less than that of Slaking if you're at full and already set up. Harvest Slaking gets hit by stuff unlike Wonder Guard but you also gain an extra moveset and additional turns since you don't have to use Recycle to replenish Leppa Berry. I opted for Nature's Madness since you can break through opposing Innards after PP stalling their recovery and getting their HP down low enough to where Innards damange isn't consequential. Madness over Guardian of Alola for additional turns to fish for Harvest procs. You still Imposter-proof as well since SSS does 48% max. Mold Breaker Muk from week 1 was pretty cool so I reused the same set. Strength Sap on Arena Trap PDon to Improof Slaking if anything ever got out of hand (or if Imposter otherwise obstructed progress). Pretty straightforward win with Harvest Slaking since no Whirlwind/Perish Song/anything else to force it out. USUM forever changed for the worse this game.

Shorter comments from here on out since I typed everything below after the tour ended.

W4 cscl (W) - Team - (:necrozma-ultra:) :mewtwo-mega-y::meloetta::mewtwo-mega-x::muk-alola::steelix-mega::audino-mega: vs. :gengar-mega::kartana::lunala::chansey::groudon-primal::gengar-mega: (:celesteela:)

Wanted something extremely resilient against Ghosts and Sunsteel-based physical attackers, hence WG Meloetta/Audino and Prankster Steelix (which I don't think is very good in general but it seemed to fare well into my opponent). The EVs on Audino let it not KO Innards Chansey with Anchor Shot, and Meloetta was supposed to have 155 raw Attack (U-turn shouldn't have been able to OHKO Chansey), but I messed it up, which is why I hard swapped to Muk instead of U-turning on the obvious Chansey switch-in early on.


W5 anaconja (L) - Team - (:necrozma-ultra:) :mewtwo-mega-x::groudon-primal::solgaleo::arceus::mewtwo-mega-x::muk-alola: vs. :mewtwo-mega-x::mewtwo-mega-x::mewtwo-mega-y::mewtwo-mega-x::greninja-ash::steelix-mega: (:ampharos-mega:)

Despite Bullsht being the clear strongest in the pool imo, I didn't actually devote that much time to prepping since we were already in. Therefore, I just brought some generic ass MMX balance to diversify my scout. If you were familiar with my takes before the tour, you'd know that I think MMX balance is hella mid. I'm still pretty disappointed with this loss though, since anaconja was obviously speedbuilding in the few minutes I wanted before they accepted my challenge and I didn't speedbuild something that beat HO in return. I did play Bullsht with this team afterwards, though.


Semis cscl (L) - Team - (:necrozma-ultra:) :celesteela::mewtwo-mega-x::zygarde-complete::ho-oh::arceus::groudon-primal: vs. :groudon-primal::lunala::kartana::slowbro-mega::groudon-primal::mewtwo-mega-x: (:celesteela:)

Incredibly unsatisfied with this game, especially since I think I had a pretty good matchup. MG Ho-Oh cteamed close to everything I expected cscl to bring to cteam me (WG Kartana, Fissure No Guards, Arena Trap things, and would've done wonders this game if I weren't an idiot. Fire Lash STAG PDon was probably also a throw in the builder, since at -1 it doesn't even KO Kartana which is why I didn't trap it when I had the opportunity to.


Finals sussyamongusdrip (L) - Team - (:necrozma-ultra:) :slowbro-mega::yveltal::zygarde-complete::blissey::muk-alola::pheromosa: vs. :solgaleo::groudon-primal::kyogre-primal::lopunny-mega::gengar-mega::articuno: (:registeel:)

It's worth a mention that I stopped being motivated week 5, thanks to our team already being locked into playoffs, but that motivation never really came back. This is probably the game I was the most disappointed in, but because of different reasons than last week: I was foolish enough to bring semistall when everyone was experimenting with Harvest, I expected people to bring robust STAG cteams, and I couldn't outplay quite as hard against the more competent players participating in HPL. At the risk of sounding salty I'm kinda appalled my opponent brought something that didn't have a proper gameplan against sets I brought multiple times before (No Guard coverage MMY), which disappointed me further after I was shown the team. Not necessarily because of any "I lost to this stuff?" reaction, but because I realized that there were no bastions of consistency in tour-level USUM PH (most players' teams looked incredibly inconsistent at a glance). After this I decided to play ORAS in the tiebreaker since I don't understand modern USUM well enough to consistently win without STAG and felt my skillset was better suited to ORAS.
 
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