with permission from Hacker, format copied from fortunate sun
With BW Draft finally getting a tournament this summer and filling in the hole between the old gens of draft, me and Gypsy wanted to provide a one-stop-shop for beginners of this very fun and unique meta.
The biggest trait to set BW Draft apart is of course the permanent weather wars, with regularly 4-5 teams in a pool opting for one of Sand Stream, Drizzle, Snow Warning, and the occasional Drought. Even teams without an automatic weather setter may keep manual weather setting in mind in order to disrupt their opponents weather-based composition. The permanent chip damage of Sand and Hail and the boosting properties of Rain and Sun would already grant the tier an offensive slant, but two other crucial mechanics help contribute to the fast pace. The first is a lack of Defog alongside many great Spikers, Ghost-types, and Rocky Helmet, which leads to hazard stacking being very prominent, necessitating every team draft a solid Rapid Spin user or have a robust hazard plan. The second is a lack of Fairy-types in a metagame with amazing Dragon-types compared to DPP, with Garchomp, Hydreigon, Haxorus, and Kyurem destroying teams unprepared for a Dragon-filled metagame. All these traits place a pretty heavy emphasis on either outgunning the opponent faster, or using hazards and status to shut down explosive threats.
Garchomp - Commonly agreed #1 in the tier, Garchomp's already top tier stats, typing, and movepool are made even more excellent by the absence of checks such as the Lati Twins and Keldeo. Between the numerous options Garchomp has, most notably Choice Scarf, Stealth Rock, Swords Dance, and Mixed, and the difficulty in removing it thanks to its great bulk and Speed, Garchomp has the flexibility and effectiveness to excel in any matchup. Dragon is the best type prior to Fairy, and a complimentary Ground-typing alongside its great bulk lets Garchomp hit the field more effectively and hits the one resistance to Dragons in Steel. This amazing offensive flexibility and reliability makes Garchomp the go-to first pick that is impossible to go wrong with.
Common Items: Yache Berry, Choice Scarf, Life Orb, Haban Berry, Salac Berry
Jirachi - Wielding arguably the best typing pre-XY, a stellar movepool, and an ability that induces frustration on the best of days, Jirachi is another versatile top tier that can fulfill virtually any role a team could possibly wish for. While not the most immediately powerful attacker as a result of its middling 100 attacking stats, Jirachi's wealth of coverage can chunk nearly any swap and the imminent threat of Serene Grace flinches and paralysis make it all the more volatile to answer. This is just considering one of its many sets as well; Jirachi makes an excellent Choice Scarf user with an even faster Iron Head and suite of utility, it can become a hugely threatening stallbreaker with SubCM, contribute to the hazard game with Stealth Rock, and even wall effectively with Wish while dealing out Paralysis and pivoting with U-Turn. Jirachi can truly do it all, and it can improve any single draft considering it, even more reliably than Garchomp and other top tier picks.
Common Items: Leftovers, Choice Scarf, Expert Belt, Shuca Berry
Kyurem-Black - It's absolutely no surprise to see Kyurem-B is coveted as one of the most threatening wallbreakers available. Kyurem-B dwarfs the average statline, wielding a titanic base state total of 700 and 170 base attack, it is no surprise that it is the most powerful and straightforward wallbreaker in the tier. A very common option is Choice Band, whose simplicity does not hold it back in its effectiveness. Clicking Outrage with 723 Attack will net a 2HKO at minimum versus even most Steel-types, and with no Fairy-types around to soak up the hit, this will almost always result in at least a neutral trade, if not Kyurem-B wrecking two Pokemon back-to-back as they fail to KO it through its colossal bulk. Despite this, Kyurem-B is no one-trick pony. Kyurem-B can leverage the threat of a nigh guaranteed KO with Choice Band to set up a Substitute as the opponent sacks a weakened Pokemon, now being forced to give up multiple Pokemon since very few Pokemon can both break the Substitute, survive Kyurem-B's retaliation, and KO it afterwards. While Kyurem-B's Ice-typing and seeming lack of physical STAB for it is at times a hinderance, requiring good hazard control to make the most of it, a great base 120 Special Attack is a viable way to make use of Ice Beam, and Power Herb can utilize an extremely powerful Freeze Shock once. These overwhelming offensive traits make outoffensing Kyurem-B the go-to solution for many players, but a base 95 Speed stat is quite solid as well, allowing Choice Scarf Kyurem-B to flip the script on very offensive compositions and clean up mid- to late-game with a spammable Outrage once the Steel-type has been weakened. Despite the seemingly limited toolkit, Kyurem-B is truly one of the most unpredictable and threatening Pokemon in the tier.
Common Items: Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Life Orb, Choice Specs, Leftovers, Power Herb
Landorus-Therian - Unsurprisingly, the genie of healthy meta rules BW Draft just as he does any other format. Landorus-T's gigantic base attack, balanced stats, and amazing ability are iconic and allows it to fill numerous different roles, often at the same time. Choice Scarf is perhaps the most famous and emblematic of Landorus's versatility, easily pivoting in with its great defensive traits and launching either a huge Earthquake or keeping the momentum with U-Turn. Landorus can also use its aforementioned defensive traits in a much more obvious way. By donning Leftovers and defensive investment, it can use its resistances and Intimidate to check physical attackers while setting Stealth Rock and generating momentum, which it can do multiple times a game thanks to its Spikes-immunity providing great longevity in a hazard-filled metagame. While Landorus is arguably more famous for its utility and defensive roles, its base 145 Attack is still one of the highest in the metagame and Landorus has great tools to use it. Landorus has near perfect coverage with either Stone Edge or Rock Slide alongside Earthquake, which pairs with Swords Dance and Rock Polish for a very dangerous Dual Dance sweeper. Since Landorus is so adept at switching in it can regularly attain both boosts, or it can use a Swords Dance to break down the opponents team early game, before cleaning through their weakened Pokemon late game with Rock Polish. These are the most commonly effective sets, but Landorus's great stats and deep movepool allow it to effectively fulfill many other niche roles such as a Calm Mind or mixed attacker, suicide lead, and Choice Band user. Landorus-T is perhaps the most consistent Pokemon of all time, and the players who draft it will appreciate its stellar performance in nearly any matchup.
Common Items: Choice Scarf, Leftovers, Soft Sand, Yache Berry, Passho Berry, Focus Sash
Terrakion - 129 Attack and 108 Speed alongside a crushing STAB combination makes Terrakion one of the most brutal Pokemon to play around, as it easily justifies its lack of utility with power and speed. Despite the typing's mediocrity on defense, partners sporting U-Turn or Volt Switch can get Terrakion in on opposing walls quickly and reliably, and very few Pokemon are more feared than Terrakion from that position. A Choice Band set is perhaps the best in class immediate threat, OHKOing virtually anything with a correct prediction and taking away over 50% from even resisted hits on faster checks, such as Max HP Starmie switching into Close Combat. Even if you were one of the lucky few to draft a Pokemon able to take on both of its STAB attacks, Terrakion has a perfect moveset to circumvent otherwise solid answers; Earthquake dispatches of the Nidos, X-Scissor tears apart Claydol, and Hidden Power Ice can snipe Landorus-T and Gliscor. I use such specific examples to illustrate how few Pokemon can take on Terrakion, even on paper. In practice, a Swords Dance on the switch or a correctly predicted attack makes Terrakion impossible to reliably check. Terrakion's STAB attacks are so perfectly complimentary, that it can often fit setup or disruption moves alongside coverage. In addition to Swords Dance nigh OHKOing the entire Pokedex, Terrakion's immediacy often allows it to set up a Substitute or Rock Polish as the opponent planned to sacrifice a weakened Pokemon, suddenly exposing their team to another KO or even a sweep. As a cherry on top, Terrakion is a solid cleanup artist with Choice Scarf, as very few late game sweepers outrun it with the Scarf and its strong STABs make revenge killing quite reliable. While not the most versatile of the top dogs, its sheer competency at taking KOs makes for exciting and powerful drafts.
Common Items: Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Life Orb, Lum Berry, Expert Belt, Focus Sash
Excadrill -Excadrill establishes itself in BW Draft not only as a threatening physical wallbreaker, but also a utility champion, often at the same time. Excadrill's base 135 Attack, access to Swords Dance and Rapid Spin, as well as an amazing typing and customizable bulk makes it not only immensely threatening but BW Draft's most consistent weapon against the omnipresent Spikes. Despite its seemingly limited movepool, it can very easily tweak the great options it does have alongside EVs and its item to become deceptively unpredictable. A standard Swords Dance + Rapid Spin set is ever consistent, but Mold Breaker to bypass Levitate and Choice Band Earthquake can put opponents in lethal guessing games very quickly, while Choice Scarf combines a great late game cleaner with early game hazard removal. Excadrill can even make use of its numerous resistances and high HP to run an effective defensive set, packed with hazard removal, Stealth Rock of its own, and still decent damage output. Despite already being a top pick on weatherless drafts, If a team is lucky enough to pick up Tyranitar or Hippowdon, Excadrill's threat potential skyrockets in sand. Sand Force and permanent sand chip elevates Excadrill to obscene levels of power, turning its Swords Dance sets into OHKO machines and accelerating the timer Substitute or Protect + Toxic puts the opponent on. The many types Excadrill resists and Pokemon it threatens to revenge kill makes a Substitute set very potent as well. Toxic can be employed to cripple bulky checks, but if they lack a good answer, Substitute can often force its opponent to sack either an additional Pokemon to handle Excadrill or give it a free Rapid Spin. A long time controversial presence in BW OU, it is no surprise how excellent Excadrill is in BW Draft.
Common Items: Leftovers, Air Balloon, Choice Scarf, Choice Band
Thundurus-Therian - Thundurus-T is in contention for the most lethal Pokemon in the tier thanks to its reliability and unpredictability. Thundurus-T rocks the highest Special Attack in BW Draft, which alongside its great 101 Speed, huge coverage, and setup tools, makes it a ticking time bomb in team preview. The most obvious set to use is Agility, allowing Thundurus-T to use a Modest nature and its immediate power to punch holes in defensive checks for a sweep down the line. Against bulky teams featuring long-term checks to Thundurus-T, it can make use of its many stallbreaking options; Nasty Plot turns Thundurus-T into an OHKO machine and can be paired with Agility for a game ending combination, Taunt shuts down attempts to status it in particular, and U-Turn provides useful chip on its counters while maintaining momentum. This is just scratching the surface of Thundurus-T's options as well, its many viable item choices provide lots of offensive depth, as all of Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, Leftovers, and resist berries are commonly used to circumvent its checks. The sky is the limit with how Thundurus-T can mix and match its options, making it an excellent option for creative and aggressive players.
Common Items: Leftovers, Choice Scarf, Expert Belt, Yache Berry, Sitrus Berry, Lum Berry, Choice Specs, Life Orb
Politoed - The mascot of BW OU and its defining Drizzle makes a splash in BW Draft as the highest value weather condition in the famous weather wars. While Politoed's stats aren't impressive and a mono Water-type isn't unique, the permanent rain it brings is unparalleled support. Whether the payoff is offensive behemoths such as Tornadus and Starmie, unkillable tanks such as Tentacruel and Ferrothorn, or even occasional hybrids such as Toxicroak and Zapdos, Rain has incredible versatility uncharacteristic of its hyper offensive status in later generations. Even Politoed itself is emblematic of this, as it can either run solid supporting sets with Scald, disruption moves such as Encore, and regularly Ice Beam for the dangerous Dragons, or it can directly abuse its own Rain with items such as Choice Specs and Choice Scarf. Rain is perhaps the most punishing team style to run into if ill-prepared, and Politoed is an important piece for not just bringing Drizzle, but providing valuable support and versatility along the way.
Common Items: Leftovers, Chesto Berry, Choice Scarf, Choice Specs
Tyranitar - Every Pokemon player should be familiar with Tyranitar's incredible status across every generation, and BW Draft is only different because its permanent sand is even more impressive than usual. A permanent 1/16th damage every turn to affected Pokemon adds up incredibly quickly, and sand teams are regularly equipped to go the distance with several immunities and lots of longevity. Despite sand teams often leaning into a much more balanced style, Tyranitar is no slouch offensively compared to its fellow sand setter, Hippowdon. Tyranitar has an impressive Attack stat with amazing coverage, bolstered further by solid mixed attacking options and even Taunt and Dragon Dance, allowing Tyranitar to be tailored to each individual matchup and strike at teams from multiple possible angles. Its defensive tools are equally famous, as its already huge bulk becomes legendarily special resilience in its Sand Stream, allowing it to check nearly any special attacker in the game with its natural power and Thunder Wave paralysis while picking them off as they try to flee with Pursuit. Tyranitar's sand even brings direct offensive benefits. While Rain is the first thing that comes to the average player's mind when talking about weather abuse, Sand Force attackers such as Landorus-I and Excadrill are near unwallable in sand, and between the aforementioned sand chip and the Spikes BW is famous for, fast cleaners are very quickly primed for success. For players wanting to control the pace of play and have tools for nearly any situation, very few Pokemon are better suited than Tyranitar.
Common Items: Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Chople Berry, Passho Berry, Lum Berry, Custap Berry, Leftovers, Expert Belt
With BW Draft finally getting a tournament this summer and filling in the hole between the old gens of draft, me and Gypsy wanted to provide a one-stop-shop for beginners of this very fun and unique meta.
The biggest trait to set BW Draft apart is of course the permanent weather wars, with regularly 4-5 teams in a pool opting for one of Sand Stream, Drizzle, Snow Warning, and the occasional Drought. Even teams without an automatic weather setter may keep manual weather setting in mind in order to disrupt their opponents weather-based composition. The permanent chip damage of Sand and Hail and the boosting properties of Rain and Sun would already grant the tier an offensive slant, but two other crucial mechanics help contribute to the fast pace. The first is a lack of Defog alongside many great Spikers, Ghost-types, and Rocky Helmet, which leads to hazard stacking being very prominent, necessitating every team draft a solid Rapid Spin user or have a robust hazard plan. The second is a lack of Fairy-types in a metagame with amazing Dragon-types compared to DPP, with Garchomp, Hydreigon, Haxorus, and Kyurem destroying teams unprepared for a Dragon-filled metagame. All these traits place a pretty heavy emphasis on either outgunning the opponent faster, or using hazards and status to shut down explosive threats.
Similar to BW OU, BW Draft makes use of a complex on weather-based Speed-boosting abilities with their respective weather, which bans Swift Swim alongside Drizzle, Chlorophyll alongside Drought, and Sand Rush alongside Sand Stream. This complex permits manual weather such as Rain Dance alongside Swift Swim.
In addition,
In addition,
- Baton Pass can only be used for momentum, stats may not be passed (Dry Pass only)
- Excadrill may not have the ability Sand Rush
- Landorus-I may not have the ability Sheer Force
- You have up to 90 points with which to draft 8 Pokémon. Costs are listed on your pool’s tab on the drafting spreadsheet.
- If a Pokémon is picked by someone else, you may not pick it.
- For the first round, there is a 12 hour timer. After the first round ends, there will be a continuous 6 hour timer within which you must pick, or you will be skipped, and will be required to make-up your pick when you are next online. All timers are off between 10pm-7am local time (check your pool's pinned message for local time).
- Your timer will halve every time you are skipped. It is recommended to leave picks (with backups) with your pool moderator to avoid this.
- The abilities Drizzle and Swift Swim may not appear on the same team
- The abilities Drought and Chlorophyll may not appear on the same team
- The abilities Sand Stream and Sand Rush may not appear on the same team
- The following Pokémon have access to all of their forms (although you may only bring up to 1 to each battle):
- Wormadam
- Basculin - Smogon’s Species Clause applies to your draft.
- All games must be played in the [Gen 5] Draft tier on smogtours.psim.us or psim.us. Be aware that each game on smogtours starts a timer automatically and cannot be turned off.
- BW cartridge win conditions are in place; there are no ties.
- Each set is a best-of-one set.
- The following clauses apply:
- Sand Veil is banned
- Snow Cloak is banned
- Baton Pass can only be used for momentum, stats may not be passed (Dry Pass only)
- Excadrill may not have the ability Sand Rush
- Landorus-I may not have the ability Sheer Force
- The abilities Drizzle and Swift Swim may not appear on the same team
- The abilities Drought and Chlorophyll may not appear on the same team
- The abilities Sand Stream and Sand Rush may not appear on the same team
- ALL Gems are banned
- Quick Claw, King's Rock, Razor Fang and Bright Powder are banned
- Any items unreleased in BW are banned.
Garchomp - Commonly agreed #1 in the tier, Garchomp's already top tier stats, typing, and movepool are made even more excellent by the absence of checks such as the Lati Twins and Keldeo. Between the numerous options Garchomp has, most notably Choice Scarf, Stealth Rock, Swords Dance, and Mixed, and the difficulty in removing it thanks to its great bulk and Speed, Garchomp has the flexibility and effectiveness to excel in any matchup. Dragon is the best type prior to Fairy, and a complimentary Ground-typing alongside its great bulk lets Garchomp hit the field more effectively and hits the one resistance to Dragons in Steel. This amazing offensive flexibility and reliability makes Garchomp the go-to first pick that is impossible to go wrong with.
Common Items: Yache Berry, Choice Scarf, Life Orb, Haban Berry, Salac Berry
Jirachi - Wielding arguably the best typing pre-XY, a stellar movepool, and an ability that induces frustration on the best of days, Jirachi is another versatile top tier that can fulfill virtually any role a team could possibly wish for. While not the most immediately powerful attacker as a result of its middling 100 attacking stats, Jirachi's wealth of coverage can chunk nearly any swap and the imminent threat of Serene Grace flinches and paralysis make it all the more volatile to answer. This is just considering one of its many sets as well; Jirachi makes an excellent Choice Scarf user with an even faster Iron Head and suite of utility, it can become a hugely threatening stallbreaker with SubCM, contribute to the hazard game with Stealth Rock, and even wall effectively with Wish while dealing out Paralysis and pivoting with U-Turn. Jirachi can truly do it all, and it can improve any single draft considering it, even more reliably than Garchomp and other top tier picks.
Common Items: Leftovers, Choice Scarf, Expert Belt, Shuca Berry
Kyurem-Black - It's absolutely no surprise to see Kyurem-B is coveted as one of the most threatening wallbreakers available. Kyurem-B dwarfs the average statline, wielding a titanic base state total of 700 and 170 base attack, it is no surprise that it is the most powerful and straightforward wallbreaker in the tier. A very common option is Choice Band, whose simplicity does not hold it back in its effectiveness. Clicking Outrage with 723 Attack will net a 2HKO at minimum versus even most Steel-types, and with no Fairy-types around to soak up the hit, this will almost always result in at least a neutral trade, if not Kyurem-B wrecking two Pokemon back-to-back as they fail to KO it through its colossal bulk. Despite this, Kyurem-B is no one-trick pony. Kyurem-B can leverage the threat of a nigh guaranteed KO with Choice Band to set up a Substitute as the opponent sacks a weakened Pokemon, now being forced to give up multiple Pokemon since very few Pokemon can both break the Substitute, survive Kyurem-B's retaliation, and KO it afterwards. While Kyurem-B's Ice-typing and seeming lack of physical STAB for it is at times a hinderance, requiring good hazard control to make the most of it, a great base 120 Special Attack is a viable way to make use of Ice Beam, and Power Herb can utilize an extremely powerful Freeze Shock once. These overwhelming offensive traits make outoffensing Kyurem-B the go-to solution for many players, but a base 95 Speed stat is quite solid as well, allowing Choice Scarf Kyurem-B to flip the script on very offensive compositions and clean up mid- to late-game with a spammable Outrage once the Steel-type has been weakened. Despite the seemingly limited toolkit, Kyurem-B is truly one of the most unpredictable and threatening Pokemon in the tier.
Common Items: Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Life Orb, Choice Specs, Leftovers, Power Herb
Landorus-Therian - Unsurprisingly, the genie of healthy meta rules BW Draft just as he does any other format. Landorus-T's gigantic base attack, balanced stats, and amazing ability are iconic and allows it to fill numerous different roles, often at the same time. Choice Scarf is perhaps the most famous and emblematic of Landorus's versatility, easily pivoting in with its great defensive traits and launching either a huge Earthquake or keeping the momentum with U-Turn. Landorus can also use its aforementioned defensive traits in a much more obvious way. By donning Leftovers and defensive investment, it can use its resistances and Intimidate to check physical attackers while setting Stealth Rock and generating momentum, which it can do multiple times a game thanks to its Spikes-immunity providing great longevity in a hazard-filled metagame. While Landorus is arguably more famous for its utility and defensive roles, its base 145 Attack is still one of the highest in the metagame and Landorus has great tools to use it. Landorus has near perfect coverage with either Stone Edge or Rock Slide alongside Earthquake, which pairs with Swords Dance and Rock Polish for a very dangerous Dual Dance sweeper. Since Landorus is so adept at switching in it can regularly attain both boosts, or it can use a Swords Dance to break down the opponents team early game, before cleaning through their weakened Pokemon late game with Rock Polish. These are the most commonly effective sets, but Landorus's great stats and deep movepool allow it to effectively fulfill many other niche roles such as a Calm Mind or mixed attacker, suicide lead, and Choice Band user. Landorus-T is perhaps the most consistent Pokemon of all time, and the players who draft it will appreciate its stellar performance in nearly any matchup.
Common Items: Choice Scarf, Leftovers, Soft Sand, Yache Berry, Passho Berry, Focus Sash
Terrakion - 129 Attack and 108 Speed alongside a crushing STAB combination makes Terrakion one of the most brutal Pokemon to play around, as it easily justifies its lack of utility with power and speed. Despite the typing's mediocrity on defense, partners sporting U-Turn or Volt Switch can get Terrakion in on opposing walls quickly and reliably, and very few Pokemon are more feared than Terrakion from that position. A Choice Band set is perhaps the best in class immediate threat, OHKOing virtually anything with a correct prediction and taking away over 50% from even resisted hits on faster checks, such as Max HP Starmie switching into Close Combat. Even if you were one of the lucky few to draft a Pokemon able to take on both of its STAB attacks, Terrakion has a perfect moveset to circumvent otherwise solid answers; Earthquake dispatches of the Nidos, X-Scissor tears apart Claydol, and Hidden Power Ice can snipe Landorus-T and Gliscor. I use such specific examples to illustrate how few Pokemon can take on Terrakion, even on paper. In practice, a Swords Dance on the switch or a correctly predicted attack makes Terrakion impossible to reliably check. Terrakion's STAB attacks are so perfectly complimentary, that it can often fit setup or disruption moves alongside coverage. In addition to Swords Dance nigh OHKOing the entire Pokedex, Terrakion's immediacy often allows it to set up a Substitute or Rock Polish as the opponent planned to sacrifice a weakened Pokemon, suddenly exposing their team to another KO or even a sweep. As a cherry on top, Terrakion is a solid cleanup artist with Choice Scarf, as very few late game sweepers outrun it with the Scarf and its strong STABs make revenge killing quite reliable. While not the most versatile of the top dogs, its sheer competency at taking KOs makes for exciting and powerful drafts.
Common Items: Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Life Orb, Lum Berry, Expert Belt, Focus Sash
Excadrill -Excadrill establishes itself in BW Draft not only as a threatening physical wallbreaker, but also a utility champion, often at the same time. Excadrill's base 135 Attack, access to Swords Dance and Rapid Spin, as well as an amazing typing and customizable bulk makes it not only immensely threatening but BW Draft's most consistent weapon against the omnipresent Spikes. Despite its seemingly limited movepool, it can very easily tweak the great options it does have alongside EVs and its item to become deceptively unpredictable. A standard Swords Dance + Rapid Spin set is ever consistent, but Mold Breaker to bypass Levitate and Choice Band Earthquake can put opponents in lethal guessing games very quickly, while Choice Scarf combines a great late game cleaner with early game hazard removal. Excadrill can even make use of its numerous resistances and high HP to run an effective defensive set, packed with hazard removal, Stealth Rock of its own, and still decent damage output. Despite already being a top pick on weatherless drafts, If a team is lucky enough to pick up Tyranitar or Hippowdon, Excadrill's threat potential skyrockets in sand. Sand Force and permanent sand chip elevates Excadrill to obscene levels of power, turning its Swords Dance sets into OHKO machines and accelerating the timer Substitute or Protect + Toxic puts the opponent on. The many types Excadrill resists and Pokemon it threatens to revenge kill makes a Substitute set very potent as well. Toxic can be employed to cripple bulky checks, but if they lack a good answer, Substitute can often force its opponent to sack either an additional Pokemon to handle Excadrill or give it a free Rapid Spin. A long time controversial presence in BW OU, it is no surprise how excellent Excadrill is in BW Draft.
Common Items: Leftovers, Air Balloon, Choice Scarf, Choice Band
Thundurus-Therian - Thundurus-T is in contention for the most lethal Pokemon in the tier thanks to its reliability and unpredictability. Thundurus-T rocks the highest Special Attack in BW Draft, which alongside its great 101 Speed, huge coverage, and setup tools, makes it a ticking time bomb in team preview. The most obvious set to use is Agility, allowing Thundurus-T to use a Modest nature and its immediate power to punch holes in defensive checks for a sweep down the line. Against bulky teams featuring long-term checks to Thundurus-T, it can make use of its many stallbreaking options; Nasty Plot turns Thundurus-T into an OHKO machine and can be paired with Agility for a game ending combination, Taunt shuts down attempts to status it in particular, and U-Turn provides useful chip on its counters while maintaining momentum. This is just scratching the surface of Thundurus-T's options as well, its many viable item choices provide lots of offensive depth, as all of Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, Leftovers, and resist berries are commonly used to circumvent its checks. The sky is the limit with how Thundurus-T can mix and match its options, making it an excellent option for creative and aggressive players.
Common Items: Leftovers, Choice Scarf, Expert Belt, Yache Berry, Sitrus Berry, Lum Berry, Choice Specs, Life Orb
Politoed - The mascot of BW OU and its defining Drizzle makes a splash in BW Draft as the highest value weather condition in the famous weather wars. While Politoed's stats aren't impressive and a mono Water-type isn't unique, the permanent rain it brings is unparalleled support. Whether the payoff is offensive behemoths such as Tornadus and Starmie, unkillable tanks such as Tentacruel and Ferrothorn, or even occasional hybrids such as Toxicroak and Zapdos, Rain has incredible versatility uncharacteristic of its hyper offensive status in later generations. Even Politoed itself is emblematic of this, as it can either run solid supporting sets with Scald, disruption moves such as Encore, and regularly Ice Beam for the dangerous Dragons, or it can directly abuse its own Rain with items such as Choice Specs and Choice Scarf. Rain is perhaps the most punishing team style to run into if ill-prepared, and Politoed is an important piece for not just bringing Drizzle, but providing valuable support and versatility along the way.
Common Items: Leftovers, Chesto Berry, Choice Scarf, Choice Specs
Tyranitar - Every Pokemon player should be familiar with Tyranitar's incredible status across every generation, and BW Draft is only different because its permanent sand is even more impressive than usual. A permanent 1/16th damage every turn to affected Pokemon adds up incredibly quickly, and sand teams are regularly equipped to go the distance with several immunities and lots of longevity. Despite sand teams often leaning into a much more balanced style, Tyranitar is no slouch offensively compared to its fellow sand setter, Hippowdon. Tyranitar has an impressive Attack stat with amazing coverage, bolstered further by solid mixed attacking options and even Taunt and Dragon Dance, allowing Tyranitar to be tailored to each individual matchup and strike at teams from multiple possible angles. Its defensive tools are equally famous, as its already huge bulk becomes legendarily special resilience in its Sand Stream, allowing it to check nearly any special attacker in the game with its natural power and Thunder Wave paralysis while picking them off as they try to flee with Pursuit. Tyranitar's sand even brings direct offensive benefits. While Rain is the first thing that comes to the average player's mind when talking about weather abuse, Sand Force attackers such as Landorus-I and Excadrill are near unwallable in sand, and between the aforementioned sand chip and the Spikes BW is famous for, fast cleaners are very quickly primed for success. For players wanting to control the pace of play and have tools for nearly any situation, very few Pokemon are better suited than Tyranitar.
Common Items: Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Chople Berry, Passho Berry, Lum Berry, Custap Berry, Leftovers, Expert Belt
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