• Follow our Instagram!
  • Curious about what we're currently doing about bots? Check out the latest updates from staff in this thread.

Resource SV OU Simple Questions, Simple Answers Thread

Why is Kingambit still allowed?

It isn’t broken because it’s unbeatable. It’s broken because it makes the first 90% of the game matter less than the last 10%.

You spend 30 turns building an advantage, preserving resources, and positioning your win conditions. Your opponent sacks half their team, Supreme Overlord activates, Gambit Teras, and suddenly the game comes down to whether you win a couple of Sucker Punch interactions.

When a mon consistently turns earned advantages into guessing contests, that’s not competitive depth. That’s variance masquerading as skill.

Isn’t Smogon’s philosophy supposed to reward consistent play and better decision-making? Kingambit often does the exact opposite by compressing an entire game into a handful of endgame guesses.

I’d share some replays of the recent games I should have won but got lowballed by this one Pokémon, but I’m too for real salty to do so.
 
WhiteQueen said:
Why is Kingambit still allowed?

It isn’t broken because it’s unbeatable. It’s broken because it makes the first 90% of the game matter less than the last 10%.

You spend 30 turns building an advantage, preserving resources, and positioning your win conditions. Your opponent sacks half their team, Supreme Overlord activates, Gambit Teras, and suddenly the game comes down to whether you win a couple of Sucker Punch interactions.

When a mon consistently turns earned advantages into guessing contests, that’s not competitive depth. That’s variance masquerading as skill.

Isn’t Smogon’s philosophy supposed to reward consistent play and better decision-making? Kingambit often does the exact opposite by compressing an entire game into a handful of endgame guesses.

I’d share some replays of the recent games I should have won but got lowballed by this one Pokémon, but I’m too for real salty to do so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse...
Honestly, I think you're describing exactly why so many people still have a problem with Kingambit.

The discussion always gets framed around whether it's "broken" in the traditional sense, but that's not really the point. A Pokémon doesn't have to be unbeatable to be unhealthy. What matters is how it affects the way games are decided.

Kingambit has a unique ability to invalidate advantages that were earned over the course of an entire match. You can outposition your opponent, preserve key resources, make the better trades, and generally play the cleaner game for 90% of the battle, only for everything to funnel into a Supreme Overlord-boosted endgame where a few Sucker Punch guesses determine the result.

That's what makes it feel so frustrating. The better player can do a lot right and still be forced into a sequence where the reward for dozens of turns of good decision-making is reduced to a coin-flip-esque interaction. Even when there is skill involved in those endgames, the amount of influence Kingambit has over them feels wildly disproportionate to the amount of work that went into building an advantage beforehand.

Smogon's tiering philosophy is supposed to value consistency and reward players for making better decisions over the course of a game. Kingambit often does the opposite by concentrating an enormous amount of power into the very end of the match, where one wrong call can erase an otherwise well-played game.

So yeah, I don't think the argument has ever been "Kingambit is unbeatable." It's that Kingambit too often turns games that should already be decided into guessing contests, and that's a legitimate competitive concern.
 
ironwater said:
This thread is for simple questions that need relatively simple answers. Quote the question you are answering to help keep things organized. If you were considering making a thread to ask "Why was Magearna unbanned???" or "Was Recover nerfed?" I'd recommend asking those questions here instead. For simple questions related to Smogon ask here. For in-game help / info check the Orange Islands subforum; the OU subforum is for competitive discussion only.

As a reminder because something like this is posted often:
  • In threads discussing the metagame, do not assume any particular Pokémon nor abilities are banned. Additionally, do not suggest that certain Pokémon or abilities should be banned, suspected, or that they will probably be banned. Finally, do not post predictions on which Pokémon or abilities will be banned. Likewise, don't suggest that certain Pokémon or abilities should be unbanned.
  • Do NOT talk about dropping Pokemon from Ubers. This is not the place for that. PM a council member if you want more information.
Please make sure to read the FAQ below before asking your question. It may already be covered.
Q: Why is X not implemented correctly on PS?
Implementing a new generation on PS is a lot of work and everything won't be coded properly on the first days. PS developpers are working on it, and some mechanics need to be tested in game first before being implemented, which takes more time.

Q: Why is X banned/not banned yet?
OU council is keeping a close eye on the metagame and how it evolves. Things are always a bit chaotic on new gen start, but unhealthy and broken Pokemon/mechanics will end being banned or suspect tested sooner or later. This thread is not a place to ask for specific bans/unbans. If you want to see the reasonning on a banned Pokemon, lurk a bit in the forum and you should find a thread about its ban.

Q: Is X Pokemon viable in OU?
A Viability Rankings thread will be made as soon as we are able to rank all the Pokemon of this new metagame properly. This thread lists all the viable Pokemon in OU and rank them in category from the most viable to the least viable.

Q: Where can I find usage stats?
Usage stats can be found here. Naviguate through the months and select the tier you want to see (like gen9ou). Please note that they are updated at the end of each month, and the first SV usage stats in november will only cover a few days of a very chaotic metagame.

Q: What is a suspect test?
In order to decide if a given Pokemon/move/mechanic should be banned or unbanned from the tier, the council can decide to let the community vote through a process called a suspect test. During two weeks, you will have to play on the OU ladder under a new username using a given prefix to try reaching requirements which are a minimum GXE for a given number of games played. Posting a proof of reaching these requirements will allow you to take part to a vote to decide the outcome of the suspect test.

Q: I made this team, can I have advices to improve it?
This is not the place to ask for feedback on your team and you should make a thread in the RMT forum instead. Please make sure to read their rules before doing so, and in particular to add some description to your team in order to help raters understand your choices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse...
"Hey, never played OU before (only Random Battles) but I want to start, and I'd love to use Weavile. Can anyone share basic, beginner-friendly teams for weavile OU, or just like the best pokemon to pair weavile with?
 
Hi guys, first post on Smogon. I kinda suck at the game and I had a question.

I've been using this team, which is based on the Choice Specs Darkrai + Ogerpon Balance by CTC sample team with very minor changes :
Darkrai @ Choice Specs
Ability: Bad Dreams
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Focus Blast
- Trick œ

Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail

Alomomola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Flip Turn
- Aqua Jet
- Mirror Coat
- Body Slam

Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 228 HP / 28 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 16 Spe
- U-turn
- Defog
- Roost
- Body Press

Weezing-Galar @ Leftovers
Ability: Neutralizing Gas
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Defog
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp

Ogerpon (F) @ Scope Lens
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ivy Cudgel
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Encore
How can I make the matchup into Corviknight easier ? I kinda struggle against enemy Corvs.
First post here, sorry if I'm doing this wrong or if this isn't the right place for that.
 
MrAntiMatter_ said:
Hi guys, first post on Smogon. I kinda suck at the game and I had a question.

I've been using this team, which is based on the Choice Specs Darkrai + Ogerpon Balance by CTC sample team with very minor changes :
Darkrai @ Choice Specs
Ability: Bad Dreams
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Focus Blast
- Trick œ

Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail

Alomomola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Flip Turn
- Aqua Jet
- Mirror Coat
- Body Slam

Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 228 HP / 28 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 16 Spe
- U-turn
- Defog
- Roost
- Body Press

Weezing-Galar @ Leftovers
Ability: Neutralizing Gas
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Defog
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp

Ogerpon (F) @ Scope Lens
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ivy Cudgel
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Encore
How can I make the matchup into Corviknight easier ? I kinda struggle against enemy Corvs.
First post here, sorry if I'm doing this wrong or if this isn't the right place for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse...
Corviknight can't do anything to Weezing, that is a free Wisp opportunity. Also, you can try to Trick it with Darkarai. Once it's Burned, Dragon Tail it out of there with Garchomp. It seems to me that the issue that you've been having is that you've been trying to sweep too early with Ogerpon, and have been getting hard walled. You have to learn to identify what is stopping you from a potential win condition, and focus on neutralizing/eliminating it before you go for the win.
 
Pffbear said:
"Hey, never played OU before (only Random Battles) but I want to start, and I'd love to use Weavile. Can anyone share basic, beginner-friendly teams for weavile OU, or just like the best pokemon to pair weavile with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse...
Sorry no one else has gotten back to you with anything yet (from what I could see,) here is an RMT with a Choice Band Weavile that got quite high on the ladder, I recommend checking it out: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threa...olcanion-peaked-1-2117.3778442/#post-10905119
 
Pokelee said:
Corviknight can't do anything to Weezing, that is a free Wisp opportunity. Also, you can try to Trick it with Darkarai. Once it's Burned, Dragon Tail it out of there with Garchomp. It seems to me that the issue that you've been having is that you've been trying to sweep too early with Ogerpon, and have been getting hard walled. You have to learn to identify what is stopping you from a potential win condition, and focus on neutralizing/eliminating it before you go for the win.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse...
Thank you for the answer. I had another question : why does Corviknight run 16 speed IV on this team ? Is it to underspeed specific pokemons ? Which one then ?
 
MrAntiMatter_ said:
Thank you for the answer. I had another question : why does Corviknight run 16 speed IV on this team ? Is it to underspeed specific pokemons ? Which one then ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse...
It underspeeds no speed base 60s, which are the likes of galarian weezing, primarina and clefable (can also include ttar but that itself goes -speed for defensive sets and offensive sets naturally outspeed). This means you can get off a slow u-turn, ensuring you can get in teammates safely (that being darkrai and ogerpon).
 
I'm having trouble navigating the site, can somebody point me to the direction of the team builder sub forum?

I'm looking for help crafting a team revolving around pivoting (fast and slow pivots) and hazard stacking, leaning towards balance (hopefully featuring Meowscarada and NOT Ogerpon, but I won't be a brat over it). Is there a functional sample team combining these ideas? Something I can build off off while getting used to the metagame.
 
Infernal Parade indeed affects all status. Thats why in my opinion, status moves/abilities (like Status Zapdos) will achieve better results as Hisuian Typhlosion partners than Sun ever will.
 
Pokemongift said:
Maybe it’s because we’ve been looking at Serebii all day, but there are moves that have status in them. Like Infestation’s says “Gives the target the Bound status.” Is that a status condition? Is Attract, Confusion, Taunt? We think IP is supposed to be spammed, hence the description is worded that way, but it reads like you won’t be able to burn the target. We think it’s a major status.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse...
Nope non of those count. Only sleep, freeze, burn, paralysis, poison and badly poisoned count
 
Pokemongift said:
Maybe it’s because we’ve been looking at Serebii all day, but there are moves that have status in them. Like Infestation’s says “Gives the target the Bound status.” Is that a status condition? Is Attract, Confusion, Taunt? We think IP is supposed to be spammed, hence the description is worded that way, but it reads like you won’t be able to burn the target. We think it’s a major status.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse...
In Champions, all hazards, trapping and anything like that are classified as statuses. Serebii is using the Champions description for the moves.
 
phpp said:
can someone share a serperior team? I tried to adapt one from an old Pinkacross video but without tera blast it is being too rough
Click to expand...
Click to collapse...
:rillaboom: :serperior: :heatran: :gholdengo: :zamazenta: :great tusk:This is a team from our previous batch of OU samples found here.
:rillaboom: :serperior: :dragonite: :kingambit: :deoxys-speed: :hawlucha: This is a team from this SV OU Bazaar thread post.
:serperior: :kingambit: :corviknight: :landorus-therian: :garganacl: :slowking-galar: This is a team from this SV OU Bazaar thread post.

Hope these work for you
 
oops

i mean to send this

Get Mogged (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scorching Sands
- U-turn
- Taunt

Rain No-No (Ogerpon-Wellspring) (F) @ Wellspring Mask
Ability: Water Absorb
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Ivy Cudgel
- Trailblaze
- Superpower

UNO REVERSE! (Cinderace) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Blaze
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 224 HP / 32 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- U-turn
- Court Change
- Will-O-Wisp

Coin Flip (Raging Bolt) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 20 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderclap
- Volt Switch

Exodia! (Kingambit) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Supreme Overlord
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Kowtow Cleave
- Iron Head

Nuh Uh (Hatterene) @ Eject Button
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 244 SpD / 12 Spe
Calm Nature
- Healing Wish
- Psychic Noise
- Dazzling Gleam
- Nuzzle
 
SpinoRaptor2023 said:
oops

i mean to send this

Get Mogged (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scorching Sands
- U-turn
- Taunt

Rain No-No (Ogerpon-Wellspring) (F) @ Wellspring Mask
Ability: Water Absorb
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Ivy Cudgel
- Trailblaze
- Superpower

UNO REVERSE! (Cinderace) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Blaze
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 224 HP / 32 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- U-turn
- Court Change
- Will-O-Wisp

Coin Flip (Raging Bolt) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 20 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderclap
- Volt Switch

Exodia! (Kingambit) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Supreme Overlord
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Kowtow Cleave
- Iron Head

Nuh Uh (Hatterene) @ Eject Button
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 244 SpD / 12 Spe
Calm Nature
- Healing Wish
- Psychic Noise
- Dazzling Gleam
- Nuzzle
Click to expand...
Click to collapse...
3 seems quite cool
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top