In all honesty, I think we should bring another pokemon to the discussion table.
It's easy to forget defensive threats with a metagame so filled with offense, but there is one defensive pokemon which I feel needs a look at.
Ferrothorn
It dosen't take a second glance to see the effects Ferrothorn has had on the Metagame. It's probobly the most used pokemon on the server. You see random pokemon carrying HP Fire/Fire Attack JUST for Ferrothorn, ones that usually do not even think about carrying a Hidden Power.
I've seen Tyranitar run Superpower. Kingdra, amount others, run HP Fire. Slowbro run Flamethrower. None of these would ever have crossed the minds of players in Gen 4.
Ferrothorn nessessitates that your team carrys a Fire or Fighting attack, and if you lose your Fire/Fighting attack, you lose the game. Simple as that. Ferrothorn can stall you until the cows come home, with both defenses easily able of hitting over 300, at the same time, an excellent typing, and a decent HP stat.
Ferrothorn can also SURVIVE most Fighting moves [It takes something like CB Azumarill's Superpower to kill a Sp.Def Ferrothorn...], and almost all Fire moves in the rain.
However, I hear you cry, he has no reliable recovery! But he has Leech Seed and Protect and Leftovers. With his defensive stats, Ferrothorn can easily stall.
Ferrothorn can also take a more offensive role. Even with no investment, his attack is 224, far higher than most defensive pokemon. He has a BP 120 Grass STAB, and what will often be a BP 120 STAB Gyro Ball. Ferrothorn hits HARD. Then there's a Curse set, which makes use of Ferro's bulk, Leech Seed, and his two STABS to sweep with a wall. Even one Curse boosts univested defense to above 400, and an invested attack stat to almost 350.
Then, there's the support. With such massive bulk and switch-causing ability, Ferrothorn can effortlessly set up Spikes and/or Stealth Rock. He also has Thunder Wave to use with impunity.
Finally, Ferrothorn is almost immune to Stall teams. A last poke Ferro is not going to fall to stall, until it starts to struggle. It's immune to Toxic, and Leech Seed will recover it's HP faster than it will lose it.
---
Long Story Short:
I belive that Ferrothorn may require a suspect test because:
He requires a Fire/Fighting move on all teams to take him down, if this move is lost, you lose, because you will NOT take Ferrothorn down. Even then, he will not be OHKO'ed unless the attack is obscenely powerful.
He can effortlessly set up hazards/Thunder Wave with the switches he causes
He can deal a massive amount of damage for a wall, enough to make setting up on him unviable.
It takes a special kind of defensive mon to be able to wall a large proportion of both the physical and special sides of this metagame.
Oh, and I am aware that without Ferro, Drizzle would almost certainly go, but, I'm really starting to think that Ferrothorn is suspect. You lose if you lose your Fire/Fighting attacker. Simple as that.
It's easy to forget defensive threats with a metagame so filled with offense, but there is one defensive pokemon which I feel needs a look at.
Ferrothorn
It dosen't take a second glance to see the effects Ferrothorn has had on the Metagame. It's probobly the most used pokemon on the server. You see random pokemon carrying HP Fire/Fire Attack JUST for Ferrothorn, ones that usually do not even think about carrying a Hidden Power.
I've seen Tyranitar run Superpower. Kingdra, amount others, run HP Fire. Slowbro run Flamethrower. None of these would ever have crossed the minds of players in Gen 4.
Ferrothorn nessessitates that your team carrys a Fire or Fighting attack, and if you lose your Fire/Fighting attack, you lose the game. Simple as that. Ferrothorn can stall you until the cows come home, with both defenses easily able of hitting over 300, at the same time, an excellent typing, and a decent HP stat.
Ferrothorn can also SURVIVE most Fighting moves [It takes something like CB Azumarill's Superpower to kill a Sp.Def Ferrothorn...], and almost all Fire moves in the rain.
However, I hear you cry, he has no reliable recovery! But he has Leech Seed and Protect and Leftovers. With his defensive stats, Ferrothorn can easily stall.
Ferrothorn can also take a more offensive role. Even with no investment, his attack is 224, far higher than most defensive pokemon. He has a BP 120 Grass STAB, and what will often be a BP 120 STAB Gyro Ball. Ferrothorn hits HARD. Then there's a Curse set, which makes use of Ferro's bulk, Leech Seed, and his two STABS to sweep with a wall. Even one Curse boosts univested defense to above 400, and an invested attack stat to almost 350.
Then, there's the support. With such massive bulk and switch-causing ability, Ferrothorn can effortlessly set up Spikes and/or Stealth Rock. He also has Thunder Wave to use with impunity.
Finally, Ferrothorn is almost immune to Stall teams. A last poke Ferro is not going to fall to stall, until it starts to struggle. It's immune to Toxic, and Leech Seed will recover it's HP faster than it will lose it.
---
Long Story Short:
I belive that Ferrothorn may require a suspect test because:
He requires a Fire/Fighting move on all teams to take him down, if this move is lost, you lose, because you will NOT take Ferrothorn down. Even then, he will not be OHKO'ed unless the attack is obscenely powerful.
He can effortlessly set up hazards/Thunder Wave with the switches he causes
He can deal a massive amount of damage for a wall, enough to make setting up on him unviable.
It takes a special kind of defensive mon to be able to wall a large proportion of both the physical and special sides of this metagame.
Oh, and I am aware that without Ferro, Drizzle would almost certainly go, but, I'm really starting to think that Ferrothorn is suspect. You lose if you lose your Fire/Fighting attacker. Simple as that.