And then i switch Scarfed Primeape which outspeeds +1 and hit it with fire punch.
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Rarely Used (RU) Tier
- Thread starter Rising_Dusk
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And then i switch Scarfed Primeape which outspeeds +1 and hit it with fire punch.
No, it's a real tier between UU and NU; not a banlist.
Scarf Primeape +1 OHKO's Venomoth with Fire Punch? I feel like a Scarf Primeape's Fire Punch wouldn't be very potent.
I like how a guy called Typhlosion ignores that Typhlosion is also faster and will definantly KO.
Well, I thought I'd finally stop lurking the site and actually contribute a little bit, lol. Weather teams are definitely underrated in RU. Although it's not super amazing, I've consistantly been staying in the top 150 (peaked 73 tonight) with my Hail team in RU :3 While it does have a lot to contend with what with all the HP Fires and the Primeapes and Hitmonchans running around, it's actually been doing fairly well for me
To add on to that, rain teams are extremely broken. There's no other weather in RU, unless you're actually weird enough to manually set up sun or sand <_<
In all the time I spent playing the past 2 days, I've only ran into 2 Rain Teams the entire time that I was perfecting my team. Never ran into another Hail team either. But yeah, rain is pretty rediculous, both times I faced it were probably the toughest battles I had in the entire tier, and also the closest games I had (I'm pretty sure both ended either 1-0 or 2-0)
Ya, but I feel Primeape is a better pokemon overall.
I haven't seen many Rain teams on the ladder thus far, but there was one in particular that cured me of ever wanting to see another. Rain is extremely nasty, though if you build to just totally sweep with everything you end up losing to stuff like SD Unburden Sceptile (conveniently, I'm using that...) or even the more popular stuff with priority, like Honchkrow. I get the sense that a lot of RU players are ignoring the big threats, focusing too much on Bug spam. This leaves them really vulnerable to SpD Aggron (who recommended that to me? I have to thank him...) and things of that nature, while they don't use the hugely problematic Pokemon like Swords Dance Sceptile, and CB Entei, and Shell Smash anything. Half the teams I see don't even have a good solution to SubCM Cresselia, which I though was one of the more obvious Pokemon to use. I've seen hardly any Alakazam discussion at all, and Alakazam is by far the Pokemon that gives me the most trouble.
After playing this metagame almost constantly for the past week, I have a pretty decent idea of some of the bigger threats here, so this is going to be a series of mini analyses that can hopefully help some people get into this metagame.
Offensive Threats:
Honchkrow
This guy can run Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Mixed or Physical All Out Life Orb, or Bulky Sub, and all of them are extremely strong. Even a Nasty Plot set is probably viable for shock value alone. My personal favorite is the Bulky Sub Krow, but personal preference is for a different discussion. This guy's Brave Birds are extremely strong, and you have to watch out for his Sucker Punches as well. The best stop to this is Eviolite Rhydon or Rhyperior, who laughs at the Brave Birds and doesn't care about Sucker Punch as he attempts to use Stone Edge. Superpower does decent damage as it is on a lot of Honchkrow's sets, but it's not even a 2hko on Rhyperior and DEFINITELY not on that Eviolite Rhydon. Honch usually isn't that bulky (unless its the sub set), so priority can do a number on it in the forms of Mach Punch from various mons in the meta. Honch is also quite slow so it can be revenge killed by most speedy things that aren't afraid of Sucker Punch, which makes Primeape an excellent revenge killer (but obviously you can't switch him into a Brave Bird). A good partner for Honchkrow on your own teams is definitely a rapid spinner, as Honch does not enjoy Life Orb damage + Stealth Rock damage + Brave Bird recoil, which can severely hamper his sweep. Claydol has decent synergy with Honchkrow, being immune to electric and resisting rock attacks. Claydol can also work to set up his own Stealth Rocks to hamper the opposing team.
The Quiver Dancers - Venomoth, Lilligant
These are the two most viable Quiver Dancers in the tier, but really anything with Quiver Dance can cause havoc (lol Butterfree). Both of these function mostly in the same way and both have merits to being used over the other. Regardless, Quiver Dance boosts speed, special attack, and special defense, and after one or two of these you really can't expect to be killing them with a special move. Furthermore, both of these Pokemon commonly run Sleep Powder to eliminate their counters (which there are not very many of). Venomoth has Tinted Lens which ignores resistances and makes its Bug Buzzes absurdly hard to stop, and Lilligant has Own Tempo Petal Dance or Giga Drain for either massive damage or recovery to help increase the longevity of their sweeps. They are both perfectly capable of running bulky RestTalk sets and all-out offensive sweeping sets, and both are extremely powerful in this metagame. The best way to stop the sweeping sets is to inflict them with a status (paralyze or burn, since Venomoth can't be toxiced) or hit them with a speedy scarf user before they accumulate multiple Quiver Dances. Scarf Typhlosion outspeeds Venomoth after +1, but I don't think he outspeeds max speed Lilligant (correct me if I'm wrong. Either way, Lilligant usually won't do too much to Typhlosion). Typhlosion can then attack with a strong super effective fire attack and decimate the dancers. The Rest Talking sets are much more difficult to stop, and you have to be on top of your game against them and knock them out before they start getting too powerful. You can weaken them so they use Rest and hope the Sleep Talk doesn't hit their attacking move while you try to pummel them with a Brave Bird or something, but that can be very risky at times. Basically you just can't let the RestTalking sets get set up. In the realm of walling these Pokemon, Eviolite Munchlax is a pretty sure bet, and he can phaze both out with Whirlwind. You only have to be wary of Sleep Powder. Moltres can sometimes wall them depending on the set, but if people catch on to my Lilligant set that uses HP Rock, Moltres will definitely not be walling anytime soon. Venomoth likes a Rapid Spinning partner since she has a Stealth Rock weakness, and Lilligant appreciates a lack of Toxic Spikes on the field since she is very susceptible to those.
Yanmega
Pretty much the biggest menace in the entire tier. He is capable of running two extremely powerful sets: a speed booster, and a SpecsLens set. Both sets are incredibly powerful, and if you don't have the right check/counter on your team, you WILL get swept. The Speed Boost set uses Protect to get a boost and then will be outspeeded by basically nothing, and Yanmega will be free to fire off Bug Buzzes and Air Slashes (and then a third move which is up in the air. Giga Drain is the best option, imo). Yanmega has a high special attack stat, so it's very hard to wall this guy. The SpecsLens set is, imo, more devastating. With Tinted Lens, nothing resists Yanmega's Bug Buzz, so it's nearly impossible to take. The best counter to both sets is Eviolite Munchlax, who can fire back a Rock Slide or simply phaze Yanmega out. Rotom-S is a good stopper of the Speed Boost set, but can't take the SpecsLens's Bug Buzzes. Electrode is immune to Bug Buzz, resists Air Slash, and fire back with super effective electric attacks, but can't take HP Ground if that's Yanmega's third coverage move. Specially Defensive Gastrodon can tank a few hits as long as Yanmega isn't running Giga Drain, but is not going to enjoy Specs boosted Bug Buzzes. Basically, the Speed Boost set has a few decent checks, but there really isn't any counter to the SpecsLens set. In terms of teammates for Yanmega, once again a spinner is appreciated, but most people run Yanmega in the lead position so the 4x Stealth Rocks weakness can't be exploited.
Sharpedo
Sharpedo is another Speed Booster that wreaks havoc in this tier, and is even more dangerous in the rain. The most threatening set is his Mixed set, with Surf/Crunch/Ice Beam/Protect, of which there aren't a ton of counters too. The best answer is Eviolite Ferroseed, who walls basically any Sharpedo set to death. Tangela doesn't have a problem either if Sharpedo doesn't have Ice Beam, but it often does have Ice Beam which poses a problem. Blastoise is a great tanking check, and can even burn Sharpedo with Scald to severely hamper its efficiency. Gastrodon is another excellent answer, as he is immune to water attacks and is bulky enough to take the other attacks Sharpedo can throw at him. Sharpedo is also weak to fighting priority, which makes Hitmonchan or anything else with Mach Punch a pretty good answer.
Durant
The best way to stop Durant is to just hit it with basically anything. Seriously, it is that frail. However, if you're facing a good Durant player that eliminates your priority users and scarf mons, you're in for some hurt, because Hone Claws Hustle Durant will slaughter basically anything in the tier. Iron Head/X Scissor/Stone Edge are its usual coverage moves, and are more than enough to decimate almost anything in sight. Eviolite Gligar is a great answer, as he can tank a hit and Roost of the damage with no problem, but he can't do a whole lot back, and if Durant tries to set up another Hone Claw or two, Gligar will be in serious trouble. Most Scarf Pokemon, like Scarf Typhlosion, will have no trouble KO'ing Durant, as Durant is incredibly frail.
Rhydon/Rhyperior
Rhydon and Rhyperior are serious heavy hitters in this tier. Earthquake and Stone Edge are the only coverage moves they really need to achieve excellent coverage. The common sets are Rock Polish, SubSD, or a simple tank that sets up Stealth Rock and Phazes (some sets might even try to use both Rock Polish AND Swords Dance. If that player manages to set this up on you...good luck. You'll need it). Every set Rhyperior uses is walled by Eviolite Ferroseed, Tangela, and Gligar (if you haven't noticed, it's good to run one of these three on your team). One of the best ways to take care of any Rhyperior set that's not the Rock Polish set is by simply using something faster than it (which is basically everything) that can exploit one of Rhyperior's 4x weaknesses (water and grass). Blastoise is a great tanking answer, while Sharpedo basically uses Rhyperior as set up fodder. The differences between Rhydon and Rhyperior are simply a matter of more defenses versus leftovers recovery. It's really the same issue as Blissey versus Eviolite Chansey. Players that plan on using one of these Pokemon as a utility Pokemon or a Rock Polisher should use Rhyperior, but the SubSD is probably more potent on Rhydon as he can tank almost any physical attack in existence, and most won't even break his sub.
Galvantula
Another bug type! (Noticing a pattern?) Galvantula's best set is his Choice Specs set, where he uses Compound Eyes to boost his accuracy so he can fire off Thunders all over the place. Some players use Expert Belt to give the allusion that he's holding Specs to take a player by surprise, so take that into account. Usually the coverage moves used are Thunder/Bug Buzz/Energy Ball/HP Fire, and these moves provide excellent coverage in this metagame. Once again, Munchlax is the premier special wall in the tier and can tank Galvantula's hits fairly well. If our electric spider is choiced, you can switch around to take resisted or immune hits, such as switching in Rhyperior on a Thunder. If you're putting Galvantula on your team, you want a spinner so you can keep bringing in your spider to fire off those Thunders since Galvantula is susceptible to every type of entry hazard.
Alakazam
A menace of destruction that almost no one uses (I used him to get up to top 20 on the ladder). The best set, in my opinion, is SubCm with Psychock and Focus Blast. With this, Alakazam can use his insane speed to set up a quick Sub and get fast Calm Minds in until he isn't even touched by Special Attackers. Psyshock is used over Psychic to make this a Cresselia killer; most Cresselia like to try and set up Calm Minds alongside you, thinking it's going to be a stalemate in the end. But then you surprise them by hitting them for over 50% with a +6 Psychock. Still, considering how common bug types are in this tier, Alakazam gets faced with some tough situations quite often. Things with strong priority like Choice Band Entei can knock Alakazam out of commission. Frankly, physical attackers that are faster than Alakazam in general are a bit of a problem. Yanmega hurts Alakazam bad after it gets some Speed Boosts and the ability to outspeed Zam.
Rain
This is very general, because there are multiple viable rain sweepers. Rain as a whole is very powerful and arguably broken in this tier. You will often see Electrode setting up an 8-turn monsoon of destruction where Shell Smash Omastars, Ludicolos, and Swords Dancing Kabutopses rip our face in half. There aren't many good answers to this besides trying to stall out the rain. Rain Dish Blastoise does well against everything but Ludicolo. Running a Rain Dish Ludicolo on your own team can help wall the sweepers. Pokemon with the Cloud Nine ability can help by getting rid of the rain (so Golduck and Lickilicky I think...nothing else <_<). Eviolite Ferroseed and Tangela wall the offensive rain sweepers but are in serious trouble if they face anything special. If you survive the initial rain onslaught, try to KO the Pokemon that set the rain up before they can get it off so you don't have to feel the pain again. Another decent answer to rain is Sharpedo, who can use your opponent's rain to fire off boosted Surfs, and can let Speed Boost accumulate until he's faster than the rain sweepers (Yanmega is in the same boat here to an extent, and can use Giga Drain and Bug Buzz to kill off Omastar, Kabutops, and Ludicolo).
I'll work on defensive threats later. And if there are more offensive stuff people think of...let me know.
Offensive Threats:
Honchkrow
This guy can run Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Mixed or Physical All Out Life Orb, or Bulky Sub, and all of them are extremely strong. Even a Nasty Plot set is probably viable for shock value alone. My personal favorite is the Bulky Sub Krow, but personal preference is for a different discussion. This guy's Brave Birds are extremely strong, and you have to watch out for his Sucker Punches as well. The best stop to this is Eviolite Rhydon or Rhyperior, who laughs at the Brave Birds and doesn't care about Sucker Punch as he attempts to use Stone Edge. Superpower does decent damage as it is on a lot of Honchkrow's sets, but it's not even a 2hko on Rhyperior and DEFINITELY not on that Eviolite Rhydon. Honch usually isn't that bulky (unless its the sub set), so priority can do a number on it in the forms of Mach Punch from various mons in the meta. Honch is also quite slow so it can be revenge killed by most speedy things that aren't afraid of Sucker Punch, which makes Primeape an excellent revenge killer (but obviously you can't switch him into a Brave Bird). A good partner for Honchkrow on your own teams is definitely a rapid spinner, as Honch does not enjoy Life Orb damage + Stealth Rock damage + Brave Bird recoil, which can severely hamper his sweep. Claydol has decent synergy with Honchkrow, being immune to electric and resisting rock attacks. Claydol can also work to set up his own Stealth Rocks to hamper the opposing team.
The Quiver Dancers - Venomoth, Lilligant
These are the two most viable Quiver Dancers in the tier, but really anything with Quiver Dance can cause havoc (lol Butterfree). Both of these function mostly in the same way and both have merits to being used over the other. Regardless, Quiver Dance boosts speed, special attack, and special defense, and after one or two of these you really can't expect to be killing them with a special move. Furthermore, both of these Pokemon commonly run Sleep Powder to eliminate their counters (which there are not very many of). Venomoth has Tinted Lens which ignores resistances and makes its Bug Buzzes absurdly hard to stop, and Lilligant has Own Tempo Petal Dance or Giga Drain for either massive damage or recovery to help increase the longevity of their sweeps. They are both perfectly capable of running bulky RestTalk sets and all-out offensive sweeping sets, and both are extremely powerful in this metagame. The best way to stop the sweeping sets is to inflict them with a status (paralyze or burn, since Venomoth can't be toxiced) or hit them with a speedy scarf user before they accumulate multiple Quiver Dances. Scarf Typhlosion outspeeds Venomoth after +1, but I don't think he outspeeds max speed Lilligant (correct me if I'm wrong. Either way, Lilligant usually won't do too much to Typhlosion). Typhlosion can then attack with a strong super effective fire attack and decimate the dancers. The Rest Talking sets are much more difficult to stop, and you have to be on top of your game against them and knock them out before they start getting too powerful. You can weaken them so they use Rest and hope the Sleep Talk doesn't hit their attacking move while you try to pummel them with a Brave Bird or something, but that can be very risky at times. Basically you just can't let the RestTalking sets get set up. In the realm of walling these Pokemon, Eviolite Munchlax is a pretty sure bet, and he can phaze both out with Whirlwind. You only have to be wary of Sleep Powder. Moltres can sometimes wall them depending on the set, but if people catch on to my Lilligant set that uses HP Rock, Moltres will definitely not be walling anytime soon. Venomoth likes a Rapid Spinning partner since she has a Stealth Rock weakness, and Lilligant appreciates a lack of Toxic Spikes on the field since she is very susceptible to those.
Yanmega
Pretty much the biggest menace in the entire tier. He is capable of running two extremely powerful sets: a speed booster, and a SpecsLens set. Both sets are incredibly powerful, and if you don't have the right check/counter on your team, you WILL get swept. The Speed Boost set uses Protect to get a boost and then will be outspeeded by basically nothing, and Yanmega will be free to fire off Bug Buzzes and Air Slashes (and then a third move which is up in the air. Giga Drain is the best option, imo). Yanmega has a high special attack stat, so it's very hard to wall this guy. The SpecsLens set is, imo, more devastating. With Tinted Lens, nothing resists Yanmega's Bug Buzz, so it's nearly impossible to take. The best counter to both sets is Eviolite Munchlax, who can fire back a Rock Slide or simply phaze Yanmega out. Rotom-S is a good stopper of the Speed Boost set, but can't take the SpecsLens's Bug Buzzes. Electrode is immune to Bug Buzz, resists Air Slash, and fire back with super effective electric attacks, but can't take HP Ground if that's Yanmega's third coverage move. Specially Defensive Gastrodon can tank a few hits as long as Yanmega isn't running Giga Drain, but is not going to enjoy Specs boosted Bug Buzzes. Basically, the Speed Boost set has a few decent checks, but there really isn't any counter to the SpecsLens set. In terms of teammates for Yanmega, once again a spinner is appreciated, but most people run Yanmega in the lead position so the 4x Stealth Rocks weakness can't be exploited.
Sharpedo
Sharpedo is another Speed Booster that wreaks havoc in this tier, and is even more dangerous in the rain. The most threatening set is his Mixed set, with Surf/Crunch/Ice Beam/Protect, of which there aren't a ton of counters too. The best answer is Eviolite Ferroseed, who walls basically any Sharpedo set to death. Tangela doesn't have a problem either if Sharpedo doesn't have Ice Beam, but it often does have Ice Beam which poses a problem. Blastoise is a great tanking check, and can even burn Sharpedo with Scald to severely hamper its efficiency. Gastrodon is another excellent answer, as he is immune to water attacks and is bulky enough to take the other attacks Sharpedo can throw at him. Sharpedo is also weak to fighting priority, which makes Hitmonchan or anything else with Mach Punch a pretty good answer.
Durant
The best way to stop Durant is to just hit it with basically anything. Seriously, it is that frail. However, if you're facing a good Durant player that eliminates your priority users and scarf mons, you're in for some hurt, because Hone Claws Hustle Durant will slaughter basically anything in the tier. Iron Head/X Scissor/Stone Edge are its usual coverage moves, and are more than enough to decimate almost anything in sight. Eviolite Gligar is a great answer, as he can tank a hit and Roost of the damage with no problem, but he can't do a whole lot back, and if Durant tries to set up another Hone Claw or two, Gligar will be in serious trouble. Most Scarf Pokemon, like Scarf Typhlosion, will have no trouble KO'ing Durant, as Durant is incredibly frail.
Rhydon/Rhyperior
Rhydon and Rhyperior are serious heavy hitters in this tier. Earthquake and Stone Edge are the only coverage moves they really need to achieve excellent coverage. The common sets are Rock Polish, SubSD, or a simple tank that sets up Stealth Rock and Phazes (some sets might even try to use both Rock Polish AND Swords Dance. If that player manages to set this up on you...good luck. You'll need it). Every set Rhyperior uses is walled by Eviolite Ferroseed, Tangela, and Gligar (if you haven't noticed, it's good to run one of these three on your team). One of the best ways to take care of any Rhyperior set that's not the Rock Polish set is by simply using something faster than it (which is basically everything) that can exploit one of Rhyperior's 4x weaknesses (water and grass). Blastoise is a great tanking answer, while Sharpedo basically uses Rhyperior as set up fodder. The differences between Rhydon and Rhyperior are simply a matter of more defenses versus leftovers recovery. It's really the same issue as Blissey versus Eviolite Chansey. Players that plan on using one of these Pokemon as a utility Pokemon or a Rock Polisher should use Rhyperior, but the SubSD is probably more potent on Rhydon as he can tank almost any physical attack in existence, and most won't even break his sub.
Galvantula
Another bug type! (Noticing a pattern?) Galvantula's best set is his Choice Specs set, where he uses Compound Eyes to boost his accuracy so he can fire off Thunders all over the place. Some players use Expert Belt to give the allusion that he's holding Specs to take a player by surprise, so take that into account. Usually the coverage moves used are Thunder/Bug Buzz/Energy Ball/HP Fire, and these moves provide excellent coverage in this metagame. Once again, Munchlax is the premier special wall in the tier and can tank Galvantula's hits fairly well. If our electric spider is choiced, you can switch around to take resisted or immune hits, such as switching in Rhyperior on a Thunder. If you're putting Galvantula on your team, you want a spinner so you can keep bringing in your spider to fire off those Thunders since Galvantula is susceptible to every type of entry hazard.
Alakazam
A menace of destruction that almost no one uses (I used him to get up to top 20 on the ladder). The best set, in my opinion, is SubCm with Psychock and Focus Blast. With this, Alakazam can use his insane speed to set up a quick Sub and get fast Calm Minds in until he isn't even touched by Special Attackers. Psyshock is used over Psychic to make this a Cresselia killer; most Cresselia like to try and set up Calm Minds alongside you, thinking it's going to be a stalemate in the end. But then you surprise them by hitting them for over 50% with a +6 Psychock. Still, considering how common bug types are in this tier, Alakazam gets faced with some tough situations quite often. Things with strong priority like Choice Band Entei can knock Alakazam out of commission. Frankly, physical attackers that are faster than Alakazam in general are a bit of a problem. Yanmega hurts Alakazam bad after it gets some Speed Boosts and the ability to outspeed Zam.
Rain
This is very general, because there are multiple viable rain sweepers. Rain as a whole is very powerful and arguably broken in this tier. You will often see Electrode setting up an 8-turn monsoon of destruction where Shell Smash Omastars, Ludicolos, and Swords Dancing Kabutopses rip our face in half. There aren't many good answers to this besides trying to stall out the rain. Rain Dish Blastoise does well against everything but Ludicolo. Running a Rain Dish Ludicolo on your own team can help wall the sweepers. Pokemon with the Cloud Nine ability can help by getting rid of the rain (so Golduck and Lickilicky I think...nothing else <_<). Eviolite Ferroseed and Tangela wall the offensive rain sweepers but are in serious trouble if they face anything special. If you survive the initial rain onslaught, try to KO the Pokemon that set the rain up before they can get it off so you don't have to feel the pain again. Another decent answer to rain is Sharpedo, who can use your opponent's rain to fire off boosted Surfs, and can let Speed Boost accumulate until he's faster than the rain sweepers (Yanmega is in the same boat here to an extent, and can use Giga Drain and Bug Buzz to kill off Omastar, Kabutops, and Ludicolo).
I'll work on defensive threats later. And if there are more offensive stuff people think of...let me know.
How high do you think you will have to be on the ladder to vote? I'm hanging out at 35 atm
Snover.
The few Hail teams I've seen on the ladder are absolutely awful.
Entei deserves a spot on the offensive threat list. SubCM Entei has frequently been my MVP, and there's always CB to worry about.
It will be a long time before there's suspect testing for RU, but I would guess that when it happens the requirements will be similar to UU (1350 points).
I couldn't agree with you more. I've been using Entei on my latest team and he's excellent.
More Offensive Threats:
Entei
Entei is capable of running excellent sets in both the physical and special categories, make him very unpredictable and very hard to wall. His Choice Band set is very powerful, and you'll often get hit with STAB Flare Blitzes and priority in the form of Extremespeed. It's hard to take these hits, and your best bets are Eviolite Gligar, Cresselia, or Gastrodon. The Calm Mind set is harder to wall, and can run either Sub or RestTalk to eliminate the possibility of status and eventual damage. Munchlax doesn't have much of a problem taking Entei's hits and can whirlwind him out. Cresselia can Calm Mind alongside Entei and the CM battle will end in a stalemate. Gastrodon will win against any Entei set almost every time unless Entei is using something bizarre like HP Grass.
lol, there are only two people with that ranking on the ladder right now.
More Offensive Threats:
Entei
Entei is capable of running excellent sets in both the physical and special categories, make him very unpredictable and very hard to wall. His Choice Band set is very powerful, and you'll often get hit with STAB Flare Blitzes and priority in the form of Extremespeed. It's hard to take these hits, and your best bets are Eviolite Gligar, Cresselia, or Gastrodon. The Calm Mind set is harder to wall, and can run either Sub or RestTalk to eliminate the possibility of status and eventual damage. Munchlax doesn't have much of a problem taking Entei's hits and can whirlwind him out. Cresselia can Calm Mind alongside Entei and the CM battle will end in a stalemate. Gastrodon will win against any Entei set almost every time unless Entei is using something bizarre like HP Grass.
lol, there are only two people with that ranking on the ladder right now.
You said there was no weather in RU besides Sun/Sand, I gave you weather.
But that's like saying that Trick Room is a part of OU. Sure, you might see one every few hours, but they're few and far between and they all suck anyway. It's the same concept, which makes Hail not even really worth mentioning.
Double post cause I'm a (BAN ME PLEASE).
Well, I was banned from the server for a day because I was dissing Little Cup and Gen Empoleon didn't like that which warrants a tempban apparently? Anywho, I'm going to use this opportunity to work on defensive threats now.
Defensive Shit:
Cresselia
The queen of this tier (the king is Yanmega. They're a cute couple). Anyway, Cresselia is insanely good in this tier. Her defenses are through the roof, and her common sets are Rest or Sub with Calm Mind, and a simple support set. On her calm mind sets, the best way to take her out is with a very strong, super effective physical attack, because once she starts setting up, your special attacks will not be touching her at all. Status doesn't work since the common sets are Sub and RestTalk. A good Cress player won't attempt a final sweep until it's their final Pokemon, so basically you just have to try and hit it as hard as you can or you're absolutely screwed. A strong pursuit user like Honchkrow can smack it around a bit. Fellow calm mind users can set up alongside Cress and initiate a stalemate. CM Alakazam with Psychock is an excellent Cress killer because Psychock will do hefty damage with +6 special attack while Cress won't be able to touch you. If you're putting Cresselia on your team, you really don't need any support for her at all, as she can sweep on her own incredibly well. Just try to knock all bug types out of commission before attempting your sweep.
EVIOLITE (Tangela, Munchlax, Ferroseed, Gligar, etc)
This item can be used on SO MANY THINGS in this tier. My personal favorites are Tangela and Munchlax. Between those two, you can wall basically anything in existence, since Thick Fat Munch resists the fire and ice moves aimed at Tangela while Tangela can take any physical attack in the world. And I'm serious. Sleep Powder/Knock Off/Leech Seed/Giga Drain is my favorite for Tangela. Everyone should try it. It's absurd. Gligar is almost equally as absurd and can set up Stealth Rock. Things like Metang and Seadra can also use Eviolite so some effect. The best way to take these Pokemon out is through super effective hits on their least effective defensive stat. It's almost impossible to break Tangela with physical attacks, but special attacks can take it out quite easily, and vise versa with Munchlax. Another effective way is through Trick and Knock Off to take out their Eviolites, minimizing their effectiveness. Almost any NFE Pokemon can pull off Eviolite, so be creative!
Blastoise
Easily the best spinner in the tier. You can go specially or physically defensive here, and both have their merits. Personally, I'm running specially defensive, but it's up to you. Most Blastoise will run Scald and Rapid Spin, and the next two slots are up in the air. Toxic is common and quite a good choice, and I use Ice Beam for the third slot to try and take on things like Honchkrow in an emergency. Obviously this Blastoise runs into trouble when grass types like Lilligant come in, so make sure you can handle those. Extremely powerful attackers and set up sweepers will be able to set up without much fear because Blastoise can't do much to them.
Claydol
Another excellent spinner, whom is especially great when paired with Honchkrow as they have fairly good synergy. Rapid Spin/Ice Beam/Earth Power/Toxic is the common set with Claydol, and he is very effective with it. Obviously, bug types have a field day against Claydol, so Yanmega and friends are excellent ways to go about breaking it. Sharpedo also slaughters Claydol with no trouble, being able to use either STAB to take it out.
Aggron
An underrated defensive Poke in this tier. With special defense investment he can wall most of the bug types present and either fire back with a super effective rock attack or do things like set up Stealth Rock, poison with Toxic, or even use the admittedly risky Metal Burst. Aggron is one of the few steel types in RU, and probably the best defensively, only facing competition with Steelix and Eviolite Ferroseed.
Umbreon
Umbreon is the best WishPasser available in the tier, only facing competition from Alomomola and Audino, both of whom are outlcassed in most cases. Umbreon's typing is very bad in a tier full of bug Pokemon, but Umbreon can still wall basically any special sweeper that's not named Venomoth or Yanmega. Umbreon often can't do anything in return besides hit you with Toxic, so there's not a whole lot to worry about when Umbreon is out. Basically the gist to killing Umbreon is with a strong physical fighting or bug attack, so Primeape generally has a field day when Umbreon comes out.
Audino
Very underrated in this tier. Specs Yanmega only manages around 48% on Audino, and Audino can proceed to Toxic Mega and set up a Wish to heal itself, and then it even has Regenerate to heal up on the switch. Audino works as a mini Blissey of sorts...being fairly weak to physical attacks but able to take special attacks like a champ and heal up the team with wish. Unfortunately, your only options of attacking are Toxic and possibly Flamethrower...Audino just has no offensive options otherwise.
Drapion
Drapion is probably the best in the tier at setting up Toxic Spikes, and he can also take on Cresselia fairly well. Other than that, though, there aren't many things it can do. Whirlwind and Toxic Spikes are nice on him, but he doesn't have many good forms of offense. Crunch and Rock Slide are my coverage moves on him, which allows him to have STAB and the ability to possibly fight back against bugs (Rock Slide does a number on Yanmega). Drapion also absorbs enemy Toxic Spikes, which is certainly never a bad thing.
If I think of more I'll write it up and let everyone know.
Well, I was banned from the server for a day because I was dissing Little Cup and Gen Empoleon didn't like that which warrants a tempban apparently? Anywho, I'm going to use this opportunity to work on defensive threats now.
Defensive Shit:
Cresselia
The queen of this tier (the king is Yanmega. They're a cute couple). Anyway, Cresselia is insanely good in this tier. Her defenses are through the roof, and her common sets are Rest or Sub with Calm Mind, and a simple support set. On her calm mind sets, the best way to take her out is with a very strong, super effective physical attack, because once she starts setting up, your special attacks will not be touching her at all. Status doesn't work since the common sets are Sub and RestTalk. A good Cress player won't attempt a final sweep until it's their final Pokemon, so basically you just have to try and hit it as hard as you can or you're absolutely screwed. A strong pursuit user like Honchkrow can smack it around a bit. Fellow calm mind users can set up alongside Cress and initiate a stalemate. CM Alakazam with Psychock is an excellent Cress killer because Psychock will do hefty damage with +6 special attack while Cress won't be able to touch you. If you're putting Cresselia on your team, you really don't need any support for her at all, as she can sweep on her own incredibly well. Just try to knock all bug types out of commission before attempting your sweep.
EVIOLITE (Tangela, Munchlax, Ferroseed, Gligar, etc)
This item can be used on SO MANY THINGS in this tier. My personal favorites are Tangela and Munchlax. Between those two, you can wall basically anything in existence, since Thick Fat Munch resists the fire and ice moves aimed at Tangela while Tangela can take any physical attack in the world. And I'm serious. Sleep Powder/Knock Off/Leech Seed/Giga Drain is my favorite for Tangela. Everyone should try it. It's absurd. Gligar is almost equally as absurd and can set up Stealth Rock. Things like Metang and Seadra can also use Eviolite so some effect. The best way to take these Pokemon out is through super effective hits on their least effective defensive stat. It's almost impossible to break Tangela with physical attacks, but special attacks can take it out quite easily, and vise versa with Munchlax. Another effective way is through Trick and Knock Off to take out their Eviolites, minimizing their effectiveness. Almost any NFE Pokemon can pull off Eviolite, so be creative!
Blastoise
Easily the best spinner in the tier. You can go specially or physically defensive here, and both have their merits. Personally, I'm running specially defensive, but it's up to you. Most Blastoise will run Scald and Rapid Spin, and the next two slots are up in the air. Toxic is common and quite a good choice, and I use Ice Beam for the third slot to try and take on things like Honchkrow in an emergency. Obviously this Blastoise runs into trouble when grass types like Lilligant come in, so make sure you can handle those. Extremely powerful attackers and set up sweepers will be able to set up without much fear because Blastoise can't do much to them.
Claydol
Another excellent spinner, whom is especially great when paired with Honchkrow as they have fairly good synergy. Rapid Spin/Ice Beam/Earth Power/Toxic is the common set with Claydol, and he is very effective with it. Obviously, bug types have a field day against Claydol, so Yanmega and friends are excellent ways to go about breaking it. Sharpedo also slaughters Claydol with no trouble, being able to use either STAB to take it out.
Aggron
An underrated defensive Poke in this tier. With special defense investment he can wall most of the bug types present and either fire back with a super effective rock attack or do things like set up Stealth Rock, poison with Toxic, or even use the admittedly risky Metal Burst. Aggron is one of the few steel types in RU, and probably the best defensively, only facing competition with Steelix and Eviolite Ferroseed.
Umbreon
Umbreon is the best WishPasser available in the tier, only facing competition from Alomomola and Audino, both of whom are outlcassed in most cases. Umbreon's typing is very bad in a tier full of bug Pokemon, but Umbreon can still wall basically any special sweeper that's not named Venomoth or Yanmega. Umbreon often can't do anything in return besides hit you with Toxic, so there's not a whole lot to worry about when Umbreon is out. Basically the gist to killing Umbreon is with a strong physical fighting or bug attack, so Primeape generally has a field day when Umbreon comes out.
Audino
Very underrated in this tier. Specs Yanmega only manages around 48% on Audino, and Audino can proceed to Toxic Mega and set up a Wish to heal itself, and then it even has Regenerate to heal up on the switch. Audino works as a mini Blissey of sorts...being fairly weak to physical attacks but able to take special attacks like a champ and heal up the team with wish. Unfortunately, your only options of attacking are Toxic and possibly Flamethrower...Audino just has no offensive options otherwise.
Drapion
Drapion is probably the best in the tier at setting up Toxic Spikes, and he can also take on Cresselia fairly well. Other than that, though, there aren't many things it can do. Whirlwind and Toxic Spikes are nice on him, but he doesn't have many good forms of offense. Crunch and Rock Slide are my coverage moves on him, which allows him to have STAB and the ability to possibly fight back against bugs (Rock Slide does a number on Yanmega). Drapion also absorbs enemy Toxic Spikes, which is certainly never a bad thing.
If I think of more I'll write it up and let everyone know.
Bouff that Gastro lol
Yeah thats great synergy, especially for Trick Room. Good eye sir.
Also, Bouffalant seems like a pretty good thing to counter a Venomoth. Most Venomoths will try to pull off a Sleep Powder, but with a Bouffalant there he can absorb it, thus boosting his attack a stage.
I think Mr. Mime could have some utility in this metagame as a check to specially attacking bugs.
He is immune to the main STAB attacks of both Venomoth and Yanmega - thanks to Soundproof, has naturally high SpD, and is not usually weak to their coverage.
He also has base 100 SpA and STAB Psyshock to hit Venomoth SE at its unboosted defense while Thunderbolt or even Icy Wind can dispose of Yanmega.
His support movepool goes on forever with screens, Baton Pass, Calm Mind, Nasty Plot, Barrier, Healing Wish, Encore, Taunt, Torment, Magic Coat, Snatch, Thunder Wave etc.
Even Psych Up, or Power Swap may have some surprise value since Mime might be switching into an already set-up Yanmega or Veno whose boosts he can transfer with Baton Pass.
I think the main issues would be his extremely poor Defense (and HP), Pursuit weakness and lack of instant recovery.
However, Baton Pass can help with Pursuit especially as neither Rest Talk Veno nor Specs Yanmega locked into Bug Buzz will be able to touch Mime at all.
Therefore he'll always be able to put up a sub against them and pass it to a counter if a dangerous threat switches in.
A Dark type that switches into Icy Wind or TWave should also be slow enough for Mime to escape with Baton Pass.
As for lack of recovery, Alomomola is quite bulky, can pass huge wishes and shares no weakness with Mr Mime.
If I had the chance to make a team and ladder right now I'd definitely try this out and report the results (but I've retired :P).
He is immune to the main STAB attacks of both Venomoth and Yanmega - thanks to Soundproof, has naturally high SpD, and is not usually weak to their coverage.
He also has base 100 SpA and STAB Psyshock to hit Venomoth SE at its unboosted defense while Thunderbolt or even Icy Wind can dispose of Yanmega.
His support movepool goes on forever with screens, Baton Pass, Calm Mind, Nasty Plot, Barrier, Healing Wish, Encore, Taunt, Torment, Magic Coat, Snatch, Thunder Wave etc.
Even Psych Up, or Power Swap may have some surprise value since Mime might be switching into an already set-up Yanmega or Veno whose boosts he can transfer with Baton Pass.
I think the main issues would be his extremely poor Defense (and HP), Pursuit weakness and lack of instant recovery.
However, Baton Pass can help with Pursuit especially as neither Rest Talk Veno nor Specs Yanmega locked into Bug Buzz will be able to touch Mime at all.
Therefore he'll always be able to put up a sub against them and pass it to a counter if a dangerous threat switches in.
A Dark type that switches into Icy Wind or TWave should also be slow enough for Mime to escape with Baton Pass.
As for lack of recovery, Alomomola is quite bulky, can pass huge wishes and shares no weakness with Mr Mime.
If I had the chance to make a team and ladder right now I'd definitely try this out and report the results (but I've retired :P).
No. Dusknoir did not get enough usage to make it into UU, so you can use him in RU.
I know the two Pokemon in question are very closely connected in-game, but that certain in-game characteristic has no effect on the tiering process we use here.
Venomoth outclasses it, also Eviolite Dusclops > Dusknoir, which is the best spin blocker in the whole tier, how that wasn't in the defensive shit?
CRestelia is such a bich to take down if you don't have a phazing move, really she can set up, and thanks to Psysock, other CM don't treathen you, Bulk up user are often psyquic week and unless weird stuff like Cosmic Powers, you'll never find something that can wall you
Dusclops is UU, bro.
- Status