Metagame SS Monotype Metagame Discussion [Isle of Armor]

Status
Not open for further replies.
NFE POKEMON IN MONOTYPE!!

Part 1

Hi everyone! I'm Teggun and I'm here today to talk to you about some Not Fully Evolved Pokemon and how they might fit in on monotype teams.

Disclaimer: most NFE Pokemon are in fact not viable, but I think it's fun to see what niche they might have and how they can be used in the tier. I do not advise anyone to bring most of these sets against good players and expect to win, but rather to have fun exploring sets that you likely would never use otherwise.

In part one of this series, I will discuss several Pokemon who are not fully evolved, but are in a tier higher than NFE. These Pokemon are Corsola-Galar, Doublade, Gurdurr, Ferroseed, Haunter, Piloswine, Rhydon, and Sneasel.

Corsola-Galar

Starting off the list is everyone's favorite dead seaweed. Corsola is currently in the UU tier. Because Corsola is a very viable Pokemon in the monotype format, it has a monotype analysis already written about it that can be found here. To summarize: It can set stealth rock, as well as be a wall to physical attackers thanks to Will-O-Wisp and Strength Sap, with reliable recovery and very good natural bulk. The standard set can be imported here.
Corsola-Galar @ Eviolite
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Night Shade
- Will-O-Wisp
- Strength Sap
- Haze

Doublade

Doublade is currently in the UU tier. It is the un-evolved form of Aegislash, who has found a solid place in Sword and Shield's OU tier. One thing that Doublade can do that Aegislash cannot is to help out ghost teams versus Bisharp. Even while in its shield form, Aegislash is knocked out in one hit by Bisharp unless it is running a Colbur Berry, which would disallow it from using a more useful item such as Weakness Policy, Leftovers, or Band/Specs. Doublade on the other hand can simply run Eviolite and Life Orb knock off will do max 75%, and then Doublade can kill it with an un-boosted Close Combat. The same goes for Weavile and other common knockers. Here is an example set that can do these things:
Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Close Combat

Gurdurr

One of the main things that Gurdurr can do that Conkeldurr cannot is be on the same team as Conkeldurr. Due to the Species Clause in the monotype tier, each team is limited to a maximum of one Conkeldurr. However, what Gurdurr offers to fighting monotype teams is another, albeit slightly weaker, Conkeldurr. A possible spread for this type of Gurdurr can be found here:
Gurdurr @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Facade
However, if you're looking for something that Gurdurr can do that Conkeldurr cannot, here are a few things that might interest you.
Fishious Rend vs. Conkeldurr: 252+ Atk Strong Jaw Dracovish Fishious Rend (170 BP) vs. 68 HP / 0 Def Conkeldurr: 372-438 (101 - 119%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Fishious Rend vs. Gurdurr: 252+ Atk Strong Jaw Dracovish Fishious Rend (170 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 190-225 (50.8 - 60.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
What this allows Gurdurr to do is knock off Dracovish's scarf, which can allow something else on the team, such as an offensive Kommo-o or Conkeldurr, to defeat it.
Icicle Crash vs. Conkeldurr: 252 Atk Gorilla Tactics Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 68 HP / 0 Def Conkeldurr: 229-271 (62.2 - 73.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after burn damage
Icicle Crash vs. Gurdurr: 252 Atk Gorilla Tactics Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 118-139 (31.5 - 37.1%) -- 81.3% chance to 3HKO
What this allows Gurdurr to do is knock off Darmanitan's scarf, which can allow something else on the team that now outspeeds Darmanitan, such as Cobalion or Terrakion, to defeat it.
Facade vs. Conkeldurr: 252+ Atk Guts Obstagoon Facade (140 BP) vs. 68 HP / 0 Def Conkeldurr: 306-360 (83.1 - 97.8%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and burn damage
Facade vs. Gurdurr: 252+ Atk Guts Obstagoon Facade (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 157-186 (41.9 - 49.7%) -- 27% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Here is the Gurdurr set that I have been using for these calcs:
Gurdurr @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Mach Punch
- Defog
- Knock Off
- Toxic
Defog is useful for fighting because there aren't many good fighting types with access to it, so it provides some important support to the team. Toxic can help it wear down opposing walls such as Corsola etc, while Knock off can rid opposing Pokemon of their scarves or other items to support the team and allow for them to defeat the opposing Pokemon. Mach punch is there for added priority and stab.

Ferroseed

Ferroseed does not have very many benefits over Ferrothorn. Similar to Gurdurr, you can opt to run both Ferroseed and Ferrothorn on a grass stall team, where one might set rocks and the other sets spikes. In addition, if you can't decide whether you'd like to run Gyro Ball or Knock Off, running both Pokemon allows you to use both Gyro Ball and Knock Off on your team. Here are some sets you might use on such a team:
Ferroseed @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Spikes
- Gyro Ball

Haunter

The most notable thing that Haunter has the Gengar doesn't is, of course, Levitate. This can be useful for poison type teams, since there are not currently any Poison/Flying Pokemon and the only other ground immunity is Weezing-Galar. If something like Sand Rush Excadrill is locked into earthquake, Haunter can come in freely and use a defensive option such as Will-O-Wisp or Toxic, or it can use Shadow Ball or Energy Ball to catch something else that might try to switch in, such as Quagsire or Seismitoad. If Haunter is offensive, Timid Energy Ball OHKOs physically defensive Quagsire and Seismitoad, and Shadow Ball has a 74.2% chance to 2HKO Sand Rush Excadrill.

An offensive set for Haunter might look something like this:
Haunter @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Sludge Wave
Haunter is naturally faster than Kommo-o, and Dazzling Gleam allows it to OKHO offensive Kommo-o, even without specs. Scarf allows it to outspeed all of the metagame un-scarfed, and Specs can guarantee more kills, such as specially defensive Gastrodon, Rotom-Mow, and a 93.8% chance to OHKO Chandelure.

Defensively, Haunter has many advantages over Gengar. One example is versus Life Orb Sand Rush Excadrill. A physically defensive Haunter with eviolite takes 45.2 - 53.4% from an Iron Head, and it can then burn Excadrill and Hex it. This allows Haunter to not only burn Excadrill, but do 61.4 - 72.5% with Hex. After Life Orb and Burn damage for two turns, there is a chance to knock out Excadrill. It can also wall Hippowdon, and if burned, does 49.2 - 58% with Hex. Here is an example of a defensive set for Haunter:
Haunter @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond
- Hex
- Pain Split

Piloswine

Piloswine is surprisingly good due to its stats' similarities to Mamoswine. It shares the same defensive stats: 80 Def and 60 SpDef, and 100 HP as opposed to Mamoswine's 110. It also has 100 base attack, which, while it isn't the same as Mamoswine's 130, is nothing to write off. The most notable calc that Piloswine has is versus Modest Life Orb Lucario. Here is a comparison between Mamoswine and Piloswine:
Focus Blast vs Mamoswine: 252+ SpA Life Orb Lucario Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mamoswine: 772-907 (213.8 - 251.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Focus Blast vs Piloswine: 252+ SpA Life Orb Lucario Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Piloswine: 338-400 (83.6 - 99%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Yes, you did read that correctly, focus blast is a 2HKO. Even with only 4 attack EVs, Earthquake is a guaranteed KO vs that same Lucario. Piloswine is very helpful against Lucario for ice, which normally is an enormous threat.

In addition to this glorious calc, Piloswine is a very nice setter of stealth rocks for ice. The only other Pokemon that can set rocks is Mamoswine, and that would mean you don't get to have the same offensive presence with Mamoswine that you might otherwise. Having rocks on Piloswine allows Mamoswine to use a Choice Band, and/or run four attacking moves. Here is the set that I used on my teams and for these calcs:
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Stone Edge

Rhydon

Rhydon has one of the highest attack stats in the game. Sitting at 130, it is only 10 points below Rhyperior's. In addition, it has 105 HP, 120 Defense, 45 Special Defense and 40 Speed. All of these are only 10 points lower then Rhyperior's, with the exception of speed which is the same. Because of how close Rhydon's stats are to Rhyperior's, with an eviolite Rhydon is able to take many more hits than Rhyperior can, even with Solid Rock. Take, for example, this calc against Scarf Excadrill:
Earthquake vs Rhyperior: 252 Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rhyperior: 270-318 (62.2 - 73.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Earthquake vs Rhydon: 252 Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Rhydon: 192-228 (46.3 - 55%) -- 62.5% chance to 2HKO
Earthquake can then easily kill Excadrill.
The set I would recommend is this:
Rhydon @ Eviolite
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Fire Punch
Stone Edge and Earthquake are both very strong stabs, and Fire Punch allows it to hit Ferrothorn.

Another very niche set that Rhydon can run is one that can beat Melmetal. Adamant choice band Melmetal has a 6.3% chance to OHKO Rhydon if it's 252+ Def and 252 HP, so there's a whopping 93.7% chance that the following set works, if the opposing Melmetal is Adamant Band. If they're not Adamant band, this strategy will always work. If Rhydon lives the Double Iron Bash, and if it doesn't flinch, it can then click Counter and then click Earthquake the next turn to secure the KO. Here is a replay of what this means:
The set used in this replay is this one:
Rhydon @ Eviolite
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Counter

Sneasel

Sneasel is another Pokemon that is basically a mini version of its evolved form. Have you ever been playing mono ice and thought to yourself, "Boy Weavile is so good I wish I could use two of them!" Well boy do I have just the thing for you. Presenting: Sneasel! Sneasel is very similar to Weavile. It can run Swords Dance sets to take advantage of its 95 base attack and access to moves such as icicle crash, knock off and ice shard. A set for that can be imported here:
Sneasel @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off

However, Sneasel does have one thing that Weavile doesn't: Inner Focus. Because of this, you can run a niche set to help beat scarf Jirachi. Scarf Jirachi normally 6-0s mono ice without even thinking about it; that is, unless you have this hidden tech for it:
Sneasel @ Focus Sash
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Counter
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
- Icicle Crash
Sash Counter Inner Focus Sneasel is a surefire way for mono ice to defeat Scarf Jirachi, as long as you prevent hazards from going up with support from defoggers or spinners.

That concludes part one of the series NFE POKEMON IN MONOTYPE!!
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for future editions of this series!​
 
Last edited:

roxie

https://www.youtube.com/@noxiousroxie
is a Tutoris a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
~~
Creative Monotype Sets
~~

[Part II/Post-Home]
Intro.
Esteemed Poison User here AGAIN from the very own Virbank Gym is bringing you creative sets that you could try on your team!
Spoiler: Creative sets don't mean run Scarf Galvantula Thunder Wave+Webs to help counter Dracovish or Specs Focus Blast Terrakion to counter the beloved full defensive Avalugg.

SubSwords Drapion (Poison)
Substitute allows Drapion to substitute on Corsola-Galar, Ferrothorn, or Psychic-type attacks which allows it to set up with Swords Dance. Substituting and setting up can potentially get off many kills and does tons of damage towards Pokemon annoying to Poison. Since people are starting to use Scarf Gengar more as well, this set can fit in.[Link]
+2 252 Atk Drapion Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 32 Def Mew: 476-564 (117.8 - 139.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Drapion Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 236-282 (72.8 - 87%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Drapion @ Black Sludge
Ability: Battle Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Substitute
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
Defensive Gastrodon (Ground)
Before the release of Home, people were running a lot of Seismitoeds on Ground with Water Absorb where Keldeo and other Mythical Pokemon weren't released yet. Running Defensive-Gastrodon allows you to tank Keldeo's Secret Sword along with breaking its Substitute and setting up with Acid Armor. Running Earthquake is not essential for Gastrodon, because Cloyster exists as well. With this defense, it tanks Cloyster's Icicle Spear and uses Earth Power.
252 SpA Keldeo Secret Sword vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gastrodon: 127-150 (29.8 - 35.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Gastrodon Earth Power vs. -1 0 HP / 0 SpD Cloyster: 255-300 (105.8 - 124.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0- Atk Gastrodon Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Keldeo: 91-108 (28.1 - 33.4%) -- 26.4% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock
Sandy Cheeks (Gastrodon-East) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Earthquake/Earth Power
- Scald
- Recover
- Acid Armor
Support Virizion (Fighting)
Fighting has some strong matchups they have to face like Poison, Psychic, Electric, Water, Ghost and even Steel. Screens-Virizion allows you to support other Fighting-type Pokemon in KOing threats such as Corviknight, Toxapex, etc. Virizion has amazing SpD and high Speed, so why not make use of it!
+2 0 Atk Corviknight Brave Bird vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Lucario through Reflect: 153-181 (54.2 - 64.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ SpA Life Orb Lucario Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Corviknight: 409-484 (102.2 - 121%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Life Orb Lucario Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Aegislash-Blade: 494-582 (152.4 - 179.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Mother Nature (Virizion) @ Light Clay
Ability: Justified
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Giga Drain
- Calm Mind
Offensive Shiftry (Grass)
When running Venusaur, Celebi, Ferrothorn, and Appletun; you really don't have a lot of options when it comes to facing Pokemon like Specs-Aegislash, Mew, or even Corsola-Galar. Substitute Shiftry is a set as well which is nice for substituting on pokemon like Mew or Corsola-Galar.
+2 252+ Atk Shiftry Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 278-330 (85.8 - 101.8%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Shiftry Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Blade: 1004-1184 (309.8 - 365.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Shiftry Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 32 Def Mew: 560-662 (138.6 - 163.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
the Lorax (Shiftry) @ Leftovers
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Substitute
Sub-Mind Chandelure (Ghost)
Chandelure is a wonderful addition to your Ghost team because of its ability Infiltrator (which bypasses Substitutes & Screens) & Fire-type stab. It is naturally faster than Bisharp which is great because it applies more pressure forcing it to switch out or go "safe" and use Sucker Punch. Calm Mind, Flamethrower, and Shadow Ball or Psychic works for the last moves. Psychic would be if you have more trouble with Poison or Toxapex in particular; Shadow Ball would be for general STAB.
+1 252 SpA Chandelure Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex: 236-278 (77.6 - 91.4%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
Sia. (Chandelure) @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Psychic / Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- Calm Mind
Spin-Sweeper Mr.Rime (Ice)
Mr.Rime is a nice addition to Ice if you aren't running Kyurem which helps a lot for the Poison Matchup and still getting hazards away for other matchups. The set is self-explainable and simple!
split on his canee (Mr. Rime) (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Ice Body
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 248 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Rapid Spin
- Psychic
- Freeze-Dry/Ice Beam
Conclusion.
There are plenty of creative sets you could run and switching things up such as running Scarf Dragapult & Specs Gengar compared to Specs Dragapult & Scarf Gengar or even RestTalk Malamar > Gallade on Psychic!

It's my birthday uwu I was typing this out yesterday. Everyone stay safe as well, Its a lot of stuff going around! Thanks for reading!!!
 
Long time lurker, first time poster (since like 2010).

Getting into Monotype, starting with rock as it features my two favourite pokemon: Solrock and Lunatone.

I've used a dual screen solrock set to decent success on a hyper offense team. Just wondering if Lunatone has a niche? They're ranked in D in the viability rankings, so I know I shouldn't have high hopes, but wondering what their best option would be.

Edit: I'm guessing something like this could work?

Lunatone @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Rock Polish
- Psychic
- Power Gem
 

Ridley

lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to
is a Tutor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Long time lurker, first time poster (since like 2010).

Getting into Monotype, starting with rock as it features my two favourite pokemon: Solrock and Lunatone.

I've used a dual screen solrock set to decent success on a hyper offense team. Just wondering if Lunatone has a niche? They're ranked in D in the viability rankings, so I know I shouldn't have high hopes, but wondering what their best option would be.

Edit: I'm guessing something like this could work?

Lunatone @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Rock Polish
- Psychic
- Power Gem
Welcome to Monotype! Unfortunately, neither Solrock nor Lunatone is super viable on rock, with their only real niche being their Levitate ability. If you would like to use them though, linked below are some analysis from SM PU that you could potentially use as a baseline for their sets. The dual screens Solrock set you mentioned sounds decent though, as long as it's working for you. Happy battling!
https://www.smogon.com/dex/sm/pokemon/solrock/
https://www.smogon.com/dex/sm/pokemon/lunatone/
 

roxie

https://www.youtube.com/@noxiousroxie
is a Tutoris a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
I'd like to ask about Runerigus role in Ground teams. I see it has a D Rank, while for example Golurk hasn't. What would be Runerigus role in a Ground team be?
Runerigus provides immunity to something like fighting moves which can be useful while your running Excadrill & Mamoswine. Its main role is to provide additional status moves/hazard stack: Will-O-Wisp/Toxic Spikes/Stealth Rocks. Runerigus can play a better defensive role while Golurk is outclassed by Excadrill/Mamoswine as a Physical Attacker. Runerigus is suboptimal and Golurk does not play a significant role at the moment sadly.
 

Harpp

No rain, no flowers.
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus

With Melmetal banned and out of the scene for Monotype, lets talk about the other threatening Pokemon that is Kyurem-B. As Melmetal got banned Steel no longer has a Pokemon that is absolutely broken and so archetype like TR Steel with Melmetal which saw good amount of usage is fading away now and the closet Pokemon that can fill that role is Copperajah? which is not on the same boat as Melmetal when it comes to offensive prowess. For your information, even without Melmetal, Steel is good and easily one of the top types however the exit of Melmetal from Monotype has given more room for types like Ice and Dragon to shine and utilize the threatening Kyurem-B. We all know Kyurem-B has got some buffs now as it can use Dragon Dance, Icicle Spear and even Freeze Dry for mixed wallbreaking sets.

On Ice teams, it has the coveted Aurora Veil support which makes it so easy to setup Dragon Dance with Kyurem-B and be a major annoyance for types like Water, Poison, Dark even work against Steel as it can setup Sub and then Dragon Dance vs Ferrothorn and the player has to play on his toes to keep up the offensive pressure to not let Kyurem-B get Dragon Dance boosts for free.

Similarly on Dragon-type teams, Kyurem-B has massive offensive support too as teammates like Hydreigon, Duraludon and Dragapult can cover matchups like Steel, Fairy, Dragon, and Ghost. Dragon teams can take it a level further too if they utilize dual screens Duraludon or Dragapult. I used dual screen Duraludon to support Kyurem-B more and it is relatively easily to get Dragon Dance boosts without even much thought into it.
Another factor why I feel Kyurem-B is threatening is because of the general slower metagame. The set I use is:


Kyurem-Black @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Fusion Bolt
- Substitute


Duraludon @ Light Clay
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Stealth Rock
- Steel Beam

I feel like this set is probably the best one in my opinion as Dragon Dance and Substitute makes it hard to stop and then we have Heavy Duty boots as item which negates hazards and makes Kyurem-B not vulnerable to Stealth Rock and Sticky Webs which other teams can use to better check it. The best way to prepare for Kyurem-B is to ensure that the team packs a Choice Scarf user that can outspeed +1 Kyurem-B however the thing is Substitute can prevent counter play, making it hard to revenge KO effectively. There are some variations on the DD set like Freeze Shock and Power Herb as item for one big nuke to get past checks like defensive Seismitoad. Then there is mixed wallbrreaking set:


Kyurem-Black @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power / Focus Blast
- Fusion Bolt
- Roost

Again we have unparalleled BoltBeam coverage that makes it a pain for teams like Water, Flying and Ground. I have used Dragon Dance set more as I feel it is the best set right now but I am well aware how threatening a Life Orb set is for defensive cores in Monotype.
With all this being said, I would like to know what other players feel about Kyurem-B now in a post Melmetal-ban metagame and whether they feel it impacts teambuilding choices.
 

roxie

https://www.youtube.com/@noxiousroxie
is a Tutoris a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus

With Melmetal banned and out of the scene for Monotype, lets talk about the other threatening Pokemon that is Kyurem-B. As Melmetal got banned Steel no longer has a Pokemon that is absolutely broken and so archetype like TR Steel with Melmetal which saw good amount of usage is fading away now and the closet Pokemon that can fill that role is Copperajah? which is not on the same boat as Melmetal when it comes to offensive prowess. For your information, even without Melmetal, Steel is good and easily one of the top types however the exit of Melmetal from Monotype has given more room for types like Ice and Dragon to shine and utilize the threatening Kyurem-B. We all know Kyurem-B has got some buffs now as it can use Dragon Dance, Icicle Spear and even Freeze Dry for mixed wallbreaking sets.

On Ice teams, it has the coveted Aurora Veil support which makes it so easy to setup Dragon Dance with Kyurem-B and be a major annoyance for types like Water, Poison, Dark even work against Steel as it can setup Sub and then Dragon Dance vs Ferrothorn and the player has to play on his toes to keep up the offensive pressure to not let Kyurem-B get Dragon Dance boosts for free.

Similarly on Dragon-type teams, Kyurem-B has massive offensive support too as teammates like Hydreigon, Duraludon and Dragapult can cover matchups like Steel, Fairy, Dragon, and Ghost. Dragon teams can take it a level further too if they utilize dual screens Duraludon or Dragapult. I used dual screen Duraludon to support Kyurem-B more and it is relatively easily to get Dragon Dance boosts without even much thought into it.
Another factor why I feel Kyurem-B is threatening is because of the general slower metagame. The set I use is:


Kyurem-Black @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Fusion Bolt
- Substitute


Duraludon @ Light Clay
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Stealth Rock
- Steel Beam

I feel like this set is probably the best one in my opinion as Dragon Dance and Substitute makes it hard to stop and then we have Heavy Duty boots as item which negates hazards and makes Kyurem-B not vulnerable to Stealth Rock and Sticky Webs which other teams can use to better check it. The best way to prepare for Kyurem-B is to ensure that the team packs a Choice Scarf user that can outspeed +1 Kyurem-B however the thing is Substitute can prevent counter play, making it hard to revenge KO effectively. There are some variations on the DD set like Freeze Shock and Power Herb as item for one big nuke to get past checks like defensive Seismitoad. Then there is mixed wallbrreaking set:


Kyurem-Black @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power / Focus Blast
- Fusion Bolt
- Roost

Again we have unparalleled BoltBeam coverage that makes it a pain for teams like Water, Flying and Ground. I have used Dragon Dance set more as I feel it is the best set right now but I am well aware how threatening a Life Orb set is for defensive cores in Monotype.
With all this being said, I would like to know what other players feel about Kyurem-B now in a post Melmetal-ban metagame and whether they feel it impacts teambuilding choices.

Wyn-urem-Black (Kyurem-Black) @ Leftovers / HDB
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 52 HP / 204 Atk / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Substitute
- Fusion Bolt
This set is pretty annoying and how easily it can sub on Toxapex for Water or Poison could be like GG. Kyurem-Black is really fun to use and Substitute makes it annoying to afflict Status or DAMAGE in all honesty. This is really great for Ice however and this thing can help deal with opposing threats like Corviknight or substituting on Ferrothorn's Whip set, But Steel can simply play more offensively and use checks like Lucario or abuse Scarf Rachi. I really do not know, and I'm not going to say it's balanced in SOME matchups. But is the metagame really balanced right now? I don't feel like its broken but its a lot of predictions required for some matchups to pull off a win, or niches like Sash Barbacle and hoping hazards won't get up.

I am not exactly sure what all is coming Post-Home but Kyurem gaining Dragon Dance, Spear, and Freeze Dry just makes it more annoying to beat. Idk if certain movesets are possibly bannable, but Kyurem-Black is a nice addition to any Ice team, especially since rust bucket is banned.
 

Havens

WGI World Champion
is a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnus
As it's used on a type traditionally known for being all about wallbreaking and setup sweeping, I often find that Kyurem-B and Dragon teams as a whole play perfectly to this pace of the metagame and think that its success is based more on that than its actual power. As more and more defensive builds are forgone to opt for BO or HO cores, the types that Kyurem-B is placed on have had to make minimal adjustments to their natural playstyle in order to become successful and thrive because of it.

Kyurem-B is in a case like Melmetal, where teams naturally unprepared for it will struggle to combat it. However unlike Melmetal, Kyurem-B does not force various types or teams to run a dedicated and unviable Pokemon/set just because it exists. Many of the Pokemon or playstyles that have the capacity to check Kyurem-B's various sets viably can do so without causing a drastic change in its moveset or optimized playstyle, if at all. Some of the ones that come to my head are:
  • Aegislash;
  • Scarf Dragapult;
  • Jolly Mimikyu;
  • Scarf Jirachi;
  • Ferrothorn;
  • Focus Blast Keldeo;
  • Scarf Swords (Cobalion/Terrakion/Virizion);
  • Conkeldurr
  • Scarf Weavile;
  • Ditto;
  • Galarian Weezing (if DD)
  • Sand Teams (Excadrill);
  • Rain Teams (Seismitoad);
  • Sun Teams (Charizard; Torkoal if DD);
  • Its opposing Hail teams (Scarf Darm/Weavile, Alolatails; Avalugg if DD);
  • Its opposing Dragon teams (Literally any faster scarf Dragon);
  • ...and probably a heck of a lot more.
LO isn't as super crazy of a set I feel; yes the current BoltBeam coverage is great, but I can't remember the last time that the functions of its set were used to take down the majority of the types its intended for. Flying teams have become relatively non-existent at high level play with all they've lost, while Ground teams are suffering at the natural success of Dragon-, Ice-, Rain Water teams while being relatively useless against certain Pokemon individually (Corviknight). From a meta perspective, this set only seems good against Water and Steel; the latter of which Dragapult, Hydreigon, and Kommo-o handle fine, but it has immense flaws. It feels mandated to run the BoltBeam coverage because of Water, so if you're up against Steel w/o either/or Pult/Hydreigon, its in big trouble. If you run Earth Power, you'll lose to Ferrothorn. Run Focus Blast, you lose to Aegislash and risk missing often. You can't run both Steel coverage moves, or else you lose out on your BoltBeam coverage. Regardless, you won't have DD and often get forced out by Duraludon, Gardevoir, Keldeo, perhaps trading KO's along the way. All things considered, LO exists but is currently at a state where it feels incredibly inferior to SubDD, and gives that impression at the both teambuilder level and in matchmaking.
252 SpA Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Sableye: 133-157 (43.7 - 51.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 Atk Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Fusion Bolt vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Sableye: 188-222 (61.8 - 73%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (assume no burn)
252 SpA Teravolt Kyurem-Black Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Sableye: 102-121 (33.5 - 39.8%) -- 24.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 Atk Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Fusion Bolt vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Grimmsnarl: 211-248 (53.5 - 62.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (assume no Bulk Up)
4 Atk Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Fusion Bolt vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Corviknight: 286-338 (71.5 - 84.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aegislash-Shield: 182-216 (69.7 - 82.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Aegislash-Shield: 138-164 (42.5 - 50.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Aegislash-Blade: 263-309 (81.1 - 95.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 312-369 (77.2 - 91.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 Atk Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Fusion Bolt vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tyranitar: 138-162 (34.1 - 40%) -- 37.8% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 95-113 (29.3 - 34.8%) -- 7.3% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Reuniclus: 161-191 (37.9 - 45%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery (assume no Calm Mind)
4 Atk Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Fusion Bolt vs. 252 HP / 120 Def Snorlax: 179-212 (34.1 - 40.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (assume no Curse)
252 SpA Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 140+ SpD Incineroar: 205-244 (52 - 61.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (assume no Parting Shot)
4 Atk Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Fusion Bolt vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Hatterene: 156-185 (49 - 58.1%) -- 97.3% chance to 2HKO
4 Atk Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Fusion Bolt vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gardevoir: 212-250 (76.5 - 90.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
There's probably more but those are the super relevant ones where you'll think "damn this shit's weak lmao"

LO aside, DD isn't without it's fair share of problems either. SubDD sets w/ BoltBeam and no Roost is less of a threat than what I think everyone else is hyping it up for, and it feels more like a crutch for Kyurem-B to hold onto rather than this scary threat that should impact all teams at the teambuilder level. If anything, I'd and say that Dragapult and Hydreigon are much more problematic to take on than Kyurem-B simply because their pressure and damage output is much more threatening to most teams in general than what Kyurem-B could do after a Dragon Dance boost. It gets too much attention, when really the numbers it has for stats are too often show and don't produce the results that is expected of it, and is quite disappointing as a result. The only reason that I think Kyu-B gets so much attention in the first place is because it gets Dragon Dance and Icicle Spear; remove either quality and I strongly believe that it's the weakest its ever been on Dragon teams since its Gen V introduction. This isn't to say that Kyurem-B is not impactful; frankly given more time and future Pokemon released with DLC, its very possible that it'll become much more threatening, as more Pokemon available pave the path for more types to be developed and its usefulness could increase tenfold. However, it could also mean that more Pokemon would have the tools to combat it and its effectiveness in the meta could become much less as time progresses.

tl;dr Kyu-B's overrated and very bad in comparison to previous gens right now on Dragon, despite the impression it gives. It's much better on Ice. If you want an actual impact on teambuilding, you should definitely look at Aegislash first imo.

Edit: I mean very bad in comparison to previous generations. I don't think Kyurem-B is bad as a whole; you're never not running it, but both sets I feel are mediocre, all things considered.
 
Last edited:
I think electric is actually a pretty decent type now. Zeraora puts a lot of pressure on top types like steel and dragon, and Alolan Raichu along with webs provides great speed control. I definite think that electric has a lot of potential in this meta, and will only get better as the new dlcs come out.
 

roxie

https://www.youtube.com/@noxiousroxie
is a Tutoris a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus

Incoming Tundra/Armor Discussion

Hello! I know its kind of bland at the moment with the accessibility and diversity in selecting Pokemon on our current teams. But of course, there is still much hope coming once these DLC packs come out. Of course, Dynamaxing is banned and with the minimal selections of current Pokemon, OMs such as Monotype- Ubers, Doubles, Monothreat, CAP, and even LC are suffering due to the excitement and low selections of our current metagame. What are everyone's opinions on incoming pokemon like Chansey, Volcarona, and Crobat?! I will explain some of mine below!

Chansey:
This is one of the most annoying Pokemon to be created lol, Normal is mid-tier. It's hard to break Toxapex without Diggersby and is situational with running Indeedee-F/M. Chansey provides rocks and can absorb attacks from special offensive Pokemon like Hydreigon and provides hazards. I don't feel like Chansey alone will boost normal infinitely, but maybe a normal team will look like:
[Obstagoon, Chansey, Bewear, Diggersby, Ditto, Defogger/Scarfer/Indeedee]

Garchomp: The best Stealth Rock Dragon user in USUM will, of course, boost Dragon's performance. Corviknight is still an issue of course without Rhyperior or Suboptimal Endeavor Diggersby, but Nidoking is coming I see which will most definitely help Ground.

Volcarona: I feel like this Pokemon will be very useful with Heavy Duty Boots + Screens for Bug. Maybe like bulky screens Orbeetle, with a slow pivot U-Turn to help Volcarona get in Safety. Volc will also be useful for Fire as well as having access to Bug & Fire STAB + Psychic/Roost.

Crobat: As an esteemed Poison user (crowd applauds), I am very unsure about Crobat know. With the possible Ultra Beast rumor, I feel Nihilego would be an amazing addition to Poison as compared to Crobat. Galarian Weezing provides Dragon Immunity and is a Defogger. Sadly I don't really know, Crobat might be an afterthought for my team personally.

Metagross, Magnezone, Kingdra, Azumarill: Are some other highlighters that are coming. With Azumarill, stall water has more versatility. Kingdra(of course SS water), while Zone and Gross both can play significant roles depending on the Pokemon we get.

Comparisons??
Zarude vs Shiftry
1586901308071.jpeg

Zarude being a Grass/Dark Pokemon, it will depend on its Stats & Movesets because it has Leaf Guard compared to Shiftry having Chlorophyll. Many people have been dissing it and saying OH ITS TRASH, but what if someone does not really wanna run Sun Grass. Zarude could be an amazing Scarfer/Speed Control for a Non-Sunny Day variant of Grass.

>

I feel that Urshifu(Single Strike), will be better than Pangoro & Scrafty. Hopefully not too broken (fingers crossed).
vs

Both Water/Fighting types but which will be better?? Very Questionable. Hopefully it OHKOS Kyurem-Trash-Black.

 
Comparisons??
Zarude vs Shiftry View attachment 237218

Zarude being a Grass/Dark Pokemon, it will depend on its Stats & Movesets because it has Leaf Guard compared to Shiftry having Chlorophyll. Many people have been dissing it and saying OH ITS TRASH, but what if someone does not really wanna run Sun Grass. Zarude could be an amazing Scarfer/Speed Control for a Non-Sunny Day variant of Grass.​
As someone who uses a Non-Sunny Day variant of Grass, I am optimistic for Zarude's potential. Yeah, Leaf Guard kinda sucks and Shiftry will undeniably be better for a Sun team (unless this thing gets a hidden ability we don't yet know about), but Balance Grass generally lacks a strong physical attacking presence after losing Breloom and Tapu Bulu last gen, Virizion being a decent but somewhat weak (base 90 attack) scarfer, Rillaboom being mediocre at best, and Decidueye losing its Z-Move. I may try out Decidueye again, we'll see. It definitely depends on Zarude's stats, but if this thing gets something like 95 base speed or better and physical attack around 120 or better it automatically becomes Grass's best physical attacker outside of Sun so far this gen. Until Grassy Terrain Rillaboom is released and/or we have confirmation that no more mons are entering the game, I predict Grass teams will fluctuate greatly. STAB Knock Off would be awesome, and if it gets Fighting and/or Ground coverage that would be nice. Even something like Fire Fang could be viably used if it gets access. I don't know much about its signature move, Jungle Healing, but it looks like a Synthesis on steroids. It may not run it on a choice-locked set, but if it turns out to play similarly to how Decidueye did last gen I could definitely see Zarude becoming a versatile attacker with recovery, which Grass sort of lacks at the moment. Hopefully Zarude can be a boost that gives Grass (and heck maybe Dark depending on how good it is) more options.

Edit: I know Zarude is a Mythical Pokemon, but according to Bulbapedia it is known to "live in packs". This could mean packs of other Zarude, which could open the door to a Hidden Ability. It could also mean it lives in packs with other Pokemon like Shiftry, it's a bit unclear.
 
Last edited:

mushamu

God jihyo
is a Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Former Smogon Metagame Tournament Circuit Champion
On the post Melmetal metagame itself, one thing I can say for sure is that I think Ice has gotten a lot better Melmetal being gone and its additions through Pokemon Home. Melmetal getting banned means the Steel matchup is doable. Galarian Darmanitan knocks something out every time it gets a free turn, which oftentimes it can due to Steel teams typically carrying Excadrill as their fastest Choice Scarf user, meaning Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan has the potential to outspeed everything and just start spamming Flare Blitz, Earthquake or Superpower until everything's weakened for its other teammates to clean. When Melmetal was present, it could easily live an attack from Galarian Darmanitan and beat it or anything else that dared switch into Double Iron Bash down.

:ss/ninetales-alola: :ss/kyurem-black:
Other than that, Pokemon Home brought Ice two new great additions that now have the potential to shine even more with Melmetal gone. Screens is great in this metagame because of it being mainly offense based, and therefore improve the matchup trending against offensive teams tremendously by hindering their breaking potential. Pokemon Home giving it access to the now infamous Alolan Ninetales + Kyurem-B core is already amazing in the metagame as the formers ability to throw down Aurora Veil in one turn combined with the latter's ability to set up with Dragon Dance is enough to serve as a reliable wincon in a majority of matchups. Aside from an amazing screens setter paired arguably the best setup sweeper in Monotype at the moment, there are other great Pokemon like Galarian Darmanitan, Cloyster, and Weavile on Ice that help even more in other matchups, making it a great pick in the metagame at the moment.

Now onto Kyurem-B: I took the time to test out screens + Kyurem-B and I must say it's ridiculously easy to get up Dragon Dance and start wrecking havoc with the screens support. I've tried out screens Duraludon on Dragon and Aurora Veil Alolan Ninetales on Ice and they both support it pretty well with Light Clay providing it extended screens.


Kyurem-Black @ Leftovers
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 52 HP / 204 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Fusion Bolt

Like Roxiee, this is pretty much my favorite Kyurem-B set at the moment on both types, and I think Substitute helps a lot in terms of sweeping because of its ability to consistently dodge status conditions from Pokemon like Toxapex, Galarian Corsola, and Jellicent that would otherwise be problematic and can force Aegislash to change to Blade form so Kyurem-B can beat it easily with Fusion Bolt after a Dragon Dance. Leftovers are really nice as well because of the passive recovery and is great for keeping Kyurem-B healthy while setting up Substitutes. The 52 HP EVs help cheese Ghost teams pretty well because it means Galarian Corsola can't break Substitute with Night Shade, and combined with Leftovers allows Kyurem-B to comfortably set up against it and sweep the team. Heavy Duty Boots is also ok but I like the passive recovery a lot more with Substitute although it requires you to play carefully around hazards. Here's a replay that pretty much shows what it does to Ghost since the EV spread is geared towards beating it.

As for thoughts on the Pokemon itself, I'll take back what I said before about Kyurem-B being healthy for the metagame. After playing around with it more it's pretty obvious in my eyes its an absolute monster for a lot of types to deal with, and screens support that both of the types its on can provide make it even better by making it harder to revenge kill and set up more comfortably ever than before. For example, if you look at Havens's list of Pokemon that supposedly check Kyurem-B, a lot of them can be handled even better with screens support. Aegislash is forced to change to Blade form with Substitute as Kyurem-B can get up a Dragon Dance against it with screens up, and taken out by Fusion Bolt after a Dragon Dance. Pokemon like Terrakion along with Keldeo, Weavile, Gengar, and Excadrill struggle beating Kyurem-B with screens up because it can live an attack from all of them assuming its healthy and get up another Dragon Dance or straight up attack and beat the aforementioned Pokemon. Even Choice Scarf Ditto on Normal and Clear Body Dragapult on Dragon can't beat it reliably with screens up if it is healthy, so the list of Pokemon that can reliably check Kyurem-B really narrows down when you throw screens into the equation. To answer Harpp's question, I don't particularly think Kyurem-B limits teambuilding in Monotype that much, but it's a huge threat for sure that I think should be looked at.
 

Namranan

:)))))))))))
Hello monotype players! I am a long time member and tour player in the community and I am happy to announce that I have started a series covering the lesser-used pokemon in the tier. I call it the D-rank warriors (yes its like Blunder and Pokeaim's BL knights) and it's a series on youtube that I will be uploading daily (except for Sunday). If you have suggestions for sets or anything for an upcoming mon PM me on smogon, I hope you all enjoy!

Example video:
Anyway to not make this an ad for my series, I will talk about the mentioned Pokemon in this video, Obstagoon. I think its pretty underrated and can be pivotal thanks to its power with Guts + Facade and access to Obstruct / Taunt. What do you guys think?
 
Long time lurker, first time poster (since like 2010).

Getting into Monotype, starting with rock as it features my two favourite pokemon: Solrock and Lunatone.

I've used a dual screen solrock set to decent success on a hyper offense team. Just wondering if Lunatone has a niche? They're ranked in D in the viability rankings, so I know I shouldn't have high hopes, but wondering what their best option would be.

Edit: I'm guessing something like this could work?

Lunatone @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Rock Polish
- Psychic
- Power Gem
use both for Trick Room
Lunatone for Specials like Psychic Moonblast EarthPower GrassKnot
Solrock for MCoat Blitz or Finish with Explosion

anybody has a way to kill Dracovish against a rock mono?

Um just too killed when dracovish is in my opponent
 
Last edited by a moderator:
anybody has a way to kill Dracovish against a rock mono?

Um just too killed when dracovish is in my opponent
Hmm that’s a tough one.
I would say the best way to kill it early is to set up hazards immediately (specifically webs) cause otherwise one of the only mons who outspeed it on rock is Terrakion... Although vish is far more common on water so if you are seeing a vish you might be just be screwed on type alone.
 
Vish dies on any banded mon on my team, just I need TR ready before he comes in.
Wonder if web is set, Band Terra will swipe the hell outta everyone!
I don't think you see that Taides joking... while also saying that the set he mentioned is also a joke suicide set.. though I guess if you want to sturdy counter to kill your biggest threat... go ahead

As for band Terrak that might be a solid idea as it needs to punch through mons like Corviknight, Toxapex (with EQ of course) and Aegislash (also EQ) and Ferrothorn
 
o
I don't think you see that Taides joking... while also saying that the set he mentioned is also a joke suicide set.. though I guess if you want to sturdy counter to kill your biggest threat... go ahead

As for band Terrak that might be a solid idea as it needs to punch through mons like Corviknight, Toxapex (with EQ of course) and Aegislash (also EQ) and Ferrothorn
oh sorry i didnt notice!
guess i have to play along. gotta work on some entry hazards.
Shuckle's up!
 
use both for Trick Room
Lunatone for Specials like Psychic Moonblast EarthPower GrassKnot
Solrock for MCoat Blitz or Finish with Explosion

anybody has a way to kill Dracovish against a rock mono?

Um just too killed when dracovish is in my opponent
If you want to run TR Rock utilising Solrock and Lunatone as TR Setters, Bulky Band Sudowoodo OHKOs Dracovish with Head Smash and you wont take damage due to Sudowoodo’s Rock Head ability... unless you miss ;w;.
Crobat: As an esteemed Poison user (crowd applauds), I am very unsure about Crobat know. With the possible Ultra Beast rumor, I feel Nihilego would be an amazing addition to Poison as compared to Crobat. Galarian Weezing provides Dragon Immunity and is a Defogger. Sadly I don't really know, Crobat might be an afterthought for my team personally.
As somebody who likes to play around with Poison, and liked to use it in Gen 7, I feel like Crobat will definitely still see use, since you don’t automatically die to excadrill’s Mold Breaker ability which you would do if you were playing Weezing, which gives Crobat an edge for it’s role, but honestly it’s very debatable both ways.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

roxie

https://www.youtube.com/@noxiousroxie
is a Tutoris a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
As somebody who likes to play around with Poison, and liked to use it in Gen 7, I feel like Crobat will definitely still see use, since you don’t automatically die to excadrill’s Mold Breaker ability which you would do if you were playing Weezing, which gives Crobat an edge for it’s role, but honestly it’s very debatable both ways.
The Ground-Immunity for sure will be amazing, I feel like Vileplume might still be used as a great counter for Excadrill Post-Home in providing that neutrality, Bat is useful for stuff with subs and stuff, it all depends on what Poison gets. The main Pokemon right now that needs to go is Kyurem for all this dlc stuff to come in use. I feel like Ice will survive with Artcozolt's Slush Rush + BoltBeam STABs/Coverage, which is exactly what Kyurem is running along with Substitute + Dragon Dance. Hopefully all this stuff gets better sooon
 
Speaking of poison, I feel like my preference has been shifting toward the normal pure poison Weezing form. Sure, dragon immunity is nice but the additional weakness to steel kinda hurts its ability to tank. And poison team has many problems facing steel team already.

The other draw back about normal Weezing is that it also loses access to defog. But I've found Skuntank to be a more reliable defogger lately anyway.

So Weezing vs. G-Weezing, pick your poison (pun intended).
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top