About and (Single-Strike)
I think Pheromosa fits the same category like Urshifu-S in the Sentiment of Future-Port-Abusers.
Both, Pheromosa and Urshifu-S can be profiteers of the same strategy, Future-Port and Pheromosa is usually paired up with eitehr Slowbro, or Slowking, as Pheromosas only downside is being frail with having 71 / 37 / 37 Stats in the HP / Def / SpD, whereas Urshifu-S is definitely bulkier.
That is in my opinion the only difference between them, but they abuse Futre-Port both in the same way with Slowbro or Slowking as Teampartners.
In-Depth look into Pheromosa:
Pheromosa is a great Pokemon with a good offensive typing and astronomical Speed of 151, which means it outspeeds most Pokemon naturally already in the OU Metagame. It's variety of Sets allows Pheromosa to do the Wallbreaking and also Sweeping consistently and reliably.
The Sets:
Pheromosa @ Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Close Combat
- Triple Axel
- Rapid Spin / Poison Jab / Drill Run
Pheromosa @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Shock Wave
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast
Pheremosa was always a Pokemon in this generation, which ahs been viewed rather carefully, but I think with its supergreat Speed-Stat, its great offensive Tools, and the way it can (re)act just pushes it over the Edge. Like Choice Band-Pheromosa can just safely U-turn out of bad Matchups, while keeping up momentum for the rest of the team, Close Combat is just a very reliable and strong STAB of choice and hits most Pokemon pretty hard in the tier, if not it can claim OHKOes for itself. Triple Axel is a great coverage, which gives it the edge over Pokemon such as Landorus-Therian, Tornadus-Therian, Zapdos, and Mandibuzz, which can all check the CB-Set due to their typing, ability or bulky. Triple Axel hits every one of them pretty hard, and is able to claim even OHKOes. Rapid Spin or Poison Jab will round the set up extremely well, Rapdis Spin can support the rest of the team, whereas Poison Jab can lure in fairies such as Tapu Fini and Clefable. Drill Run is another choice to hit Toxapex, which otehrwise would wall this specific Pheromosa-Set.
The Quiver-Set is another great option, as it can just sweep after the opposing team is weakened, Shock Wave can claim versus Tapu Fini and Toxapex, Ice Beam versus various flying-types and Focus Blast is a high BP fighting-type STAB Pheromosa appreciates to have as with a bit of chip can just run through the rest of the tier, baring Ghost-Types.
What I think pushes Pheremosa is the recent exploration of the Quiver Dance-Set as this set can bypass many Pokemon in the tier after just 1 Quiver, and its ability in Beast Boost gives it on top of a Life Orb a Boost in its Special Attack-stat, which means Phereomosa can have the potential to snowball out rather easily, when its checks are weakened beforehand or when Pheromosa Sets another Quiver-Dance on a Recover, which Toxapex uses. The only downside I see in both sets is the fraility of Pheromosa, but it makes up for it with its offensive presence. I would view this Pokemon very closely in my opinion.
In-Depth Look into Urshifu-S:
Urshifu-S has been a controversial Pokemon even before the drop of Crown Tundra and stays controversial still, as it is yet another Pokemon, which can profit of the same way as Pheromosa does from Future-Port. Urshifu, while having not the stellar Speed-stat could be still a problematic Pokemon in its own right, as it has a good Attack-stat alongside a great ability in Unseen Fist. Unseen Fist can bypass Protect and Wicked Blow just can manage to hit everything hard as it has the trait to always Crit.
The Sets:
Urshifu @ Black Glasses / @ Life Orb
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature / Adamant Nature
- Bulk Up
- Sucker Punch
- Close Combat
- Wicked Blow
Urshifu @ Choice Band / @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature / Jolly Nature
- Wicked Blow
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab / Iron Head
- U-turn
The first set is extremely threatening on not only teams with Future-Port Support but also on Hyper Offense variants as it is able to set-up rather easily with a Bulk Up and forces mindgames with Sucker Punch. After a Bulk Up it is able to tear through most Pokemon in the metagame, baring Tapu Fini, as Tapu Fini offers the bulk to withstand this Set after a +1 due to Bulk Up. The Choice Band / Choice Scarf-Set are threatening as well, as they can forme an even better Core with Teleport / Volt Switch users, and this Pokemon can just U-turn out of bad Matchups as well, to bring an appropiate Partner in safely. Lastly, Urshifu can run Poison Jab / Iron Head on this Set to catch Tapu Fini especially after some Stealth-Rocks chip.
I think the most dangerous set currently is the Bulk Up Life orb-variant, as this can classify itself as a really potent Set on HO-Teams and with Teampartners such as Magearna, Cinderace, Garchomp, and other potent Setup-Sweepers like Kartana, Rillaboom, and Hawlucha alongside an entry hazard-setter such as Landorus-Therian and screen-setters like Regieleki, Tapu Koko, or Alola-Ninetales, it can be force and a dangerous Pokemon to face. Magearna and kartana can both get rid off the bad Matchups for Urshifu, whereas Urshifu can create mind games with Sucker Punch, which gives it some pseudo-speed, especially when it faces faster choice-locked Pokemon, it can just punish them. In my opinion, this Pokemon should be viewed as closely as Pheromosa.
These Pokemon might find overlapping counterplay in Tapu Fini, and to a lesser extent Toxapex, but I think the overlapping counterplay doesn't mean that these 2 Pokemon can be healthy in their own ways, and therefore I would view both of them very closely and how the metagame develops and reacts around them.
Thanks for reading everyone and have a g'day!