So it just gets +2 speed for being hit by a physical attack? Scary stuff.
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Metagame Pokébilities
- Thread starter Ivy
- Start date
Anybody know how Klingklang would work in this metagame? Seeing as how it gets both Plus and Minus, would the both of them interact with one another and give Klingklang both boosts?
Offensive Gigalith and Offensive Hippowdon are gonna be real threats in the metagame. Both having good Attack stat with a free Life Orb boost on their STAB attacks and main coverage option, think twice before switching into them. Both also get access to Curse, so why not Curse sets?
Also i want to point out Toxapex:
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Merciless
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic / Toxic Spikes
- Venoshock
- Recover
- Scald / Haze / Knock Off
Toxapex having both Merciless and regenerator makes it a fantastic spreader of toxic/Toxic Spikes, as it can benefit from poisoned foes by using a 130 bp STAB Venoshock, which ignores Calm Mind boosts thanks to Merciless guaranteed crits. That makes it less overreliant on Haze to take on defensive boosters, notably Calm Mind users, like Clefable, Reuniclus or Tapu Fini, Fini also takes the tspikes trying to remove them with Defog, so it would get poisoned. Scald can be interesting if you pair it with Salazzle for instance to Poison steel and Poison types, so that Scald can guarantee crit them to deal a lot of damage. Toxapex is going to be less passive with this slight boost imo.
A Spread of 252 HP 52 Def 196 spA 8 Spe with a Modest nature lets Toxapex 2HKO Reuniclus with Venoshock as it switches on Tspikes as long as you knocked off its Leftovers, 232 SpA let it 2HKO it regardless of Leftovers and the 8 spe let it speed creep 44 Spe Reuniclus sets. You severly cut into its bulk however, especially with the second spread. So it's up to your team i guess. Keep in mind that you still tank one single Life Orb boosted Psyshock, and 2 Psyshocks from the Leftovers variant even with the cut in bulk, the only problem being having a low roll when it tries to Recover stall you if you didnt knock off its leftovers. Note that Clefable is OHKOed as long as it got poisoned beforehand, and Tapu fini comes close to be OHKOed.
Also i want to point out Toxapex:
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Merciless
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic / Toxic Spikes
- Venoshock
- Recover
- Scald / Haze / Knock Off
Toxapex having both Merciless and regenerator makes it a fantastic spreader of toxic/Toxic Spikes, as it can benefit from poisoned foes by using a 130 bp STAB Venoshock, which ignores Calm Mind boosts thanks to Merciless guaranteed crits. That makes it less overreliant on Haze to take on defensive boosters, notably Calm Mind users, like Clefable, Reuniclus or Tapu Fini, Fini also takes the tspikes trying to remove them with Defog, so it would get poisoned. Scald can be interesting if you pair it with Salazzle for instance to Poison steel and Poison types, so that Scald can guarantee crit them to deal a lot of damage. Toxapex is going to be less passive with this slight boost imo.
A Spread of 252 HP 52 Def 196 spA 8 Spe with a Modest nature lets Toxapex 2HKO Reuniclus with Venoshock as it switches on Tspikes as long as you knocked off its Leftovers, 232 SpA let it 2HKO it regardless of Leftovers and the 8 spe let it speed creep 44 Spe Reuniclus sets. You severly cut into its bulk however, especially with the second spread. So it's up to your team i guess. Keep in mind that you still tank one single Life Orb boosted Psyshock, and 2 Psyshocks from the Leftovers variant even with the cut in bulk, the only problem being having a low roll when it tries to Recover stall you if you didnt knock off its leftovers. Note that Clefable is OHKOed as long as it got poisoned beforehand, and Tapu fini comes close to be OHKOed.
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I disagree with the idea of banning Bright Powder (and Lax Incense)
Snow Cloak/Sand Veil are only a ×0.8 accuracy multiplier (so brings 100% accurate moves to 80%)
In combination with BPowder, that brings the accuracy to ×0.72 – which is no worse than Paralysis (25% chance of failing any move), and as pointed out, BPowder also has a significant opportunity cost by taking the item slot.
You generally can't really fish for misses with Cloak/Veil due to the nature of the abilities (dependent on time-restricted weathers and often found on frail mons), BPowder doesn't really exacerbate the issue (only adding 8% extra miss chance), imo.
might be the only mon around that actively uses Veil as a strategy, potentially with BPowder; but until we see how it fares, we can't really conclude that such a set would be uncompetitive, even less that if it were, BPowder would be the main culprit. In a perfect scenario, with Glare's paralysis, Spit active and BPowder not knocked off, Sandaconda has a 46% chance of dodging. That can be compared to Jirachi's 60% chance of flinching the opponent as long as it moves first.I will also disagree with banning BPowder on the basis of evasion buffing in general – a relatively limited amount of uncertainty has always been present in Pokémon in general, and evasion/accuracy reduction other than Minimize/DoubleTeam are not under Evasion Clause.
Cloak/Veil specifically haven't been banned in OU and other Smogon singles formats since gen 5.
In a format where Veil and Cloak mons exist and are used, banning BPowder but not these other evasion changes wouldn't make much sense, too.
On the same topic, note that:
Without Skill Link, Triple Axel's accuracy goes down the drain against any increase in evasion, due to its nature (three accuracy checks to successfully deal full damage).
Here's a chart showing the chance of 120BP and average BP (including 1-2 hit chances) of 3XL vs various combinations of evasion boosts:
For example, against a Veil user, an unboosted Axel goes from 73% to 37% chance of 120BP (practically a OHKO move), effectively halving its accuracy to near-uselessness. WLens does help remedy this significantly, but it's still a relatively bad item with significant opportunity cost.
Cinccino doesn't have this issue of exponential accuracy loss thanks to Skill Link (which guarantees 3 hits if it passes the initial accuracy check), but I still suggest running U-Turn over 3XL: Ice coverage only hits Kartana and Ferrothorn better, and only hits these for neutral damage, doesn't let it break the latter, and being contact makes it very susceptible to contact abilities.
can easily switch to IceBeam if Axel is problematic. It still cleany 1HKOs uninvested Garchomp (the main Veil target) without taking barbs damage:0 SpA Pheromosa Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp: 388-460 (108.6 - 128.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
the other two potential Axel users are very unlikely to be viable anyway, but they both have Icrash as an option.
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Both Plus and Minus require an active ally to be present, so they shouldn't do anything. Plus and Minus also work with themselves since gen 5, so if they could interact with the user's abilities, every Plus/Minus mon would be boosting themselves:O
While Sand Force lets them dish a ton more damage than otherwise, I believe their main role will still be to enable sand abusers, most notably Dracozolt. note that Sand Force only lasts for 5 turns, so staying in on a Curse set might waste precious sand turns. But it's still very worth trying!
Merciless is very neat and Venoshock synergy is pretty awesome, but Toxapex suffers from 4MSS (and a weak SpA stat of 53)
The bulk loss+losing Haze renders it unable to check several mons, including Magearna; forgoing Scald similarly causes several issues.
I think it's hard to fit the Toxic(Spikes) + Venoshock combo on Toxapex when it almost always wants Recover + Haze + Scald/KnockOff.
I think Merciless is just going to be situational extra damage for Scald/Knock for Pexes that run Toxic/Tokspikes, but I'd love to be proven wrong!
I truly wonder if Snorlax will work somewhat as good as it did last gen, since pinch berries were nerfed.
If not, I guess Snorlax will be back to having only 2 abilities, and being really unviable.
If not, I guess Snorlax will be back to having only 2 abilities, and being really unviable.
Woohoo, we are OMotM! Thank you everyone for your support and interest ❤
We have added a few sample teams (and are working on more, and please do submit your teams!)
Little note that in current implementation, unlike on the thread post, Trace only copies the opponent's chosen ability (the one inthe teambuilder), which means that preferably you'd select an ability that does not benefit the opponent.
The only two potential Trace users are Gardevoir and Porygon2, so for example, I'd select IronFist on teambuilder for
instead of SheerForce, and CuriousMedicine on
instead of Regenerator.
This might change before tomorrow (when the ladder will be available).
Neutralising Gas may also be affected
, we do not know at this time:/
Sorry for the inconvenience!
Edit: Trace appears to have been fixed. Woohoo! Thank you PS devs.
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But, three other berry abusers exist, with access to 66% HP sitrus berries (and can also use a variety of other berries), and might be fun to experiment with (though likely unviable) :)
We have added a few sample teams (and are working on more, and please do submit your teams!)
Little note that in current implementation, unlike on the thread post, Trace only copies the opponent's chosen ability (the one inthe teambuilder), which means that preferably you'd select an ability that does not benefit the opponent.
The only two potential Trace users are Gardevoir and Porygon2, so for example, I'd select IronFist on teambuilder for instead of SheerForce, and CuriousMedicine oninstead of Regenerator.This might change before tomorrow (when the ladder will be available).
Neutralising Gas may also be affected
, we do not know at this time:/Sorry for the inconvenience!
Edit: Trace appears to have been fixed. Woohoo! Thank you PS devs.
Yeah, it is truly sad for Snorlax that Gluttony+pinch is essentially just 8% extra health from a normal Sitrus – which Snorlax would rather not run over
.But, three other berry abusers exist, with access to 66% HP sitrus berries (and can also use a variety of other berries), and might be fun to experiment with (though likely unviable) :)
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Did some laddering with this team, got to 1300 so im calling it a day for now.
Toad is rly good vs all the sand spammers - it antileads Hippo/Giga really well scoring a knock/getting rocks up for you. People tend to go clef on it too so you can often stay in to knock/rocks (whatever you didnt click t1) and then go tran to blank the clef. On top of that it switches into zolt very well so you have very good counterplay vs most of what sand is tryna do.
Heavy Slam Tran is really good atm since people arent running knock/trick on their clefs yet, so you can come in, trap em with magma if they try to greed and send them packing with slam. Taunt helps vs reuni too.
Pult is the generic antioffense mon, helps a bunch vs screens (webs?).
Conk is insane, breaks everything with the right predictions. Mach punch is very solid utility as well.
Mence helps vs rilla and can sometimes be a wincon, its fog cause i needed the role compression.
Clef is clef, steals a bunch of games since ppl arent prepped for it yet.
General impressions on the meta:
sand is pretty much all i see, its definitely solid but exploitable imo cause the main threats (zolt and chomp) are easily blanked - zolt by ground, chomp by clef (both of which should be on every non HO team imo).
clef is a threat - you really need proper counterplay for it or it autowins. reuni otoh isnt as good imo cause clef naturally checks it due to unaware and clef is everywhere.
i almost lost to dd mage on screens but luckily crit my gutsless mach punch to kill it from 30. I think this mon warrants watching, cause even with all these abilities theres still not much proper counterplay to screens magearna.
Toad is rly good vs all the sand spammers - it antileads Hippo/Giga really well scoring a knock/getting rocks up for you. People tend to go clef on it too so you can often stay in to knock/rocks (whatever you didnt click t1) and then go tran to blank the clef. On top of that it switches into zolt very well so you have very good counterplay vs most of what sand is tryna do.
Heavy Slam Tran is really good atm since people arent running knock/trick on their clefs yet, so you can come in, trap em with magma if they try to greed and send them packing with slam. Taunt helps vs reuni too.
Pult is the generic antioffense mon, helps a bunch vs screens (webs?).
Conk is insane, breaks everything with the right predictions. Mach punch is very solid utility as well.
Mence helps vs rilla and can sometimes be a wincon, its fog cause i needed the role compression.
Clef is clef, steals a bunch of games since ppl arent prepped for it yet.
General impressions on the meta:
sand is pretty much all i see, its definitely solid but exploitable imo cause the main threats (zolt and chomp) are easily blanked - zolt by ground, chomp by clef (both of which should be on every non HO team imo).
clef is a threat - you really need proper counterplay for it or it autowins. reuni otoh isnt as good imo cause clef naturally checks it due to unaware and clef is everywhere.
i almost lost to dd mage on screens but luckily crit my gutsless mach punch to kill it from 30. I think this mon warrants watching, cause even with all these abilities theres still not much proper counterplay to screens magearna.
here's some bitch ass hyper offense i vomited up in like 34 seconds it's not even that good
happy april fools everyone
Tapu Koko @ Light Clay
Ability: Telepathy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- U-turn
- Thunderbolt
tapu koko sets up screens clicks u-turn to abuse pivot moves and has tbolt to actually deal damage should the time come. light clay is great to maximize extra setup turns.
Hawlucha @ Electric Seed
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Acrobatics
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
you know what this does. rock slide is coverage for stuff like zapdos but you could slot roost to give it more use throughout a match.
Magearna @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Shift Gear
- Draining Kiss
- Stored Power
A message to OM leaders: please stop unbanning Magearna. Nobody likes this thing. Nobody wants to fight it and nobody wants to account for it in teambuilding. So many opponents I faced just instantly left because Magearna came in. Do yourselves a favor and leave it banned unless the consensus wants to see it unbanned or it's absolutely obvious that it won't be an issue (i.e. balanced hackmons/loser's game or something).
has enough speed to outpace max speed zeraora at +2, not that zera is terribly relevant but you do also outspeed pult so might as well
Garchomp @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 80 HP / 176 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Scale Shot
- Earthquake
sand is pretty popular right now so sand veil chomp is a nice way to farm for low-effort showdown salt compilations. pretty good role compression too, ground is nice, its a good rocker, its a servicable sweeper under right conditions, and a good breaker too.
hp evs are completely random.
Eldegoss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Cotton Down
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leech Seed
- Rapid Spin
- Aromatherapy
- Leaf Tornado
i think this is one of the most braindead pokemon right now. not that its good, but your plan with goss is essentially to throw it into incoming attacks and watch the opponent suffer for it. mainly, its a fantastic way of ruining the lives of any physical contact attacker, as they get slowed, chipped by rocky helmet, and have a chance to get statused by effect spore. regen is nice too. the moves are basically things to be annoying/supportive with but i've only ever used leech seed and rapid spin. aromatherapy is stupid with conk but what else are you gonna do with this. leaf tornado can supply extra hax and is a stab move to click in neutral or smthn bro just send it in against the 958 cincinnos you're gonna see on low ladder and watch them lose all their health and speed and then get put to sleep its cathartic
Conkeldurr @ Flame Orb
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Mach Punch
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Knock Off
guts iron fist sheer force conkeldurr hits like a freight train strapped with 3 nuclear missiles and a second conkeldurr at the helm. mach punch is strong priority, cc is spammable stab, poison jab is for clef, and knock off is broken move filler.
hp evs are completely random.
trheatlist.....,.
this team doesn't exactly have a clef answer, you have tools needed to KO but its hard to switch-in against. part of why this team is bad imo but that doesn't mean its not funny
i'm only adding this because my 51% magearna lives specs analytic flash cannon at +2 and was poised to win after shift-gearing to outspeed sand dracozolt but my opponent crit my ass anyhow like bro what the hell
corv + ground cores like this are annoying, hawlucha works under ideal conditions but otherwise this is a pain to get around
integrity: if you have any sense of self-respect you're gonna have a bad time with this team, mainly because it has kokolucha and mag.
happy april fools everyone
Tapu Koko @ Light Clay
Ability: Telepathy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- U-turn
- Thunderbolt
tapu koko sets up screens clicks u-turn to abuse pivot moves and has tbolt to actually deal damage should the time come. light clay is great to maximize extra setup turns.
Hawlucha @ Electric Seed
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Acrobatics
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
you know what this does. rock slide is coverage for stuff like zapdos but you could slot roost to give it more use throughout a match.
Magearna @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Shift Gear
- Draining Kiss
- Stored Power
A message to OM leaders: please stop unbanning Magearna. Nobody likes this thing. Nobody wants to fight it and nobody wants to account for it in teambuilding. So many opponents I faced just instantly left because Magearna came in. Do yourselves a favor and leave it banned unless the consensus wants to see it unbanned or it's absolutely obvious that it won't be an issue (i.e. balanced hackmons/loser's game or something).
has enough speed to outpace max speed zeraora at +2, not that zera is terribly relevant but you do also outspeed pult so might as well
Garchomp @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 80 HP / 176 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Scale Shot
- Earthquake
sand is pretty popular right now so sand veil chomp is a nice way to farm for low-effort showdown salt compilations. pretty good role compression too, ground is nice, its a good rocker, its a servicable sweeper under right conditions, and a good breaker too.
hp evs are completely random.
Eldegoss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Cotton Down
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leech Seed
- Rapid Spin
- Aromatherapy
- Leaf Tornado
i think this is one of the most braindead pokemon right now. not that its good, but your plan with goss is essentially to throw it into incoming attacks and watch the opponent suffer for it. mainly, its a fantastic way of ruining the lives of any physical contact attacker, as they get slowed, chipped by rocky helmet, and have a chance to get statused by effect spore. regen is nice too. the moves are basically things to be annoying/supportive with but i've only ever used leech seed and rapid spin. aromatherapy is stupid with conk but what else are you gonna do with this. leaf tornado can supply extra hax and is a stab move to click in neutral or smthn bro just send it in against the 958 cincinnos you're gonna see on low ladder and watch them lose all their health and speed and then get put to sleep its cathartic
Conkeldurr @ Flame Orb
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Mach Punch
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Knock Off
guts iron fist sheer force conkeldurr hits like a freight train strapped with 3 nuclear missiles and a second conkeldurr at the helm. mach punch is strong priority, cc is spammable stab, poison jab is for clef, and knock off is broken move filler.
hp evs are completely random.
trheatlist.....,.
this team doesn't exactly have a clef answer, you have tools needed to KO but its hard to switch-in against. part of why this team is bad imo but that doesn't mean its not funny i'm only adding this because my 51% magearna lives specs analytic flash cannon at +2 and was poised to win after shift-gearing to outspeed sand dracozolt but my opponent crit my ass anyhow like bro what the hell corv + ground cores like this are annoying, hawlucha works under ideal conditions but otherwise this is a pain to get aroundintegrity: if you have any sense of self-respect you're gonna have a bad time with this team, mainly because it has kokolucha and mag.
no reun sets yet? that a damn shame
Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Focus Blast
- Recover
- Psychic
like jesus christ man. magic guard and regenerator in one pokemon.
Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Focus Blast
- Recover
- Psychic
like jesus christ man. magic guard and regenerator in one pokemon.
This looks super fun!
First mon that came to mind when I found out about this OM was Reuniclus. It has 3 AMAZING abilities in Regenerator, Magic Guard, and Overcoat. You not only are completely immune to hazards and residual damage from Leech Seed, Magma Storm, etc, but you just recover all that up when switching out, and all this while being immune to Spore. Honestly, such an amazing and super duper fun mon to use. To test it out, I just grabbed one of the sample teams and replaced Slowking with Reuniclus.
In the replay below you can see it putting in so much work, removing items with Knock Off and pressuring the opponent's defensive core of Toxapex + Heatran + Corviknight with its STAB Psychic and coverage in Focus Blast and Thunder. People need to seriously use this.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8pokebilities-1313613478
First mon that came to mind when I found out about this OM was Reuniclus. It has 3 AMAZING abilities in Regenerator, Magic Guard, and Overcoat. You not only are completely immune to hazards and residual damage from Leech Seed, Magma Storm, etc, but you just recover all that up when switching out, and all this while being immune to Spore. Honestly, such an amazing and super duper fun mon to use. To test it out, I just grabbed one of the sample teams and replaced Slowking with Reuniclus.
In the replay below you can see it putting in so much work, removing items with Knock Off and pressuring the opponent's defensive core of Toxapex + Heatran + Corviknight with its STAB Psychic and coverage in Focus Blast and Thunder. People need to seriously use this.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8pokebilities-1313613478
Dracozolt. Clefable. Reuniclus. Conkeldurr. These are the 4 obvious fronts of the metagame for now that every team needs to be very, very well prepared for. Two of them are absolutely nuclear breakers, while the other 2 are excellent Calm Mind wincons with a great defensive presence and some solid variety in their sets. It would be such a shame if one mon could ruin all of them...
Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 92 SpD / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Shadow Bone / Poltergeist
- Bonemerang / Earthquake
- Stealth Rock / Substitute / Knock Off / Flame Charge / Toxic
Marowak LOVES being able to keep its defensive utility with Lightning Rod while still having an actually strong Fire STAB. This not only makes it much more capable of fitting on teams, but also frees it to run a more accurate Ghost STAB as it doesn't rely as much on the nuclear power of Poltergeist. This things tears through lots of common threats right now - it's immune to Conkeldurr's STAB as well as Facade and Thunder Punch, it cleanly 2HKO's Clefable and OHKO's Reuniclus (56% with Shadow Bone, guaranteed with Poltergeist) and Dracozolt, and of course it's immune to the latter's threatening Bolt Beak. The speed investment creeps uninvested Magearna but you can EV for Clefable, Corviknight or whatever else. The leftovers go into special defense to better tank Draco Meteor from Dracozolt, Moonblast from Clefable, Flash Cannon from Magnezone, Fleur Cannon from Magearna, Dazzling Gleam from Tapu Koko, etc...
Of course, it's not without its downsides. Great hazard control is needed for it to stay healthy as it's forced to run Thick Club to be at all threatening. This can also be problematic against Knock Off variants of Clefable and Reuniclus (and of course Conkeldurr's just outright kills you). Also, Marowak is very slow, and thus can feel like dead weight against some offense teams, though its defensive utility in combination with the ability to run Substitute can make up for this somewhat.
I used Marowak briefly today (yesterday now, I suppose) on this team - a pivot offense which utilizes Cinccino's ability to force in Steel types to make progress either by trapping them with Magnezone or bringing in Marowak to claim your KO. Scizor makes for a good cleaner once Steels are removed, and also serves as a good revenge killer for offensive threats that get a few too many free turns. Galarian Weezing serves as the main defensive backbone of the team, stuffing almost every physical threat including but not limited to Rillaboom, Azumarill, Garchomp, Salamence, Urshifu-SS, Conkeldurr and Hawlucha, while also denying setup from mons like Clefable and clearing hazards that can make Cinccino and Marowak's jobs much harder. Latias serves as a way to cripple tough defensive cores such as Hippowdon + bulky Water that are difficult for Marowak to break, which also granting the team resistances to Fire and Water to better handle threats such as Cinderace and opposing Marowak. Thunderbolt is great for handling the Water types Latias is meant to resist, while Ice Beam can be switched out for the likes of Draco Meteor, Psyshock or Aura Sphere if you'd prefer (I personally dropped Draco due to the Misty Terrain from Weezing interfering with it). Admittedly I didn't play for long so there's no telling for sure how the team will work at high ladder. The biggest threats to the team are opposing Cinccino, as well as strong special breakers such as Tapu Lele and Sigilyph, which you have no long term switchins to. Dracozolt is also a tough matchup, as Marowak is KO'd by Draco Meteor after rocks, and it's one of the few physical breakers Weezing can't handle. Magnezone and Latias can both tank Bolt Beak in a pinch, and the latter outspeeds Adamant/Lonely Dracozolt in sand.
For variations on the team - feel free to experiment with different pivots in the Cinccino slot as plenty of mons can lure in Steel types for Magnezone to pray on. Scizor itself can even be tasked with this if you want to run a defensive pivot such as Slowking in that slot. Scizor additionally can run different sets; a more specially defensive set can take on powerful Psychic types while an offensive Swords Dance set serves as an even better cleaner. Also feel free to run whatever coverage on Latias suits your fancy - I think boltbeam is the best overall for this team but whatever works for you is fine. Magnezone can be Substitute + Body Press if you want to trap Ferrothorn, though you'll lose out on Sturdy by doing that. Finally Cinccino's set can be varied; Triple Axel and Knock Off have their uses as coverage/utility, and both Choice Band and Heavy-Duty Boots are alternative items for it (though pads are almost certainly the best with many people using Zapdos, Ferrothorn, Garchomp etc. as a switchin to make it KO or cripple itself).
Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 92 SpD / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Shadow Bone / Poltergeist
- Bonemerang / Earthquake
- Stealth Rock / Substitute / Knock Off / Flame Charge / Toxic
Marowak LOVES being able to keep its defensive utility with Lightning Rod while still having an actually strong Fire STAB. This not only makes it much more capable of fitting on teams, but also frees it to run a more accurate Ghost STAB as it doesn't rely as much on the nuclear power of Poltergeist. This things tears through lots of common threats right now - it's immune to Conkeldurr's STAB as well as Facade and Thunder Punch, it cleanly 2HKO's Clefable and OHKO's Reuniclus (56% with Shadow Bone, guaranteed with Poltergeist) and Dracozolt, and of course it's immune to the latter's threatening Bolt Beak. The speed investment creeps uninvested Magearna but you can EV for Clefable, Corviknight or whatever else. The leftovers go into special defense to better tank Draco Meteor from Dracozolt, Moonblast from Clefable, Flash Cannon from Magnezone, Fleur Cannon from Magearna, Dazzling Gleam from Tapu Koko, etc...
Of course, it's not without its downsides. Great hazard control is needed for it to stay healthy as it's forced to run Thick Club to be at all threatening. This can also be problematic against Knock Off variants of Clefable and Reuniclus (and of course Conkeldurr's just outright kills you). Also, Marowak is very slow, and thus can feel like dead weight against some offense teams, though its defensive utility in combination with the ability to run Substitute can make up for this somewhat.
I used Marowak briefly today (yesterday now, I suppose) on this team - a pivot offense which utilizes Cinccino's ability to force in Steel types to make progress either by trapping them with Magnezone or bringing in Marowak to claim your KO. Scizor makes for a good cleaner once Steels are removed, and also serves as a good revenge killer for offensive threats that get a few too many free turns. Galarian Weezing serves as the main defensive backbone of the team, stuffing almost every physical threat including but not limited to Rillaboom, Azumarill, Garchomp, Salamence, Urshifu-SS, Conkeldurr and Hawlucha, while also denying setup from mons like Clefable and clearing hazards that can make Cinccino and Marowak's jobs much harder. Latias serves as a way to cripple tough defensive cores such as Hippowdon + bulky Water that are difficult for Marowak to break, which also granting the team resistances to Fire and Water to better handle threats such as Cinderace and opposing Marowak. Thunderbolt is great for handling the Water types Latias is meant to resist, while Ice Beam can be switched out for the likes of Draco Meteor, Psyshock or Aura Sphere if you'd prefer (I personally dropped Draco due to the Misty Terrain from Weezing interfering with it). Admittedly I didn't play for long so there's no telling for sure how the team will work at high ladder. The biggest threats to the team are opposing Cinccino, as well as strong special breakers such as Tapu Lele and Sigilyph, which you have no long term switchins to. Dracozolt is also a tough matchup, as Marowak is KO'd by Draco Meteor after rocks, and it's one of the few physical breakers Weezing can't handle. Magnezone and Latias can both tank Bolt Beak in a pinch, and the latter outspeeds Adamant/Lonely Dracozolt in sand.
For variations on the team - feel free to experiment with different pivots in the Cinccino slot as plenty of mons can lure in Steel types for Magnezone to pray on. Scizor itself can even be tasked with this if you want to run a defensive pivot such as Slowking in that slot. Scizor additionally can run different sets; a more specially defensive set can take on powerful Psychic types while an offensive Swords Dance set serves as an even better cleaner. Also feel free to run whatever coverage on Latias suits your fancy - I think boltbeam is the best overall for this team but whatever works for you is fine. Magnezone can be Substitute + Body Press if you want to trap Ferrothorn, though you'll lose out on Sturdy by doing that. Finally Cinccino's set can be varied; Triple Axel and Knock Off have their uses as coverage/utility, and both Choice Band and Heavy-Duty Boots are alternative items for it (though pads are almost certainly the best with many people using Zapdos, Ferrothorn, Garchomp etc. as a switchin to make it KO or cripple itself).
Clefable @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Rest
- Cosmic Power
- Recycle
- Metronome
Leppa Clef is great for stall if you can set up
Things that defeat it:
Unnerve (this is obvious)
Knock Off (same lmao)
but if you can beat unnerve and knock and leave other stall mons and ones that can't fight back,
THIS THING will make ur opp rage quit
maybe I shouldnt write a post of a dumb set at 9:15pm lol
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Rest
- Cosmic Power
- Recycle
- Metronome
Leppa Clef is great for stall if you can set up
Things that defeat it:
Unnerve (this is obvious)
Knock Off (same lmao)
but if you can beat unnerve and knock and leave other stall mons and ones that can't fight back,
THIS THING will make ur opp rage quit
maybe I shouldnt write a post of a dumb set at 9:15pm lol
Seeing so many people worry about Conkeldurr, I present to you the ultimate counter to it:
Weezing-Galar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Neutralizing Gas
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 16 SpA / 100 SpD (does this make me look smart)
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog
- Strange Steam
- Sludge Wave / ??? idk
No more Guts, Sheer Force or Iron Fist, plus you set Misty Terrain and keep Levitate. You have to slot in Neutralizing Gas for it to work, which is something a few players I've faced have missed. Will-O-Wisp is a bit unintuitive with Misty Surge, but it still hits Levitate mons/Flying-types.
Weezing-Galar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Neutralizing Gas
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 16 SpA / 100 SpD (does this make me look smart)
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog
- Strange Steam
- Sludge Wave / ??? idk
No more Guts, Sheer Force or Iron Fist, plus you set Misty Terrain and keep Levitate. You have to slot in Neutralizing Gas for it to work, which is something a few players I've faced have missed. Will-O-Wisp is a bit unintuitive with Misty Surge, but it still hits Levitate mons/Flying-types.
GEN 5 BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tinted Lens + Magic Guard is... really good. Wonder Skin is very situational, but it's good to have around.
Flash Fire, Infiltrator and Flame Body is a really strong set of abilities. If you're running the mon below, it's a very good partner for it.
Anticipation makes your Pokémon shudder if the opponent carries a super-effective move. Using that information, you can net a Flash Fire boost with Chandelure or simply switch out and avoid a Fighting-type move. It only activates when you switch in, though, so watch out!
Tinted Lens + Magic Guard is... really good. Wonder Skin is very situational, but it's good to have around. Flash Fire, Infiltrator and Flame Body is a really strong set of abilities. If you're running the mon below, it's a very good partner for it. Anticipation makes your Pokémon shudder if the opponent carries a super-effective move. Using that information, you can net a Flash Fire boost with Chandelure or simply switch out and avoid a Fighting-type move. It only activates when you switch in, though, so watch out!
This is a bug btw, as well as some other interactions like Scrappy, inner focus, etc. only blocking main slot Intimidate. Expect these edge cases to change around in behavior without warning. Theoretically the ngas is to remove all abilities including Weezing's own.
Been using this for an hour and a half and got to #40 (1206)
Link:
https://pokepast.es/306480a79357c59d
Cinderace is incredible, as we all know of course. It gains stab on every move and does tons of damage to clefable (in my opinion the best mon rn). It also has a nice buff of increased fire power when at low health which can come in clutch.
Rillaboom is a very nice priority user and breaker. Wood hammer helps it get in overgrow range too which is a nice added bonus to it's already powerful grass stabs.
Magearna doesnt gain any extra abilities but it's a very nice clefable check and has immense wallbreaking power.
Clefable is probably the best pokemon rn in this metagame and it speaks for itself. It isnt effected by setup or indirect damage and ph contact attackers of the opposite gender have to be careful that they dont get infatuated.
Hippowdon is a zolt check which is a very powerful mon rn. Whirlwind is nice to stop setups and serves as a rocker too. Sand force gives it a free life orb and even uninvested it still does decent damage.
Corviknight is a defogger that can swap into kyurem (non specs), pult (be careful) etc with spdef. Although I'm pretty iffy with special defense myself I needed something to tank special hits and it does the job pretty well.
Link:
https://pokepast.es/306480a79357c59d
Cinderace is incredible, as we all know of course. It gains stab on every move and does tons of damage to clefable (in my opinion the best mon rn). It also has a nice buff of increased fire power when at low health which can come in clutch.
Rillaboom is a very nice priority user and breaker. Wood hammer helps it get in overgrow range too which is a nice added bonus to it's already powerful grass stabs.
Magearna doesnt gain any extra abilities but it's a very nice clefable check and has immense wallbreaking power.
Clefable is probably the best pokemon rn in this metagame and it speaks for itself. It isnt effected by setup or indirect damage and ph contact attackers of the opposite gender have to be careful that they dont get infatuated.
Hippowdon is a zolt check which is a very powerful mon rn. Whirlwind is nice to stop setups and serves as a rocker too. Sand force gives it a free life orb and even uninvested it still does decent damage.
Corviknight is a defogger that can swap into kyurem (non specs), pult (be careful) etc with spdef. Although I'm pretty iffy with special defense myself I needed something to tank special hits and it does the job pretty well.
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I'm really enjoying this OM so far!
Here's the main team i've been using:
Here's the main team i've been using:
CinderBoom Spikes
My starting points for this team was Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Spectrier. I thought the three would form a good core with Rillaboom and Spectrier threatening the slow twins, Ace and Rilla handling specially bulky mons for Spectrier, and Spec and Ace handling steels for Rilla to spam grassy glide.
Clefable was added as a potential wincon, and becuase it's actually absurd. If mag wasn't also allowed I would want it to be banned as soon as possible.
Mamoswine was added for a few reasons. For starters, I had already committed to the hazard stacking style, so I wanted something with stealth rock. Secondly, I wanted a solid check to Dracozolt. I managed to narrow it down to ether Hippowdon or Mamoswine. I ended up picking Mamo for Ice Shard so I could check it offensively while also being able to switch into a bolt beak. Also having an ice resist instead of a weakness was kind of nice, though it's not like I needed it. Ferrothorn provides a second bolt beak switch, while also having like a million other amazing qualities. Iron barbs is really nice and it's able to reliably get spikes on the field, which is in the name lol.
I am relevantly new to singles, as I usually play doubles, so this team may not be the best. On that note, I'm open to any critique or it! If you see any issues with movesets or anything like that, please let me know! I'd really appreciate it c:
Rillaboom @ Choice Band
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Wood Hammer
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Cinderace @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- High Jump Kick
- Gunk Shot
- U-turn
Spectrier @ Choice Specs
Ability: Grim Neigh
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Dark Pulse
Clefable @ Life Orb
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- High Horsepower
- Stealth Rock
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Wood Hammer
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Cinderace @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- High Jump Kick
- Gunk Shot
- U-turn
Spectrier @ Choice Specs
Ability: Grim Neigh
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Dark Pulse
Clefable @ Life Orb
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- High Horsepower
- Stealth Rock
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
Clefable was added as a potential wincon, and becuase it's actually absurd. If mag wasn't also allowed I would want it to be banned as soon as possible.
Mamoswine was added for a few reasons. For starters, I had already committed to the hazard stacking style, so I wanted something with stealth rock. Secondly, I wanted a solid check to Dracozolt. I managed to narrow it down to ether Hippowdon or Mamoswine. I ended up picking Mamo for Ice Shard so I could check it offensively while also being able to switch into a bolt beak. Also having an ice resist instead of a weakness was kind of nice, though it's not like I needed it. Ferrothorn provides a second bolt beak switch, while also having like a million other amazing qualities. Iron barbs is really nice and it's able to reliably get spikes on the field, which is in the name lol.
I am relevantly new to singles, as I usually play doubles, so this team may not be the best. On that note, I'm open to any critique or it! If you see any issues with movesets or anything like that, please let me know! I'd really appreciate it c:
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Sleep talk on Spectrier?I'm really enjoying this OM so far!
Here's the main team i've been using:
CinderBoom Spikes
My starting points for this team was Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Spectrier. I thought the three would form a good core with Rillaboom and Spectrier threatening the slow twins, Ace and Rilla handling specially bulky mons for Spectrier, and Spec and Ace handling steels for Rilla to spam grassy glide.Rillaboom @ Choice Band
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Wood Hammer
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Cinderace @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- High Jump Kick
- Gunk Shot
- U-turn
Spectrier @ Choice Specs
Ability: Grim Neigh
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sleep Talk
Clefable @ Life Orb
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- High Horsepower
- Stealth Rock
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
Clefable was added as a potential wincon, and becuase it's actually absurd. If mag wasn't also allowed I would want it to be banned as soon as possible.
Mamoswine was added for a few reasons. For starters, I had already committed to the hazard stacking style, so I wanted something with stealth rock. Secondly, I wanted a solid check to Dracozolt. I managed to narrow it down to ether Hippowdon or Mamoswine. I ended up picking Mamo for Ice Shard so I could check it offensively while also being able to switch into a bolt beak. Also having an ice resist instead of a weakness was kind of nice, though it's not like I needed it. Ferrothorn provides a second bolt beak switch, while also having like a million other amazing qualities. Iron barbs is really nice and it's able to reliably get spikes on the field, which is in the name lol.
I am relevantly new to singles, as I usually play doubles, so this team may not be the best. On that note, I'm open to any critique or it! If you see any issues with movesets or anything like that, please let me know! I'd really appreciate it c:
I put that on there becuase I forgot it got dark pulse, mb
For whatever reason, Zamazenta-Crowned is not on the banlist https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8pokebilities-1314163697
so
we need to literally either suspect or ban these mons right now.
Urshifu @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wicked Blow
- Sucker Punch
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
zero counterplay in the tier right now. i straight up topped the ladder and just spammed this and won everytime.
clef is the only check and once its chipped once, its gone, the same with mage that dies to 2 wicked blows anyway.
not to mention the main reason why i would quickban this right now is simply due to one of its best counters being axed outta the tier since because of weak armor (mandibuzz) is always active and its no longer usable as a counter/check. there's literally no reason to not use this right now.
Cinderace @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Libero
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- Gunk Shot
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn
same issue as darkfu, too flexible in its movepool and unpredictable moveset and before u know it, ur team is gone. slowbro is only a temporary check and switchin, not to mention u get u turned on anyway for free momentum. hippo is a great option however hippo is too busy walling other things. this mon is simply too much atm.
Spectrier @ Choice Specs
Ability: Grim Neigh
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Hyper Beam
- Mud Shot
- Will-O-Wisp
or
Spectrier @ Leftovers
Ability: Grim Neigh
EVs: 112 HP / 180 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
this mon is straight dumb. how and why was this allowed. this straight up 6-0ed well developed teams on ladder and zero counters to boot as well. the same with darkfu it lost a counter which was mandibuzz. i dont need to explain how easy it was to simply win with this mon. its too braindead and not healthy at all for the metagame.
honorable mentions
Dracozolt @ Life Orb
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Bolt Beak
- High Horsepower
- Fire Blast
Rillaboom @ Life Orb / Choice band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance / Knock off
- Grassy Glide
- Superpower
- U-turn
Pheromosa @ Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 228 Atk / 28 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Close Combat
- Triple Axel
- Throat Chop
good mons. some people may think zolt is broken or whatever but after testing, its fine.
we need to literally either suspect or ban these mons right now.
Urshifu @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wicked Blow
- Sucker Punch
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
zero counterplay in the tier right now. i straight up topped the ladder and just spammed this and won everytime.
clef is the only check and once its chipped once, its gone, the same with mage that dies to 2 wicked blows anyway.
not to mention the main reason why i would quickban this right now is simply due to one of its best counters being axed outta the tier since because of weak armor (mandibuzz) is always active and its no longer usable as a counter/check. there's literally no reason to not use this right now.
Cinderace @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Libero
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- Gunk Shot
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn
same issue as darkfu, too flexible in its movepool and unpredictable moveset and before u know it, ur team is gone. slowbro is only a temporary check and switchin, not to mention u get u turned on anyway for free momentum. hippo is a great option however hippo is too busy walling other things. this mon is simply too much atm.
Spectrier @ Choice Specs
Ability: Grim Neigh
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Hyper Beam
- Mud Shot
- Will-O-Wisp
or
Spectrier @ Leftovers
Ability: Grim Neigh
EVs: 112 HP / 180 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
this mon is straight dumb. how and why was this allowed. this straight up 6-0ed well developed teams on ladder and zero counters to boot as well. the same with darkfu it lost a counter which was mandibuzz. i dont need to explain how easy it was to simply win with this mon. its too braindead and not healthy at all for the metagame.
honorable mentions
Dracozolt @ Life Orb
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Bolt Beak
- High Horsepower
- Fire Blast
Rillaboom @ Life Orb / Choice band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance / Knock off
- Grassy Glide
- Superpower
- U-turn
Pheromosa @ Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 228 Atk / 28 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Close Combat
- Triple Axel
- Throat Chop
good mons. some people may think zolt is broken or whatever but after testing, its fine.
Alright I hinted at this before but can I get some official word on why exactly 
are unbanned? From my experience just because everything has access to all their abilities and things are more powerful, that doesn't make any of these less problematic and IMO they aren't adding anything to the metagame with their existance.
Blaze is a buff to Pyro Ball but this realistically still does what it normally does. Clefable definitely is a problem but it still hates neutral STAB Gunk Shot and I've not seen any Defense-boosting ones that might want to take it on, simply because Clef has better things to do. Extremely potent Speed control, hits really hard, very versatile, Bulk Up still as unholy as ever.
I haven't seen this much but I don't imagine that's going to last, and its probably only because Urshifu-SS and Cinderace are still unbanned that its been reclusive. Obstagoon being greatly improved and potentially more common as time goes on could be bad for it, but Spectrier still has very limited counterplay and does a lot to restrict Speed tiers.
It's a good Clef answer and that's valuable right now, but I think we have plenty of options for Pokemon that can beat Clef, and keeping Magearna around for that reason is not worth it when other options exist (and if clef's too strong than that should be addressed on its own, though IMO it's not that bad yet).
I'm really not a fan of keeping recent OU bans legal because half the time it feel less like playing a new meta and more like "oh this broken shit is useable time to abuse it since I can't do that normally." Like I want to explore the Pokemon that benefit from having all their abilities at once, but having to account for Pokemon we all know are busted sucks the fun away from it, and honestly if you're not using at least one of these four right now you're just putting yourself at a disadvantage. Which is really lame because 3/4 of them don't even have more than one ability.
Other than that complaint I would like to share opinions on other Pokemon I've seen and tried using.
On the topic of one ability, this remains potent and is nice to have around considering what's popular right now. It mauls Clef and is a nice switch-in against Cincinno, as other Steels I used tend to take a lot from Tail Slap despite the resistance. You do have to be cautious about Flamethrower Clefable but otherwise its an easy switch and with Band/Specs you can usually claim a KO or just delete 90% of the opponent's health bar.
Reckless is pretty pointless considering Facade does the job just as well, but there's no denying that Guts + Defiant is a terrifying combo that really limits what safely switches into this. The last thing you want to do is send in an Intimidate user and give Guts-boosted Goon a +1 boost. I do think it suffers from being a bit too weak as a wallbreaker and its not that fast either, but if the meta slows down and becomes more defensive I think it will become quite good.
This is a pretty common sight and its not hard to see why. SO many of its moves are boosted its insane. Elemental punches are increased by Iron Fist and get affected by Sheer Force. Drain Punch after Iron Fist and Guts is basically just any other Fighting Type using CC except it heals you. Your only real hope of switching into it is making a smart prediction or something that checks it super hard like NGas Weezings. Biggest issue is being slow and not bulky enough to tank strong hits, of which there are plenty to be found, and you usually put yourself in range without Drain Punch's offset due to Burn damage.
:cincinno: Despite seeing it every other game yesterday I haven't seen it at all today. It's interesting for sure, Band hits way stronger than a little rodent should and its got a good Speed tier. I think the issue right now is the prevalence of Rocky Helmet and Ferrothorn. You don't want to 2HKO yourself before you do the opponent. Protective Pads sounds a bit more reliable IMO: Technician is basically Choice Band for your best attacks, and being able to switch moves means you can play around your checks better with stuff like U-Turn or Knock Off.
This is a bastard of a Pokemon to face right now, I do think Clear Body is bugged in the code right now as I did Intimidate one and AFAIK that shouldn't work, but I can say that, should everything work, Pult is really frustrating to face. Immunity to stat drops is a great as it makes it really good vs. Webs and Intimidate, Infiltrator means Sub and Screens do nothing against it, and Cursed Body just adds another layer of complexity on dealing with it, since it can and will disable a crucial move at some point, even if its not using a set designed to do so.
Hot topic mon right now. Unaware + MG is of course really strong and Clef has so many options now as a result. Clef's presence essentially mandates you have a strong breaker that switches in against it, as having Unaware means boosting isn't an option, and Magic Guard means passive damage isn't an option either, and having both makes Calm Mind insanely powerful. That said there are a handful of good checks, 
is great thanks to typing + Lightning Rod, still scare it, and should 
become more popular I imagine it will as well. Steel breakers work but they aren't free switch-ins as LO Flamethrower is always a concern and none of them want to take it.
It's strong but not the worst thing it the world. Sand needs to be up for it and it still struggles against Grounds and Physically Defensive walls. Hustle being permanent is also a double-edged sword: normally Sand Rush is great as it solves the Speed issue while letting you use Band/LO to spam Bolt Beak. Adding Hustle on top turns that power up to 11, but at the cost of consistency, and being a sweeper/breaker often necessitates some form of reliability to get work done.
I've only seen this once but its honestly pretty cool. Reckless HJK is risky yet very rewarding should it land, and Inner Focus being buffed this gen to block Intimidate is a very welcome addition. Plus it gets Regenerator, and thankfully you don't have to run HJK if you don't want anymore thanks to getting CC this time around. Not the most amazing thing in play right now but its quite improved and I think there's potential there for a strong offensive Pivot that keeps itself healthy and doesn't have to worry about Intimidate drops or getting flinched.
Last but not least:
:viable sun setter not found: Sand is very popular and definitely a prominent force with Dracozolt around and the general strength of both setters and the playstyle. Both Hippo and Giga boosting their STAB and coverage with the weather they set up is a big deal, granted I've barely seen Giga but its still a buff. Other useable weather setters look promising as a result, though they certainly aren't as splashable as something like Hippo. Hail HO has popped up from time to time but I don't think I've lost to it once, still its an option and Ice Body Slush Rush 
can be a really pain in the ass to fight.
are unbanned? From my experience just because everything has access to all their abilities and things are more powerful, that doesn't make any of these less problematic and IMO they aren't adding anything to the metagame with their existance.Can confirm, I had no idea was unbanned and it absolutely wiped the team I had made since I thought I wouldn't have to worry about it. There's still nothing that reliably switches into this and there's no cool new combination of abilities that let anything switch into it.
Blaze is a buff to Pyro Ball but this realistically still does what it normally does. Clefable definitely is a problem but it still hates neutral STAB Gunk Shot and I've not seen any Defense-boosting ones that might want to take it on, simply because Clef has better things to do. Extremely potent Speed control, hits really hard, very versatile, Bulk Up still as unholy as ever. I haven't seen this much but I don't imagine that's going to last, and its probably only because Urshifu-SS and Cinderace are still unbanned that its been reclusive. Obstagoon being greatly improved and potentially more common as time goes on could be bad for it, but Spectrier still has very limited counterplay and does a lot to restrict Speed tiers. It's a good Clef answer and that's valuable right now, but I think we have plenty of options for Pokemon that can beat Clef, and keeping Magearna around for that reason is not worth it when other options exist (and if clef's too strong than that should be addressed on its own, though IMO it's not that bad yet).I'm really not a fan of keeping recent OU bans legal because half the time it feel less like playing a new meta and more like "oh this broken shit is useable time to abuse it since I can't do that normally." Like I want to explore the Pokemon that benefit from having all their abilities at once, but having to account for Pokemon we all know are busted sucks the fun away from it, and honestly if you're not using at least one of these four right now you're just putting yourself at a disadvantage. Which is really lame because 3/4 of them don't even have more than one ability.
Other than that complaint I would like to share opinions on other Pokemon I've seen and tried using.
On the topic of one ability, this remains potent and is nice to have around considering what's popular right now. It mauls Clef and is a nice switch-in against Cincinno, as other Steels I used tend to take a lot from Tail Slap despite the resistance. You do have to be cautious about Flamethrower Clefable but otherwise its an easy switch and with Band/Specs you can usually claim a KO or just delete 90% of the opponent's health bar. Reckless is pretty pointless considering Facade does the job just as well, but there's no denying that Guts + Defiant is a terrifying combo that really limits what safely switches into this. The last thing you want to do is send in an Intimidate user and give Guts-boosted Goon a +1 boost. I do think it suffers from being a bit too weak as a wallbreaker and its not that fast either, but if the meta slows down and becomes more defensive I think it will become quite good. This is a pretty common sight and its not hard to see why. SO many of its moves are boosted its insane. Elemental punches are increased by Iron Fist and get affected by Sheer Force. Drain Punch after Iron Fist and Guts is basically just any other Fighting Type using CC except it heals you. Your only real hope of switching into it is making a smart prediction or something that checks it super hard like NGas Weezings. Biggest issue is being slow and not bulky enough to tank strong hits, of which there are plenty to be found, and you usually put yourself in range without Drain Punch's offset due to Burn damage.:cincinno: Despite seeing it every other game yesterday I haven't seen it at all today. It's interesting for sure, Band hits way stronger than a little rodent should and its got a good Speed tier. I think the issue right now is the prevalence of Rocky Helmet and Ferrothorn. You don't want to 2HKO yourself before you do the opponent. Protective Pads sounds a bit more reliable IMO: Technician is basically Choice Band for your best attacks, and being able to switch moves means you can play around your checks better with stuff like U-Turn or Knock Off.
This is a bastard of a Pokemon to face right now, I do think Clear Body is bugged in the code right now as I did Intimidate one and AFAIK that shouldn't work, but I can say that, should everything work, Pult is really frustrating to face. Immunity to stat drops is a great as it makes it really good vs. Webs and Intimidate, Infiltrator means Sub and Screens do nothing against it, and Cursed Body just adds another layer of complexity on dealing with it, since it can and will disable a crucial move at some point, even if its not using a set designed to do so. Hot topic mon right now. Unaware + MG is of course really strong and Clef has so many options now as a result. Clef's presence essentially mandates you have a strong breaker that switches in against it, as having Unaware means boosting isn't an option, and Magic Guard means passive damage isn't an option either, and having both makes Calm Mind insanely powerful. That said there are a handful of good checks, is great thanks to typing + Lightning Rod, still scare it, and should become more popular I imagine it will as well. Steel breakers work but they aren't free switch-ins as LO Flamethrower is always a concern and none of them want to take it. It's strong but not the worst thing it the world. Sand needs to be up for it and it still struggles against Grounds and Physically Defensive walls. Hustle being permanent is also a double-edged sword: normally Sand Rush is great as it solves the Speed issue while letting you use Band/LO to spam Bolt Beak. Adding Hustle on top turns that power up to 11, but at the cost of consistency, and being a sweeper/breaker often necessitates some form of reliability to get work done. I've only seen this once but its honestly pretty cool. Reckless HJK is risky yet very rewarding should it land, and Inner Focus being buffed this gen to block Intimidate is a very welcome addition. Plus it gets Regenerator, and thankfully you don't have to run HJK if you don't want anymore thanks to getting CC this time around. Not the most amazing thing in play right now but its quite improved and I think there's potential there for a strong offensive Pivot that keeps itself healthy and doesn't have to worry about Intimidate drops or getting flinched.Last but not least:
:viable sun setter not found: Sand is very popular and definitely a prominent force with Dracozolt around and the general strength of both setters and the playstyle. Both Hippo and Giga boosting their STAB and coverage with the weather they set up is a big deal, granted I've barely seen Giga but its still a buff. Other useable weather setters look promising as a result, though they certainly aren't as splashable as something like Hippo. Hail HO has popped up from time to time but I don't think I've lost to it once, still its an option and Ice Body Slush Rush can be a really pain in the ass to fight.
currently, if you have neutralizing gas as the chosen ability, all three abilities will be active in addition to suppressing opposing abilities
however, this is what we'd prefer