yea but we got orthworm and Gholdengo so steel type fans stay winning
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Other Pre-DLC SV Monotype Metagame Discussion
- Thread starter maroon
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I'd definitely recommend Screens Steel, I don't think trying to form balance with gholdengo/kingambit providing special defense will be that effective especially in this super HO meta. I have a team with klefki over Scizor and otherwise same lineup only with SD kingambit/Nasty Plot Gholdengo/special defensive bulk up corviknight and it's pretty effective. I consider steel B tier overall, outside of the Fire matchup I honestly think it does pretty well.
Aight anyone having trouble with Flutter or no, I honestly think the booster ban was enough of a nerf for it to fit and most people I'd talked to haven't had as much trouble with it. I'll try playing more Fairy/Fighting/Dark/Dragon next few days to get a better feel of the tough matchups/how dominant it is on Fairy since I'd mostly been using Water/Ghost/Poison/Steel/Bug recently. Which most of don't have the worst time with to begin with. I'll also try and use more of the neutrals I haven't played as much of since the few few days of SV like Ice/Fire/Ground.
Still of the opinion that Annihilape + Chi Yu might be worse overall. Chien Pao I think is pretty oppressive on some lower tier types, but it's hard for me to gauge if that's the result of Chien Pao being busted or those types lacking options.
Pretty interested in thoughts. Here's what my VR chart looks like right now.
Still of the opinion that Annihilape + Chi Yu might be worse overall. Chien Pao I think is pretty oppressive on some lower tier types, but it's hard for me to gauge if that's the result of Chien Pao being busted or those types lacking options.
Pretty interested in thoughts. Here's what my VR chart looks like right now.
I will probably make a better post next week but for now i will talk about this tierlist. Altho i think it is really cool i also do think Steel and Ground have more space in the tier than many people thinks. I haven't tried at all many types such as Fighting, Fire and Steel; but as soon as the leaks and the gen started i thought that types with the best hazard control were going to be op. I played a lot of games with Ground and i am pretty sure the type is top 3 right now, it basically only has hard time with Ice (there isn't a lot you can do altho the matchup is playable, especially if no Ice Shard/scarfless Chien-Pao) while both Iron Treads and Great Tusk are very strong vs the top types like Dark, Ghost, Fairy, Dragon. Fire is also incredibly hard as a matchup as Scovillain is really strong, but Clodsire can check this and against basically the whole tier you can stack the hazards up and block spinners with Palossand.
Steel can also be very interesting, with hazard being very strong this gen and Gholdengo being the perfect blocker, while having perfect cleaners such as Scizor and Kingambit, with Lucario that could be a cool choice seeing the high usage of Fairy and Dark.
I have used Water a lot and I don't think it actually is that good, it is for sure a good type but not as good as Dark for sure. Damp Rock ban + Tera were already big losses for Water, but with the Palafin ban they don't have too much. Quaquaval + Rain can be strong, Dondozo is a crazy wall but I think that it can be just easily get beated by any sort of hazard stack + the best types in the tier have always coverage for water fe. Flutter mane / Iron valiant having Tbolt or Eball or Breloom being super annoying for Water in general.
As last point I don't think Dark is worse than Fairy and Ghost. Booster Energy was a important ban for both of those types while Dark is still strong as always, with Chien-Pau and Chi-Yu being really strong breakers while having screens support and Ting-Lu that can easily set up hazards, altho they don't have a real removal.
Steel can also be very interesting, with hazard being very strong this gen and Gholdengo being the perfect blocker, while having perfect cleaners such as Scizor and Kingambit, with Lucario that could be a cool choice seeing the high usage of Fairy and Dark.
I have used Water a lot and I don't think it actually is that good, it is for sure a good type but not as good as Dark for sure. Damp Rock ban + Tera were already big losses for Water, but with the Palafin ban they don't have too much. Quaquaval + Rain can be strong, Dondozo is a crazy wall but I think that it can be just easily get beated by any sort of hazard stack + the best types in the tier have always coverage for water fe. Flutter mane / Iron valiant having Tbolt or Eball or Breloom being super annoying for Water in general.
As last point I don't think Dark is worse than Fairy and Ghost. Booster Energy was a important ban for both of those types while Dark is still strong as always, with Chien-Pau and Chi-Yu being really strong breakers while having screens support and Ting-Lu that can easily set up hazards, altho they don't have a real removal.
Don't feel like doing a whole response right now, I'll do some more in detail stuff later so this is just some sparknotes.
I definitely see Dark as worse than Ghost/Fairy, even if they banned Flutter Mane the 2 types would still be A tier with a variety of options at their disposal. Ghost in particular I truly don't think you even need Flutter Mane for right now and even without it you have a winning matchup vs. most of the meta.
I'll also say that from my experience with water it is 100% a top 4 type, and I felt pretty inclined to put it ahead of Dark in this tier list. It's variety of options runs deep, and overall I think it has a better matchup vs. more important types than Dark has. I've been using my 1900's Devil alt to ladder with Water and it took no time at all to get top 10 on ladder, which isn't the greatest indicator but from my use with it in testing vs. other players and battles with it it really seems Palafin is truly unneeded for it's viability. The hazard weakness of Dark is absolutely huge as well and opens up alot of counterplay and ability to put pressure on the type.
Also I admit that Steel and Ground are solid, and I may need to look into Ground again. I recognize it as a solid type that gets folded by Iron Bundle, but I also remember it's defensive core leaving Ground open to some neutral matchups as well while having difficulty in the dark matchup. I'm pretty open to relooking at the type though. Steel though I think is in a good fit for it, it's lack of ability to take Fire attacks and lack of Water Resists both limit the type. Not to mention but if you're not running Magnezone or Specs Gholdengo you pretty easily get folded by special defensive Dondozo.
I'll do a more in depth thing for each type at another time.
Question on tiering/banlsiting in the meta. Let's say council is unsure if Flutter Mane is truly OP in a ban worthy sense, but both Fairy/Ghost are the objectively best types and spammed nonstop. If it's agreed they essentially have no losing matchups in the tier and are pretty much exclusively used to win tournaments etc, would something like that make them lean towards balancing the tier with a ban on Flutter? Or would it just remain as is. Just curious because I don't think the meta is balanced with now type wise, and I know the goal isn't to make every type viable, but if there is a borderline broken mon wouldn't it be healthier to just ban?
They don't make (un)bans to nerf or to make types stronger. You can find the Tiering thread here with extra info and explanation
Yes, I'm aware that is the short answer. But I think this early gen is a little more nuanced than that.
Some interesting and fun information!
Hey guys! Did you know that a curse rest unaware dondozo invalidates bug in monotype?
You do now!
Here are some calcs:
252 SpA Volcarona Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Dondozo: 158-188 (31.3 - 37.3%) -- 83.4% chance to 3HKO
+1 0 Atk Dondozo Liquidation vs. 248 HP / 156 Def Volcarona: 318-374 (85.2 - 100.2%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Guts Heracross Close Combat vs. +1 252 HP / 4 Def Dondozo: 169-199 (33.5 - 39.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Slither Wing Wild Charge vs. +1 252 HP / 4 Def Dondozo: 196-232 (38.8 - 46%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
(scizor is the same attack with nothing that hits at 180 BP)
but wait, there are two saviours, to the resque!
252+ SpA Choice Specs Masquerain Energy Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Dondozo: 254-300 (50.3 - 59.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Dondozo Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Masquerain: 135-160 (48 - 56.9%) -- 91% chance to 2HKO
+1 0 Atk Dondozo Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Vespiquen: 135-159 (39.2 - 46.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
vespiquen gets toxic AND taunt AND roost!
See you guys in 5 or so months.
Hey guys! Did you know that a curse rest unaware dondozo invalidates bug in monotype?
You do now!
Here are some calcs:
252 SpA Volcarona Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Dondozo: 158-188 (31.3 - 37.3%) -- 83.4% chance to 3HKO
+1 0 Atk Dondozo Liquidation vs. 248 HP / 156 Def Volcarona: 318-374 (85.2 - 100.2%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Guts Heracross Close Combat vs. +1 252 HP / 4 Def Dondozo: 169-199 (33.5 - 39.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Slither Wing Wild Charge vs. +1 252 HP / 4 Def Dondozo: 196-232 (38.8 - 46%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
(scizor is the same attack with nothing that hits at 180 BP)
but wait, there are two saviours, to the resque!
252+ SpA Choice Specs Masquerain Energy Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Dondozo: 254-300 (50.3 - 59.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Dondozo Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Masquerain: 135-160 (48 - 56.9%) -- 91% chance to 2HKO
+1 0 Atk Dondozo Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Vespiquen: 135-159 (39.2 - 46.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
vespiquen gets toxic AND taunt AND roost!
See you guys in 5 or so months.
Heatran will return when Home support launches, worth noting.
Hey everyone! I decided to share my thoughts regarding my recent playtesting as well as what I believe it is too strong for the meta right now.
Flutter Mane: Given it is high special attack and speed stats and the variety of sets it can run (Scarf, Specs, Substitute, and even status spread w/ thunder wave) I believe Flutter Mane's breaking the meta regardless of the type it shows in. While it is rather weak on its physical bulk (and thus struggling vs certain priority moves), both Ghost and Fairy have access to reliable screen support (Dragapult and Klefki, respectively), enabling it to pressure so many builds and therefore making it too difficult for so many types to handle it. Types like Psychic, Grass, Fire and Electric are a just a few examples of types that aren't meant to have an inherent disadvantage against Ghost or Fairy, yet struggle so immensely. And needless to say what the types that are weak to it, such as Dragon and Fighting, have no other option other than click X. Even Dark (which is intended to have some sort of advantage against Ghost, can struggle against it + Annihilape which makes Dark lose more often than not).
As for everything else: Metagame needs to wait. Chien-Pao is another very strong Pokemon but it feels more balanced, as it has more clear and less restrictive options for counterplay - a 4x weakness to Fighting, limited coverage and a worse overall typing. Either way I'd be down for a suspect test but Flutter Mane clearly needs to be addressed first.
I would also like to address several other threats: I've seen some comparisons regarding Annihilape's performance with that of Flutter Mane's, and while it is also another obviously strong Pokemon, it is way slower, it requires several turns to setup (if it Bulk Up + Substiute); and its choiced sets are easier to revenge kill as well. You are not overly handicapped for not knowing its set beforehand, and even then, you would often go Annihilape after Flutter Mane has been on the field and removed its main checks, which justifies the latter being more impactful overall.
Finally, new mechanics such as Shed Tail / Revival Blessing: Both are super fun to use and can be very dangerous with proper timing, though they are limited to specific types (Normal / Dragon) and the latter is limited to Bug / Psychic / Electric / Fighting. Neither those types are really that great, which makes those moves acceptable for now, but most likely will need a review after DLCs are released.
tl;dr: Ban Flutter Mane, team support + typing + coverage/stats makes it powerful and hard to manage through so many types; other stuff need more testing but wait / suspect overall.
It is not a coincidence that Ghost and Fairy ends up in S in your tier list and in so many tierlists (I personally agree!) among the Monotype community. I disagree, however, that the booster energy nerf was enough, as those two types end up winning a lot of games more often than not, which are mostly justified by Flutter Mane's presence and team support as I have mentioned. Even if you do manage to defeat Flutter Mane, that means most likely weakening your team to let strong setup sweepers such as Annihilape (Ghost) and Scream Tail (Fairy) to control the game from there and win.
As for everything else: Metagame needs to wait. Chien-Pao is another very strong Pokemon but it feels more balanced, as it has more clear and less restrictive options for counterplay - a 4x weakness to Fighting, limited coverage and a worse overall typing. Either way I'd be down for a suspect test but Flutter Mane clearly needs to be addressed first.
I would also like to address several other threats: I've seen some comparisons regarding Annihilape's performance with that of Flutter Mane's, and while it is also another obviously strong Pokemon, it is way slower, it requires several turns to setup (if it Bulk Up + Substiute); and its choiced sets are easier to revenge kill as well. You are not overly handicapped for not knowing its set beforehand, and even then, you would often go Annihilape after Flutter Mane has been on the field and removed its main checks, which justifies the latter being more impactful overall.
Finally, new mechanics such as Shed Tail / Revival Blessing: Both are super fun to use and can be very dangerous with proper timing, though they are limited to specific types (Normal / Dragon) and the latter is limited to Bug / Psychic / Electric / Fighting. Neither those types are really that great, which makes those moves acceptable for now, but most likely will need a review after DLCs are released.
tl;dr: Ban Flutter Mane, team support + typing + coverage/stats makes it powerful and hard to manage through so many types; other stuff need more testing but wait / suspect overall.
Some things I wanted to talk about.
One last thing I'll say, can we see usage stats for monotype/where can we find them. The 2 mons I brought up I definitely see as noteworthy, but I'm curious for how Dark is performing right now. The types I've used the most recently are ones that handle it pretty well, but even at high ladder I face it pretty frequently and from what I'd seen of lower-mid ladder it's nothing but dark spam.
Yeah I came here to make a post about Dondozo again, I brought it up before when I thought it flew under the radar as something solid and after looking for techs the past few days on bug it seems there really isn't any counterplay without running something incredibly unviable. Fury Cutter Metronome Scizor is the only tech on a viable mon that would actually have a chance in the 1v1, which if you want to talk the theoreticals of would not only rely on sleeptalk rng, but is pretty much game over for you if you miss. Technically you can 2hko with a specs Volcarona, just as you technically can beat Dondozo with choiced Electro Ball Rabsca, but both of these mons would overall cause you to lose far many more matchups just to prep for 1 pokemon. Taunt Lokix is another thing that is overall less viable for more matchups and will net far fewer kills, but also still pretty much end with Dondozo not dying. Gonna try some more techs like hazard stack + Whirlwind Slither Wing, to see what you can viably fit onto bug that may give a slither of hope. End of the day though the Bug v Dondozo matchup is incredibly uncompetitive, turns a pretty 50/50 into something completely 1 sided, and especially if it's special defensive Dondozo will pretty much require the water user to misplay in order for bug to win. I'm fine with bug auto losing the fire matchup as a "monotype moment", but Dondozo's existence alone is just as bad as the Fire matchup. Not to mention but without it I consider the Bug/Water to be pretty 50/50. I was able to ladder to #2 the other day with Dondozo Water, and especially in this meta where so many types do not have a variety of special attackers, it is so easy to force a hopeless situation against a viable team that still has 4 mons left. Even top types that have strong special attackers have been running tons of Grass tech to try and account for Dondozo, with Specs Grass Knot Iron Valiant being the most common I've seen. I with my bug bias obviously want it gone, but especially if it becomes clear that multiple types get so easily forced into a hopeless situation vs. it, I'd want to open the idea of a suspect in the future.
I'm open to the idea of a Flutter suspect, my opinion is that Fairy/Ghost will for sure stay A tier and be top types without Flutter, I also think that Electric/Psy/Grass have no hope being higher than C tier pre home, with people literally telling me to drop them to D when I posted that VR chart. That being said, I've had multiple convos recently where people that use the neutral matchups you mentioned have been wanting to suspect Flutter. I'm hoping that this isn't a situation that's mistaken as "favoring a type" or "some types are hopeless", when the situation is multiple neutral mus being held back entirely because of 1 pokemon. I haven't experienced too much trouble with it yet, but the types in question aren't ones I'm nearly as familiar with. Especially with Elec/Psy where I don't even have teams. We'll need replays at some point but I think this is a valid mon to bring up for suspect, though of course I still wanna see replays. For majority of the meta I don't really see a problem with Flutter but I definitely have my own tunnelvision, ignoring calls for suspect on a mon that oppresses 1/3 of the meta would be the wrong idea if people are on the same page about the types you listed vs. Flutter.
One last thing I'll say, can we see usage stats for monotype/where can we find them. The 2 mons I brought up I definitely see as noteworthy, but I'm curious for how Dark is performing right now. The types I've used the most recently are ones that handle it pretty well, but even at high ladder I face it pretty frequently and from what I'd seen of lower-mid ladder it's nothing but dark spam.
Last edited:
Here until they're uploaded to Smogon Stats.
Edit: November usage for Gen9 below:
Code:
Total battles: 124960
Avg. weight/team: 0.0
+ ---- + ------------------ + --------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Usage % | Raw | % | Real | % |
+ ---- + ------------------ + --------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------- +
| 1 | Flutter Mane | 27.45367% | 40460 | 16.189% | 29254 | 15.703% |
| 2 | Annihilape | 25.56280% | 39743 | 15.902% | 30330 | 16.281% |
| 3 | Iron Bundle | 19.13114% | 23464 | 9.389% | 16605 | 8.913% |
| 4 | Iron Valiant | 18.87460% | 24827 | 9.934% | 16875 | 9.058% |
| 5 | Mimikyu | 16.62931% | 22189 | 8.878% | 16301 | 8.750% |
| 6 | Great Tusk | 16.39810% | 17518 | 7.009% | 13328 | 7.154% |
| 7 | Pelipper | 14.80769% | 13910 | 5.566% | 12256 | 6.579% |
| 8 | Skeledirge | 14.69585% | 23162 | 9.268% | 17195 | 9.230% |
| 9 | Dragapult | 13.54045% | 33883 | 13.558% | 24570 | 13.189% |
| 10 | Barraskewda | 13.47694% | 7924 | 3.171% | 5980 | 3.210% |
| 11 | Quaquaval | 13.40877% | 22859 | 9.147% | 16444 | 8.827% |
| 12 | Houndstone | 11.97284% | 20330 | 8.135% | 12052 | 6.469% |
| 13 | Palafin | 11.26864% | 13213 | 5.287% | 11441 | 6.141% |
| 14 | Gholdengo | 10.82782% | 33928 | 13.576% | 24867 | 13.348% |
| 15 | Breloom | 10.64576% | 16096 | 6.440% | 12132 | 6.512% |
| 16 | Chien-Pao | 10.34095% | 31918 | 12.771% | 21838 | 11.722% |
| 17 | Iron Hands | 9.72145% | 12959 | 5.185% | 10143 | 5.445% |
| 18 | Azumarill | 9.48244% | 13688 | 5.477% | 10226 | 5.489% |
| 19 | Froslass | 9.28032% | 12186 | 4.876% | 10913 | 5.858% |
| 20 | Kingambit | 8.53683% | 25686 | 10.278% | 17257 | 9.263% |
| 21 | Gallade | 8.36587% | 8730 | 3.493% | 6162 | 3.308% |
| 22 | Clodsire | 8.27995% | 13294 | 5.319% | 10417 | 5.592% |
| 23 | Ting-Lu | 8.16352% | 15470 | 6.190% | 12908 | 6.929% |
| 24 | Ceruledge | 7.79533% | 28315 | 11.330% | 21003 | 11.274% |
| 25 | Garchomp | 7.65059% | 12508 | 5.005% | 10008 | 5.372% |
| 26 | Sandy Shocks | 7.47497% | 8274 | 3.311% | 6275 | 3.368% |
| 27 | Chi-Yu | 7.25159% | 30507 | 12.207% | 22493 | 12.074% |
| 28 | Gastrodon | 7.17493% | 8884 | 3.555% | 6583 | 3.534% |
| 29 | Klefki | 7.16224% | 9768 | 3.908% | 8672 | 4.655% |
| 30 | Sableye | 7.13895% | 8242 | 3.298% | 7020 | 3.768% |
| 31 | Volcarona | 6.98318% | 14236 | 5.696% | 9875 | 5.301% |
| 32 | Slither Wing | 6.95023% | 11840 | 4.738% | 8230 | 4.418% |
| 33 | Scizor | 6.47966% | 14388 | 5.757% | 10350 | 5.556% |
| 34 | Meowscarada | 6.35311% | 22363 | 8.948% | 17168 | 9.216% |
| 35 | Baxcalibur | 6.31614% | 20914 | 8.368% | 14560 | 7.816% |
| 36 | Toxapex | 6.25886% | 12578 | 5.033% | 10052 | 5.396% |
| 37 | Tinkaton | 6.18689% | 14167 | 5.669% | 10610 | 5.695% |
| 38 | Iron Treads | 6.09482% | 12689 | 5.077% | 9552 | 5.127% |
| 39 | Roaring Moon | 6.07498% | 23132 | 9.256% | 15605 | 8.377% |
| 40 | Grimmsnarl | 5.91349% | 20450 | 8.183% | 17707 | 9.505% |
| 41 | Quagsire | 5.11267% | 5980 | 2.393% | 4642 | 2.492% |
| 42 | Abomasnow | 4.94102% | 14262 | 5.707% | 12750 | 6.844% |
| 43 | Heracross | 4.85865% | 6433 | 2.574% | 4370 | 2.346% |
| 44 | Cetitan | 4.67230% | 9184 | 3.675% | 6498 | 3.488% |
| 45 | Scovillain | 4.62294% | 15293 | 6.119% | 11333 | 6.083% |
| 46 | Pawmot | 4.54910% | 9527 | 3.812% | 7073 | 3.797% |
| 47 | Lokix | 4.42603% | 15873 | 6.351% | 12153 | 6.524% |
| 48 | Toedscruel | 4.12076% | 6992 | 2.798% | 5268 | 2.828% |
| 49 | Iron Jugulis | 4.11750% | 10431 | 4.174% | 7644 | 4.103% |
| 50 | Gengar | 4.06264% | 13949 | 5.581% | 9974 | 5.354% |
| 51 | Iron Moth | 4.04538% | 14787 | 5.917% | 10398 | 5.582% |
| 52 | Spidops | 4.02923% | 3719 | 1.488% | 3327 | 1.786% |
| 53 | Avalugg | 3.92409% | 6808 | 2.724% | 5078 | 2.726% |
| 54 | Dugtrio | 3.86176% | 825 | 0.330% | 586 | 0.315% |
| 55 | Amoonguss | 3.83324% | 10889 | 4.357% | 8378 | 4.497% |
| 56 | Tauros-Paldea-Fire | 3.81923% | 11656 | 4.664% | 8760 | 4.702% |
| 57 | Corviknight | 3.81131% | 11741 | 4.698% | 8831 | 4.740% |
| 58 | Rabsca | 3.32934% | 4397 | 1.759% | 2988 | 1.604% |
| 59 | Hippowdon | 3.29306% | 2595 | 1.038% | 2252 | 1.209% |
| 60 | Glimmora | 3.20831% | 14771 | 5.910% | 12701 | 6.818% |
| 61 | Torkoal | 2.91786% | 11622 | 4.650% | 10744 | 5.767% |
| 62 | Forretress | 2.73903% | 11283 | 4.515% | 9853 | 5.289% |
| 63 | Polteageist | 2.70588% | 4904 | 1.962% | 3509 | 1.884% |
| 64 | Tyranitar | 2.65883% | 8370 | 3.349% | 6662 | 3.576% |
| 65 | Rotom-Wash | 2.60908% | 9732 | 3.894% | 7633 | 4.097% |
| 66 | Gyarados | 2.54551% | 4942 | 1.977% | 3619 | 1.943% |
| 67 | Revavroom | 2.52481% | 8699 | 3.481% | 6141 | 3.296% |
| 68 | Cloyster | 2.50552% | 8577 | 3.432% | 6203 | 3.330% |
| 69 | Cyclizar | 2.43970% | 19103 | 7.644% | 15539 | 8.341% |
| 70 | Toxicroak | 2.41510% | 5150 | 2.061% | 3443 | 1.848% |
| 71 | Kilowattrel | 2.39620% | 8531 | 3.413% | 6802 | 3.651% |
| 72 | Rotom-Heat | 2.28768% | 6241 | 2.497% | 4921 | 2.642% |
| 73 | Rotom-Mow | 2.20818% | 4035 | 1.615% | 3077 | 1.652% |
| 74 | Palossand | 2.18794% | 6126 | 2.451% | 4739 | 2.544% |
| 75 | Iron Thorns | 2.15605% | 8523 | 3.410% | 5895 | 3.164% |
| 76 | Scream Tail | 2.14914% | 7488 | 2.996% | 5830 | 3.129% |
| 77 | Flamigo | 2.02504% | 3595 | 1.438% | 2658 | 1.427% |
| 78 | Brambleghast | 1.94624% | 11515 | 4.607% | 8633 | 4.634% |
| 79 | Oricorio-Sensu | 1.93038% | 1583 | 0.633% | 1131 | 0.607% |
| 80 | Hatterene | 1.81332% | 8469 | 3.389% | 6432 | 3.453% |
| 81 | Tauros-Paldea-Water | 1.64078% | 4043 | 1.618% | 2823 | 1.515% |
| 82 | Wo-Chien | 1.56973% | 8638 | 3.456% | 6267 | 3.364% |
| 83 | Bronzong | 1.53309% | 5356 | 2.143% | 4400 | 2.362% |
| 84 | Pincurchin | 1.32491% | 4661 | 1.865% | 4208 | 2.259% |
| 85 | Gardevoir | 1.30464% | 4434 | 1.774% | 3027 | 1.625% |
| 86 | Orthworm | 1.27084% | 5885 | 2.355% | 4586 | 2.462% |
| 87 | Dachsbun | 1.24121% | 3772 | 1.509% | 2637 | 1.416% |
| 88 | Magnezone | 1.23004% | 5509 | 2.204% | 4038 | 2.168% |
| 89 | Dragalge | 1.22485% | 6224 | 2.490% | 4518 | 2.425% |
| 90 | Masquerain | 1.21320% | 4521 | 1.809% | 3850 | 2.067% |
| 91 | Lycanroc-Dusk | 1.20270% | 3509 | 1.404% | 2539 | 1.363% |
| 92 | Bombirdier | 1.19170% | 3932 | 1.573% | 3105 | 1.667% |
| 93 | Coalossal | 1.15804% | 4303 | 1.722% | 3317 | 1.781% |
| 94 | Frosmoth | 1.13346% | 5798 | 2.320% | 3681 | 1.976% |
| 95 | Slowbro | 1.13084% | 2826 | 1.131% | 2034 | 1.092% |
| 96 | Krookodile | 1.11538% | 4679 | 1.872% | 3684 | 1.978% |
| 97 | Rotom-Frost | 1.05700% | 2138 | 0.855% | 1492 | 0.801% |
| 98 | Drednaw | 1.05471% | 3890 | 1.556% | 2617 | 1.405% |
| 99 | Tatsugiri | 1.00143% | 3628 | 1.452% | 2627 | 1.410% |
| 100 | Dragonite | 0.95402% | 9636 | 3.856% | 6829 | 3.666% |
| 101 | Maushold | 0.83924% | 14056 | 5.624% | 10629 | 5.706% |
| 102 | Talonflame | 0.75737% | 4974 | 1.990% | 3715 | 1.994% |
| 103 | Ditto | 0.72568% | 10651 | 4.262% | 8109 | 4.353% |
| 104 | Arboliva | 0.71122% | 12354 | 4.943% | 8966 | 4.813% |
| 105 | Dondozo | 0.69131% | 4535 | 1.815% | 3437 | 1.845% |
| 106 | Staraptor | 0.67953% | 7428 | 2.972% | 5718 | 3.069% |
| 107 | Slowking | 0.67504% | 3057 | 1.223% | 2271 | 1.219% |
| 108 | Skuntank | 0.64965% | 5464 | 2.186% | 3898 | 2.092% |
| 109 | Salamence | 0.59499% | 4300 | 1.721% | 3012 | 1.617% |
| 110 | Alomomola | 0.53892% | 750 | 0.300% | 484 | 0.260% |
| 111 | Blissey | 0.51752% | 5413 | 2.166% | 3921 | 2.105% |
| 112 | Grafaiai | 0.50674% | 11057 | 4.424% | 8662 | 4.650% |
| 113 | Mabosstiff | 0.50566% | 1313 | 0.525% | 1026 | 0.551% |
| 114 | Lucario | 0.50363% | 8709 | 3.485% | 6178 | 3.316% |
| 115 | Garganacl | 0.49171% | 5125 | 2.051% | 3967 | 2.129% |
| 116 | Scyther | 0.46164% | 1244 | 0.498% | 901 | 0.484% |
| 117 | Qwilfish | 0.45770% | 1332 | 0.533% | 1060 | 0.569% |
| 118 | Weavile | 0.45341% | 2634 | 1.054% | 1842 | 0.989% |
| 119 | Oricorio-Pom-Pom | 0.45154% | 1338 | 0.535% | 1036 | 0.556% |
| 120 | Cryogonal | 0.44896% | 2125 | 0.850% | 1405 | 0.754% |
| 121 | Hawlucha | 0.41470% | 5555 | 2.223% | 3797 | 2.038% |
| 122 | Dudunsparce | 0.40763% | 6312 | 2.526% | 4909 | 2.635% |
| 123 | Hydreigon | 0.40467% | 6293 | 2.518% | 4395 | 2.359% |
| 124 | Farigiraf | 0.37627% | 8513 | 3.406% | 6117 | 3.284% |
| 125 | Camerupt | 0.35782% | 1531 | 0.613% | 1164 | 0.625% |
| 126 | Arcanine | 0.31798% | 2883 | 1.154% | 2115 | 1.135% |
| 127 | Noivern | 0.31216% | 2091 | 0.837% | 1503 | 0.807% |
| 128 | Braviary | 0.30915% | 3330 | 1.332% | 2470 | 1.326% |
| 129 | Brute Bonnet | 0.30532% | 4802 | 1.921% | 3419 | 1.835% |
| 130 | Bellibolt | 0.27904% | 2627 | 1.051% | 2073 | 1.113% |
| 131 | Bisharp | 0.27765% | 2970 | 1.188% | 2202 | 1.182% |
| 132 | Pyroar | 0.26246% | 3804 | 1.522% | 2763 | 1.483% |
| 133 | Eelektross | 0.24841% | 2178 | 0.871% | 1684 | 0.904% |
| 134 | Appletun | 0.23011% | 4389 | 1.756% | 3100 | 1.664% |
| 135 | Komala | 0.21791% | 759 | 0.304% | 536 | 0.288% |
| 136 | Medicham | 0.20290% | 2313 | 0.925% | 1671 | 0.897% |
| 137 | Spiritomb | 0.19887% | 3894 | 1.558% | 3108 | 1.668% |
| 138 | Armarouge | 0.18689% | 8961 | 3.586% | 5936 | 3.186% |
| 139 | Venomoth | 0.18286% | 2927 | 1.171% | 1992 | 1.069% |
| 140 | Hariyama | 0.18112% | 502 | 0.201% | 422 | 0.227% |
| 141 | Muk | 0.17220% | 801 | 0.321% | 562 | 0.302% |
| 142 | Glaceon | 0.16403% | 1606 | 0.643% | 1096 | 0.588% |
| 143 | Klawf | 0.14448% | 2883 | 1.154% | 2040 | 1.095% |
| 144 | Veluza | 0.12866% | 5119 | 2.048% | 3402 | 1.826% |
| 145 | Slaking | 0.12238% | 1926 | 0.771% | 1453 | 0.780% |
| 146 | Indeedee | 0.12115% | 4575 | 1.831% | 3364 | 1.806% |
| 147 | Vivillon | 0.10872% | 2901 | 1.161% | 2141 | 1.149% |
| 148 | Electrode | 0.07942% | 559 | 0.224% | 476 | 0.256% |
| 149 | Jolteon | 0.07926% | 838 | 0.335% | 615 | 0.330% |
| 150 | Goodra | 0.07723% | 3045 | 1.218% | 2199 | 1.180% |
| 151 | Ursaring | 0.06373% | 1302 | 0.521% | 977 | 0.524% |
| 152 | Squawkabilly | 0.05996% | 669 | 0.268% | 502 | 0.269% |
| 153 | Zoroark | 0.05271% | 1819 | 0.728% | 704 | 0.378% |
| 154 | Vaporeon | 0.05127% | 570 | 0.228% | 402 | 0.216% |
| 155 | Whiscash | 0.05127% | 639 | 0.256% | 467 | 0.251% |
| 156 | Chansey | 0.05086% | 1887 | 0.755% | 1465 | 0.786% |
| 157 | Toxtricity | 0.04412% | 3751 | 1.501% | 2687 | 1.442% |
| 158 | Wugtrio | 0.04195% | 796 | 0.319% | 559 | 0.300% |
| 159 | Salazzle | 0.03940% | 3315 | 1.326% | 2373 | 1.274% |
| 160 | Magneton | 0.03687% | 220 | 0.088% | 145 | 0.078% |
| 161 | Copperajah | 0.03422% | 554 | 0.222% | 409 | 0.220% |
| 162 | Eiscue | 0.03412% | 1383 | 0.553% | 970 | 0.521% |
| 163 | Perrserker | 0.03379% | 306 | 0.122% | 212 | 0.114% |
| 164 | Cacturne | 0.03185% | 472 | 0.189% | 330 | 0.177% |
| 165 | Umbreon | 0.03009% | 1953 | 0.781% | 1413 | 0.758% |
| 166 | Sawsbuck | 0.02998% | 1025 | 0.410% | 719 | 0.386% |
| 167 | Espathra | 0.02824% | 4156 | 1.663% | 3068 | 1.647% |
| 168 | Drifblim | 0.02724% | 3370 | 1.348% | 2482 | 1.332% |
| 169 | Kricketune | 0.02549% | 265 | 0.106% | 226 | 0.121% |
| 170 | Lycanroc | 0.02446% | 1507 | 0.603% | 1068 | 0.573% |
| 171 | Grumpig | 0.02419% | 129 | 0.052% | 89 | 0.048% |
| 172 | Houndoom | 0.02343% | 1250 | 0.500% | 966 | 0.519% |
| 173 | Indeedee-F | 0.02096% | 2531 | 1.013% | 1943 | 1.043% |
| 174 | Clawitzer | 0.02059% | 1362 | 0.545% | 940 | 0.505% |
| 175 | Luxray | 0.01295% | 716 | 0.286% | 527 | 0.283% |
| 176 | Rotom | 0.01197% | 675 | 0.270% | 523 | 0.281% |
| 177 | Tauros-Paldea | 0.00943% | 186 | 0.074% | 139 | 0.075% |
| 178 | Passimian | 0.00832% | 303 | 0.121% | 237 | 0.127% |
| 179 | Oricorio-Pa'u | 0.00762% | 624 | 0.250% | 393 | 0.211% |
| 180 | Lilligant | 0.00692% | 599 | 0.240% | 405 | 0.217% |
| 181 | Sudowoodo | 0.00613% | 687 | 0.275% | 517 | 0.278% |
| 182 | Sylveon | 0.00599% | 2398 | 0.960% | 1572 | 0.844% |
| 183 | Jumpluff | 0.00544% | 2150 | 0.860% | 1748 | 0.938% |
| 184 | Gimmighoul | 0.00453% | 32 | 0.013% | 28 | 0.015% |
| 185 | Beartic | 0.00408% | 1387 | 0.555% | 907 | 0.487% |
| 186 | Espeon | 0.00379% | 2030 | 0.812% | 1477 | 0.793% |
| 187 | Flapple | 0.00357% | 899 | 0.360% | 602 | 0.323% |
| 188 | Basculin | 0.00308% | 267 | 0.107% | 174 | 0.093% |
| 189 | Greedent | 0.00299% | 880 | 0.352% | 637 | 0.342% |
| 190 | Dunsparce | 0.00213% | 1247 | 0.499% | 984 | 0.528% |
| 191 | Zangoose | 0.00202% | 1749 | 0.700% | 1245 | 0.668% |
| 192 | Squawkabilly-Blue | 0.00172% | 556 | 0.222% | 424 | 0.228% |
| 193 | Altaria | 0.00150% | 1339 | 0.536% | 929 | 0.499% |
| 194 | Haxorus | 0.00148% | 1587 | 0.635% | 1076 | 0.578% |
| 195 | Mismagius | 0.00137% | 832 | 0.333% | 629 | 0.338% |
| 196 | Falinks | 0.00036% | 480 | 0.192% | 361 | 0.194% |
| 197 | Dedenne | 0.00013% | 1151 | 0.461% | 894 | 0.480% |
| 198 | Oinkologne-F | 0.00012% | 128 | 0.051% | 98 | 0.053% |
| 199 | Oricorio | 0.00011% | 769 | 0.308% | 582 | 0.312% |
| 200 | Banette | 0.00008% | 469 | 0.188% | 370 | 0.199% |
| 201 | Wigglytuff | 0.00008% | 1180 | 0.472% | 936 | 0.502% |
| 202 | Gogoat | 0.00004% | 654 | 0.262% | 480 | 0.258% |
| 203 | Pachirisu | 0.00002% | 63 | 0.025% | 52 | 0.028% |
| 204 | Florges | 0.00002% | 952 | 0.381% | 591 | 0.317% |
| 205 | Girafarig | 0.00001% | 235 | 0.094% | 177 | 0.095% |
| 206 | Murkrow | 0.00000% | 110 | 0.044% | 89 | 0.048% |
| 207 | Raichu | 0.00000% | 261 | 0.104% | 184 | 0.099% |
| 208 | Bruxish | 0.00000% | 1589 | 0.636% | 1106 | 0.594% |
| 209 | Stonjourner | 0.00000% | 179 | 0.072% | 134 | 0.072% |
| 210 | Haunter | 0.00000% | 865 | 0.346% | 603 | 0.324% |
| 211 | Tsareena | 0.00000% | 919 | 0.368% | 639 | 0.343% |
| 212 | Crabominable | 0.00000% | 1222 | 0.489% | 828 | 0.444% |
| 213 | Quaxwell | 0.00000% | 35 | 0.014% | 25 | 0.013% |
| 214 | Lurantis | 0.00000% | 442 | 0.177% | 307 | 0.165% |
| 215 | Leafeon | 0.00000% | 837 | 0.335% | 584 | 0.313% |
| 216 | Oranguru | 0.00000% | 719 | 0.288% | 580 | 0.311% |
| 217 | Oinkologne | 0.00000% | 948 | 0.379% | 751 | 0.403% |
| 218 | Starly | 0.00000% | 33 | 0.013% | 26 | 0.014% |
| 219 | Seviper | 0.00000% | 235 | 0.094% | 168 | 0.090% |
| 220 | Swalot | 0.00000% | 182 | 0.073% | 140 | 0.075% |
| 221 | Gumshoos | 0.00000% | 269 | 0.108% | 188 | 0.101% |
| 222 | Persian | 0.00000% | 381 | 0.152% | 302 | 0.162% |
| 223 | Rellor | 0.00000% | 41 | 0.016% | 28 | 0.015% |
| 224 | Donphan | 0.00000% | 217 | 0.087% | 154 | 0.083% |
| 225 | Fletchinder | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 226 | Eevee | 0.00000% | 17 | 0.007% | 16 | 0.009% |
| 227 | Cufant | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 0 | 0.000% |
| 228 | Azurill | 0.00000% | 3 | 0.001% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 229 | Bergmite | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 230 | Bronzor | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 231 | Fidough | 0.00000% | 2 | 0.001% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 232 | Gothorita | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 233 | Shroodle | 0.00000% | 29 | 0.012% | 25 | 0.013% |
| 234 | Surskit | 0.00000% | 299 | 0.120% | 272 | 0.146% |
| 235 | Ampharos | 0.00000% | 545 | 0.218% | 394 | 0.211% |
| 236 | Skrelp | 0.00000% | 9 | 0.004% | 9 | 0.005% |
| 237 | Carkol | 0.00000% | 19 | 0.008% | 19 | 0.010% |
| 238 | Eelektrik | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 0 | 0.000% |
| 239 | Wattrel | 0.00000% | 8 | 0.003% | 8 | 0.004% |
| 240 | Greavard | 0.00000% | 19 | 0.008% | 15 | 0.008% |
| 241 | Gothitelle | 0.00000% | 170 | 0.068% | 108 | 0.058% |
| 242 | Wooper | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 4 | 0.002% |
| 243 | Makuhita | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 244 | Rolycoly | 0.00000% | 3 | 0.001% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 245 | Zweilous | 0.00000% | 28 | 0.011% | 21 | 0.011% |
| 246 | Skiddo | 0.00000% | 2 | 0.001% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 247 | Shuppet | 0.00000% | 3 | 0.001% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 248 | Lechonk | 0.00000% | 23 | 0.009% | 18 | 0.010% |
| 249 | Vespiquen | 0.00000% | 815 | 0.326% | 582 | 0.312% |
| 250 | Floatzel | 0.00000% | 455 | 0.182% | 333 | 0.179% |
| 251 | Salandit | 0.00000% | 16 | 0.006% | 14 | 0.008% |
| 252 | Larvesta | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 0 | 0.000% |
| 253 | Squawkabilly-Yellow | 0.00000% | 130 | 0.052% | 97 | 0.052% |
| 254 | Maschiff | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 4 | 0.002% |
| 255 | Varoom | 0.00000% | 7 | 0.003% | 4 | 0.002% |
| 256 | Lycanroc-Midnight | 0.00000% | 121 | 0.048% | 92 | 0.049% |
| 257 | Magnemite | 0.00000% | 2 | 0.001% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 258 | Venonat | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 4 | 0.002% |
| 259 | Pikachu | 0.00000% | 105 | 0.042% | 75 | 0.040% |
| 260 | Sandygast | 0.00000% | 22 | 0.009% | 17 | 0.009% |
| 261 | Fletchling | 0.00000% | 3 | 0.001% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 262 | Glalie | 0.00000% | 298 | 0.119% | 218 | 0.117% |
| 263 | Mudbray | 0.00000% | 2 | 0.001% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 264 | Mareanie | 0.00000% | 11 | 0.004% | 10 | 0.005% |
| 265 | Wingull | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 266 | Mankey | 0.00000% | 7 | 0.003% | 6 | 0.003% |
| 267 | Slowpoke | 0.00000% | 14 | 0.006% | 10 | 0.005% |
| 268 | Delibird | 0.00000% | 179 | 0.072% | 143 | 0.077% |
| 269 | Fuecoco | 0.00000% | 9 | 0.004% | 8 | 0.004% |
| 270 | Meowth-Galar | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 0 | 0.000% |
| 271 | Drakloak | 0.00000% | 52 | 0.021% | 38 | 0.020% |
| 272 | Jigglypuff | 0.00000% | 29 | 0.012% | 21 | 0.011% |
| 273 | Ralts | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 274 | Magikarp | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 275 | Smoliv | 0.00000% | 2 | 0.001% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 276 | Quaxly | 0.00000% | 23 | 0.009% | 23 | 0.012% |
| 277 | Honchkrow | 0.00000% | 1362 | 0.545% | 1011 | 0.543% |
| 278 | Vigoroth | 0.00000% | 185 | 0.074% | 148 | 0.079% |
| 279 | Arctibax | 0.00000% | 19 | 0.008% | 10 | 0.005% |
| 280 | Luvdisc | 0.00000% | 18 | 0.007% | 17 | 0.009% |
| 281 | Axew | 0.00000% | 6 | 0.002% | 6 | 0.003% |
| 282 | Shroomish | 0.00000% | 2 | 0.001% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 283 | Lumineon | 0.00000% | 108 | 0.043% | 89 | 0.048% |
| 284 | Dolliv | 0.00000% | 6 | 0.002% | 4 | 0.002% |
| 285 | Pichu | 0.00000% | 2 | 0.001% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 286 | Rotom-Fan | 0.00000% | 473 | 0.189% | 339 | 0.182% |
| 287 | Floette | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 288 | Buizel | 0.00000% | 5 | 0.002% | 5 | 0.003% |
| 289 | Staravia | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 290 | Riolu | 0.00000% | 16 | 0.006% | 14 | 0.008% |
| 291 | Sunflora | 0.00000% | 126 | 0.050% | 88 | 0.047% |
| 292 | Sunkern | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 293 | Frigibax | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 294 | Cetoddle | 0.00000% | 8 | 0.003% | 5 | 0.003% |
| 295 | Chewtle | 0.00000% | 3 | 0.001% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 296 | Pineco | 0.00000% | 21 | 0.008% | 18 | 0.010% |
| 297 | Shellos | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 298 | Bonsly | 0.00000% | 8 | 0.003% | 8 | 0.004% |
| 299 | Morgrem | 0.00000% | 11 | 0.004% | 10 | 0.005% |
| 300 | Mudsdale | 0.00000% | 245 | 0.098% | 193 | 0.104% |
| 301 | Tauros | 0.00000% | 7 | 0.003% | 5 | 0.003% |
| 302 | Shelgon | 0.00000% | 22 | 0.009% | 19 | 0.010% |
| 303 | Croagunk | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 304 | Primeape | 0.00000% | 195 | 0.078% | 155 | 0.083% |
| 305 | Golduck | 0.00000% | 543 | 0.217% | 357 | 0.192% |
| 306 | Sandile | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 307 | Finizen | 0.00000% | 2 | 0.001% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 308 | Flaaffy | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 309 | Dreepy | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 310 | Voltorb | 0.00000% | 3 | 0.001% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 311 | Tandemaus | 0.00000% | 27 | 0.011% | 13 | 0.007% |
| 312 | Snom | 0.00000% | 12 | 0.005% | 12 | 0.006% |
| 313 | Gastly | 0.00000% | 10 | 0.004% | 9 | 0.005% |
| 314 | Hypno | 0.00000% | 76 | 0.030% | 54 | 0.029% |
| 315 | Drifloon | 0.00000% | 13 | 0.005% | 13 | 0.007% |
| 316 | Charcadet | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 317 | Flareon | 0.00000% | 462 | 0.185% | 345 | 0.185% |
| 318 | Pawmo | 0.00000% | 27 | 0.011% | 24 | 0.013% |
| 319 | Pawmi | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 320 | Stantler | 0.00000% | 50 | 0.020% | 41 | 0.022% |
| 321 | Rockruff | 0.00000% | 3 | 0.001% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 322 | Tropius | 0.00000% | 774 | 0.310% | 550 | 0.295% |
| 323 | Steenee | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 324 | Snover | 0.00000% | 52 | 0.021% | 48 | 0.026% |
| 325 | Sliggoo | 0.00000% | 32 | 0.013% | 26 | 0.014% |
| 326 | Sandaconda | 0.00000% | 352 | 0.141% | 259 | 0.139% |
| 327 | Goomy | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 328 | Toedscool | 0.00000% | 28 | 0.011% | 23 | 0.012% |
| 329 | Growlithe | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 0 | 0.000% |
| 330 | Cacnea | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 331 | Diglett | 0.00000% | 2 | 0.001% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 332 | Flittle | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 4 | 0.002% |
| 333 | Floragato | 0.00000% | 27 | 0.011% | 20 | 0.011% |
| 334 | Dragonair | 0.00000% | 10 | 0.004% | 7 | 0.004% |
| 335 | Squawkabilly-White | 0.00000% | 224 | 0.090% | 151 | 0.081% |
| 336 | Gabite | 0.00000% | 5 | 0.002% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 337 | Misdreavus | 0.00000% | 37 | 0.015% | 26 | 0.014% |
| 338 | Nacli | 0.00000% | 2 | 0.001% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 339 | Skwovet | 0.00000% | 2 | 0.001% | 2 | 0.001% |
| 340 | Glimmet | 0.00000% | 34 | 0.014% | 29 | 0.016% |
| 341 | Tinkatuff | 0.00000% | 60 | 0.024% | 51 | 0.027% |
| 342 | Tynamo | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 343 | Krokorok | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 344 | Sinistea | 0.00000% | 3 | 0.001% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 345 | Marill | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 4 | 0.002% |
| 346 | Naclstack | 0.00000% | 183 | 0.073% | 149 | 0.080% |
| 347 | Wiglett | 0.00000% | 1 | 0.000% | 1 | 0.001% |
| 348 | Capsakid | 0.00000% | 4 | 0.002% | 3 | 0.002% |
| 349 | Bramblin | 0.00000% | 27 | 0.011% | 22 | 0.012% |
| 350 | Pupitar | 0.00000% | 17 | 0.007% | 11 | 0.006% |
| 351 | Tarountula | 0.00000% | 44 | 0.018% | 40 | 0.021% |
| 352 | Crocalor | 0.00000% | 11 | 0.004% | 7 | 0.004% |
+ ---- + ------------------ + --------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------- +
Alright today I want to talk about some pokemon, moves, etc that I deem to be restricting within the meta as well the our current bans.
Booster Energy: Bans was justified, it made pokemon like :fluttermane:,
, and 
absolutely broken af.
: This pokemon deserved ban, nothing else to say
Terrastalize: Honestly after the quick bans I think this deserves retest. I genuinely don't think that terrastalizing to the shared type is broken at all, but hey, that's just my opinion.
: Why in the absolute earth did monotype council make the same ****ing mistake as the OU council. We all know when home comes, 
will get the move. I'm 90% sure that almost the entire community wanted the move banned, not the pokemon. The argument given is "To better understand this, you can refer to the post by the OU council here." However, the community has already called them out for making a dumb decision so why are we not learning from their mistakes?
Alright now for pokemon I think are broken.
: Every time I call this thing broken, I get roasted by mods who always say that you can play around it. However I still disagree. Hazard stacking is already broken enough. Then there is this thing which is just a huge middle finger to all of that. The number of times I have
SR, spikes, and t-spikes and the opponent wanting to defog/rapid spin/mortal spin. This is not to mention that this thing stop: taunt, trick, will-o-wisp, thunder wave, spore, stun spore, sleep powder, glare, leech seed, parting shot, strength sap, yawn, whirlwind, roar, etc. This is just a giant middle find to legit half of the strategies in the game. Even if it doesn't do that insane of damage and you can dance around it, it's still sooo restricting in team building. As a abuser myself, I so often feel bad for my opponents and I wish that at least we suspect if not quick ban this thing.
: This will chi-yu up so many types just by itself. It's borderline impossible to switch into. It can either be nasty plot or specs or scarf, which, depending on the set has different checks/counters. Types like steel and psychic bascially get instant wiped by this thing which is very sad. Honestly, we should quickban this thing.
: This is just physical with much higher speed. It even has priority in ice shard and succer punch. It has SD / band / scarf. Quick ban please
: Just ban rage fist, please, don't ban this pokemon.
: Just ban population bomb, please, don't ban this pokemon, it's the only solution normal has for gholdengo removing hazards.
: Ddance/band sets are both strong af and its bulk is not actually that bad
: Just too strong and too fast.
: Honestly, the only broken thing is shed tail. If they decide to ban as well as they have officially f***ed normal even though the type sucks. Dragon will also take an immense hit as they will have lost their only viable hazard control pokemon(I mean you can still use a sushi to rapid spin)
Revival Blessing: I love this move, I wish we could use it. However, it's broken, especially with leppa berry
This meta is really unbalanced, which is a stark contrast to the previous gen. Here is my tier list
S-tier(I call this the bermuda triangle of power): Ghost, Fairy, Dark
A-tier: Fighting, Water, Fire
B-tier: Dragon, Ground, Ice, Normal(only because of)
C-tier: Steel, Electric, Poison, Bug
D-tier: Grass, Psychic, Rock, Flying
Booster Energy: Bans was justified, it made pokemon like :fluttermane:,
, and absolutely broken af.: This pokemon deserved ban, nothing else to sayTerrastalize: Honestly after the quick bans I think this deserves retest. I genuinely don't think that terrastalizing to the shared type is broken at all, but hey, that's just my opinion.
: Why in the absolute earth did monotype council make the same ****ing mistake as the OU council. We all know when home comes, will get the move. I'm 90% sure that almost the entire community wanted the move banned, not the pokemon. The argument given is "To better understand this, you can refer to the post by the OU council here." However, the community has already called them out for making a dumb decision so why are we not learning from their mistakes?Alright now for pokemon I think are broken.
: Every time I call this thing broken, I get roasted by mods who always say that you can play around it. However I still disagree. Hazard stacking is already broken enough. Then there is this thing which is just a huge middle finger to all of that. The number of times I haveSR, spikes, and t-spikes and the opponent wanting to defog/rapid spin/mortal spin. This is not to mention that this thing stop: taunt, trick, will-o-wisp, thunder wave, spore, stun spore, sleep powder, glare, leech seed, parting shot, strength sap, yawn, whirlwind, roar, etc. This is just a giant middle find to legit half of the strategies in the game. Even if it doesn't do that insane of damage and you can dance around it, it's still sooo restricting in team building. As a
abuser myself, I so often feel bad for my opponents and I wish that at least we suspect if not quick ban this thing.: This will chi-yu up so many types just by itself. It's borderline impossible to switch into. It can either be nasty plot or specs or scarf, which, depending on the set has different checks/counters. Types like steel and psychic bascially get instant wiped by this thing which is very sad. Honestly, we should quickban this thing.: This is just physical with much higher speed. It even has priority in ice shard and succer punch. It has SD / band / scarf. Quick ban please: Just ban rage fist, please, don't ban this pokemon.: Just ban population bomb, please, don't ban this pokemon, it's the only solution normal has for gholdengo removing hazards.: Ddance/band sets are both strong af and its bulk is not actually that bad: Just too strong and too fast.: Honestly, the only broken thing is shed tail. If they decide to ban as well as they have officially f***ed normal even though the type sucks. Dragon will also take an immense hit as they will have lost their only viable hazard control pokemon(I mean you can still use a sushi to rapid spin)Revival Blessing: I love this move, I wish we could use it. However, it's broken, especially with leppa berry
This meta is really unbalanced, which is a stark contrast to the previous gen. Here is my tier list
S-tier(I call this the bermuda triangle of power): Ghost, Fairy, Dark
A-tier: Fighting, Water, Fire
B-tier: Dragon, Ground, Ice, Normal(only because of
)C-tier: Steel, Electric, Poison, Bug
D-tier: Grass, Psychic, Rock, Flying
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Heavily disagree, almost every type has a commonly run pokemon that can counter or atleast absorb and force a switch. For my sanity I won't be doing types it's weak too.
SR, spikes, and t-spikes and the opponent wanting to defog/rapid spin/mortal spin. This is not to mention that this thing stop: taunt, trick, will-o-wisp, thunder wave, spore, stun spore, sleep powder, glare, leech seed, parting shot, strength sap, yawn, whirlwind, roar, etc. This is just a giant middle find to legit half of the strategies in the game. Even if it doesn't do that insane of damage and you can dance around it, it's still sooo restricting in team building. As a
So obviously theres Blissey, but with the loss of Teleport its become too passive, and normal overall lost a LOT of good stuff. The best thing you can really do is Pyroar.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pyroar Dark Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Gholdengo: 274-324 (86.9 - 102.8%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pyroar Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Gholdengo: 566-668 (179.6 - 212%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pyroar Dark Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Gholdengo: 274-324 (86.9 - 102.8%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pyroar Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Gholdengo: 566-668 (179.6 - 212%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Surprisingly, fighting actually has multiple options to kill this thing.
252+ SpA Life Orb Lucario Dark Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Gholdengo: 250-294 (79.3 - 93.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Great Tusk Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gholdengo: 410-486 (130.1 - 154.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO (CC is Headlong Rush)
252 Atk Tauros-Paldea-Fire Flare Blitz vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gholdengo: 362-428 (114.9 - 135.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO (I think the damage calc is glitched because I picked Tauros-Paldea-Fire, the stats changed, but not the name, so I just manually changed the name.)
252+ Atk Sharpness Gallade Night Slash vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gholdengo: 254-300 (80.6 - 95.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
2 straight out KOs and 2 that put Gholdengo in 1 tap range.
252+ SpA Life Orb Lucario Dark Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Gholdengo: 250-294 (79.3 - 93.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Great Tusk Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gholdengo: 410-486 (130.1 - 154.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO (CC is Headlong Rush)
252 Atk Tauros-Paldea-Fire Flare Blitz vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gholdengo: 362-428 (114.9 - 135.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO (I think the damage calc is glitched because I picked Tauros-Paldea-Fire, the stats changed, but not the name, so I just manually changed the name.)
252+ Atk Sharpness Gallade Night Slash vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gholdengo: 254-300 (80.6 - 95.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
2 straight out KOs and 2 that put Gholdengo in 1 tap range.
Obviously theres Barraskewda but something more surprising was Gyarados, no matter what Gholdengo runs, Gyarados is able to live a hit, dragon dance, and ohko with EQ.
I tried scarfing it, did too little damage even with Modest, and if it ran Modest it would get outsped after the first hit.
252 SpA Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gyarados: 133-157 (40.1 - 47.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ SpA Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gyarados: 145-172 (43.8 - 51.9%) -- 14.1% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gyarados: 219-258 (66.1 - 77.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
I tried scarfing it, did too little damage even with Modest, and if it ran Modest it would get outsped after the first hit.
252 SpA Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gyarados: 133-157 (40.1 - 47.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ SpA Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gyarados: 145-172 (43.8 - 51.9%) -- 14.1% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gyarados: 219-258 (66.1 - 77.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Choice Band Meowscarada Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gholdengo: 354-416 (112.3 - 132%) -- guaranteed OHKO
I mean come on, I don't think I need to show any more examples because I don't think anyone won't run Meowscarada
I mean come on, I don't think I need to show any more examples because I don't think anyone won't run Meowscarada
252 SpA Rotom-Heat Overheat vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gholdengo: 396-468 (125.7 - 148.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Sandy Shocks Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gholdengo: 332-392 (105.3 - 124.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
An Honorable Mention is Iron Hands, 252+ Atk Iron Hands Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gholdengo: 262-310 (83.1 - 98.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO. The problem is it gets 2HKO no matter how you put its EVs, because Gholdengo will probably run Psyshock.
252+ SpA Sandy Shocks Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gholdengo: 332-392 (105.3 - 124.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
An Honorable Mention is Iron Hands, 252+ Atk Iron Hands Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gholdengo: 262-310 (83.1 - 98.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO. The problem is it gets 2HKO no matter how you put its EVs, because Gholdengo will probably run Psyshock.
Chien Pao, I mean no ice mono team isnt gonna run it.
You've got Gengar, Iron Moth, and Clodsire, what else can I say.
252+ SpA Iron Jugulis Dark Pulse vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gholdengo: 296-350 (93.9 - 111.1%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
I'd keep going but I think you get my point.
Addressing your points, this is tired I swear half of this we're done past.
Revival Blessing: I love this move, I wish we could use it. However, it's broken, especially with leppa berry
This meta is really unbalanced, which is a stark contrast to the previous gen. Here is my tier list
S-tier(I call this the bermuda triangle of power): Ghost, Fairy, Dark
A-tier: Fighting, Water, Fire
B-tier: Dragon, Ground, Ice, Normal(only because of
C-tier: Steel, Electric, Poison, Bug
D-tier: Grass, Psychic, Rock, Flying
Bug/Steel are better than Ice/Normal IMO, I still would put Ice B tier, but Normal is easily a C-D tier type, even with Maushold it's an awful type.
I agree that Chi Yu is suspect worthy but the idea that it plain wipes Steel/Psy for example is very misleading. Not only can you check it with multiple mons on Steel, Scarf Treads, (Occa BPress Corv, Sturdy Bpress Forre being examples) but force 50/50s that ultimately brings momentum into your favor. Sturdy intact Forretress for example can force out Chi Yu with the threat of Body Press and setup hazards to further pressure on dark throughout the match. Psy on the other hand has counters such as Assault Vest Gallade, but is so lacking structure wise that it still is extremely unviable. That being said yes, Chi Yu's ability to 2HKO everything with Specs, or setup Sub and Nasty Plot behind screens, is a bit too much in this meta, and I really see it as a significant reason why Dark is so powerful.
I personally see Chien Pao as less dangerous than Chi Yu for most mus, it's mostly the types that don't handle it's offensive typing well that are really held back by it. Life Orb Chien Pao OHKOS Breloom/Meowscarada with ice shard meaning you can't really check it offensively with grass, and with no Ice Neutrals Chien Pao can rip through pretty easily. From what I've seen so far it's also the most dangerous mon for Dragon to handle, with Baxcalibur being the only saving grace.
As for the "just ban the move" arguments. IF council can't tie Shed Tail to the Baton Pass clause then yeah it will likely be Cyclizar that gets banned, when it's clear cut that the other users of Shed Tail aren't broken then you don't get rid of the move but the one that's dangerous with it. My opinion is that Orthoworm will be a bit more difficult to deal with when Steel gets a full immunity core, but till then it's really only Cyclizar that takes full advantage of the move. Rage Fist is in a similar scenario since more than one mon gets it.
Said this earlier but Normal is genuinely terrible even with Maushold, if the mouse family gets suspected though it would be the mon not the move that gets banned. Which I don't think is necessary. Rocky Helmet is more than viable on bulky pivots/walls in this extremely fast paced meta,Mause is pretty much a 1 trick mon that's easily played around, plus it's easy to revenge kill given that you don't let it spam tidy up. Plus Population Bomb is the signature move of the mon, nothing else gets the move, it's pretty standard to ban the mon in this scenario. Similarly this is why Houndstone was banned, I agree that it's the move that's the problem for Houndstone and it's silly to follow the rules so hard in this pretty more than clear cut scenario of the move being unhealthy, but we're literally getting Houndstone back in a couple months anyhow.
I think Terra ban was solid for tier diversity, without banning terra we'd need to suspect multiple mons. Baxcalibur/Dragapult being 2 of the big ones that would likely go, with Bax in particular being a keystone mon for Ice/Dragon structures. Not to mention but it made bad matchups worse to the point that they could be unplayable.
Losing to Gholdengo is called a skill issue, this mon is well known and adapted to. Saying "it is restricting in team building" is a lie, I have not built for any type yet where I had to cut or change mons for the gholden boy. I will roast you for this if you bring it up again again.
SR, spikes, and t-spikes and the opponent wanting to defog/rapid spin/mortal spin. This is not to mention that this thing stop: taunt, trick, will-o-wisp, thunder wave, spore, stun spore, sleep powder, glare, leech seed, parting shot, strength sap, yawn, whirlwind, roar, etc. This is just a giant middle find to legit half of the strategies in the game. Even if it doesn't do that insane of damage and you can dance around it, it's still sooo restricting in team building. As a
With the banning of Booster Energy, Terastallization, Palafin, and Houdstone, the metagame has become a bit more stable. That being said, I do feel as though there are overbearing Pokémon within the current metagame that need to be discussed. Cannot thank Neko enough, you really did so much for this analysis.
Santa Claus needs to be put on the naughty list, as he is the worst offender. With base 124 special attack, and 136 speed, it doesn't take a genius to see that the mon is extremely fast and strong. It's speed tier is insane, being able to outspeed Flutter Mane and tie with non-rain boosted Barraskewda. It can run a variety of sets which include the common Choice Specs, Heavy Duty Boots, and Choice Scarf. Hydro Pump, even though not always reliable, hits extremely hard and is the main move you will be clicking for power. Ice Beam is a hard hitting ice-type STAB, and Freeze-Dry is used to hit water types. Flip Turn or U-Turn can be used as a final move to pivot out of what it cannot immediately KO. While its movepool is underwhelming at first glance, Hydro Pump/Freeze Dry/Ice Beam still provides basically unresisted coverage, and being able to pivot is very useful. Bundle is able to live most priority moves, and the only special priority in the meta being vacuum wave, is seldom used. The only way to truly defeat Iron Bundle is to outspeed it with a scarfer, and KO it that way, but even then options are few.
Saint Nick is no glass cannon. While its Special Defense stat is low, it is still respectable enough to live common scarfers that are able to outspeed it, and its Physical Defense is a more than respectable base 114.
In terms of matchups, its able to nearly invalidate the Ground matchup on both Ice and Water. What's truly concerning is how the mon is able to dominate neutrally-effective or even resisted type matchups such as Grass, Steel, and Dragon.
I've gone back and forth on whether I think Flutter Mane is broken or not, and although this post is mainly about Bundle, I'd like to touch upon why I've concluded about why I think Mane is unhealthy. Flutter Mane and Iron Bundle have some elements in common. Both mons have extremely high speed and SpA (Flutter Mane has 135 base SpA and Speed), and are found on some of the premier types in the metagame. Mane, just like Iron Bundle, can run a variety of sets which lead to its unpredictability (Sub/CM, Specs, Scarf). Both also gain access to screens in some capacity, Iron Bundle on Ice and Flutter Mane on both Ghost and Fairy, further increasing their bulk, and allowing them to sweep, clean, or break more effectively.
The common sets right now include Choice Specs, Choice Scarf, and Sub-CM. If Santa was quite predictable in a sense that it will usually be outsped by Scarf, Choice Scarf Flutter Mane is a legitimate option for both of its types due to its insane cleaning potential. On the other hand, Choice Specs Flutter Mane was the delete button its team mate in Hatterene sorely needed, allowing it to pave the way for a sweep late-game.
Additionally, Flutter Mane can use mind games with its substitute set to potentially beat common mons who use Sucker Punch, and potentially can win on the spot. It can even run Heavy-Duty Boots, so that it can come in and out to revenge-kill a slower threat, then come back later to CM up and win on the spot.
Relevant Calcs:
Santa is so fat he needs to be enrolled in gym class:
252+ Atk Technician Breloom Mach Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 194-230 (76.6 - 90.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Lokix First Impression vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 160-188 (63.2 - 74.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ Atk Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 131-155 (51.7 - 61.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Iron Treads Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 176-208 (69.5 - 82.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [Makes it mandatory that Ground teams have Scarfed Great Tusk to kill it]
252 SpA Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Iron Bundle: 202-238 (79.8 - 94%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [Needs Focus Miss, which is sad because Water has switchins to that]
252+ Def Corviknight Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 148-176 (58.4 - 69.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Ceruledge Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 228-270 (90.1 - 106.7%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
Santa hates poor kids:
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Clodsire: 240-284 (51.7 - 61.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [unswitchable in Ground]
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Iron Hands: 160-189 (31.2 - 36.9%) -- 73.6% chance to 3HKO [You can come in from a sack, but remember that Water has 5 other members + Dondozo to deal with, aside from Gastrodon laying spikes]
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Corviknight: 171-202 (42.8 - 50.6%) -- 46.9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery [Even the tamest corviknight is in danger]
Fluttershy:
252 Atk Life Orb Toxicroak Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 139-165 (55.3 - 65.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Chien-Pao Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 126-148 (50.1 - 58.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [Adjusted to Sword of Ruins]
252+ Atk Life Orb Lokix Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 224-265 (89.2 - 105.5%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Flutter Mane: 202-238 (80.4 - 94.8%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Common Scarfers in the meta these days include Chi-Yu, Meowscarada, Iron Valiant, Chien Pao, and Dragapult. Aside from Meowscarada, neither of these OHKO both of the said threats:
252 Atk Chien-Pao Sacred Sword vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 206-244 (81.4 - 96.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Flutter Mane: 168-200 (66.9 - 79.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (kills bundle w/Thunderbolt)
252 SpA Iron Valiant Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Flutter Mane: 128-152 (50.9 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Iron Valiant Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 115-136 (45.8 - 54.1%) -- 50.8% chance to 2HKO
So, how does one deal with?
Dark: Scarf Meowscarada OHKOes it, one of the instances that Scarf Chien is worse. Take note that Meow has to predict if Toxapex is switching in as locking into Flower trick lets it setup Toxic Spikes on Dark teams.
Ghost: Outspeeding it with Scarf Flutter Mane and OHKOing it with Energy Ball/Thunderbolt. Mimikyu can help get a hit on it, but Drain Punch only deals ~60%. Specs Hydro Pump will 2HKO Dragapult.
Fairy: Scarf Flutter Mane / Iron Valiant deals with it, though nothing still switches into those. Note that these mons can be walled by its team mates and in turn provide momentum for Santa to do it all over again.
Fighting: Choice Scarf Iron Valiant can revenge kill it, but it may be walled by Slowking and Toxapex. Assault Vest Iron Hands can 1v1 it, but its unlikely that Santa is staying in.
Fire: Scovillain and Scarf Chi-Yu both outspeed and OHKO it.
Water: Assault Vest Slowking isn't 2HKO'ed (252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking: 152-180 (38.5 - 45.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO) and its able to OHKO it with Focus Blast. However, Bundle can take advantage of this forced sequence by using Flip turn...to Gastrodon and set more entry hazards
Poison: Scarf Glimmora revenge-kills it, but nothing switches in on it. Worth noting that Slowking can take on Glimmora and use Chilly Reception to restart the sequence over and over.
Steel: Last Mon Standing Kingambit OHKOes with sucker punch after a Swords Dance boost, or pick it off if it has incurred stealth rock damage without boosts
Ground: Scarf Great Tusk is the only one that outspeeds and OHKOs it.
Conclusion :
While the SV metagame has become a lot less volatile since the first wave of bans, Flutter Mane and Iron Bundle are mons that I believe are problematic in Monotype.
Santa Claus needs to be put on the naughty list, as he is the worst offender. With base 124 special attack, and 136 speed, it doesn't take a genius to see that the mon is extremely fast and strong. It's speed tier is insane, being able to outspeed Flutter Mane and tie with non-rain boosted Barraskewda. It can run a variety of sets which include the common Choice Specs, Heavy Duty Boots, and Choice Scarf. Hydro Pump, even though not always reliable, hits extremely hard and is the main move you will be clicking for power. Ice Beam is a hard hitting ice-type STAB, and Freeze-Dry is used to hit water types. Flip Turn or U-Turn can be used as a final move to pivot out of what it cannot immediately KO. While its movepool is underwhelming at first glance, Hydro Pump/Freeze Dry/Ice Beam still provides basically unresisted coverage, and being able to pivot is very useful. Bundle is able to live most priority moves, and the only special priority in the meta being vacuum wave, is seldom used. The only way to truly defeat Iron Bundle is to outspeed it with a scarfer, and KO it that way, but even then options are few.
Saint Nick is no glass cannon. While its Special Defense stat is low, it is still respectable enough to live common scarfers that are able to outspeed it, and its Physical Defense is a more than respectable base 114.
In terms of matchups, its able to nearly invalidate the Ground matchup on both Ice and Water. What's truly concerning is how the mon is able to dominate neutrally-effective or even resisted type matchups such as Grass, Steel, and Dragon.
I've gone back and forth on whether I think Flutter Mane is broken or not, and although this post is mainly about Bundle, I'd like to touch upon why I've concluded about why I think Mane is unhealthy. Flutter Mane and Iron Bundle have some elements in common. Both mons have extremely high speed and SpA (Flutter Mane has 135 base SpA and Speed), and are found on some of the premier types in the metagame. Mane, just like Iron Bundle, can run a variety of sets which lead to its unpredictability (Sub/CM, Specs, Scarf). Both also gain access to screens in some capacity, Iron Bundle on Ice and Flutter Mane on both Ghost and Fairy, further increasing their bulk, and allowing them to sweep, clean, or break more effectively.
The common sets right now include Choice Specs, Choice Scarf, and Sub-CM. If Santa was quite predictable in a sense that it will usually be outsped by Scarf, Choice Scarf Flutter Mane is a legitimate option for both of its types due to its insane cleaning potential. On the other hand, Choice Specs Flutter Mane was the delete button its team mate in Hatterene sorely needed, allowing it to pave the way for a sweep late-game.
Additionally, Flutter Mane can use mind games with its substitute set to potentially beat common mons who use Sucker Punch, and potentially can win on the spot. It can even run Heavy-Duty Boots, so that it can come in and out to revenge-kill a slower threat, then come back later to CM up and win on the spot.
Relevant Calcs:
Santa is so fat he needs to be enrolled in gym class:
252+ Atk Technician Breloom Mach Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 194-230 (76.6 - 90.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Lokix First Impression vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 160-188 (63.2 - 74.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ Atk Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 131-155 (51.7 - 61.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Iron Treads Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 176-208 (69.5 - 82.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [Makes it mandatory that Ground teams have Scarfed Great Tusk to kill it]
252 SpA Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Iron Bundle: 202-238 (79.8 - 94%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [Needs Focus Miss, which is sad because Water has switchins to that]
252+ Def Corviknight Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 148-176 (58.4 - 69.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Ceruledge Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 228-270 (90.1 - 106.7%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
Santa hates poor kids:
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Clodsire: 240-284 (51.7 - 61.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [unswitchable in Ground]
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Iron Hands: 160-189 (31.2 - 36.9%) -- 73.6% chance to 3HKO [You can come in from a sack, but remember that Water has 5 other members + Dondozo to deal with, aside from Gastrodon laying spikes]
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Corviknight: 171-202 (42.8 - 50.6%) -- 46.9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery [Even the tamest corviknight is in danger]
Fluttershy:
252 Atk Life Orb Toxicroak Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 139-165 (55.3 - 65.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Chien-Pao Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 126-148 (50.1 - 58.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [Adjusted to Sword of Ruins]
252+ Atk Life Orb Lokix Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 224-265 (89.2 - 105.5%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Flutter Mane: 202-238 (80.4 - 94.8%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Common Scarfers in the meta these days include Chi-Yu, Meowscarada, Iron Valiant, Chien Pao, and Dragapult. Aside from Meowscarada, neither of these OHKO both of the said threats:
252 Atk Chien-Pao Sacred Sword vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 206-244 (81.4 - 96.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Flutter Mane: 168-200 (66.9 - 79.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (kills bundle w/Thunderbolt)
252 SpA Iron Valiant Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Flutter Mane: 128-152 (50.9 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Iron Valiant Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 115-136 (45.8 - 54.1%) -- 50.8% chance to 2HKO
So, how does one deal with
?Dark: Scarf Meowscarada OHKOes it, one of the instances that Scarf Chien is worse. Take note that Meow has to predict if Toxapex is switching in as locking into Flower trick lets it setup Toxic Spikes on Dark teams.
Ghost: Outspeeding it with Scarf Flutter Mane and OHKOing it with Energy Ball/Thunderbolt. Mimikyu can help get a hit on it, but Drain Punch only deals ~60%. Specs Hydro Pump will 2HKO Dragapult.
Fairy: Scarf Flutter Mane / Iron Valiant deals with it, though nothing still switches into those. Note that these mons can be walled by its team mates and in turn provide momentum for Santa to do it all over again.
Fighting: Choice Scarf Iron Valiant can revenge kill it, but it may be walled by Slowking and Toxapex. Assault Vest Iron Hands can 1v1 it, but its unlikely that Santa is staying in.
Fire: Scovillain and Scarf Chi-Yu both outspeed and OHKO it.
Water: Assault Vest Slowking isn't 2HKO'ed (252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking: 152-180 (38.5 - 45.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO) and its able to OHKO it with Focus Blast. However, Bundle can take advantage of this forced sequence by using Flip turn...to Gastrodon and set more entry hazards
Poison: Scarf Glimmora revenge-kills it, but nothing switches in on it. Worth noting that Slowking can take on Glimmora and use Chilly Reception to restart the sequence over and over.
Steel: Last Mon Standing Kingambit OHKOes with sucker punch after a Swords Dance boost, or pick it off if it has incurred stealth rock damage without boosts
Ground: Scarf Great Tusk is the only one that outspeeds and OHKOs it.
Conclusion :While the SV metagame has become a lot less volatile since the first wave of bans, Flutter Mane and Iron Bundle are mons that I believe are problematic in Monotype.
Long post incoming but I wanted to discuss Dark in the current meta. I think we all know that this meta doesn't particularly have the most diversity, especially for certain typings. I've been experimenting with different styles on Dark, to be honest it's not my favourite typing to use, it's a top 3 type but I do prefer Water. I will explain my thoughts and how everything went in my endeavours to try and innovate.
I.) Screenless Dark
Dark has been defined by the screens hyper-offence since day 1 of the meta. This is thanks to Prankster Grimmsnarl having priority screens. In addition to the multitude of new threats Dark received this generation with Roaring Moon, Chien-Pao, Kingambit, Meowscarada and Lokix. There are obviously returning Dark mons like Hydreigon and another new mon inHydreigon 0.5 Iron Jugulis but the above threats have turned Dark into one of the strongest types at this current time. Attempting to go against the mold, I tried to see if I could find some similar success not using screens offence. You are probably reading and thinking "Clearly you're building inferior teams without Grimm Screens" but I would be inclined to agree with you but we will go over why you're mostly correct.
This is the first draft of Screenless Dark that I built last night and played quite a few games with. The teambuilding process began with Ting-Lu hazard stack + adding the broken breakers Scarf Chi-Yu and Banded Meowscarada. Ting-Lu is one of the bulkiest mons in the game and Dark's best hazard setter. Scarf Chi-Yu is such easy speed control to slap on any dark team and still has an output near Life Orb level thanks to its ability. Meowscarada is Dark's fastest pokemon and Protean allows it to get positive matchups against Fighting and Dragon, thanks to Play Rough and also kinda dumps on Mono Water. Kingambit is Kingambit. Supreme Overlord late game spam Sucker Punch, everything kinda dies. You're probably wondering what Spiritomb is doing here. Spiritomb's immunity to Fighting is shared uniquely with it and Sableye, and the former is bulkier and Grimmsnarl takes the Prankster slot. To be real, I've found Spiritomb to be slightly too passive for my liking but its dual priority in Sneak and Sucker is good and I wasn't running Foul Play so perhaps that was the play. Either way, Spiritomb improves the Fighting matchup significantly but it's easily worn down and Breloom would still just Spore + SD Bullet Seed it. Finally, Grimmsnarl without screens is freed up two moveslots to run Taunt and Thunder Wave more efficiently and is able to fit Fairy STAB, whether that's Spirit Break or Play Rough to also assist in the mirror matchup against Dark. Out of the 3 drafts I created, this was probably the most successful one but still fell to the fundamental weaknesses of the type that I will explain after the other 2 drafts.
Screenless Dark 2 is frankly incomplete at this current time, I only was able to play with number 1 and number 2 but you can see it's pretty much the same party over here just with a Hydreigon. I believe Hydreigon to be quite unexplored in the new gen so far and warrants more usage on Dragon teams for sure but as a secondary special attacker, it frees up the pressure Chi-Yu has and I require more testing. I really noticed as I was playing with Screenless Dark 1 that Dark is really reliant on Chi-Yu to break on the special side and everything else is just physical. Now of course, there are less special walls than physical ones so is this really that much of a problem? Yes. If Chi Yu faints (it's not the bulkiest mon and falls to the fundamental flaw of the type, lack of removal) so once that's dead, not being able to set up efficiently to break past physical walls like Dondozo or Skeledirge and others like Pex really becomes a problem. "Wait a sec, can't grass cat beat the former two?" Well Dondozo folds but Skeledirge will just beat non banded Meowscarada, burn it then recover and Banded locked into Flower Tricks takes advantage. Pex also has enough bulk to take anything from Meowscarada and sets up Toxic Spikes, which wraps up the game essentially. What I've learned is that against any typing that remotely has bulky style teams that are not explicitly HO, Dark does struggle a lot. Again, will be explained soon.
The final draft at this time, and probably the most niche. There's a Bombirdier for crying out loud! Well it shares Mandibuzz's typing and has decent bulk 70/85/85 with Knock Off, Roost, Foul Play, U-turn and even Rocks. It basically is just Mandibuzz 0.5. The issue with the second edition is that Ting-Lu couldn't run Spikes since you need EQ and Whirlwind then Body Press and I opted for rocks so Bombirdier freed up Spikes for Ting-Lu and everything else is somewhat the same with Chi-Yu and Grimmsnarl other than Roaring Moon, which I decided "oh banded roaring moon is actually kinda scary." This third version is definitely the worst of the 3, Bombirdier is too niche and doesn't really have the bulk required to try and be a Dark mon not weak to Fighting, I would rather have Sableye and Spiritomb for the immunity and slightly less utility.
II.) Dark's Fundamental Flaws
Stating Dark's negatives as "fundamental flaws" is mostly for the alliteration more than the fact that "fundamental flaws" make it sound like Dark is wholly unviable in the meta. Regardless of its problems that I've encountered, every type has its issues/flaws, even the debatable second or first best type in the meta. If you haven't noticed with Dark yet (I did allude to it earlier), Dark is lacking in the hazard removal side. That is its greatest flaw. It's not that important when you're going Screens HO, you're not really there to set hazards, you're there to set screens, Parting Shot into the DD Roaring Moon or Swords Dance Chien-Pao and just win the game by breaking everything in your way. When you're not going that, you're no longer playing the fast game. The fast game inferring to the speed of which you're playing out the game to reach to the victory. When has a Screen HO game with Dark gone beyond 50 turns? Never, it just doesn't happen. Either you kill everything fast in an advantageous matchup or you face something bulkier and attempt to set up and break to either no avail and die to hazards or win. Regardless, screenless dark is abandoning the fast game and intending to play a more drawn out game, relying on defensive cores and hazard stacking to let its breakers kill things later on. The emphasis on later here. Dark is not the defensive bastion like Steel is, Dark only resists or is immune to 3 typings, which is leaving 15 other types to hit neutrally or super-effectively. You simply aren't given this luxury against many other types since offence is just the main way most types have in generation 9. You'd spend a lot of turns setting up with Ting-Lu just for something to spin it away later, especially if you don't go Spiritomb or Sableye and at that time, the opposing type has set up their hazards, chipping the recoveryless Ting-Lu and fainting it, leaving Dark without any hazards to apply pressure while on your side, you're stuck with Rocks and 3 Spikes up, killing the longevity of your remaining defensive core. It just is not consistent in the long-term. It's just easier to go full HO with screens and accept the hazards with the offensive mons and just try to win asap.
This is what I have come to the conclusion of in terms of analysing Dark since Day 1 of the meta. I've established Screenless Dark can be run, you have some better matchups against certain comps on specific types like on Bug here but if you want to use consistently the best teams Dark has to offer, just screens HO very simple.
III.) Tier List
I'll explain my thoughts on the B and below pokemon. 1, because explaining S and A ranks is a waste of everyone's time and 2, people are probably wondering about them. I'll start from the top.
: I still believe this pokemon is good, not as defining for the type as S and A but still, good speed tier, strong STABs, Hydreigon is still a menace, just taken a back seat but definitely dark's second best special attacker option.
: Aka Hydreigon 0.5, this mon is worse in every department other than speed. Its neutrality to fighting doesn't even matter that much since it's rock weak, if you're not boots, you're as vulnerable to Mach Punch as Hydreigon so who cares if you're a Flying type. Moltres G will also come back in HOME and invalidate this mon so enjoy it while you can. It's not the worst thing in the world but offensively, its STABs are even more dangerous than Hydreigon and no Nasty Plot and the decline from the Booster Energy ban really shows.
: Ttar is interesting. It riddled with tons of weaknesses but I can't put in C, maybe I can too late to edit the picture lol. Has rocks and Banded hits ridiculously hard but at that rate, go Banded Chien-Pao is smth. Still Ttar though so I have to respect it somewhat.
: These 3 I'll talk about together since they share similar roles, using their secondary typings to avoid Dark team weaknesses. Spiritomb and Sableye for Fighting and Skuntank for Fairy. If for some odd reason, I'm not going Grimm screens and I want to run Sableye, yes, use it over Tomb but in most other cases, Tomb's superior bulk and offensive pressure with its priority STABs make it the better mon for me. Skuntank would be higher in the tier if it retained Defog or might even be between A and B but that is not the case. Threatening Fairy is good of a niche to not put it in C.
: Worse Chien-Pao, pretty obvious placement here. Reason why it's not unranked is because unranked is reserved for completely nicheless mons. Weavile is still a Weavile, you could theoretically replace Chien-Pao on Dark HO for Weavile and it could still perform, we all know it's objectively the worse mon.
: I've already somewhat gone into this mon a bit earlier but yeah, worse Mandibuzz, probably worse Honchkrow too if you go offensive. Doesn't offer much to the team otherwise.
: Zoroark fucking with someone on ladder gives it a niche enough and though it's hard to place on a team, still surprisingly isn't nicheless so C it is.
: Umbreon is probably closer to unranked than the rest of these. As a defensive dark, it's outclassed by Ting-Lu and Umbreon is literally saved by Wish, that's what its niche is.
: I think the gen 5 in me wants Krookodile to be good but it seems like the only set worth using rn is Scarf since snowball potential in Moxie is a very legitimate wincon but losing its best Dark STAB options really sucks for it.
: Another Dark Flyer which power creep has not been kind to. Honchkrow's speed tier does not cut it for how frail it is and Scarf can't even outrun Flutter Mane. Shame really. If you don't go Scarf, don't use the mon inb4 I get people saying Sucker Punch.
: Goddamn this mon is sooooo ass. What does this thing even offer Dark that it already doesn't have? Ting-Lu is literally bulkier than it and has hazards and Wo-Chien doesn't have offensive stats or movepool to back it up. I'm this close to putting it in unranked but it has legendary pokemon stats and utility in Knock Off.
: Ungaboongus has Spore. That's the most noteworthy thing about it. Worse Amoonguss, which obviously Dark doesn't get but still, not a mon I think anyone on a serious dark team is using.
: Worse Chi-Yu = No niche.
: I'm only including Bisharp here because it was lowkey a fully evolved mon for most of its career. However, Kingambit exists now and bulky Bisharp with Eviolite is not something Dark needs nor wants to use.
: Message me if you find a way to make Mightyena's stronger cousin work because really this mon offers absolutely nothing.
Thanks for reading.
I.) Screenless Dark
Dark has been defined by the screens hyper-offence since day 1 of the meta. This is thanks to Prankster Grimmsnarl having priority screens. In addition to the multitude of new threats Dark received this generation with Roaring Moon, Chien-Pao, Kingambit, Meowscarada and Lokix. There are obviously returning Dark mons like Hydreigon and another new mon in
This is the first draft of Screenless Dark that I built last night and played quite a few games with. The teambuilding process began with Ting-Lu hazard stack + adding the broken breakers Scarf Chi-Yu and Banded Meowscarada. Ting-Lu is one of the bulkiest mons in the game and Dark's best hazard setter. Scarf Chi-Yu is such easy speed control to slap on any dark team and still has an output near Life Orb level thanks to its ability. Meowscarada is Dark's fastest pokemon and Protean allows it to get positive matchups against Fighting and Dragon, thanks to Play Rough and also kinda dumps on Mono Water. Kingambit is Kingambit. Supreme Overlord late game spam Sucker Punch, everything kinda dies. You're probably wondering what Spiritomb is doing here. Spiritomb's immunity to Fighting is shared uniquely with it and Sableye, and the former is bulkier and Grimmsnarl takes the Prankster slot. To be real, I've found Spiritomb to be slightly too passive for my liking but its dual priority in Sneak and Sucker is good and I wasn't running Foul Play so perhaps that was the play. Either way, Spiritomb improves the Fighting matchup significantly but it's easily worn down and Breloom would still just Spore + SD Bullet Seed it. Finally, Grimmsnarl without screens is freed up two moveslots to run Taunt and Thunder Wave more efficiently and is able to fit Fairy STAB, whether that's Spirit Break or Play Rough to also assist in the mirror matchup against Dark. Out of the 3 drafts I created, this was probably the most successful one but still fell to the fundamental weaknesses of the type that I will explain after the other 2 drafts.
Screenless Dark 2 is frankly incomplete at this current time, I only was able to play with number 1 and number 2 but you can see it's pretty much the same party over here just with a Hydreigon. I believe Hydreigon to be quite unexplored in the new gen so far and warrants more usage on Dragon teams for sure but as a secondary special attacker, it frees up the pressure Chi-Yu has and I require more testing. I really noticed as I was playing with Screenless Dark 1 that Dark is really reliant on Chi-Yu to break on the special side and everything else is just physical. Now of course, there are less special walls than physical ones so is this really that much of a problem? Yes. If Chi Yu faints (it's not the bulkiest mon and falls to the fundamental flaw of the type, lack of removal) so once that's dead, not being able to set up efficiently to break past physical walls like Dondozo or Skeledirge and others like Pex really becomes a problem. "Wait a sec, can't grass cat beat the former two?" Well Dondozo folds but Skeledirge will just beat non banded Meowscarada, burn it then recover and Banded locked into Flower Tricks takes advantage. Pex also has enough bulk to take anything from Meowscarada and sets up Toxic Spikes, which wraps up the game essentially. What I've learned is that against any typing that remotely has bulky style teams that are not explicitly HO, Dark does struggle a lot. Again, will be explained soon.
The final draft at this time, and probably the most niche. There's a Bombirdier for crying out loud! Well it shares Mandibuzz's typing and has decent bulk 70/85/85 with Knock Off, Roost, Foul Play, U-turn and even Rocks. It basically is just Mandibuzz 0.5. The issue with the second edition is that Ting-Lu couldn't run Spikes since you need EQ and Whirlwind then Body Press and I opted for rocks so Bombirdier freed up Spikes for Ting-Lu and everything else is somewhat the same with Chi-Yu and Grimmsnarl other than Roaring Moon, which I decided "oh banded roaring moon is actually kinda scary." This third version is definitely the worst of the 3, Bombirdier is too niche and doesn't really have the bulk required to try and be a Dark mon not weak to Fighting, I would rather have Sableye and Spiritomb for the immunity and slightly less utility.
II.) Dark's Fundamental Flaws
Stating Dark's negatives as "fundamental flaws" is mostly for the alliteration more than the fact that "fundamental flaws" make it sound like Dark is wholly unviable in the meta. Regardless of its problems that I've encountered, every type has its issues/flaws, even the debatable second or first best type in the meta. If you haven't noticed with Dark yet (I did allude to it earlier), Dark is lacking in the hazard removal side. That is its greatest flaw. It's not that important when you're going Screens HO, you're not really there to set hazards, you're there to set screens, Parting Shot into the DD Roaring Moon or Swords Dance Chien-Pao and just win the game by breaking everything in your way. When you're not going that, you're no longer playing the fast game. The fast game inferring to the speed of which you're playing out the game to reach to the victory. When has a Screen HO game with Dark gone beyond 50 turns? Never, it just doesn't happen. Either you kill everything fast in an advantageous matchup or you face something bulkier and attempt to set up and break to either no avail and die to hazards or win. Regardless, screenless dark is abandoning the fast game and intending to play a more drawn out game, relying on defensive cores and hazard stacking to let its breakers kill things later on. The emphasis on later here. Dark is not the defensive bastion like Steel is, Dark only resists or is immune to 3 typings, which is leaving 15 other types to hit neutrally or super-effectively. You simply aren't given this luxury against many other types since offence is just the main way most types have in generation 9. You'd spend a lot of turns setting up with Ting-Lu just for something to spin it away later, especially if you don't go Spiritomb or Sableye and at that time, the opposing type has set up their hazards, chipping the recoveryless Ting-Lu and fainting it, leaving Dark without any hazards to apply pressure while on your side, you're stuck with Rocks and 3 Spikes up, killing the longevity of your remaining defensive core. It just is not consistent in the long-term. It's just easier to go full HO with screens and accept the hazards with the offensive mons and just try to win asap.
This is what I have come to the conclusion of in terms of analysing Dark since Day 1 of the meta. I've established Screenless Dark can be run, you have some better matchups against certain comps on specific types like on Bug here but if you want to use consistently the best teams Dark has to offer, just screens HO very simple.
III.) Tier List
I'll explain my thoughts on the B and below pokemon. 1, because explaining S and A ranks is a waste of everyone's time and 2, people are probably wondering about them. I'll start from the top.
: I still believe this pokemon is good, not as defining for the type as S and A but still, good speed tier, strong STABs, Hydreigon is still a menace, just taken a back seat but definitely dark's second best special attacker option.: Aka Hydreigon 0.5, this mon is worse in every department other than speed. Its neutrality to fighting doesn't even matter that much since it's rock weak, if you're not boots, you're as vulnerable to Mach Punch as Hydreigon so who cares if you're a Flying type. Moltres G will also come back in HOME and invalidate this mon so enjoy it while you can. It's not the worst thing in the world but offensively, its STABs are even more dangerous than Hydreigon and no Nasty Plot and the decline from the Booster Energy ban really shows.: Ttar is interesting. It riddled with tons of weaknesses but I can't put in C, maybe I can too late to edit the picture lol. Has rocks and Banded hits ridiculously hard but at that rate, go Banded Chien-Pao is smth. Still Ttar though so I have to respect it somewhat. : These 3 I'll talk about together since they share similar roles, using their secondary typings to avoid Dark team weaknesses. Spiritomb and Sableye for Fighting and Skuntank for Fairy. If for some odd reason, I'm not going Grimm screens and I want to run Sableye, yes, use it over Tomb but in most other cases, Tomb's superior bulk and offensive pressure with its priority STABs make it the better mon for me. Skuntank would be higher in the tier if it retained Defog or might even be between A and B but that is not the case. Threatening Fairy is good of a niche to not put it in C.: Worse Chien-Pao, pretty obvious placement here. Reason why it's not unranked is because unranked is reserved for completely nicheless mons. Weavile is still a Weavile, you could theoretically replace Chien-Pao on Dark HO for Weavile and it could still perform, we all know it's objectively the worse mon.: I've already somewhat gone into this mon a bit earlier but yeah, worse Mandibuzz, probably worse Honchkrow too if you go offensive. Doesn't offer much to the team otherwise.: Zoroark fucking with someone on ladder gives it a niche enough and though it's hard to place on a team, still surprisingly isn't nicheless so C it is.: Umbreon is probably closer to unranked than the rest of these. As a defensive dark, it's outclassed by Ting-Lu and Umbreon is literally saved by Wish, that's what its niche is.: I think the gen 5 in me wants Krookodile to be good but it seems like the only set worth using rn is Scarf since snowball potential in Moxie is a very legitimate wincon but losing its best Dark STAB options really sucks for it.: Another Dark Flyer which power creep has not been kind to. Honchkrow's speed tier does not cut it for how frail it is and Scarf can't even outrun Flutter Mane. Shame really. If you don't go Scarf, don't use the mon inb4 I get people saying Sucker Punch.: Goddamn this mon is sooooo ass. What does this thing even offer Dark that it already doesn't have? Ting-Lu is literally bulkier than it and has hazards and Wo-Chien doesn't have offensive stats or movepool to back it up. I'm this close to putting it in unranked but it has legendary pokemon stats and utility in Knock Off.: Ungaboongus has Spore. That's the most noteworthy thing about it. Worse Amoonguss, which obviously Dark doesn't get but still, not a mon I think anyone on a serious dark team is using.: Worse Chi-Yu = No niche.: I'm only including Bisharp here because it was lowkey a fully evolved mon for most of its career. However, Kingambit exists now and bulky Bisharp with Eviolite is not something Dark needs nor wants to use.: Message me if you find a way to make Mightyena's stronger cousin work because really this mon offers absolutely nothing.Thanks for reading.
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Can someone help me understand why houndstone is banned but not annihilape? Rage fist is much worse than last respects in both theory and practice.
annihilape @ leftovers
Bulk up
Taunt
Rage fist
Drain punch/ rest
This set is deadly and just auto-wins vs some unprepared team and team types and completely invalidates fat/passive teams. 110/80/90 defenses are no joke for such an offensive powerhouse.
annihilape @ leftovers
Bulk up
Taunt
Rage fist
Drain punch/ rest
This set is deadly and just auto-wins vs some unprepared team and team types and completely invalidates fat/passive teams. 110/80/90 defenses are no joke for such an offensive powerhouse.
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Also surprised on how their seems to be a lack of discussion(edit: relative to how insane this mon is) on Annihilape, its solid typing combined with great all around stats for what it needs to do, (the bulk to survive hits and get off setups/make use of rage fist multiplier, speed to get off taunts, general attacking power for dp recovery/fist damage) allow it to be just as menacing as anything else that has been qb'd in my opinion.
Along with its excellent bulk it has good capacity for recovery with a strong STAB Drain Punch combined with lefties allowing it to take and oftentimes recover off the hits that it needed to take to take rage fist to a ridiculously high base power. Bulk Up aids in this endeavor by making it eat physicals better and taunt completely invalidates things like clodshire/toxapex/corv that would be able to check it but get forced into doing nothing more than providing it more base power.
Rage fist is an excellent move for obvious reasons but what really brings it over the top is the boost remaining despite switching out. Being able to potentially farm base power early game with good predicts while taking minimal damage is scary as hell.
It is an offensive meta and offensive pressure seems to be the most viable way to take it down(kill it before rage fist go brrrr) but many of the popular attackers such as chi-yu, iron bundle, iron treads, qualaval, ect ect fail to take it down while either in return oftentimes dying to a drain punch, or providing it with the recovery to survive a second hit and continue on(all while rage fist power boosts continue).
Along with its excellent bulk it has good capacity for recovery with a strong STAB Drain Punch combined with lefties allowing it to take and oftentimes recover off the hits that it needed to take to take rage fist to a ridiculously high base power. Bulk Up aids in this endeavor by making it eat physicals better and taunt completely invalidates things like clodshire/toxapex/corv that would be able to check it but get forced into doing nothing more than providing it more base power.
Rage fist is an excellent move for obvious reasons but what really brings it over the top is the boost remaining despite switching out. Being able to potentially farm base power early game with good predicts while taking minimal damage is scary as hell.
It is an offensive meta and offensive pressure seems to be the most viable way to take it down(kill it before rage fist go brrrr) but many of the popular attackers such as chi-yu, iron bundle, iron treads, qualaval, ect ect fail to take it down while either in return oftentimes dying to a drain punch, or providing it with the recovery to survive a second hit and continue on(all while rage fist power boosts continue).
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AS a ground player I will say that you should not run scarf great tusk. I have rarely seen a non scarf Iron Bundle, since it always destroys my scarf sandy shocks. I have a better time letting KO what ever is out, call in Assault Vest Iron tread, eat an ice beam and ko with iron head. if its not scarfed it K.O's something then I can kill it with scarf sandy shocks. It still invalidates ground like no other Pokémon before it. It turns the hardest matchups for ground into something completely unwinnable.With the banning of Booster Energy, Terastallization, Palafin, and Houdstone, the metagame has become a bit more stable. That being said, I do feel as though there are overbearing Pokémon within the current metagame that need to be discussed. Cannot thank Neko enough, you really did so much for this analysis.
Santa Claus needs to be put on the naughty list, as he is the worst offender. With base 124 special attack, and 136 speed, it doesn't take a genius to see that the mon is extremely fast and strong. It's speed tier is insane, being able to outspeed Flutter Mane and tie with non-rain boosted Barraskewda. It can run a variety of sets which include the common Choice Specs, Heavy Duty Boots, and Choice Scarf. Hydro Pump, even though not always reliable, hits extremely hard and is the main move you will be clicking for power. Ice Beam is a hard hitting ice-type STAB, and Freeze-Dry is used to hit water types. Flip Turn or U-Turn can be used as a final move to pivot out of what it cannot immediately KO. While its movepool is underwhelming at first glance, Hydro Pump/Freeze Dry/Ice Beam still provides basically unresisted coverage, and being able to pivot is very useful. Bundle is able to live most priority moves, and the only special priority in the meta being vacuum wave, is seldom used. The only way to truly defeat Iron Bundle is to outspeed it with a scarfer, and KO it that way, but even then options are few.
Saint Nick is no glass cannon. While its Special Defense stat is low, it is still respectable enough to live common scarfers that are able to outspeed it, and its Physical Defense is a more than respectable base 114.
In terms of matchups, its able to nearly invalidate the Ground matchup on both Ice and Water. What's truly concerning is how the mon is able to dominate neutrally-effective or even resisted type matchups such as Grass, Steel, and Dragon.
I've gone back and forth on whether I think Flutter Mane is broken or not, and although this post is mainly about Bundle, I'd like to touch upon why I've concluded about why I think Mane is unhealthy. Flutter Mane and Iron Bundle have some elements in common. Both mons have extremely high speed and SpA (Flutter Mane has 135 base SpA and Speed), and are found on some of the premier types in the metagame. Mane, just like Iron Bundle, can run a variety of sets which lead to its unpredictability (Sub/CM, Specs, Scarf). Both also gain access to screens in some capacity, Iron Bundle on Ice and Flutter Mane on both Ghost and Fairy, further increasing their bulk, and allowing them to sweep, clean, or break more effectively.
The common sets right now include Choice Specs, Choice Scarf, and Sub-CM. If Santa was quite predictable in a sense that it will usually be outsped by Scarf, Choice Scarf Flutter Mane is a legitimate option for both of its types due to its insane cleaning potential. On the other hand, Choice Specs Flutter Mane was the delete button its team mate in Hatterene sorely needed, allowing it to pave the way for a sweep late-game.
Additionally, Flutter Mane can use mind games with its substitute set to potentially beat common mons who use Sucker Punch, and potentially can win on the spot. It can even run Heavy-Duty Boots, so that it can come in and out to revenge-kill a slower threat, then come back later to CM up and win on the spot.
Relevant Calcs:
Santa is so fat he needs to be enrolled in gym class:
252+ Atk Technician Breloom Mach Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 194-230 (76.6 - 90.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Lokix First Impression vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 160-188 (63.2 - 74.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ Atk Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 131-155 (51.7 - 61.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Iron Treads Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 176-208 (69.5 - 82.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [Makes it mandatory that Ground teams have Scarfed Great Tusk to kill it]
252 SpA Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Iron Bundle: 202-238 (79.8 - 94%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [Needs Focus Miss, which is sad because Water has switchins to that]
252+ Def Corviknight Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 148-176 (58.4 - 69.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Ceruledge Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 228-270 (90.1 - 106.7%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
Santa hates poor kids:
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Clodsire: 240-284 (51.7 - 61.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [unswitchable in Ground]
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Iron Hands: 160-189 (31.2 - 36.9%) -- 73.6% chance to 3HKO [You can come in from a sack, but remember that Water has 5 other members + Dondozo to deal with, aside from Gastrodon laying spikes]
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Corviknight: 171-202 (42.8 - 50.6%) -- 46.9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery [Even the tamest corviknight is in danger]
Fluttershy:
252 Atk Life Orb Toxicroak Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 139-165 (55.3 - 65.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Chien-Pao Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 126-148 (50.1 - 58.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO [Adjusted to Sword of Ruins]
252+ Atk Life Orb Lokix Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 224-265 (89.2 - 105.5%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Flutter Mane: 202-238 (80.4 - 94.8%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Common Scarfers in the meta these days include Chi-Yu, Meowscarada, Iron Valiant, Chien Pao, and Dragapult. Aside from Meowscarada, neither of these OHKO both of the said threats:
252 Atk Chien-Pao Sacred Sword vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 206-244 (81.4 - 96.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Flutter Mane: 168-200 (66.9 - 79.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (kills bundle w/Thunderbolt)
252 SpA Iron Valiant Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Flutter Mane: 128-152 (50.9 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Iron Valiant Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 115-136 (45.8 - 54.1%) -- 50.8% chance to 2HKO
So, how does one deal with
Dark: Scarf Meowscarada OHKOes it, one of the instances that Scarf Chien is worse. Take note that Meow has to predict if Toxapex is switching in as locking into Flower trick lets it setup Toxic Spikes on Dark teams.
Ghost: Outspeeding it with Scarf Flutter Mane and OHKOing it with Energy Ball/Thunderbolt. Mimikyu can help get a hit on it, but Drain Punch only deals ~60%. Specs Hydro Pump will 2HKO Dragapult.
Fairy: Scarf Flutter Mane / Iron Valiant deals with it, though nothing still switches into those. Note that these mons can be walled by its team mates and in turn provide momentum for Santa to do it all over again.
Fighting: Choice Scarf Iron Valiant can revenge kill it, but it may be walled by Slowking and Toxapex. Assault Vest Iron Hands can 1v1 it, but its unlikely that Santa is staying in.
Fire: Scovillain and Scarf Chi-Yu both outspeed and OHKO it.
Water: Assault Vest Slowking isn't 2HKO'ed (252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Bundle Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking: 152-180 (38.5 - 45.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO) and its able to OHKO it with Focus Blast. However, Bundle can take advantage of this forced sequence by using Flip turn...to Gastrodon and set more entry hazards
Poison: Scarf Glimmora revenge-kills it, but nothing switches in on it. Worth noting that Slowking can take on Glimmora and use Chilly Reception to restart the sequence over and over.
Steel: Last Mon Standing Kingambit OHKOes with sucker punch after a Swords Dance boost, or pick it off if it has incurred stealth rock damage without boosts
Ground: Scarf Great Tusk is the only one that outspeeds and OHKOs it.
While the SV metagame has become a lot less volatile since the first wave of bans, Flutter Mane and Iron Bundle are mons that I believe are problematic in Monotype.
Can we like link games and replays because the games I'm playing and watching (some of it is a playing issue). I haven't even seen a Chi-Yu on a single screens Dark-team yet and on fire, Chi-Yu should not be struggling with Sun+Beads of Ruin. I don't really expect Iron Treads to be doing much.. Steel has Klefki / Corvinknight / Aegislash 2.0 for Spd Annihilape and you can run scarf for the +Spe Annihilapes. Ground probably autoloses, best bet is Specs Sandy Shocks in reality (vs Ghost). Taunt sets are good but it feels like people don't even bother prepping for this. Not sure why we are running rainless when Barraskewda with: Liquidation+CC+Crunch helps beat Dark/Ghost which is at the top of the metagame or Pelipper at worst lol.
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