Metagame SV OU Metagame Discussion

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Been laddering with this for a while now and honestly, I think it has enough merit to be talked about:

:sv/oricorio-sensu:
Oricorio-Sensu @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Level: 100
Bold Nature
Ability: Dancer
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Revelation Dance
- Roost
- Quiver Dance
- Taunt

The goal of this set is first and foremost to deny spin to the donphans, which it does well; only offensive ice spinner great tusk 2hkos from full. Surprisingly, it also works as a Volcarona check due to its ability, especially for all the qd/fiery dance/giga drain ones running around, since when they qd or fiery dance you get to use it as well. It's also a decent cheap stallbreaker, setting up on Ting-Lu, Corv, fire blast/eq Chomp, and various other things without super effective coverage and/or taunt bait. Unfortunately you get walled by normals, though without the bicycle there are fewer to go around, and darks if you don't tera, and if you do tera you end up blanked by ghosts. Far from a good mon but it's fun to use and does its job pretty well.

Here's the (sorta wack) team I've been using the past few days: https://pokepast.es/a61bff27e6b952a0
Goal is to hazard stack with :garchomp: and :glimmora:, deny spin with :oricorio-sensu: and :gholdengo:, and force progress through switches and knocks when you can get :great-tusk: in. Tilted from 1800 to 1600 when I started using this team, but clawed back to consistent high-1700/low-1800 range after I got a sense for how it plays. Also want to give scarf :glimmora: a shoutout, no one seems to expect it alongside a second scarfer and it can really come in handy against the meta right now.
 
I keep forgetting Slither Wing is fighting type, Tera Fire Slither Wing is heat.

Honestly Dondozo feels really good right now, as does Kingambit. They never feel like dead weight and both have opportunities to run over teams.

With Tauros-Fire's use against Chi-Yu gone, is there much use for it anymore?
 
:chien pao:

had a pre quick ban team with chi yu

Literally deleted chi yu from the exact team

pasted a chien pao in its place

choice specs > choice band

first game back and it immediately demonstrates there’s little difference

chien pao is less strong, but faster:

(1900s game)

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1766791963-fg9830captgkv8x43mcwcab28ievj0upw

Chi yu was suffocating, and resisted chien pao STABs, so chien pao had less space with it on >25% of teams. Now it has more space

cyclizar enabled high momentum power teams, which meant you’re likely to end up always on the back foot. Less of that means chien pao has more space to come in

annihilape was matchup neutral, tho it going definitely benefits chien pao, as it gets more opportunities to do heavy impact on the teams that struggled against annihilape.
 
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Ceruledge is pretty mid and should honestly be UU. It's nowhere near Volcarona and Iron Moth as fire type wallbreaker/sweeper. And Skeledirge is almost as good offensively thanks to Torch Song, and Skeledirge is a great Tera abuser.

If you want a physical fire type wallbreaker. use Cinderace.
ceruledge has way more damage output than cinderace (who I love) Like sure it’s super screens dependent, but screens is probably the best archetype in the game right now. 3 immunities priority Stab etc etc it’s got tools
 

YNM

formerly yNot Mence
is a Tiering Contributor
any advice on dealing with cm hatterene? i have a hard time keeping it in check because it can't be toxiced, making it feel like the only way to deal with it is to trick scarf or to hit it REALLY hard. i might be missing something though.
Don't you have any strong physical attackers, Unaware mons, mons with STAB moves that hit it for supereffective damage like Iron Moth or Gholdengo? It's hard to help without seeing the team.
 
I keep forgetting Slither Wing is fighting type, Tera Fire Slither Wing is heat.

Honestly Dondozo feels really good right now, as does Kingambit. They never feel like dead weight and both have opportunities to run over teams.

With Tauros-Fire's use against Chi-Yu gone, is there much use for it anymore?
Tauros-Fire was a pretty terrible answer to Chi-Yu:

252 SpA Choice Specs Beads of Ruin Chi-Yu Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tauros-Paldea-Fire: 202-238 (57 - 67.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Not to mention that Chi-Yu gets Psychic...

Tauros-Fire's usage was and will continue to be its ability to switch into and beat Chien-Pao, Kingambit, Scizor, Meowscarada, Breloom (should someone else be asleep) and spread burns on the enemy team. It also hits reasonably hard, and even Pokemon that have coverage to hit it super effectively like Roaring Moon, Dnite, Quaquaval, Great Tusk, etc. can still be switched into once or twice and either forced out or burned.

Aside from all that Fire/Fighting is pretty good coverage and lets it threaten serious damage to Garg, Corv, Amoonguss, Gholdengo, Ting-Lu and others should any of them try to sit in front of it/switch in on it. Chi-Yu's ban will have very little to no effect on Tauros's viability.
 
:chien pao:

had a pre quick ban team with chi yu

Literally deleted chi yu from the exact team

pasted a chien pao in its place

choice specs > choice band

first game back and it immediately demonstrates there’s little difference

chien pao is less strong, but faster:

(1900s game)

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1766791963-fg9830captgkv8x43mcwcab28ievj0upw

Chi yu was suffocating, and resisted chien pao STABs, so chien pao had less space with it on >25% of teams. Now it has more space

cyclizar enabled high momentum power teams, which meant you’re likely to end up always on the back foot. Less of that means chien pao has more space to come in

annihilape was matchup neutral, tho it going definitely benefits chien pao, as it gets more opportunities to do heavy impact on the teams that struggled against annihilape.
Chi Yu has been tanking all the attention for Chien Pao because it hits a bit harder and most walls are physically invested. I played around with Hydreigon and Dragapult as a Chi-Yu replacement but 125 SPA is a joke, Band Chien Pao gets things done. Chien Pao has all the insane calcs Chi-yu has, the main difference being that if someone lives a Chien Pao hit it can likely OHKO back, where as Chi-yu typing and bulk are good enough to avoid being killed by someone breathing on him .
I think it shows how overbearing Chi-Yu was because no one voted ban on Chien Pao, with Ape and Chi-Yu banned I fully expect Chien Pao to come into the limelight, as well as garg becoming the center of attention since its 2 best counters have been nuked.
Chien Pao is just as absurd as Chi-yu, it just has been outclassed hard, eventually people will realize its a bit less optimal.
As for garg, if people thought it was suspect worthy with Ape and Chi-yu running around... I think we're in for a few fun weeks of gargpex spam.
 
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Tauros-Fire was a pretty terrible answer to Chi-Yu:

252 SpA Choice Specs Beads of Ruin Chi-Yu Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tauros-Paldea-Fire: 202-238 (57 - 67.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Not to mention that Chi-Yu gets Psychic...

Tauros-Fire's usage was and will continue to be its ability to switch into and beat Chien-Pao, Kingambit, Scizor, Meowscarada, Breloom (should someone else be asleep) and spread burns on the enemy team. It also hits reasonably hard, and even Pokemon that have coverage to hit it super effectively like Roaring Moon, Dnite, Quaquaval, Great Tusk, etc. can still be switched into once or twice and either forced out or burned.

Aside from all that Fire/Fighting is pretty good coverage and lets it threaten serious damage to Garg, Corv, Amoonguss, Gholdengo, Ting-Lu and others should any of them try to sit in front of it/switch in on it. Chi-Yu's ban will have very little to no effect on Tauros's viability.
Makes sense thanks. I was running AV Tauros-Fire as a blanket answer to a lot of threats, but I forgot HDB is just flat out better since I haven't run it in a while LMAO.
 
i still dont see the piint in reference to bulky dnite because if it tries to setup you can just spore it and sd into mach
If you Terastallize your Breloom beforehand to say avoid a burn or ice attack, Dragonite would be able to Earthquake you.
Additionally, you also want to win against Bisharp/Kingambit so their Sucker Punches don’t go first and break a Sash or KO you at low health. You want to win priority against Cloyster for similar reasons. You want to outspeed Pelipper to Spore it before it Hurricanes or U-turns on Breloom. You will also be outsped by other Breloom too if you don’t invest in speed.
 
As for garg, if people thought it was suspect worthy with Ape and Chi-yu running around... I think we're in for a few fun weeks of gargpex spam.
trying to be open minded about Garganacl, maybe it is that bad?

I feel like it just punishes overly-cautious play. It’s not necessarily “OP”, and if it’s the Tera user, that’s valuable to take advantage of!

too many players clutch onto the idea that they need to switch around a lot to try and position things for a win. Garg can punish that type of play very easily.

covert cloak toxapex new meta?
 
trying to be open minded about Garganacl, maybe it is that bad?

I feel like it just punishes overly-cautious play. It’s not necessarily “OP”, and if it’s the Tera user, that’s valuable to take advantage of!

too many players clutch onto the idea that they need to switch around a lot to try and position things for a win. Garg can punish that type of play very easily.

covert cloak toxapex new meta?
What can actually switch in and break garg? You speak of people trying to switch in and position, but this thing can just beat 90% of the meta 1v1.
 
What can actually switch in and break garg? You speak of people trying to switch in and position, but this thing can just beat 90% of the meta 1v1.
Isn't Covert Cloak Gholdengo super meta right now? I think Garganacl is difficult to deal with but there are answers. It's just most of the answers to ID BP Garganacl lose to Tera Ghost Curse Block
 
What can actually switch in and break garg? You speak of people trying to switch in and position, but this thing can just beat 90% of the meta 1v1.
to try and be helpful:

offensive team: overall offensive pressure from high power stab or super effective coverage. There’s options from gholdengo/great tusk levels of usage to iron hands levels of usage.

Balance team: hatterene is a fun one, standard bold hatterene is used as a pivot to deny hazards and/or momentum. Otherwise you have options like gholdengo, who can beat it 1v1 even without a covert cloak if you have leftovers and recover, and this is even if it Tera’s into water type

Stall team: stall doesn’t really “break” garg, as it’s more of a PP stall, you can have 1-2 offensive Pokémon with the stall Pokémon’s, and maybe a covert cloak user and/or using regenerator Pokémon in general. For example gholdengo with covert cloak can fit stall.

general tips: treat Garg with similar respect to what you give to an offensive Pokémon. For example

• you’d body press (rather than roost) a chien pao if you’re facing it with 60% corviknight, because roosting or switching out would be painful if it ends up being an SD set. Treat Garg similar, get it to 60% or sub 60% instead of always trying to preserve the Pokémon that’s currently sitting in front of it. You’re trading! So many misplays I see in sub 1700s games are simply people trying to preserve a Pokémon, rather than trading up, and achieving a major objective: I.e. pulling down or weakening something that the rest of your team is weak to. Once Garg is sub 60%, your next switchin forces it out, and congrats, you can now 2hko it with any neutral STAB from your other Pokémon.

• wherever possible, switch out on the predicted recover OR protect turns. Typically it is best to use an attacking move on a predicted salt cure turn.

• don’t try and double switch if the Garg user is successfully hit by an SE move!!!!! This forces it to remain sub 60% regardless of whether your double switch is predicted or not. Standard example: you use an energy ball on the predicted switch with your iron moth. Garg was 80% and now after SR + 35% from energy ball, it’s at about 30%. DONT double switch thinking the Garg will “obviously” go to the toxapex. Even if it does, Garg is now 30%, and you don’t lose the game because Garg uses recover instead… then you plan for the double switch back, if you think the opponent is going to try and bait out your hatterene with a ting Lu so that it can double switch in Garg and click recover from 22% to 72%, plan for that, and send in something else.

TL:DR you have options against Garganacl, it needs lots of turns to do its thing!
 
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to try and be helpful:

TL:DR you have options against Garganacl, it needs lots of turns to do its thing!
I think you’re over simplifying the Garg issue here. Just playing today I saw a rock, a fairy, a water, and a ghost Garg. Depending on what it Tera types too, you just aren’t prepared for it. You need so much instant offense to break it and should you guess wrong it’s gotten an iron defense or a salt cure or it’s recovering the chip you’ve done.
 

Cryogonal

Stats:

Base StatStat Range
HP:
80
270 - 364​
Attack:
50
94 - 218​
Defense:
50
94 - 218​
Sp. Atk:
95
175 - 317​
Sp. Def:
135
247 - 405​
Speed:
105
193 - 339​

Oh boy, yet another massive post about a super-niche Pokemon in OU from Morkal? What a shock (said no one); I'm depressed, and typing stuff like this gives me something productive (outside of school/work) to do on my eternal quest for more dopamine and serotonin. So in today's brain chemical search, I'd like to talk about Crygonal, one of my all-time favorite Pokemon that has done wonders for my team (now it's even better than before thanks to the trifecta ban of Annihilape, Chi-Yu, and Cyclizar) with multiple unique advantages in Gen 9's meta. I was planning on talking about Cryogonal earlier in Gen 9, but I feel like with three of the biggest hindrances to Cryogonal gone, it's now a much better time to talk about it as it's far less situational than it was previously. Cryogonal is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Terrastallizing mechanic because it allows it to escape one of its most significant flaws; its pure defensive Ice typing. I'll be going other some general advantages to Cryogonal along with disadvantages and some particular Tera options that I've been experimenting with as of late, so let's talk about the coolest-looking snowflake around!

Disclaimer: Cryogonal might be the cool as ice, but it is still a situational Pokemon that requires a strong understanding of team building, OU playstyles, and moveset trends for prediction. High risk and high reward; use wisely. If you're not going to utilize Cryogonal's unique role compression, stat spread, and tanking/stalling capabilities, it might not be a good fit for your team.

Summarized Advantages of Tera-Cryogonal
  • Removing pure Ice typing without removing the power of its STAB Ice moves is a godsend for Cryogonal, as it has nicely spread stats that heavily benefit from switching types while still keeping the potency of STAB Ice-type offense. In particular, I've found that making its Tera-type Steel or Ghost-type yields the most consistent results (for reasons I'll explain later in this post), while some more niche options have situational utility on Weather teams.
  • Having 80 / 135 Special Bulk is very useful (especially once Terastallized) alongside access to Recover for longevity and Heavy-Duty Boots for immunity to Stealth Rock (although if your goal is to Terastallize early, you can forgo Heavy-Duty Boots and replace them with Leftovers or another helpful item).
  • Role compression; Cryogonal is the only Pokemon with the unique combinations of the ability Levitate and the move Rapid Spin, along with the unique combination of Levitate and Recover (not to mention the ultra-unique combination of all three together). This, along with Cryogonal's limited but useful movepool and stat spread, allows it to occupy roles that other Pokemon in its position wish it could.
  • 105 Speed means that Cryogonal is the second fastest spinner in OU (only being outsped by Iron Treads [which has 106 speed], which only outspeeds Timid Cryogonal if it's running a Jolly or otherwise Speed-boosting nature). Combined with a usable 95 Special Attack and great offensive options alongside the speed-boosting effect of Rapid Spin, Cryogonal sits in a relatively unique and powerful speed tier.
  • Great synergy with common OU team staples (especially Fire-types) that allow the player to patch up some annoying defensive and offensive holes in their team composition.
We'll go into more specifics as we dive into the analysis, so we'll first talk about the two sets that I've had the most consistent results with; Tera Steel and Tera Ghost -
Cryosteel



Cryogonal @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Flash Cannon​

Cryogonal's best Tera-type is, unequivocally, Steel type. While it maintains the nasty Fighting-type weakness, it gains a multitude of resistances that are vital for its specific role. In addition, thanks to its access to Levitate, Cryogonal does not have the crippling weakness to Ground-type moves that other Steel types have. You're probably thinking, "but wait, Morkal, if I wanted a bulky Steel type with Levitate, wouldn't I just use the other Pokemon that gets it, Bronzong, who is also physically bulky and doesn't require Terastallizing? Why shouldn't I use another bulky Pokemon to Terastallize with Levitate and STAB Ice coverage, like Rotom-Frost?" There are several notable reasons -
  • Cryogonal is significantly bulkier than both Bronzong and Rotom-Frost when it comes to Special Bulk. Bronzong has 67/116 Special Bulk, while Rotom-Wash has 50/107 Special Bulk. Cryogonal has 80/135 Special Bulk. In addition, Bronzong has a nasty weakness to Dark-type attacks such as Knock Off that Cryogonal does not have to worry about.
  • Cryogonal has access to Recover, meaning it can reliably heal itself. Unfortunately, Bronzong and all Rotom forms have no recovery options outside of Rest.
  • Cryogonal is quite a bit faster than any Rotom form and blazes past Bronzong, meaning that, if played right, Cryogonal will be able to OHKO specific threats that neither of them can reliably touch.
  • Cryogonal's base 95 SpA is more useful outside of Hail compared to Rotom-Frost's 105 SpA because Rotom-Frost only has Blizzard for Ice coverage, while Cryogonal has access to Freeze-Dry and Ice Beam (as well as Blizzard). Even if we were within Hail, Cryogonal has access to the coveted Aurora Veil and is the second fastest user of that move (only behind Frosslass).
  • Role Compression (having a spinner and special tank condensed to one slot is very useful). Rapid Spin for utility/hazard removal complements the specific yet deadly offensive coverage against notable OU threats that Bronzong can't even dream of.
So what does this set do, and why is Tera-Steel the best typing to use? Defensively, Tera-Steel crucially gives Cryogonal key resistances to two former weaknesses, Rock and Steel-type attacks. In addition, it gains valuable resistances to Normal, Flying, Bug, Grass, Psychic, Dragon, and Fairy type attacks while maintaining its original resistance to Ice-type attacks. Steel types weaknesses to Fire and Fighting-type attacks were shared with the Ice type beforehand, and the gained weakness to Ground is almost always irrelevant due to Levitate. Alongside this, Cryogonal gains a crucial Toxic immunity that increases its overall defensive longevity alongside making it a hard wall to most common Clodsire variants (including the common variant of Stealth Rock, Earthquake, Toxic, and Recover) and most Ting-Lu variants (including the common Double Hazard + Whirlwind with Earthquake variant). Cryogonal has little difficulty coming in on one of the most common Gen 9 leads, Glimmora. Once Terastallized, Cryogonal has immunity to Glimmora's STAB Poison attacks and resistance to STAB Power Gem, in addition to having an excellent immunity to its common Earth Power coverage move on offensive variants (alongside a nifty resistance to Energy Ball). Rapid Spin allows any Toxic Spikes that get set up to be cleared while boosting Cryogonal's speed instantly. Let's take a look at some damage calculations to give you an idea of Cryogonal's defensive and utility capabilities with its unique toolset and stats.

Special Defense

252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Jugulis Hurricane vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tera Steel Cryogonal: 99-117 (32.8 - 38.8%) -- 99.5% chance to 3HKO
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tera Steel Cryogonal: 96-114 (31.8 - 37.8%) -- 92% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Glimmora Power Gem vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tera Steel Cryogonal: 75-89 (24.9 - 29.5%) -- 100% chance to 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tera Steel Cryogonal: 84-100 (27.9 - 33.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tera Steel Cryogonal: 190-224 (63.1 - 74.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
8 SpA Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tera Steel Cryogonal: 146-174 (48.5 - 57.8%) -- 93.4% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tera Steel Cryogonal: 76-90 (25.2 - 29.9%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tera Steel Cryogonal: 104-122 (34.5 - 40.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Even with a paltry base 50 Defense, Cryogonal can survive more than you think once it Terastallizes with its new Steel typing.

Defense

252+ Atk Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tera Steel Cryogonal: 85-100 (28.2 - 33.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+1 252+ Atk Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tera Steel Cryogonal: 127-150 (42.1 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
76 Atk Dragapult Dragon Darts (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tera Steel Cryogonal: 118-138 (39.2 - 45.8%) -- approx. 3HKO
252+ Atk Grimmsnarl Spirit Break vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tera Steel Cryogonal: 110-130 (36.5 - 43.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Garchomp Dragon Claw vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tera Steel Cryogonal: 114-134 (37.8 - 44.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

I want to specify that, when it comes to offenses, Cryogonal is NOT meant to be an overwhelming powerhouse; it is intended to be a pesky and speedy tank that helps teams wear down critical threats over time while keeping your side of the field (along with itself) relatively healthy. Cryogonal has access to a potent offensive combination of STAB Freeze-Dry and Flash Cannon, the latter of which, once Terastallized, is a great STAB move that heavily dents Pokemon such as Grimmsnarl, Glimmora, Hatterene, Iron Valiant, and Tera-Fairy Espathra for Super Effective damage. Let's look at some damage calculations for Freeze-Dry and Flash Cannon.

Freeze-Dry
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Garchomp: 424-504 (100.9 - 120%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 116 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 222-264 (60 - 71.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rotom-Wash: 174-206 (57.2 - 67.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Dondozo: 260-308 (51.5 - 61.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 84 SpD Amoonguss: 204-240 (47.2 - 55.5%) -- 73.8% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 64 SpD Toxapex: 132-156 (43.4 - 51.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery (Toxapex losing Scald means that it cannot hit Cryogonal with status, meaning it will be forced to switch).
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Multiscale Dragonite: 186-218 (57.5 - 67.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Clodsire: 134-158 (28.9 - 34.1%) -- 1.2% chance to 3HKO (Cryogonal can outstall due to Rapid Spin's high PP and Clodsire's low Recover PP since most Clodsire variants cannot damage Cryogonal once Terastallized at all).
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Dragapult: 234-276 (73.8 - 87%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 52 HP / 0 SpD Quaquaval: 236-278 (72.8 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Vessel of Ruin Ting-Lu: 116-138 (22.5 - 26.8%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery (Cryogonal forces most Ting-Lu variants to switch or force it out with Whirlwind, allowing for a free Rapid Spin or you can predict and pull off a double switch, giving you additional momentum).
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Great Tusk: 306-360 (70.5 - 82.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Breloom: 278-330 (106.5 - 126.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO (only for predicted switch-ins, do not risk staying in on Mach Punch if you can help it).

Flash Cannon
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Flash Cannon vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Glimmora: 254-300 (82.7 - 97.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Flash Cannon vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Iron Valiant: 320-378 (110.7 - 130.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Hatterene: 206-246 (64.7 - 77.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Grimmsnarl: 186-218 (47.2 - 55.3%) -- 69.5% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Garganacl: 164-194 (40.5 - 48%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery (Garganacl, once chipped, cannot switch into Flash Cannon. Even if Garganacl switches in at full health, Flash Cannon's chance to lower Special Defense could mean that you have to once again switch it out).
252 SpA Tera Steel Cryogonal Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tera Fairy Espathra: 320-378 (81.2 - 95.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Cryoghost



Cryogonal @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Tera Blast
Tera-Ghost Cryogonal would arguably be the best form of Cryogonal if Knock Off wasn't a thing; sadly, it is, but that doesn't mean Cryoghost doesn't have unique advantages. For one [+ two], it now has three immunities (Normal, Fighting, Ground), giving it a unique simultaneous offensive and defensive profile for a Ghost-type Pokemon (being fast, relatively strong, AND naturally specially bulky; something Gholdengo and Skeledirge cannot lay claim to without serious investment). In addition, the combination of Ice and Ghost STAB offense is equally as potent, thanks to STAB Tera Blast. Let's take a look at some damage calculations for Tera Blast and see just what it can do -

Tera Blast (Ghost)

252 SpA Tera Ghost Cryogonal Tera Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Hatterene: 206-246 (64.7 - 77.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Tera Ghost Cryogonal Tera Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Dragapult: 266-314 (83.9 - 99%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (High Chance to OHKO with Stealth Rock)
252 SpA Tera Ghost Cryogonal Tera Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Espathra: 320-378 (81.2 - 95.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (High Chance to OHKO with Stealth Rock)
252 SpA Tera Ghost Cryogonal Tera Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gholdengo: 228-270 (72.3 - 85.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tera Ghost Cryogonal Tera Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Ceruledge: 210-248 (72.1 - 85.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tera Ghost Cryogonal Tera Blast vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Skeledirge: 186-218 (45.2 - 53%) -- 25% chance to 2HKO (Guaranteed 2HKO with Stealth Rock)

Defensively, Cryogonal's new Fighting immunity allows it to handle Pokemon such as Breloom and gives it immunity to some key threats (such as the potent STAB combination of Choice-locked Great Tusks' Fighting/Ground type coverage). Other than switching some offensive and defensive roles, Cryoghost is similar in function to Cryosteel.

Cryogonal Partners
As Cryogonal fits into a relatively specific type of team, it's essential to understand what it synergizes well with. So we'll go over Pokemon that I've found to be reliable partners for both the Tera-Steel set and the Tera-Ghost set, along with brief summaries of why they work well together. I won't be going over all of them, just the ones that I've had consistent success pairing Cryogonal with (there are quite a few that pair well with both Cryogonal variants, not just one or the other).

Ceruledge, Dondozo, Garganacl, Great Tusk, Iron Moth, Orthworm, Pelipper, Roaring Moon

Ceruledge

Ceruledge is a great partner for Cryogonal (specifically the Cryosteel variant) because of three key factors - Flash Fire (Fire Immunity + STAB Fire Power Boost), Half Ghost-type (Fighting immunity), and can generally outspeed and handle Pokemon that give Cryosteel trouble. Ceruledge has been getting more attention lately and will likely continue to garner attention with the Chi-Yu ban.

Dondozo

Dondozo is a somewhat divisive Pokemon with surprising set variety, given its relatively limited movepool. Thanks to its pure Water typing, fantastic HP stat, and excellent physical bulk alongside STAB Liquidation and access to Body Press, Dondozo can handle several notable switch-ins for the Cryosteel variant quite comfortably if you play it right.

Garganacl

I don't need to tell you how much of a monster this thing is - it's rockin' knockin' salt curin' body pressin' self-healin' keyboard breakin' Garganacl, an absolute unit of a Pokemon that is already considered suspect-worthy by some people (even before the trifecta ban of Annihilape, Chi-Yu, and Cyclizar). It's bulky as hell, strong as hell, and ultimately sits on a good portion of the OU meta right now.

Great Tusk

Ground/Fighting is a fantastic STAB combination, and thus Great Tusk is excellent at picking off Pokemon that give both variants of Cryogonal trouble. Great Tusk is physically tanky, has high attack, great moves, usable speed, and can also pair with Cryogonal for a double Rapid Spin synergy that works quite well in the long game (along with patching its speed issues).

Iron Moth

Iron Moth is nuts; if they had actually given this thing Quiver Dance, it would have likely been quick-banned to Ubers alongside Flutter Mane. Fire/Poison typing is potent offensively and, in some cases, defensively. Iron Moth can often get an opportunity to set up an Agility or fire off a powerful attack after it switches in.

Orthworm

"Look at those beady little eyes; he's got that thousand-yard stare!"
- Dallas Wanamaker, Ratchet: Deadlocked​

A great physically defensive pure-Steel type that can handle several threats that plague both variants of Cryogonal. In addition, if you're able to pass Shed Tail to Cryogonal, it can provide a much-needed opportunity for Cryogonal to dent something hard with one of its various STAB attacks.

Pelipper


I've always loved this guy, even before Gen 7 bestowed Drizzle upon it, dooming one of my other favorite Pokemon (
) to relative obscurity once again. Pelipper setting rain not only weakens the Fire-type onslaught that plagues Cryosteel but can be an excellent switch-in for various Physical threats (especially Physical Fire and Fighting-types) that Cryosteel does not want to tangle with.

Roaring Moon


This thing scares me, but it's also a fantastic partner for both the Cryoghost and Cryosteel variants. Dragon/Dark is a tremendous offensive and defensive combination that can use the opportunity to switch in and set up. Utilizing this combination in the late game puts considerable pressure on your opponent, especially with a chipped or status'd team.

Conclusion

Cryogonal is one of those Pokemon I think has always been egregiously underestimated by the player base due to some of its notable detracting qualities. However, with the advent of the recent trifecta banning of three critical threats that gave it some serious issues, I can confidently recommend Cryogonal. Thanks to Cryogonal's combination of an excellent ability in Levitate, Terastallization fixing its Defensive typing, a small but viciously specific movepool, and solid overall stats, Cryogonal has a specific but strong niche in OU. Thanks for reading; I hope you're having as much fun with the Gen 9 OU meta as I currently am!

This was my 420th post on the forum; nice.
Edit #1: Grammatical/Spelling Issues + A Bonehead Moveset Blunder Fixed (Thanks to The2009Zapdos for catching it!)
 
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Wouldn't Covert Cloak Dondozo just wall almost any Garganacl set? Or would you run out of PP first? Unaware Covert Cloak Curse RestTalk Liquidation should just beat all variants unless Tera Water can PP stall it out.
 
Wouldn't Covert Cloak Dondozo just wall almost any Garganacl set? Or would you run out of PP first? Unaware Covert Cloak Curse RestTalk Liquidation should just beat all variants unless Tera Water can PP stall it out.
Do you hear yourself ?

I know everyone’s on the covert cloak is a good item kick. But that a pretty large investment especially on offensive teams
 
Do you hear yourself ?

I know everyone’s on the covert cloak is a good item kick. But that a pretty large investment especially on offensive teams
I mean, you wouldn't run it on anything but Balance and Stall tbf. I don't think it's that far of a stretch, but to each their own. Not sure why you're getting rude about it, hope your day gets better buddy.
 
I mean, you wouldn't run it on anything but Balance and Stall tbf. I don't think it's that far of a stretch, but to each their own. Not sure why you're getting rude about it, hope your day gets better buddy.
I didn’t intend for that to come off rude, my apologies, I was just pointing out that you knew the issues with that, that you’re basically running a tech just to 100% check Garg regardless it’s set.
 

YNM

formerly yNot Mence
is a Tiering Contributor
Wouldn't Covert Cloak Dondozo just wall almost any Garganacl set? Or would you run out of PP first? Unaware Covert Cloak Curse RestTalk Liquidation should just beat all variants unless Tera Water can PP stall it out.
This actually does work quite well, and I've been running Covert Cloak on most of my Dondozo sets for a while now. Trading lefties isn't really that bad since you have Rest, and by switching in on Garg you often get an important turn in your favour by threatening your opponent with a Curse (if they don't have any mon that can switch in and kill you, or if they're all physically offensive) or with an attack (Wave Crash does a lot even at +0). Considering that I've found myself quite comfortable using this set in the 1700+ games, I think is solid. Just remember not to get hit by Knock Off.
 
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YNM

formerly yNot Mence
is a Tiering Contributor
you’re basically running a tech just to 100% check Garg regardless it’s set.
Not exactly, while it is mainly for Garg, you also prevent SpDef drops from the likes of Gholdengo and other stuff, which actually allowed me to beat it 1v1 (not something you should be doing normally though, didn't have better options). And again, trading Leftovers is never incredible for a bulky mon but it ain't that much of a problem with Rest+Sleep Talk.
 
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It's probably painfully obvious but I mostly play Balance or Bulky Offense, and Tera Water Dragalge feels really good into Garganacl as well. People really underestimate the Adaptability boost with Tera Water and I never see any Garganacl Terastall as a result. Pretty effective lure.

252+ SpA Adaptability Tera Water Dragalge Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Garganacl: 294-346 (72.7 - 85.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Tera Water Dragalge Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Garganacl: 434-514 (107.4 - 127.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

I run AV Dragalge as a pivot and answer to a lot of special attackers, but Specs outright one hits full investment Garganacl. Outspeeds too. Beats Iron Moth and Volcarona too which is neat.
+1 0 SpA Volcarona Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tera Water Dragalge: 118-140 (35.3 - 41.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+1 252 SpA Volcarona Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tera Water Dragalge: 142-168 (42.5 - 50.2%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Adaptability Tera Water Dragalge Hydro Pump vs. +1 248 HP / 0 SpD Volcarona: 242-286 (64.8 - 76.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Pair it with mons with bulk on the Def side and it does some serious work.
 
Not exactly, while it is mainly for Garg, you also prevent SpDef drops from the likes of Gholdengo and other stuff, which actually allowed me beat it 1v1 (not something you should be doing normally though, didn't have better options). And again, trading Leftovers is never incredible for a bulky mon but it ain't that much of a problem with Rest+Sleep Talk.
also prevents def drops from chien-pao crunch, which can mean the difference between winning the matchup and losing it. this is especially important because dondozo is one of only like three reliable pao answers
It's probably painfully obvious but I mostly play Balance or Bulky Offense, and Tera Water Dragalge feels really good into Garganacl as well. People really underestimate the Adaptability boost with Tera Water and I never see any Garganacl Terastall as a result. Pretty effective lure.
it was a pretty effective lure until about 5 minutes ago when you posted it in the official ou meta discussion thread for the world to see. now when garg sees a dragalge it'll know it's a lure because it really doesn't have a niche in ou otherwise. keep your lure tech secret, people, or it doesn't work
 
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it was a pretty effective lure until about 5 minutes ago when you posted it in the official ou meta discussion thread for the world to see. now when garg sees a dragalge it'll know it's a lure because it really doesn't have a niche in ou otherwise. keep your lure tech secret, people, or it doesn't work
I do it for the people. Honestly I see no one running Dragalge but I think it has its place.

EDIT still works LMAO https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1766962443
 
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awyp

'Alexa play Ladyfingers by Herb Alpert'
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What can actually switch in and break garg? You speak of people trying to switch in and position, but this thing can just beat 90% of the meta 1v1.
Difficult question because it depends on the tera type it goes into. Lets stay without that knowledge, best way to fight Garg is with Garg, maybe Curse / Iron Defense up and go for it hoping it's a Protect / Salt Cure / Recover set. Best way to switch into Garg is on a Recover / Protect (Or something not called Salt Cure) and going into something has substitute and setting up in it's face (Espathra for example).
 
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