Metagame SV OU Metagame Discussion

[awyp]

View attachment 491985

I've tried this on the ladder, Espathra is rolling in its grave it's a sad replacement. Even if this is a troll post, Espeon needs to go to NU asap.

 

[Athyestic]

I've tried this on the ladder, Espathra is rolling in its grave it's a sad replacement. Even if this is a troll post, Espeon needs to go to NU asap.

Replacement Espathras you say?

 

[Solar Power]

I've tried this on the ladder, Espathra is rolling in its grave it's a sad replacement. Even if this is a troll post, Espeon needs to go to NU asap.

I think Espeon has utility as a Hatterene dupe. UU is probably fair for it, as it's the only magic bouncer available.

Espeon (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 132 HP / 124 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Draining Kiss
- Shadow Ball

I ran this set for a little bit in OU, and it's actually pretty passable as a Hatterence replacement, with the primary exception of needing something else to absorb Knock-Offs. The defensive EV's let it tank a couple earthquake's and draining kiss goes in over dazzling gleam for additional recovery and longevity. Timid and max speed is used because it hits a nice speed tier which allows it to sweep after a calm mind or two. Tera Fairy can be used to boost draining kiss which can make it even tougher to take down with neutral hits. The ability to flip from dark weakness to dark resist can decide games if done at the right time. Overall, it's definitely not meta, but I can see this being handy in UU for people who miss Hatterene.

 

[YNM]

Is it just me or are physically defensive Ting-Lu sets becoming more prominent in the meta? In particular, Tera Ghost with Rest does end up checking Tusk quite well, unless it's Bulk Up. What about you guys, do you prefer running max SpDef Ting-Lu's or do you like max Def more?

 

[yourpzza]

Greedent
View attachment 491944

“True to their name, Greedent are extremely greedy and gluttonous. Greedent constantly gathers Berries and stuffs them into its tail; it will run to gather Berries even if it's in the middle of a battle.” - Bulbapedia

"Man, all this talk about Corviknight is making me hungry for conversations about things that aren't Corviknight. Also, I'm sorry for the delay on this writeup for the people on Showdown asking about Greedent; it took a lot more playtesting than normal to finalize this set, and I'm working + in college + have other life commitments that make finding time to do these writeups quite difficult." - Morkal​

STAT	LEVEL 100 STAT RANGE
HP: 120	350 - 444​
Attack:​ 95	175 - 317​
Defense: 95	175 - 317​
Sp. Atk:​ 55	103 - 229​
Sp. Def: 75	139 - 273​
Speed: 20	40 - 152​

Notable Moves

Physical - Body Press, Body Slam, Crunch, Earthquake, Facade, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Psychic Fangs, Seed Bomb, Tera Blast, Thief, Trailblaze, Wild Charge

Utility - Belly Drum, Counter, Endure, Protect, Rest, Stuff Cheeks, Substitute, Super Fang, Swords Dance

Introduction​

Well, we've finally reached it, haven't we? We're finally talking about Pokemon's embodiment of Peter Griffin from Family Guy... but in OU? Really? The ZU squirrel? There are surely better Belly Drum users out there, right? Of course, but we're not using Belly Drum Greedent, so that's irrelevant. We're instead going to talk about a very disruptive set that functions similarly to Se Jun Park's famous Pachirisu set but with different advantages that suit a non-doubles meta far better. Greedent is a Pokemon with some surprisingly powerful benefits in the OU meta, thanks to the addition of Tera and an environment that is especially kind to it. So, without wasting more time on words even fluffier than Greedent's fuzzy coat, let's jump right in!

View attachment 491984
Summarized Advantages of Greedent in OU:
This is a "too long, didn't read" section for people who don't want to read a literal essay-length explanation of Greedent's qualities.​

• Greedent has unique role compression as a physical utility disruptor wall thanks to a unique movepool, ability, solid 120/95/75 bulk, situational typing, and Tera's ability to change that typing when needed.
• Greedent's niche comes from its ability to disrupt problematic OU team synergies in the early-mid game, allowing Pokemon on your team to have an easier time preparing for the late-game cleanup.
• Greedent dismantles specific team cores and acts as a bane to stall-heavy teams thanks to its ability to stall reliably with proper support. In addition, it opens up holes for you to switch in Pokemon that otherwise have a more difficult time reaching the playing field consistently.
• Greedent's Normal typing allows it to hard check or even counter specific meta sets such as the Nasty Plot, Hex, T-Wave, and Recover variant of Defensive Gholdengo (which cannot damage it at all and paralyzing Greedent means it cannot be Burned or Poisoned, Greedent does not care about the Speed Drop for obvious reasons).
• Greedent's ability Cheek Pouch combined with Stuff Cheeks means that it's very easy to get a +2 Defense and +1 Special Defense up while recovering HP in a pinch; combined with Body Press and Super Fang, opponents can be hit from all spectrums regardless of their defensive profile.
• Super Fang means that Pokemon such as Dondozo and Garganacl cannot spam-boosting moves because of the low PP of Recover, and the Sleep Turns involved with Rest.
• In addition to the utility of Stuff Cheeks, Body Press, and Super Fang, Thief allows Greedent to steal an opposing item once the berry is consumed, meaning that common switch-ins like Dragapult will lose their item.
• Greedent's bulk and immunity to Ghost typing are crucial in the current meta, and the ability to lure Fighting types by Terastallizing to Ghost-type in the mid-late game also acts in Greedent's favor. Additionally, Greedent's defensive prowess allows it to turn the tables on multiple Physical attackers quite quickly.

Disclaimer: Greedent is not easy to slap onto a team, as it requires teammates for support (great teammates will be explained later in the post), and it is NOT meant to be a sweeper. If you play to Greedent's strengths and think of it as a disruptor Pokemon meant to create vital opportunities for your other Pokemon while hitting unexpectedly hard, Greedent will serve your team very well!

Super Press Berry Disruptor

Greedent @ Apicot Berry
Ability: Cheek Pouch
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Super Fang
- Stuff Cheeks
- Thief

Offense Utility Breakdown​

So why does Greedent work? First, we're going to need to explain some things. Apicot Berry View attachment 491968 is a pinch berry that adds +1 Special Defense to whichever Pokemon consumes it. Thanks to Greedent's signature move Stuff Cheeks, it can consume Apicot Berry anytime it wants to, so why is this impressive? Stuff Cheeks instantly consumes the user's held berry, activating its effect and giving the user +2 Defense along with Apicot Berry's +1 Special Defense buff. This alone would be impressive, but Greedent's signature ability, Cheek Pouch, means that Greedent also recovers 1/3rd of its HP upon using a berry. Additionally, this frees up Greedent's item slot, allowing it to use Thief and steal an item such as Leftovers. Even if a Pokemon with Unaware or the ability to boost Defense switches in, it still loses 50% to Super Fang (we'll get into that), meaning that even boosting Pokemon don't want to tangle with Greedent for too long. With +2 Defense and Max Investment, Body Press can hit some Pokemon quite hard. Let's look at some damage calculations -

Body Press Damage Calculations
View attachment 491981

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 330-390 (88.9 - 105.1%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 186-219 (71.2 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Garganacl: 246-290 (60.8 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 228+ Def Garganacl: 188-222 (46.5 - 54.9%) -- 9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. -1 0 HP / 0 Def Great Tusk: 184-217 (49.5 - 58.4%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO (After Close Combat or Headlong Rush on non-Defensive variants)

252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 214-254 (74.8 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 428-504 (149.6 - 176.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Grimmsnarl: 218-257 (55.3 - 65.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 338-398 (104 - 122.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 264-312 (82.2 - 97.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 112 HP / 0 Def Kingambit: 528-624 (143 - 169.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Meowscarada: 208-246 (70.9 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Meowscarada: 414-488 (141.2 - 166.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Orthworm: 170-202 (49.4 - 58.7%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Quaquaval: 185-218 (59.4 - 70%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 408-482 (116.2 - 137.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-Wash: 106-125 (34.8 - 41.1%) -- 65.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 254-300 (49.4 - 58.3%) -- 66.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery​

These damage levels on their own would be impressive, but when combined with access to Super Fang, it reaches a new level. Super Fang lowers the opposing target's HP by half, meaning that Unaware doesn't stop Greedent from chunking a switch-in, and neither do opposing defensive boosts on either side. For example, even a +6 252 HP, 252 Def Impish Orthworm loses 50% from full HP thanks to Super Fang. It is because of the combined utility of a solid defensive presence, +2 Body Press, and Super Fang that Greedent applies pressure. With Super Fang, most of those 2HKOs become OHKOs or require a Pokemon to spam Recover, allowing opportunities for a switch-in. Even if Greedent is damaged too much on an attack to use Stuff Cheeks, it will still get the +1 Special Defense boost and recover 1/3rd of its HP, thanks to its ability. This means that Super Fang and Thief will still be crucial, and Body Press can still get some notable damage on frail threats even without +2.

Speaking of Thief, what about when you use your berry and no longer have an item to give you a match benefit? Greedent's access to Thief gives it a way to slightly chunk frail Ghost and Psychic types while stealing their item, crippling them for the match. Additionally, stealing the item can allow you to scout what possible moveset the opposing Pokemon has, giving you a strategic advantage.

Thief Damage Calculations
View attachment 491982

0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Armarouge: 84-100 (22.4 - 26.7%) -- 30.3% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 102-120 (28.8 - 33.8%) -- 0.8% chance to 3HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 102-120 (35 - 41.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 106-126 (33.4 - 39.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 88-104 (27.9 - 33%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gholdengo: 62-74 (16.4 - 19.5%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery (The defensive set that runs Hex as its only attacking move cannot damage Greedent pre-Terastallization)​

Additionally, Thief has 40PP, meaning it's going to be a lot harder for a Pokemon to stall out Greedent in the long run with the combination of Super Fang, Body Press, and a possible lack of passive recovery if Leftovers is stolen.

Defensive Utility Breakdown​

This is where things start getting fun! So now that we've analyzed what Greedent can do offensively combined with its utility, what about its defensive prowess? Greedent is bulky even before boosts, thanks to 120/95/75 base defensive stats, but after its boosts, it becomes an absolute chonk unit. Normal typing may not look like much, but having a Ghost immunity + only one weakness can be more beneficial than one might think and provides Greedent with crucial switch-in opportunities. Let's look at Greedent's defensive prowess with calculations for +2 Defense and +1 Special Defense to show just how beefy Greedent really is, especially on the Physical side. I'm also including calculations for Pokemon with abilities and moves that bypass Greedent's defense buffs to show that, even without the +2, it can survive quite a lot.

Physical Defense Calculations
View attachment 491983

252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Superpower vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 178-210 (40 - 47.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 79-94 (17.7 - 21.1%) -- possible 5HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Breloom Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 218-260 (49 - 58.5%) -- 98% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Technician Breloom Mach Punch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 110-132 (24.7 - 29.7%) -- 100% chance to 4HKO

252 Atk Libero Cinderace High Jump Kick vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 150-176 (33.7 - 39.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Corviknight Brave Bird vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 43-52 (9.6 - 11.7%) -- possible 9HKO
252+ Def Unaware Dondozo Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 16.3% chance to 3HKO

76 Atk Dragapult Dragon Darts (2 hits) vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 50-62 (11.2 - 13.9%) -- approx. possible 8HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Dragapult Dragon Darts (2 hits) vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 96-114 (21.6 - 25.6%) -- approx. 0.2% chance to 4HKO
+2 252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 91-108 (20.4 - 24.3%) -- guaranteed 5HKO

+2 252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 123-145 (27.7 - 32.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+2 4 Def Garganacl Body Press vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 108-128 (24.3 - 28.8%) -- 99.1% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Garganacl Salt Cure vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 16-21 (3.6 - 4.7%) -- possible 7HKO after Salt Cure

252 Atk Great Tusk Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 150-176 (33.7 - 39.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Great Tusk Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 222-264 (50 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Iron Treads Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 55-66 (12.3 - 14.8%) -- possible 7HKO
4 Atk Iron Valiant Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 122-146 (27.4 - 32.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Valiant Psyshock vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 46-55 (10.3 - 12.3%) -- possible 9HKO
+2 252 SpA Quark Drive Iron Valiant Psyshock vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 80-95 (18 - 21.3%) -- possible 5HKO

252+ Atk Supreme Overlord 5 allies fainted Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 88-105 (19.8 - 23.6%) -- possible 5HKO
+2 252+ Atk Supreme Overlord 5 allies fainted Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 175-207 (39.4 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Meowscarada Flower Trick vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent on a critical hit: 171-202 (38.5 - 45.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Quaquaval Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 138-164 (31 - 36.9%) -- 73% chance to 3HKO

252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Crunch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 67-79 (15 - 17.7%) -- possible 6HKO
+2 252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Crunch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 133-157 (29.9 - 35.3%) -- 21.5% chance to 3HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Scizor Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 160-190 (36 - 42.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Ting-Lu Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 87-103 (19.5 - 23.1%) -- possible 5HKO
0 Atk Ting-Lu Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 43-52 (9.6 - 11.7%) -- possible 9HKO​

As you can see, even banded STAB Super Effective Physical cannot reliably 2HKO Greedent, and neutral hits will generally bounce off Greedent, even pre-boost. Fighting-type moves are the only type of move super effective against Normal Greedent. With Shadow Ball and other moves being an easy switch-in opportunity for Greedent, its synergy with other threats on your team becomes very apparent. Speaking of synergy, Greedent's Special Defensive prowess isn't as impressive, but at +1, thanks to Apicot Berry, Greedent can live some surprisingly strong hits and get done what it needs to get done.

Special Defense Calculations
View attachment 491983

252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Draco Meteor vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 223-264 (50.2 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Gholdengo Focus Blast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 226-266 (50.9 - 59.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Gholdengo Focus Blast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 336-396 (75.6 - 89.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 169-199 (38 - 44.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 252-297 (56.7 - 66.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Glimmora Earth Power vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 83-98 (18.6 - 22%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Glimmora Power Gem vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 166-196 (37.3 - 44.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Glimmora Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 13.2% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Glimmora Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 196-232 (44.1 - 52.2%) -- 16.8% chance to 2HKO

252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 227-269 (51.1 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Dark Pulse vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 140-165 (31.5 - 37.1%) -- 81.3% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Iron Moth Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 139-165 (31.3 - 37.1%) -- 79% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Iron Moth Flamethrower vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 13.2% chance to 3HKO

252 SpA Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 124-147 (27.9 - 33.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 186-219 (41.8 - 49.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
8 SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 97-115 (21.8 - 25.9%) -- 3.2% chance to 4HKO
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 105-124 (23.6 - 27.9%) -- 87.5% chance to 4HKO

8 SpA Unaware Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 118-141 (26.5 - 31.7%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+1 8 SpA Unaware Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 178-211 (40 - 47.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Volcarona Fiery Dance vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 94-112 (21.1 - 25.2%) -- 0.1% chance to 4HKO
+1 0 SpA Volcarona Fiery Dance vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 142-168 (31.9 - 37.8%) -- 92.4% chance to 3HKO​

So while Greedent isn't as resilient on the Special side, it can still live some pretty gnarly hits, capitalize on the situation, and cripple or chunk an opposing Pokemon. The point of all these defensive calculations is to show that, even with the most potent hits in OU (some being super effective), Greedent has plenty of opportunities (with proper prediction) to switch in and either set up, chunk, or cripple an opposing Pokemon throughout the match. Early-mid-game advantages like this can determine how much pressure your opponent will feel in the late game without specific aspects of their team cores, and it should not be underestimated. Additionally, while it likely won't be Terastallizing often, Greedent's Tera-Type being set to Ghost provides some unique opportunities to throw off Pokemon attempting to prey on Greedent's one Fighting-type weakness and can effectively act as a lure.

View attachment 491984
Teammate Options​

Speaking of teammates, Greedent requires support to be used to the best of its capabilities, and some Pokemon are more suited to the job than others. So let's take a brief moment to talk about Greedent's teammate options!

Wish Support

Pokemon with Wish, such as Alomomola or Scream Tail, can help with Greedent's longevity issues once it consumes its berry (this is especially helpful if Greedent's Thief grabs an offensive item rather than Leftovers). Not only will this extend Greedent's ability to weave in and out of combat, but it will also frustrate your opponent's common Ghost-users, who cannot reliably spam Shadow Ball without risk.

Rapid Spin or Defog Support

​

Pokemon with Defog, such as Corviknight or Scizor, Rapid Spin users, such as Great Tusk or Forretress (underrated mon, by the way), or even Mortal Spin from Glimmora, can help to keep Greedent healthy due to its vulnerability to hazards. You have a lot more flexibility with this depending on your specific team composition!

Conclusion
View attachment 491986​

Greedent was frustrating to figure out at first; however, its impressive defensive capabilities and offensive utility can leave your opponent scrambling if you play to its strengths. I want to say that I love Gen 9 OU far more than quite a few previous generations, thanks to the flexibility in team building, and I hope it continues to flourish with the new additions soon to come in Pokemon Home and likely eventual DLC! Thank you all for reading!

goat

 

[viivian]

Replacement Espathras you say?
View attachment 492016

we need to suspend your account from showdown immediately

Greedent
View attachment 491944

“True to their name, Greedent are extremely greedy and gluttonous. Greedent constantly gathers Berries and stuffs them into its tail; it will run to gather Berries even if it's in the middle of a battle.” - Bulbapedia

"Man, all this talk about Corviknight is making me hungry for conversations about things that aren't Corviknight. Also, I'm sorry for the delay on this writeup for the people on Showdown asking about Greedent; it took a lot more playtesting than normal to finalize this set, and I'm working + in college + have other life commitments that make finding time to do these writeups quite difficult." - Morkal​

STAT	LEVEL 100 STAT RANGE
HP: 120	350 - 444​
Attack:​ 95	175 - 317​
Defense: 95	175 - 317​
Sp. Atk:​ 55	103 - 229​
Sp. Def: 75	139 - 273​
Speed: 20	40 - 152​

Notable Moves

Physical - Body Press, Body Slam, Crunch, Earthquake, Facade, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Psychic Fangs, Seed Bomb, Tera Blast, Thief, Trailblaze, Wild Charge

Utility - Belly Drum, Counter, Endure, Protect, Rest, Stuff Cheeks, Substitute, Super Fang, Swords Dance

Introduction​

Well, we've finally reached it, haven't we? We're finally talking about Pokemon's embodiment of Peter Griffin from Family Guy... but in OU? Really? The ZU squirrel? There are surely better Belly Drum users out there, right? Of course, but we're not using Belly Drum Greedent, so that's irrelevant. We're instead going to talk about a very disruptive set that functions similarly to Se Jun Park's famous Pachirisu set but with different advantages that suit a non-doubles meta far better. Greedent is a Pokemon with some surprisingly powerful benefits in the OU meta, thanks to the addition of Tera and an environment that is especially kind to it. So, without wasting more time on words even fluffier than Greedent's fuzzy coat, let's jump right in!

View attachment 491984
Summarized Advantages of Greedent in OU:
This is a "too long, didn't read" section for people who don't want to read a literal essay-length explanation of Greedent's qualities.​

• Greedent has unique role compression as a physical utility disruptor wall thanks to a unique movepool, ability, solid 120/95/75 bulk, situational typing, and Tera's ability to change that typing when needed.
• Greedent's niche comes from its ability to disrupt problematic OU team synergies in the early-mid game, allowing Pokemon on your team to have an easier time preparing for the late-game cleanup.
• Greedent dismantles specific team cores and acts as a bane to stall-heavy teams thanks to its ability to stall reliably with proper support. In addition, it opens up holes for you to switch in Pokemon that otherwise have a more difficult time reaching the playing field consistently.
• Greedent's Normal typing allows it to hard check or even counter specific meta sets such as the Nasty Plot, Hex, T-Wave, and Recover variant of Defensive Gholdengo (which cannot damage it at all and paralyzing Greedent means it cannot be Burned or Poisoned, Greedent does not care about the Speed Drop for obvious reasons).
• Greedent's ability Cheek Pouch combined with Stuff Cheeks means that it's very easy to get a +2 Defense and +1 Special Defense up while recovering HP in a pinch; combined with Body Press and Super Fang, opponents can be hit from all spectrums regardless of their defensive profile.
• Super Fang means that Pokemon such as Dondozo and Garganacl cannot spam-boosting moves because of the low PP of Recover, and the Sleep Turns involved with Rest.
• In addition to the utility of Stuff Cheeks, Body Press, and Super Fang, Thief allows Greedent to steal an opposing item once the berry is consumed, meaning that common switch-ins like Dragapult will lose their item.
• Greedent's bulk and immunity to Ghost typing are crucial in the current meta, and the ability to lure Fighting types by Terastallizing to Ghost-type in the mid-late game also acts in Greedent's favor. Additionally, Greedent's defensive prowess allows it to turn the tables on multiple Physical attackers quite quickly.

Disclaimer: Greedent is not easy to slap onto a team, as it requires teammates for support (great teammates will be explained later in the post), and it is NOT meant to be a sweeper. If you play to Greedent's strengths and think of it as a disruptor Pokemon meant to create vital opportunities for your other Pokemon while hitting unexpectedly hard, Greedent will serve your team very well!

Super Press Berry Disruptor

Greedent @ Apicot Berry
Ability: Cheek Pouch
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Super Fang
- Stuff Cheeks
- Thief

Offense Utility Breakdown​

So why does Greedent work? First, we're going to need to explain some things. Apicot Berry View attachment 491968 is a pinch berry that adds +1 Special Defense to whichever Pokemon consumes it. Thanks to Greedent's signature move Stuff Cheeks, it can consume Apicot Berry anytime it wants to, so why is this impressive? Stuff Cheeks instantly consumes the user's held berry, activating its effect and giving the user +2 Defense along with Apicot Berry's +1 Special Defense buff. This alone would be impressive, but Greedent's signature ability, Cheek Pouch, means that Greedent also recovers 1/3rd of its HP upon using a berry. Additionally, this frees up Greedent's item slot, allowing it to use Thief and steal an item such as Leftovers. Even if a Pokemon with Unaware or the ability to boost Defense switches in, it still loses 50% to Super Fang (we'll get into that), meaning that even boosting Pokemon don't want to tangle with Greedent for too long. With +2 Defense and Max Investment, Body Press can hit some Pokemon quite hard. Let's look at some damage calculations -

Body Press Damage Calculations
View attachment 491981

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 330-390 (88.9 - 105.1%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 186-219 (71.2 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Garganacl: 246-290 (60.8 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 228+ Def Garganacl: 188-222 (46.5 - 54.9%) -- 9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. -1 0 HP / 0 Def Great Tusk: 184-217 (49.5 - 58.4%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO (After Close Combat or Headlong Rush on non-Defensive variants)

252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 214-254 (74.8 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 428-504 (149.6 - 176.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Grimmsnarl: 218-257 (55.3 - 65.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 338-398 (104 - 122.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 264-312 (82.2 - 97.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 112 HP / 0 Def Kingambit: 528-624 (143 - 169.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Meowscarada: 208-246 (70.9 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Meowscarada: 414-488 (141.2 - 166.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Orthworm: 170-202 (49.4 - 58.7%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Quaquaval: 185-218 (59.4 - 70%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 408-482 (116.2 - 137.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-Wash: 106-125 (34.8 - 41.1%) -- 65.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 254-300 (49.4 - 58.3%) -- 66.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery​

These damage levels on their own would be impressive, but when combined with access to Super Fang, it reaches a new level. Super Fang lowers the opposing target's HP by half, meaning that Unaware doesn't stop Greedent from chunking a switch-in, and neither do opposing defensive boosts on either side. For example, even a +6 252 HP, 252 Def Impish Orthworm loses 50% from full HP thanks to Super Fang. It is because of the combined utility of a solid defensive presence, +2 Body Press, and Super Fang that Greedent applies pressure. With Super Fang, most of those 2HKOs become OHKOs or require a Pokemon to spam Recover, allowing opportunities for a switch-in. Even if Greedent is damaged too much on an attack to use Stuff Cheeks, it will still get the +1 Special Defense boost and recover 1/3rd of its HP, thanks to its ability. This means that Super Fang and Thief will still be crucial, and Body Press can still get some notable damage on frail threats even without +2.

Speaking of Thief, what about when you use your berry and no longer have an item to give you a match benefit? Greedent's access to Thief gives it a way to slightly chunk frail Ghost and Psychic types while stealing their item, crippling them for the match. Additionally, stealing the item can allow you to scout what possible moveset the opposing Pokemon has, giving you a strategic advantage.

Thief Damage Calculations
View attachment 491982

0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Armarouge: 84-100 (22.4 - 26.7%) -- 30.3% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 102-120 (28.8 - 33.8%) -- 0.8% chance to 3HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 102-120 (35 - 41.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 106-126 (33.4 - 39.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 88-104 (27.9 - 33%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gholdengo: 62-74 (16.4 - 19.5%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery (The defensive set that runs Hex as its only attacking move cannot damage Greedent pre-Terastallization)​

Additionally, Thief has 40PP, meaning it's going to be a lot harder for a Pokemon to stall out Greedent in the long run with the combination of Super Fang, Body Press, and a possible lack of passive recovery if Leftovers is stolen.

Defensive Utility Breakdown​

This is where things start getting fun! So now that we've analyzed what Greedent can do offensively combined with its utility, what about its defensive prowess? Greedent is bulky even before boosts, thanks to 120/95/75 base defensive stats, but after its boosts, it becomes an absolute chonk unit. Normal typing may not look like much, but having a Ghost immunity + only one weakness can be more beneficial than one might think and provides Greedent with crucial switch-in opportunities. Let's look at Greedent's defensive prowess with calculations for +2 Defense and +1 Special Defense to show just how beefy Greedent really is, especially on the Physical side. I'm also including calculations for Pokemon with abilities and moves that bypass Greedent's defense buffs to show that, even without the +2, it can survive quite a lot.

Physical Defense Calculations
View attachment 491983

252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Superpower vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 178-210 (40 - 47.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 79-94 (17.7 - 21.1%) -- possible 5HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Breloom Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 218-260 (49 - 58.5%) -- 98% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Technician Breloom Mach Punch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 110-132 (24.7 - 29.7%) -- 100% chance to 4HKO

252 Atk Libero Cinderace High Jump Kick vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 150-176 (33.7 - 39.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Corviknight Brave Bird vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 43-52 (9.6 - 11.7%) -- possible 9HKO
252+ Def Unaware Dondozo Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 16.3% chance to 3HKO

76 Atk Dragapult Dragon Darts (2 hits) vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 50-62 (11.2 - 13.9%) -- approx. possible 8HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Dragapult Dragon Darts (2 hits) vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 96-114 (21.6 - 25.6%) -- approx. 0.2% chance to 4HKO
+2 252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 91-108 (20.4 - 24.3%) -- guaranteed 5HKO

+2 252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 123-145 (27.7 - 32.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+2 4 Def Garganacl Body Press vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 108-128 (24.3 - 28.8%) -- 99.1% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Garganacl Salt Cure vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 16-21 (3.6 - 4.7%) -- possible 7HKO after Salt Cure

252 Atk Great Tusk Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 150-176 (33.7 - 39.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Great Tusk Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 222-264 (50 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Iron Treads Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 55-66 (12.3 - 14.8%) -- possible 7HKO
4 Atk Iron Valiant Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 122-146 (27.4 - 32.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Valiant Psyshock vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 46-55 (10.3 - 12.3%) -- possible 9HKO
+2 252 SpA Quark Drive Iron Valiant Psyshock vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 80-95 (18 - 21.3%) -- possible 5HKO

252+ Atk Supreme Overlord 5 allies fainted Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 88-105 (19.8 - 23.6%) -- possible 5HKO
+2 252+ Atk Supreme Overlord 5 allies fainted Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 175-207 (39.4 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Meowscarada Flower Trick vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent on a critical hit: 171-202 (38.5 - 45.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Quaquaval Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 138-164 (31 - 36.9%) -- 73% chance to 3HKO

252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Crunch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 67-79 (15 - 17.7%) -- possible 6HKO
+2 252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Crunch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 133-157 (29.9 - 35.3%) -- 21.5% chance to 3HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Scizor Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 160-190 (36 - 42.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Ting-Lu Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 87-103 (19.5 - 23.1%) -- possible 5HKO
0 Atk Ting-Lu Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 43-52 (9.6 - 11.7%) -- possible 9HKO​

As you can see, even banded STAB Super Effective Physical cannot reliably 2HKO Greedent, and neutral hits will generally bounce off Greedent, even pre-boost. Fighting-type moves are the only type of move super effective against Normal Greedent. With Shadow Ball and other moves being an easy switch-in opportunity for Greedent, its synergy with other threats on your team becomes very apparent. Speaking of synergy, Greedent's Special Defensive prowess isn't as impressive, but at +1, thanks to Apicot Berry, Greedent can live some surprisingly strong hits and get done what it needs to get done.

Special Defense Calculations
View attachment 491983

252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Draco Meteor vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 223-264 (50.2 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Gholdengo Focus Blast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 226-266 (50.9 - 59.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Gholdengo Focus Blast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 336-396 (75.6 - 89.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 169-199 (38 - 44.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 252-297 (56.7 - 66.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Glimmora Earth Power vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 83-98 (18.6 - 22%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Glimmora Power Gem vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 166-196 (37.3 - 44.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Glimmora Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 13.2% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Glimmora Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 196-232 (44.1 - 52.2%) -- 16.8% chance to 2HKO

252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 227-269 (51.1 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Dark Pulse vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 140-165 (31.5 - 37.1%) -- 81.3% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Iron Moth Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 139-165 (31.3 - 37.1%) -- 79% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Iron Moth Flamethrower vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 13.2% chance to 3HKO

252 SpA Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 124-147 (27.9 - 33.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 186-219 (41.8 - 49.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
8 SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 97-115 (21.8 - 25.9%) -- 3.2% chance to 4HKO
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 105-124 (23.6 - 27.9%) -- 87.5% chance to 4HKO

8 SpA Unaware Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 118-141 (26.5 - 31.7%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+1 8 SpA Unaware Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 178-211 (40 - 47.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Volcarona Fiery Dance vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 94-112 (21.1 - 25.2%) -- 0.1% chance to 4HKO
+1 0 SpA Volcarona Fiery Dance vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 142-168 (31.9 - 37.8%) -- 92.4% chance to 3HKO​

So while Greedent isn't as resilient on the Special side, it can still live some pretty gnarly hits, capitalize on the situation, and cripple or chunk an opposing Pokemon. The point of all these defensive calculations is to show that, even with the most potent hits in OU (some being super effective), Greedent has plenty of opportunities (with proper prediction) to switch in and either set up, chunk, or cripple an opposing Pokemon throughout the match. Early-mid-game advantages like this can determine how much pressure your opponent will feel in the late game without specific aspects of their team cores, and it should not be underestimated. Additionally, while it likely won't be Terastallizing often, Greedent's Tera-Type being set to Ghost provides some unique opportunities to throw off Pokemon attempting to prey on Greedent's one Fighting-type weakness and can effectively act as a lure.

View attachment 491984
Teammate Options​

Speaking of teammates, Greedent requires support to be used to the best of its capabilities, and some Pokemon are more suited to the job than others. So let's take a brief moment to talk about Greedent's teammate options!

Wish Support

Pokemon with Wish, such as Alomomola or Scream Tail, can help with Greedent's longevity issues once it consumes its berry (this is especially helpful if Greedent's Thief grabs an offensive item rather than Leftovers). Not only will this extend Greedent's ability to weave in and out of combat, but it will also frustrate your opponent's common Ghost-users, who cannot reliably spam Shadow Ball without risk.

Rapid Spin or Defog Support

​

Pokemon with Defog, such as Corviknight or Scizor, Rapid Spin users, such as Great Tusk or Forretress (underrated mon, by the way), or even Mortal Spin from Glimmora, can help to keep Greedent healthy due to its vulnerability to hazards. You have a lot more flexibility with this depending on your specific team composition!

Conclusion
View attachment 491986​

Greedent was frustrating to figure out at first; however, its impressive defensive capabilities and offensive utility can leave your opponent scrambling if you play to its strengths. I want to say that I love Gen 9 OU far more than quite a few previous generations, thanks to the flexibility in team building, and I hope it continues to flourish with the new additions soon to come in Pokemon Home and likely eventual DLC! Thank you all for reading!

damn, greedent of all pokemon? and you made it look genuinely viable for OU? you really are capable of making every pokemon seem viable, keep these posts coming dude

 

[Athyestic]

we need to suspend your account from showdown immediately

I'm sowwy :c please don't suspend me

 

[viivian]

I'm sowwy :c please don't suspend me

i can't suspend you i'm not an admin

in all seriousness though it would be funny if flittle made an upset at a tournament set or at high-ladder play, or something of the like. obviously it's not at all good but like...come on, don't tell me you wouldn't laugh if you saw a sub-300 BST pokemon win a tour game after 3 turns of setup

 

[MasterPlayer]

I think that all Speed Boost mons not named Sharpedo have been banned from a tier at one point. On a completely different note, does the usage of Tailwind make Stored Power stronger?

 

[Mega Breloom]

Is it just me or are physically defensive Ting-Lu sets becoming more prominent in the meta? In particular, Tera Ghost with Rest does end up checking Tusk quite well, unless it's Bulk Up. What about you guys, do you prefer running max SpDef Ting-Lu's or do you like max Def more?

I still use the spedef one with whrilwind, it is just too consistent, tera ghost is enough to annoy Tusk and whirlwind avoids being a set up fodder.

 

[Pluim]

Did someone say "One shot Amoonguss"?

252+ SpA Choice Specs Tera Ice Glaceon Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 84 SpD Amoonguss: 548-648 (126.8 - 150%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Boom. OU is saved

You forgot the Calm Mind Choice Specs set smh. At +2 you absolutely TOAST the ou tier

 

[Dreadfury]

Replacement Espathras you say?
View attachment 492016

On the real, I actually just tried this thinking it wouldn't be that bad as a meme Espathra replacement until +2 Tera-Fire Tera Blast couldn't even OHKO offensive Gholdengo from full. Turns out that it did 87% and that was a high roll.

Please for the love of God don't actually use this shit. I know this is mostly a meme, but good god this thing fucking sucks.

 

[Athyestic]

On the real, I actually just tried this thinking it wouldn't be that bad as a meme Espathra replacement until +2 Tera-Fire Tera Blast couldn't even OHKO offensive Gholdengo from full. Turns out that it did 87% and that was a high roll.

Please for the love of God don't actually use this shit. I know this is mostly a meme, but good god this thing fucking sucks.

I've actually used it a couple times and it's put in the work whenever my opponents give it 2 free turns and or it gets behind a sub and my opponent clicks Draco Meteor into it kek. I think I have a replay here where I swept someone with it?
It's still awful don't get me wrong but it can do something in perfect conditions.

 

[Finchinator]

I’ll post survey responses on Wednesday probably

 

[Morkal]

damn, greedent of all pokemon? and you made it look genuinely viable for OU? you really are capable of making every pokemon seem viable, keep these posts coming dude

goat

Man, you were missed, thanks for another certified hood classic man, you're doing god's work

Thank you all so much for the kind words about my Greedent post! Greedent was tough to find a niche for, but after a ton of experimentation, I'm really satisfied with how it's been performing. I honestly feel that this is the first generation in a long while that Normal types have some consistently serious benefits, especially bulkier ones like Greedent.

Next Pokemon up on the chopping block is one that I've been testing for a while now, longer than Greedent (and will likely be the largest post I make on Smogon to date because it's actually quite unexpectedly good in multiple ways and requires a lot of explanation), but I still likely need at least a few days more testing with it to fix some EV allotment issues.

at this point I could see one of these about sunflora and I wouldn't even be shocked

I really should look into Sunflora more - I've always loved its design, and it has a great Special Attack stat; I'm sure there's a niche somewhere as it did get some interesting new tools this gen and has a great movepool + Tera works well for it

 

[DaddyBuzzwole]

i'm a little late replying to this but i still feel it needs to be said.

and the "rate my team" posts are useless 90% of the time, the player base either ignores the posts either give advice that does very little for the team or they can be somewhat toxic and accusse you for "rejecting their advice" if you dare to point out a single flaw in it

lmao no the fuck they don't. let me tell you what's actually happening here: you're running unviable shit (probably your in-game team or your favorite mons), things that have no synergy, and teams with massive weaknesses to certain mons. you then solicit advice, receive it, and absolutely refuse to make the necessary changes to your team for some arbitrary reason you make up and then don't even share with the rest of us. you started your amoonguss post by saying you wanted answers besides fire-types when you could have very easily just used the fucking fire-types. and then when you got in-depth answers, you immediately started "um ackschually"-ing every single one of them. so you appear to have no incentive to improve—in fact, you proclaimed it impossible to improve—and you certainly don't appear to be having much fun playing. so if you're not playing for fun and you're not playing to improve, what exactly are you looking to accomplish?

 

[Mikegengsta]

Thank you all so much for the kind words about my Greedent post! Greedent was tough to find a niche for, but after a ton of experimentation, I'm really satisfied with how it's been performing. I honestly feel that this is the first generation in a long while that Normal types have some consistently serious benefits, especially bulkier ones like Greedent.

Next Pokemon up on the chopping block is one that I've been testing for a while now, longer than Greedent (and will likely be the largest post I make on Smogon to date because it's actually quite unexpectedly good in multiple ways and requires a lot of explanation), but I still likely need at least a few days more testing with it to fix some EV allotment issues.
View attachment 492069



I really should look into Sunflora more - I've always loved its design, and it has a great Special Attack stat; I'm sure there's a niche somewhere as it did get some interesting new tools this gen and has a great movepool + Tera works well for it

I would like to see spidops at its finest. Let’s go!!!!!

 

[DaddyBuzzwole]

View attachment 492069

this absolute madman (madwoman? madperson? i swear i'm trying my best, i just don't know how to deal with "pronouns: any" when it comes to gendered terms) sees a mon with a base stat spread of "error 404: stats not found" and says "yeah, i can make it work in ou". and the craziest part is, i fully expect you to actually pull it off. please keep doing these for as long as you're able because they are brilliant every time and it's really refreshing to see how even some niche, obscure, or even outright bad pokemon can succeed in ou if played properly and given the right support. also because you're slowly building my tier shift teams for me

(also, attachment 4(9)2069, nice)

 

[Dhrabb]

I had to spent a couple of minutes in order to find a non-rude way to respond to this.
if iron valiant does not use psychic tera it can not get a OHKO with psyshock (why even use psyshock?is it really that scared of blissey?) therefore you CAN use spore on it.

you keep acting as if syntesis will never become a thing on amoonguss but you don't really explain why that would never happen.


substitute in general isn't used that much.
although it is a widespread move knon by most ou pokemon the vast majority of them never touch it.


my initial point was that this pokemon forces one fire-type on every team.


okay I have to admit it, the pex was more out of hatred that it was not banned back in gen 8 where it absolutely deserved it rather than the trouble it gives me here.
but I still find it more annoying than garganacl which is a pokemon that does not annoy me in the slightest since there are plenty of answers to it and can not switch to pokemon with immunities to every single one of its weaknesses.
as for the corv...I still hate it.


improving in this game is impossible (at least for me) since there are almost 0 straightforward videos/articles on team building anywhere on the internet.
there are plenty but they are not straightforward at all.
almost all of them just do the bare minimum of explaining basic things like what wall breaker and a revenge killer is and maaaaaaybe a few things about cores if you get lucky, then they live you on your own to magically figure out anything else, because god forbid they make something like an exact formula on how to built the team or point out mistakes in team building or even describe the roles and the niches pokemon have. the ONLY straightforward video I have ever watched was that video that grady cool's video on how to built a sticky web team.
that guy gave the EXACT formula anyone is suppossed to use.
I used that formula in gen 9,my sticky web team had some modderate success.

and the "rate my team" posts are useless 90% of the time, the player base either ignores the posts either give advice that does very little for the team or they can be somewhat toxic and accusse you for "rejecting their advice" if you dare to point out a single flaw in it (this happened at least once, where they kept acting as if I am "Rejecting their advice" although I repeatedly admited that they were right and my team was indeed weak to hazards and I was asking for ways to fix that weakness. I ended up asking a modderator to take down the post since communication with them was impossible.).

Been following this Amongus discussion for a while, and it has been stated multiple times that you have to first have something take the spore from the sussy mushroom. After it is asleep, Amoongus is annoying at worst, you bring Valiant in and it can no longer put it to sleep. Now you aren't pressured to OHKO it, you just 2HKO it with the meriad of threats available in the tier, including Psyshock Valiant mentioned. Also psyshock is for clodsire, not Blissey.

 

[Dhrabb]

Greedent
View attachment 491944

“True to their name, Greedent are extremely greedy and gluttonous. Greedent constantly gathers Berries and stuffs them into its tail; it will run to gather Berries even if it's in the middle of a battle.” - Bulbapedia

"Man, all this talk about Corviknight is making me hungry for conversations about things that aren't Corviknight. Also, I'm sorry for the delay on this writeup for the people on Showdown asking about Greedent; it took a lot more playtesting than normal to finalize this set, and I'm working + in college + have other life commitments that make finding time to do these writeups quite difficult." - Morkal​

STAT	LEVEL 100 STAT RANGE
HP: 120	350 - 444​
Attack:​ 95	175 - 317​
Defense: 95	175 - 317​
Sp. Atk:​ 55	103 - 229​
Sp. Def: 75	139 - 273​
Speed: 20	40 - 152​

Notable Moves

Physical - Body Press, Body Slam, Crunch, Earthquake, Facade, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Psychic Fangs, Seed Bomb, Tera Blast, Thief, Trailblaze, Wild Charge

Utility - Belly Drum, Counter, Endure, Protect, Rest, Stuff Cheeks, Substitute, Super Fang, Swords Dance

Introduction​

Well, we've finally reached it, haven't we? We're finally talking about Pokemon's embodiment of Peter Griffin from Family Guy... but in OU? Really? The ZU squirrel? There are surely better Belly Drum users out there, right? Of course, but we're not using Belly Drum Greedent, so that's irrelevant. We're instead going to talk about a very disruptive set that functions similarly to Se Jun Park's famous Pachirisu set but with different advantages that suit a non-doubles meta far better. Greedent is a Pokemon with some surprisingly powerful benefits in the OU meta, thanks to the addition of Tera and an environment that is especially kind to it. So, without wasting more time on words even fluffier than Greedent's fuzzy coat, let's jump right in!

View attachment 491984
Summarized Advantages of Greedent in OU:
This is a "too long, didn't read" section for people who don't want to read a literal essay-length explanation of Greedent's qualities.​

• Greedent has unique role compression as a physical utility disruptor wall thanks to a unique movepool, ability, solid 120/95/75 bulk, situational typing, and Tera's ability to change that typing when needed.
• Greedent's niche comes from its ability to disrupt problematic OU team synergies in the early-mid game, allowing Pokemon on your team to have an easier time preparing for the late-game cleanup.
• Greedent dismantles specific team cores and acts as a bane to stall-heavy teams thanks to its ability to stall reliably with proper support. In addition, it opens up holes for you to switch in Pokemon that otherwise have a more difficult time reaching the playing field consistently.
• Greedent's Normal typing allows it to hard check or even counter specific meta sets such as the Nasty Plot, Hex, T-Wave, and Recover variant of Defensive Gholdengo (which cannot damage it at all and paralyzing Greedent means it cannot be Burned or Poisoned, Greedent does not care about the Speed Drop for obvious reasons).
• Greedent's ability Cheek Pouch combined with Stuff Cheeks means that it's very easy to get a +2 Defense and +1 Special Defense up while recovering HP in a pinch; combined with Body Press and Super Fang, opponents can be hit from all spectrums regardless of their defensive profile.
• Super Fang means that Pokemon such as Dondozo and Garganacl cannot spam-boosting moves because of the low PP of Recover, and the Sleep Turns involved with Rest.
• In addition to the utility of Stuff Cheeks, Body Press, and Super Fang, Thief allows Greedent to steal an opposing item once the berry is consumed, meaning that common switch-ins like Dragapult will lose their item.
• Greedent's bulk and immunity to Ghost typing are crucial in the current meta, and the ability to lure Fighting types by Terastallizing to Ghost-type in the mid-late game also acts in Greedent's favor. Additionally, Greedent's defensive prowess allows it to turn the tables on multiple Physical attackers quite quickly.

Disclaimer: Greedent is not easy to slap onto a team, as it requires teammates for support (great teammates will be explained later in the post), and it is NOT meant to be a sweeper. If you play to Greedent's strengths and think of it as a disruptor Pokemon meant to create vital opportunities for your other Pokemon while hitting unexpectedly hard, Greedent will serve your team very well!

Super Press Berry Disruptor

Greedent @ Apicot Berry
Ability: Cheek Pouch
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Super Fang
- Stuff Cheeks
- Thief

Offense Utility Breakdown​

So why does Greedent work? First, we're going to need to explain some things. Apicot Berry View attachment 491968 is a pinch berry that adds +1 Special Defense to whichever Pokemon consumes it. Thanks to Greedent's signature move Stuff Cheeks, it can consume Apicot Berry anytime it wants to, so why is this impressive? Stuff Cheeks instantly consumes the user's held berry, activating its effect and giving the user +2 Defense along with Apicot Berry's +1 Special Defense buff. This alone would be impressive, but Greedent's signature ability, Cheek Pouch, means that Greedent also recovers 1/3rd of its HP upon using a berry. Additionally, this frees up Greedent's item slot, allowing it to use Thief and steal an item such as Leftovers. Even if a Pokemon with Unaware or the ability to boost Defense switches in, it still loses 50% to Super Fang (we'll get into that), meaning that even boosting Pokemon don't want to tangle with Greedent for too long. With +2 Defense and Max Investment, Body Press can hit some Pokemon quite hard. Let's look at some damage calculations -

Body Press Damage Calculations
View attachment 491981

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 330-390 (88.9 - 105.1%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 186-219 (71.2 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Garganacl: 246-290 (60.8 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 228+ Def Garganacl: 188-222 (46.5 - 54.9%) -- 9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. -1 0 HP / 0 Def Great Tusk: 184-217 (49.5 - 58.4%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO (After Close Combat or Headlong Rush on non-Defensive variants)

252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 214-254 (74.8 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 428-504 (149.6 - 176.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Grimmsnarl: 218-257 (55.3 - 65.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 338-398 (104 - 122.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 264-312 (82.2 - 97.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 112 HP / 0 Def Kingambit: 528-624 (143 - 169.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Meowscarada: 208-246 (70.9 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Meowscarada: 414-488 (141.2 - 166.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Orthworm: 170-202 (49.4 - 58.7%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Quaquaval: 185-218 (59.4 - 70%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 408-482 (116.2 - 137.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-Wash: 106-125 (34.8 - 41.1%) -- 65.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 254-300 (49.4 - 58.3%) -- 66.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery​

These damage levels on their own would be impressive, but when combined with access to Super Fang, it reaches a new level. Super Fang lowers the opposing target's HP by half, meaning that Unaware doesn't stop Greedent from chunking a switch-in, and neither do opposing defensive boosts on either side. For example, even a +6 252 HP, 252 Def Impish Orthworm loses 50% from full HP thanks to Super Fang. It is because of the combined utility of a solid defensive presence, +2 Body Press, and Super Fang that Greedent applies pressure. With Super Fang, most of those 2HKOs become OHKOs or require a Pokemon to spam Recover, allowing opportunities for a switch-in. Even if Greedent is damaged too much on an attack to use Stuff Cheeks, it will still get the +1 Special Defense boost and recover 1/3rd of its HP, thanks to its ability. This means that Super Fang and Thief will still be crucial, and Body Press can still get some notable damage on frail threats even without +2.

Speaking of Thief, what about when you use your berry and no longer have an item to give you a match benefit? Greedent's access to Thief gives it a way to slightly chunk frail Ghost and Psychic types while stealing their item, crippling them for the match. Additionally, stealing the item can allow you to scout what possible moveset the opposing Pokemon has, giving you a strategic advantage.

Thief Damage Calculations
View attachment 491982

0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Armarouge: 84-100 (22.4 - 26.7%) -- 30.3% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 102-120 (28.8 - 33.8%) -- 0.8% chance to 3HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 102-120 (35 - 41.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 106-126 (33.4 - 39.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 88-104 (27.9 - 33%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gholdengo: 62-74 (16.4 - 19.5%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery (The defensive set that runs Hex as its only attacking move cannot damage Greedent pre-Terastallization)​

Additionally, Thief has 40PP, meaning it's going to be a lot harder for a Pokemon to stall out Greedent in the long run with the combination of Super Fang, Body Press, and a possible lack of passive recovery if Leftovers is stolen.

Defensive Utility Breakdown​

This is where things start getting fun! So now that we've analyzed what Greedent can do offensively combined with its utility, what about its defensive prowess? Greedent is bulky even before boosts, thanks to 120/95/75 base defensive stats, but after its boosts, it becomes an absolute chonk unit. Normal typing may not look like much, but having a Ghost immunity + only one weakness can be more beneficial than one might think and provides Greedent with crucial switch-in opportunities. Let's look at Greedent's defensive prowess with calculations for +2 Defense and +1 Special Defense to show just how beefy Greedent really is, especially on the Physical side. I'm also including calculations for Pokemon with abilities and moves that bypass Greedent's defense buffs to show that, even without the +2, it can survive quite a lot.

Physical Defense Calculations
View attachment 491983

252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Superpower vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 178-210 (40 - 47.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 79-94 (17.7 - 21.1%) -- possible 5HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Breloom Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 218-260 (49 - 58.5%) -- 98% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Technician Breloom Mach Punch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 110-132 (24.7 - 29.7%) -- 100% chance to 4HKO

252 Atk Libero Cinderace High Jump Kick vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 150-176 (33.7 - 39.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Corviknight Brave Bird vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 43-52 (9.6 - 11.7%) -- possible 9HKO
252+ Def Unaware Dondozo Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 16.3% chance to 3HKO

76 Atk Dragapult Dragon Darts (2 hits) vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 50-62 (11.2 - 13.9%) -- approx. possible 8HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Dragapult Dragon Darts (2 hits) vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 96-114 (21.6 - 25.6%) -- approx. 0.2% chance to 4HKO
+2 252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 91-108 (20.4 - 24.3%) -- guaranteed 5HKO

+2 252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 123-145 (27.7 - 32.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+2 4 Def Garganacl Body Press vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 108-128 (24.3 - 28.8%) -- 99.1% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Garganacl Salt Cure vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 16-21 (3.6 - 4.7%) -- possible 7HKO after Salt Cure

252 Atk Great Tusk Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 150-176 (33.7 - 39.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Great Tusk Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 222-264 (50 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Iron Treads Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 55-66 (12.3 - 14.8%) -- possible 7HKO
4 Atk Iron Valiant Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 122-146 (27.4 - 32.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Valiant Psyshock vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 46-55 (10.3 - 12.3%) -- possible 9HKO
+2 252 SpA Quark Drive Iron Valiant Psyshock vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 80-95 (18 - 21.3%) -- possible 5HKO

252+ Atk Supreme Overlord 5 allies fainted Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 88-105 (19.8 - 23.6%) -- possible 5HKO
+2 252+ Atk Supreme Overlord 5 allies fainted Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 175-207 (39.4 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Meowscarada Flower Trick vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent on a critical hit: 171-202 (38.5 - 45.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Quaquaval Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 138-164 (31 - 36.9%) -- 73% chance to 3HKO

252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Crunch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 67-79 (15 - 17.7%) -- possible 6HKO
+2 252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Crunch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 133-157 (29.9 - 35.3%) -- 21.5% chance to 3HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Scizor Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 160-190 (36 - 42.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Ting-Lu Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 87-103 (19.5 - 23.1%) -- possible 5HKO
0 Atk Ting-Lu Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 43-52 (9.6 - 11.7%) -- possible 9HKO​

As you can see, even banded STAB Super Effective Physical cannot reliably 2HKO Greedent, and neutral hits will generally bounce off Greedent, even pre-boost. Fighting-type moves are the only type of move super effective against Normal Greedent. With Shadow Ball and other moves being an easy switch-in opportunity for Greedent, its synergy with other threats on your team becomes very apparent. Speaking of synergy, Greedent's Special Defensive prowess isn't as impressive, but at +1, thanks to Apicot Berry, Greedent can live some surprisingly strong hits and get done what it needs to get done.

Special Defense Calculations
View attachment 491983

252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Draco Meteor vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 223-264 (50.2 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Gholdengo Focus Blast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 226-266 (50.9 - 59.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Gholdengo Focus Blast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 336-396 (75.6 - 89.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 169-199 (38 - 44.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 252-297 (56.7 - 66.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Glimmora Earth Power vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 83-98 (18.6 - 22%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Glimmora Power Gem vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 166-196 (37.3 - 44.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Glimmora Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 13.2% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Glimmora Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 196-232 (44.1 - 52.2%) -- 16.8% chance to 2HKO

252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 227-269 (51.1 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Dark Pulse vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 140-165 (31.5 - 37.1%) -- 81.3% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Iron Moth Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 139-165 (31.3 - 37.1%) -- 79% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Iron Moth Flamethrower vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 13.2% chance to 3HKO

252 SpA Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 124-147 (27.9 - 33.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 186-219 (41.8 - 49.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
8 SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 97-115 (21.8 - 25.9%) -- 3.2% chance to 4HKO
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 105-124 (23.6 - 27.9%) -- 87.5% chance to 4HKO

8 SpA Unaware Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 118-141 (26.5 - 31.7%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+1 8 SpA Unaware Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 178-211 (40 - 47.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Volcarona Fiery Dance vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 94-112 (21.1 - 25.2%) -- 0.1% chance to 4HKO
+1 0 SpA Volcarona Fiery Dance vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 142-168 (31.9 - 37.8%) -- 92.4% chance to 3HKO​

So while Greedent isn't as resilient on the Special side, it can still live some pretty gnarly hits, capitalize on the situation, and cripple or chunk an opposing Pokemon. The point of all these defensive calculations is to show that, even with the most potent hits in OU (some being super effective), Greedent has plenty of opportunities (with proper prediction) to switch in and either set up, chunk, or cripple an opposing Pokemon throughout the match. Early-mid-game advantages like this can determine how much pressure your opponent will feel in the late game without specific aspects of their team cores, and it should not be underestimated. Additionally, while it likely won't be Terastallizing often, Greedent's Tera-Type being set to Ghost provides some unique opportunities to throw off Pokemon attempting to prey on Greedent's one Fighting-type weakness and can effectively act as a lure.

View attachment 491984
Teammate Options​

Speaking of teammates, Greedent requires support to be used to the best of its capabilities, and some Pokemon are more suited to the job than others. So let's take a brief moment to talk about Greedent's teammate options!

Wish Support

Pokemon with Wish, such as Alomomola or Scream Tail, can help with Greedent's longevity issues once it consumes its berry (this is especially helpful if Greedent's Thief grabs an offensive item rather than Leftovers). Not only will this extend Greedent's ability to weave in and out of combat, but it will also frustrate your opponent's common Ghost-users, who cannot reliably spam Shadow Ball without risk.

Rapid Spin or Defog Support

​

Pokemon with Defog, such as Corviknight or Scizor, Rapid Spin users, such as Great Tusk or Forretress (underrated mon, by the way), or even Mortal Spin from Glimmora, can help to keep Greedent healthy due to its vulnerability to hazards. You have a lot more flexibility with this depending on your specific team composition!

Conclusion
View attachment 491986​

Greedent was frustrating to figure out at first; however, its impressive defensive capabilities and offensive utility can leave your opponent scrambling if you play to its strengths. I want to say that I love Gen 9 OU far more than quite a few previous generations, thanks to the flexibility in team building, and I hope it continues to flourish with the new additions soon to come in Pokemon Home and likely eventual DLC! Thank you all for reading!

Imma read this after I get home but it is incredible how you find niches for mons with frankly absurdly low stats. Kudos to you man.

 

[MaahirMomtaz12]

Greedent
View attachment 491944

“True to their name, Greedent are extremely greedy and gluttonous. Greedent constantly gathers Berries and stuffs them into its tail; it will run to gather Berries even if it's in the middle of a battle.” - Bulbapedia

"Man, all this talk about Corviknight is making me hungry for conversations about things that aren't Corviknight. Also, I'm sorry for the delay on this writeup for the people on Showdown asking about Greedent; it took a lot more playtesting than normal to finalize this set, and I'm working + in college + have other life commitments that make finding time to do these writeups quite difficult." - Morkal​

STAT	LEVEL 100 STAT RANGE
HP: 120	350 - 444​
Attack:​ 95	175 - 317​
Defense: 95	175 - 317​
Sp. Atk:​ 55	103 - 229​
Sp. Def: 75	139 - 273​
Speed: 20	40 - 152​

Notable Moves

Physical - Body Press, Body Slam, Crunch, Earthquake, Facade, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Psychic Fangs, Seed Bomb, Tera Blast, Thief, Trailblaze, Wild Charge

Utility - Belly Drum, Counter, Endure, Protect, Rest, Stuff Cheeks, Substitute, Super Fang, Swords Dance

Introduction​

Well, we've finally reached it, haven't we? We're finally talking about Pokemon's embodiment of Peter Griffin from Family Guy... but in OU? Really? The ZU squirrel? There are surely better Belly Drum users out there, right? Of course, but we're not using Belly Drum Greedent, so that's irrelevant. We're instead going to talk about a very disruptive set that functions similarly to Se Jun Park's famous Pachirisu set but with different advantages that suit a non-doubles meta far better. Greedent is a Pokemon with some surprisingly powerful benefits in the OU meta, thanks to the addition of Tera and an environment that is especially kind to it. So, without wasting more time on words even fluffier than Greedent's fuzzy coat, let's jump right in!

View attachment 491984
Summarized Advantages of Greedent in OU:
This is a "too long, didn't read" section for people who don't want to read a literal essay-length explanation of Greedent's qualities.​

• Greedent has unique role compression as a physical utility disruptor wall thanks to a unique movepool, ability, solid 120/95/75 bulk, situational typing, and Tera's ability to change that typing when needed.
• Greedent's niche comes from its ability to disrupt problematic OU team synergies in the early-mid game, allowing Pokemon on your team to have an easier time preparing for the late-game cleanup.
• Greedent dismantles specific team cores and acts as a bane to stall-heavy teams thanks to its ability to stall reliably with proper support. In addition, it opens up holes for you to switch in Pokemon that otherwise have a more difficult time reaching the playing field consistently.
• Greedent's Normal typing allows it to hard check or even counter specific meta sets such as the Nasty Plot, Hex, T-Wave, and Recover variant of Defensive Gholdengo (which cannot damage it at all and paralyzing Greedent means it cannot be Burned or Poisoned, Greedent does not care about the Speed Drop for obvious reasons).
• Greedent's ability Cheek Pouch combined with Stuff Cheeks means that it's very easy to get a +2 Defense and +1 Special Defense up while recovering HP in a pinch; combined with Body Press and Super Fang, opponents can be hit from all spectrums regardless of their defensive profile.
• Super Fang means that Pokemon such as Dondozo and Garganacl cannot spam-boosting moves because of the low PP of Recover, and the Sleep Turns involved with Rest.
• In addition to the utility of Stuff Cheeks, Body Press, and Super Fang, Thief allows Greedent to steal an opposing item once the berry is consumed, meaning that common switch-ins like Dragapult will lose their item.
• Greedent's bulk and immunity to Ghost typing are crucial in the current meta, and the ability to lure Fighting types by Terastallizing to Ghost-type in the mid-late game also acts in Greedent's favor. Additionally, Greedent's defensive prowess allows it to turn the tables on multiple Physical attackers quite quickly.

Disclaimer: Greedent is not easy to slap onto a team, as it requires teammates for support (great teammates will be explained later in the post), and it is NOT meant to be a sweeper. If you play to Greedent's strengths and think of it as a disruptor Pokemon meant to create vital opportunities for your other Pokemon while hitting unexpectedly hard, Greedent will serve your team very well!

Super Press Berry Disruptor

Greedent @ Apicot Berry
Ability: Cheek Pouch
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Super Fang
- Stuff Cheeks
- Thief

Offense Utility Breakdown​

So why does Greedent work? First, we're going to need to explain some things. Apicot Berry View attachment 491968 is a pinch berry that adds +1 Special Defense to whichever Pokemon consumes it. Thanks to Greedent's signature move Stuff Cheeks, it can consume Apicot Berry anytime it wants to, so why is this impressive? Stuff Cheeks instantly consumes the user's held berry, activating its effect and giving the user +2 Defense along with Apicot Berry's +1 Special Defense buff. This alone would be impressive, but Greedent's signature ability, Cheek Pouch, means that Greedent also recovers 1/3rd of its HP upon using a berry. Additionally, this frees up Greedent's item slot, allowing it to use Thief and steal an item such as Leftovers. Even if a Pokemon with Unaware or the ability to boost Defense switches in, it still loses 50% to Super Fang (we'll get into that), meaning that even boosting Pokemon don't want to tangle with Greedent for too long. With +2 Defense and Max Investment, Body Press can hit some Pokemon quite hard. Let's look at some damage calculations -

Body Press Damage Calculations
View attachment 491981

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 330-390 (88.9 - 105.1%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 186-219 (71.2 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Garganacl: 246-290 (60.8 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 228+ Def Garganacl: 188-222 (46.5 - 54.9%) -- 9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. -1 0 HP / 0 Def Great Tusk: 184-217 (49.5 - 58.4%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO (After Close Combat or Headlong Rush on non-Defensive variants)

252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 214-254 (74.8 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 428-504 (149.6 - 176.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Grimmsnarl: 218-257 (55.3 - 65.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 338-398 (104 - 122.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 264-312 (82.2 - 97.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 112 HP / 0 Def Kingambit: 528-624 (143 - 169.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Meowscarada: 208-246 (70.9 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Meowscarada: 414-488 (141.2 - 166.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Orthworm: 170-202 (49.4 - 58.7%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Quaquaval: 185-218 (59.4 - 70%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 408-482 (116.2 - 137.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-Wash: 106-125 (34.8 - 41.1%) -- 65.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Def Greedent Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 254-300 (49.4 - 58.3%) -- 66.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery​

These damage levels on their own would be impressive, but when combined with access to Super Fang, it reaches a new level. Super Fang lowers the opposing target's HP by half, meaning that Unaware doesn't stop Greedent from chunking a switch-in, and neither do opposing defensive boosts on either side. For example, even a +6 252 HP, 252 Def Impish Orthworm loses 50% from full HP thanks to Super Fang. It is because of the combined utility of a solid defensive presence, +2 Body Press, and Super Fang that Greedent applies pressure. With Super Fang, most of those 2HKOs become OHKOs or require a Pokemon to spam Recover, allowing opportunities for a switch-in. Even if Greedent is damaged too much on an attack to use Stuff Cheeks, it will still get the +1 Special Defense boost and recover 1/3rd of its HP, thanks to its ability. This means that Super Fang and Thief will still be crucial, and Body Press can still get some notable damage on frail threats even without +2.

Speaking of Thief, what about when you use your berry and no longer have an item to give you a match benefit? Greedent's access to Thief gives it a way to slightly chunk frail Ghost and Psychic types while stealing their item, crippling them for the match. Additionally, stealing the item can allow you to scout what possible moveset the opposing Pokemon has, giving you a strategic advantage.

Thief Damage Calculations
View attachment 491982

0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Armarouge: 84-100 (22.4 - 26.7%) -- 30.3% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 102-120 (28.8 - 33.8%) -- 0.8% chance to 3HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Ceruledge: 102-120 (35 - 41.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 106-126 (33.4 - 39.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 88-104 (27.9 - 33%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
0 Atk Greedent Thief vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gholdengo: 62-74 (16.4 - 19.5%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery (The defensive set that runs Hex as its only attacking move cannot damage Greedent pre-Terastallization)​

Additionally, Thief has 40PP, meaning it's going to be a lot harder for a Pokemon to stall out Greedent in the long run with the combination of Super Fang, Body Press, and a possible lack of passive recovery if Leftovers is stolen.

Defensive Utility Breakdown​

This is where things start getting fun! So now that we've analyzed what Greedent can do offensively combined with its utility, what about its defensive prowess? Greedent is bulky even before boosts, thanks to 120/95/75 base defensive stats, but after its boosts, it becomes an absolute chonk unit. Normal typing may not look like much, but having a Ghost immunity + only one weakness can be more beneficial than one might think and provides Greedent with crucial switch-in opportunities. Let's look at Greedent's defensive prowess with calculations for +2 Defense and +1 Special Defense to show just how beefy Greedent really is, especially on the Physical side. I'm also including calculations for Pokemon with abilities and moves that bypass Greedent's defense buffs to show that, even without the +2, it can survive quite a lot.

Physical Defense Calculations
View attachment 491983

252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Superpower vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 178-210 (40 - 47.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 79-94 (17.7 - 21.1%) -- possible 5HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Breloom Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 218-260 (49 - 58.5%) -- 98% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Technician Breloom Mach Punch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 110-132 (24.7 - 29.7%) -- 100% chance to 4HKO

252 Atk Libero Cinderace High Jump Kick vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 150-176 (33.7 - 39.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Corviknight Brave Bird vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 43-52 (9.6 - 11.7%) -- possible 9HKO
252+ Def Unaware Dondozo Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 16.3% chance to 3HKO

76 Atk Dragapult Dragon Darts (2 hits) vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 50-62 (11.2 - 13.9%) -- approx. possible 8HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Dragapult Dragon Darts (2 hits) vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 96-114 (21.6 - 25.6%) -- approx. 0.2% chance to 4HKO
+2 252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 91-108 (20.4 - 24.3%) -- guaranteed 5HKO

+2 252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 123-145 (27.7 - 32.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+2 4 Def Garganacl Body Press vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 108-128 (24.3 - 28.8%) -- 99.1% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Garganacl Salt Cure vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 16-21 (3.6 - 4.7%) -- possible 7HKO after Salt Cure

252 Atk Great Tusk Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 150-176 (33.7 - 39.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Great Tusk Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 222-264 (50 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Iron Treads Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 55-66 (12.3 - 14.8%) -- possible 7HKO
4 Atk Iron Valiant Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 122-146 (27.4 - 32.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Valiant Psyshock vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 46-55 (10.3 - 12.3%) -- possible 9HKO
+2 252 SpA Quark Drive Iron Valiant Psyshock vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 80-95 (18 - 21.3%) -- possible 5HKO

252+ Atk Supreme Overlord 5 allies fainted Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 88-105 (19.8 - 23.6%) -- possible 5HKO
+2 252+ Atk Supreme Overlord 5 allies fainted Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 175-207 (39.4 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Meowscarada Flower Trick vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent on a critical hit: 171-202 (38.5 - 45.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Quaquaval Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 138-164 (31 - 36.9%) -- 73% chance to 3HKO

252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Crunch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 67-79 (15 - 17.7%) -- possible 6HKO
+2 252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Crunch vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 133-157 (29.9 - 35.3%) -- 21.5% chance to 3HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Scizor Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 160-190 (36 - 42.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Ting-Lu Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 87-103 (19.5 - 23.1%) -- possible 5HKO
0 Atk Ting-Lu Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Greedent: 43-52 (9.6 - 11.7%) -- possible 9HKO​

As you can see, even banded STAB Super Effective Physical cannot reliably 2HKO Greedent, and neutral hits will generally bounce off Greedent, even pre-boost. Fighting-type moves are the only type of move super effective against Normal Greedent. With Shadow Ball and other moves being an easy switch-in opportunity for Greedent, its synergy with other threats on your team becomes very apparent. Speaking of synergy, Greedent's Special Defensive prowess isn't as impressive, but at +1, thanks to Apicot Berry, Greedent can live some surprisingly strong hits and get done what it needs to get done.

Special Defense Calculations
View attachment 491983

252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Draco Meteor vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 223-264 (50.2 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Gholdengo Focus Blast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 226-266 (50.9 - 59.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Gholdengo Focus Blast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 336-396 (75.6 - 89.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 169-199 (38 - 44.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 252-297 (56.7 - 66.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Glimmora Earth Power vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 83-98 (18.6 - 22%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Glimmora Power Gem vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 166-196 (37.3 - 44.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Glimmora Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 13.2% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Glimmora Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 196-232 (44.1 - 52.2%) -- 16.8% chance to 2HKO

252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 227-269 (51.1 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Dark Pulse vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 140-165 (31.5 - 37.1%) -- 81.3% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Iron Moth Sludge Wave vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 139-165 (31.3 - 37.1%) -- 79% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Iron Moth Flamethrower vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 132-156 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 13.2% chance to 3HKO

252 SpA Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 124-147 (27.9 - 33.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 186-219 (41.8 - 49.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
8 SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 97-115 (21.8 - 25.9%) -- 3.2% chance to 4HKO
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 105-124 (23.6 - 27.9%) -- 87.5% chance to 4HKO

8 SpA Unaware Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 118-141 (26.5 - 31.7%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+1 8 SpA Unaware Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 178-211 (40 - 47.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Volcarona Fiery Dance vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 94-112 (21.1 - 25.2%) -- 0.1% chance to 4HKO
+1 0 SpA Volcarona Fiery Dance vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Greedent: 142-168 (31.9 - 37.8%) -- 92.4% chance to 3HKO​

So while Greedent isn't as resilient on the Special side, it can still live some pretty gnarly hits, capitalize on the situation, and cripple or chunk an opposing Pokemon. The point of all these defensive calculations is to show that, even with the most potent hits in OU (some being super effective), Greedent has plenty of opportunities (with proper prediction) to switch in and either set up, chunk, or cripple an opposing Pokemon throughout the match. Early-mid-game advantages like this can determine how much pressure your opponent will feel in the late game without specific aspects of their team cores, and it should not be underestimated. Additionally, while it likely won't be Terastallizing often, Greedent's Tera-Type being set to Ghost provides some unique opportunities to throw off Pokemon attempting to prey on Greedent's one Fighting-type weakness and can effectively act as a lure.

View attachment 491984
Teammate Options​

Speaking of teammates, Greedent requires support to be used to the best of its capabilities, and some Pokemon are more suited to the job than others. So let's take a brief moment to talk about Greedent's teammate options!

Wish Support

Pokemon with Wish, such as Alomomola or Scream Tail, can help with Greedent's longevity issues once it consumes its berry (this is especially helpful if Greedent's Thief grabs an offensive item rather than Leftovers). Not only will this extend Greedent's ability to weave in and out of combat, but it will also frustrate your opponent's common Ghost-users, who cannot reliably spam Shadow Ball without risk.

Rapid Spin or Defog Support

​

Pokemon with Defog, such as Corviknight or Scizor, Rapid Spin users, such as Great Tusk or Forretress (underrated mon, by the way), or even Mortal Spin from Glimmora, can help to keep Greedent healthy due to its vulnerability to hazards. You have a lot more flexibility with this depending on your specific team composition!

Conclusion
View attachment 491986​

Greedent was frustrating to figure out at first; however, its impressive defensive capabilities and offensive utility can leave your opponent scrambling if you play to its strengths. I want to say that I love Gen 9 OU far more than quite a few previous generations, thanks to the flexibility in team building, and I hope it continues to flourish with the new additions soon to come in Pokemon Home and likely eventual DLC! Thank you all for reading!

Put this man on the OU Council

 

[awyp]

I think that all Speed Boost mons not named Sharpedo have been banned from a tier at one point. On a completely different note, does the usage of Tailwind make Stored Power stronger?

No it doesn't just actual stat changes.

 

[UnusualBoy]

Does anyone know which of these two pages is more reliable to see usage?

http://pucko.info/pokeStats?format=gen9ou&time=week

https://www.pikalytics.com/

I am seeing the usage in both and they're quite different like Pikalytics shows me Greninja with 6-7% while Pucko at almost 13%.

 

[Finchinator]

Gl rizz kings

 

[YNM]

View attachment 492136

Gl rizz kings

This is the most devious shit I've ever seen