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Physical Grass STAB does unkind things to stall teams, since half or more of the mons present can't take them, so if stall comes back you might see more Meowscarada. Grass STAB is otherwise much worse than pre-Home and Samurott-H is direct competition as a fast hazard setting lead with Knock Off.
Morkal, these posts are never not impressive, but do you have any replays to go with them? I adore Trick Room, I'd love to see Crabominable giving someone the JoJo treatment.
Trick Room - One of the most infamous playstyles in Pokemon due to its short time constraints + inconsistent play. However, what if I told you that, in this age of dire speed control destiny, Trick Room has some hidden, less explored options that can fit your team like a glove? This started out a while ago as a single Pokemon post but I decided - why not talk about all of the unique Pokemon I've been utilizing in the Trick Room archetype? So here we are. For those who don't know, Trick Room is a negative priority move that reverses turn order for five turns (the short and skinny - if Sonic the Hedgehog was a Pokemon, he would go from being Choice Scarf Deoxys-S to -6 Speed Paralyzed Glowking). So let's take a quick look at two unique offensive threats within Trick Room, along with a really neat Trick Room setter.
This Choice Specs set OHKOs or 2HKOs practically every single Pokemon in OU with only fringe sets having a chance to not be whomped down; that is not an exaggeration, that is actual fact. The following are damage calculations against every single Pokemon currently in OU.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Sludge Bomb vs. 116 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 400-472 (108.1 - 127.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Baxcalibur: 594-698 (160.1 - 188.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 224 HP / 0 SpD Cinderace: 420-496 (117.6 - 138.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Dragapult: 666-786 (175.2 - 206.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Enamorus: 313-370 (108.3 - 128%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Garchomp: 600-708 (142.8 - 168.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tera Ground Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Garganacl: 488-576 (120.7 - 142.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Gholdengo: 358-422 (94.7 - 111.6%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Glimmora: 792-932 (257.9 - 303.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Great Tusk: 872-1028 (200.9 - 236.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Hatterene: 324-382 (101.8 - 120.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 216+ SpD Heatran: 476-560 (123.3 - 145%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Hoopa-Unbound: 420-494 (115.7 - 136%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Moth: 612-720 (203.3 - 239.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Iron Treads: 442-522 (115.1 - 135.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Valiant: 788-930 (272.6 - 321.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Kingambit: 301-355 (88.2 - 104.1%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Mystical Fire vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Kingambit: 316-374 (92.6 - 109.6%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Kingambit: 380-448 (111.4 - 131.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 236 HP / 0 SpD Kingambit: 380-448 (95 - 112%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Landorus-Therian: 352-415 (110.3 - 130%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Pelipper: 348-411 (107.7 - 127.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Roaring Moon: 1036-1224 (295.1 - 348.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Samurott-Hisui: 744-876 (231.7 - 272.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Sandy Shocks: 378-446 (121.5 - 143.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tera Ground Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Slowking-Galar: 458-540 (116.2 - 137%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Sneasler: 313-370 (103.9 - 122.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Sneasler: 396-468 (131.5 - 155.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tera Ground Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 64 SpD Toxapex: 350-414 (115.1 - 136.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 116 HP / 0 SpD Volcanion: 362-428 (109.6 - 129.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Walking Wake: 612-720 (180.5 - 212.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Zamazenta: 468-552 (120.6 - 142.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Zapdos: 286-337 (89 - 104.9%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Mystical Fire vs. 252 HP / 84 SpD Amoonguss: 302-356 (69.9 - 82.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Clodsire: 238-282 (51.4 - 60.9%) -- 93.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tera Ground Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Clodsire: 356-422 (76.8 - 91.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tera Ground Enamorus-Therian Mystical Fire vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Corviknight: 314-370 (78.6 - 92.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Dondozo: 246-291 (48.8 - 57.7%) -- 53.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Dondozo: 372-438 (73.8 - 86.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 144 HP / 0 SpD Multiscale Dragonite: 262-310 (72.9 - 86.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Garganacl: 326-384 (80.6 - 95%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Hoopa-Unbound: 282-332 (77.6 - 91.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 236 HP / 0 SpD Kingambit: 301-355 (75.2 - 88.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Mystical Fire vs. 236 HP / 0 SpD Kingambit: 316-374 (79 - 93.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-Therian: 316-373 (82.7 - 97.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 244+ SpD Rotom-Wash: 181-214 (59.5 - 70.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Slowking-Galar: 306-360 (77.6 - 91.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar: 168-198 (42.6 - 50.2%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tera Ground Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar: 252-296 (63.9 - 75.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Vessel of Ruin Ting-Lu: 330-390 (64.2 - 75.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 64 SpD Toxapex: 234-276 (76.9 - 90.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Toxapex: 164-194 (54.1 - 64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tera Ground Enamorus-Therian Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Toxapex: 246-290 (81.1 - 95.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 116 HP / 0 SpD Ursaluna: 316-373 (73.4 - 86.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after burn damage
252+ SpA Choice Specs Enamorus-Therian Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Zapdos: 288-339 (75 - 88.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Additionally, Enamorus-Therian has a respectable defensive profile with solid 74/110/100 bulk further complemented by a typing that's immune to one of Great Tusk's STABs (Ground), quadruple resists the other STAB (Fighting), resists Dark (Crunch, Knock Off, Sucker Punch), Bug (U-Turn), and Grass (Grass Knot/Trailblaze). Hatterene is a great choice for a Trick Room Fairy special attacker - but its lack of a Sucker Punch resist (instead it's unfortunately neutral to it), lack of Earth Power/Sludge Bomb coverage, worse 57/95/103 bulk, and neutrality to Ground moves rather than an immunity means that it simply can't fulfill a lot of the same roles on Trick Room that Enamorus-Therian can. Enamorus-Therian's ability Overcoat, while not being as good as Magic Bounce, can still prevent Enamorus-Therian from being hit by Spore, Sleep Powder, or Sandstorm chip. Trick Room is where Enamorus-Therian and its bulky and slow monstrous power shine.
Crabominable View attachment 534998 Stats: 97/132/77/62/67/43 Typing: Ice/Fighting Role:Bulky Set Up Sweeper
Crabominable @ Protective Pads
Ability: Iron Fist
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
Crambominable is a phenomenal setup sweeper with an absolutely fantastic (and entirely unique) offensive STAB typing that nails the following OU Pokemon super effectively Amoonguss, Baxcalibur, Clodsire, Dragapult, Dragonite, Enamorus, Garchomp (4x), Garganacl, Great Tusk, Heatran, Iron Treads, Kingambit (4x), Landorus-Therian (4x), Roaring Moon (Both STABS), Samurott-Hisui, Sandy Shocks, Ting-Lu (Both STABS), Ursaluna (Both STABS), and Zapdos. Additionally, both of its STABS are boosted further by Iron Fist (allowing Drain Punch to actually help Crabominable's longevity and allowing it to utilize Protective Pads). Access to Bulk Up with Drain Punch and Ice Punch alone is fantastic but with Tera Electric STAB Thunder Punch with Iron Fist, Crabominable is now able to hit Azumarill, Corviknight, Dondozo, Pelipper (4x), Toxapex, and Volcanion for super effective damage. Tera Electric also has the benefit of cleaning up Crabominable's lackluster defensive typing - turning its former Flying and Steel weaknesses into new resistances, providing for great bait opportunities, along with a nifty new Electric resistance + newfound neutralities to former weaknesses such as Fighting, Fire, Psychic, and Fairy type attacks.
So how powerful is Crabominable, what do those super effective hits mean? For reference - Crabominable's base attack stat of 132 is a point higher than Great Tusk, two points higher than Garchomp, Iron Valiant, Sneasler, and Scizor. The frosty crab hurts - don't sleep on it. Here are some relevant calculations to show you just how hard those super-effective attacks can hurt.
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 172+ Def Amoonguss: 320-380 (74 - 87.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 172+ Def Amoonguss: 482-570 (111.5 - 131.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 116 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 262-310 (70.8 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Tera Electric Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 116 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 392-464 (105.9 - 125.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 354-416 (95.4 - 112.1%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 524-620 (141.2 - 167.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Clodsire: 488-576 (105.3 - 124.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 152-180 (38 - 45.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Iron Fist Tera Electric Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 228-270 (57.1 - 67.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Iron Fist Tera Electric Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Dondozo: 288-342 (57.1 - 67.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Iron Fist Tera Electric Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Dondozo: 216-254 (42.8 - 50.3%) -- 1.6% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 416-492 (109.4 - 129.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Multiscale Dragonite: 338-402 (104.6 - 124.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 144 HP / 0 Def Multiscale Dragonite: 342-404 (95.2 - 112.5%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Enamorus: 440-518 (152.2 - 179.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Enamorus: 294-346 (101.7 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 684-808 (162.8 - 192.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Garganacl: 210-248 (51.9 - 61.3%) -- 95.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Garganacl: 314-372 (77.7 - 92%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Great Tusk: 258-306 (69.5 - 82.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Great Tusk: 390-458 (105.1 - 123.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 312-368 (96.5 - 113.9%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 312-368 (80.8 - 95.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 468-552 (121.2 - 143%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 282-332 (87.8 - 103.4%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 282-332 (73.4 - 86.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Iron Treads: 420-494 (109.3 - 128.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 236 HP / 0 Def Kingambit: 564-664 (141 - 166%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 236 HP / 0 Def Tera Flying Kingambit: 282-332 (70.5 - 83%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 236 HP / 0 Def Tera Flying Kingambit: 420-494 (105 - 123.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 248+ Def Landorus-Therian: 508-600 (132.9 - 157%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Pelipper: 316-372 (97.8 - 115.1%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Tera Electric Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Pelipper: 472-556 (146.1 - 172.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 434-512 (123.6 - 145.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 434-512 (123.6 - 145.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Samurott-Hisui: 392-464 (122.1 - 144.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Samurott-Hisui: 262-310 (81.6 - 96.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Tera Electric Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Samurott-Hisui: 392-464 (122.1 - 144.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Sandy Shocks: 338-398 (108.6 - 127.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 270-320 (52.5 - 62.2%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Ting-Lu: 404-476 (78.5 - 92.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 192+ Def Toxapex: 122-144 (40.1 - 47.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Iron Fist Tera Electric Crabominable Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 192+ Def Toxapex: 182-216 (59.8 - 71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 116 HP / 0 Def Ursaluna: 314-372 (73 - 86.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after burn damage
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 116 HP / 0 Def Ursaluna: 314-372 (73 - 86.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after burn damage
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Drain Punch vs. 116 HP / 0 Def Ursaluna: 470-554 (109.3 - 128.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 116 HP / 0 Def Ursaluna: 470-554 (109.3 - 128.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zapdos: 374-444 (116.5 - 138.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 104 Def Zapdos: 336-396 (87.5 - 103.1%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Crabominable Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 104 Def Zapdos: 498-588 (129.6 - 153.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
As with Enamorus-Therian, nothing likes switching into Crabominable, just for a different reason this time around. If you're looking for a powerful Ice/Fighting-type Physical Trick Room attacker, look no further than our Alolan Frosty Boi.
Quite possibly one of the most unique Pokemon I've ever used in any competitive metagame - Rabsca is incredible for four main reasons:
It has the unparalleled role compression of Revival Blessing and Trick Room with Recover for additional longevity.
With Leppa Berry, Rabsca can revive two of your Pokemon in a single match - for example; lost your Trick Room Hatterene? Bring it back - lost your Great Tusk? Bring it back!
Bug/Psychic may seem like an underwhelming defensive typing, but it has specific strong qualities including resisting both of Great Tusks's STAB attacks, along with Grass and Psychic-type attacks.
Tera Fairy allows Rabsca to survive unexpected Dark-type attacks in a pinch, completely blank Dragon-type attacks, and gain newfound neutrality to Ghost attacks instead of a weakness.
Rabsca can keep itself healthy somewhat easily and is bulky enough to take advantage of Recover as an option. Rabsca won't be attacking most of the time, but with 120 SpA and a Quiet nature it reaches 325, which is notable enough with STAB to reach some important damage benchmarks in a pinch, along with some critical OHKOs against Pokemon like Glimmora, Great Tusk, Iron Valiant, and Sneasler.
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 252 HP / 84 SpD Amoonguss: 290-344 (67.1 - 79.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Cinderace: 169-199 (56.1 - 66.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Clodsire: 192-228 (41.4 - 49.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Dragapult: 169-199 (53.3 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Enamorus: 160-189 (55.3 - 65.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Glimmora: 320-378 (104.2 - 123.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Great Tusk: 444-524 (102.3 - 120.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Iron Moth: 246-290 (81.7 - 96.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Valiant: 402-474 (139.1 - 164%) -- guaranteed OHKO
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Sneasler: 640-760 (212.6 - 252.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 252 HP / 64 SpD Toxapex: 188-224 (61.8 - 73.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
120+ SpA Rabsca Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Zamazenta: 236-282 (72.6 - 86.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
As for Rabsca's defenses; it can survive far more than you would expect - let's take a look at those calculations as well.
0 SpA Amoonguss Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 75-88 (21.1 - 24.8%) -- guaranteed 5HKO
0 Atk Clodsire Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 48-57 (13.5 - 16.1%) -- possible 7HKO
0 Atk Dondozo Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 105-124 (29.6 - 35%) -- 15.3% chance to 3HKO
252+ Def Dondozo Body Press vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 25-29 (7 - 8.1%) -- possibly the worst move ever
252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 288-338 (81.3 - 95.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Tera Fairy Rabsca: 144-169 (40.6 - 47.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 70-83 (19.7 - 23.4%) -- possible 5HKO
252+ Atk Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 113-133 (31.9 - 37.5%) -- 91% chance to 3HKO
0 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 77-91 (21.7 - 25.7%) -- 1.6% chance to 4HKO
252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 93-111 (26.2 - 31.3%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 Atk Great Tusk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 56-66 (15.8 - 18.6%) -- possible 6HKO
252 Atk Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 113-133 (31.9 - 37.5%) -- 91% chance to 3HKO
0 SpA Heatran Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 35-42 (9.8 - 11.8%) -- possible 9HKO
0 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 236-282 (66.6 - 79.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after trapping damage
252 Atk Choice Band Hoopa-Unbound Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 131-154 (37 - 43.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Hoopa-Unbound Hyperspace Fury vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tera Fairy Rabsca: 164-193 (46.3 - 54.5%) -- 59% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Hoopa-Unbound Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Tera Fairy Rabsca: 105-123 (29.6 - 34.7%) -- 11.7% chance to 3HKO
132 SpA Iron Moth Fiery Dance vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 222-264 (62.7 - 74.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
132 SpA Iron Moth Fiery Dance vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Tera Fairy Rabsca: 111-132 (31.3 - 37.2%) -- 81.2% chance to 3HKO
252 Atk Iron Treads Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 84-99 (23.7 - 27.9%) -- 90.9% chance to 4HKO
252 Atk Iron Treads Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 135-160 (38.1 - 45.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Iron Valiant Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 56-66 (15.8 - 18.6%) -- possible 6H
252 SpA Iron Valiant Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 81-96 (22.8 - 27.1%) -- 52.1% chance to 4HKO
252 SpA Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 129-153 (36.4 - 43.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tera Fairy Rabsca: 90-106 (25.4 - 29.9%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252+ Atk Kingambit Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 169-201 (47.7 - 56.7%) -- 86.7% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Kingambit Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tera Fairy Rabsca: 74-87 (20.9 - 24.5%) -- guaranteed 5HKO
0 Atk Landorus-Therian Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 84-100 (23.7 - 28.2%) -- 94.4% chance to 4HKO
252 Atk Landorus-Therian Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 102-120 (28.8 - 33.8%) -- 0.9% chance to 3HKO
0 SpA Pelipper Surf vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca in Rain: 123-145 (34.7 - 40.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Pelipper U-turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 68-80 (19.2 - 22.5%) -- possible 5HKO
252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 85-100 (24 - 28.2%) -- 96.4% chance to 4HKO
252 Atk Protosynthesis Roaring Moon Crunch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tera Fairy Rabsca: 102-120 (28.8 - 33.8%) -- 1.4% chance to 3HKO
252 Atk Roaring Moon Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tera Fairy Rabsca: 145-171 (40.9 - 48.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 109-129 (30.7 - 36.4%) -- 54.3% chance to 3HKO
252+ SpA Sandy Shocks Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 67-80 (18.9 - 22.5%) -- possible 5HKO
252+ SpA Sandy Shocks Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 105-124 (29.6 - 35%) -- 15.3% chance to 3HKO
120 SpA Slowking-Galar Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 103-123 (29 - 34.7%) -- 7.1% chance to 3HKO
120 SpA Slowking-Galar Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 138-164 (38.9 - 46.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Sneasler Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 61-72 (17.2 - 20.3%) -- possible 5HKO
252+ Atk Sneasler Dire Claw vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 165-195 (46.6 - 55%) -- 66.4% chance to 2HKO
0 Atk Ting-Lu Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 67-79 (18.9 - 22.3%) -- possible 5HKO
252+ Atk Guts Ursaluna Headlong Rush vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 195-230 (55 - 64.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
244 SpA Choice Specs Walking Wake Hydro Steam vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 166-196 (46.8 - 55.3%) -- 71.1% chance to 2HKO
244 SpA Choice Specs Walking Wake Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 270-318 (76.2 - 89.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
88 Def Zamazenta Body Press vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 30-35 (8.4 - 9.8%) -- possibly the worst move ever
0 Atk Zamazenta Crunch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rabsca: 156-184 (44 - 51.9%) -- 14.1% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 126-148 (35.5 - 41.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Zapdos Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 136 SpD Rabsca: 146-172 (41.2 - 48.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Rabsca can deal out some damage, take some serious damage, revive up to two teammates (almost always at least one teammate), and set up Trick Room for your team. It's a unique slot that no other Pokemon has the capability of fulfilling and is more than worthy of consideration for your next Trick Room team.
So to wrap this short Trick Room post up, I thought I'd ask you all some questions!
- Have you been using Trick Room lately, have you fought against Trick Room lately?
- If the answer to the first question is yes, what are some of your favorite Pokemon to run on your Trick Room teams?
- If the answer to the second question is yes, what Pokemon have you found to be particularly hard for you to handle on opposing Trick Room teams?
- How do you feel about Double Condition Trick Room teams (for example; Hazard Stacking + TR, Weather + TR, TR Stall, etc)?
Awesome post bro, Trick Room is severely underrated as a strat. Personally, I found it tricky to deal with trick room Torkoal with Eruption. After like 10+ consecutive losses to that strat I learned to adapt, but it’s very good at punishing players who don’t know it. This maybe could pair well with Skeledirge, it’s slow and gets sun boosted Torch Song. Trick room is pretty cool tbh.
Also, we need Regional Grimmsnarl with the Taunt Ability and Hatterenne with the Trick Room Ability, both have Steel-Type instead of Fairy.
I would like to mention how much I like being on these forums, I got into pokemon around the time the isle of armor got released and have been a fan since. Which is partially why gen 8 is the most interesting gen to me and the one i continue to visit in thread cryogenics, so I too could experience people’s first reactions to the generation I adore. But gen 9 is important in that it is the first new gen i get to experience as a fan. And i have been lurking around in all the tiers to see people theorize and converse, it is one of the best parts about smogon. I call it the true pokemon forums despite it being it’s own entity. I might not play much since I am not that great and the only tier i ever did decent in was gen 8 ubers pre tundra and nat dex ag where i reached like 2k points with a team full of groudons. But I digress, if i was some extremely rich person i would try to make these smogon tournaments way bigger but still try to keep it on showdown, to maybe show new people the excitement i feel over clever plays with pngs of pokemon. And for people theorize even deeper and come up with new trends. This gen especially interests me since zamazenta stayed ou and I am more of an ubers player at heart but seeing a boxart in ou intrigues me. My main point is, I love these forums regardless of bad takes and arguing. Everything is so frequent, it is basically a live chatroom for more nerdy than average pokemon fans. And even if I somehow got into vgc and kinda left this behind I would never forget it and you may still in a couple of years, see me lurking in the gen 8 thread cryogenics like I have been. A huge shoutout to the staff here on smogon and off course all the users and guests who keeps it all afloat. Cyrt (also if i missed words and misspelled and had grammar errors, i wrote this at almost 3 am my time so sorry about that but i wanted to get these words out.)
I would like to mention how much I like being on these forums, I got into pokemon around the time the isle of armor got released and have been a fan since. Which is partially why gen 8 is the most interesting gen to me and the one i continue to visit in thread cryogenics, so I too could experience people’s first reactions to the generation I adore. But gen 9 is important in that it is the first new gen i get to experience as a fan. And i have been lurking around in all the tiers to see people theorize and converse, it is one of the best parts about smogon. I call it the true pokemon forums despite it being it’s own entity. I might not play much since I am not that great and the only tier i ever did decent in was gen 8 ubers pre tundra and nat dex ag where i reached like 2k points with a team full of groudons. But I digress, if i was some extremely rich person i would try to make these smogon tournaments way bigger but still try to keep it on showdown, to maybe show new people the excitement i feel over clever plays with pngs of pokemon. And for people theorize even deeper and come up with new trends. This gen especially interests me since zamazenta stayed ou and I am more of an ubers player at heart but seeing a boxart in ou intrigues me. My main point is, I love these forums regardless of bad takes and arguing. Everything is so frequent, it is basically a live chatroom for more nerdy than average pokemon fans. And even if I somehow got into vgc and kinda left this behind I would never forget it and you may still in a couple of years, see me lurking in the gen 8 thread cryogenics like I have been. A huge shoutout to the staff here on smogon and off course all the users and guests who keeps it all afloat. Cyrt (also if i missed words and misspelled and had grammar errors, i wrote this at almost 3 am my time so sorry about that but i wanted to get these words out.)
the fact that he hasn't been mentioned in several dozen pages means he is definitely not goofing around like usual. he was at 13.2% usage in june and it's only gonna get worse for him when gliscor comes back. i have absolutely no sympathy for his ugly ass (or toxapex's, for that matter)
If he gets knock off and defog back hes probably set to reclaim his throne, or at least share it with tusk. I find his pivoting ability and defensive value to generally be superior to Tusk's, but in such a hazard-heavy meta without many removers it's hard to compete.
I think it's still decent, but Tusks is just too good and better pick for most teams. Losing Toxic/Knock was a massive blow to Lando's consistency since between that and EQ, it threatened everything. Defensive sets can do very little vs the abundance of fliers in the tier and feels much more passive. Offensive sets are still solid, mainly Scarf, but imo they are outshined by Tusk which has Knock, spin for utility and speed boosting, and and Ice Spinner, which is a better and more reliable move than Lando's Stone Edge / Tera Blast. Overall, it wasn't hurt as much by the nerfs when compared to Torn-T (which was massacred) but it's not the same S-tier pick it was in SS.
the fact that he hasn't been mentioned in several dozen pages means he is definitely not goofing around like usual. he was at 13.2% usage in june and it's only gonna get worse for him when gliscor comes back. i have absolutely no sympathy for his ugly ass (or toxapex's, for that matter)
Lol. LandoT is comfortably enjoying a good amount of usage, especially in WCOP, in spite of the claims it wouldn't be very good anymore due to move cuts. It's doing just fine.
Lol. LandoT is comfortably enjoying a good amount of usage, especially in WCOP, in spite of the claims it wouldn't be very good anymore due to move cuts. It's doing just fine.
lando-t dropped from 42% at the end of gen 8 to 13% now. in the entire existence of the damn thing it's never been this low. 13% might be comfortable for an average mon, sure, but it's a massive loss for lando. it's like a billionaire being forced to live on an average person's salary (which, if it was a tv show, i would absolutely watch)
Honest to God, never bothered to play with it this gen. Never had room for it, since the best it can really do is set rocks and apply pressure. Tusk does it job way better now.
I think it's still decent, but Tusks is just too good and better pick for most teams. Losing Toxic/Knock was a massive blow to Lando's consistency since between that and EQ, it threatened everything. Defensive sets can do very little vs the abundance of fliers in the tier and feels much more passive. Offensive sets are still solid, mainly Scarf, but imo they are outshined by Tusk which has Knock, spin for utility and speed boosting, and and Ice Spinner, which is a better and more reliable move than Lando's Stone Edge / Tera Blast. Overall, it wasn't hurt as much by the nerfs when compared to Torn-T (which was massacred) but it's not the same S-tier pick it was in SS.
I think the Tusk competition is a major point to be noted for Lando-T's drop-off. I don't know how high Lando's usage was in SM, but his memetic 40%+ usage in SS seems in part a result of some major absences in that Meta due to Dexit: the SpD/Defensive sets in general gained a lot of value because they filled a role Gliscor wasn't around to occupy, for example, which added to Lando's list of "unique" role compression combos.
Besides the roles he loses out on, the ones he retained in Gen 9 simply have a lot more options, which also bring very important utility that he does not. Most famous is Tusk as a Bulky Physical Blanket Check Ground-Type, who also serves as the top Hazard control (out of like 3 options) in OU, but besides that we also have Glowking (Bulky Pivot and with significant resists like Fighting), Gholdengo (hard-hitting "does a lot of shit" mon leaning hard on its typing and generally-good Statline more than a specialization), Ting-Lu (a "too fat to care" Ground type tank without Recovery), and at a more abstract stuff like Samurott-H might count (Slow-ish Physical Attacker that has ways to force progress even when checked).
All of the above mons also bring something pretty important to the competing role over Lando (Glowing has Regenerator Longevity, Gholdengo protects Hazards, Ting-Lu can cover both defenses very well and has Ruination to avoid passivity against very bulky mons), so Lando-T went from being used to do everything to being used when you need a bunch of specific stuff done at once, which 13% usage is a good number for, but definitely bears out that it's not simply new toy syndrome, but Landorus's capability/offerring is fundamentally different this gen.
In that respect the DLC comes down to what he gets: we already know mons he competes with in roles like Gliscor are coming back, but restoring any one of his lost moves would IMMENSELY improve his performance: Pivoting Knock Off with Intimidate makes for extreme momentum generation in this Meta, Defog would restore an extremely useful Hazard removal option we're starving for, Toxic would give an out to Bulkier teams and punish certain checks (especially by Tera-users like Heatran shedding Ground Weakness but losing Poison immunity).
Gen 9 Landorus-T is what I to-myself call an "almost mon" in terms of being Meta: It has a lot of valuable traits but it's just missing... something to get itself in there (old or new), and in this case there are a lot of options for that "something"
I think the Tusk competition is a major point to be noted for Lando-T's drop-off. I don't know how high Lando's usage was in SM, but his memetic 40%+ usage in SS seems in part a result of some major absences in that Meta due to Dexit: the SpD/Defensive sets in general gained a lot of value because they filled a role Gliscor wasn't around to occupy, for example, which added to Lando's list of "unique" role compression combos.
Besides the roles he loses out on, the ones he retained in Gen 9 simply have a lot more options, which also bring very important utility that he does not. Most famous is Tusk as a Bulky Physical Blanket Check Ground-Type, who also serves as the top Hazard control (out of like 3 options) in OU, but besides that we also have Glowking (Bulky Pivot and with significant resists like Fighting), Gholdengo (hard-hitting "does a lot of shit" mon leaning hard on its typing and generally-good Statline more than a specialization), Ting-Lu (a "too fat to care" Ground type tank without Recovery), and at a more abstract stuff like Samurott-H might count (Slow-ish Physical Attacker that has ways to force progress even when checked).
All of the above mons also bring something pretty important to the competing role over Lando (Glowing has Regenerator Longevity, Gholdengo protects Hazards, Ting-Lu can cover both defenses very well and has Ruination to avoid passivity against very bulky mons), so Lando-T went from being used to do everything to being used when you need a bunch of specific stuff done at once, which 13% usage is a good number for, but definitely bears out that it's not simply new toy syndrome, but Landorus's capability/offerring is fundamentally different this gen.
In that respect the DLC comes down to what he gets: we already know mons he competes with in roles like Gliscor are coming back, but restoring any one of his lost moves would IMMENSELY improve his performance: Pivoting Knock Off with Intimidate makes for extreme momentum generation in this Meta, Defog would restore an extremely useful Hazard removal option we're starving for, Toxic would give an out to Bulkier teams and punish certain checks (especially by Tera-users like Heatran shedding Ground Weakness but losing Poison immunity).
Gen 9 Landorus-T is what I to-myself call an "almost mon" in terms of being Meta: It has a lot of valuable traits but it's just missing... something to get itself in there (old or new), and in this case there are a lot of options for that "something"
This analysis is pretty much spot on. Not having Knock, Defog, or Toxic has really hurt Lando-T to just being fringe use. However, there is one set I'd like to see experimented with; Nasty Plot. With 145/105/91 offensive stats, you could actually catch a number of Pokemon off guard with a surprise Nasty Plot into Earth Power. With Lando-T, you have a decent number of special attacks you can swing with. Earth Power, Extrasensory/Psychic, Grass Knot, Sandsear Storm, Sludge Bomb, Focus Miss, Tera Blast... Then if you REALLY want to go outside of the box, you can run a mixed set for EdgeQuake/QuakeSlide type coverage.
If I had to build them, my builds would probably be something like this:
the fact that he hasn't been mentioned in several dozen pages means he is definitely not goofing around like usual. he was at 13.2% usage in june and it's only gonna get worse for him when gliscor comes back. i have absolutely no sympathy for his ugly ass (or toxapex's, for that matter)
I think it's still decent, but Tusks is just too good and better pick for most teams. Losing Toxic/Knock was a massive blow to Lando's consistency since between that and EQ, it threatened everything. Defensive sets can do very little vs the abundance of fliers in the tier and feels much more passive. Offensive sets are still solid, mainly Scarf, but imo they are outshined by Tusk which has Knock, spin for utility and speed boosting, and and Ice Spinner, which is a better and more reliable move than Lando's Stone Edge / Tera Blast. Overall, it wasn't hurt as much by the nerfs when compared to Torn-T (which was massacred) but it's not the same S-tier pick it was in SS.
Losing knock off was a rip for torn-t, its only half the mon it once was without it as it can't really make as consistent progress. Its not downright terrible, but being just a decent OU adjacent mon is a far cry from the generation dominating menace it and lando once were. If it gets knock off tm though, its a free ticket back to OU for torn-t. Plot sets are still good, but it losing knock off makes it difficult to justify sometimes as a splashable wallbreaker due to all the misses. Definitely a mon that I could see coming in and out of OU though, and really while kinda awkward sometimes can still kinda work, but isn't consistent.
Lando kinda just misses out on being meta without knock off though.
I think above all, the "nerfs" to Pokemon like Torn-T, Lando-T, Heatran, etc. just shows how important Toxic and Knock were to let them make progress in otherwise unprogressable matchups. Without Toxic, Heatran can't just beat Slowking like it could in the past, Lando-T can't cripple Zapdos as easily, etc.
Earlier in the thread, when Home was just revealed, I boldly claimed Torn-T would be mid. I really was hoping that what I said was an exaggeration & I'd be proven wrong, but so far, that doesn't seem to be the case - Knock and Defog were just that intrinsic to its kit and without those, it has to rely on unreliable moves to make progress (which sometimes it won't be able to do). I did use Torn-T a bit and think it still has some cool options like Grass Knot, but it lost a great deal of its prior Utility that made it really consistent.
This is unrelated, but I think Tera is our replacement to wide-spread Toxic and Knock Off, in the sense that it lets a Pokemon make progress in an otherwise improgressible MUs. However, Tera being one-time use makes it high commitment compared to Toxic / Knock, which were more spammable tools last gen. I wonder if others share similar thoughts on the subject.
I think above all, the "nerfs" to Pokemon like Torn-T, Lando-T, Heatran, etc. just shows how important Toxic and Knock were to let them make progress in otherwise unprogressable matchups. Without Toxic, Heatran can't just beat Slowking like it could in the past, Lando-T can't cripple Zapdos as easily, etc.
Earlier in the thread, when Home was just revealed, I boldly claimed Torn-T would be mid. I really was hoping that what I said was an exaggeration & I'd be proven wrong, but so far, that doesn't seem to be the case - Knock and Defog were just that intrinsic to its kit and without those, it has to rely on unreliable moves to make progress (which sometimes it won't be able to do). I did use Torn-T a bit and think it still has some cool options like Grass Knot, but it lost a great deal of its prior Utility that made it really consistent.
This is unrelated, but I think Tera is our replacement to wide-spread Toxic and Knock Off, in the sense that it lets a Pokemon make progress in an otherwise improgressible MUs. However, Tera being one-time use makes it high commitment compared to Toxic / Knock, which were more spammable tools last gen. I wonder if others share similar thoughts on the subject.
In some ways, yes, but other ways no. Take a Pokemon like Skeledirge, for example. Even with my offensive Sub 3 Attacks breed, Tera wasn't used to necessarily "advance" a difficult match-up, it just made it better at doing it's job; Checking setup sweepers, and applying pressure from behind a Sub.
However, with something more offensively focused, Tera is either used for defensive utility (resist something that would nuke you), additional STAB coverage, or to give you a reliable STAB (in the case of mons like physical Pult and Houndstone.)
The EVs aren't optimal cuz I just wanted to test him out, but Taunt has been invaluable to stop a lot of switch ins that try to predict Lando switching out to cripple/start a set up, leaving them unable to do anything. (I have stopped plenty of Amonguss/Pex/Dragon Dance Bax like this.)
That being said, he still loses ultra hard to OTHER set up sweepers (Iron Valiant my detested) but I've been having fun! I try to use him over Tusk (cuz I fucking hate how the elephant looks and how everyone disses Iron Treads because of it) and leave hazard remover to the other COOLER ground elephant (Iron Treads for OU 10 months in a row lets do this!) and were doing fine!
Just don't ask how we do against Valiant/the stray Roaring Moon.
there's no confirmation of this, it's just theorymonning based on the fact that milotic looks like it's using scald in one of the trailers. that could mean any number of things—maybe milotic just gets scald as a level-up move now, or they fucked up and used an invalid milotic set while filming the trailer. it would be weird if they immediately walked back this generally well-received change, but then again, this is game freak we're talking about, they can't go 24 hours without finding some new and creative way to kick their competitive fanbase in the teeth
Very much viable. A solid breaker with a good mu against HO. It also is a rare check to Wake and broken ass Bax. As well as Knock + CC Valiant. It is a bit reliant on FS to break open common checks like Amoonguss or Pex, but its a strong option in this HO-slated meta.
@ Heavy-Duty Boots/Leftovers
