Metagame SV OU Metagame Discussion v3

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My bad for pointing out the uncomfortable truth. 19 bans yet still wondering why it is such a poor metagame based on OU survey results. I’ll try to stick to what makes people feel warm and fuzzy.
Tera isn't what broke Flutter Mane, Iron Bundle Palafin, Bloodmoon, Chi-Yu, Chien-Pao, Baxcalibur, Gliscor, and while a factor it was not the primary issue behind Espathra (yes it was made BROKEN by it but its playstyle is still BP style match-up fishing), Ogerpon-H, Magearna, Annihilape, DLC1 Roaring Moon, or Urshifu. You have 2 cases where we can say Tera was THE impetus for their removal with Volcarona and Regieleki. Also to check, do those 19 bans include Pokemon that were banned in a previous Gen and were found still banworthy this one such as Landorus-I and Spectrier (distinguished from Magearna because they were not deemed worth trying again in OU at all rather than tried and rebanned)?

Pointing out the ban quantity doesn't mean anything without demonstrating that Tera is definitely the reason these Pokemon became bad enough to remove, which is 1/4 of those I listed above being generous. Even if that is the case, repeatedly posting one liners to say "lol Tera bad why haven't we deleted it yet?", when Tera being controversial isn't even a remotely lukewarm take, doesn't do anything to make that case.

Let me grant that everything your posts say is reasonable and/or correct statements. You still are simply saying it over and over without making a case for a split topic, while instead condescending to or apologizing backhandedly to people who don't immediately affirm what you're saying (not simply agree or disagree, but replying to say your posts are correct and we should be acting now). With regards to Tera, I am not calling you wrong, I calling you an unproductive poster in the forum.
 
Tera isn't what broke Flutter Mane, Iron Bundle Palafin, Bloodmoon, Chi-Yu, Chien-Pao, Baxcalibur, Gliscor, and while a factor it was not the primary issue behind Espathra (yes it was made BROKEN by it but its playstyle is still BP style match-up fishing), Ogerpon-H, Magearna, Annihilape, DLC1 Roaring Moon, or Urshifu. You have 2 cases where we can say Tera was THE impetus for their removal with Volcarona and Regieleki. Also to check, do those 19 bans include Pokemon that were banned in a previous Gen and were found still banworthy this one such as Landorus-I and Spectrier (distinguished from Magearna because they were not deemed worth trying again in OU at all rather than tried and rebanned)?

Pointing out the ban quantity doesn't mean anything without demonstrating that Tera is definitely the reason these Pokemon became bad enough to remove, which is 1/4 of those I listed above being generous. Even if that is the case, repeatedly posting one liners to say "lol Tera bad why haven't we deleted it yet?", when Tera being controversial isn't even a remotely lukewarm take, doesn't do anything to make that case.

Let me grant that everything your posts say is reasonable and/or correct statements. You still are simply saying it over and over without making a case for a split topic, while instead condescending to or apologizing backhandedly to people who don't immediately affirm what you're saying (not simply agree or disagree, but replying to say your posts are correct and we should be acting now). With regards to Tera, I am not calling you wrong, I calling you an unproductive poster in the forum.
Deleting my previous post because this is a much more eloquent way of saying what I said. Look at how Srn argues against Tera. I may not agree with most of their points, but it’s very obvious that they have a deep understanding of the meta, and they argue based on their experience. Srn makes well thought out posts, not one liners that try to epically own the pro Tera point of view.
 
Tera = skillful? Hahahaha

Look at the amount of HO cheese on the ladder with people using early game Teras to bypass checks. This is the meta people wished for.

What is flexible and skillful about Manaphy laughing in face of Rillaboom? Or about Dragonite setting up on Dragapult? Or how about Garganacl walling Water Pokémon?

Yeah, real skillful metagame we have.

I’m not gonna comment on the others, but for Dnite. If you’re using Pult to check Dnite, I don’t know what to tell you, unless its Hexpult, which in that case, it shouldn't be able to setup on it. You burn it and threaten with Darts or pivot into something else.

I don’t think Dnite is anywhere near broken rn. Dnite has a big 4MSS, DD/E-Speed/EQ/Roost loses to Corv, Balloon Ghold, etc. Running Fire Punch over EQ means you miss out on potential KOs on Gambit, and you are easier to check with Tran, Garg, and Pult. Running both EQ and Fire Punch means the opponent can chip you down and you’re setup opportunities are limited. It also means you can’t use Dnite defensively throughout a match. Band Dnite is an underrated set but it also requires heavy hazard support and the obvious downside of being locked into a move.

Dnite also has notable checks

BU Tusk can usually 1v1 it aside from the rare Hurricane. Yes Ice Spinner exists but with Gliscor banned, it is less obligated to run it.

Hex Pult can eat a boosted hit and threaten with burns.

Balloon Tran can be preserved later on and burn Dnite in a pinch. It also walls the E-Speed/Fire Punch set.

Dozo and Skele are checks for obvious reasons.

Mandi easily 1v1s and threatens with Foul Play or Knock.

Garg can eat unboosted EQs and live EQ at +1, then it can Salt Cure it, especially useful vs non-Roost variants.

Mola can threaten with Scald burns and pivot into something else. Especially usual vs DD + Three Attacks.

ID Zama can 1v1 Dnite no problem outside of again, the rare Hurricane.

Sinistcha 1v1s even Fire Punch Dnite and Foul Plays it or threatens with burns while Strength Sapping its DD boosts.

These are just a couple Dnite checks. Dnite rn needs EQ cause of Tran’s popularity and nearly one shotting Gambit at +1 is just more reliable than Fire Punch while Roost lets it repeatedly check Wogre throughout a game. The meta has been keeping Dnite in check almost subconsciously. People slap Tusks, Dozo, Zama, and Garg onto teams cause of the other shit flying around.
 
sticky web still has the tier in a chokehold though, im not saying gholds unphased by one of his disciples catching a stray, but sticky web having a setter that isn’t a crappy zu “wall”, a literal meme mon or a wannabe lando thats sniped by stealth rock is one the main reasons people like me don’t think gholdengos good for the development of the tier, id be interested to see what others think though

I think a real question for the ban Gholdengo lobby is "at what point does a hazard become unhealthy?" Where is the dividing line? Sticky web comes off as a matchup fishing playstyle to me, and I would characterize grassy terrain "having the tier in a chokehold" much more than webs, a playstyle that usually doesn't phase what's left of balance and stall, and has a not great matchup vs grassy terrain. Why and how exactly does Gholdengo's spinblocking potential bring hazards to an unacceptable level, and where is the level of unacceptability? WHY and HOW are spikes broken? Are webs broken or are the Pokémon that benefit from them broken? We saw this before with the Gliscor ban, "we shouldn't ban Gliscor because other Pokémon will just use hazards," the rhetoric seems to me like there's a body of players (not saying that this is everyone) that believes hazards of any kind are unacceptable and will not be satisfied until they are a complete non-presence such as in VGC. In short, my question is, when and how does a hazard become broken?
 
I’m not gonna comment on the others, but for Dnite. If you’re using Pult to check Dnite, I don’t know what to tell you, unless its Hexpult, which in that case, it shouldn't be able to setup on it. You burn it and threaten with Darts or pivot into something else.

That is a strawman. I don’t know anyone using Pult to check Dnite. The point was that Tera enables Dragonite to choose a matchup with an offensive mon like Pult on the field, because it can type-flip at any moment to set up on it. Some feel these interactions are “healthy” and “fun.” To me, they have degraded the quality of play.
 
Let me grant that everything your posts say is reasonable and/or correct statements. You still are simply saying it over and over without making a case for a split topic, while instead condescending to or apologizing backhandedly to people who don't immediately affirm what you're saying (not simply agree or disagree, but replying to say your posts are correct and we should be acting now). With regards to Tera, I am not calling you wrong, I calling you an unproductive poster in the forum.

What exactly is the issue though? If someone brings up that Dragonite, Manaphy, or Kingambit are annoying as hell to face, and I point out that Tera contributes massively to their set up opportunities, that is a problem? Or that the ladder is dominated by nearly identical HO builds, utilizing the most common suspects, and setting up in the exact same fashion I mentioned? Not sure how any of that is condescending.

What isn’t cool is people in less kind words saying do not discuss Tera. Then resorting to name calling.

As for Gholdengo- Tera Ghost for sure contributes to bulky spread ability to spin block. It flat out walls tusk and treads. Tera has a noteworthy contribution in all of the suspect pokemon. I don’t foresee that changing any time soon. It is an exercise in whack a mole.
 
What exactly is the issue though? If someone brings up that Dragonite, Manaphy, or Kingambit are annoying as hell to face, and I point out that Tera contributes massively to their set up opportunities, that is a problem? Or that the ladder is dominated by nearly identical HO builds, utilizing the most common suspects, and setting up in the exact same fashion I mentioned? Not sure how any of that is condescending.
The issue is not bringing up to Tera to point out how it contributes to these mons. It is the insistence that every single conversation be brought back to Tera, and that Tera is the reason we have to ban so much stuff when in reality the bans have been due to a combination of factors like the smaller dex and insane powercreep and Tera is at most responsible for three bans out of nineteen. pika pal up there made a great post about Gholdengo explaining how it doesn't need Tera to have the metagame in a chokehold. It is unproductive because you only post to bring everyone's attention to Tera regardless of its relevancy to the conversation or how right you are when you say something is broken because of Tera. You aren't even wrong all the time. You're just a broken record that goes "what about Tera" instead of meaningfully contributing to discussion.

Also, the reason people don't take you seriously and call you names is because your posts are always aggressive and rude, dismissing other people's opinions as whiny or ignorant if they aren't expressing complete agreement. To quote, "You aren't wrong, you're just an asshole."
 
Cheese string man is too meta warping for this tier let's not kid ourselves about this, even if we were to ban tera this Mon would still be promoting unhealthy hazard spam dynamics that warp the meta around it, not to mention it destroys stall to boot.

This is another case where Gliscor's ban provided a considerable Gholdengo nerf imo. Throughout the Gliscor meta Gholdengo forced Blissey to run subpar sets like Tera Dark CM Shadow Ball (which reliably beats Ghold once it's popped Trick) but now that Gliscor isn't the obvious Spikes/Ground slot, running Clodsire is not really a strain on the builder. If it's balloon this still requires something else to pop the balloon however. I'd say that the huge number of very powerful breakers, aided by STAB Tera, are the biggest problem for stall right now, along with a lack of status and knock off absorbers. Brokerpon as well as Rillabroken and the Gterrain Gang, most notably HEATRAN, are much bigger issues for stall in my opinion. Gholdengo can certainly be a challenge however, having to essentially sack a Mon to trick is what sucks most in my opinion
 
What exactly is the issue here? If someone brings up that Dragonite, Manaphy, or Kingambit are annoying as hell to face, and I point out that Tera contributes massively to their set up opportunities, that is a problem? Or that the ladder is dominated by nearly identical HO builds, utilizing the most common suspects, and setting up in the exact same fashion I mentioned? Not sure how any of that is condescending.

What isn’t cool is people in less kind words saying do not discuss Tera. Then resorting to name calling.

As for Gholdengo- Tera Ghost for sure contributes to bulky spread ability to spin block. It flat out walls tusk and treads. Tera has a noteworthy contribution in all of the suspect pokemon. I don’t foresee that changing any time soon. It is an exercise in whack a mole.
The issue is that people are already very much aware of what Tera does to the tier from playing and have likely already drawn their conclusions as to whether they think Tera needs more or less severe action. Also just saying "Tera does it" every time someone complains about one of these Pokemon isn't adding any new information or perspective, the majority of people playing will know what Tera contributes to their usage from having faced it or having to teambuild around it themselves.

The fact that Tera is going to be held off until DLC2 given the scale of its impact has already been made more than apparent, so at this point constantly saying "Tera, Tera, Tera" every time someone complains about a Pokemon (banworthy or just annoying) is not getting anything anywhere. Knowing we're going to have Tera as a mechanic for the foreseeable future, most people are doing what we usually do for Suspects and tiering around what we have now, not lobbying for a subsequent metagame or result while ignoring the immediate state (which many argue is a reason Kingambit didn't get banned in its Suspect despite the continued negative regard for its place in the Meta, ironically because Gambit without Tera MIGHT not be broken and they didn't want to have to fight to unban it after subsequent Tera action).

Not sure how any of that is condescending.
Pointing out Tera's impact might not be condescending, even if not particularly fruitful either with how often it's done and frequently just being.
"X Pokemon is really troubling to fight"
"Tera breaks another one."

What I do consider condescending is

This is the meta people wished for.
Yeah, real skillful metagame we have.
My bad for pointing out the uncomfortable truth.
I’ll try to stick to what makes people feel warm and fuzzy.
Because these statements do nothing to forward your point about Tera being unhealthy, merely to mock or discredit the position of users who did not fall in line with a Tera Ban before or the nebulous playerbase collective (as if you're a minority in thinking Tera is not in a healthy spot right now).


The issue is not bringing up to Tera to point out how it contributes to these mons. It is the insistence that every single conversation be brought back to Tera, and that Tera is the reason we have to ban so much stuff when in reality the bans have been due to a combination of factors like the smaller dex and insane powercreep and Tera is at most responsible for three bans out of nineteen. pika pal up there made a great post about Gholdengo explaining how it doesn't need Tera to have the metagame in a chokehold. It is unproductive because you only post to bring everyone's attention to Tera regardless of its relevancy to the conversation or how right you are when you say something is broken because of Tera. You aren't even wrong all the time. You're just a broken record that goes "what about Tera" instead of meaningfully contributing to discussion.

Also, the reason people don't take you seriously and call you names is because your posts are always aggressive and rude, dismissing other people's opinions as whiny or ignorant if they aren't expressing complete agreement. To quote, "You aren't wrong, you're just an asshole."
This even takes place within his reply to me by bringing Tera into my point about Gholdengo from a further back post that was unrelated to him and was even citing I think it's unhealthy without Tera, i.e. telling me "Tera makes it even more busted" doesn't contribute anything because my position on the mon would not be changed by the mechanic's presence or removal. If this was Kingambit where the mechanic can make the difference between banworthy and "just S Rank" then there would be relevance to its mention even if I don't think it's well elaborated, but that's not what is had here.
 
I'll bite: Broken checks broken is the mantra of OU. Therefore, all pokemon in OU are inherently broken, and don't belong in any tier other than OU. No more drops to UU ever again, #LockUpOU.

Memes aside,
:Dragonite: is strong. We all know this. I don't think this is any sort of outcry. I think it's an honest, correct opinion. Dragonite is clearly a powerful pokemon in this meta. It's currently hovering around "A tier" in the viability rankings for a reason. It had a 13.145% during the month of October, as the 15th most-used mon in the tier.
It's obviously strong, and everyone knows it. Would I say it's "broken"? Maybe, but there are easily far more problematic mons in the tier.
I won't waste time diving down that rabbit hole.
But it is interesting to observe that with so few checks and counters, maybe that's why the problem children are doubly viable.
The conventional Dragonite set is DD, Extreeeeemespeeeeed, EQ, and [filler].
If you want to beat Extremespam, you probably want something that resists or is immune to Extremespeed (:Kingambit: :Gholdengo: :Corviknight:) or have a higher priority move like Sucker Punch (:Kingambit:). There's a mind game here, because :Dragonite: also carries Earthquake for coverage on steel types. So what switches well into that? Well, obviously Flying types or air balloons who are immune (:Gholdengo: :Corviknight:).
I'm obviously glossing over a tremendous amount in this analysis, BUT I think this brings us to an interesting point: why is :Dragonite: carrying fire punch sometimes? It doesn't carry any innate STAB moves! One of the options was Ice Spinner, which was 4x answer to :Gliscor:, but with that gone, it mostly serves as a super-effective terrain removal against :Rillaboom:. However, it has the freedom to run coverage for Air Balloon :Gholdengo: and :Corviknight:, while also mantaining the coverage against the grass monkey and also to hit :Ribombee: (not a reason, but a nice little detail).

None of this is me saying "Ugh, :Dragonite: is actually the problem!!!"
I just think it's interesting to really analyze a pokemon that doesn't even want its stab.
> "If you want to beat Extremespam, you probably want something that (...) has a higher priority move like Sucker Punch (:Kingambit:)."
Have you ever even played gambit against dnite? Probably not, since you'd immediately find out that extreme speed makes sucker punch fail.

Your post also fails to acknowledge how bad corviknight is right now. It's a very predictable and exploitable wall whose only purpose is to check rillaboom, sneasler without sd (or switching in on it) and dnite without fire punch (no reason not to use it anymore). It really does not do much outside of that.
 
> "If you want to beat Extremespam, you probably want something that (...) has a higher priority move like Sucker Punch (:Kingambit:)."
Have you ever even played gambit against dnite? Probably not, since you'd immediately find out that extreme speed makes sucker punch fail.

Your post also fails to acknowledge how bad corviknight is right now. It's a very predictable and exploitable wall whose only purpose is to check rillaboom, sneasler without sd (or switching in on it) and dnite without fire punch (no reason not to use it anymore). It really does not do much outside of that.
You're absolutely correct, I have never once used Kingambit against Dragonite, nor vice versa.
I didn't realize that Sucker Punch was only Priority speed 1 (I just checked, I thought it was tied with Espeed at priority 2). So my point there is wrong.
I also don't have anywhere near enough experience with Corv to speak to where it is in the current meta, so I'll take your word for it.
I was just including it, since it is 1. a steel type that resists Espeed and 2. Immune to EQ.
Plain and simple, i just wanted to acknowledge that Corv exists as a blanket mention so that I wasn't only talking about :Kingambit: and :Gholdengo: in the same breath as :Dragonite:
There are plenty of other options, I'm sure. I just (as you pointed out) didn't really put much effort into my post other than saying some general words about what Dnite runs on the DD set.
 
You're absolutely correct, I have never once used Kingambit against Dragonite, nor vice versa.
I didn't realize that Sucker Punch was only Priority speed 1 (I just checked, I thought it was tied with Espeed at priority 2). So my point there is wrong.
Sucker Punch fails against any priority move, even other +1 moves, if the Sucker Punch user is slower. And if you're using Sucker Punch, it's because you're slow.
 
I'll bite: Broken checks broken is the mantra of OU.

You called this a joke but I genuinely agree with the sentiment. It's not lost to me that every "im not sure this Pokémon should be banned because the tier would become worse after it's gone" has been handwaved away by the users in this thread as "broken checks broken." Tera allows any Pokémon with a place in the tier to become very powerful and the best response to a threatening Tera is frequently your own Tera. Whenever we remove one of these broken threats from the tier something new becomes broken - for instance, once Sneasler is hopefully banned, Kingambit becomes much stronger. It's perfectly reasonable for people to start looking at Dragonite now as well. I believe it's important to recognize the role Tera has in magnifying virtually any OU threat to ridiculous levels, banworthy levels whose bans then make other Pokémon banworthy. Broken checks broken is just Gen 9 OU, and interestingly was not the case to this degree with any prior OU.

and before anyone hits me with, "but how can Tera make Pokémon be banworthy if flutter mane and Palafin were banned," take a look at the tier now and let me know which bans need to occur for complete balance to come
 
Okay, but tbh I've done this regarding Landorus-T no fewer than three times in my life. Like legit made a non-pokemon conversation into griping over Lando-T (this was a few generations ago, so watching Lando-T fall this gen has been therapeutic).
i have to admit, i've brought up kingambit in the middle of a very serious conversation with my psychiatrist (who, for the record, also thinks the mon is bullshit), so i'm guilty of that too
 
That is a strawman. I don’t know anyone using Pult to check Dnite. The point was that Tera enables Dragonite to choose a matchup with an offensive mon like Pult on the field, because it can type-flip at any moment to set up on it. Some feel these interactions are “healthy” and “fun.” To me, they have degraded the quality of play.

You know, when you call a Pokemon “broken” or “suspect-worthy” you should provide evidence and examples as to why it is broken. Like for example, what Tera is Dnite using to set up on on Pult? Cause I can tell you Pult isn’t clicking the Ghost move on the obvious Tera Normal.
 
You called this a joke but I genuinely agree with the sentiment. It's not lost to me that every "im not sure this Pokémon should be banned because the tier would become worse after it's gone" has been handwaved away by the users in this thread as "broken checks broken." Tera allows any Pokémon with a place in the tier to become very powerful and the best response to a threatening Tera is frequently your own Tera. Whenever we remove one of these broken threats from the tier something new becomes broken - for instance, once Sneasler is hopefully banned, Kingambit becomes much stronger. It's perfectly reasonable for people to start looking at Dragonite now as well. I believe it's important to recognize the role Tera has in magnifying virtually any OU threat to ridiculous levels, banworthy levels whose bans then make other Pokémon banworthy. Broken checks broken is just Gen 9 OU, and interestingly was not the case to this degree with any prior OU.

and before anyone hits me with, "but how can Tera make Pokémon be banworthy if flutter mane and Palafin were banned," take a look at the tier now and let me know which bans need to occur for complete balance to come

This gets back to a comment I made a while ago, Tera makes decent Pokemon good, good Pokemon great, great Pokemon borderline, borderline Pokemon broken, and broken Pokemon actively stupid. Yea, Flutter and Pal would probably be banned regardless of the existence of Tera, but being able to flip the script on your type match ups, gain a new STAB for type coverage or power up your STAB to stupid degrees fundamentally changes the dynamic on every Pokemon. Gliscor is probably too much for the tier to handle as is, but the fact that it can turn its x4 ice weakness as well as it's x2 water weakness into resistances does not help to balance it. Type is the fundamental axis on which all Pokemon is balanced and while Tera is a FASCINATING mechanic from a game theory perspective it is playing in an incredibly dangerous space.
 
Hey there,

Discussion around tera and the great use Pokemon like Dragonite and Kingambit can make of it is of course allowed. What should be avoided is circling back the same discussion constantly else the thread ends up derailing and getting tired for everyone reading the posts. What is also not allowed is insulting other members.

The thread will remain locked for the next couple of hours and hopefully we can move away from the current discussion once unlocked. Thanks!
 
Switching topics here, there's a lot of complaining about Tera Fairy Kingambit that is 100% justified, but what is everyone running that's actually dealing with it? Sneasler's good since it hits it super effectively before and after Tera, but I feel like learning to rely on Sneasler isn't gonna work out in the long term and I'll end up using it as a crutch.
 
Switching topics here, there's a lot of complaining about Tera Fairy Kingambit that is 100% justified, but what is everyone running that's actually dealing with it? Sneasler's good since it hits it super effectively before and after Tera, but I feel like learning to rely on Sneasler isn't gonna work out in the long term and I'll end up using it as a crutch.
your own kingambit clicking iron head
 
your own kingambit clicking iron head
1700182928653.png
 
Switching topics here, there's a lot of complaining about Tera Fairy Kingambit that is 100% justified, but what is everyone running that's actually dealing with it? Sneasler's good since it hits it super effectively before and after Tera, but I feel like learning to rely on Sneasler isn't gonna work out in the long term and I'll end up using it as a crutch.
The best way to deal with any Kingambit is to hit it hard with a neutral move and/or gradually chip it down during the game, then end it with a mon that doesn't get KOd istantly by Sucker Punch. It doesn't matter what Tera Kingambit is, it ain't taking a Life Orb Hydro Pump from Greninja, or a Specs Moonblast from Iron Valiant (again, provided that you've chipped it down at least a bit). That, or you just use your own Gambit...
 
Okay, now that things are back to normalish, I believe we can actually talk about the meta without implicitly and explicitly insulting others...

What do you guys think of Garganacl? More and more I'm sure people are sleeping on it and it is outright busted if you can work a team around it. I mean, it is as boring as they come, but it is damn effective.

Switching topics here, there's a lot of complaining about Tera Fairy Kingambit that is 100% justified, but what is everyone running that's actually dealing with it? Sneasler's good since it hits it super effectively before and after Tera, but I feel like learning to rely on Sneasler isn't gonna work out in the long term and I'll end up using it as a crutch.

I feel like Gambit requires multiple answers in every team I build. Usually I'm running both Encore and an Unawaremon, as well as at least one fighting type, which means it luckily is less of a bother for me. Gambit forces one fifty-fifty after the other, so my conclusion is: if you have multiple attempts on the 50-50 you should (on average) win. I mean, still busted, but exhausting its options over a game is the hand we've been dealt I guess
 
About Garganacl and heatran… aka very reliable bulky Pokémon that easily make progress when they can switch in regularly..

with each ban of a high powered threat, we see these creep up gradually.

It’s hard to see garganacl as broken, but heatran is notorious for being extremely difficult to deal with in any meta where it can function.

and now, we see heatran starting to kick in a little more with each ban.

there’s a high likelihood that sneasler will be banned, so that’s one less threat for heatran, and then chances are ogerpon and manaphy will be up for discussion, etc etc.
 
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