After extensive discussions on forums and on discord, LC Leadership is looking to suspect Vulpix-Alola in SM LC. Vulpix is the only setter of one of the most infamous team structures in the metagame: Aurora Veil. Veil has always been a strong team structure in this tier. It was outshined by Webs as the premier cheese when SM was current gen because Webs had the advantage in the cheese mirror. Without the presence of Webs teams after the move was banned post gen, Veil became a constant presence in almost every tour, only increasing in usage year by year.
There are plenty of ways to prep for Veil teams, and they have serious difficulty overcoming pokemon like Abra and Timburr who can stop its powerful sweepers. However, when you consider that 1. the player facing veils has to play perfectly to win, as even a turn wrong can result in one of the sweepers snowballing, and 2. Veils features sweepers like NP vullaby and ZHB scraggy that can flinch past their checks, Veils teams can put together a matchup spread that justifies frequent use even at the highest level. There also aren't that many players left who can execute perfectly in SM LC - for newer players Veil teams have proven incredibly difficult to defeat, as shown by how ubiquitous they are in LC Classic.
Use this thread to discuss whether or not Vulpix-Alola should be banned. We are not looking to ban the move Aurora Veil itself, nor will we consider Light Clay at this time. We will put up the suspect in about a week. The people in the hide tag below are eligible to vote, either though SM Cup, LCPL, LCBC, or SMPL
There are plenty of ways to prep for Veil teams, and they have serious difficulty overcoming pokemon like Abra and Timburr who can stop its powerful sweepers. However, when you consider that 1. the player facing veils has to play perfectly to win, as even a turn wrong can result in one of the sweepers snowballing, and 2. Veils features sweepers like NP vullaby and ZHB scraggy that can flinch past their checks, Veils teams can put together a matchup spread that justifies frequent use even at the highest level. There also aren't that many players left who can execute perfectly in SM LC - for newer players Veil teams have proven incredibly difficult to defeat, as shown by how ubiquitous they are in LC Classic.
Use this thread to discuss whether or not Vulpix-Alola should be banned. We are not looking to ban the move Aurora Veil itself, nor will we consider Light Clay at this time. We will put up the suspect in about a week. The people in the hide tag below are eligible to vote, either though SM Cup, LCPL, LCBC, or SMPL
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