As a result of the SV AAALT, Gholdengo was chosen as the suspect element! Gholdengo has long been an extremely relevant pokemon within the meta and often controversial element. With an extremely well-rounded portfolio of defensive and offensive typing, high 133 SpA and suitable moveset, Gholdengo leverages this in combination with an extensive list of potential abilities to become an constant obnoxious threat in the builder and in gameplay. From defensive NP sets with a variety of immunities such as Earth Eater, Well-Baked Body, Bulletproof and so on to become a potent setup threat, particularly with items such as Colbur Berry, Scarf Adaptability to serve as a strong cleanup artist and utility mon with TrickScarf/Recover and just the sheer overwhelming power of Choice Specs + damage-amp ability. Each of these sets are extremely powerful and can require differing counterplay which can prove incredibly frustating when there's often very little way to exactly discern the set or various immunities it can be running when a wrong judgement can result in a loss. Aside from the impact in gameplay Gholdengo has had a notable warping effect on the teambuilding process within the tier, with its Choice Specs set being quite notable in how strong it can be and often forcing a resist and playing a significant part in the popularity of Bulletproof, at points promoting sets such as Bulletproof Heatran, and particularly the variety of immunity sets often force various layers of soft-checks just for Gholdengo.
Despite this very well rounded list of strengths, Gholdengo has a list of flaws and arguably healthy traits that has let it remain under the radar of a suspect test until now, most notably its lacklustre speed tier. With a speed-tier under the likes of Great Tusk, and the base 90's/100s and the generally many fast threats in the meta Gholdengo can often struggle against these, particularly limiting its more purely offensive Choice Specs sets and letting offensive teams play more flexibly around them without necessitating strict defensive checks. As for the defensive NP sets, the variety of immunities can make them dangerous to play around and can sometimes force multiple soft-checks, the weaker nature of these sets combined with the slow speed means it isn't extremely demanding to fit these checks and can be pivoted around with fair ease, with a variety of options available in a strong Dark, Ground, Fire, Ghost or even strong neutral attackers such as Specs Tinted Latios proving strong enough to wipe them out. Aside from the impact Gholdengo has on the builder when accounting for it can also be argued Gholdengo provides a significant defensive utility in the tier, keeping in check various threats such as Zamazenta, Deoxys-Speed and Latios that is a healthy contribution to its omnipresence in the builder.
Would the tier be better off without the warping effect of Gholdengo on the teambuilder with its extreme strength and variety of sets it can leverage and the ability and set guessing game it can force on games? Or does its subpar speed-tier and the flexibility of the offensive checks against its offensive and passive defensive NP sets ultimately make it a positive element to keep within the tier? With all this considered it's now up to the community to decide!
How:
Create a new account on PS. You do not have to follow any specific naming convention, but your suspect account must have never played a game in Almost Any Ability before this suspect test went up or you will not receive valid requirements (resetting W/L does not count for this - the account you use must never have played Almost Any Ability before the test, full stop.) At any point on your new account, use the command /linksmogon on Pokemon Showdown! You will receive instructions on what to do once you run this command.
Double check that you're listed as a voter! If you aren't listed as a voter despite having valid reqs, please contact a member of staff. If you have any questions about this new process, feel free to PM me or post here!
The requirement to vote in this suspect test is a COIL value of 2850 (with a B value of 5). The deadline for getting requirements will be<t:1776657540:F>
Voting:
Once the suspect period is over, everyone who has obtained reqs will be tagged. The post will then outline a process of blind voting, which will be clarified once the time arrives. For now, follow the above "Requirements" subheading to ensure that you have achieved requirements and linked your account
A super-majority of 60% ban votes is required to ban Gholdengo from Almost Any Ability.
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