Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
Speaking of poison, I feel like my preference has been shifting toward the normal pure poison Weezing form. Sure, dragon immunity is nice but the additional weakness to steel kinda hurts its ability to tank. And poison team has many problems facing steel team already.
The other draw back about normal Weezing is that it also loses access to defog. But I've found Skuntank to be a more reliable defogger lately anyway.
So Weezing vs. G-Weezing, pick your poison (pun intended).
Skutank and Weezing are both reliable defoggers for Poison. Poison does not have many problems with Steel. Salazzle is the wincon, the fairy typing on Galarian Weezing allows you to stand a chance against the Dragon mu and not being affected by Dragon-type moves like Draco Meteor or Dragon Darts. Excadrill still ignores Galarian Weezing's ability but Weezing gaining Strange Dream and its Fairy typing benefits Poison a lot! Weezing is out of discussion, when Crobat comes, that can come up in the debate of Galarian Weezing vs Crobat
Skutank and Weezing are both reliable defoggers for Poison. Poison does not have many problems with Steel. Salazzle is the wincon, the fairy typing on Galarian Weezing allows you to stand a chance against the Dragon mu and not being affected by Dragon-type moves like Draco Meteor or Dragon Darts. Excadrill still ignores Galarian Weezing's ability but Weezing gaining Strange Dream and its Fairy typing benefits Poison a lot! Weezing is out of discussion, when Crobat comes, that can come up in the debate of Galarian Weezing vs Crobat
Normal Weezing is outclassed by Galarian Weezing, I tried it in singles (UU when it was UU) and neutralizing gas is a fun thing to play with... granted its not as much fun in monotype compared to singles/doubles but its a fairly fun ability to just suddenly yeet abilities like Huge Power,
As for the fairy typing that helps greatly vs Dragon. Weezing G being Weezing G, make sure to keep it prop and prim vs dragon, its great against the physical attackers of dragon but not so much against the special attackers (Especially Dragapult and Hydreigon) Kyurem norm can hurt it but not too badly... while the last mon who can hurt it immensly in the the dragon matchup is of course Haxorus thanks to mold breaker.
But i agree the bigger debate is Crobat vs G weezing... when we get Crobat
The 3 Galar Starters' hidden abilities are out now! How do you think they'll do?
Personally I can see Rillaboom being a new staple on Grass teams. Cinderace is gonna be S tier for sure with protean. Inteleon... will be decent but idk if it can make a splash, pun not intended.
Well Rillaboom will be the primary Grassy surge mon till Bulu appears which should pair well with that new special Grass move that gets boosted priority in Grass terrain (although this isn't a great bit of help when it comes to type it struggles with like Fire and stuff so...
Cinderace will be good not like gamebreaking but the ability to swap types and change your stab at a whim is nice... its just Cinderaces moveset isn't as diverse as Greninja's. Although getting stab from sucker punch to OHKO Pult
Now this point would be different if it learned something like Wild Charge... but since it doesn't its main three usefull moves are Pyro Ball (Fire) High jump kick (Fighting) and Sucker punch./Uturn (dark/bug) with the last move likely being Court change. Its not like it needs gunk shot since most fairys aren't gonna be beating the crap out of fire anyways. HJK is a usefull tool against normal especially since it likely will get buffed useage thanks to Chansey. The last I got is sucker punch for mainly just pult or Scarf Gengar…. and with that that's the only real great useage it has? Its not like Greninja who can suddenly spike and yeet its electric weakness into an immunity
Inteleon be Inteleon and wont get much looks, although Sniper shot + Sniper is pretty decent. I tried that out for a while at the beginning of the gen when we still had dmax and shit... but its not "outstandingly gamebreaking"
So right now what im going to write is prob uninteresting but its the return of some of the old mons we love dearly and might have been replaced.
The mon in particular is Skarmory who got revealed early morning in japan with a Japanese commerical.
Jokes aside we have a lot of new pokemon and viable though i do ask one thing of the council
Please be ready to quick ban Urshifu. Its ability has a Feint effect on all its moves, meaning you cant protect against it. It will be fricking everywhere the day its out, and also both mons gets moves that deal a 100% Critical hit... granted we dont know the base powers, but if its like 70 or something... and depending on the attack/speed stats of the mon it might be broken asf. I mean im predicting like ubers levels of stats but that might be me overexaggerating... who knows
Anyways rant about Urshifu over. We have the return of some great mons that have been used for a long time in the metagame.. and these mons being (so far as of 6/2) Volcarona, Azumarill, Scizor, Magnezone, Starmie, Kingdra, Krookodile, Garchomp, Chansey, Crobat and lastly Slowbro.
These mons are very likely to buff the types they are on, specifically Volcarona and Scizor bringing back parts of Bugs old team comps from like BW-USUM era.
Volc- Boots volc is one of the highest picked mons in Nat Dex OU... I feel that will translate nicely into Monotype since it now has to no longer fear the rocks, fear the spikes... fear well any hazard really. Its Volcarona and it will do amazing, especially with giga drain to hit water type hard.
Azumarill will be a great mon for Fairy who has difficulty facing Steel still... cause yknow.... and especially moreso now that Scizor is back in the tier
Scizor... ah let the Ice types and Fairy types quiver in fear at your destructive power once again
Magnezone- you wont be as usefull as you were previously, though you might do some anti steel type shenanigans for steel itself. Might be a great monothreat mon when that becomes a thing eventually again.
Starmie- While not as usefull as normal, having a nice mon with Bolt beam coverage aint bad. Honestly might get outclassed but who knows rn
Kingdra- Not as great without Z moves, but specs Hydro pump will be annoying like always
Krookodile- a great mon on dark who misses it quite a lot, though it might not be much of a powerhouse right now, it still has its old tricks of Moxie or wearing down with intimidate.
Garchomp- Its fucking Garchomp, next mon
Chansey- Its fucking Chansey... do i need to describe why normal wants this mon? next mon
Crobat- something poison needs... a mon who is completely immune to ground! meaning it can help counter mold breaker Excadrill
Slowbro will be doing slowbro things and being an absolute physical tank for psychic and water like normal
Slowbro G- Without knowing its stats its hard to pick what role it has. Depending on what Quick draw does... mr. High Noon over here can Mcree himself into having priority attacks with his shell gun... though i feel Regenerator is the better pick if its availble as its Hidden ability (Slowpoke G has Regen as its hidden ability)
Thanks for viewing my ted talk that took 30 mins of me just listing usefull mons i feel from the update... that we know of currently that are coming in the Isle of Armor... the rest... we will get too when its time.
The 3 Galar Starters' hidden abilities are out now! How do you think they'll do?
Personally I can see Rillaboom being a new staple on Grass teams. Cinderace is gonna be S tier for sure with protean. Inteleon... will be decent but idk if it can make a splash, pun not intended.
Going to comment on Rillaboom and Cinderace since I don't believe Inteleon is relevant even with Sniper.
The most impactful of the three, Libero benefits Cinderace as an offensive Pokemon by a ton. Protean like abilities combined with any decent offensive Pokemon is a combo that's pretty much bound to work well as getting STAB on every attack is huge, and Cinderace was one of the Pokemon that happened to get it alongside Greninja from SM. As for the set itself, I've been trying out Heavy Duty Boots + 4 attacks, and I think there is more reason to drop Court Change now for other moves. I originally had Zen Headbutt to beat Poison but its over reliant on previous chip damage to beat Toxapex as it doesn't even 2HKO even with the STAB boost and you'd rather just U-turn into something else like Salazzle or Rotom-H to break the type. STAB Sucker Punch is notable OHKOing Dragapult after Stealth Rock chip, considering Fire sets Stealth Rock against Ghost pretty easily and Charizard beats Defog Noivern under sun against Dragon, and is otherwise really good for picking a variety of faster Pokemon off especially if they have been chipped beforehand. I think Sucker Punch is pretty much a must with Libero unless you're trying to run some jank Choice Scarf set to cteam Fighting which isn't even that good. I can see some Expert Belt sets popping up since it gives Zen Headbutt the ability to 2HKO Toxapex, but a Fire typing naturally leaves you extremely weak to Stealth Rock which limits Cinderace's switchin opportunities against types like Ghost and Dark in particular, and being affected by Sticky Web isn't fun either. Ghost matchup where Cinderace can sweep pretty comfortably after Galarian Corsola has been neutered as it can now beat Dragapult very well. Poison matchup where Heavy Duty Boots Zen Headbutt Cinderace can be pretty weak when trying to break Poison considering I was at the threat of being poisoned by Baneful Bunker and burnt by Scald constantly and eventually had to try to PP stall Toxapex's Recover with Zen Headbutt instead of 2HKOing it.
Grassy Surge is nice for Rillaboom because of its ability to constantly set it and pivot with U-turn for other Pokemon to take advantage of it. Grassy Terrain is nice for Grass's defensive core, providing Ferrothorn and Appletun with passive recovery especially with Protect and Leech Seed spam. By itself, however, Rillaboom still faces competition with Virizion as a Choice Scarf user, with Rillaboom being stronger and getting U-turn, but Virizion's Speed tier also being extremely valuable in offense meta but being relatively weak compared to Rillaboom. Virizion can revenge kill Pokemon like Choice Scarf Charizard, Galarian Darmanitan, and Hydreigon Rillaboom can't, but Rillaboom can take on Pokemon like Zeraora, Gardevoir, and Dragapult better while being able to grab momentum and set Grassy Terrain to support the defensive core. I think they both have their individual benefits as Choice Scarf users, but I'm planning to test them both more to get a more clear impact on whether one is more preferred over the other.
Just providing some official documentation for the metagame in case you all didn't see the datamine:
Check this post to see the Pokemon that were added in this DLC patch. To make it easier to separate in terms of monotype I will filter the list by type:
Bug -
Dark - Urshifu-dark
Dragon -
Electric -
Fairy -
Fighting - Urshifu (both forms)
Fire -
Flying -
Ghost -
Grass -
Ground -
Ice -
Normal -
Poison - Slowbro-galar
Psychic - Slowbro-galar
Rock -
Steel -
Water - Urshifu-water
Also check here for all the new moves that were added and here to see the new movepools for the new mons.
This is definitely going to be meta changing, can't wait to see how it'll go!
Hey everyone. With the new DLC being released, I will share some of my thoughts on the Psychic-type.
Psychic monotype has always been a decent type to use in SWSH, containing some prevalent special attackers like Choice Specs Indeedee and Gardevoir, useful utility Pokemon in Mew and Celebi, and some good offensive/defensive backbone whenever you need one in Jirachi. Despite Ghost and Dark being extremely common this time around, Psychic still has a lot going for it. It can even contain a wide variety of Pokemon such as Gallade, Reuniclus, and Necrozma, and Psychic still manages to fit useful roles into a team that can make it deal with even the riskiest matchups. Psychic is also my favorite type to use this generation of Monotype (I made an RMT of one of my teams here) for the reasons that I explained and it's pretty simple to use once you get used to it.
Here are the newly released Psychic Pokemon from the DLC that I think will have a good role and presence on teams (These descriptions might be vague as I haven't used them much, but feel free to read and enjoy.)
Slowbro will be really good in my opinion. Serving as one of the bulkier Pokemon on Psychic and Water teams, boasting multiple sets and having to worry less about dangerous wallbreakers from past generations, it can potentially be a top tier Pokemon in the metagame. The set I personally like to use is the Calm Mind set, which can wall many special attackers with it's already high physical bulk and being able to also kill off weakened Pokemon with it's boosted Special Attack. Colbur Berry is nice for luring Dark types, getting off a free Calm Mind after taking an attack and recovering with Slack Off until Slowbro can reach its time and start being a threat to some wallbreakers with its higher bulk. Despite all the praise that I give Slowbro, the loss of its Mega form is really tragic seeing as Mega Slowbro was a super potent wall to use in comparison to its normal form.
Alakazam will be a scary Pokemon to use on Psychic teams. It has always been good for the past few generations now, it's main set specifically being able to revenge kill physical attackers with its Counter + Focus Sash set and Magic Guard preventing the use of the opponent's hazard harming Alakazam. Now, it has a newfound move in Nasty Plot, making Alakazam a strong special sweeper as well. Life Orb Alakazam at +2 is able to OHKO even some bulky special walls, such as Snorlax and 2HKO Chansey.
With the lack of viable hazard removal on Psychic teams this generation, Starmie will really be able to stand out as an effective Rapid Spinner with some offensive presence. Other than that, Starmie is very straightforward and always good at doing its job; Starmie has some good coverage moves that help make it more capable of using in games.
I honestly like Slowbro more as it has higher Defense that it can use to set up Calm Mind better, but Slowking just generally has higher Special Defense which is also good if you're into using Iron Defense (some sets even have Iron Defense + Calm Mind merged) with of course, less Defense, but Slowking is still good nonetheless. Other than that, it's pretty much just the same as Slowbro lol
I would also like to address some playstyles that Psychic teams can use:
Hyper Offense: Yes! Psychic teams contain an array of some great setup sweepers, such as Nasty Plot Mew, Alakazam, and Celebi, as well as a Swords Dance sweeper in Gallade. Even Swoobat can act as a great win-con on hyper offensive teams. Even if that means giving up some great choiced attackers like Indeedee, Jirachi, and Gardevoir which all mean to losing momentum, this playstyle is a nuisance if you play carefully with it.
Balance: Yes! Balance teams are the main playstyle on Psychic teams, and it would be redundant not to use these kind of teams if you are a fan of the playstyle. Using this playstyle gives you some great wallbreakers as I mentioned above, some extra Pokemon to use, such as a win-con in Reuniclus and Indeedee-F as a Healing Wish + Psychic Terrain support Pokemon with a Ghost immunity as well, and can make some decent defensive cores with Slowbro, Mew, Celebi, or even Jirachi!
(might add more playstyles later, but these are some two important ones on the perspective of all teams in the metagame.)
For some other Psychic types that I haven't mentioned in all my above posts, they all have some good niches (some are more difficult to fit on teams than others, but that's normal for Pokemon who aren't really classified as top tier.)
Xatu is a great utility and support Pokemon that isn't too hard to fit on teams if you're looking for a good hazard removal (Magic Bounce + Defog), ability to set up dual screens and can safely pivot out with Teleport.
Bronzong is actually pretty good as a defensive wall (even if some would consider Slowbro much better) and is one of the few Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock. What makes Bronzong more useful than Slowbro in situations is that it can effectively revenge kill Dark-types much more easier in its favor thanks to Body Press along with its good Defense stat. Like Slowbro, Bronzong also has a great defensive typing in Steel/Psychic, and has two abilities that can grant immunities to one of its weaknesses, Ground and Fire (see: Levitate and Heatproof.)
OK, so speaking of , I would like to bring up a new move called Expanding Force which is boosted in Psychic Terrain. This can be useful as a new STAB move to use on Indeedee. As Indeedee (and Indeedee-F) are used on a lot on Psychic teams, I think Expanding Force will be a great move introduced to many Pokemon. It might or might not see as much usage, as it loses its boosted STAB when Psychic Terrain is out.
Here's a team I made that centers around Slowbro and some hard-hitting special attackers as always making this a balance-oriented team. If you have any feedback on my team, feel free to let me know!
Hi there! I'm more of a lurker, but I wanted to post a fun Magearna set I've been messing around with. With its return and its new moves of Stored Power and Draining Kiss, Shift Gear sets are pretty fun set up sweeper if you ever want to try something other than AV or TR.
Magearna @ Kee Berry
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 164 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shift Gear
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Draining Kiss
Max HP with 96 Speed just enough to outspeed Scarfed Adamant Dracovish, and the rest going into SpA.
Kee Berry is used for +1 in Defense to boost Stored Power really and I guess to be able to set up on Scarf Terrakion when at full HP.
Draining Kiss would be used for its STAB powered quantified HP drain to recover back from setting up and then sweep up.
The EV spread can be improved if I'm gonna be real.
There are other notable things I have seen around the ladder lately such as Hurricane Kingdra (Water), Rising Voltage Raichu-A + Pincurchin (Electric), Band/Scarf/Bulk Up Urshifus (Dark/Fight/Water), etc. but surely someone can cover those guys better than me.
Hi there! I'm more of a lurker, but I wanted to post a fun Magearna set I've been messing around with. With its return and its new moves of Stored Power and Draining Kiss, Shift Gear sets are pretty fun set up sweeper if you ever want to try something other than AV or TR.
Magearna @ Kee Berry
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 164 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shift Gear
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Draining Kiss
Max HP with 96 Speed just enough to outspeed Scarfed Adamant Dracovish, and the rest going into SpA.
Kee Berry is used for +1 in Defense to boost Stored Power really and I guess to be able to set up on Scarf Terrakion when at full HP.
Draining Kiss would be used for its STAB powered quantified HP drain to recover back from setting up and then sweep up.
The EV spread can be improved if I'm gonna be real.
There are other notable things I have seen around the ladder lately such as Hurricane Kingdra (Water), Rising Voltage Raichu-A + Pincurchin (Electric), Band/Scarf/Bulk Up Urshifus (Dark/Fight/Water), etc. but surely someone can cover those guys better than me.
this looks fine, but idk abt the adamant vish thing considering jolly are on more analyses for scarf dracovish
156 outspeeds jolly vish by one point if you wanted it to outspeed more common vish sets~ I think I might test BoltBeam Magearna, or just it using bolt coverage
+1 252+ SpA Magearna Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex: 238-282 (78.2 - 92.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
Hey, everyone. So the newly released DLC has given us a lot of crazy new Pokemon, making this already offensively-oriented metagame even more aggressive. There are very, VERY clear highlights among the new additions(Volcarona, Urshifu, Magearna, etc.), but I'd like to talk more about how the DLC has impacted each type, and what interesting new options are available.
Bug:
Among the Pokemon that Bug received, this trio is undoubtedly the greatest of the bunch. It's pretty common knowledge what this core is capable of, seeing as it has performed excellently on Bug for 3 straight generations.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake / Knock Off / Spikes
Heracross takes amazing advantage of Bug's Sticky Web support, being able to steamroll types like Psychic and Dark with enough Moxie boosts built up. Its last moveslot has a lot of variability, with Earthquake beating Electric-types like Toxtricity and Zeraora, Knock Off for revenge killing Dragapult, and the new addition to its moveset, being Spikes. Spikes serves as a decent option for continuous hazard stacking whenever Heracross is capable of forcing Pokemon out.
Whether it wants to run Choice Band as a hard hitting revenge killer and pivot, or Swords Dance as an all-out sweeper, Scizor has ample flexibility to serve a number of roles. Regardless of what you pick, though, Scizor will always be able to apply massive pressure to types like Fairy, Ice, Normal, and Dark. On the Swords Dance set, its newly received Dual Wingbeat is an option over Knock Off to apply more pressure to Toxapex, while also potentially catching certain offensive threats such as Keldeo who may try to switch in.
Fury Attack is set to a 40 base power Flying move that hits twice
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Technician Scizor Fury Attack (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 200-236 (65.7 - 77.6%) -- approx. 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
After Knock Off gets rid of Toxapex's item, its power reduces to the point where it can't kill with the next one. Dual Wingbeat makes sure that Toxapex will faint the turn after it attempts to Haze.
252+ Atk Life Orb Technician Scizor Fury Attack (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 102-120 (33.5 - 39.4%) -- approx. 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
And here's an extra one
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Technician Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Conkeldurr: 292-344 (70.5 - 83%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after burn damage
(Conkeldurr survives a +2 Bullet Punch from full health)
Volcarona's primary weakness has always been entry hazards, especially Stealth Rock. But with Generation 8 introducing Heavy-Duty Boots, Volcarona is now able to guarantee being at full health and unstatused before beginning to set up. Additionally, one of its old checks, Heatran, is currently unreleased, making Volcarona a force to be reckoned with against Steel teams. Fire Blast and Fiery Dance are interchangeable depending on whether you want extra power or a safe move that can stack Special Attack. While Psychic makes Volcarona significantly more dangerous against Poison, Water, and Fighting, Roost is also a viable choice as a mixup against Bisharp's Sucker Punch, while providing the longevity to more comfortably beat Magearna.
Dark: Urshifu Single-Strike,
Krookodile is a face that many are already familiar with, being a solid entry hazard lead for hyper offensive Dark teams. But Urshifu Single-Strike is the real gem.
Urshifu @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wicked Blow
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch
Urshifu Single-Strike is absolutely amazing as a physical wallbreaker. Wicked Blow's guaranteed critical hit ratio lets it shatter through bulky wincons like Mew and Corviknight, while also 2HKOing defensive powerhouses like Toxapex, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn. Additionally, its ability Unseen Fist lets it phase right through protection moves used by the aforementioned Toxapex and Ferrothorn, as well as Aegislash. Wicked Blow and Close Combat alone are enough to ruin most defensive cores, but for bulkier Fairy-types like Clefable and Azumarill, Poison Jab is a solid coverage option for dealing with them. Its Speed tier of 97 is decent for the most part, outpacing Indeedee and Mimikyu. But for threats that may outspeed it, like Dragapult and Alolan Raichu under Electric Terrain, Sucker Punch is nice for dispatching them.
Dragon:
Dragalge @ Black Sludge
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Flip Turn
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze
Out of Dragon's new pool of options, Dragalge is the only one particularly worth mentioning. It reprises its role from the previous generation as a bulky Toxic Spikes setter that also beats many bulky Fairies like Clefable. Only this time, it's now also able to function as a bulky pivot with Flip Turn in order to provide momentum for its offensive teammates. Additionally, Dragon greatly appreciates a bulky Haze user to stop threats like Volcarona and Magearna from steamrolling.
Electric:
Just like with Dragon, Electric only received one significantly viable Pokemon. However, with Rising Voltage, Alolan Raichu has become much more dangerous as a terrain sweeper.
With Hidden Power Fire being unavailable, Magnezone's best option for trapping problematic Steel-types like Excadrill and Ferrothorn is Body Press. When behind a Substitute and boosted with Iron Defense, Magnezone is capable of completely shutting out most Ferrothorn variants(unless they're also carrying Body Press.). The 12 EVs in Speed put it just above uninvested Tyranitar, and outside of maximized Flash Cannon damage for better handling Fairy teams, the remaining EVs are dumped into Defense rather than HP to provide as much damage as possible with Body Press.
+2 244 Def Magnezone Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 190-224 (53.9 - 63.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 244 Def Magnezone Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Excadrill: 480-566 (132.9 - 156.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
244 Def Magnezone Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tyranitar: 292-348 (72.2 - 86.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
244 Def Magnezone Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Bisharp: 320-380 (118 - 140.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Now onto Alolan Raichu. With Rising Voltage, Alolan Raichu is capable of achieving tremendous power under Electric Terrain, especially after a Nasty Plot. Here are a few calcs of it demolishing things.
*Thunderbolt is set to 140 base power
Specs Aegislash: 252+ SpA Life Orb Raichu-Alola Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Aegislash-Shield in Electric Terrain: 253-300 (96.9 - 114.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after 1 layer of Spikes Specially Defensive Aegislash: +2 252+ SpA Life Orb Raichu-Alola Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Aegislash-Shield in Electric Terrain: 386-456 (119.1 - 140.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO Physically Defensive Clefable: 252+ SpA Life Orb Raichu-Alola Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Clefable in Electric Terrain: 374-441 (94.9 - 111.9%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO Choice Scarf Jirachi: 252+ SpA Life Orb Raichu-Alola Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Jirachi in Electric Terrain: 341-402 (100 - 117.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Fairy:
Klefki returns as Fairy's best support Pokemon, and Azumarill returns as Fairy's best physical setup sweeper. While Klefki continues to perform exactly the same as it once did, the removal of Z-moves forces Azumarill to stick with Sitrus Berry as its item, restricting its setup opportunities greatly. Despite this, Azumarill remains as an excellent late-game sweeper when supported by Klefki's screens. But the biggest game-changer was none other than Magearna.
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Ice Beam
- Aura Sphere
Magearna @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draining Kiss
- Stored Power
- Calm Mind
- Shift Gear
The absence of Z-moves hasn't stopped Magearna from being one of the best Pokemon in the metagame. Shift Gear/TR variants are excellent at sweeping late-game against offense, with TR variants in particular benefiting from beating out faster revenge killers, whether it be Alolan Raichu in Electric Terrain or Kingdra in rain. Assault Vest lets it function incredibly well as a bulky pivot that can comfortably switch into threats like Indeedee and Hatterene. Lastly, Shift Gear+CM makes it an excellent win-condition with the bulk and longevity to sweep balance teams while having the speed to swiftly remove wallbreakers that may get in its way, like Diggersby or Haxorus. Magearna is undoubtedly a top-tier threat, with tons of room for set optimization in the future.
Fighting: Urshifu(Single Strike and Rapid Strike),
Urshifu @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wicked Blow
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Aqua Jet
- U-turn
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off / Earthquake / Spikes
For the most part, I've already covered Urshifu Single-Strike and Heracross on their secondary typings. But I will add here that Fighting can make good use of Choice Scarf Urshifu as a sort of fast pivot that can catch Choice Scarf Indeedee(something Heracross is incapable of doing) while simultaneously applying pressure to the rest of the Psychic team. However, because of Fighting having a strong assortment of Choice Scarf users as is, Choice Band will likely find itself on Fighting teams more for its ability to break past common walls that Fighting struggles with, such as Toxapex, Aegislash, and Galarian Corsola. As for Urshifu Rapid-Strike, its Water typing overlapping with Keldeo makes it difficult to justify its use over Urshifu Single-Strike, who provides much more uniqueness in its wallbreaking. However, for Fighting, Choice Band lets Urshifu Rapid-Strike capitalize most on the few tools it has over Keldeo, being able to revenge kill Volcarona, Excadrill, and Mimikyu with a Disguise up.
Poliwrath is set to 130 base Attack, and Fury Attack is set to a 25 base power Water move that always crits
252 Atk Choice Band Poliwrath Fury Attack (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mimikyu on a critical hit: 222-264 (88.4 - 105.1%) -- approx. 18.8% chance to OHKO
After the initial 12% Mimikyu takes from the Disguise being broken, the following 2 hits guarantee the OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Poliwrath Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 278-330 (89.3 - 106.1%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Poliwrath Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Excadrill: 296-350 (81.9 - 96.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Guaranteed after about 2 turns of Life Orb recoil
All the Pokemon Fire received offer excellent utility for the type. I've already covered Volcarona, who performs the exact same way on Fire. But the introduction of Alolan Marowak grants Fire a strong Electric immunity that also doubles as an excellent physical wallbreaker. Bonemerang is a solid option for Poison-types like Toxapex and Drapion, but Low Kick is also helpful against Chansey and Tyranitar, while preventing Hydreigon from switching in safely. Talonflame is yet another grateful recipient of Heavy-Duty Boots, being able to make full use of Gale Wings whenever it wants to switch in. Not only can it net fast kills against +1 Volcarona and Urshifu, but it's also capable of providing team support with Tailwind, allowing a teammate like Arcanine or even the aforementioned Alolan Marowak to sweep late-game, as well as priority Defog for removing hazards if necessary.
Flying:
Skarmory @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Iron Head
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Whirlwind
Emolga @ Leftovers
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Nuzzle
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Taunt
Skarmory returns as Flying's only Stealth Rock setter(so far). It continues to reprise its role as a hazard setting physical tank. However, its exclusivity as a Stealth Rock setter means that it won't be overshadowed by Corviknight similarly to how Celesteela overshadowed it in Generation 7, as they play vastly different roles. Emolga, in all honesty, is complete garbage. But, seeing as its the only Electric immunity on Flying in a metagame where Electric has become incredibly powerful, the best result is this sad attempt at a utility set, with Nuzzle to spread paralysis and U-turn to allow it to act as a pivot. Its Electric immunity is the only thing that makes it worth mentioning, but Skarmory is the only real highlight here.
Ghost:
Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Poltergeist
- Flare Blitz
- Bonemerang / Low Kick
- Stealth Rock
Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
- Poltergeist
- Flare Blitz
- Bonemerang
- Swords Dance / Low Kick
Alolan Marowak provides Ghost with a more offensive Stealth Rocker that is much more useful defensively compared to Golurk. Having access to a stronger Ghost STAB move in Poltergeist is especially helpful for its wallbreaking, as very few Pokemon in the metagame resist its STAB combination. Additionally, Alolan Marowak can also reprise its secondary role as a Trick Room sweeper, capable of demolishing Electric and Bug when given its setup opportunity. Alolan Marowak will prove to be an especially prominent Pokemon on Ghost teams, being able to beat many of the metagame's new offensive threats, such as Volcarona and Magearna.
Grass:
Rillaboom @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Grassy Glide
- Knock Off
- U-turn
While the new Pokemon Grass received weren't exactly game-changing, Rillaboom ended up improving significantly. With terrain-based threats such as Indeedee and Alolan Raichu terrorizing the metagame, Rillaboom serves as a direct check to each of them through its own terrain. To make up for its only decent Speed, Rillaboom's access to Grassy Glide, a priority move that only works in Grassy Terrain, lets it revenge kill not only Indeedee and Alolan Raichu, but other sweepers as well, such as Excadrill, Cloyster, and Zeraora after Stealth Rock.
Leaf Blade is set to 70 base power
252 Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Excadrill in Grassy Terrain: 328-387 (90.8 - 107.2%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Leaf Blade vs. -1 0 HP / 4 Def Cloyster in Grassy Terrain: 390-458 (161.8 - 190%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zeraora in Grassy Terrain: 274-324 (86.4 - 102.2%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Ground:
Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
In all honesty, nothing Ground received is particularly noteworthy other than maybe Krookodile, who's capable of revenge killing offensive threats like Indeedee and Dragapult, while being able to put a sizable dent into Psychic and Ghost teams. It's unlikely to outright sweep through any of them, but it's still a leg up above Scorching Sands, which fails to be worth its burn chance on a type that has an extreme lack of strong special attackers.
Ice:
Sandslash-Alola @ Life Orb
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Triple Axel
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide / Earthquake
- Swords Dance
Weavile @ Choice Band / Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Triple Axel
- Low Kick
- Ice Shard
Alolan Sandslash is back performing the role of a hail sweeper/revenge killer, only this time it brought along with it Triple Axel. When all 3 of its hits connect, it adds up to a total of 120 base power, which is a noticeable step up from Icicle Crash. Weavile also receiving this new move gives it an inherent buff as well. This move does come at a drawback of each hit having a 90% chance to miss, making its full power about as accurate as Hurricane. While this may push some people away in favor of Icicle Crash's better accuracy, the damage output of Triple Axel is well worth it.
Icicle Crash is set to 120 base power for all 3 hits connecting, and 100 base power for only the last 2 hits connecting
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 159-187 (47.6 - 55.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 165-195 (46.8 - 55.3%) -- 71.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 244-288 (61.9 - 73%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Sandslash-Alola Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Corviknight: 204-242 (51 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Sandslash-Alola Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gastrodon: 387-458 (90.8 - 107.5%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Life Orb Sandslash-Alola Icicle Crash vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mimikyu: 214-253 (85.2 - 100.7%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
(set to 100 base power, Mimikyu is at 88% after the Disguise is busted)
One of the best defensive cores in Monotype is back, with Chansey+Porygon2 being able to weather out much of the highly offensive onslaught the metagame has to offer. They have remained relatively unchanged, except Chansey receiving Teleport, which now makes it a bulky pivot capable of inviting in its more dangerous teammates for wallbreaking, such as the newly improved Indeedee. Expanding Force, when being augmented by not only its secondary effect, but Psychic Terrain as well, can reach 156 base power, surpassing the likes of Psycho Boost without suffering its downsides. Here's what Indeedee is capable of doing.
Psychic is set to 120 base power(Expanding Force's 80 multiplied by 1.5)
252 SpA Choice Specs Indeedee Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Clefable in Psychic Terrain: 358-423 (90.8 - 107.3%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Indeedee Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Mantine in Psychic Terrain: 186-220 (49.7 - 58.8%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Indeedee Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Porygon2 in Psychic Terrain: 229-270 (61.2 - 72.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Poison:
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Spore
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb / Stun Spore / Foul Play
Scolipede @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn
- Swords Dance / Protect
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Knock Off
- Protect / Haze
Starting with Amoonguss, it has a few advantages over Vileplume as a physical wall. Some of these include Regenerator, as well as access to the more reliable Spore over Vileplume's Sleep Powder. Amoonguss's Synthesis and Vileplume's Strength Sap both have their specific issues, whether it be Synthesis's low PP and ineffectiveness in weather or Strength Sap's cancellation by not only Magic Bounce but also by Liquid Ooze(hi Tentacruel). However, between the two of them, Amoonguss's better bulk along with Regenerator for passive recovery leads me to believe that it may eventually overshadow Vileplume as the better Grass type option. Onto Scolipede, Swords Dance transforms it into a menacing setup sweeper, capable of tearing apart Psychic and Grass. It can also go the sole revenge killing route, guaranteeing the +1 Speed using Protect, allowing it to beat threats like +1 Volcarona, as well as Choice Scarf Gengar, Gardevoir, and Indeedee. Finally, Tentacruel doesn't have very much that lets it outshine Toxapex defensively. However, it does a decent job of role compression, acting as a defensive utility Pokemon and hazard remover, which could potentially have some use on more offensive Poison teams. Additionally, Liquid Ooze not only lets it slowly 1v1 Ferrothorn, but it also robs Strength Sap users like Galarian Corsola and Vileplume of their recoveries. While it'll never measure up to Toxapex's defensive utility, the multiple jobs it's capable of doing are ones it does pretty well.
Psychic:
Slowbro @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave
- Teleport
Psychic received a sizable number of helpful tools in the DLC. Starting with Slowbro, its role as a defensive pivot is made even greater through gaining Teleport, providing its offensive teammates with solid momentum. Alakazam's role has also stayed roughly the same, except the distribution of Expanding Force allows it to take excellent advantage of Indeedee's terrain offensively, especially after a Nasty Plot. Starmie is one example of nothing being added to make it perform its job better, but Psychic's lack of reliable hazard control outside of Hatterene makes it a decent choice in that regard.
Rock:
Lycanroc-Dusk @ Choice Band
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Accelerock
- Psychic Fangs
Out of the Lycanroc forms that Rock now has access to, Dusk form stands out as the best. As always, Tough Claws Accelerock gives it a solid priority tool for dispatching threats like Volcarona and Alolan Raichu, but its new coverage in Close Combat and Psychic Fangs lets it do significantly better against Fighting teams in particular, especially with Sticky Web support.
252 Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Cobalion: 380-448 (98.4 - 116%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Psychic Fangs vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Keldeo: 368-434 (113.9 - 134.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Psychic Fangs vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Terrakion: 368-434 (113.9 - 134.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Psychic Fangs vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Kommo-o: 278-328 (95.5 - 112.7%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Scrafty: 474-558 (139 - 163.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(Scrafty has been given 100 base HP and Defense to simulate Urshifu Single-Strike)
Steel:
Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Knock Off
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Fleur Cannon
- Ice Beam
- Aura Sphere
Magearna @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draining Kiss
- Stored Power
- Calm Mind
- Shift Gear
Steel's new additions have greatly enabled offensive Steel as an archetype, with Scizor being a strong offensive pivot and revenge killer, Skarmory performing its suicide lead role, Klefki supporting setup sweepers with dual screens and Spikes, and Magearna taking advantage of Klefki's support with various sweeping sets. Magnezone performs the same trapping role on both its types, except Thunderbolt lets it trap and destroy Skarmory and Corviknight as well. These new Pokemon complement Steel's existing setup sweepers greatly, meaning that offensive Steel may become a force to be reckoned with as the metagame progresses.
Water: Urshifu Rapid-Strike,
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Aqua Jet
- U-turn
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic Spikes
Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Liquidation
- Knock Off
Azumarill @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Whirlpool
- Perish Song
- Protect
- Rest
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
There's a lot to unpack for Water, and much of it involves rain. Kingdra returns as Water's undisputed best Swift Swim user, capable of steamrolling through anything that doesn't resist it bar Chansey. While Modest gives great damage output, I do feel that many Kingdra's will want to run Timid to have a chance of speed tying each other, since many rain Water dittos may end up revolving around whose Kingdra lasts longer. Urshifu Rapid-Strike and Azumarill are both great benefactors of rain as well, both sporting great revenge killing potential with Aqua Jet, and Urshifu's Surging Strikes receiving unbelievable power. Contrary to Fighting, Urshifu Rapid-Strike's spectacular damage output under rain, along with priority and U-turn pivoting gives much more reason to use it over Keldeo. In addition to offensive tools, the new DLC gave Water some solid defensive tools to work with as well. Tentacruel provides solid role compression with Rapid Spin and Toxic Spikes, except Water is much more appreciative of a Leech Seed and Giga Drain sponge, possibly granting it a niche role to play on teams without Toxapex. Azumarill's Perish-trapping set is amazing for stall teams, providing them a switch-in to the ever-dangerous Rillaboom, as well as Choice Band Haxorus's Outrage. Lastly, Slowbro makes a great sponge for physical threats like Excadrill and Terrakion, while simultaneously acting as a Calm Mind win-condition.
This took extremely long to make, so I hope you all enjoyed it!
EDIT: Well Magearna didn't last very long. Just consider all the Magearna stuff I mentioned here irrelevant
Hello all! I would like to share a great set I have been using on Grass.
Rillaboom @ Life Orb
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch
- Swords Dance
This set is a bit different than the common Choice Band set some people are using. Swords Dance basically makes this thing a monster, as Grassy Glide is a fearsome priority move with 70 base power under Grassy Terrain. This makes it a 91 base power move without accounting STAB, which just shows how powerful that is (it is stronger than extremespeed lool this is really scary). I kinda prefer Life Orb Rillaboom also because it gives you a better flexibility vs Steel types in general and it can setup to break through them much easier, and it has similiar reliability in terms of what it outright KOes with its priority across other matchups (for instance, Adamant Life Orb is enough to KO other problematic terrain setters like Indeedee, even without boosts). Furthermore, it pairs really well with Grassy Terrain as the passive recovery mitigates the recoil damage. Here I use 152 speed EVs to outspeed Tyranitar, Magnezone and Bisharp: you hit all the rest with Grassy Glide anyways as it is insanely powerful for a priority move, and the rest goes in bulk to maximize its setup opportunities.
Do note that terrain extender can also be utilized to increase terrain durability, but with many terrain setters right now, it is probably not that worthwhile.
Very few replays, had some handy haxes but guess you can see this great set in action. Hopefully more to come!
Hey, everyone. So the newly released DLC has given us a lot of crazy new Pokemon, making this already offensively-oriented metagame even more aggressive. There are very, VERY clear highlights among the new additions(Volcarona, Urshifu, Magearna, etc.), but I'd like to talk more about how the DLC has impacted each type, and what interesting new options are available.
Bug:
Among the Pokemon that Bug received, this trio is undoubtedly the greatest of the bunch. It's pretty common knowledge what this core is capable of, seeing as it has performed excellently on Bug for 3 straight generations.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake / Knock Off / Spikes
Heracross takes amazing advantage of Bug's Sticky Web support, being able to steamroll types like Psychic and Dark with enough Moxie boosts built up. Its last moveslot has a lot of variability, with Earthquake beating Electric-types like Toxtricity and Zeraora, Knock Off for revenge killing Dragapult, and the new addition to its moveset, being Spikes. Spikes serves as a decent option for continuous hazard stacking whenever Heracross is capable of forcing Pokemon out.
Whether it wants to run Choice Band as a hard hitting revenge killer and pivot, or Swords Dance as an all-out sweeper, Scizor has ample flexibility to serve a number of roles. Regardless of what you pick, though, Scizor will always be able to apply massive pressure to types like Fairy, Ice, Normal, and Dark. On the Swords Dance set, its newly received Dual Wingbeat is an option over Knock Off to apply more pressure to Toxapex, while also potentially catching certain offensive threats such as Keldeo who may try to switch in.
Fury Attack is set to a 40 base power Flying move that hits twice
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Technician Scizor Fury Attack (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 200-236 (65.7 - 77.6%) -- approx. 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
After Knock Off gets rid of Toxapex's item, its power reduces to the point where it can't kill with the next one. Dual Wingbeat makes sure that Toxapex will faint the turn after it attempts to Haze.
252+ Atk Life Orb Technician Scizor Fury Attack (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 102-120 (33.5 - 39.4%) -- approx. 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
And here's an extra one
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Technician Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Conkeldurr: 292-344 (70.5 - 83%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after burn damage
(Conkeldurr survives a +2 Bullet Punch from full health)
Volcarona's primary weakness has always been entry hazards, especially Stealth Rock. But with Generation 8 introducing Heavy-Duty Boots, Volcarona is now able to guarantee being at full health and unstatused before beginning to set up. Additionally, one of its old checks, Heatran, is currently unreleased, making Volcarona a force to be reckoned with against Steel teams. Fire Blast and Fiery Dance are interchangeable depending on whether you want extra power or a safe move that can stack Special Attack. While Psychic makes Volcarona significantly more dangerous against Poison, Water, and Fighting, Roost is also a viable choice as a mixup against Bisharp's Sucker Punch, while providing the longevity to more comfortably beat Magearna.
Dark: Urshifu Single-Strike,
Krookodile is a face that many are already familiar with, being a solid entry hazard lead for hyper offensive Dark teams. But Urshifu Single-Strike is the real gem.
Urshifu @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wicked Blow
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch
Urshifu Single-Strike is absolutely amazing as a physical wallbreaker. Wicked Blow's guaranteed critical hit ratio lets it shatter through bulky wincons like Mew and Corviknight, while also 2HKOing defensive powerhouses like Toxapex, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn. Additionally, its ability Unseen Fist lets it phase right through protection moves used by the aforementioned Toxapex and Ferrothorn, as well as Aegislash. Wicked Blow and Close Combat alone are enough to ruin most defensive cores, but for bulkier Fairy-types like Clefable and Azumarill, Poison Jab is a solid coverage option for dealing with them. Its Speed tier of 97 is decent for the most part, outpacing Indeedee and Mimikyu. But for threats that may outspeed it, like Dragapult and Alolan Raichu under Electric Terrain, Sucker Punch is nice for dispatching them.
Dragon:
Dragalge @ Black Sludge
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Flip Turn
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze
Out of Dragon's new pool of options, Dragalge is the only one particularly worth mentioning. It reprises its role from the previous generation as a bulky Toxic Spikes setter that also beats many bulky Fairies like Clefable. Only this time, it's now also able to function as a bulky pivot with Flip Turn in order to provide momentum for its offensive teammates. Additionally, Dragon greatly appreciates a bulky Haze user to stop threats like Volcarona and Magearna from steamrolling.
Electric:
Just like with Dragon, Electric only received one significantly viable Pokemon. However, with Rising Voltage, Alolan Raichu has become much more dangerous as a terrain sweeper.
With Hidden Power Fire being unavailable, Magnezone's best option for trapping problematic Steel-types like Excadrill and Ferrothorn is Body Press. When behind a Substitute and boosted with Iron Defense, Magnezone is capable of completely shutting out most Ferrothorn variants(unless they're also carrying Body Press.). The 12 EVs in Speed put it just above uninvested Tyranitar, and outside of maximized Flash Cannon damage for better handling Fairy teams, the remaining EVs are dumped into Defense rather than HP to provide as much damage as possible with Body Press.
+2 244 Def Magnezone Body Press vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 190-224 (53.9 - 63.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 244 Def Magnezone Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Excadrill: 480-566 (132.9 - 156.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
244 Def Magnezone Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tyranitar: 292-348 (72.2 - 86.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
244 Def Magnezone Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Bisharp: 320-380 (118 - 140.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Now onto Alolan Raichu. With Rising Voltage, Alolan Raichu is capable of achieving tremendous power under Electric Terrain, especially after a Nasty Plot. Here are a few calcs of it demolishing things.
*Thunderbolt is set to 140 base power
Specs Aegislash: 252+ SpA Life Orb Raichu-Alola Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Aegislash-Shield in Electric Terrain: 253-300 (96.9 - 114.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after 1 layer of Spikes Specially Defensive Aegislash: +2 252+ SpA Life Orb Raichu-Alola Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Aegislash-Shield in Electric Terrain: 386-456 (119.1 - 140.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO Physically Defensive Clefable: 252+ SpA Life Orb Raichu-Alola Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Clefable in Electric Terrain: 374-441 (94.9 - 111.9%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO Choice Scarf Jirachi: 252+ SpA Life Orb Raichu-Alola Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Jirachi in Electric Terrain: 341-402 (100 - 117.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Fairy:
Klefki returns as Fairy's best support Pokemon, and Azumarill returns as Fairy's best physical setup sweeper. While Klefki continues to perform exactly the same as it once did, the removal of Z-moves forces Azumarill to stick with Sitrus Berry as its item, restricting its setup opportunities greatly. Despite this, Azumarill remains as an excellent late-game sweeper when supported by Klefki's screens. But the biggest game-changer was none other than Magearna.
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Ice Beam
- Aura Sphere
Magearna @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draining Kiss
- Stored Power
- Calm Mind
- Shift Gear
The absence of Z-moves hasn't stopped Magearna from being one of the best Pokemon in the metagame. Shift Gear/TR variants are excellent at sweeping late-game against offense, with TR variants in particular benefiting from beating out faster revenge killers, whether it be Alolan Raichu in Electric Terrain or Kingdra in rain. Assault Vest lets it function incredibly well as a bulky pivot that can comfortably switch into threats like Indeedee and Hatterene. Lastly, Shift Gear+CM makes it an excellent win-condition with the bulk and longevity to sweep balance teams while having the speed to swiftly remove wallbreakers that may get in its way, like Diggersby or Haxorus. Magearna is undoubtedly a top-tier threat, with tons of room for set optimization in the future.
Fighting: Urshifu(Single Strike and Rapid Strike),
Urshifu @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wicked Blow
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Aqua Jet
- U-turn
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off / Earthquake / Spikes
For the most part, I've already covered Urshifu Single-Strike and Heracross on their secondary typings. But I will add here that Fighting can make good use of Choice Scarf Urshifu as a sort of fast pivot that can catch Choice Scarf Indeedee(something Heracross is incapable of doing) while simultaneously applying pressure to the rest of the Psychic team. However, because of Fighting having a strong assortment of Choice Scarf users as is, Choice Band will likely find itself on Fighting teams more for its ability to break past common walls that Fighting struggles with, such as Toxapex, Aegislash, and Galarian Corsola. As for Urshifu Rapid-Strike, its Water typing overlapping with Keldeo makes it difficult to justify its use over Urshifu Single-Strike, who provides much more uniqueness in its wallbreaking. However, for Fighting, Choice Band lets Urshifu Rapid-Strike capitalize most on the few tools it has over Keldeo, being able to revenge kill Volcarona, Excadrill, and Mimikyu with a Disguise up.
Poliwrath is set to 130 base Attack, and Fury Attack is set to a 25 base power Water move that always crits
252 Atk Choice Band Poliwrath Fury Attack (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mimikyu on a critical hit: 222-264 (88.4 - 105.1%) -- approx. 18.8% chance to OHKO
After the initial 12% Mimikyu takes from the Disguise being broken, the following 2 hits guarantee the OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Poliwrath Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 278-330 (89.3 - 106.1%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Poliwrath Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Excadrill: 296-350 (81.9 - 96.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Guaranteed after about 2 turns of Life Orb recoil
All the Pokemon Fire received offer excellent utility for the type. I've already covered Volcarona, who performs the exact same way on Fire. But the introduction of Alolan Marowak grants Fire a strong Electric immunity that also doubles as an excellent physical wallbreaker. Bonemerang is a solid option for Poison-types like Toxapex and Drapion, but Low Kick is also helpful against Chansey and Tyranitar, while preventing Hydreigon from switching in safely. Talonflame is yet another grateful recipient of Heavy-Duty Boots, being able to make full use of Gale Wings whenever it wants to switch in. Not only can it net fast kills against +1 Volcarona and Urshifu, but it's also capable of providing team support with Tailwind, allowing a teammate like Arcanine or even the aforementioned Alolan Marowak to sweep late-game, as well as priority Defog for removing hazards if necessary.
Flying:
Skarmory @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Iron Head
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Whirlwind
Emolga @ Leftovers
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Nuzzle
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Taunt
Skarmory returns as Flying's only Stealth Rock setter(so far). It continues to reprise its role as a hazard setting physical tank. However, its exclusivity as a Stealth Rock setter means that it won't be overshadowed by Corviknight similarly to how Celesteela overshadowed it in Generation 7, as they play vastly different roles. Emolga, in all honesty, is complete garbage. But, seeing as its the only Electric immunity on Flying in a metagame where Electric has become incredibly powerful, the best result is this sad attempt at a utility set, with Nuzzle to spread paralysis and U-turn to allow it to act as a pivot. Its Electric immunity is the only thing that makes it worth mentioning, but Skarmory is the only real highlight here.
Ghost:
Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Poltergeist
- Flare Blitz
- Bonemerang / Low Kick
- Stealth Rock
Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
- Poltergeist
- Flare Blitz
- Bonemerang
- Swords Dance / Low Kick
Alolan Marowak provides Ghost with a more offensive Stealth Rocker that is much more useful defensively compared to Golurk. Having access to a stronger Ghost STAB move in Poltergeist is especially helpful for its wallbreaking, as very few Pokemon in the metagame resist its STAB combination. Additionally, Alolan Marowak can also reprise its secondary role as a Trick Room sweeper, capable of demolishing Electric and Bug when given its setup opportunity. Alolan Marowak will prove to be an especially prominent Pokemon on Ghost teams, being able to beat many of the metagame's new offensive threats, such as Volcarona and Magearna.
Grass:
Rillaboom @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Grassy Glide
- Knock Off
- U-turn
While the new Pokemon Grass received weren't exactly game-changing, Rillaboom ended up improving significantly. With terrain-based threats such as Indeedee and Alolan Raichu terrorizing the metagame, Rillaboom serves as a direct check to each of them through its own terrain. To make up for its only decent Speed, Rillaboom's access to Grassy Glide, a priority move that only works in Grassy Terrain, lets it revenge kill not only Indeedee and Alolan Raichu, but other sweepers as well, such as Excadrill, Cloyster, and Zeraora after Stealth Rock.
Leaf Blade is set to 70 base power
252 Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Excadrill in Grassy Terrain: 328-387 (90.8 - 107.2%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Leaf Blade vs. -1 0 HP / 4 Def Cloyster in Grassy Terrain: 390-458 (161.8 - 190%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zeraora in Grassy Terrain: 274-324 (86.4 - 102.2%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Ground:
Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
In all honesty, nothing Ground received is particularly noteworthy other than maybe Krookodile, who's capable of revenge killing offensive threats like Indeedee and Dragapult, while being able to put a sizable dent into Psychic and Ghost teams. It's unlikely to outright sweep through any of them, but it's still a leg up above Scorching Sands, which fails to be worth its burn chance on a type that has an extreme lack of strong special attackers.
Ice:
Sandslash-Alola @ Life Orb
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Triple Axel
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide / Earthquake
- Swords Dance
Weavile @ Choice Band / Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Triple Axel
- Low Kick
- Ice Shard
Alolan Sandslash is back performing the role of a hail sweeper/revenge killer, only this time it brought along with it Triple Axel. When all 3 of its hits connect, it adds up to a total of 120 base power, which is a noticeable step up from Icicle Crash. Weavile also receiving this new move gives it an inherent buff as well. This move does come at a drawback of each hit having a 90% chance to miss, making its full power about as accurate as Hurricane. While this may push some people away in favor of Icicle Crash's better accuracy, the damage output of Triple Axel is well worth it.
Icicle Crash is set to 120 base power for all 3 hits connecting, and 100 base power for only the last 2 hits connecting
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 159-187 (47.6 - 55.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 165-195 (46.8 - 55.3%) -- 71.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 244-288 (61.9 - 73%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Sandslash-Alola Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Corviknight: 204-242 (51 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Sandslash-Alola Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gastrodon: 387-458 (90.8 - 107.5%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Life Orb Sandslash-Alola Icicle Crash vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mimikyu: 214-253 (85.2 - 100.7%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
(set to 100 base power, Mimikyu is at 88% after the Disguise is busted)
One of the best defensive cores in Monotype is back, with Chansey+Porygon2 being able to weather out much of the highly offensive onslaught the metagame has to offer. They have remained relatively unchanged, except Chansey receiving Teleport, which now makes it a bulky pivot capable of inviting in its more dangerous teammates for wallbreaking, such as the newly improved Indeedee. Expanding Force, when being augmented by not only its secondary effect, but Psychic Terrain as well, can reach 156 base power, surpassing the likes of Psycho Boost without suffering its downsides. Here's what Indeedee is capable of doing.
Psychic is set to 120 base power(Expanding Force's 80 multiplied by 1.5)
252 SpA Choice Specs Indeedee Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Clefable in Psychic Terrain: 358-423 (90.8 - 107.3%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Indeedee Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Mantine in Psychic Terrain: 186-220 (49.7 - 58.8%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Indeedee Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Porygon2 in Psychic Terrain: 229-270 (61.2 - 72.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Poison:
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Spore
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb / Stun Spore / Foul Play
Scolipede @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn
- Swords Dance / Protect
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Knock Off
- Protect / Haze
Starting with Amoonguss, it has a few advantages over Vileplume as a physical wall. Some of these include Regenerator, as well as access to the more reliable Spore over Vileplume's Sleep Powder. Amoonguss's Synthesis and Vileplume's Strength Sap both have their specific issues, whether it be Synthesis's low PP and ineffectiveness in weather or Strength Sap's cancellation by not only Magic Bounce but also by Liquid Ooze(hi Tentacruel). However, between the two of them, Amoonguss's better bulk along with Regenerator for passive recovery leads me to believe that it may eventually overshadow Vileplume as the better Grass type option. Onto Scolipede, Swords Dance transforms it into a menacing setup sweeper, capable of tearing apart Psychic and Grass. It can also go the sole revenge killing route, guaranteeing the +1 Speed using Protect, allowing it to beat threats like +1 Volcarona, as well as Choice Scarf Gengar, Gardevoir, and Indeedee. Finally, Tentacruel doesn't have very much that lets it outshine Toxapex defensively. However, it does a decent job of role compression, acting as a defensive utility Pokemon and hazard remover, which could potentially have some use on more offensive Poison teams. Additionally, Liquid Ooze not only lets it slowly 1v1 Ferrothorn, but it also robs Strength Sap users like Galarian Corsola and Vileplume of their recoveries. While it'll never measure up to Toxapex's defensive utility, the multiple jobs it's capable of doing are ones it does pretty well.
Psychic:
Slowbro @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave
- Teleport
Psychic received a sizable number of helpful tools in the DLC. Starting with Slowbro, its role as a defensive pivot is made even greater through gaining Teleport, providing its offensive teammates with solid momentum. Alakazam's role has also stayed roughly the same, except the distribution of Expanding Force allows it to take excellent advantage of Indeedee's terrain offensively, especially after a Nasty Plot. Starmie is one example of nothing being added to make it perform its job better, but Psychic's lack of reliable hazard control outside of Hatterene makes it a decent choice in that regard.
Rock:
Lycanroc-Dusk @ Choice Band
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Accelerock
- Psychic Fangs
Out of the Lycanroc forms that Rock now has access to, Dusk form stands out as the best. As always, Tough Claws Accelerock gives it a solid priority tool for dispatching threats like Volcarona and Alolan Raichu, but its new coverage in Close Combat and Psychic Fangs lets it do significantly better against Fighting teams in particular, especially with Sticky Web support.
252 Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Cobalion: 380-448 (98.4 - 116%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Psychic Fangs vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Keldeo: 368-434 (113.9 - 134.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Psychic Fangs vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Terrakion: 368-434 (113.9 - 134.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Psychic Fangs vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Kommo-o: 278-328 (95.5 - 112.7%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Scrafty: 474-558 (139 - 163.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(Scrafty has been given 100 base HP and Defense to simulate Urshifu Single-Strike)
Steel:
Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Knock Off
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Fleur Cannon
- Ice Beam
- Aura Sphere
Magearna @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draining Kiss
- Stored Power
- Calm Mind
- Shift Gear
Steel's new additions have greatly enabled offensive Steel as an archetype, with Scizor being a strong offensive pivot and revenge killer, Skarmory performing its suicide lead role, Klefki supporting setup sweepers with dual screens and Spikes, and Magearna taking advantage of Klefki's support with various sweeping sets. Magnezone performs the same trapping role on both its types, except Thunderbolt lets it trap and destroy Skarmory and Corviknight as well. These new Pokemon complement Steel's existing setup sweepers greatly, meaning that offensive Steel may become a force to be reckoned with as the metagame progresses.
Water: Urshifu Rapid-Strike,
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Aqua Jet
- U-turn
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic Spikes
Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Liquidation
- Knock Off
Azumarill @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Whirlpool
- Perish Song
- Protect
- Rest
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
There's a lot to unpack for Water, and much of it involves rain. Kingdra returns as Water's undisputed best Swift Swim user, capable of steamrolling through anything that doesn't resist it bar Chansey. While Modest gives great damage output, I do feel that many Kingdra's will want to run Timid to have a chance of speed tying each other, since many rain Water dittos may end up revolving around whose Kingdra lasts longer. Urshifu Rapid-Strike and Azumarill are both great benefactors of rain as well, both sporting great revenge killing potential with Aqua Jet, and Urshifu's Surging Strikes receiving unbelievable power. Contrary to Fighting, Urshifu Rapid-Strike's spectacular damage output under rain, along with priority and U-turn pivoting gives much more reason to use it over Keldeo. In addition to offensive tools, the new DLC gave Water some solid defensive tools to work with as well. Tentacruel provides solid role compression with Rapid Spin and Toxic Spikes, except Water is much more appreciative of a Leech Seed and Giga Drain sponge, possibly granting it a niche role to play on teams without Toxapex. Azumarill's Perish-trapping set is amazing for stall teams, providing them a switch-in to the ever-dangerous Rillaboom, as well as Choice Band Haxorus's Outrage. Lastly, Slowbro makes a great sponge for physical threats like Excadrill and Terrakion, while simultaneously acting as a Calm Mind win-condition.
This took extremely long to make, so I hope you all enjoyed it!
EDIT: Well Magearna didn't last very long. Just consider all the Magearna stuff I mentioned here irrelevant
The fact that Lycanroc dusk provides a means of Rock priority and outspeeds 109+ and pressures Keldeo and Toxapex more effectively than Terrakion is already a significant buff for offensive pressure, especially considering that Tyrannitar can struggle to outspeed some faster mons even at +1. With Play Rough/Psychic Fangs, the Fighting and Water matchup becomes significantly better considering that forementioned mons give Rock teams trouble. Jolly LO even 2HKOes Toxapex with Psychic Fangs and will likely OHKO Keldeo unboosted. That's not even saying the power of a Tough Claws LO Close Combat. I can't wait to build a better Rock team!
Hello! Ever since DLC dropped I have built and tested various team with new additions which we got, and I am sure you all did that too. With this said, I feel like one of the biggest winners of this DLC addition to Monotype is Volcarona.
In previous generations, Volcarona was threatening too as it has the coveted Quiver Dance and decent speed to boost however one of the ways it was checked was through hazards, specifically Stealth Rock which made revenge killing it easier and / or prevented it from setting up successfully. Coming back to gen 8, and the new item Heavy Duty Boots which basically negates any hazard damage and is a boon for an offensive sweeper like Volcarona. Thankfully it does not have Z-moves to blast through checks but the metagame is more geared towards offense now.
On Bug-type teams, it has a quintessential position as a win condition against Steel-type teams, while also doing well in other matchups like Electric. On Fire teams, I initially thought that it was out of place and the matchups it covered were overlapped however I quickly found out that it is quite good on fire teams too, as it can make quick work of matchup like Dragon after a Quiver Dance boost or two as the faster Choice Scarf users are special based. Not only this, it auguments matchups like Psychic and Dark for Fire teams with its teammates like Incineroar and Cinderace, cementing Fire as a type further into the metagame as more usable. On both types on which it is usable it can be hard for offensive teams to deal with now but I at the same time have also notificed teams starting to keep it in mind while building. Conclusion: Volcarona is dangerous and one that should be prepared for!
I wanted to give my thoughts on Volcarona and so let me know what you guys think about it and I would also love to read your thoughts on two other stuff, Terrain Extender and the Urshifus. Stay safe!
Hello everyone, I have come to create controversy in this thread by dropping my personal tier list for the current gen8 post DLC metagame.
You can watch the hour long video here or look at my brief explanations on this post
Bug - A solid anti-meta type, kinda similar to grass last gen. I think as an overall threat its pretty good but has glaring weaknesses to terrain teams and weather teams. As a whole tho its pretty solid.
Dark - Solid type but struggles in the current metagame due to things like electric terrain raichu-a and rain being extremely strong. It doesn't hold up very well when faced with these things amoung others, but in general its ok.
Dragon - Very good at being an offensive type, gets walled and worn down by too much to be a metagame staple. Look at how it loses to types like Grass, and also gets beaten by things like psy terrain teams (Psychic / Normal). I can see it being better or worse than b but rn I think this is an ok place to put it.
Electric - I overrated it a little too much initially but I still think its better than types like Dragon, Bug, etc. so I'll leave it where it is for now, could see it being B though. Anyway this type is crazy because of eterrain and Raichu + Magnezone (whom i don't mention in the video) doing insane work against most types. Not to mention that this is all with webs support, and pokemon like Zeraora in the back. Type is very solid but i can see its flaws.
Fairy - Screens + azu were a blessing for this type, now it can actually have a win condition and not just have to pray that they pick off the right pokemon. This allows fairy to be easier to build with and have more consistency, althogh azu is less reliable due to no zmoves it still finds itself being an extremely dangerous sweeper. Type is solid, can see it being b rank as well but i think a is good enough for it.
Fighting - Urshifu would've saved this type if klefki didn't come back. That aside though, fighting still suffers from being offensively overwhelmed (see: terrain teams, weather teams, etc.) and doesn't have a ton of offensive synergy. Due to this it gets a c-ranking despite being my favorite type :(.
Fire - After further review, I think fire could be A rank, but I would need to see more tournament footage of it to firmly have a definitive opinion on it tier-wise. For now the place I put it doesn't seem too criminal, as it struggles against other offensive types and has some very bad MU's against common types (Water, Dragon) but its still very good. Cinderace and the Sun truly made this type extraordinary.
Flying - Despite the efforts of Conflux, I still don't have much faith in flying being that good. Although I will consider it being C rank worthy due to it definitely being better than ground and rock. I highly suggest you all look at this game from MPL to see how Flying can actually do work in this metagame. But yeah I think its bad, but not as bad as those two.
Ghost - I DEFINATELY think I overrated this type, its a solid B. Reason being that I thought it had a ton of winning MU's when in reality it had more losing ones as well. It's carried by mons like dragapult, corsola-g, and the new alolawak, but they aren't enough to warrant an A-rank imo. Still a solid type tho.
Grass - Grass is the most solid type this gen, I think its a great type for beginners to learn the metagame with as it has great even MU's, good top tier MU's and not too many bad MU's. That along with its ability to fit two different playstyles in balance and Sun offense makes it a versatile and consistent mid-tier type. Not much else to say, but I think Grass is in a great position right now.
Ground - While I appreciate and admire Zugu's efforts to give this type some limelight, the reality is that against a bunch of top tier types it just cannot cut it. Psychic and water got Slowbro to wall their physical attackers, Electric can just use e-terrain Raichu-alola to outright beat some of its mons like Excadrill and Hippowdon (with chip granted), Steel isn't even an automatic win thanks to Ferrothorn and Corviknight making great waves, and now fairy has Azumarill + screens so that matchup isn't free either. Needless to say, I don't think Ground is that good at all right now, sure it can work sometimes, but that's pretty much every type in this game. Bottom tier for me.
Ice - With the Kyu-b ban, the return of Scizor, and ice not getting any new great toys. It's now going to start falling behind in the metagame. The offensive pressure it once had no longer exists, more steel types were added that make their day worse, and alolan-sandslash lost z-moves so it can't punch holes through teams anymore. It's just a lackluster type now and I don't see it getting better anytime soon.
Normal - Decent, not much to say really. I think its held back by a lack of good hazard removal, but even with that, the evio core + indeedee is incredible and can dismantle many common types in the metagame. Its the de-facto B tier type imo.
Poison - Poison is pretty decent. Its scary vs balance and stall, but ok vs offense. Its defensive core is still really good, but it pales in comparison to its gen7 counterpart. The lack of M-venu and Muk-alola really begins to rear its ugly head, and the removal of pursuit didn't help matters either. I think it can still be very good as a general type, but against some forms of offense the flaws truly begin to show. B-tier for me personally.
Psychic - Definitely one of the best right now. Psychic terrain + alakazam and slowbro making balance psychic good. I think not enough people talk about how deadly this type is rn. It even shows in current MPL usage, this type is baller, not much needs to be said.
Rock - I've used this type more than you think, and yes its still THAT bad. Its arguably worse than ground, but i still think its viable for a few reasons. It beats some top tier types (albeit barely) and has decent mu's across the board. But its weaknesses REALLY REALLY drag it down. Lacking a good special attacker has never been more problematic for rock, nihilego's return will only bring good things for this type. So despite lycanroc being great, its still not enough to make this type a metagame threat.
Steel - Steel is also a type I initially MASSIVELY overrated, when i made the video I seemed to have forgotten that steel loses to pretty much all common and top tier types in the metagame atm. So feel free to ignore that part of the video if you got mad at that. Otherwise steel can still put in work but I think its just not the good right now, its B-rank for me. Possibly even C.
Water - Rain is broken.
Please make sure to read or listen to my thoughts before reacting to my tier list, also I am in no way saying this is THE definitive tier list for monotype right now. MPL is still going on and there are possibly many new strats that we just haven't started using yet. I don't know every little thing about this metagame and that is why I am sharing this list, so we can discuss what types are truly the best, and which are the worst atm. Thank you for reading, stay safe everyone!
Urshifu was banned in monotype. Why? What does this mean for water? All of that can be explained in the vid below.
For those of you that don't like watching 30 minute videos I have a brief summary here:
Why was Urshifu banned?
This post by Decem explains in the very basic form why Urshifu was banned pretty well. But I wouldn't be making this post if it explained everything and why they felt it was suddenly banworthy now and not when Magearna was also around.
Gorex vs averado and Feliburn vs Kythr are two important games when discussing this Pokemon. In the gorex game, Urshifu forced averado to use Araquanid to attempt to check it, only for him to get a nasty surprise when it turned out his "check" got beat out by a Substitute Bulk Up set.
Even in high level play, Urshifu-rapid strike can still be unpredictable and force the opposing player to sack pokemon just to get offensive momentum or just straight up get swept, as you saw happened to averado.
In the Feliburn game, Kythr invalidated Feli's Galvantula lead by having a choice scarf set outspeed and KO it. Making it much harder for Feliburn to check Kythr's swift swimmers. This allowed kythr to almost win the game had he not choked during the end. Its these games and the aforementioned reasons in the post that led to the council looking at Urshifu again. Chaitanya had already wanted to ban urshifu-rapid strike since the magearna ban, but his fellow council members did not agree at the time. These replays further backed his claim and would lead to everyone re-evaluating their votes on its ban.
What does this mean for water?
Rain, Balance, and webs are all still good archetypes for water. The ban of urshifu only means that an overtuned tool was removed from their arsenal. Keldeo still gives steel, dark and normal a hard time, so those matchups aren't exactly lost. However matchups like Psychic and Poison become much harder now that you don't have a pokemon that can ignore protect and potentially KO a wall at any time. That being said, water is still a great type that won't have its overall viability be extremely hindered by the removal of one of their best pokemon. Here are some replacements for certain archetypes:
Rain:
- Barraskewda (Physical attacker with absurd speed and pivoting power)
- Keldeo (Great wallbreaker and Stallbreaker that can make certain mu's very easy)
- Sharpedo and Dracovish (Powerful physical attackers in rain)
I personally think that the Urshifu-Single Strike ban was justified and a great move by the council to make this metagame healthy and fun. I hope everyone else was able to better understand the situation through my video/explanation. Feel free to point out any inconsistencies you may find in my post or video!
Hello! Ever since DLC dropped I have built and tested various team with new additions which we got, and I am sure you all did that too. With this said, I feel like one of the biggest winners of this DLC addition to Monotype is Volcarona.
In previous generations, Volcarona was threatening too as it has the coveted Quiver Dance and decent speed to boost however one of the ways it was checked was through hazards, specifically Stealth Rock which made revenge killing it easier and / or prevented it from setting up successfully. Coming back to gen 8, and the new item Heavy Duty Boots which basically negates any hazard damage and is a boon for an offensive sweeper like Volcarona. Thankfully it does not have Z-moves to blast through checks but the metagame is more geared towards offense now.
On Bug-type teams, it has a quintessential position as a win condition against Steel-type teams, while also doing well in other matchups like Electric. On Fire teams, I initially thought that it was out of place and the matchups it covered were overlapped however I quickly found out that it is quite good on fire teams too, as it can make quick work of matchup like Dragon after a Quiver Dance boost or two as the faster Choice Scarf users are special based. Not only this, it auguments matchups like Psychic and Dark for Fire teams with its teammates like Incineroar and Cinderace, cementing Fire as a type further into the metagame as more usable. On both types on which it is usable it can be hard for offensive teams to deal with now but I at the same time have also notificed teams starting to keep it in mind while building. Conclusion: Volcarona is dangerous and one that should be prepared for!
I wanted to give my thoughts on Volcarona and so let me know what you guys think about it and I would also love to read your thoughts on two other stuff, Terrain Extender and the Urshifus. Stay safe!
Good reasoning! I prefer to run Firey Dance / Bug Buzz / Giga Drain, as Cinderace can learn Zen Headbutt. Regardless of the moves you pick there are some ‘mons that are awkward to get through, but at least on Fire I think Giga Drain is mandatory.
Hello there, I would like to talk about Urshifu today. Before I start with the actual thoughts on it, I would like to post its sets which it runs for reference:
Urshifu @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wicked Blow
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn
Urshifu @ Life Orb
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Wicked Blow
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
MPL is going on and with that we get to see some really good level games to see how types used are doing, what archetype they are following, new trends, new sets etc and with this I gave a close look on Urshifu. Below I have complied some replays from MPL which not only shows how Urshifu performed but it also shows how the opponent reacted to it.
1. Near Perfect STAB Combination: Dark and Fighting is really a great coverage hitting a lot of Pokemon for at least neutral damage and majorly only Fairy-type Pokemon are able resist both of the STABs along with some Fighting-type Pokemon like Heracross and Hawlucha. However majority of the Fairy-types cannot deal with the wicked move called as Wicked Blow which always results in a critical hit and you cannot save yourself using dual screens and cannot gauge set / scout using Protect.
2. Bane for Defensive and Offensive teams: Good Attack stat, decent Speed and the move Wicked Blow makes it hard for both defensive and offensive teams to check it. Often times you will see players sacking a Pokemon to Urshifu everytime it comes in. In this replay from MPL, https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1145176056 Havens vs Toadow, you can see how easily Urshifu using Wicked Blow broke apart Skarmory and Ferrothorn and Toadow was hard pressed to circumvent his way around it. Next in the replay between Flossed over and Dahli https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1153479250 we can see how early game Flossed went Dragalge on the predicted Close Combat from Urshifu but Urshifu was not choiced and it KOed Dragalge with Wicked Blow which just goes on to show that there is not really a defensive counter play against Urshifu and it will claim one Pokemon pretty much everytime it comes in. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1154314227 next in this replay between Chaitanya and Trichotomy we can see how well Urshifu perfomed against an offensive team. With this I also believe non-choiced set is the most threatening one, as it gives you the ability to freely choose moves and possibly even get a Bulk Up boost or two due to how Urshifu forces switching.
3. Not a Glass cannon: 100/100/63 defenses is not really a frail Pokemon, it has low Special defense agreed but decently high HP somewhat helps with it as it is able to live hits like Draco Meteor from Choice Scarf Dragapult:
252 SpA Dragapult Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Urshifu: 268-316 (78.5 - 92.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Also seen in this replay from MPL https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1153084030 and this one https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1154141143
252 Atk Life Orb Excadrill Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu: 218-257 (63.9 - 75.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu: 268-316 (78.5 - 92.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Scolipede Megahorn vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu: 231-274 (67.7 - 80.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu in Grassy Terrain: 237-280 (69.5 - 82.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Venusaur Sludge Bomb vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Urshifu: 265-312 (77.7 - 91.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO I think this should be enough to convey that Urshifu is not paper thin and if needed can take hits in a pinch.
4. High-rewarding Pokemon: Due to points 1, 2, and 3, using Urshifu is immensely rewarding with basically no to low risks. It stacks weakness against type like Fairy but it really does not matter when it has teammates like Tyranitar and Bisharp to cover these. Also add the fact that Dark as a type is equipped enough to support Urshifu with defensive pivots between Tyranitar and Mandibuzz which can spread paralysis via Thunder Wave or create momentum with U-turn to bring in Urshifu, respectively. Then we also have dual screens and Prankster Thunder Wave support from Grimmsnarl which just throws out a lot of ways to revenge kill Urshifu out of the window. Common teammates like Bisharp and Hydreigon have good synergy with it and help to cover various matchups together which is not hard to understand.
With all these points, Urshifu for me falls towards on the unhealthy side.
I would love to see some educated posts on this and what others feel about it.
Hello there, I would like to talk about Urshifu today. Before I start with the actual thoughts on it, I would like to post its sets which it runs for reference:
Urshifu @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wicked Blow
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn
Urshifu @ Life Orb
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Wicked Blow
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
MPL is going on and with that we get to see some really good level games to see how types used are doing, what archetype they are following, new trends, new sets etc and with this I gave a close look on Urshifu. Below I have complied some replays from MPL which not only shows how Urshifu performed but it also shows how the opponent reacted to it.
1. Near Perfect STAB Combination: Dark and Fighting is really a great coverage hitting a lot of Pokemon for at least neutral damage and majorly only Fairy-type Pokemon are able resist both of the STABs along with some Fighting-type Pokemon like Heracross and Hawlucha. However majority of the Fairy-types cannot deal with the wicked move called as Wicked Blow which always results in a critical hit and you cannot save yourself using dual screens and cannot gauge set / scout using Protect.
2. Bane for Defensive and Offensive teams: Good Attack stat, decent Speed and the move Wicked Blow makes it hard for both defensive and offensive teams to check it. Often times you will see players sacking a Pokemon to Urshifu everytime it comes in. In this replay from MPL, https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1145176056 Havens vs Toadow, you can see how easily Urshifu using Wicked Blow broke apart Skarmory and Ferrothorn and Toadow was hard pressed to circumvent his way around it. Next in the replay between Flossed over and Dahli https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1153479250 we can see how early game Flossed went Dragalge on the predicted Close Combat from Urshifu but Urshifu was not choiced and it KOed Dragalge with Wicked Blow which just goes on to show that there is not really a defensive counter play against Urshifu and it will claim one Pokemon pretty much everytime it comes in. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1154314227 next in this replay between Chaitanya and Trichotomy we can see how well Urshifu perfomed against an offensive team. With this I also believe non-choiced set is the most threatening one, as it gives you the ability to freely choose moves and possibly even get a Bulk Up boost or two due to how Urshifu forces switching.
3. Not a Glass cannon: 100/100/63 defenses is not really a frail Pokemon, it has low Special defense agreed but decently high HP somewhat helps with it as it is able to live hits like Draco Meteor from Choice Scarf Dragapult:
252 SpA Dragapult Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Urshifu: 268-316 (78.5 - 92.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Also seen in this replay from MPL https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1153084030 and this one https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1154141143
252 Atk Life Orb Excadrill Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu: 218-257 (63.9 - 75.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu: 268-316 (78.5 - 92.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Scolipede Megahorn vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu: 231-274 (67.7 - 80.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu in Grassy Terrain: 237-280 (69.5 - 82.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Venusaur Sludge Bomb vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Urshifu: 265-312 (77.7 - 91.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO I think this should be enough to convey that Urshifu is not paper thin and if needed can take hits in a pinch.
4. High-rewarding Pokemon: Due to points 1, 2, and 3, using Urshifu is immensely rewarding with basically no to low risks. It stacks weakness against type like Fairy but it really does not matter when it has teammates like Tyranitar and Bisharp to cover these. Also add the fact that Dark as a type is equipped enough to support Urshifu with defensive pivots between Tyranitar and Mandibuzz which can spread paralysis via Thunder Wave or create momentum with U-turn to bring in Urshifu, respectively. Then we also have dual screens and Prankster Thunder Wave support from Grimmsnarl which just throws out a lot of ways to revenge kill Urshifu out of the window. Common teammates like Bisharp and Hydreigon have good synergy with it and help to cover various matchups together which is not hard to understand.
With all these points, Urshifu for me falls towards on the unhealthy side.
I would love to see some educated posts on this and what others feel about it.
I agree with some points:
Urshifu is good against offensive teams and is a really good wallbreaker.
However, I feel at the moment it isn't 100% unhealthy. Of course Wicked Blow is really strong because of its effect.
Before saying anything, I want to say I'm neutral at the moment, I'm not pro/against a ban.
1 - Its coverage and teammates in Dark / Fighting types:
Fighting/Dark coverage is good but not perfect like it is for Ghost/Fighting. Super Effective: Dark, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Psychic, Rock, Steel Neutral: Bug, Dragon, Electric, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Grass, Ground, Poison, Water Resists: Fairy
Yes, Fairy looks to be the only way to stop it but a lot of types have Fairy Pokemon in teams at the moment, by example Primarina/Azumarill in water, Weezing-G in Poison, Whimsicott in Grass type, Mimikyu in Ghost type and Togekiss in Flying type.
I just insist on this fact: Dark and Fighting doesn't have really good switch-in for Moonblast or Play Rough.
U gave Tyranitar and Bisharp as exemple for Dark type, Bisharp is easily 2HKO by any fairy moves, only Tyranitar can deal temporarily with special fairy moves. (By example: 252 SpA Gardevoir Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 146-174 (36.1 - 43%) -- 95.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery )
Concerning Fighting type, we've Cobalion and Toxicroak. And it looks worse than for Dark type, only Cobalion can deal with physical fairy moves and temporarly with special fairy moves.
So, here is the first issue for Dark/Fighting types with Urshifu, u can still annoy these types with a faster or bulky fairy Pokemon.
2 - Urshifu impact in Fighting type:
U only described Urshifu in Dark type, not in the Fighting type.
Which give to Fighting type a decent Dark/Fighting Pokemon because Scrafty and Pangoro are lovely but so slow to be dangerous for Psychic type.
By example, both are dumbly destroyed by Dgleam specs Indeedee or Moonblast Gardevoir Scarf, so here is my first point: It helps Fighting against Psychic without having a 6-0 Urshifu Vs Psychic game because of Psychic terrain, Alakazam focus sash or if it's banded version locked on its sign move (That's why I'm running Black Glasses Urshifu Sucker/Wicked Blow in Fighting type).
It balances a little more the mu against Ghost type too as Mimikyu can still revengekill with only Cobalion as check.
3 - Pokemon dealing with Urshifu:
Before start saying Pokemon name, I'd like to insist about the effect of Band.
With Band u will be able to 2HKO Pokemon aren't usually 2HKO (even with LO):
Here is the best example:
Toxapex:
252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex on a critical hit: 157-186 (51.6 - 61.1%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Urshifu Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex on a critical hit: 138-164 (45.3 - 53.9%) -- 2% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
But a contrario, u will be locked wich is sometimes annoying because u won't be able to Sucker Punch a faster scarf able to kill u which make force u to switch.
It looks stupid to remember that but it isn't, it makes Urshifu sometimes dependant to ChoiceBand, sometimes not and we should keep this in mind.
I say it again, every Fairy Pokemon has a good advantage against Urshifu and its teammates as switchins won't be usable again and again like by example, Amoonguss in Poison type against Ground Pokemon.
Mandibuzz: 252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 204-241 (48.1 - 56.8%) -- 38.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Urshifu Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 177-211 (41.7 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
Togekiss (doesn't need calcs), only Iron Head or Poison Jab can deal with it.
Weezing-Galar: Officially the best check: 252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Weezing-Galar on a critical hit: 93-111 (27.8 - 33.2%) -- 91.4% chance to 4HKO after Black Sludge recovery
That's the only way to deal with Urshifu Band, it's really really poor, we agree.
Mainly because of Wicked Blow.
So, I would say Urshifu gets a kill once it's one the terrain mostly but will be forced to switch with a revengekiller like Gardevoir Scarf, Cinderace HJK, Whimsicott, Noivern, Dracovish Scarf, Darmanitan Scarf, Charizard, Darmanitan-Galar, Ninetales-Alola,...
My opinion about Urshifu is the same than for Urshifu-Rapid-Strike:
This Pokemon is clearly borderline or slighty unhealthy because of its sign move.
Both have a dumb 120 Base power (counted as a crit) which makes really hard to check.
So, the issue is caused by Wicked Blow and not really Urshifu here.
I agree with some points:
Urshifu is good against offensive teams and is a really good wallbreaker.
However, I feel at the moment it isn't 100% unhealthy. Of course Wicked Blow is really strong because of its effect.
Before saying anything, I want to say I'm neutral at the moment, I'm not pro/against a ban.
1 - Its coverage and teammates in Dark / Fighting types:
Fighting/Dark coverage is good but not perfect like it is for Ghost/Fighting. Super Effective: Dark, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Psychic, Rock, Steel Neutral: Bug, Dragon, Electric, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Grass, Ground, Poison, Water Resists: Fairy
Yes, Fairy looks to be the only way to stop it but a lot of types have Fairy Pokemon in teams at the moment, by example Primarina/Azumarill in water, Weezing-G in Poison, Whimsicott in Grass type, Mimikyu in Ghost type and Togekiss in Flying type.
I just insist on this fact: Dark and Fighting doesn't have really good switch-in for Moonblast or Play Rough.
U gave Tyranitar and Bisharp as exemple for Dark type, Bisharp is easily 2HKO by any fairy moves, only Tyranitar can deal temporarily with special fairy moves. (By example: 252 SpA Gardevoir Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 146-174 (36.1 - 43%) -- 95.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery )
Concerning Fighting type, we've Cobalion and Toxicroak. And it looks worse than for Dark type, only Cobalion can deal with physical fairy moves and temporarly with special fairy moves.
So, here is the first issue for Dark/Fighting types with Urshifu, u can still annoy these types with a faster or bulky fairy Pokemon.
2 - Urshifu impact in Fighting type:
U only described Urshifu in Dark type, not in the Fighting type.
Which give to Fighting type a decent Dark/Fighting Pokemon because Scrafty and Pangoro are lovely but so slow to be dangerous for Psychic type.
By example, both are dumbly destroyed by Dgleam specs Indeedee or Moonblast Gardevoir Scarf, so here is my first point: It helps Fighting against Psychic without having a 6-0 Urshifu Vs Psychic game because of Psychic terrain, Alakazam focus sash or if it's banded version locked on its sign move (That's why I'm running Black Glasses Urshifu Sucker/Wicked Blow in Fighting type).
It balances a little more the mu against Ghost type too as Mimikyu can still revengekill with only Cobalion as check.
3 - Pokemon dealing with Urshifu:
Before start saying Pokemon name, I'd like to insist about the effect of Band.
With Band u will be able to 2HKO Pokemon aren't usually 2HKO (even with LO):
Here is the best example:</p><p>Toxapex: 252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex on a critical hit: 157-186 (51.6 - 61.1%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Urshifu Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex on a critical hit: 138-164 (45.3 - 53.9%) -- 2% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
But a contrario, u will be locked wich is sometimes annoying because u won't be able to Sucker Punch a faster scarf able to kill u which make force u to switch.
It looks stupid to remember that but it isn't, it makes Urshifu sometimes dependant to ChoiceBand, sometimes not and we should keep this in mind.
I say it again, every Fairy Pokemon has a good advantage against Urshifu and its teammates as switchins won't be usable again and again like by example, Amoonguss in Poison type against Ground Pokemon.
Mandibuzz: 252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 204-241 (48.1 - 56.8%) -- 38.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Urshifu Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 177-211 (41.7 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
Togekiss (doesn't need calcs), only Iron Head or Poison Jab can deal with it.
Weezing-Galar: Officially the best check: 252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Weezing-Galar on a critical hit: 93-111 (27.8 - 33.2%) -- 91.4% chance to 4HKO after Black Sludge recovery
That's the only way to deal with Urshifu Band, it's really really poor, we agree.
Mainly because of Wicked Blow.
So, I would say Urshifu gets a kill once it's one the terrain mostly but will be forced to switch with a revengekiller like Gardevoir Scarf, Cinderace HJK, Whimsicott, Noivern, Dracovish Scarf, Darmanitan Scarf, Charizard, Darmanitan-Galar, Ninetales-Alola,...
My opinion about Urshifu is the same than for Urshifu-Rapid-Strike:
This Pokemon is clearly borderline or slighty unhealthy because of its sign move.
Both have a dumb 120 Base power (counted as a crit) which makes really hard to check.
So, the issue is caused by Wicked Blow and not really Urshifu here.
'U gave Tyranitar and Bisharp as exemple for Dark type, Bisharp is easily 2HKO by any fairy moves, only Tyranitar can deal temporarily with special fairy moves. (By example: 252 SpA Gardevoir Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 146-174 (36.1 - 43%) -- 95.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery )'
When I said Tyranitar and Bisharp for dealing with Fairy Pokemon I meant Tyranitar taking on special hits and spreading thunder wave while Bisharp is offensive Pokemon, not meant to eat hits, and so it was implied that bisharp can deal with slower fairy-type Pokemon for Urshifu like Clefable or Hatterene.
I did not base my view considering its presence on Fighting-type teams and that is for a very good reason:
* Dark is better than Fighting in the current metagame.
* Dark has better support options than Fighting for Urshifu.
* The support from Fighting-type teams to Urshifu is borderline non existent.
Hence my views were based considering its presence on Dark-type teams because it is better over there. I agree with rest of the stuff. Same like the Rapid Strike Urshifu, it is the move that makes it borderline unhealthy.
I don't really disagree with the points stated above about Urshifu.
Do I think Urshifu is very good at times? Yes.
Do I think its unhealthy / abusable? No.
I don't feel like we are quite there right now in the metagame development to point a finger at it and declare it banworthy. Also, I don't think the team support from both Dark and Fighting is good enough for Urshifu to be broken, I see it more like a mon that is easy to revengekill specially now that the meta is moving towards more offensive trends.
Honestly, I just feel like this is a teambuilding issue, (not an attack directed to someone in specific, just a general observation since I feel like the cores pre-DLC remained almost the same) I am talking in general since it seems to me like no one prepares for Urshifu, nearly every viable type has a way to deal with it or at least revenge it: Keldeo, Zam, any faster Dragon with Draco Meteor, Gardevoir, Hatterene etc. (this does not mean it would be centralizing). I just wouldn't like this to be a Kyurem-B situation all over again.
Dark and Fighting are already mid tier types at best and cutting off Urshifu this soon won't help to develop them imo.
I think the points about urshifu are interesting however I myself have found it to be impactful, but nothing too overwhelming. I've been playing ss as much as I can to improve and I think the meta is generally just really fast paced and more equipped to handle a wall breaker like urshifu. There is plenty of options that can outspeed urshifu and handle it however I don't mean to undermine it necessarily. I think If this mon was allowed in a different meta maybe you take a closer look if I'm being quite honest but imo it's nothing too crazy.
Rather, I've been wondering myself a lot about hatterne. It hasn't been a mon that's necessarily dominated the tournament scene since I do believe it is handled by the more commonly used types we see like steel,ghost,bug,water,fire, and even fairy id say doesn't mind it all too much. I've noticed though I've had quite a few games using psychic where hatterne finds its way in during a game and not much can be done about it. I think a lot of the aforementioned types have a much easier time keeping pressure on it while others like normal/drag/fight/dark/elec(to an extent) generally don't have too much for a well handled hat. Not to mention the psy mirror with hat is pretty stupid and reminds me of the stupid hoopa mirrors that had no balance to them whatsoever except this time its just a matter of who crits who. Rachi is a check but I think dark pulse is genuinely viable and makes that mu a crapshoot to play. To me it just seems this mon inverts a fair chunk of matchups even though they are not necessarily against the best ones and I've found it to be more suspect than something like urshifu for sure. It makes sense that a mon like hatterne has found a home in a fast pace meta like this anyways. Being able to slow everything down with TR is naturally going to be more potent. It is somewhat versatile in that I guess you can run OTR with more offensive spreads and coverage, but I think the uncompetitive vibe stems from the calm mind set for sure and idt it would be broken for any other reason. Not saying it is, but definitely something that I've noticed that can probably be wielded by an 8 year old and win certain mus on its own. (boomer jokes relax)
mpl has def kept me interested in ss hopefully this meta can eventually settle into a flow soon.
My opinion about Urshifu is the same than for Urshifu-Rapid-Strike:
This Pokemon is clearly borderline or slighty unhealthy because of its sign move.
Both have a dumb 120 Base power (counted as a crit) which makes really hard to check.
So, the issue is caused by Wicked Blow and not really Urshifu here.
A huge difference between Urshifu-Rapid Strike Style and Urshifu-Single Strike Style are the types that the two different forms are on. Urshifu-Rapid Strike Style was something that I felt was obviously unhealthy mainly because of the excellent team support it received from the most versatile and arguably the best type in the metagame combined with its incredible offensive presence. Water offers so many teammates to pair with Urshifu-Rapid Strike Style to maximize its wallbreaking potential, you have Pelipper who sets rain and allows Choice Band Surging Strikes to become borderline unwallable except certain defensive Pokemon which you can hit with Close Combat or U-turn to pivot out. You have defensive Pokemon like Mantine, Vaporeon, Toxapex, Slowking, Lanturn, Seismitoad, and Azumarill that form extremely potent defensive cores for Urshifu-Rapid Strike Style to switch out to, and in Slowking's case, it can even bring it back in with extreme reliability as Teleport makes it an excellent pivot with lowered priority and Regenerator. You have Araquanid which can set Sticky Web, allowing Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid Strike Style to break through faster Pokemon like Choice Scarf Gardevoir, Alakazam, and Heliolisk that would otherwise revenge kill it comfortably. Urshifu-Rapid Strike Style is a great Pokemon yes, but the amazing team support it had access to on Water is a huge reason of why it was an amazing wallbreaker to begin with, and hence why I felt voting to quickban it was appropiate. Now, let's took at Urshifu-Single Strike Style:
Let's take a look at Urshifu-Single Strike Stye's teammates. Dark's defensive core is not particularly too sturdy, Tyranitar lacks recovery, resulting in it being chipped down easily and Mandibuzz has the additional burden of being the team's Defog user. It also can't bring Urshifu in as safely as using U-turn against slower, defensive Pokemon typically means that Urshifu is at the risk of getting hit by status conditions like Toxapex's Toxic and whatnot, while trying to pivot against faster Pokemon like Hydreigon, and Noivern usually means non Choice Scarf Urshifu can't outspeed them and can't come in safely. Fighting's team support is of course, borderline inexistent, as the type has a purely offensive team structure without really any defensive Pokemon or pivots bar Cobalion and no good hazard removal to support Urshifu well in the long run. I wanted to point out that when comparing Urshifu-Single Strike Style to Urshifu-Rapid Strike Style, you should consider their team support despite being extremely similar Pokemon. Despite not being bad, Dark's team support is nowhere near good as Water's, so it is something to think about when comparing the two different Urshifu forms.
My personal opinion is that yes, Urshifu-Single Strike Style is an amazing wallbreaker, but it being unhealthy isn't crystal clear to me as of right now. Having a decent amount of viable counterplay mainly in terms of revenge killers in addition to being restricted to Dark and Fighting's team support makes me want to say that we should give time for the metagame to develop more before taking action on it.
I think the points about urshifu are interesting however I myself have found it to be impactful, but nothing too overwhelming. I've been playing ss as much as I can to improve and I think the meta is generally just really fast paced and more equipped to handle a wall breaker like urshifu. There is plenty of options that can outspeed urshifu and handle it however I don't mean to undermine it necessarily. I think If this mon was allowed in a different meta maybe you take a closer look if I'm being quite honest but imo it's nothing too crazy.
Rather, I've been wondering myself a lot about hatterne. It hasn't been a mon that's necessarily dominated the tournament scene since I do believe it is handled by the more commonly used types we see like steel,ghost,bug,water,fire, and even fairy id say doesn't mind it all too much. I've noticed though I've had quite a few games using psychic where hatterne finds its way in during a game and not much can be done about it. I think a lot of the aforementioned types have a much easier time keeping pressure on it while others like normal/drag/fight/dark/elec(to an extent) generally don't have too much for a well handled hat. Not to mention the psy mirror with hat is pretty stupid and reminds me of the stupid hoopa mirrors that had no balance to them whatsoever except this time its just a matter of who crits who. Rachi is a check but I think dark pulse is genuinely viable and makes that mu a crapshoot to play. To me it just seems this mon inverts a fair chunk of matchups even though they are not necessarily against the best ones and I've found it to be more suspect than something like urshifu for sure. It makes sense that a mon like hatterne has found a home in a fast pace meta like this anyways. Being able to slow everything down with TR is naturally going to be more potent. It is somewhat versatile in that I guess you can run OTR with more offensive spreads and coverage, but I think the uncompetitive vibe stems from the calm mind set for sure and idt it would be broken for any other reason. Not saying it is, but definitely something that I've noticed that can probably be wielded by an 8 year old and win certain mus on its own. (boomer jokes relax)
mpl has def kept me interested in ss hopefully this meta can eventually settle into a flow soon.
Pretty interesting viewpoint, although I disagree with Hatterene being unhealthy.
For the types you list: Normal, Dragon, Fighting, Dark, Electric, Psychic when talking about Hatterene, all of them have more or less good ways to deal with it one way or another. Normal can use Teleport Chansey and pivot into Choice Band Diggersby and attack it when Trick Room is down and has Trick Indeedee as well, Dragon has Dragalge, which exerts an extremely huge amount of pressure on Hatterene as a single Toxic Spike can be game changing, not to mention it can 1v1 Hatterene if it tries to switch in using Sludge Wave. Dark again can pressure using Toxic Spikes with Drapion, RestTalk Grimmsnarl can 1v1 it due to Spirit Break's Special Attack drops and how weak Draining Kiss is without boosts, and Bisharp can take boosted Draining Kisses and beat it with Iron Head. Fighting is naturally weak to Psychic and Fairy-type Pokemon but can pressure it with Cobalion, and Choice Band Urshifu can beat it after minimal chip if Trick Room is not up. Electric can pressure it with its wide array of offensive Pokemon, and Magnezone is a good defensive answer as not running Mystical Fire means Hatterene is more or less walled by the vast majority of Steel-type Pokemon bar Jirachi, in the case you are running Dark Pulse.
Dark Pulse does mean Hatterene is more comfortable in the Psychic matchup, but has many issues in itself. Not running Psychic means Hatterene is noticeably more unreliable at sweeping in other matchups, as it cannot hit Poison-type Pokemon like Toxapex and Dragalge as well, meaning it can't really break through types like Poison, Water, and Dragon. Dropping Psychic also means you are forced to boost more to beat certain common offensive Pokemon like Diggersby, Zeraora, and Rotom-H. Even if it is running Dark Pulse, Psychic can still pressure it with Trick users, mainly Gardevoir, and Jirachi's Iron Head, taking advantage of the fact that Hatterene is reliant on setup to break, unlike Hoopa-U which could basically claim one every time it got a free turn. Aside from those, like you said, a lot of the commonly used types have good ways to deal with Hatterene as well with Steel-type Pokemon, status and Knock Off chipping it down, super effective coverage and whatnot. Hatterene is a good Pokemon for sure, but the fact that it has a good amount of healthy counterplay across the metagame, including on the types you listed, is why it hasn't ever really struck me as unhealthy and broken.
Hello, new here, hope I can share some points. I climbed to the 1400s purely with Water and I'm currently climbing in another account with Dark (1200s right now, I have some IRL stuff that makes me climb pretty slowly, but I'll get there), so I do have a bit to say about both Urshifru forms, hahah.
I think one thing that really should be looked at when analysing both is what impact they have in their respective types and how much their absence would impact said types. Water was amazing with Urshifru-R: always one hit KOing Ferrothorn with Close Combat and having over 80% chance of two hit KOing Toxapex, two of the biggest Water road blockers, was huge and I think it really pushed Water, specially rain (for that sweet boost to Surging Strikes), over the edge. After the ban, Water is still easily top 3 in the current metagame, but the things that are supposed to somewhat check it, like the two aforementioned pokemon, can both do their job and be beaten by smart play. I don't see a reason for Fighting to ever run Urshifru-R instead of the Psychic immune one, so I guess I can skip that.
Speaking of Urshifru-R, I don't have much experience with Fighting, so I rather not talk about it. On Dark though, there's obvious great team support with Tyranitar and Grimmsnarl (dual screens + Taunt variant) offering plenty of ways to deal with Fairies, and Mandibuzz (which, assumingly, I haven't used much yet) offering Defog and a defensive pivot, though I don't feel Urshifru-R breaks any of the "bad" matchups for Dark: between Bisharp, Tyranitar, Hydreigon and screens from Grimmsnarl, Fairy is decently doable in my opinion; Bug is definitely harder, but I built my Tyranitar to specifically counter Volcarona (helps against some other stuff too which is great), so the rest of the matchup becomes pretty doable too (Hydreigon is also a lovely fellow with Flamethrower); Fighting, finally, is.... An autoloss, lol, at least in my experience. Urshifru-R is definitely great in all of those matchups, but, as I descibred, doesn't particularly break any of them (in favour of Dark). Its absence would definitely be felt in a lot of neutral matchups.
Hope I managed to make a point and didn't just chatter for 3 paragraphs :x. Cheers!
Xatu is a great utility and support Pokemon that isn't too hard to fit on teams if you're looking for a good hazard removal (Magic Bounce + Defog), ability to set up dual screens and can safely pivot out with Teleport.
Bronzong is actually pretty good as a defensive wall (even if some would consider Slowbro much better) and is one of the few Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock. What makes Bronzong more useful than Slowbro in situations is that it can effectively revenge kill Dark-types much more easier in its favor thanks to Body Press along with its good Defense stat. Like Slowbro, Bronzong also has a great defensive typing in Steel/Psychic, and has two abilities that can grant immunities to one of its weaknesses, Ground and Fire (see: Levitate and Heatproof.)
, I would like to bring up a new move called Expanding Force which is boosted in Psychic Terrain. This can be useful as a new STAB move to use on Indeedee. As Indeedee (and Indeedee-F) are used on a lot on Psychic teams, I think Expanding Force will be a great move introduced to many Pokemon. It might or might not see as much usage, as it loses its boosted STAB when Psychic Terrain is out.
