Hey everyone, I just want to talk about two Pokemon, one of which I feel is a little underrated and one that I feel is a little overrated, although I don't think that either of them are egregiously so.
I feel like Corviknight is a little underrated at the moment. Obviously over the course of SS, Corviknight has been a defensive staple, and while Corviknight isn't as omnipresent or dominant as it was some metas ago, I feel like the general perception of it may have swung a little too far the other way. The team I used to get reqs for the Urshifu suspect was a semi-stall team that included a physically defensive Corviknight as its Defogger. Here was the set (and I've said this before, but for the record again, I didn't build the team - ABR did):
Corviknight (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Defog
- Roost
Running minimum speed IVs with a negative nature is really smart because it allows Corviknight to under-speed things and get slower U-turns out against Hippowdon (so that it can't Toxic whatever you switch to), Swampert (also so that it can't Toxic a switch but also so that you could U-turn after it Flip Turns), Celesteela (you can absorb Leech Seed and then immediately U-turn out), Blissey and Chansey (again, you can absorb Toxic, if it has it), and Clefable (Corviknight usually doesn't rely too heavily on its item, so being able to absorb a Knock Off and then U-turn is very nice), as well as opposing Corviknights (guarantees getting the slower U-turn, unless they're minimum speed too). However, being slower than some Melmetal variants can be troublesome (especially since you won't be able to Roost on Thunder Punch, if it has that coverage), so you should keep that in mind. The rest of the set is pretty self-explanatory, and I think that Brave Bird is generally the best attacking move for Corviknight, as it does respectable damage to most of the tier and is necessary for some of the more important Pokemon that Corviknight checks, such as Rillaboom and Hawlucha. Pressure is a fantastic ability to not only PP stall strong attacks that already have limited PP, like Double Iron Bash, but also because in conjunction with Defog, it allows Corviknight to outlast many Stealth Rock users (Stealth Rocks has more PP than Defog, so without Pressure, a Defog user won't be able to win the hazard battle over the course of a long game when PP becomes a determining factor), which can be vital for stall teams. Pressuring opposing Defogs can also be helpful to make progress in some stall vs. stall matchups. You could use a Rocky Helmet on Corviknight over Leftovers, and that can be convenient, especially since Corviknight often just ends up getting its item Knocked Off anyway, but I do like how Leftovers can make it easier for Corviknight to switch-in and Defog away Rocks without having as much pressure on it to heal through Roost. So what Corviknight does is nothing new, and it doesn't blanket-check as much of the meta as it used to, but I feel like part of its drop in usage has been the result of "new toy syndrome" surrounding some of the other Defog options added in Crown Tundra. I'll briefly compare Corviknight to the three other defensive, Defogging birds that it sees competition from:
Mandibuzz obviously isn't a "new toy" and has been one of the other main Defogging options alongside Corviknight throughout all of SS, but it is currently used substantially more. This is undoubtedly due in large part to Spectrier and how it necessitates a Dark resist, but beyond checking Spectrier, Mandibuzz can struggle with a lot of other Pokemon that you would like for your defensive Flying type to check. Mandibuzz being weak to Stealth Rocks makes it a shakier check to something like Rillaboom, since getting its Boots Knocked Off on the switch often makes it much more difficult to subsequently bring Mandibuzz in. Mandibuzz not being immune to Toxic also means that it can struggle to keep Rocks off against common Stealth Rocks setters like Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Swampert, and even Garchomp and Excadrill, all of which frequently carry Toxic. I feel like sometimes Mandibuzz is asked to do too much (check Spectrier, Defog rocks, and also help against things like Rillaboom), so unless you give it more team support, it can be stretched too thin and crumble to Knock Off and/or Toxic. Corviknight taking neutral damage from Rocks and being immune to Toxic usually makes it feel more dependable for me regarding its ability to remove hazards and check what you need it to.
I like Moltres and it was featured on one of the better teams I built, but it's already started to decline in the current meta. The main draw for using Moltres is Flame Body, and that is still a fantastic (and annoying to play against) ability, but Moltres's massive 4X weakness to Rocks makes it risky for Moltres as well to switch into the physical attackers (like Rillaboom or Kartana) that it wants to try to burn, since getting Knocked Off is horrible for Moltres. That Rock type weakness also means that Moltres can't check or keep Rocks off against things like Landorus or Garchomp which could have Stone Edge. Moltres is however able to usually keep Rocks off of Heatran better than most other Defoggers (especially if Moltres has Scorching Sands), but it still is susceptible to potentially eating a Toxic from Heatran. As with all of the Defogging birds I'll talk about, the necessity to run Heavy Duty Boots excludes getting passive recovery from Leftovers, so being (badly) poisoned hurts them even more.
Now I think that Zapdos is probably the best of these three Defogging birds that I'm comparing Corviknight to (although I don't think that any of them are bad), and while it does have some advantages over Corviknight like offering more offensive presence, potentially crippling attackers with Static, and being able to hit solid speed tiers without too much investment, there are still some convenient advantages for Corviknight. First, even though Zapdos isn't as weak to Rocks as Moltres is, it's still weak to them and is in the same awkward position of wanting to switch into contact moves but not wanting to get its Boots Knocked Off. Secondly, Zapdos can get hit with Toxic by common Stealth Rock setters like Lando, Hippowdon, Swampert, Excadrill, and Garchomp, so it often gets worn down and is not able to keep Rocks off against them, especially if they have Special Defense investment and/or Stone Edge or Rock Slide coverage. Zapdos also can't hit any of these Ground types with its electric STABs, which leads me to my last point: Zapdos isn't able to regain momentum as reliably as Corviknight can, since even if the Zapdos has Volt Switch (and it can be difficult to decide between Volt Switch and Discharge anyway), it can get stuffed by Ground types, and Zapdos is sometimes too fast to get the slower switch out and absorb some moves that it would like to.
To sum up my thoughts on Corviknight, I think that even though it may not be as immediately appealing or "flashy" as things like Mandibuzz (being a Spectrier check is really appealing), Moltres (Flame Body), and Zapdos (Static and Hurricane hitting hard), Corviknight feels to me like a more consistent and reliable option in many games. In this regard, Corviknight kind of feels to me like the Jeep of Defoggers, in that it's usually not flashy and doesn't have too many bells and whistles, but more often than not, it gets the job done. That analogy may not resonate with too many people but I drive a Jeep and my family has always had really good results with Jeeps over the years, so it makes sense to me. Not being weak to Rocks goes a long way in making Corviknight a more dependable Defogger and defensive switch-in, especially with how common Knock Off is. Many Stealth Rocks setters use Rocks + Earthquake + Toxic, and Corviknight being immune to both Earthquake and Toxic lets it completely shut down Pokemon like Hippowdon, Swampert, and defensive Landorus. This probably has something to do with the teams that I frequently use, but I usually find Corviknight more difficult to play against and less exploitable than Mandibuzz, Moltres, or Zapdos. As an added bonus, Corviknight's Steel/Flying typing makes it a good check to Tapu Lele as well, even without any Special Defense investment (Corviknight using the spread I posted is 2HKOed by Specs Focus Blast, but that requires your opponent to hit two Focus Blasts in a row, and Lele really just wants to click Moonblast and Psychic/Psyshock anyway). The only really annoying thing about Corviknight is that it can get trapped and OHKOed by Magnezone, but with Magnezone's usage continuing to drop, this isn't as much of a concern. Even if the opposing team does have a Magnezone, it's not like Corviknight is useless - you just have to play around it more carefully. I have always disliked trapping abilities though (and yeah, I get that Magnet Pull isn't on the same level as Arena Trap, but it still feels really bad to play against), so I'll be happy so long as Zone stays mostly down in the lower tiers. The last thing I'll mention about Corviknight is that it can run a Sub + Bulk Up set to function as a potent setup sweeper, as
Ox the Fox talked about
here.
I don't have as much to say about it as I did Corviknight, but now for the Pokemon I think is slightly overrated:
I actually don't know if the general view on Swampert has dampened since Crown Tundra's release, and maybe it would be more fair for me to just say that I personally don't like building with/using Swampert that much, but I've never really bought into the Swampert hype. I mean it's a cool Pokemon, and I'm glad that it does have some defensive viability in OU, but I usually find it underwhelming and not very threatening to play against. SpDef versions being able to actually check things like Nidoking is nice, and getting momentum through Flip Turn is great, but I think that the lack of viable recovery really hurts Swampert. If you're using a more balanced team and you want to use Swampert as your Stealth Rocks setter, it usually gets chipped down too much to last throughout longer games, which I believe often makes it less useful and impactful than something like Hippowdon. The lack of recovery also means that Swampert can only come in on things that it's meant to check (like Nidoking) a limited number of times - it can really only come in on a Nidoking's Earth Power once before it's in range to get 2HKOed. Using Protect on Swampert could help to alleviate some of its Recovery problems, but then you're going to be passing up a move that Swampert is going to miss - likely either Toxic or Earthquake. If you want to use Swampert on more offensive teams, I feel like more threatening Stealth Rocks setters like Landorus or Garchomp might be better to pack more of a punch. To be fair, I think that Swampert probably fits best on bulky offense, which is a playstyle that I don't build or use very much. Overall, I guess it just feels to me like Swampert doesn't have the longevity that some other Stealth Rocks users do, can't wall things the way that other bulky waters like Toxapex and Slowbro/Slowking can, isn't threatening like other offensive Stealth Rocks setters such as Lando or Garchomp, and doesn't really offer much utility beyond Flip Turn (which gets punished by Rocky Helmet users, Moltres's Flame Body, and Zapdos's Static, all of which are currently common in the meta). I kind of feel like whatever Swampert wants to do, whether it's set Rocks, check some threats, or get momentum, there are other options that do those things better. The role compression that Swampert provides by doing all of those things at once is why I feel like it's still a notable Pokemon in the tier, but similarly to what I said earlier about Mandibuzz, I think it's easy to ask too much of Swampert and spread its usefulness too thin, since I don't believe that it's great at any one thing that it does. Swampert isn't bad and it does have a niche in OU, so I don't want to come across as just some strange Swampert hater, but I just was thinking back to how when the viability rankings first dropped after Crown Tundra was released, many people were clamoring for a Swampert rise and claimed that it was underrated; I've always felt kind of the opposite. Maybe my perspective is an overcorrection from people initially overrating Swampert though, and I may be selling it short now, while the reality could very well be somewhere in between.
and 
are not that easy to wear down. Knock off is a thing but with the exception of maybe a toxic spikes spamming 
or spikes spamming 
, knocking off the boots isn't gonna be easy
and the soon to be banned 
. What is the one thing they have in common? They don't give too much fucks about stealth rocks but spikes on the other hand, wear them down very quickly. Other major threats like 
and 
take more or less equal damage from spikes than they would from rocks
. However, if you have something like a mixed 
