Metagame 350 Cup

[Sectonia]

Banner made by and stolen from Chloe
I'll make it look nicer later
350 Cup​

Premise: 350 Cup is a metagame where all Pokemon with a BST of 350 or less gets their stats doubled. All of their stats get doubled, which can put them at the power level fo Ubers, or even stronger than them.

Rules:
All Pokemon with 350 BST (Base Stat Total) or below gets all of their stats doubled.

Clauses: Uber Clauses, Dynamax Clause

Pokemon Bans: These Pokemon are banned from 350 Cup.

• Abra​
• Gastly​
• Pawniard​
• Rufflet​
• Woobat​

Ability Bans: These Abilities are banned from 350 Cup.

• Shadow Tag
• Arena Trap

Item Ban: These items are banned from 350 Cup.

• Eviolite
• Light Ball

Sample Sets:
new sample sets to better reflect the meta

Grookey @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Grassy Glide
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch / Wood Hammer
(New Stats: 100/130/100/80/80/130 - Was 50/65/50/40/40/65)

One of the newcomers from Galar, Grookey packs a punch with Choice Band and Grassy Glide! With a utility move in Knock Off at its disposal, it can chip away at its checks before sweeping with Grassy Glide. That being said, it struggles to break through some threats. Namely, Eternatus and Ferroseed are trouble for it. Nonetheless, it's sure to make an impact.


Mienfoo @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Fake Out / Poison Jab
(New Stats: 90/170/100/110/100/130 - Was 45/85/50/55/50/65)

A strong offensive pivot, Mienfoo was popular last gen for what it could give to teams. This gen, it still gives the same things, but now it has a safer option in Close Combat that allows it to avoid the nasty recoil from High Jump Kick if it missed. Although it dislikes the increase in fairy and psychic types, it can deal with them reasonably well with Fake Out or Poison Jab, and Knock Off. It's sure to remain a big influence to the meta.


Clefairy @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Wish
- Protect
- Teleport
(New Stats: 140/90/96/120/130/70 - Was 70/45/48/60/65/35)

A rehash of the Clefable set in OU, it still does the job in 350. With a beefier HP stat, it passes larger wishes than Clefable could ever hope for. And with Teleport, it can safely pass most wishes to its allies. However, not all is great for this little fairy. Zacian-C preys on this set, forcing it to switch out or stall with Protect to avoid being smacked by Behemoth Blade. And it cannot do much to set up threats - it can only pass wishes to allies who can. With that said, though, it's sure to be an amazing supporting Pokemon that can ensure the team stays alive for a while.

Q&A

Q: Will Shedinja have more than 1 HP?
A: Shedinja is hardcoded to 1 HP, so no.

Q: Will Wishiwashi-School have doubled stats? If not, what's it's exact mechanic?
A: Wishiwashi-School will have normal stats with exception of HP, where it'll be doubled because it doesn't change it's HP upon transformation. So yeah, it will have 90 HP, rest are normal stats.


Resources

This meta is playable in Trash Channel! Thanks to We Wuz Nidokangz for coding it!
Meta leader: SectoniaServant Chazm
Sample teams - post 2
Viability Rankings - post 3

Ban History:

(November 21, 2019) - Pawniard, Rufflet, Shadow Tag, Arena Trap, Eviolite, and Light Ball were banned.
(March 12, 2020) - Dynamaxing was banned.
(September 1, 2020) - Gastly and Abra were banned.
(September 5, 2020) - Woobat was banned.

 

[Sectonia]

reserved

 

[Sectonia]

reserved

(you may now post)

 

[DrPumpkinz]

90 / 110 / 90 / 130 / 90 / 150
Santa got a few new toys this gen with Brave Bird, Drill Run, and a buffed Rapid Spin. It also now has the option of running Icicle Spear instead of Ice Punch.

100 / 70 / 160 / 100 / 180 / 60
That BULK. Like Orbeetle, Dottler is a Sticky Web setter with longevity.

144 / 160 / 98 / 80 / 98 / 80
Cufant is pretty bulky and very strong, though most of its coverage moves don't take advantage of Sheer Force.

80 / 90 / 90 / 148 / 108 / 100
It's Polteageist, but better.

80 / 80 / 120 / 80 / 120 / 20
Gossifleur is pretty bulky and has Regenerator, but its options are limited, and it's very passive.

100 / 142 / 80 / 80 / 80 / 138
Strong and fast, with pretty good coverage. Will be much better once its hidden ability is released.

100 / 130 / 100 / 80 / 80 / 130
Much faster than I expected. Like Scorbunny, it'll be much better once its hidden ability is released.

 

[Dunfan]

Nice to see this meta back so soon.
Since i got ninja'd when it comes to the new additions, guess i can still mention the one buffed thing that terrifies me the most.

130/90/86/110/86/144
Introducing the one new apocalypse sauce addition for our beloved bat: Nasty Plot.
Step 1 : Click Nasty Plot.
Step 2 : Click Stored Power.
Step 3 : idk you just won m8 (ok, maybe not yet)
Step 4 : Dynamax.
Step 5 : Click Max Airstream. (cuz' yeah, that thing can now boost its speed as well << )
Step 6 : Click it again for fun.
Step 7 : Click it yet again because

Step 8 : Click Stored Power again.
Step 9 : Click it one last time just to be sure.
Step 10 : Enjoy your magnificent 6-0!

On a more serious note...
Even though Stored Power is somewhat gimmicky when you can only raise one stat outside of Dynamax, this thing has other things going for it, like Psyshock. Which really hurts at +4 and allows it to bypass dedicated special walls without any form of respect, in addition to already doing the same thing with physical walls. And i really mean it.

Calcs, aka FATMONS BEGONE

+4 252 SpA Life Orb Woobat Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Mantyke: 452-532 (117.7 - 138.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+4 252 SpA Life Orb Woobat Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Spritzee: 386-456 (74.8 - 88.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+4 252 SpA Life Orb Woobat Air Slash vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Spritzee: 255-302 (49.4 - 58.5%) -- 65.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+4 252 SpA Life Orb Woobat Stored Power (100 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Spritzee: 341-402 (66 - 77.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+4 252 SpA Life Orb Woobat Air Slash vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Ferroseed: 265-312 (69.7 - 82.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
(for what it's worth, it also gets Heat Wave if you really wish to slaughter Ferro even more - or more appropriately lure Zacian-Crowned)

+4 252 SpA Life Orb Woobat Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Clefairy: 465-550 (96 - 113.6%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
+4 252 SpA Life Orb Woobat Air Slash vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Clefairy: 255-302 (52.6 - 62.3%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+4 252 SpA Life Orb Woobat Stored Power (100 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Hippopotas: 651-768 (136.7 - 161.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+4 252 SpA Life Orb Woobat Air Slash vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Hippopotas: 489-577 (102.7 - 121.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

 

[PrincessGardevoir]

Totally didnt just post this into the other thread but ill put it here now thanks ransei.


350 Cup actually was one of my favorites during the main time of Gen 7 so it makes me excited/sad to see new mons and nuked mons. Rest in pepperonis Espurr as the new Krookorok, as the mon closest to 350 BST who doesn't get the 350 boost (355 BST).

And now for some new mons thingies n stuf! And stuff! long post ahead



Dottler: Bug/Psychic, Swarm/Compound Eyes/Telepathy [100/70/160/100/180/60] [670 BST]
Featuring a shitty defensive and mediocre offensive typing, 60 speed, the best offense being a stat of 100 in 350 cup means that you've got virtually everything going against you (outside of that BST number, the highest of the new mons!). And then Sticky Web shows up. As probably the best and tankiest user of Sticky Web in 350 cup, Dottlerhas virtually no competition as the second best 'tanky' option would probably be Shuckle or Dewpider, both of which have their own slew of problems. On top of that, Dottler can (semi) function as a true tank with Recover or a more dedicated support with Dual Screens or even run Trick Room! It's just a shame that, in a generation with so many new TMs to abuse the hell out of all the coverage, Dottler manages to barely scrape by with Bug Buzz, choice of Psychic STAB, Shadow Ball and Energy Ball.

Cufant: Steel, Sheer Force/Heavy Metal [144/160/98/80/98/80] [660 BST]
THICC. Solid raw attack stat and decent bulk for an offense mon mesh well with a solid offensive and defensive typing and a wide movepool to make Cufant one of the best new mons for the generation. Life Orb Sheer Force works with Iron Head, Play Rough, Rock Slide and Zen Headbutt with fringe options of Superpower or Power Whip hit hard as hell. For those curious on memeing with Heavy Metal Heavy Slam, Rhyhorn is the only mon that would take minimal damage from it that gets the 350 boost (but Power Whip decimates it) and the three main Ubers for this generation all heavily outclass it weight-wise. I wouldn't recommend it.

Silicobra: Ground, Sand Spit/Shed Skin/Sand Veil [104/144/150/70/100/92] [630 BST]
With a very comparable to Hippopotas statline and the disappearance of Sandshrew to at least have more than 1 Sand Rush sweeper, Silicobra struggles with Drillbur to make sand function. The main pluses singular plus to Silicobra over Hippoman is Coil, extremely solid boosting move if Silicobra wasn't trying to set weather all the time by getting hit. Silicobra is also plagued with several many more problems, namely that Hippo has recovery, an actual list of coverage moves (Sandaconda has to make do with DRAGON RUSH.) and has better stats to fit the role.

Clobbopus: Fighting, Limber/Technician [100/136/120/100/100/64] [620 BST]
Painfully average. Sits with a decent movepool with tons of fighting options, Ice Punch, Sucker Punch and Liquidation with some niche moves in Taunt and Pain Split but doesn't have anything that it really does 'better' than Pancham, Stufful or Scraggy. It even struggles to find a use compared to Timburr, the Guts God who has Fighting STAB priority, or Machop, who can spam No Guard Dynamic Punch until it dies.

Grookey: Grass, Overgrow/Grassy Surge [100/130/100/80/80/130] [620 BST]
THIS THING'S ONLY PHYSICAL STAB IS WOOD HAMMER.
i fucking cant with this generation
Once Grookey gets Grassy Surge it'll become discount Bulu with slightly better stats, a worse movepool, worse typing and its main advantage being 130 speed. And maybe U-turn on top of that. Until then, though, Grookey has to suffer with being a pure Grass starter that at least has Hammer Arm and Knock Off.

Sobble: Water, Torrent/Sniper [100/80/80/140/80/140] [620 BST]
See: Clobbopus. One of the worst movepools in the entire game next to Silicobra, decent offenses but nothing spectacular compared to shit like Abra in last gen, Gastly, and Solosis. Mediocre abilities with one not even being available yet, pure water typing, yadayadayada. You could probably run Greninja better than this... wait.

Scorbunny: Fire, Blaze/basically protean [100/142/80/80/80/138] [620 BST]
Finally an actually cool Fire starter since a while. Scorbunny blew my socks off with how nice its final evolution is in several OMs (namely, Lopunnite Cinderace is absolutely terrifying and in Camo until it gets Protean Fire/Fighting actually works supremely well on it thanks to a wide physical movepool on both fire and fighting fronts), and here it's actually pretty cool! Blaze Kick sucks a bit for STAB but once Libero is released, High Jump Kick and Gunk Shot are super strong and available for it, plus the starter norm for this gen of U-Turn is there. And it has Priority in Sucker or Quick Attack which is nice.

Sinistea: Ghost, Weak Armor/Cursed Body [80/90/90/148/108/100] [616 BST]
Shell Smasher with a mediocre movepool in a generation without Hidden Power and two meh abilities? Oh boy! At least it hits hard as hell after a boost and 100 speed at +2 is super solid, just know that every Sinistea will be running Shadow Ball, Giga Drain and one the Psychic duo. Will-o's there but when you're not named Yamask and have Shell Smash not using it would just succ.

Sizzlipede: Fire/Bug, Flash Fire/White Smoke/Flame Body [100/130/90/100/100/90] [610 BST]
Fire Lash, Leech Life, Coil. Shitty defensive typing that probably can't make use of it which is a huge shame.

Darumaka-Galar: Ice, Hustle/Inner Focus [140/180/90/30/90/100] [630 BST]
A simple movepool update and typing change really went all the way into turning Darumaka into a hyper top tier threat. Ice sucks defensively but offensively its probably the best best thing after Fire. The 4 moveslot 'syndrome' that Darmanitan and Darumaka kinda had back in the previous gens entirely goes away when you fit Ice Punch into the moveset of 'Flare Blitz or Fire Punch/Earthquake/U-Turn' that nearly every of the Darm ditto carried. Hustle can turn Darumaka into a bonified offensive god reminiscent of its elder form in current OU while Inner Focus gives more consistency and the ability to ignore Fake Out at the cost of all that damage. It goes either way. If you have good hazard removal you could even dare to run Focus Sash or even a set with a bit of support in Encore or Taunt.

Yamask-Galar: Ghost/Ground, Wandering Spirit [76/110/180/60/130/60] [606 BST]
It's actually surprising how bulky 180 defense really makes a mon. I've had sweeps in BH with Zarcian-Crowned be stopped by a simple Runerigus because it was just too fat to accept death. With QuakeSlide, Yamask can hit decent numbers while Will-O'ing the entire enemy team, laying Trick Room and Toxic Spikes, or just making angry players rage quit beause local ghost man never dies

Meowth-Galar: Steel, Pickup/Tough Claws/Unnerve [100/130/110/80/80/80] [580 BST]
Worse Cufant.


...And a bunch more mons that I'm too lazy and uninterested to list here!

Also, there's the three main Ubers of Zarcian & Zamazenta (and their crowned versions) along with Eternatus, but I have absolutely 0 opinion on them since I haven't messed with them yet.

Yay 350 cup.

 

[aVocado]

this has been freed for like 2 months now and i had no idea OMG

Sinistea @ Focus Sash / White Herb
Ability: Weak Armor / Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Shadow Ball
- Stored Power
- Giga Drain

This mon is literally the reason I bothered SectoniaServant to submit this metagame again for gen 8 (the other being it's a great and fun meta but that doesn't matter as much tbh). it's so fucking cute.. it's literally a teapot :D

The mon also honestly has more options than I initially thought. The +2 attack boost can help with sucker punch to stop opposing priority, it also has will-o-wisp to cripple would-be switchins. I have no idea what the meta is like though so idk if running willo will be worth it. I honestly can't wait to start building for this meta again.

I will say this though: it's a fucking shame gastly doesn't learn nasty plot! was actually so disappointed when I realized that. Scorbunny's stats look promising but it doesn't have half the movepool cinderace does (including signatures like court change and pyro ball) which is sad but it still gets some nice options. I honestly think cinderace itself could be a threat in this meta just cuz of its movepool. I dunno the speed tiers for this meta yet but 119 with a scarf doesn't sound too bad.

This could also be the moment where larvitar shines since the mons have been watered down and it's not such a bad power creep after all :)

Can't wait to start theorymonning and playing this metagame with all of you!

 

[Ivy]

I can't believe Zacian outspeeds max speed Larvitar after a DD. I guess this won't be Larvitar's time to shine after all, unless Zacian gets the boot, lol.

 

[Sectonia]

Hi there!
Thanks to the OM Room having a discussion about 350 Cup, I believe I’ve gained a wider scope on what to expect! That being said, this is still subject to change, although I doubt it should change much.

First off, Zacian-C is certainly shaping up to be a much greater threat than it really has the right to be. I will be watching it very closely if we ever get the metagame released!


Secondly, I will be adding Gastly to the watchlist. It was on a downhill slope at the end of the previous generation, but with the disappearance of Grimer-A, it’ll certainly be able to do a lot of things again. Disappearance in competition in the form of Abra is also a major selling point to using it, and it’ll certainly be a force to reckon with.


Thirdly, many of the old pokemon that were good will certainly still be good in Gen 8. Stuff like Mareanie, Hippopotas, Growlithe, and more will certainly continue to do the same thing they did, and will get a chance to continue shining. That being said, with the disappearance of competition, other threats may rise up to be good in the disappearance of those competition/checks! I’ll be watching forwards to see what becomes an underrated threat!

Lastly, a secret potential elephant in the room might be Eternatus. It is very bulky, and it’ll certainly be versatile. It also has access to the coveted Toxic, in this limited metagame, and can certainly take advantage of that. Checks to it are still possible, and with the nature of 350 Cup, more will certainly be made to be able to stand up to Eternatus. Only time will tell, though.

 

[Snafutari]

Since dynamaxing is still legal for some reason, I bring to you, your newfound king, Arrokuda.


Stats: 82 HP, 126 Atk, 80 Def, 80 SpA, 60 SpD, 132 Speed

The Set

Arrokuda @ Leftovers
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Psychic Fangs
- Substitute
- Close Combat

Arrokuda is one of the first Pokemon that come to mind when trying to exploit dynamaxing. Swift Swim is disgusting when the Pokemon has 126 base attack and base 132 speed. I put Substitute on it so that you don't just auto-lose to Ditto, which I forsee being banned after Dynamaxing goes (but we'll get to that later), and the other 3 moves are just some really disgusting Max moves (Psychic Fangs makes Psychic Terrain, CC boosts attack, Liquidation causes rain).



Stats: 96 HP, 96 Atk, 96 Def, 96 SpA, 96 SpD, 96 Speed
The next Pokemon I wanna talk about, as mentioned, is Ditto. Any meta where Dynamax is legal will have Ditto be one of the best pokemon, and 350 cup will be no exception. It even has base 96 HP, meaning that once impostered it can actually take a blow or two. Even beyond dynamaxing, Ditto is still insane here, considering the loss of plenty mons leaves many teams wanting another slot, so why not just pack something that is literally every single Pokemon at the same time? This will hurt a ton of offense teams, since they can't just play with the best coverage around, since that just leaves their team potentially counterswept by Ditto. Stall? Stall, while capable of preparing for Ditto, has a rough time against it, since Ditto is a source of infinite PP. Basically, Ditto compresses too many roles for most teams to handle, and while I definitely don't see it getting banned while dynamaxing is a thing, its probably gonna have to go afterward.


I probably would have more to say, but (a) I never played last gen, and (b) I can't play 350 cup, so maybe I'll have more to say when its actually playable. For now, I can only say that I'm eager for dynamaxing to get the banhammer.

 

[Roldski32]

With Home bringing us some of the legendaries back, I'm going to liked this meta even more

Lunala @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moongeist Beam
- Moonblast / Focus Blast
- Roost / Psyshock
Losing Z-Moves hurts, but given with the removal of Pursuit and Grimer-A, in addition of surprisingly limited Ghost-resist left (Snorlax, Stufful, Tyranitar, Mandibuzz, Scraggy). Lunala is going to be better.

Mewtwo @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psystrike
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
Mewtwo gets Nasty Plot, and there's some competition for Offensive Psychic-Type now that Abra is not here.
Also, ban Dynamax.

 

[astralydia]

After playing a few games and debating over the current situation of Dynamax, the council has officially decided to BAN Dynamax. The access to Dynamax not only is abused ridiculously well by Necrozma-DM and Lunala but it also makes threats like Darumaka, Stufful, and Clefairy very difficult to adequately handle defensively. As the metagame is new, we have decided that this is the best case to move forward with the metagame, as we focus towards our next targets in Eternatus and Zacian-Crowned as potentially broken threats.

 

[Sectonia]

Playing a few games with Chazm and aVocado let me see a few sets in action, and let me mess around with a few Pokemon too. They're not super rigoriously tested, but they're sets that I found to be fun, and if 350 is ever playable, then others can experiment more with it.

my favorite set

Scraggy @ Leftovers
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Bulk Up
- Rest

The crown jewel of sets that I've made. It's such a great Ghost-type check, because it's super bulky on the special side, and nothing outside of a few special Fairy-types would be able to break it on the special side. Access to Knock Off is pretty damn great for Scraggy, so it can knock off all sorts of items, and eat hits on the special side. Rest lets it get good recovery, although you're working with a 33% chance to instantly wakeup. Either way, after a few bulk up, it's hard to seriously dent it anymore.

phys def god

Koffing @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb / Clear Smog
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split

this unironically ate a +3 psy fangs from zacian-c and wisped it back, what the fuck

I think that Koffing's pure poison typing is a nice typing to work with here, as it allows for immunities with Levitate, and only has to worry about Psychic-type moves, which Scraggy above can help a lot with. Koffing lacks strong recovery, and needs Pain Split, but it can sure eat a lot of physical hits, in my experience. Other phys def mons may be better with a better defensive typing, but I like Koffing for the fact that it can threaten non Psychic Fangs Zacian-C (which it should be running but w/e)

god zacian counter

Growlithe @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Morning Sun
- Close Combat

This is so good as a Zacian-C answer, as almost nothing Zacian-C can throw at Growlithe will be enough to seriously dent it, without getting crippled itself. Close Combat is there after Chazm fucked me up with Tyranitar, but it can be a different option, like Wild Charge. It's a really good Pokemon too, with Heavy-Duty Boots nullifying hazards. Still doesn't mean that I can't skimp on hazard removal, but I can worry less about Growlithe being chipped.

terrifying as FUCK

Clefairy @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Psychic
- Soft-Boiled

this set did 60 to non-bulky eternatus with moonblast, what the literal fuck

The EV spread was recommended to me by Roldski32, since it outspeeds Mareanie, and allows it to blast it with a Psychic. It's not so great when Zacian-C is running around, but this would unironically terrorize slower teams. There's probably a perfect Clefairy check out there, but I doubt it even exists, since I don't really think anything can really resist all of Fairy/Fire/Psychic free heatran and come out of it alive, and nothing actually get great recovery and reasonably resists all 3 types.

These sets crosses into more "kinda experimental and not really tested at all" territory, but I'll share them regardless.

spdef chinchou

Chinchou @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Heal Bell
- Ice Beam

It's a pivot that gets Heal Bell! It's decently bulky on the special side, so it can eat a few hits there. Volt Absorb is to block other volt switches, but honestly, Water Absorb might just be outright superior. We'll see.

phys def lunala with hex

Lunala @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Teleport

I have no idea what this is supposed to really do, but I know that I had the idea of wisp + hex on lunala since it had the whole shadow shield thing going on. idk. Teleport lets Lunala pivot, at least.

knock off lombre

Lombre @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off

KNOCK OFF KNOCK OFF KNOCK OFF

This set's on a Rain team, and to be honest, I ran out of options for the last move, so I went with the best option I could see! Last slot could probably be Scald if you're scared of missing, but I like the utility Knock Off has.

on rain, but also kinda cursed

Goldeen @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Drill Run
- Megahorn
- Swords Dance


Shellder @ Leftovers
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Blast
- Icicle Spear
- Rapid Spin
- Shell Smash

help me, rain has so little good abusers that i have somehow resorted to goldeen and shellder. what was i thinking when i slapped lefties on shellder. why do i have sd goldeen. don't use these mons unironically.

(the rest of the rain team i have was going so well too :sob:)

 

[Sectonia]

Double posting, but whatever.

So we're almost onto the DLC, so it'll be exciting to see what it has in store for us!

So right off the bat, DLC 1 is bringing back some very strong threats for us.

Most notably, we'll see the grand return of these pokemon...



Very strong threats last gen, all of these pokemon are sure to make a splash. In order that I posted their gifs in, Slowpoke is definitely going to make the biggest splash of them all. Magnemite would be very interesting to see again, as a slow special attacker that could either trap or hit hard is coming back, and is likely to make a big splash. Also, being a scarfer that's faster than Zacian-C is sure to make the splash, especially since it can guarantee the revenge kill on Zacian-C, since Thunderbolt is a 2HKO. Mienfoo would be a godsend, for both 350 and LC, and I'm excited to see the return of an offensive pivot. We're sure to see this do a lot. Lastly, Staryu would make an amazing return as an offensive spinner that gets recover, so we get a neat spinner for 350.

Foongus

The elephant in the room, if the Amoongus data is confirmed, we're getting Foongus back for 350. That'll be fun to see, although it's unsure if it'll be DLC 1 or DLC 2. We'll see.

There are niche options in DLC 1, like Skrelp, but not all of them will make a big return. That being said, though, there are a bunch of pokemon inDLC that wouldn't benefit from the 350 boost, yet would make a huge ripple in 350. Namely, I'm thinking of these pokemon...



Ah Ho-Oh, how we love you so. It would definitely be a very strong newcomer, since it boasts Regenerator, and would make a fearsome Regenerator core with our DLC 1 newcomers. Definitely the one I'm most excited for!

Kyogre and Groudon would give us offensive weather setters, although I think Kyogre wins this weather war once again. Unless the primals come back, Kyogre reigns supreme over Groudon again.

Xerneas. I have a love and hate relationship with this in 350. On one hand, it'll be very strong, with Power Herb Geomancy being the main set for sure, and taking on a bunch of pokemon to control it, but on the other hand... it'll be very hard to check this, although we definitely have much more tools to work with, especially with no Hidden Power to worry about. Yveltal, on the other hand, is very cool, and would be a great addition to the meta, even without dynamax, and it would be great to see how Yveltal fits in, especially with the Galar Legends roaming around.

Here's to a good DLC, and let's hope we get a bunch of goodies to work with!

 

[Roldski32]

Was gonna wait for DLC 2 to come, because I want my Ho-oh back, but I supposed I should post something while waiting for it...


Spritzee is bad in this gen now, and its a complete Zacian-C fodder and doesn't do anything to prevent it from switching in. You'll better off using Clefairy most of the time as it can at least Fire Blast it on the switch, crippled it with Thunder Wave, or just pivot out. And speaking of pivoting, Teleport makes Clefairy a superior WishPasser than Spritzee:


Clefairy @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonblast
- Teleport


Slowpoke @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Slack Off
- Teleport
Teleport Regen is great.


No Hidden Power for coverage now. especially against Ferroseed. But at least Pursuit is gone too, ig...


Thick Club is still legal just like last gen, but.. eh. I don't think its still broken. Even with double Attack from the item, it can't even 2HKO Hippopotas or Slowpoke, nor OHKOing them at +2.

disappointing Calcs:
252+ Atk Thick Club Cubone Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippopotas: 156-184 (32.7 - 38.6%) -- 5.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Thick Club Cubone Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowpoke: 178-211 (31.5 - 37.4%) -- 87.5% chance to 3HKO
+2 252+ Atk Thick Club Cubone Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippopotas: 312-367 (65.5 - 77.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Atk Thick Club Cubone Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowpoke: 357-421 (63.2 - 74.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

 

[The Immortal]

350 Cup has been selected as the Leader’s Choice ladder for September!

 

[Dylanronpa]

I've been laddering a little on 350 and so far my biggest problem has been Theres not much of a switch in for ghost/poison and 2 coverage moves, combined with how powerful it is, my opinion might change as time goes on, but for now i think it should be banned

 

[Sectonia]

So we finally got a ladder! After watching, playing a few games myself, and deliberating with Chazm, I think there are a few bans we can be safe to start with.

I think most people would agree that the elephants in the room are Gastly and Abra. Both are potent special attackers that have unparalleled speed. Abra is easier to check defensively, since it doesn't have many ways to break through Steel-types, but it has strong options, such as Encore, to get around some of these checks. It can also serve as a one time check to physical attackers with Focus Sash + Counter, and can still do its job, due to the amount of power its attacks will have. Gastly, on the other hand, has little defensive checks. It can be answered offensively, such as Sucker Punch, and Abra, but it can answer Sucker Punch with Substitute sets, and Abra can't switch in unless it holds a focus sash. The lack of acceptable switch-ins to both means that this is too much. With that said, Gastly and Abra will be banned. Tagging The Immortal and Kris to implement when they can.

Outside of those two bans, I am always watching closely to see what could be broken, or unhealthy. If you feel that something may be broken, please do let us know. Here's to a good month ahead of us.

 

[Orig Stall Guy]

I have missed 350 Cup.
But the days of :Crandios: abuse and Shroom stall are gone.
+ Y'all already banned Pawn! Oh well. Lets try out some new stuff.

 

[Snafutari]

Alright, since Gastly and Abra are both getting banned, I thought I might as well share the team I used to reach #1 on the 350 Cup LCotM ladder as a snapshot of what was once good.



The team was originally built as a Cubone semistall, but then I just wanted to slap on a mon to finish the team when I found out the ladder was up earlier today, so I slapped on Gastly because it's actually broken. Cubone was, sadly, an underperformer, more often acting as a sacrifice, but I'm glad I ran it at times. The real power mons, however, is the core of Slowpoke/Ditto/Clefairy/Ferroseed, which I anticipate will be even better after Gastly goes (while Ferroseed can check, it's dependent on having full health).

The team doesn't like Grookey, as it hits decently hard and has priority, Knock Off, and Fighting coverage. Of course, I also have to mention that this team doesn't like hazards either, because I actually forgot to run hazard removal (although I lost very few games bc of hazards). The team also has to dance on eggshells around Woobat, because it's very easy for Woobat to go out of control.


Edit: Realized that I forgot a proof of peak, so I thought it'd be best to edit it in.

proof

 

[wind]

Posting some support Pokemon i found because who cares

Rapid Spin / Defog users

with 80/80/70/100/200/140
Tentacool @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 4 SpD / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic Spikes
- Scald
- Sludge Bomb

Oh boy this is amazing. Tentacool is a quick and amazing Pokemon that can both take out Sticky Web from Dottler or put his own Toxic Spikes to stack hazards along with other setter, like Dottler himself. It also has an amazing bulk (Def 70 SpD 200) that makes him excellent as a switch in to Abra and Gastly (While they're still in the meta) and a good check to Pokemon like Scorbunny without Zen headbutt and Sizzlipede.

with 60/80/70/140/110/170
Staryu @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Dazzling Gleam
- Ice Beam

Staryu is back and is as good as in the last generation. With an amazing 170 base Speed Staryu is into the Rapid Spin users and, if needed, in Support users. It can go Rapid Spin + 3 moves, Teleport, Reflect + Light Screen, Flip Turn, and loads of other moves that can help your team. Dazzling Gleam neutralizes Stufful and Scraggy (Who are common threats at the moment) and both Surf and Ice beam allows it to KO Pokemon like Drilbur and Hippopotas.

Defog Bonus bc Rapid Spin > Defog lol

with 140/140/80/120/80/120
Nuzleaf @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Defog
- Solar Blade
- Night Slash
- Sucker Punch

Who would have thought this weird ninja-leaf thing would be useful in sun teams. Pair it with Vulpix and Bulbasaur and you have a sun team. 120 speed base + Clorophyll allows it to outspeed pretty much everything and provide utility to his team with defog or help Bulbasaur for a late game sweep taking out some enemies before bringing him out. Other moves can be used instead of Sucker Punch like Fake Out for chip damage or Rock Slide for Sizzlipede and Growlithe.

Wait for part 2, i'll probably bring some Clerics. See you next time

 

[Orig Stall Guy]

After a long day of grinding, I made #1 on ladder.
Photo to show proof. Username is stall guy. Sorry Snaf (lol just saw snaf grind to out rank me. Well played Snaf. Well played).
Had a lot of fun abusing and for old time sake, but thank god they are banned.
Without the broke pawn to check them, they are pretty degenerate (mostly Gastly).
Team I used was:
:Drillbur:

Kind of a bulky offense team? Basic idea was Abra and Gastly hammer things to death, while rest of team supports them.
Tried making a psychic, dark, fighting, ghost core but none of the dark types worked for me. Ran Clef instead to pass wishes and it worked.
Grookey is a pain to deal with and I miss shroom stall a lot. Turns out, isn't the same but close enough to get the job done.

 

[Dylanronpa]

So after playing for a while i've been using alot. The set i've been using is wish port and it has really good so far cause of its high hp and spdef. I don't think its broken atm, but only time will tell

SET

Clefairy @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Teleport
- Moonblast

 

[Jrdn]

Been playing a bit of 350 cup lately. I gotta say, my fave mon by FAR is Magnemite lmao. Analytic specs with base 190 SpA is destructive to say the least. Volt switch of course makes it easy to chunk things and gain momentum. Plus decent def/spdef (we dont talk about hp) so I basically always get to hard switch into clef and do some damage.


252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Magnemite Volt Switch vs. 200 HP / 56 SpD Blissey: 241-285 (34.3 - 40.6%) (Blissey on the switch)

252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Magnemite Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Hippopotas: 432-508 (91.5 - 107.6%) (If they get cute and try to block switch)

Big fan

 

[Bean Man]

We'll miss you Gastly and Abra. Nah screw them 200 and 210 SpA and 160 and 190 Spe is bs.
Now it's Scorbunny's time to shine. 100/142/80/80/80/138 and always having stab means this thing hits like a truck. The best defensive mon (I think), Dottler who gets 100/160/180 which itself is ridiculous, gets 2HKOed 70% of the time if it switches in with rocks up, that's not counting the 10% chance to burn which would cancel out leftovers or deal damage depending on the item. Mareanie and Eternatus are the only things that can switch into it, but it can just pivot out with U-Turn into a threat for both of them, Zacian-C. They're going to probably think "Oh shoot, Zacian-Crowned, I gotta switch out." Which just gives you a free swords dance which is just a free win at that point. I wouldn't say ban it yet but it's something we should watch.

Second Edit:

Been playing a bit of 350 cup lately. I gotta say, my fave mon by FAR is Magnemite lmao. Analytic specs with base 190 SpA is destructive to say the least. Volt switch of course makes it easy to chunk things and gain momentum. Plus decent def/spdef (we dont talk about hp) so I basically always get to hard switch into clef and do some damage.

Magnemite can't do anything to do Dottler because even with minimum speed, it can't get outsped by it. With only 112 SpD it can take 3 Tbolts which would be its strongest move not including Steel Beam because that would kill both of you since it's a 2hko, and 2HKO Magnemite with Body Press no matter if you put 252 in def and 4 in hp or vice versa. Dottler really is the bulkiest thing here.

Third Edit:
This meta is entirely physical. All of the Pokemon under 350 that aren't banned with high SpA have low speed. The only exception is Zorua, which is just a dark type Mewtwo with a bad move pool. I kinda miss Abra. Gastly no, that thing can hit everything at least neutral. But Abra has pretty bad coverage. Grass, Ghost, Fairy, Psychic isn't that broken. But hey maybe DLC 2 will give us some good fast special attackers. We can only hope.