Metagame 350 Cup

[Windingsss]

Okay, i know i said i was gonna bring clerics but i found a lot of Setup sweepers so here i am!

Special Setup Sweepers

Starting with my absolute favorite...

with 80/130/80/160/80/130
Zorua @ Life Orb
Ability: Illusion
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Extrasensory

Zorua is probably my favorite pokemon in 350 cup. Having Illusion as his ability allows it to freely setup if you're lucky and mirror a good pokemon that could check your enemy. Nasty plot makes Zorua an excellent wallbreaker (And a beast), since it can 2HKO Ferroseed with Dark Pulse and OHKO Clefairy with Sludge Bomb. It also has Extrasensory which is excellent at checking Mareanie and Eternatus. Pair all of this with a Life Orb and you're pretty much destroying everything.

with 80/90/90/148/108/100
Sinistea @ White Herb
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Shadow Ball
- Giga Drain
- Stored Power

Polteageist, but a lot better. It has better stats (More Spe and SpA but less SpD) and an amazing wallbreaking power. Shell Smash provides Sinistea the capacity to either take out walls like Ferroseed or do a late game sweep with the help of hazards from Hippopotas or Drilbur. It can run a Focus Sash + Weak Armor set to outspeed Staryu and Salandit or a White Herb + Cursed Body to, with a little bit of luck, unable Ferroseed to attack you with Gyro Ball (To which Sinistea is weak after a Shell Smash). It can also run moves like Dark Pulse to check Dottler, but you will have to either take out Giga Drain (Which counters enemy Hippopotas and Drilbur, etc) or Stored Power (His answer to Mareanie and Mienfoo).

B O N U S (Not so good that's why its a bonus lmao)

with 124/96/132/118/114/98
Swirlix @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Flamethrower
- Dazzling Gleam
- Surf

Here it is. My favorite pokemon shines in this meta with an amazing bulk and the capacity to be a fearsome setup sweeper with Unburden (Just like Slurpuff). Calm mind boosts its SpA while also giving it more bulk. Flamethrower is used for annoying Steel-types like Ferroseed and Magnemite, who could OHKO Swirlix with Gyro Ball and Flash Cannon respectively. Dazzling Gleam is his STAB move, and Surf goes for Cubone and Hippopotas. It can also go with Thunderbolt, Energy Ball or Draining Kiss, but this is your best choice. You want to use it as a support? Dont worry, it learns Sticky Web

Physical Setup Sweepers

Kicking it off with...

with 100/150/140/70/140/96
Scraggy @ Leftovers
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch
- Iron Head

O h g o d
Do you see how many bulk that thing has? Well, pair it up with Dragon Dance/Bulk up and you have a beast in your hands. I do prefer DD because of the Speed boost but a Substitute + Bulk up + Rest set is viable as well. Drain Punch allows it to have more sustainability apart from leftovers. Knock off takes the HDB off from Scorbunny and Rocky Helmet from Ferroseed, while also being one of his STAB moves. And Iron Head, which checks Clefairy (A counter of Scraggy). Shed Skin takes off status like burn from Scald Mareanie and Toxic from Clefairy. As i said, Bulk up can be used as well, but DD gives you that important speed boost, while Bulk up increases your defense, leaving you vulnerable to HJK Scorbunny and Dazzling Gleam Staryu.

with 100/130/100/80/80/130
Grookey @ Life Orb / Terrain Extender
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Grassy Glide
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch

Yay, the monkey is good. This thing hits pretty much all the meta with a boosted Grassy Glide that also has priority and STAB. Knock off helps it to take out the items from bulky opponents like Clefairy and Mareanie, who usually have Leftovers and Black Sludge, respectively. Drain punch helps against Ferroseed, as it can 2HKO Ferro if Grookey is at +2. Swords Dance boosts the already excellent attack of Grookey to make him an excellent wallbreaker. And Grassy Glide, that, as i said earlier, is his STAB move with priority and Terrain Bonus. Terrain extender helps Grookey, so he can setup and have the terrain for more turns, even though Life Orb can be used to maximize his offense power. Other options are Fake out for chip damage, Hammer arm for a stronger hit against Ferroseed and Stufful or U-turn for pivoting and gaining momentum.

Bonus and you already know how this works.

with 90/160/200/70/74/56
Honedge @ Expert Belt
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Sacred Sword

More Swords Dance users in the way, and now we have Honedge. It did suffer a little bit with the lost of eviolite but it's still a good check to pokemon like Zacian-C and Choice Band Grookey. Use Swords Dance in an unexpected moment and now you have an 920 atk pokemon with STAB and priority. Shadow Sneak is his ghost STAB move and priority move to end up opponents in a safe way. Iron head is his other STAB move that helps against pokemon like Clefairy and Dwebble. Sacred Sword is used against common threats like Stufful, Scraggy and Magnemite. I choiced Expert Belt as his item because it boosts super effective moves and i didnt thought of something else lol, but Life Orb can be used as well. Other options for his movepool are Night Slash, for other Honedges and Solosis or Shadow Claw for a more powerful STAB move.

Wait for part 3, because who knows what am i gonna bring

 

[Sectonia]

After Abra and Gastly's bans, the meta was given time to settle down a little bit. However, a strong threat in Woobat quickly emerged and established itself as a top threat in the metagame. The flagship set, the Simple CM Grassy Seed set proved to be difficult to deal with, as it could snowball quickly, and had a substantial boost in defenses thank to Grassy Seed and Calm Mind. However, that was not the only set that Woobat was seen running - it could run Simple + Nasty Plot to get +4 Special Attack in an instant. Issues cropped up trying to reasonably check Woobat as well. It boasted Heat Wave, Grass coverage, and Air Slash to seriously dent its checks, and Stored Power was another beast on its own. As such, after deliberation with Chazm, as well as feedback from the community in the OM room, I am banning Woobat from 350 Cup. Tagging Kris and The Immortal to implement when they can. I will stay on the lookout for any threats in 350, but I will give this time to settle for now.

 

[Bean Man]

Best special attacker is Mewtwo now. Speed tie with Zorua and has better SpA then everything that's slightly fast. So if you want a special attacker, just use Mewtwo

 

[Xephyrr]

Choice Band and Hustle effectively give this Pokémon more than 1100 attack, despite its speed tier not being too great for this tier. His bulk is also pretty nice, allowing it to tank a few hits and beat all walls by virtue of Icicle Crash, Flare Blitz and EQ.

 

[AIPS]

Why isn't Moody banned? the users are faster & stronger
There's really no reason to lose to a Remoraid just because he clicks Sub Protect

 

[AIPS]

Anyways, I wanted to share the power of one of the most versatile mons in 350 Cup.

124 / 96 / 132 / 118 / 114 / 98

Need hazard and support? you got it
Swirlix @ Leftovers
Ability: Sweet Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dazzling Gleam
- Wish
- Aromatherapy
- Sticky Web

Suicide lead? yep
Swirlix @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Misty Explosion
- Flamethrower / Yawn / Toxic
- Endeavor
- Sticky Web

Stall? Don't
Swirlix @ Leftovers
Ability: Sweet Veil
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Cotton Guard / Flamethrower / Heal Bell
- Wish
- Protect / Amnesia / Heal Bell

Physical Sweeper? Why not
Swirlix @ Figy Berry / Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 4 HP (4 SpA) / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant / Naughty Nature
- Play Rough
- Facade
- Substitute / Thief (Yea, no coverage sadly) / Flamethrower (Ferroseed is annoying)
- Belly Drum

Special Sweeper? My favorite
Yum (Swirlix) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 248 HP / 188 SpA / 72 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draining Kiss / Dazzling Gleam
- Flamethrower / Thunderbolt
- Calm Mind
- Cotton Guard

 

[Lewi11]

I usually mix my teams with HO and Stall, but this meta has proven to me that hyper stall wins like 99% of the time.
Using this team atm:
https://pokepast.es/f7fccc43de810dbb

I REALLY believe that stall is overpowered atm. Not sure how to balance it more but just an observation. Any suggestions to help the balance?

 

[Orig Stall Guy]

I usually mix my teams with HO and Stall, but this meta has proven to me that hyper stall wins like 99% of the time.
Using this team atm:
https://pokepast.es/f7fccc43de810dbb

I REALLY believe that stall is overpowered atm. Not sure how to balance it more but just an observation. Any suggestions to help the balance?

Team looks super dope. Ive mostly ran Volt Turn team but I might give this team a shot.
Also, makes sense Stall is overpowered atm. We have banned nearly all the major offensive mons in the meta.

 

[Snafutari]

I usually mix my teams with HO and Stall, but this meta has proven to me that hyper stall wins like 99% of the time.
Using this team atm:
https://pokepast.es/f7fccc43de810dbb

I REALLY believe that stall is overpowered atm. Not sure how to balance it more but just an observation. Any suggestions to help the balance?

I'd hardly call that hyper stall (looks to me more like semistall to me). That said, stall is 100% the best playstyle at the moment by a long shot. It's incredibly easy to just dominate without even running a sweeper when you play stall, and while I'm not a fan of that team in particular (it's hard for that team to keep Tentacool, your spinner, alive), I do think it's a good idea to share what I've been working with. While this team was built for Woobat format, it's still working very well even now.



Gossifleur is a really sturdy spinner that provides Aromatherapy, and Tyranitar, while the primary Pokemon it walled are banned, but still helps vs CM Clefairy/setup sweepers in general right now. The rest of the team is very easy to figure out. The team is scared decently by Golett, although we can play around Banded versions, and Gossifleur beats most other versions. Magnemite is also something to be concerned about, because specs still hits hard, and Ferroseed can find itself easily being worn down. Lastly, Scraggy isn't the easiest Pokemon to deal with, although it's definitely not an easy win for your opponent.

 

[Windingsss]

I usually mix my teams with HO and Stall, but this meta has proven to me that hyper stall wins like 99% of the time.
Using this team atm:
https://pokepast.es/f7fccc43de810dbb

I REALLY believe that stall is overpowered atm. Not sure how to balance it more but just an observation. Any suggestions to help the balance?

Looks god imo. Stall is pretty good now without Abra and gastly in the surrounds. Mareanie could do something with Haze, but i dont think it'll affect the team at all. Gonna try it for sure.

 

[Lewi11]

I'd hardly call that hyper stall (looks to me more like semistall to me). That said, stall is 100% the best playstyle at the moment by a long shot. It's incredibly easy to just dominate without even running a sweeper when you play stall, and while I'm not a fan of that team in particular (it's hard for that team to keep Tentacool, your spinner, alive), I do think it's a good idea to share what I've been working with. While this team was built for Woobat format, it's still working very well even now.



Gossifleur is a really sturdy spinner that provides Aromatherapy, and Tyranitar, while the primary Pokemon it walled are banned, but still helps vs CM Clefairy/setup sweepers in general right now. The rest of the team is very easy to figure out. The team is scared decently by Golett, although we can play around Banded versions, and Gossifleur beats most other versions. Magnemite is also something to be concerned about, because specs still hits hard, and Ferroseed can find itself easily being worn down. Lastly, Scraggy isn't the easiest Pokemon to deal with, although it's definitely not an easy win for your opponent.

All 6 pokemon on the team made to stall out opposing mons with Toxic with recovery on almost every one too? And phasing? That sounds pretty hyper-stall to me. Could it be more stally? yes. But if every mon on your team has the job is to outlast the opposing player, than that's hyper-stall.

Regarding Tentacool, I was thinking of running a wish user but in all honesty, it didn't even need to stay alive - cause hazards didn't the team much (besides Dottler).

I believe I played your team (with a different team I have) and it's good team, but you don't even need ditto. Like you said, you don't have to run a sweeper at all. And if your team came across the team I posted or something similar, Ditto would be pointless pretty much.

 

[DarkLugia555]

Dottler @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stored Power
- Iron Defense
- Calm Mind
- Recover

100/70/160/100/180/60

With that bulk can take almost every hit from physical and special side.

Partnering this with a fighting/fairy type so you can pressure and kill opposites dark types then you can setup and sweep. One of the best things is that you don't even have to worry about ditto because it only can click on stored power which you can wall easily while you can recover or even setup more. Don´t sleep on this one.

This thing has a couple of disadvantages being weak to rock, fire, dark, bug, flying and ghost; you can´t dark types and toxic means game over.

With good partners Dottler can be very dangerous

 

[VoolPool]

I have a good feeling this will be om of the month, and with crown tundra we got sum new toys soooooo here we go


fuck this mon this thing will force yveltal on every single team and don't you dare come here with "oh but nUZlEAf aNd kRooKODILE gEt bUFfEd". Pollen puff. Poll-en-puff. I wanna see this banned immediately.


huge power gives this a nice 80 atk pog


geomancy time, bitches


this thing gets shell smash. do what you will with it.


we've discovered future port and now we have an enabler


here comes the sun


here comes the - now what? You already said that. Oh. Well what should i say now? Idk think of something. Uhh...


better charizard no more 4 time weakness aye


walking L of a mon but yeah this thing still broken lol.

yeah sorry i just realized this post is useless as most of these mons were already a thing in sept 2020 (i think) laugh laugh haha

 

[DrPumpkinz]

huge power gives this a nice 80 atk pog

Actually, it gives it base 129 Attack. Huge Power doubles your actual Attack stat, not your base Attack stat.

252+ Atk Huge Power Marill (base 40 Attack) Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Glalie: 172-204 (57.1 - 67.7%)

252+ Atk Marill (base 129 Attack) Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Glalie: 172-204 (57.1 - 67.7%)

 

[diego_yuhhi]

ok so i found something weird that i think could actually work

may i present u



yup, karrablast.

BST: 100/150/90/80/90/120

Karrablast @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Knock Off
- Drill Run

this thing barely doesn't outspeed adamant scorbunny (oof), but imo if it sets up an sd it's game over. a 120 bp stab move that can't miss because of no guard is absolutely insane. it could also run poison jab if some fairy type becomes problematic to hold.

if 350 cup wins om of the month i'm using this 100%

 

[astralydia]

ok so i found something weird that i think could actually work

may i present u



yup, karrablast.

BST: 100/150/90/80/90/120

Karrablast @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Knock Off
- Drill Run

this thing barely doesn't outspeed adamant scorbunny (oof), but imo if it sets up an sd it's game over. a 120 bp stab move that can't miss because of no guard is absolutely insane. it could also run poison jab if some fairy type becomes problematic to hold.

if 350 cup wins om of the month i'm using this 100%

May I recommend Dwebble to you instead?



BST: 100/130/170/70/70/110

Dwebble @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- X-Scissor / Knock Off

(OO: Jolly with max Speed can be used to outspeed Scarf Calyrex-S, Life Orb can be used to make up for a lack of power in some scenarios)

The major issues that I see with Karrablast in 350 Cup are that it either simply isn't fast enough or it simply isn't strong enough to break past some of the best mons in the metagame. Already existing Ubers like Eternatus, Necrozma-Dusk-Mane, and Zacian-Crowned simply give Karrablast very little room to pull off hits. Additionally, 350 stars like Mienfoo and Clefairy make this difficult to pull off reliably, as their presence simply makes it difficult for Karrablast to wallbreak effectively.

However, Dwebble's access to Shell Smash gives it a respectable niche over Karrablast as its better overall coverage, hitting Eternatus hard in particular, and ability to raise its Speed to extreme levels, being outpaced by nothing but certain Choice Scarf users after a single Shell Smash, being bulky enough to survive most forms of priority, and most importantly, being able to guarantee some degree of blanket checking in the metagame tend to give it a much more respectable position in the metagame.

 

[Ransei]

Hey. OM Leadership have chosen 350 Cup to be October 2021's LCotM.

 

[Iynhe]

Well, it feels that everything was talked about, tbh. Nothing really cool is there anymore. Maybe hail might be something? Speaking of not hail

Krabby @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Body Slam
- Rock Slide
- Agility

30/105/90/25/25/50 -> 60/210/180/50/50/100.
A set that I run in TS with Kingler. It needs agility to do anything (unless you're against stall, probably) but it has enough def to probably set up without that many problems and 210 atk is a lot. I chose adamant since I found out that, at least in TS, i need more power. And 299*2=598 speed is enough.

Honedge @ Leftovers
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic

A random set. It has 90/200 defenses so... i thought it was kind of worth talking about. Nothing else. Oh, and 160 atk, that's cool too.

Speaking of hail

Vulpix-Alola @ Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Blizzard
- Moonblast
- Toxic

130 speed is the main thing. the sash maybe is not needed because of that, maybe it is still needed.
Coupled with

Sandshrew-Alola @ Life Orb
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Triple Axel
- Iron Head
- Knock Off / Rapid Spin

80 speed but doubled under hail. 130 atk. 180 def. It will be able to set up and has rapid spin to become faster outside of hail.
It's sad that i can't find anything really exciting in an om :( Oh well, that's a me problem that might go away soon.

 

[Roldski32]

100 HP / 85 Atk / 80 Def / 165 SpA / 100 SpD / 150 Spe
Calyrex-Shadow @ Choice Specs
Ability: As One (Spectrier)
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Astral Barrage
- Psyshock
- Psychic / Draining Kiss
- Trick

This thing is broken, lol. Specially Defensive Yveltal is one of few mons that can reliably check it, and aside from that, there's almost nothing else (bar some soft checks, ig). There are only few mon that can outspeed this too. I actually wanted to see this mon get quickbanned soon


80 HP / 130 Atk / 190 Def / 120 SpA / 90 SpD / 70 Spe
Koffing @ Black Sludge
Ability: Neutralizing Gas
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split

I started to really like this set. Neutralizing Gas is great at denying certain abilities, most notably Mienfoo's Regenerator and Clefairy's Magic Guard.


140 HP / 85 Atk / 95 Def / 145 SpA / 95 SpD / 130 Spe
Eternatus @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dynamax Cannon
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Recover
Eternatus is still so good

 

[diego_yuhhi]

ok this is one of the funniest omotm to play, the combination of lc/nfes and ubers looks so funny to see and the (almost) complete absence of stall makes it really worth a shot (ps: semi stall is pretty common, but because it isn't fully stall you can easily work around that)

this is the team i've been running
-----

small analysis

specs staryu hits like a truck, base 140 spatk and 170 speed combined with bolt-beam coverage and the ability to pivot is ridiculous.
ditto is simply useful, nothing more to add
av mienfoo-koffing-yveltal is the defensive backbone of the team, only losing to mons with fairy+psychic coverage, and even for those it can work around them.
av mienfoo is a cool set, useful to get constant chip damage with uturn, remove items with knock off, take a few special hits and heal back thanks to regenerator.
koffing has a ridiculous 80/190 (!) physical bulk, and it can live literally anything on the physical side (it lived a knock off with item from a +6 burned life orb scraggy)
spdef yveltal is really good in this team to check calydow and remove hazards that otherwise can be irritating especially to ditto.
scorbunny is here because i didn't know what to put in the last slot and i chose scorbunny because of its good physical attack, its coverage and its ability to pivot

 

[TheCounterTeamer]

Hey guys, I’ve been playing on this ladder and it’s very fun. However, Moody should probably be banned (pls).

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8350cup-1431018509

Replay of Remoraid sweeping because of Moody.

(Also getting up pretty far on the ladder, this OM is very fun)

Edit: Yes, I bet my team is bad, but this is just ridiculous.

 

[readytolose]

Have some time so I figured I’d make a post I’ve been meaning to make. Just a general “thoughts on meta” post. I’ve been playing a lot of 350 cup latey despite not being crazy about previous incarnations of the meta and it’s been pretty fun. I don’t feel as though the meta is super unbalanced or anything but I feel as though certain offensive threats are a bit too constraining which will be discussed in this post. Might share some teams later too, we’ll see

--
This classic rock-paper-scissors situation is a bit familiar to those who played ubers and it’s kinda similar here, while Zacian-C and Calyrex-S are less overbearing due to less overwhelming speed tiers and some bulkier physical pivots they are still among the most overwhelming offensive threats in the meta. Zacian-C can be checked by some super-bulky physical mons like Hippopotas and Slowpoke that join the ranks, but it can still break through nearly everything with the appopriate move and its speed tier is still excellent. Calyrex-S on the other hand has hardly gained any counterplay at all Yveltal is still the best check to Calyrex-S by far since this meta doesn’t really add any more defensive Dark types. But it faces a similar problem that it did in Ubers prior to the Zacian’s ban which is that relying on mono-dark coverage invites Zacian in super easily, not to mention other scary fairies like Clefairy. This is also further complicated by....

There are also a lot of strong Fighting types that need to be considered in teambuilding. The obvious solution is to run a physically defensive Fairy like Spritzee but being setup fodder for Zacian is a bad look. If you run a more general physically defensive pivot like Slowpoke or Mareanie though you run into a different issue which is that you actually are not a Scraggy check at all. Scraggy is actually super annoying due to its potential pseudo-status immunity with shed skin and huge bulk with passive healing from drain punch and potentially leftovers that lets it force progress against it to a standstill. It just sets up super easily and is hard to kill unless you have a fairy move, and is always annoying with Knock Off. Mienfoo is similar but usually doesn’t set up so can be walled easier, but can really pack moves to threaten or at least annoy anything. Like the instance I ran into one with Stone Edge the one time I brought Ho-Oh. SD Mienfoo exists I think and is really underexplored. Scorbunny is here because it uses Libero HJK and has similar checks anyways. Marshadow is a bit more niche but can threaten Slowpoke a bit better with ghost moves, plus it can actually revenge kill Calyrex-S too. These fighting types are different enough that you can’t completely check all of them, and there are more niche fighting types too like pancham, timburr, and croagunk that can ruin your day too. All together it amounts to a strong blanket check to Fighting types being necessary.

These is probably the best phys def pivots cause they can check most of the Fighting types along with switch in to Zacian-C. However they can be shaky checks. Mareanie can be crushed by +3 Wild Charge from Zacian, Foongus isn’t really the bulkiest either. Slowpoke is super bulky but usually all it can do it teleport into your Ditto or something. Also you always need haze or clear smog on Mareanie and Foongus them to shut down Zacian, Scraggy, Clefairy, and Xerneas. They often need to try and pull double duty to at least check those fairy-types. Foongus and Mareanie are of course viable with SpDef sets as well to try and check Kyogre and Xerneas, I think Foongus pulls it off better even if it overlaps with Ferroseed which I think is a better fit on most teams.

Some more physical bulky mons. Necrozma is a good check to Zacian-C but ranges from mid to bad against most fighting types. Hippo is pretty good against Zacian-C and also checks Zekrom, a mon I haven’t even seen anyone use but is probably pretty good. Zygarde-C is just very bulky but i’ve also seen it lose to Scraggy in sustained bouts, I wouldn’t personally recommend it unless you need the bulkiest fire resist ever. Use it more as a setup sweeper rather than its ability to wall things.

Bit of a dark horse of the offensive meta but it will crush teams that rely on Slowpoke or Hippopotas as their physically defensive wall. SpDef Yveltal is not a counter to it either and takes way too much damage from boosted drain punch or CB wood hammer. Knock Off lets it beat down Necrozma-DM and just gets a lot of neutral coverage. This however leads to problems where if you spam Knock Off on other mons early game (Scraggy, Krabby, Yveltal, sometimes Clefairy and Mareanie run this) you get in a position where you wish the opponent wasn’t already knocked off so you could do more damage to them. Either way Grookey is a demon and doesn’t make things any easier.

This mon is in a bit of a weird spot, usually in ubers you would run it special defensive but it faces more competition here so it’s not as impressive. Physical defensive Eternatus is something I used too and it actually has some use in checking scorbunny and mienfoo, but again it’s a bit outcompeted by other phys def mons. Basically the point I’m making is that the offensive set is probably the way to go, it’s still really good.

These are the best offensive water types, Kyogre is the better of the two and is still a broken mon with no switch ins, but Staryu also has an insane speed tier and hits pretty hard with analytic. Not much to say about them.

In the interest of role compression I attempted this mon with a semi- offensive with SpDef set as an attempt to check Kyogre and Calyrex-S at once, a similar role that Zarude plays in the current Ubers metagame. It actually worked okay, Nuzleaf is not the bulkiest but it has better stats than Zarude and has a decent recovery option in Early Bird Rest. It kinda fell flat against Starmie sometimes though. I would bring it in and get owned by Analytic Ice Beam. Against Kyogre it works a bit better cause you can speed creep specs kyogre and Scarf Kyogre is often less willing to predict.

Lastly I got to mention that this is probably one of the best revenge killers, which usually is an indictment of the health of a metagame. Although Ditto also received a sizable buff to its HP in this. Really this should be many teams’ last line of defense against the most problematic offensive threats.

I guess, overall, I agree with the assessment that stall is an effective playstyle in this due to the nature of the offensive meta. Usually I’ve played balance though with a strong focus on blanket checks and it’s been generally effective too, even if sometimes there are matchups I just cannot answer to. I’ve also seen effective HO, usually revolving around the above threats I’ve mentioned, being Zacian-C, Calyrex-S, and usually Scraggy. These HO teams also usually have a Sticky Web setter. I haven’t seen any sticky web setters that completely blow me away, but between mons like Cutiefly, Swirlix, Dottler, Shuckle, and Dewpider, there are a lot more ciable options for setting the hazard. While there’s also some common mons that can be used as hazard control, sometimes it can be pretty tough to remove webs.
I guess if I need sum it up

TLDR: Meta feels pretty good but offensive threats, mainly Zacian-C and Calyrex-S are a bit overbearing, especially when you consider the wealth of other offensive options. Scraggy is probably a distant third. Banning Zacian-C could lead to an equilibrium similar to Ubers where it becomes less punishing to run Calyrex-S checks. Regardless I think banning either or both could lead to a healthier meta. However I’m not completely convinced as they are not completely absurd either and I’d like to hear other opinions or options This meta has been fun and I’d like to see it develop more

 

[Lewi11]

Hey guys, I’ve been playing on this ladder and it’s very fun. However, Moody should probably be banned (pls).

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8350cup-1431018509

Replay of Remoraid sweeping because of Moody.

(Also getting up pretty far on the ladder, this OM is very fun)

Edit: Yes, I bet my team is bad, but this is just ridiculous.

I'm echoing this post and agreeing that Moody should be banned like normal.

Here's a replay of a really bad rain team I'm trialing with a random Snorunt with Moody.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8350cup-1435617262
Good on the person I was playing for sticking it out the whole way!

But seriously, this ability is ridiculous when let set up. It has very few counters that are run usually and it relies on luck and stall.
I may have won the battle, but with minimal brain cells used.

Please BAN Moody.

Thank you.

:)

 

[a girlboss]

back in gen 7, i used to post about all gen 5 pokemon in a tier. i did the same back then for this OM, but with new meta developments and the cut pokedex, ive decided to do it once more.

i wont be addressing pokemon that i personally don't see as good, except maybe to make fun of them.

wow!! they fit in a single spoiler box!!!!

82 / 100 / 74 / 100 / 74 / 132
Prankster is amazing, and the moves it has access to (Encore, Thunder Wave, Taunt) are great at disrupting opposing set-up sweepers. Besides that, it's not a very splashable mon. Dark-type's immunity to Prankster hurts it as well.


120 / 170 / 80 / 60 / 90 / 136
Although Drilbur lacks the Steel typing that makes Excadrill so great, it's incredibly strong and sports great utility in Rapid Spin. It also has very useful abilities in Sand Rush and Mold Breaker, like its evolution.


150 / 160 / 110 / 50 / 70 / 70
Timburr does the same its evolutions do in other tiers. It's incredibly threatening here as well, though it can only break through Spritzee with Poison Jab.

252+ Atk Guts Timburr Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Spritzee: 222-262 (43 - 50.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

yeah... pray it's spdef spritzee...


80 / 54 / 120 / 74 / 100 / 132
Cottonee does kind of the same as Purrloin, but replace Thunder Wave with Stun Spore. It's also got Defog and Leech Seed, but its typing is arguably worse.

(and the ugly one)
140 / 180 / 90 / 30 / 90 / 100
Lack of Z-Moves really hurts these two, as they can't avoid the 0.8x accuracy penalty with their strong nukes. If you're willing to put your games on the line, there's very little that can take a hit and isn't an immunity. Their expansive movepool (more notable with GDaru) is also very frustrating to play around.


100 / 130 / 170 / 70 / 70 / 110
Dwebble has two great abilities to meet its goal of Shell Smash sweeping, and it can also take a (physical) hit even after smashing.


100 / 150 / 140 / 70 / 140 / 96
Scraggy has very great defensive utility thanks to its typing and access to Intimidate. It can also utilize Moxie and Dragon Dance to close off a match, with good bulk allowing it to live most priority hits.

(i hate these models)
70 / 60 / 170 / 110 / 130 / 60
70 / 110 / 170 / 60 / 130 / 60
The ability to remove an opponent's ability is amazing for the Yamasks. Coupled with their amazing defenses, access to Will-O-Wisp and very nice defensive typing, these two are great. Unfortunately, they lack reliable recovery. Regular Yamask has Pain Split, but Galarian Yamask has Rest as its only option.


80 / 130 / 80 / 160 / 80 / 130
I mean, Zorua's a gimmick. I like gimmicks, but there's a lot you have to keep in mind when using it. Hazard damage might reveal your deceit, and so will Sand, Hail, and opponents just not cooperating with your ploy. Lack of Z-Moves also prevent it from surprising your foe with a nuke (although at the cost of your Illusion). Best paired up with obvious Illusion targets like Shedinja.


90 / 60 / 100 / 110 / 130 / 90
Shadow Tag is banned. Sorry, Gothita!


90 / 60 / 80 / 210 / 100 / 40
Great in Trick Room. Yeah. 210 SpA. You already know.


138 / 110 / 90 / 110 / 110 / 30
I mean, it's Foongus. It's incredibly bulky thanks to high HP and decent defenses, has a good defensive typing and has the sought-after Spore. Foongus is seriously great.


110 / 80 / 100 / 130 / 170 / 80
It's got Water Absorb, allowing it to check most Rain sweepers, and very few things are getting past 170 SpDef. Access to Will-O-Wisp and Strength Sap also make it great at checking physical attackers.


88 / 100 / 182 / 48 / 172 / 20
It's Ferroseed. You know what it does.


110 / 110 / 110 / 170 / 110 / 60
VERY pleasing to look at.
Elgyem is outshined by Solosis in most fields except for one: Analytic. Since it activates when the opponent switches in, Elgyem is able to achieve many surprise KOs against would-be checks.


90 / 170 / 100 / 110 / 100 / 130
It's Mienfoo. You know what it does.

So yeah. bye i guess

 

[Eeveepunter]

Choice Band Hustle Darumaka in sun ohko's Torkoal which is pretty wild.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8350cup-1437334357