INSIGHTS:
- Swampert 2 because EndPert is actually OP. Teams need faster mon or +2 recover mons (or perfect play) for it to not go 2 for 1. Stop subbing to 1% all the time and focus on getting Endeavors at 50 or 26-33%. Those are where the real value lies in. Its also excellent at farming Rest Suicune. OffPert has become rather worse in my view thanks to EndPert. Tect sets are still excellent but need to be played more proactively in case of Spikes Off (or even Big 4 styles) so it doesnt end up being too much of a spikes bait
- Zap low because Zap Spikes Off is a bit more one dimensional and overprepped vs. Zap Spikes Balance usually has phys defense issues and is harder and harder to run for the same reasons as Zap Spikes Off, usually wout the outplay potential. Zapdos wout Aero is much more inconsistent against defense and offense alike. The loss of SpeedPass also makes Spikeless Zap harder and harder to truly pull off because it never does enough in either Offense or Defense MU wout Spikes support so at the end its really reliant on Dug to make it work Spikeless-wise which introduces a lot of awnkardness that Trapper Offense usually has to work with, mainly rigidity issues and defensive issues. That combined with the fact that Zap on Spikeless usually is trying to do too much to the point it becomes rigid makes said Offenses usually worse. Basically all of this is to say theres a reason the best Slop always ran Cele/Kou
- Gar should be higher as it gets immense value, is good against Slop and V5 (but not autowin status as Gar fanatics like to claim), its also good at switching into Pert and is able to give momentum for Spikeless via Boom and its specific target luring (Wisp Dol, Boom Zap/Cele due to using Bolt+Grass)
- Jira should be even lower honestly. Its a weird mon to slot all around and ends up usually creating issues defensively like Gar does. Thing is Jira isnt nearly as potent at potential autowin than Gar is imo. Not only that but Gar has Boom which is usually more instant value and gives it a more specific function on Spikeless other than "it beats stall, lol". CM Jira, Mix Jira and Wish Jira are all really A tier type of sets but the fact is "The Structure" becomes weaker because its defensive value is secondary at best and too auxiliary. It doesnt provide any main functions or specific luring, this makes it rather restricted to Spikes if you want more value out of it or you have to accept its merely a stallbreaker in your Spikeless and make the Offense MU worse in return. On the teams it does work though, it can be downright unfair but again its like Gengar in that way
- Meta is lower than usual because Regis can fulfill its momentum reversing role and it often ends up making Offense too specially weak. It is also somewhat awnkard vs Skarm either way and Agility needs quite a lot of support to get going imo (usually Ttar+Spikes or Ttar+EndPert), oftentimes it will need a Mence either way in case of Spikeless so it cant fully replace Mence on its "aero handler" role. MixMeta is worse than usual due to Registeel stonewalling it forever and the usual Meta issues. It is a bit too reliant on booming to break through defense while making your team frailer in return usually. It does need to be said however that Meta still is the best offensively wise, its just that with such a high octane breaker like EndPert, you can sacrifice some offense for much more needed stability and it usually doesnt destroy your flow/momentum either way. Meta+Spikes (esp wout Spin) is always so awnkard due to weak phys backbone and propensity to let Skarm roam too freely. It is worth noting the much better MU vs Lax is indeed quite valuable
- Registeel is high due to its ability to trade (twave, toxic, ct, boom) and able to provide flexibility and defense to offense wout sacking flow/momentum. Its boom is able to lure many great targets as well (natcures and the usual ground types) which makes it amazing for physspam. It is good on Spikes Off for the same reasons, I prefer Tox to progress better into NatCures and able to press Bliss but Counter is the golden standard and able to trade even better vs Meta, which is valuable for some teams. Spower can have potential as a Metagross substitute on some specific builds or even alongside Blissey. I usually never drop TW/Boom/Stoss, I think you could get away w dropping Stoss but its ability to cover all Lead Zap is very appealing so I dont do it
- Cele should likely be higher but tbh Cele SpikeOff hasnt felt that good in a long time and Recover Cele has the same old issues. Super is insane and actually very underrated, its able to trade up w tanks and birds alike which makes it a excellent support for all sort of weirdness. Recover Cele+Bliss is also pretty nice and Recover Cele teams in general could use a bit of a comeback as Cele is able to stonewall quite a lot of mons and Leech is very spammable nowadays, its still amazing at beating Fat as well and honestly CM/Seed/Giga/HP (Elec or Fire) is the best set at doing that, though recently its been souring on me as I have been realizing most Spikeless probably should use Super as the 3 move coverage is crazy great. Leech 3+Spikes vs Fat is still excellent but it always needed a level of precision that you just cant consistently ask for
- Milo, Dug and V5 as a whole are still great. Claydol is a centerpiece on it and other Fats which is why its high. Most Fat wout Claydol is incredibely flawed in some way and usually shouldnt be ran. As much as I like to shit on Cune + Dol offense, its honestly somewhat fine. It is able to chokehold many MUs due to the strenght of Rest Suicune but it still has so many issues of rigidity that are intensified with the removal of SpeedPass Zapdos which helped immensely defensively and offensively
- OffCune (3A) is neat but it is still somewhat limiting. Needs spikes or just be placed alongside EndPert on Slop, if ur using sandless I reccomend just sticking to Sub or Rest. Though I think Sub is only really used to fish people, either way Cune is the only other way to consistently make usable to good Offense. Offense needs either Cune or Mence or it cant be consistent. This applies to trapper offenses too (Mag or Dug Offense often wants Cune, and Mag teams practically cant drop Mence). This is especially true thanks to SpeedPass Zapdos's ban. There are few exceptions that truly "work" wout either of two and its usually Zap+Dug+Ttar that barely reaches "usable" status
- Jolt is actually pretty good. Great spikeoff at both farming opp SpikeOff and Slop, honestly it feels like the best time to use Jolteon is nowadays
- Forre balance and its adjacents really suffer. They often dont have enough tools to handle MUs like Slop or CuneDol. They are pretty fine vs stuff like Zap SpikeOff and other SpikeOffs but it still feels very awnkard to play with it. The saving grace is that Gar versions feel better than they used to, for both Skarm and Forre versions of the Big 4 (Ttar/Spiker/Bliss/Pert) and if its Skarm its surprisingly good vs Slop and even CuneDol regardless of the +2 choice (which imo shud usually be one of the OU steel-types + Aero/Mence/Firebird) but even so they always had this fatal flaw vs V5 as well, especially now with Thief+DP Skarm being spammed in such teams. Meta>Pert versions are always pretty frail. These teams often feel better wout Ttar too if they employ Spinners
- Mence / Aero are indispensible for the playstyles they often find themselves in. Mence is practically mandatory for at least 90% of usable offenses, if not more and Aero often finds itself as the best choice of bird for both Spikes Balance and Spikes Off. Not only that but it usually potencializes Zapdos in a way no other mon can. Both of these mons share various similar traits of both being good vs Offense and Fat and being the CMer check of most builds. I put Mence higher because it has more team range than Aero does but make no mistake, the best Spikes Off always historically used Aero for a reason
- The DefMie and P2 are coming back soon.
SAMURAI MONK WISDOM 8.