Resource AG General Information and Simple Questions Thread

Pigeons

pidge pidge
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Rules:
Anything Goes is somewhat self-explanatory; however, it should be noted that Anything Goes refers to anything legal within the cartridge games (Sun and Moon) being able to be used. There are no bans or clauses (excluding the 'Endless Battle Clause').

Strategy:

Hyper Offense is arguably the most effective playstyle within any iteration of the Anything Goes metagame, and this is no different within Generation 7. Setting hazards and bombarding an opponent with heavy hitting priority users and alternative offensive presences is so simple, yet so efficient at breaking any team regardless of playstyle.


Stall is a completely viable playstyle within the Anything Goes metagame. As potent threats such as Mega Rayquaza exist, so do defensive beasts such as Giratina and Lugia. Due to the abundance of available Pokémon, it is possible to find defensive answers for every Pokémon in the metagame. Stall is much better within the SM metagame due to the non-existence of Darkrai, and the addition of Pokémon such as Magearna, Celesteela and Alolan Muk.


If you can't pick between the two extremes, why not try a mix? Balance is a completely viable playstyle as well, assuming it packs enough firepower to break through Stall and enough defense to tank Offense. Commonly used Pokémon include Ho-Oh and Support Arceus formes; however, almost any Pokémon seen on the two aforementioned playstyles can be used effectively given the right support.


Moody, while somewhat unreliable and inconsistent, proves to be a fairly usable ability within the Anything Goes metagame. Spamming Protect and Substitute can be quite effective, ensuring that a boost to Speed and/or the required Defense stat is obtained rather quickly. Viable users of this ability include Glalie and Smeargle. It should be noted however, that Moody should not be used if consistent success is required, as it is capable of receiving suboptimal boosts early on, and being removed by many opposing Pokémon.


By combining Psychic Terrain and Deoxys-Attack, it is possible to create an optimal environment for Deoxys-Attack to compete. Psychic Terrain setters are limited to essentially Tapu Lele; however, this doesn't burden this archetype whatsoever. By removing Deoxys's weakness to priority and giving it a 1.5x boost to its Psychic-type attacks, Deoxys-Attack is almost unwallable. Some Balance teams may have to rely on abnormalities like Assault Vest Alolan Muk or another terrain setter to check this unforgiving team archetype.



Experimentation can allow for the discovery of unused threats, due to Anything Goes's differences from other metagames. The lack of clauses enables Pokémon such as Spore Breloom and Z-Purify Pyukumuku to excel, whilst completely arbitrary Pokémon such as Barbaracle can sweep through teams with almost minimal support.

FAQ:
Q:
Does this mean I can use absolutely anything?
A: You can use anything that is considered legal in the cartridge game. Pokémon obtained through hacks, cheats, glitches, exterior devices, e.t.c are not permitted. This also means unreleased Pokémon are also not allowed.

Q: Why can't I Mega Evolve multiple Pokémon?
A: Because you may only Mega Evolve one Pokémon each match in the cartridge game, hence the same rules apply here.

Q: Why can't I use a Z-crystal on my Mega Rayquaza?
A: The cartridge game doesn't allow it, therefore Anything Goes doesn't either. If a Rayquaza is equipped with Dragon Ascent and a Z-crystal, the Z-crystal takes priority and Rayquaza may not Mega Evolve.

Resources:
AG Resources Thread
- Speed Tiers
- Core Compendium
- Role Compendium
- Tournaments Index
- Sets Compendium

AG Viability Rankings

AG Sample Teams

AG Team Bazaar and Showcase

AG Metagame Discussion

Simple Questions, Simple Answers
This thread will also be doubling as a simple Q&A thread where newer players can get questions answered. Any questions related to AG are welcome (provided they are relatively simple to answer), but please keep the following guidelines in mind before posting:
  • Make sure the question you are asking is clear! It's a lot easier for us to help you out if we understand what you're asking.
  • If your question can be answered by a Google search or the Smogdex, please do that as to not clutter the thread.
  • When answering questions, please quote the post you're answering to avoid confusion.
  • In-game questions or questions related to other tiers don't belong here. Make sure you're asking about Anything Goes!
  • Be civil when posting please :)
Ask away!
 
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pichus

is a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
OMPL Champion
first asker wtf

What does ttar-mega do?
it checks yveltal, mega gengar, ho-oh, darkceus and some mega rayquaza sets. access to pursuit makes it a pretty good option on teams which are weak to mega rayquaza/mega gengar altho regular ttar is mostly used over it as it doesnt take up a mega slot and does pretty much the same thing (and can also run shuca berry !)
mega ttar also runs a ddance set altho its outclassed by dd ray or dd zygarde
 

pulsar512b

ss ou fangirl
is a Pre-Contributor
it checks yveltal, mega gengar, ho-oh, darkceus and some mega rayquaza sets. access to pursuit makes it a pretty good option on teams which are weak to mega rayquaza/mega gengar altho regular ttar is mostly used over it as it doesnt take up a mega slot and does pretty much the same thing (and can also run shuca berry !)
mega ttar also runs a ddance set altho its outclassed by dd ray or dd zygarde
is there any conceivable reason why u would use mega ttar w/ ddance over those 2?
 

Chloe

is a Community Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
NUPL Champion
is there any conceivable reason why u would use mega ttar w/ ddance over those 2?
it's a nice zyg lure, ohkos at +1 with ice punch, lures steelceus/ferro/whatnot with low kick, rock/dark has a niche defensively so that most prio doesnt do anything to it / youre only really damaging it if it fails to make an opposing mon faint first. definitely niche but kinda cool regardless.
 
Will we have an anything goes tier in generation 8?

The answer is yes obviously but a lot of our metagame would begone.
No mega evolution, no z crystals, no national dex.(there will be no updates to add them in 2 sword and shield)
I tried listing out all the things that would be missing just from no mega evolution and z crystals that's important to our metagame but it got too numerous to count

I'm just wondering will we still have relevant metagame in generation 8 in the time of sword and shield
 

pulsar512b

ss ou fangirl
is a Pre-Contributor
Will we have an anything goes tier in generation 8?

The answer is yes obviously but a lot of our metagame would begone.
No mega evolution, no z crystals, no national dex.(there will be no updates to add them in 2 sword and shield)
I tried listing out all the things that would be missing just from no mega evolution and z crystals that's important to our metagame but it got too numerous to count

I'm just wondering will we still have relevant metagame in generation 8 in the time of sword and shield
For a start, there would be probably 2 ag metagames: one with all mons, even those chopped bc dexit, and one with only mons in SwSh's national dex. The metagame would still be different, as there is bp, there is species clause removed (that in and of itself probably differentiates this meta enough from ubers). Obviously, we would still have a relevant meta in the first. However, the second is less clear. IMO it will be a different metagame, but that isn't bad. We'll have to start from scratch finding out the meta.
 
Will there still be Gen 7 AG after Sw/Sh are released? I've been informed AG is not typically available for past gens, but since Gen 8 onward won't have every Pokemon in the code of the games (only what's in the regional dex) I'm curious if an exception will be made so we can still use Pokemon that didn't make the cut for Sw/Sh.
 

Chloe

is a Community Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
NUPL Champion
Will there still be Gen 7 AG after Sw/Sh are released? I've been informed AG is not typically available for past gens, but since Gen 8 onward won't have every Pokemon in the code of the games (only what's in the regional dex) I'm curious if an exception will be made so we can still use Pokemon that didn't make the cut for Sw/Sh.
It will most likely still have a challenge / tournament format, but won't be ladder-able. The only formats that generally get past gen ladders are OU and Random Battle.
 
I'm new to showdown (as in I started playing last night) so I'm about to sound like a noob. Could someone please tell me what OU stands for and what tiers can't be used for it? I like using Cosplay Pikachu so I'm building Gen 6 teams.

I know I'll get my butt kicked because the competitive scene is brand new to me, but honestly I just want to have fun with Pokemon I either can't get on US/UM or don't have the patience to breed for.
 
I'm new to showdown (as in I started playing last night) so I'm about to sound like a noob. Could someone please tell me what OU stands for and what tiers can't be used for it? I like using Cosplay Pikachu so I'm building Gen 6 teams.

I know I'll get my butt kicked because the competitive scene is brand new to me, but honestly I just want to have fun with Pokemon I either can't get on US/UM or don't have the patience to breed for.
Hey, welcome to showdown! This thread isn't the OU Thread, but you're welcome here regardless!

OU stands for OverUsed, and is the primary competitive tier on Pokemon Showdown. Most Pokemon are allowed barring most of the cover legendaries as well as extremely power pokemon deemed to be uncompetitive for OverUsed. If you would like more info on the OverUsed tier, you can click here:

https://www.smogon.com/forums/forums/overused.387/

There are many people that help you get started like Jordy with competitive as well as many resources located there. However, if you would like to simply battle in a format that allows anything obtainable in game, then this is the right place!

Feel free to reach out to me, pichus, Pigeons, or especially PurpleGatorade if you have any more questions!
 

Floss

never forgotten
is a Community Leaderis a Top Tiering Contributor
Monotype Leader
What are possible sets I can run on M-Rayquaza in AG? Want to try it out, but stall scares me a lot when building around M-Ray.
 
What are possible sets I can run on M-Rayquaza in AG? Want to try it out, but stall scares me a lot when building around M-Ray.
Attempt 1 of TTTG trying to be helpful. Here goes nothing.
1. Life orb dragon dance
These generally run Adamant nature and run Dragon Dance, Dragon Ascent, Espeed, Earthquake/V create
2. Choice Band
I prefer Adamant on band as well but depending on your team you may want jolly. These generally run Dragon Ascent, V-Create, espeed, outrage; though I’ve also seen waterfall to help with pdon
3. Choice Scarf
Jolly is preferred on scarf sets so you can outspeed +2 geoxern. These generally run Dragon ascent, Draco meteor, and v create with toxic, defog, and surf as possible filler slots. If you have no other priority you may also consider espeed in that slot.
4. Life orb mixed
Generally run Dragon ascent, Draco meteor, espeed, v create. I don’t use this set very much but I think it runs jolly? Idk for certain. It’s a good set though and can tear down stuff like giratina and zygarde that are generally good against the pure physical set
There are also some niche pinch berry sets and weakness policy sets but those are generally only used on meme teams.

MZ edit: good summary but also here's a link to the sets compendium which gives the actual importable for common sets on viable Pokemon
 
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Unicorns

Banned deucer.
what does zoroark do in AG and what is its set like?
Probably Disguise's as Arc's, Gengar's, Marshadow's, Zygarde's, and Necrozma's, seeing as their abilities aren't announced and certain forms of those Pokémon necessitate specific counter-play. It gets Pursuit, Foul Play, and U-turn, all of which are pretty nice. Trick is also really broken on a Pokémon with Zoroark's utility. If I had to make a Zoroark set, it'd probably be something like this:

Zoroark @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Illusion
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- U-turn
- Foul Play
- Trick

Overall, wouldn't be the easiest Pokémon to build around, but certainly not the worst.
 
As I move up on the ladder I see a lot of Arceus spam. Is putting six Arceus (of different types) on a team actually viable, and how could such a team be stopped?
 

Unicorns

Banned deucer.
As I move up on the ladder I see a lot of Arceus spam. Is putting six Arceus (of different types) on a team actually viable, and how could such a team be stopped?
Six Arc's isn't unviable, but it's certainly limiting. While Arceus has a really great movepool, there are just things that it can't consistently do. Certain forms are very prone to trapping from Mega-Gengar and Goth. Arc also generally has issues breaking stall and pressuring more defensive mons, as it lacks Taunt. The best way of beating a six Arc team is to figure out what type of team it is.

If it's something like ekiller x6, you're going to need to have your check(s) healthy at all times and just generally keeping them from setting up. Certain Pokémon, like Bulk Up Marshadow, Mega-Sableye, Skarmory, Lugia, and Celesteela will never be pressured by ekiller spam fast enough for any of them to be an issue.

If the team is six Arc's but more support based sets, you're going to need to keep up offense or defensive pressure. You're going to need to identify their sets, determine your win-con, and just try to win.

Hope this clears some things up!
 

Unicorns

Banned deucer.
How is it possible to play stall in AG, given the presence of mega Ray?
Yes! Stall is a certainly a present play-style in AG (the viability of which can is disputable). You are right in that "walling" Mega-Ray is near-impossible, which is why AG stall focuses so heavily on hazard control. Pokémon like defensive Arc, Luna, and Lugia are able to check most Mega-Ray sets, as long as hazards are off the field. A very common sight on AG stall teams is double Defog + Magic Bounce Mega-Sableye, or even triple Defog.
 
I hope this is a simple question. Otherwise could you direct me to a better thread? Thanks.

So I’ve had a lot of trouble on the ladder with Baton Pass teams, so is there any Pokemon that can reliably stop them? Like Heart Swap Magearna it something? Thanks.
 

Unicorns

Banned deucer.
I hope this is a simple question. Otherwise could you direct me to a better thread? Thanks.

So I’ve had a lot of trouble on the ladder with Baton Pass teams, so is there any Pokemon that can reliably stop them? Like Heart Swap Magearna it something? Thanks.
100% reliable? There is none. The limiting factor is Smeargle that can viably run any move and get any Moody boost that it may need. You can run dumb stuff, like Safety Goggles Darkest Lariat Incineroar, Clear Smog Infiltrator Chandelure, Haze/Perish Song Murkrow, or Safety Goggles Hyperspace Fury Hoopa-U, but those are going to be looking for matchup and aren't going to be good in every single game.

In terms of single mons that do have good matchups, Perish Song Arc-Poison, Perish Song Substitute/Taunt Mega-Gengar, Perish Song Arc-Grass, Skill Swap Taunt Deoxys-Speed, Heart Swap Magearna, and Swords Dance Rock Blast Ultra-Necrozma are perhaps the most notable. Other viable options include Safety Goggles Haze Toxapex, Taunt Haze Tapu Fini, and Taunt Tapu Koko.This is not an exhaustive list of mons that have positive matchups versus Baton Pass.

Baton Pass is certainly a playstyle fishing for a good matchup, but it is possible to check fairly well. Ultimately, it might come down to making the correct plays or simply acknowledging RNG got the best of you. There's nothing you could do and it doesn't speak to who you are as a player. Good luck!
 

Prime2049

Banned deucer.
Are we ever going to get a Dexit AG ladder? National Dex is an arbitrary tier that isn't true to cart, so it's more of like a mod, whereas the philosophy of AG is to be cart battles without limitation. In addition, in National Dex AG, Pokemon aren't compatible with TRs like Dragon Dance that they'd most likely be compatible with in the main game, which further establishes it as arbitrary.

Not that I'm a total NatDex AG HATER, but I at least want an option to play on a ranked ladder for Dexit AG.
 

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