Ready for some mad science?
Chimera is a 1v1-based metagame where a single Pokemon inherits specific traits from your entire 6-mon team, based on their order, which can be changed in team preview. Once the battle starts, the Pokemon undergoes a form change that "fuses" together your team into a single Pokemon. At last, you can take the best aspects of all your favorites and combine them into the ultimate monster! How exactly does this work, though? Well, it's probably easier just to show an example.
This is standard Defog Latios, as displayed in Teambuilder import text. The number by each part of the Latios set represents which trait the Pokemon would pass on in to the fused Chimera, depending on which slot it resides in. Remember -- you can choose the order of your team at the start of the battle, allowing you to tweak the fusion process to your liking. Here are the traits you can provide with this set:
So what does the process of playing Chimera look like, and what does this bring to the table over standard 1v1 and Balanced Hackmons?
Creating the Ultimate Life Form: All the Pokemon sets legal in Chimera used can be used in game, or probably in the Ubers tier--on their own they're nothing special. Once fused together, however, the chimeric Pokemon can be min-maxed to achieve the full potential of its qualities and those from its team. Perhaps even more so than standard 1v1, Chimera is a meta where careful and clever preparation far outweighs the events of the battle itself.
Limitation Breeds Invention: There are some sets you simply can't create in Chimera. For instance, Fake Out, Extreme Speed, and Boomburst cannot share space on a set, as no one Pokemon contains two of the three in their movepool. Instead of always picking the best move and ability for the job (like BH), you search out for what each member of your team can provide naturally and jerry-rig a powerful set. This would lead to a lot of thread discussion on which combinations fuse into the best Chimera.
Switching Strategies on the Fly: By altering the order of your team at team preview, you chose the composition of your "fused" Pokemon. This players of this meta thrive with flexibility and smart predictions. Each team should allow for multiple "variants" rather than one linear option. You may have Xerneas for its high base stats (slot 4), but if you're using something else for stats, perhaps make sure it passes on its ability Fairy Aura (slot 3) to a powerful Fairy attacker, or moves like Geomancy, Close Combat and Aromatherapy (slots 5-6). You can even "pair" moves for different sets together, like two special moves in the first two slots and two physical moves in the latter two. The ultimate flex slot is slot 2 (Item), as that Pokemon has full reign to change the rest of its set in case you want to use a different variant build. I'll be talking about some examples below, but the key point here is that the ability to change which way your Pokemon fuse allows the player more agency to alter their strategy based on the matchup. 1v1-based metas, in any game, are very matchup oriented, but here you can see what strategies your opponent might be trying to bring and adjust accordingly right before the fight begins. I can see room tours being pretty entertaining in this way, as they'd only last a couple turns but the mindgames would be a joy to watch.
Examples:
Team-building can be tricky for this metagame! Below I will cover what you should and shouldn't do when constructing a Chimera, listing two team imports which can make at least 10 distinct Chimera sets each.
Q&A:
Q: Why is X banned?
A: My baseline was to meld the banlists of 1v1 and Balanced Hackmons as a starting point, then go from there. Shedinja is banned because Wonder Guard is its only ability, Smeargle is banned because there's no reason to not run it for two of your moveset slots which greatly dampens the prediction aspect of the OM, Pure Power and Huge Power are banned to prevent absurd power creep, Moody is banned in both BH and 1v1 due to its Evasion-abuse, Focus Sash is a standard 1v1 ban even in Gamefreak formats, Perish Song is a 1v1 ban but maybe it's worth testing here, and Transform prevents Imprison + Transform strategies, which I recall being a major pain for BH 1v1. Because Transform can be a problem in and of itself, it was chosen over Imprison to be banned. Sleep moves are banned because it is easy to abuse and hard to counter, with viable sets having SubSeed or setup. The clauses are pretty obvious, I think.
Q: Why is X not banned?
A: I want to stay fairly conservative on bans to allow the greatest freedom to players, but more changes may be required down the line. I have my eye on certain aspects, like Fur Coat and Protean, but often these strategies require very specific Pokemon and can be easily predicted, like Water Bubble on Araquanid. You'll also notice a lack of Species Clause--using multiple versions of a Pokemon doesn't offer a huge benefit in this OM, so I see no need to restrict that choice.
Q: Is it possible to have more than one of the same move on a Chimera?
A: This remains to be seen, based on the coding. My inclination is to allow it to happen, but if it doesn't work, then the duplicate move(s) should just be deleted off the final moveset.
Q: Can I use illegal combinations of moves/abilities/etc. on a Pokemon if there's no way they'll end up on the same set?
A: No. Even if the set will never appear in battle, it still needs to be legal in-game (or in Anything Goes). The qualities of a Chimera are derived from the fusion process, not alterations to the individual Pokemon themselves.
Q: Can I make use of in-battle forms, like Megas and Primals, or exclusive items, like Thick Club or Eviolite?
A: No, because it causes too much power creep. It allows things like Deo-A with +2 in both stats and 255/160/90 bulk Groudon-Primals with Desolate Land.
Q: What about in-battle forms that don't require items, like Mega Rayquaza or Disguise Mimikyu?
A: No additional form changes should take place in-battle, so if these interactions continue to happen, please post replays in the thread and I'll make sure they're ironed out.
Q: Which slot determines my gender, happiness, weight, level, shininess, and name?
A: In addition to the type and appearance, all these qualities are taken from slot 1. This allows the coding to change the least amount of things from the base form, and since these traits rarely matter in battle, the player doesn't really lose much customization here.
Q: Is this OM fun?
A: You tell me!
Chimera is a 1v1-based metagame where a single Pokemon inherits specific traits from your entire 6-mon team, based on their order, which can be changed in team preview. Once the battle starts, the Pokemon undergoes a form change that "fuses" together your team into a single Pokemon. At last, you can take the best aspects of all your favorites and combine them into the ultimate monster! How exactly does this work, though? Well, it's probably easier just to show an example.
This is standard Defog Latios, as displayed in Teambuilder import text. The number by each part of the Latios set represents which trait the Pokemon would pass on in to the fused Chimera, depending on which slot it resides in. Remember -- you can choose the order of your team at the start of the battle, allowing you to tweak the fusion process to your liking. Here are the traits you can provide with this set:
- Type: The Chimera would be Dragon/Psychic type, and will also look like Latios
- Item: The Chimera would be holding Life Orb
- Ability: The Chimera would have the ability Levitate
- Stats: The Chimera would have 301/166/196/359/257/350 stats, including IV values
- Moves 1+2: The Chimera would be able to use Draco Meteor and Psyshock
- Moves 3+4: The Chimera would be able to use Roost and Defog
So what does the process of playing Chimera look like, and what does this bring to the table over standard 1v1 and Balanced Hackmons?
Examples:
Team-building can be tricky for this metagame! Below I will cover what you should and shouldn't do when constructing a Chimera, listing two team imports which can make at least 10 distinct Chimera sets each.
Most people are unwilling to play Chimera 1v1 because it seems very complicated to them, and they are right, to an extent. However, here are a few tips on how to make flexible and viable teams.
I. Teammates should have multiple viable slots
I see a lot of Chimera players using one-dimensional teams: Prankster SporeSeed, Shell Smash, Poison Heal. The best way to teambuild is to use teammates that have good abilities, moves, and stats themselves. Take, for example, my Pixilate team. Pixilate is a common sight in one-dimensional teams, but I enhanced the idea by adding teammates that can take advantage of each others' wide movepool. Sylveon has both Psyshock and Shadow Ball, so Lunala is a good pick, while also donating Shadow Shield, Will-o-Wisp, and Roost. Flygon has both Earthquake and Dragon Dance for the physical Pixilate set, while also using Boomburst and Earth Power for a special Pixilate set.
II. Many teammates should have viable stats
While many mons have great movepools, one should also make sure that they don't rely on one or two Ubers for the fourth slot. Ubers often have very powerful or very diverse movepools (see Rayquaza), and also may have good abilities (such as Lugia or Lunala). It's even better when these Ubers have recovery - a balance of offensive and defensive moves is key to having a team that can both do great damage or stall out the opponent.
III. Don't use the teambuilder to teambuild
I think the main turnaway of Chimera, and the reason why there are many one-dimensional teams, is because it is incredibly hard to build one when one is looking at one mon at a time. The solution? Don't use Pokemon Showdown to teambuild. Although it might sound like too much, I do all of my teambuilding on paper (you can do this with on the computer, too, with Google Docs, Word, or Pages) It lets me see every teammate's ability, moves, and item. Just use this template:
Since I focus on abilities first, I fill in the third mon slot first. Take the Hustle team, for instance:
Here is a team setup that's far too obvious, even if it may be effective:
Even if the initial order was something different, it's pretty clear which sequence the player is going to choose their lineup and what they're trying to do. They want a Steel/Fairy Pokemon with an unknown (lol) item that probably boosts damage, Pixilate, the stats of Deoxys-A, Boomburst + filler and Extreme Speed + filler. Seeing this, an opponent with a flexible team could, say, select their type as something that resists Fairy, select stats that can easily take hits, or maybe even select their ability as Soundproof, if they had a mon on the team that has it. Here's a version that is capable of the same thing, but with much more flexibility:
The player could also mix up their team to hide their intentions better, but here's a very similar team with much more potential. While, yes, you could create the exact same Chimera as described above, there are more options here. Magearna could supply Fleur Cannon or Shift Gear or even its bulky stat spread, and Sylveon could supply the type as to ditch the Fire/Ground weakness of Magearna's Steel/Fairy. Rather than just holding an item, Crustle can pass on Shell Smash, Sturdy, or even Rock Wrecker. Perhaps Deoxys-A could supply the stats while Rayquaza could supply Extreme Speed, but you could also swap the two, allowing for a bulkier Chimera with the same set and the potential for other moves from Deoxys' movepool like Psycho Boost or Knock Off. Flygon is useful for Boomburst, but maybe you see a matchup that would appreciate Levitate or Dragon Dance or Earth Power or Roost. Matchup still plays a huge role, but with a setup like this, your Chimera has more options to utilize.
Now, here are some fully-constructed team-builder imports:
Below the team you'll see a spreadsheet with 10 different Chimeras this one setup can produce, simply based on the selection of order. Using a similar chart is probably the best way to build for this meta, I've found. Anyway, this team is based around abusing Geomancy with different abilities and moves, along with some offensive alternatives.
I. Teammates should have multiple viable slots
I see a lot of Chimera players using one-dimensional teams: Prankster SporeSeed, Shell Smash, Poison Heal. The best way to teambuild is to use teammates that have good abilities, moves, and stats themselves. Take, for example, my Pixilate team. Pixilate is a common sight in one-dimensional teams, but I enhanced the idea by adding teammates that can take advantage of each others' wide movepool. Sylveon has both Psyshock and Shadow Ball, so Lunala is a good pick, while also donating Shadow Shield, Will-o-Wisp, and Roost. Flygon has both Earthquake and Dragon Dance for the physical Pixilate set, while also using Boomburst and Earth Power for a special Pixilate set.
II. Many teammates should have viable stats
While many mons have great movepools, one should also make sure that they don't rely on one or two Ubers for the fourth slot. Ubers often have very powerful or very diverse movepools (see Rayquaza), and also may have good abilities (such as Lugia or Lunala). It's even better when these Ubers have recovery - a balance of offensive and defensive moves is key to having a team that can both do great damage or stall out the opponent.
III. Don't use the teambuilder to teambuild
I think the main turnaway of Chimera, and the reason why there are many one-dimensional teams, is because it is incredibly hard to build one when one is looking at one mon at a time. The solution? Don't use Pokemon Showdown to teambuild. Although it might sound like too much, I do all of my teambuilding on paper (you can do this with on the computer, too, with Google Docs, Word, or Pages) It lets me see every teammate's ability, moves, and item. Just use this template:
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
I'm looking for a HustleBand set. Togekiss has the best movepool out of Hustle users, so I fill in this:
Rayquaza has a great movepool with V-Create and Dragon Ascent. Ho-oh gets STAB on both. I can also use Xerneas to support Togekiss's typing with Geomancy and Moonblast while also donating good Speed and Attack. Lugia gets Earthquake, Trick, and Multiscale while also having Aeroblast to further support Togekiss's typing. Since Xerneas has interesting physical moves in Outrage and Close Combat, and I have both a Dragon type and a Fire type, Reshiram is a good choice because it has good special stats. I put it in the item slot because it doesn't have much to contribute to the HustleBand set. Now my team looks like this:
Now, let's say that I want a Geomancy set. Since Xerneas already has Geomancy and Moonblast, I can use Togekiss as the first slot, and add Aeroblast to Lugia. Lugia has good coverage in Earth Power, so I add that too. Rayquaza has great Special Attack and the highest Speed after Xerneas, so I use max Special Attack and Speed on it. Reshiram's Turboblaze helps beat Unaware, so only Ho-oh is left. It gets a Power Herb for Geomancy and goes in the item slot. Now my team looks like this:
To track sets, I use a single letter to represent each teammate. Here, I use H for Ho-oh, R for Reshiram, T for Togekiss, X for Xerneas, F forFug Rayquaza, and L for Lugia. So my Geomancy set would look like this: THRFLX
I repeat this process for each viable set I can find until every move is used up. If any items are left blank, I usually put Leftovers or Lum Berry there as a viable placeholder. Here is my finished team:
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ Choice Band
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ Choice Band
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Ho-oh @ [Item]
Pressure
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Turboblaze
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Xerneas @ [Item]
Fairy Aura
Outrage, Close Combat, Geomancy, Moonblast
Rayquaza @ [Item]
Air Lock
V-Create, Dragon Ascent, [Move], [Move]
Lugia @ [Item]
Multiscale
Aeroblast, [Move], Earthquake, Trick
Pressure
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Turboblaze
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Xerneas @ [Item]
Fairy Aura
Outrage, Close Combat, Geomancy, Moonblast
Rayquaza @ [Item]
Air Lock
V-Create, Dragon Ascent, [Move], [Move]
Lugia @ [Item]
Multiscale
Aeroblast, [Move], Earthquake, Trick
Ho-oh @ Power Herb
Pressure
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Turboblaze
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Xerneas @ [Item]
Fairy Aura
Outrage, Close Combat, Geomancy, Moonblast
Rayquaza @ [Item]
Air Lock
V-Create, Dragon Ascent, [Move], [Move]
Lugia @ [Item]
Multiscale
Aeroblast, Earth Power, Earthquake, Trick
Pressure
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Turboblaze
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Xerneas @ [Item]
Fairy Aura
Outrage, Close Combat, Geomancy, Moonblast
Rayquaza @ [Item]
Air Lock
V-Create, Dragon Ascent, [Move], [Move]
Lugia @ [Item]
Multiscale
Aeroblast, Earth Power, Earthquake, Trick
To track sets, I use a single letter to represent each teammate. Here, I use H for Ho-oh, R for Reshiram, T for Togekiss, X for Xerneas, F for
I repeat this process for each viable set I can find until every move is used up. If any items are left blank, I usually put Leftovers or Lum Berry there as a viable placeholder. Here is my finished team:
Ho-Oh @ Power Herb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Sacred Fire
- Earthquake
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blue Flare
- Earth Power
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
Togekiss @ Fairium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Flamethrower
- Dazzling Gleam
Xerneas @ Groundium Z
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Close Combat
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
Rayquaza @ Leftovers
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- V-create
- Dragon Ascent
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
Lugia @ Firium Z
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Aeroblast
- Earth Power
- Earthquake
- Trick
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Sacred Fire
- Earthquake
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blue Flare
- Earth Power
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
Togekiss @ Fairium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Flamethrower
- Dazzling Gleam
Xerneas @ Groundium Z
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Close Combat
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
Rayquaza @ Leftovers
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- V-create
- Dragon Ascent
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
Lugia @ Firium Z
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Aeroblast
- Earth Power
- Earthquake
- Trick
HustleBand: HRTXFL
Geomancy: THRFLX
Stall: XFRLHT
HustleZ: RLTFXH
NastyZ: HXLRTF
GeomancyZ: HTLFRX
WallbreakZ: HXLFRT
Geomancy: THRFLX
Stall: XFRLHT
HustleZ: RLTFXH
NastyZ: HXLRTF
GeomancyZ: HTLFRX
WallbreakZ: HXLFRT
Here is a team setup that's far too obvious, even if it may be effective:
Even if the initial order was something different, it's pretty clear which sequence the player is going to choose their lineup and what they're trying to do. They want a Steel/Fairy Pokemon with an unknown (lol) item that probably boosts damage, Pixilate, the stats of Deoxys-A, Boomburst + filler and Extreme Speed + filler. Seeing this, an opponent with a flexible team could, say, select their type as something that resists Fairy, select stats that can easily take hits, or maybe even select their ability as Soundproof, if they had a mon on the team that has it. Here's a version that is capable of the same thing, but with much more flexibility:
The player could also mix up their team to hide their intentions better, but here's a very similar team with much more potential. While, yes, you could create the exact same Chimera as described above, there are more options here. Magearna could supply Fleur Cannon or Shift Gear or even its bulky stat spread, and Sylveon could supply the type as to ditch the Fire/Ground weakness of Magearna's Steel/Fairy. Rather than just holding an item, Crustle can pass on Shell Smash, Sturdy, or even Rock Wrecker. Perhaps Deoxys-A could supply the stats while Rayquaza could supply Extreme Speed, but you could also swap the two, allowing for a bulkier Chimera with the same set and the potential for other moves from Deoxys' movepool like Psycho Boost or Knock Off. Flygon is useful for Boomburst, but maybe you see a matchup that would appreciate Levitate or Dragon Dance or Earth Power or Roost. Matchup still plays a huge role, but with a setup like this, your Chimera has more options to utilize.
Now, here are some fully-constructed team-builder imports:
Clefable @ Assault Vest
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Stored Power
Xerneas @ Lum Berry
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
Persian-Alola @ Leftovers
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Play Rough
- Fake Out
- Dark Pulse
- Thunderbolt
Zekrom @ Power Herb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Earth Power
Swoobat @ Fairium Z
Ability: Simple
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Energy Ball
- Psychic
- Heat Wave
- Roost
Kyurem-White @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Roost
- Toxic
- Zen Headbutt
- Stone Edge
Chimera Options (click to read)
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Stored Power
Xerneas @ Lum Berry
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
Persian-Alola @ Leftovers
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Play Rough
- Fake Out
- Dark Pulse
- Thunderbolt
Zekrom @ Power Herb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Earth Power
Swoobat @ Fairium Z
Ability: Simple
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Energy Ball
- Psychic
- Heat Wave
- Roost
Kyurem-White @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Roost
- Toxic
- Zen Headbutt
- Stone Edge
Chimera Options (click to read)
- Bulky and powerful Fairy with recovery and coverage for Steels
- Similarly bulky Fairy, but trading recovery for coverage and defense for power
- A more defensive option with a different type -- counters opposing setup
- Another Fur Coat set, this time with Z-Geomancy -- Stored Power is 240 bp
- A physical set with powerful STAB and the ability to bust through other abilities
- A similar variant with greater STAB damage and different coverage
- Raw power over setup, utilizing a different typing than previous teams
- A similar variant with Fur Coat and Ground type coverage
- Immediate Speed over setup, with diverse coverage
- Similar variant, lacking a useful ability but possessing dual STAB
Drampa @ Charti Berry
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Toxic
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam
Rayquaza @ Rockium Z
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Outrage
- Dragon Ascent
- V-create
Serperior @ White Herb
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Tail
Ho-Oh @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Overheat
- Earth Power
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
Barbaracle @ Leftovers
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Shell Smash
- Dragon Claw
- Switcheroo
- Torment
Kyurem-Black @ Lum Berry
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Fusion Bolt
- Dragon Claw
- Protect
Chimera Options (click to read)
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Toxic
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam
Rayquaza @ Rockium Z
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Outrage
- Dragon Ascent
- V-create
Serperior @ White Herb
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Tail
Ho-Oh @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Overheat
- Earth Power
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
Barbaracle @ Leftovers
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Shell Smash
- Dragon Claw
- Switcheroo
- Torment
Kyurem-Black @ Lum Berry
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Fusion Bolt
- Dragon Claw
- Protect
Chimera Options (click to read)
- A defensive yet powerful tank that gains bulk as it wears down opponents
- Abusing Contrary for damage boosting over defenses, with solid coverage and STAB
- E-killer with more power, resistances, and additional STAB
- Strong physical sweeper with a powerful Z-move and a surprise immunity
- Abuses Shell Smash and strong STAB, albeit with a questionable ability
- Drampa is at it again, this time with the ability to stall and do damage
- Gimmick stalling set that can break through Magic Bounce, etc.
- Trades half of Chimera 2's moveset for additional Speed in Scarf
- Trades Chimera 1's longevity for Rock resistance and Dragon coverage
- Trades Chimera 3's priority STAB for Rock resistance an alternate type
Q: Why is X banned?
A: My baseline was to meld the banlists of 1v1 and Balanced Hackmons as a starting point, then go from there. Shedinja is banned because Wonder Guard is its only ability, Smeargle is banned because there's no reason to not run it for two of your moveset slots which greatly dampens the prediction aspect of the OM, Pure Power and Huge Power are banned to prevent absurd power creep, Moody is banned in both BH and 1v1 due to its Evasion-abuse, Focus Sash is a standard 1v1 ban even in Gamefreak formats, Perish Song is a 1v1 ban but maybe it's worth testing here, and Transform prevents Imprison + Transform strategies, which I recall being a major pain for BH 1v1. Because Transform can be a problem in and of itself, it was chosen over Imprison to be banned. Sleep moves are banned because it is easy to abuse and hard to counter, with viable sets having SubSeed or setup. The clauses are pretty obvious, I think.
Q: Why is X not banned?
A: I want to stay fairly conservative on bans to allow the greatest freedom to players, but more changes may be required down the line. I have my eye on certain aspects, like Fur Coat and Protean, but often these strategies require very specific Pokemon and can be easily predicted, like Water Bubble on Araquanid. You'll also notice a lack of Species Clause--using multiple versions of a Pokemon doesn't offer a huge benefit in this OM, so I see no need to restrict that choice.
Q: Is it possible to have more than one of the same move on a Chimera?
A: This remains to be seen, based on the coding. My inclination is to allow it to happen, but if it doesn't work, then the duplicate move(s) should just be deleted off the final moveset.
Q: Can I use illegal combinations of moves/abilities/etc. on a Pokemon if there's no way they'll end up on the same set?
A: No. Even if the set will never appear in battle, it still needs to be legal in-game (or in Anything Goes). The qualities of a Chimera are derived from the fusion process, not alterations to the individual Pokemon themselves.
Q: Can I make use of in-battle forms, like Megas and Primals, or exclusive items, like Thick Club or Eviolite?
A: No, because it causes too much power creep. It allows things like Deo-A with +2 in both stats and 255/160/90 bulk Groudon-Primals with Desolate Land.
Q: What about in-battle forms that don't require items, like Mega Rayquaza or Disguise Mimikyu?
A: No additional form changes should take place in-battle, so if these interactions continue to happen, please post replays in the thread and I'll make sure they're ironed out.
Q: Which slot determines my gender, happiness, weight, level, shininess, and name?
A: In addition to the type and appearance, all these qualities are taken from slot 1. This allows the coding to change the least amount of things from the base form, and since these traits rarely matter in battle, the player doesn't really lose much customization here.
Q: Is this OM fun?
A: You tell me!
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