Metagame Convergence [DLC 2 Bans]

drampa's grandpa

cannonball
is a Community Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnus
:gs/scizor:
Miguel (Scizor) @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Technician
Tera Type: Bug
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Pin Missile
- Bullet Punch
- Rapid Spin / Bulldoze / Close Combat

HE GAVE ME LOADED DICE
Unlike Kaen's set above this set abuses Scizor's newfound access to Pin Missile, which gives it an absurdly power STAB attack. This isn't a very complex set; you click the Swords Dance button and then break walls with Pin Missile or fast things with Bullet Punch. Pex and Corv will both be troublesome to this set.

:sv/iron_hands:
This nasty tank now gets Wish to either pass HP from its titantic stat or to actually reliably recover. Other than that I don't see much change. Nuzzle is nice.

:sv/lilligant:
This thing is your worst nightmare!
Ok maybe that's an overstatement but like, remember Serperior?

Lilligant (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Contrary
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Earth Power
- Dazzling Gleam
- U-turn

Earth Power from Sunflora, Dazzling Gleam and U-Turn from Tsareena. There isn't much more coverage available, so this is mostly what you should stick with unless you want to throw a random status move like Leech Seed on (no Trick isn't available). This could also easily run a SubStorm set.
 
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G-Luke

Sugar, Spice and One For All
is a Community Contributoris a CAP Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Gonna post some shit I've had some success with

:ss/ting-lu:
Big Ting, Bruv (Ting-Lu) @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Tera Type: Ghost / Poison / Fairy
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Power Trip

Easily one of the most devastating bulky sweepers available in this mod, and we have plenty. Krookodile finally gets its silly little former signature move shine, as it grants Ting-Lu both Power Trip and Bulk Up. Get rid of the likes of Barraskewda/Palafin, Garg (fuck Salt Cure) and strong Fighting types and this thing genuinely just sits, sets up and goes to town. You probably only need three Bulk Ups under your belt before offensive teams start dropping to Power Trip like nobody's business. It's only flaw is it's very exploitable defensive typing, which can be remedied by Tera, but leaves you feeling a bit restrained. Never the less, a very dangerous sweeper.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9customgame-1766034535

Big Ting absolutely man handling bruv after a few Bulk Ups.

:sv/iron-moth:
Iron Moth @ Booster Energy
EVs: 128 HP / 128 SpA / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Grass
Ability: Quark Drive
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast / Fiery Dance
- Sludge Bomb
- Energy Ball / Discharge

Volcarona @ Home. Iron Moth gaining Nasty Plot from its amphibian type mate grants it the ability to carve itself a very unique niche from Chi Yu while also distinguishing itself from the likes of Volcarona as a set up sweeper. The EVs allow Booster Energy to maximize it's speed, maximize SR switchins while giving it as high SpA as possible, immediately putting it as one of the fastest threats in the metagame when it switches in, since not alot of Pokémon in the tier hit this speed mark with a Scarf and are viable doing so. 128 HP also let's it live alot more hits than it should, especially on the special side. It should be seen primarily on screens teams which can give it as much set up opportunities as possible. I slashed Discharge because them Well Baked Fairies with Tera Steel be real as hell man. Lmao.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9customgame-1765977309

Replay of Moth tearing apart an unprepared for squad.
 
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Screen Shot 2023-01-09 at 10.17.17 PM.png
Whats the reasoning behind Revival Blessing being free?

Limited users?
If so, Iron Hands alone is more than enough to break this reasoning. The limited users doesn't exactly matter much when one user is clearly superior to all the others, kind of like the recent Cyclizar ban in OU (btw, I would be completely open to banning Iron Hands instead of Rev)​
1 PP?
Rest-Talk gets around this completely, and with Iron Hands' ridiculous 154/108/68 bulk and ability to terastalize, its not like you'll be getting by this thing in one/two hits anyways.​

I'm think it's clear Iron Hands is the problem, but would banning revival blessing remove this problem? It's uncertain, though the SD/Double Shock set I've been using hasn't been as blatantly overpowered as a rest-talk revival blessing set. I'm torn on whether or not Iron Hands should be banned because of this, but its clear one of the two has to go.

Open to other's opinions on the matter, agreeing or disagreeing.
 

anaconja

long day at job
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
hello i am the one with How? (Iron Hands) and here is the team
:sv/iron-hands::sv/chansey::sv/spiritomb::sv/sableye::sv/dondozo::sv/garganacl:

basically you got double regen double gambit double prank bond. really fun stuff if youre the team user, not so if youre the victim. it forces some really lopsided situations and revival blessing really enables this so imo i agree with kamrahshah that it would be a good idea to a) restrict revival blessing or b) ban iron hands.

some other things:
:sv/hippowdon:
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Stamina
Tera Type: Water / Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Body Press
- Stealth Rock / Rapid Spin
- Slack Off
mudsdale 2.0, great tusk at home. walls a lot of stuff, takes advantage of stamina with body presses.

:sv/brute-bonnet:
Bongcloud (Brute Bonnet) @ Leftovers
Ability: Tablets of Ruin
Tera Type: Fairy / Water / Flying
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Knock Off
- Spore
- Leech Seed / Synthesis
- Ruination / Poison Jab / Synthesis
native spore, has great bulk thanks to tablets. poison jab hits the ph grass types.

:sv/blissey:
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Truant
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Soft-Boiled
- Transform
- Skill Swap
- U-turn
stupid but could be funny

:sv/dragonite:
Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish / Bold Nature
- Dragon Tail / Hurricane
- Will-o-Wisp
- Roost
- U-turn / Defog
saw kris running this and it looks like a solid physical wall. dont know why he was running boomburst on it though
 

G-Luke

Sugar, Spice and One For All
is a Community Contributoris a CAP Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnus
G-Luke here, I have an announcement:

:ss/rabsca: Revival Blessing is Restricted :ss/Pawmot:
Revival Blessing is a controversial move, even in standard gameplay, as the prospect of bringing back a Pokémon has already been knocked out to come back and continue their rampage is very potent, to say the least. In standard play, this move is balanced by only being accessible to two Pokémon who are mediocre and downright terrible in Pawmot and Rabsca respectively, limiting how effectively you can use this move, and quite possibly be playing with 5 Pokémon + deadweight, especially in Rabsca's case. But in Convergence, Iron Hands gains access to this move, and with it's incredible bulk, it pushes the move to it's full extent. It was already quite annoying to deal with with standard Leppa Berry sets on offensive teams since it can consistently get off two RBs. But a team highlighted above by user anaconja, exploits this mechanic to it's absolute limits, featuring defensive Rest Talk Iron Hands on a Destiny Bond / Final Gambit spam team, allowing the team to spam FI to it's heart's content and cleave important holes in the opposing team, and then reviving them after to wall the remainder or do it again. It eventually proved to much for the meta, and thus the council decided to take action.

Now we had several options, whether or not to ban Iron Hands, restrict it to native users or to ban the move entirely. We quickly put aside action on Iron Hands, as we felt like Iron Hands provided alot of positive benefits to the metagame outside of it's access to RB, and thus boiled down to whether or not we ban the move or restrict it. Ultimately the council decided to restrict the move's access to it's native users. Hopefully with this, the overwhelming inbalance is rectified.

Outside of this, here are some other notable threats the council is keeping an eye on and having discussion on


:ss/Gyarados::ss/Barraskewda::damp-rock:

Rain has taken the early metagame by storm as one of the most powerful and consistent playstyles to run in Convergence. Gyarados is a MUCH better weather setter than Pelipper ever was in stats alone, making itself be a much more scary presence to face while being bulkier than Pelipper. Several Rain abusers have also been buffed in Convergence, chief of which is Barraskewda, gaining Flip Turn, Wave Crash and Jet Punch allowing to nuke teams with extreme prejudice or keep momentum or prevent revenge killing attempts. Rain also has other abusers like Iron Bundle (more on him), Glaceon (thanks to Beartic granting Swift Swim) and ever looming Palafin, though the latter is generally overshadowed on Rain by Barra. The plan of action to what will be done here is undecided, as there are many different paths to take, but we will be keeping keen watch as the metagame develops to truly diagnose if Rain is indeed broken, and what exactly to do about it.


:ss/Iron-Bundle:
This Pokémon returns to rear it's ugly head, continuing it's reign as one of the fastest revenge killers and powerful wallbreakers available. It's not exactly the same as it was in OU, as strong priority is more common, bulky special walls are a bit better, including the likes of Blissey who has gained multiple tools to specifically make Iron Bundle's life hell, and in general a much more aggressive metagame. Still, Bundle is proving it's worth on a wide variety of teams from ETerrain spam, to Rain to just standard offense, and it's something we will be keeping a keen eye on for the short term.

Other various elements such as Quiver Dance, the aforementioned Electric Terrain teams and potentially Cinderace / Libero have also gotten mentioned by the council, but these were deemed to be currently low priority instead of the two major threats discussed above. Huge thanks to Kris for getting Convergence playable via challenge and room tours, as this ease of access will make it much easier to learn and explore our fledging meta, the challenge code I will post down below. See ya on the next balance slate!

/challenge gen9anythinggoes@@@standardoms,sleepclausemod,convergencelegality,!obtainableabilities,-miraidon,-koraidon,-slaking,-fluttermane,-arenatrap,-shadowtag,-comatose,-moody,*pure power,*imposter,*shell smash,*spore,-baton pass,-last respects,*revival blessing
 
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Samtendo09

Ability: Light Power
is a Pre-Contributor
Rain has taken the early metagame by storm as one of the most powerful and consistent playstyles to run in Convergence. Gyarados is a MUCH better weather setter than Pelipper ever was in stats alone, making itself be a much more scary presence to face while being bulkier than Pelipper. Several Rain abusers have also been buffed in Convergence, chief of which is Barraskewda, gaining Flip Turn, Wave Crash and Jet Punch allowing to nuke teams with extreme prejudice or keep momentum or prevent revenge killing attempts. Rain also has other abusers like Iron Bundle (more on him), Glaceon (thanks to Beartic granting Swift Swim) and ever looming Palafin, though the latter is generally overshadowed on Rain by Barra. The plan of action to what will be done here is undecided, as there are many different paths to take, but we will be keeping keen watch as the metagame develops to truly diagnose if Rain is indeed broken, and what exactly to do about it.
You’re telling me that Glaceon is a better Ice-type Swift Swim user than Beartic?

So even if Iron Bundle ends up getting banned from this OM, we still got another Freeze-Dry user on rain to worry about, and Glaceon’s higher Special Attack is higher to boot.
 
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Lycanroc @ Wide Lens
Ability: Rock Head
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Head Smash
- Wood Hammer
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
This is a fun set to use, when arceus gets released it gets flare blitz too
Here's another:
Florges @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Well-Baked Body
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Synthesis
- Yawn
- Psychic/chilling water
Seems like a pretty good wall, if you switch it in on a fire type move you get very defensively bulky in addition to its normal special bulk
 
I was bored today and I haven't seen anyone else do this, so I decided to do it.

Here's a link to a Google Spreadsheet that shows a list of moves that pokemon of each type can use in Convergence.

As of 1/22/2023 I've finished the doc! It accounts for all pokemon currently coded into the game. Any pokemon that are not currently available, or any moves that are provided to the pool by banned pokemon, are crossed out (Slaking and Flutter Mane specifically have notes added to their moves, while the legendary Rhydons don't since they are the only pokemon of their type combinations).

Big thanks to Clastia who helped make this take a lot less time than it would have otherwise :)

(I've been updating this post as I worked on the doc but now that it's finished I deleted most of the fluff)
 
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Dudunsparce @ Protective Pads
Ability: Technician
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Population Bomb
- Assurance
- Coil
- Roost

An idea for a bulky Coil + Population Bomb user. Coil makes Population Bomb never miss, so you can use Protective Pads. Even uninvested, Population Bomb deals massive damage to everything except Ghosts and things like Tera Steel Unaware Dondozo. You could also try Tera Dark to hit Ghosts harder and be immune to Prankster. Normal-types have a ton of options (e.g., Glare, Power Trip, Quick Attack), so there could be a better version of this set.

Some problems with the set are that you heavily rely on having a Coil boost to be able to do anything (so the opponent always has the chance to switch something in) and it's hard to do much to bulky Ghosts without attack investment. Also, its bulk is pretty good, but not enough to stand up to repeated powerful attacks, so it might not be worth the power drop from stronger Normals like Zangoose and Ursaring.
 
This is one that I don't know if it is great, but it could definitely be good:

Drifblim @ Flame Orb
Ability: Flare Boost
Tera Type: Fighting/Fairy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Strength Sap
- Revelation Dance
- Air Slash

Any Pokemon that can get Quiver Dance from someone else is great, thank you Oricorio. Drifblim has a high HP, and, while it does have Unburden/Acrobatics, it never had any other good way to boost its attacking stats to accompany an increase in speed (sure it had Calm Mind, but you don't run Calm Mind on an Acrobatics Set I don't think). The signature ability of Flare Boost finally has a niche to help its special attack, with Strength Sap as a good way to keep its HP high.

Also thanks to Drifblim+Oricorio, there is the possibility of Swords Dance+Acrobatics+Unburden, for anyone who wanted to try a Physical Drifblim set.
 
Unfortunately no Mienshao for Regenerator access, but pure fighting does get Iron Fist.

Hariyama @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Fist/ Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Taunt
- Drain Punch
- Rage Fist
 

Don Vascus

Certified Wednesday Poster
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
Staraptor @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Hustle / Reckless
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Hone Claws / Swords Dance
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat

Normal/flying types are lowkey stacked between squawkabilly having a bunch of stacked abilities (Hustle, Guts), braviary and fletching giving whatever you need in movepool (defog, Hone Claws, SD, Roost, Flare Blitz, etc.), And flying being a pretty good typing by itself and normal + guts being really strong. Of course its main issue is longevity between its good moves having recoil and being rock weaks (especially if it runs guts), but I'll surely make worth of its short time
 
Cresselia (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce (Prankster)
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 248 HP / 100 Def / 160 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Imprison
- Slack Off
- Transform
- Mean Look
It's possible after home comes out which I think is funny. Prankster is if meowstic comes back in the game. As well Ik the evs aren't very optimized
 

KaenSoul

FuegoAlma
is a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a member of the Battle Simulator Staff
Moderator
The OM staff has been discussing this recently approved format and decided to make some changes that won't be that big right now, related to how tiering will be done here, in order to keep the ban list clear and prevent some possible problems that could come in the future. The changes are:
1) You can't inherit from banned Pokémon. (Currently that would be just Slaking/Flutter Mane's moves and ability)
2) Any move/ability that becomes a problem will be banned, never restricted. Like how AAA assumes everyone got access to all abilities and there are no native users they could be limited to. (Currently that would affect Shell Smash, Spore and Revival Blessing)

You can speak directly with me if you have any problem with these changes, but they are just to make things consistent and easier to balance.
 
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:sv/Hypno:
Hypno @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Fairy/Water/Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Lumina Crash
- U-turn
- Roost
- Nuzzle
Other options: Mystical Fire, Foul Play, Taunt, Encore, Whirlwind, Trick

Someone mentioned the Psychic/Fairies (especially Scream Tail) as being promising Magic Bouncers, but the pure Psychics can also use it alongside a large diversity of moves. Of these Hypno is the bulkiest. Not as much as Scream Tail and the typing isn't as good, but it does benefit from having immediate recovery, and thanks to Lumina Crash, it can gradually wear down things that stay in on it, making it less passive despite the similar attacking stats. Foul Play is also an option for dealing damage.
 

G-Luke

Sugar, Spice and One For All
is a Community Contributoris a CAP Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnus
:ss/Iron-Bundle::damp-rock::ss/Cyclizar:
Iron Bundle, Damp Rock and Cyclizar are now banned from Convergence!
The council has convened and we have decided to vote on some of the major problematic elements the metagame is currently facing. The results will be made public and are shown below! Please note, prior to our vote, councilman Ema Skye unfortunately had to step down, and thus was not able to vote on this poll. They will be missed. Anywho, here are the results!

CouncilIron BundleDamp RockCyclizar
G-LukeBanBanBan
TaplerAbstainBanBan
KaenSoulBanBanBan
kennukemBanBanBan

:ss/Iron-Bundle:
Iron Bundle was initially allowed in the metagame because in theory, the metagame had more defensive counterplay and more viable options of priority, so we wanted to let it roam and settle in. And settling in is NOT what it did. Iron Bundle quickly proved exactly why it was worth being banned. It's performance on Rain was simply stupendous, pushing an already potent playstyle to it's limits. Even outside of Rain, any non Blissey threat had zero chances to reliably switch into Bundle's Hydro Pump, and Cloyster gave it extra tools such as Spikes to cripple it's switchins and support it's team even further. With Electric Terrain spam being powerful as well, Bundle's versatility reached fever pitch, and it was thus deemed to be too much for the meta to handle, and was thus banned.

:Damp-Rock:
Rain in Convergence has received every single buff it could possibly imagine - it's actually hilarious how every single major threat is better here than they are in standard. Gyarados is Pelipper's superior in every single aspect outside of Hurricane spam, being bulkier, hits harder, and is faster, Barraskewda of course got Wave Crash, Flip Turn, Ice Spinner and Jet Punch as options, Kilowattrel gets Nasty Plot and Quiver Dance, the list goes on. Teams generally struggle with any switchins to the likes of most Water types under Rain backed by Terastilization, often relying on Tera Water'ing a PhysDef wall such as Garganacl or Great Tusk, and even if they were not 2HKOed by Tera Water Wave Crash (they usually are) they always fell to the one or two powerful Electric type special breakers such as NP Kilowattrel or Specs ESurge Jolteon in the back. No single Pokemon in our opinion was the true culprit to Rain's success, as near everything had a suitable replacement in the back. The council had a short debate on how to handle Rain as a playstyle on how to ban it, and it was determined that Damp Rock is the best way to balance the playstyle without necessarily killing it off. Hopefully this will level the playing field.

:ss/Cyclizar:
Hyper Offense's greatest enabler that reared its ugly head in Convergence, where set up sweepers are much more prolific and powerful, naturally proved itself to be too much for the current metagame. Being able to consistently pass along a Shed Tail sub to dangerous sweepers like Dragonite, Espeon, Kilowattrel, Drifblim and Annihilape, making these already top tier Pokemon even more of a headache to handle. All in all, it's support options were concluded to be too much for Convergence to handle, and thus was banned.


This was a productive day, please share your thoughts on these bans and how they impact the metagame moving forward. Carry on with discussion!

/challenge gen9anythinggoes@@@standardoms,sleepclausemod,convergencelegality,!obtainableabilities,-miraidon,-koraidon,-slaking,-fluttermane,-ironbundle,-cyclizar,-arenatrap,-shadowtag,-comatose,-moody,-pure power,-imposter,-damprock,-shell smash,-spore,-baton pass,-last respects,-revival blessing
 
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:ss/Iron-Bundle::damp-rock::ss/Cyclizar:
Iron Bundle, Damp Rock and Cyclizar are now banned from Convergence!
The council has convened and we have decided to vote on some of the major problematic elements the metagame is currently facing. The results will be made public and are shown below! Please note, prior to our vote, councilman Ema Skye unfortunately had to step down, and thus was not able to vote on this poll. They will be missed. Anywho, here are the results!

CouncilIron BundleDamp RockCyclizar
G-LukeBanBanBan
TaplerAbstainBanBan
KaenSoulBanBanBan
kennukemBanBanBan

:ss/Iron-Bundle:
Iron Bundle was initially allowed in the metagame because in theory, the metagame had more defensive counterplay and more viable options of priority, so we wanted to let it roam and settle in. And settling in is NOT what it did. Iron Bundle quickly proved exactly why it was worth being banned. It's performance on Rain was simply stupendous, pushing an already potent playstyle to it's limits. Even outside of Rain, any non Blissey threat had zero chances to reliably switch into Bundle's Hydro Pump, and Cloyster gave it extra tools such as Spikes to cripple it's switchins and support it's team even further. With Electric Terrain spam being powerful as well, Bundle's versatility reached fever pitch, and it was thus deemed to be too much for the meta to handle, and was thus banned.

:Damp-Rock:
Rain in Convergence has received every single buff it could possibly imagine - it's actually hilarious how every single major threat is better here than they are in standard. Gyarados is Pelipper's superior in every single aspect outside of Hurricane spam, being bulkier, hits harder, and is faster, Barraskewda of course got Wave Crash, Flip Turn, Ice Spinner and Jet Punch as options, Kilowattrel gets Nasty Plot and Quiver Dance, the list goes on. Teams generally struggle with any switchins to the likes of most Water types under Rain backed by Terastilization, often relying on Tera Water'ing a PhysDef wall such as Garganacl or Great Tusk, and even if they were not 2HKOed by Tera Water Wave Crash (they usually are) they always fell to the one or two powerful Electric type special breakers such as NP Kilowattrel or Specs ESurge Jolteon in the back. No single Pokemon in our opinion was the true culprit to Rain's success, as near everything had a suitable replacement in the back. The council had a short debate on how to handle Rain as a playstyle on how to ban it, and it was determined that Damp Rock is the best way to balance the playstyle without necessarily killing it off. Hopefully this will level the playing field.

:ss/Cyclizar:
Hyper Offense's greatest enabler that reared its ugly head in Convergence, where set up sweepers are much more prolific and powerful, naturally proved itself to be too much for the current metagame. Being able to consistently pass along a Shed Tail sub to dangerous sweepers like Dragonite, Espeon, Kilowattrel, Drifblim and Annihilape, making these already top tier Pokemon even more of a headache to handle. All in all, it's support options were concluded to be too much for Convergence to handle, and thus was banned.


This was a productive day, please share your thoughts on these bans and how they impact the metagame moving forward. Carry on with discussion!

/challenge gen9anythinggoes@@@standardoms,sleepclausemod,convergencelegality,!obtainableabilities,-miraidon,-koraidon,-slaking,-fluttermane,-ironbundle,-cyclizar,-arenatrap,-shadowtag,-comatose,-moody,-pure power,-imposter,-damprock,-shell smash,-spore,-baton pass,-last respects,-revival blessing
Not super knowledgable about this meta, but with rain nerfed sun is definitely better. Team: https://pokepast.es/ad694b79160ccc4d
:sv/torkoal:
Torkoal @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Lava Plume
- Rapid Spin/court change
- Stealth Rock
- Morning Sun
Best sun setter imo, it gets morning sun from arcanine, and iyw you can run court change.
:sv/Lilligant:
Lilligant @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb
- Quiver Dance
Lilligant finally gets coverage, With life orb it can ohko most mons at +1
:sv/Charizard:
Charizard @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Solar Power/Flame body
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Air Slash
- Solar Beam
- Quiver Dance
Solar power is probably overkill, but its still worth a try
Scream Tail @ Heavy-Duty Boots
:sv/Scream tail:
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 84 SpD / 172 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Dazzling Gleam
- Protect
- Teleport
Scream tail is the special wall, it can teleport wishes and gets protosynthesis special defense boost, main issue is how passive it is
:sv/great tusk:
Great Tusk @ Leftovers
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Headlong Rush
- Close Combat
- Ice Spinner
- Taunt
Great tusk doesnt even inherit from anything but its still a great mon, protosynthesis attack boost makes it a great wallbreaker
:sv/dragonite:
Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Atk / 100 Def / 140 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- U-turn
Dragonite is a great glue for sun teams, resists fire and intimidate + U-turn and Brave bird are great tools for it
 
It's council member kenn bringing to you the moment you all have been waiting for...

Convergence Sample Teams!!!
:blissey::gholdengo::garganacl::dondozo::scream tail::dragonite:
Semi-Stall by kennukem

:chi yu::scream tail::great tusk::iron valiant::toxapex::dragapult:
Broken Choice Breakers by G-Luke

:arcanine::meowscarada::charizard::great tusk::hatterene::chi yu:
Sun Protosynthesis Offense by G-Luke

:toxapex::great tusk::jolteon::iron jugulis::iron hands::corviknight:
Electric Terrain Offense by G-Luke

:garganacl::palafin::iron hands::skeledirge::brute bonnet::gholdengo:
Bulky Offense by G-Luke

Feel free to submit your own and we will take them under advisement!
Hatterene is missing a move on the sun offense team but the teams look really cool!
 

Don Vascus

Certified Wednesday Poster
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
It's council member kenn bringing to you the moment you all have been waiting for...

Convergence Sample Teams!!!
:blissey::gholdengo::garganacl::dondozo::scream tail::dragonite:
Semi-Stall by kennukem

:chi yu::scream tail::great tusk::iron valiant::toxapex::dragapult:
Broken Choice Breakers by G-Luke

:arcanine::meowscarada::charizard::great tusk::hatterene::chi yu:
Sun Protosynthesis Offense by G-Luke

:toxapex::great tusk::jolteon::iron jugulis::iron hands::corviknight:
Electric Terrain Offense by G-Luke

:garganacl::palafin::iron hands::skeledirge::brute bonnet::gholdengo:
Bulky Offense by G-Luke

Feel free to submit your own and we will take them under advisement!
Wouldn't that revelation dance on the Charizard on the fire spam team be fire type? Since it takes from the primary typing. Wouldn't flamethrower be better then?

Also using hurricane on sun is a choice
 

G-Luke

Sugar, Spice and One For All
is a Community Contributoris a CAP Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnus
With major metagame trends starting to surface, let's do a breakdown on what's good in Convergence. Part 1 will cover the various noteworthy defensive Pokémon the meta has to offer, while part two will highlight some of the driving offensive threats we have in the metagame.

Defensive Juggernauts
Interestingly, some of the biggest winners of Convergence are defensive Pokémon, as many potent tools a defensive Pokémon could dream of getting are locked away on subpar Pokémon. But no longer, as you will see just how dangerous these Pokémon can get.

:Dondozo::ss/Dondozo::Dondozo:
Dondozo
Notable Abilities: Unaware, Regenerator, Adaptability
Notable Moves: Flip Turn, Roost, Liquidation, U-turn, Wish, Bulk Up, Jet Punch, Earthquake, Drain Punch, Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin, Dragon Tail, Wave Crash, Final Gambit

Dondozo can do anything. Literally, think of near any role you want a Pokémon to achieve on your team, and Dondozo can execute with frightening skill. Dozo is already a formidable wall in OU thanks to it's bountiful physical defense while still being able to exert offensive pressure, and all of these traits are compounded here, where it gains access to utility moves out the zaza, a superior set up move in bulk Up (or Swords Dance, if you choose), and most importantly, reliable recovery to maintain it's presense on the field. The main choices for abilities lie between Unaware and Regenerator, with one maintaining it's foothold against sweepers while the other grants it sustainability while it switches around over the course of a game, very useful in a limited PP recovery meta. Very minor success has been seen with more offensive leaning Bulk Up Dondozos with Adaptability, but they are largely inferior to the standard Unaware BU wincon.

:garganacl::ss/Garganacl::Garganacl:
Garganacl
Notable Abilities
: Regenerator, Purifying Salt
Notable Moves: Salt Cure, Knock Off, Spikes, Recover, Body Press, Will-O-Wisp, Iron Defense, Stealth Rock, Protect, Rapid Spin

Following closely behind Dondozo is a defensive behemoth that has taken early Convergence by storm, Garganacl! Already a major defensive beacon in standard Gen 9 OU, Dondozo amasses a wide variety of tools that make it a distracting powerful defensive tool in Convergence, such as the option to swap out Purifying Salt for Regenerator, access to Knock Off, Spikes, Rapid Spin and most hilariously Will-O-Wisp (from Rolycoly), which lets it be the primiere check to physically defensive Pokémon in the tier, especially since Regen sets can afford to drop Recovery and stock up on as much utility moves as possible. Ofc, Purifying Salt is still very much a viable ability and it can be used to catch several Pokemon that rely on inflicting Status to wear down no recovery Garg off guard. Excellent Pokemon and it should be prepped for constantly.

:Scream-Tail::ss/scream-tail::Scream-Tail:
Scream Tail
Notable Abilities
: Magic Bounce, Trace
Notable Moves: Knock Off, Moonblast, Teleport, Wish, Protect, Will-O-Wisp, Nuzzle, Encore, Stealth Rock, Light Screen, Reflect, Healing Wish, Trick, Perish Song

Scream Tail is another major winner here, getting access to the very coveted Magic Bounce, which makes it much harder to take advantage of it's passivity thanks to blocking Taunt, most status moves and hazards, while being able to inflict it's own. This makes it the ultimate hazard deterrent, as very little Pokémon can reliably force hazards against Scream Tail without taking punishment, whether it be status inflictions or item removal. It is also a phenomenal Wish Passer thanks to getting Teleport from Gardevoir, which just ensures it acn also keep up momentum. It's biggest flaw however is it's 4MSS, as Scream wishes it had access to all of it's utility moves + Moonblast, and whatever you leave off will always feel missed. It's still a top dog, and should be feared when you face it!

:Blissey::ss/Blissey::Blissey:
Blissey
Notable Abilities
: Aroma Veil, Natural Cure, Thick Fat, Intimidate
Notable Moves: Seismic Toss, Wish, Softboiled, Final Gambit, Transform, Stealth Rock, U-turn, Glare, Rapid Spin, Tidy Up, Encore, Taunt, Super Fang, Boomburst, Shadow Ball, Imprison

Blissey is imo, a Pokémon that encapsulates what Convergence is all about. Pure Normal types are currently absent from OU, and for good reason, as no single Normal has all the tools it needs to be relevant to our current metagame. Every one has a shortcoming, including former SpD mainstay Blissey. But in Convergence, every Pokémon's individual talents combine to form one potent Normal type, and Blissey is that spokesperson. And boy, did Blissey gain ALOT. With a utility Movepool to rival that of Dondozo's, Blissey can offer unparalleled support to a team regardless of the playstyle, and is perhaps one of Stall's greatest weapons. It's ability lineup is spectacular, with each one helping partake in specific niches, from checking Chi Yu with Thick Fat, to healing status with Natural Cure or usually most useful, stopping a stray Taunt from preventing you from doing some form of service. Whether that be clearing hazards away, setting Stealth Rock, passing massive Wishes with Wish Passing via U-turn or probably it's best tool, using Transform to prevent itself from becoming set up bait. Glare access isn't bad either, and if all else fails you can just click Final Gambit and guarantee a kill versus any non Ghost type.

:Dragonite::ss/Dragonite::Dragonite:
Dragonite
Notable Abilities: Multiscale, Intimidate, Moxie, Natural Cure
Notable Moves: Dragon Dance, Extreme Speed, Earthquake, Brave Bird, Acrobatics, Ice Spinner, Fire Punch, Will-O-Wisp, Defog, U-turn, Haze, Super Fang, Cotton Guard, Taunt

You may be wondering, why is Dragonite being listed in a thread about defensive juggernauts, but Dragonite has more than earned it's keep. When Dragonite is not sweeping teams with Dragon Dance, you might be surprised to find it walling your physical breaker of choice. That's right, recent metagame trends have given rise to the defensive Dragonite, leveraging all of the different defensive tools the other Dragon Flying Pokémon grant it - Intimidate from Salamence, Will O Wisp and Defog from Altaria, and U-turn and even Super Fang from Noivern, allowing it to check various dangerous threats such as Palafin, Great Tusk, Meowscarada and others, while a specially defensive set can make short work of certain Chi Yu variants, Gholdengo, Lilligant and other menacing Pokémon. All of these unique attributes have let to an explosion in popularity in it's defensive sets, almost overtaking the Dragon Dance sets in notoriety. Yes, things are looking good for Dragonite, whose splashability knows no bounds.

:Toxapex::ss/Toxapex::Toxapex:
Toxapex
Notable Abilities
: Regenerator, Intimidate, Poison Touch
Notable Moves: Spikes, Recover, Haze, Dragon Tail, Liquidation, Poison Jab, Thunder Wave, Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Chilling Water, Baneful Bunker, Taunt, Infestation

Toxapex is an often overlooked option in Convergence, seeing that it has to heavily compete with the two best bulky water types in Dondozo and Garganacl, but it gains a few key traits in addition to it's own that helps set it apart. Gaining Spikes is the major boon here, as this makes it the only naturally Water typed Spike setters we have, and is also one that is not afraid of Toxic. Being able to inflict multiple forms of status is also quite annoying, and is a trait not many Water types can lay claim to atm. Dragon Tail access paired with hazards leads to some nasty shenanigans as well. If you want a Dondozo alternative that can check a Iron Valiant better, don't look too far away from Toxapex.

Other less notable defensive Pokémon include :Clodsire: and :Skeledirge:, who have not gained much of anything in Convergence, but are still very viable picks in the metagame, and :Brute-Bonnet:, who is a much less passive version of Wo Chien from standard play, but still has a few standout shortcomings that prevent it from being the standout bulky Grass type it deserves to be. See you tomorrow for part 2 when we look at Convergence's top wallbreakers and set up sweepers!
 
Wanted to post about the core that I’ve been using a lot(apologies to people I’ve played with this core:psysly:)

:copperajah::espeon::jolteon:
Pretty basic idea, jolteon sets screens and then pivots out into copperajah, which then shed tails into espeon which gets an electric seed boost if terrain is still up. Then espeon proceeds to do espathra things but now it has a +1 def and a much higher hp sub than cyclizar would give, as well as being a fair bit stronger. One funny thing I’ve seen this espeon do is sub not being broken by 2 eqs from iron treads(under reflect and at +1 def) :boi:

Some replays of espeon sweeping:woo::
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9anythinggoes-1781923046
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9anythinggoes-1780991199-sx9h5h8pad0re7ofcv4zqs5jelfsdc3pw
 

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