Approved by The Immortal, OP stolen from ginganinja by way of me 14 months ago, Adrian Marin and Ranger Mike
Creative and Underrated Sets:
Generation VII Ladders Megathread
For original sets in 1v1, Almost Any Ability, Anything Goes,
Balanced Hackmons, Camomons, Mix and Mega, and STABmons
Hello everyone! This generation, instead of having separate, relatively inactive creative sets threads for each ladder, there's going to be one megathread. Here are some of the criteria for what qualifies as a creative or underrated sets, complete with past examples, mainly from the BH and 1v1 metagames.Generation VII Ladders Megathread
For original sets in 1v1, Almost Any Ability, Anything Goes,
Balanced Hackmons, Camomons, Mix and Mega, and STABmons
1. What is a creative moveset?- It has not previously been widely used. (In BH, Regirock was not widely used before Flint began using it with RegenVest as a Mega Rayquaza check last generation.)
- It successfully pulls off a role, and is not strictly outclassed by other Pokemon in that role. (Jumpluff is not strictly outclassed by Whimsicott as a SubSeeder in 1v1; in fact, because it does not use priority, it has the edge against many Dark-type Pokemon and Tapu Lele.)
- It takes advantage of metagame trends. (Sets that use multihit moves are popular in BH currently due to Sash spam.)
- It has had some success, perhaps on the ladder or in tournaments. Post replays / logs to strengthen your case. You must include an explanation of your set, or your post will be deleted. Please also accompany your set with a clear indication of which metagame it's for.
- It is an existing set that for whatever reason isn't common. Perhaps it had more use in a previous generation or iteration of the metagame but has since fallen by the wayside. (RegenVest Primal Kyogre, originally used with regular Kyogre in early XY, has become more common with the rise of Water Bubble.)
- It is meant to prey on specific facets of the current metagame. (Similar to above "metagame trends" point.)
- It might be able to surprise and demolish Pokemon that normally counter the usual sets, but does not become a bad gimmick in order to do so. (Primal Groudon can use Pixilate to surprise typical checks like Giratina and Zygarde-Complete without sacrificing its functionality as a Ground-type attacker.)
3. What are some things that constitute a bad gimmick? (includes NEW examples from the old thread, some posted by good players!)
- Using a Pokemon that has no business being used in the given metagame, for the sake of using it in that metagame (Level 1 Nosepass should not be used rather than level 2 Probopass, which strictly outclasses it, in 1v1 — and both are really bad anyway.)
- Movesets that are inferior and ineffective compared to existing movesets (In AG, Thunder on CM Steel Arceus), or use an obscure move for the sake of hitting an even more obscure check or counter (in BH, Gunk Shot Sturdy Shedinja).
- Movesets that are utterly impractical or are horribly outclassed by another Pokemon (Foongus with any moveset should not be used in any current ladder OM.)
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