It's been a week, so let's talk about three Pokemon that are excellent in the FFA meta:
Kyurem-Black @ Leftovers/Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Fusion Bolt
- Dragon Dance
- Roost/Substitute
Easily one of the most fearsome cleaners in FFA, once Kyurem-Black has a single Dragon Dance under its belt there is very little that can be done to stop it from wrecking havoc. In this slow and bulky meta where relatively few teams carry a Choice Scarf (and those that do often Trick it away to cripple a defensive wall) Kyurem needs only modest speed investment to outspeed virtually everything that matters after a single dance. This particular EV spread outspeeds base 75 (Adamant Band Dracovish) when unboosted, and positive nature base 130 (Spectrier) with one dance. The hit point investment gives it more than 417 hit points, so if you're running Substitute then Blissey/Chansey will not break them with Seismic Toss. Its phsyical bolt/beam move combination is nearly impossible to handle, with only niche Pokemon like Magnezone and Rotom-H resisting both. Its ability Teravolt allows it to rip through Unaware Pokemon. Its bulk is excellent, and in end-game situations with the right positioning can easily win a 2v1, beating down one player then turning around and crushing the other.
Now with all that said, Kyurem-Black isn't perfect. It's such a huge threat that using it paints a target on your back, and Body Press is a very popular move on physically-defensive Pokemon that will likely answer Kyurem. It can struggle with Iron Defense Pokemon, which can boost their defenses faster than it can boost its attack. Fusion Bolt's 8 PP can also be a problem, and double-switches and Protects can deplete it very quickly, especially when you have multiple players left to clean up. Kyurem is also vulnerable to Toxic, so you must keep the field clear of Toxic Spikes to use it effectively. However, these downsides are all greatly outweighed by the sheer power it brings to bear.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard/Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind/Cosmic Power
- Soft-Boiled
- Moonblast/Work Up
- Stored Power/Flamethrower
This monster is inconspicuous compared to Kyurem-Black, but is easily one of the most dangerous Pokemon in Free-For-All and is cause for attention at team preview. Clefable has a multitude of sets, many of them capable of cleaning up and outright winning 3v1's. It can be tailored any number of ways and depending on what moves and abilities it's carrying your counterplay will be different. While the set featured here is a defensive setup sweeper, Clefable is one of the best clerics in the format as well and a star in a team support role. A Wish/Teleport Clefable can safely deliver wishes to injured teammates, bringing back powerful monsters like Kyurem-Black for a second rampage. Clefable is also a viable user of Psych Up, which can very quickly turn the tables on slower defensive setup Pokemon.
Stored Power is an incredibly powerful move in the free-for-all format, and can take advantage of either the passivity of defensive Pokemon or the distractions posed by offensive Pokemon to begin setting up. Clefable offers the perfect combination of traits to complement this, with STAB Moonblast to deal with Dark-types, the Magic Guard ability for immunity to Toxic or the option of Unaware to beat other setup Pokemon. Cosmic Power allows Clefable to boost both defenses simultaneously, making it nearly impossible to remove with conventional attacks, but can be somewhat passive. Calm Mind is vulnerable to physical attacks, but set up much more quickly and its Moonblast is very dangerous after only one or two boosts. Cosmic Power is able to run Work Up as a second move, using Stored Power as its only attack, which can be a huge surprise to opponents who expected Cosmic Power to be passive. However, this comes at the cost of leaving you powerless against Dark-types and impotent if you can't get boosts (for instance, against a fast Haze or Clear Smog user). Clefable doesn't need to run Stored Power, and can run Flamethrower if you're more concerned about beating Steel-types in the end-game.
Clefable's Achilles heel is the no one set can do everything. It has to either run Unaware or Magic Guard, it can only run a fraction of its attacking and setup move options on a single set, and even the cleric set really wants 5 moves (Wish, Protect, Teleport, Moonblast, and Heal Bell) and needs to drop something. Every Clefable has a weakness, but you don't necessarily know what you're dealing with at team preview. And if that Clefable is just sitting in the back, never hitting the field, you should get scared.
Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Roost
- Defog/Spite/Light Screen
One of the most reliable physical walls in FFA is Iron Defense Corviknight. It's very difficult to remove without STAB super-effective moves, and after a few Iron Defenses it's virtually unstoppable on the physical side while also incredibly hard-hitting with Body Press. Pressure means that opponents will usually run out of attacking moves long before Corviknight runs out of Roost, allowing it to simply wait out targets it can't otherwise beat. In the last slot it can run a variety of move options. It's the most reliable hazard control by far, as many other hazard-control options struggle with being vulnerable to Toxic or Knock Off (which removes their Heavy Duty Boots). Corviknight is not dependent on its Boots and losing its Leftovers isn't the end of the world, giving it the longevity to outlast the hazard setters that other defoggers can struggle with. Spite is another powerful option in FFA; Corviknight often ends up in PP stall wars with other physically defensive walls, and Spite lets it win those wars quickly. It's also an incredible Screen setter, supporting more offensive teams quite nicely. Lastly, it can run a Bulk Up set with a more diverse attacking movepool to serve as less passive win condition. It even gets access to Power Trip, the physical equivalent of Stored Power. However, its Iron Defense set is easily its most consistent mainstay and a common sight on a variety of team compositions for its consistency.
Corviknight's biggest problem is its reliance on Body Press for offensive presence. This can leave it largely impotent against those Pokemon that resist Fighting. It can also struggle with the mere 16 PP of Body Press; this is a Pokemon that can easily spend 30+ turns on the field over the course of the game so you need to be careful with rationing that. There is nothing worse than entering the late-game with all its checks and counters removed only to be out of Body Press uses. Of course, as with the other Pokemon above, these downsides are a price you pay for something that is very difficult for opponents to handle and that can outright win the match if the other teams lose their counters. Many Pokemon are outright helpless against Corviknight's massive physical bulk, hard-hitting Body Press, and ability to win end-game PP wars in situations where the remaining Pokemon mutually wall each other.
Kyurem-Black @ Leftovers/Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Fusion Bolt
- Dragon Dance
- Roost/Substitute
Easily one of the most fearsome cleaners in FFA, once Kyurem-Black has a single Dragon Dance under its belt there is very little that can be done to stop it from wrecking havoc. In this slow and bulky meta where relatively few teams carry a Choice Scarf (and those that do often Trick it away to cripple a defensive wall) Kyurem needs only modest speed investment to outspeed virtually everything that matters after a single dance. This particular EV spread outspeeds base 75 (Adamant Band Dracovish) when unboosted, and positive nature base 130 (Spectrier) with one dance. The hit point investment gives it more than 417 hit points, so if you're running Substitute then Blissey/Chansey will not break them with Seismic Toss. Its phsyical bolt/beam move combination is nearly impossible to handle, with only niche Pokemon like Magnezone and Rotom-H resisting both. Its ability Teravolt allows it to rip through Unaware Pokemon. Its bulk is excellent, and in end-game situations with the right positioning can easily win a 2v1, beating down one player then turning around and crushing the other.
Now with all that said, Kyurem-Black isn't perfect. It's such a huge threat that using it paints a target on your back, and Body Press is a very popular move on physically-defensive Pokemon that will likely answer Kyurem. It can struggle with Iron Defense Pokemon, which can boost their defenses faster than it can boost its attack. Fusion Bolt's 8 PP can also be a problem, and double-switches and Protects can deplete it very quickly, especially when you have multiple players left to clean up. Kyurem is also vulnerable to Toxic, so you must keep the field clear of Toxic Spikes to use it effectively. However, these downsides are all greatly outweighed by the sheer power it brings to bear.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard/Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind/Cosmic Power
- Soft-Boiled
- Moonblast/Work Up
- Stored Power/Flamethrower
This monster is inconspicuous compared to Kyurem-Black, but is easily one of the most dangerous Pokemon in Free-For-All and is cause for attention at team preview. Clefable has a multitude of sets, many of them capable of cleaning up and outright winning 3v1's. It can be tailored any number of ways and depending on what moves and abilities it's carrying your counterplay will be different. While the set featured here is a defensive setup sweeper, Clefable is one of the best clerics in the format as well and a star in a team support role. A Wish/Teleport Clefable can safely deliver wishes to injured teammates, bringing back powerful monsters like Kyurem-Black for a second rampage. Clefable is also a viable user of Psych Up, which can very quickly turn the tables on slower defensive setup Pokemon.
Stored Power is an incredibly powerful move in the free-for-all format, and can take advantage of either the passivity of defensive Pokemon or the distractions posed by offensive Pokemon to begin setting up. Clefable offers the perfect combination of traits to complement this, with STAB Moonblast to deal with Dark-types, the Magic Guard ability for immunity to Toxic or the option of Unaware to beat other setup Pokemon. Cosmic Power allows Clefable to boost both defenses simultaneously, making it nearly impossible to remove with conventional attacks, but can be somewhat passive. Calm Mind is vulnerable to physical attacks, but set up much more quickly and its Moonblast is very dangerous after only one or two boosts. Cosmic Power is able to run Work Up as a second move, using Stored Power as its only attack, which can be a huge surprise to opponents who expected Cosmic Power to be passive. However, this comes at the cost of leaving you powerless against Dark-types and impotent if you can't get boosts (for instance, against a fast Haze or Clear Smog user). Clefable doesn't need to run Stored Power, and can run Flamethrower if you're more concerned about beating Steel-types in the end-game.
Clefable's Achilles heel is the no one set can do everything. It has to either run Unaware or Magic Guard, it can only run a fraction of its attacking and setup move options on a single set, and even the cleric set really wants 5 moves (Wish, Protect, Teleport, Moonblast, and Heal Bell) and needs to drop something. Every Clefable has a weakness, but you don't necessarily know what you're dealing with at team preview. And if that Clefable is just sitting in the back, never hitting the field, you should get scared.
Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Roost
- Defog/Spite/Light Screen
One of the most reliable physical walls in FFA is Iron Defense Corviknight. It's very difficult to remove without STAB super-effective moves, and after a few Iron Defenses it's virtually unstoppable on the physical side while also incredibly hard-hitting with Body Press. Pressure means that opponents will usually run out of attacking moves long before Corviknight runs out of Roost, allowing it to simply wait out targets it can't otherwise beat. In the last slot it can run a variety of move options. It's the most reliable hazard control by far, as many other hazard-control options struggle with being vulnerable to Toxic or Knock Off (which removes their Heavy Duty Boots). Corviknight is not dependent on its Boots and losing its Leftovers isn't the end of the world, giving it the longevity to outlast the hazard setters that other defoggers can struggle with. Spite is another powerful option in FFA; Corviknight often ends up in PP stall wars with other physically defensive walls, and Spite lets it win those wars quickly. It's also an incredible Screen setter, supporting more offensive teams quite nicely. Lastly, it can run a Bulk Up set with a more diverse attacking movepool to serve as less passive win condition. It even gets access to Power Trip, the physical equivalent of Stored Power. However, its Iron Defense set is easily its most consistent mainstay and a common sight on a variety of team compositions for its consistency.
Corviknight's biggest problem is its reliance on Body Press for offensive presence. This can leave it largely impotent against those Pokemon that resist Fighting. It can also struggle with the mere 16 PP of Body Press; this is a Pokemon that can easily spend 30+ turns on the field over the course of the game so you need to be careful with rationing that. There is nothing worse than entering the late-game with all its checks and counters removed only to be out of Body Press uses. Of course, as with the other Pokemon above, these downsides are a price you pay for something that is very difficult for opponents to handle and that can outright win the match if the other teams lose their counters. Many Pokemon are outright helpless against Corviknight's massive physical bulk, hard-hitting Body Press, and ability to win end-game PP wars in situations where the remaining Pokemon mutually wall each other.
Aegislash
Celesteela
Ferrothorn
Heatran
Reunicus
Slowking
Toxapex
Amoonguss
Blacephalon
Dragonite
Gastrodon
Gothitelle
Hydreigon
Jellicent
Jirachi
Latias
Mantine
Mew
Milotic
Nihilego
Scizor
Starmie
Suicune
Tangrowth
Tapu Koko
Tapu Lele
Vileplume
Weezing-Galar
Zygarde
Azumarill
Cradily
Dragapult
Garchomp
Landorus-Incarnate
Pelipper
Politoed
Porygon2
Pyukumuku
Quagsire
Regieleki
Registeel
Roserade
Rotom-Wash
Rotom-Heat
Salamence
Tornadus-Therian
Zarude
Altaria
Darmanitan-Galar
Gyarados
Landorus-Therian
Nidoking
Rillaboom
Sableye
Salazzle
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike
Volcarona
Wobbuffet
gets Wish, Teleport, and Future Sight along with the excellent Magic Bounce ability. Unfortunately it's very frail and probably needs Heavy Duty Boots so it only looks like it would be effective against more passive teams.
A potential role compression candidate that can fit in Defog and can potentially irritate slower targets with Air Slash flinches. Can potentially run double-healing with Roost and Wish.
Better bulk than Clefable, but it doesn't get a pivot move or the awesome Magic Guard ability.
