Metagame Full Potential

[nv]

So we decided it was high time the VR got a complete overhaul and even though Tapu Koko is looking to be gone, we decided this was necessary to reflect the current metagame and the trends. So without further ado, here is the revamped VR courtesy of myself, Funbot28, and Faded!

New VR

S-Rank:

Tapu Koko

Tyranitar

A-Rank:

A+

Steelix

Swellow

A

Kecleon

Latias

Scizor-Mega

Sylveon

Toxapex

A-

Chansey

Diancie

Dusclops

Ferrothorn

Furfrou

Regice

Whimsicott

Zygarde-10%

B-Rank:

B+

Altaria-Mega

Aggron-Mega

Celesteela

Heatran

Lopunny-Mega

Mew

Skarmory

Talonflame

Tyranitar-Mega

Zygarde

B

Accelgor

Aerodactyl

Alakazam-Mega

Cobalion

Doublade

Electrode

Greninja

Greninja-Ash

Hitmontop

Jolteon

Noivern

Regirock

Sableye-Mega

Slowbro-Mega

Steelix-Mega

B-

Audino-Mega

Aggron

Crobat

Cryogonal

Diancie-Mega

Forretress

Goodra

Magearna

Nihilego

Ninjask

Porygon-2

Registeel

Umbreon

Volcanion

C-Rank:

Arcanine

Bastiodon

Blissey

Claydol

Cloyster

Comfey

Dragalge

Florges

Gigalith

Galvantula

Mandibuzz

Mudsdale

Ninetales-Alola

Onix

Probopass

Suicune

Tapu Fini

Tornadus

Uxie

Also, for those who may be wondering, Araquanid has been unranked due to Water Bubble's mechanics being properly figured out which you can read up on here.

Furthermore, I want you guys to keep the sample teams coming. I want to see all the fresh and creative ideas and I am excited to see how USUM will affect this OM (particularly Kommo-o and its signature Z-Move).

Lastly, a fun little set for you guys n_n

Nihilego @ Black Sludge
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 8 Def / 248 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Power Gem
- Poison Jab
- Thunder Wave

I haven't been able to use it yet, but on paper, this seems like a really nice mon for more balanced teams that need a fast rocker. Thunder Wave is also very underutilized in FP despite it halving the power of fast mons such as Swellow, Sceptile (non-mega), Accelgor, and so on.

Anyways, feel free to comment on the VR and give your opinions n_n

 

[nv]

Reqs (and a double post :P)

Going to give this lucky guy the banhammer. Tapu Koko is a massive threat in Full Potential mainly for the versatility in its sets coupled with the spammable nature of its Electric-type STAB thanks to its ability, Electric Terrain. Furthermore, it has too many ways around its checks and counters considering it can just run a Scarf to check other Scarf mons due to it being the fastest Scarf abuser as well as run things like Brave Bird and Hidden Power Fire for things like Mega Venusaur and Steelix to continue rampaging throughout the meta. I also feel like the diversity will heavily increase with people not having to worry as much about Tapu Koko stopping them in their tracks as the threat of it is massive within the tier (although the same could be said about things like TTar and Steelix, but they can be outpaced a lot easier).

Also, I am ending the suspect a bit earlier than planned, but it should okay as, with a result of 6-2, Tapu Koko has been BANNED from Full Potential.
Tagging The Immortal (or maybe Kris ) to update the ladder/server.

 

[Funbot28]

Ok so with Tapu Koko banned and the incoming of new mons / move tutors thanks to the release of USUM, I think the FP metagame is taking a refreshing step in the right direction. Here are some cool sets I have been thinking of:

Stakataka @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Fire] / Earthquake

Thanks to Stakataka's abysmal Speed and sky high Defense stat, it has the potential to be one of the deadliest Trick Room sweepers in the metagame (yes even more then Steelix) thanks to Gyro Ball + Beast Boost, breaking even the most sturdiest of walls as seen here:

Calc

252+ Atk Stakataka Gyro Ball (150 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Latias: 427-504 (117.3 - 138.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Stakataka Gyro Ball (150 BP) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Scizor-Mega: 144-170 (41.9 - 49.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Stakataka Gyro Ball (150 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Fur Coat Furfrou: 274-324 (77.4 - 91.5%) -- 25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

That's just with Gyro Ball. Its limited coverage just gives it enough tools to take care of certain checks such as Ferrothorn and Toxapex. I can see this thing being a huge threat to Tailwind teams, decimating most of the archetypes members after setting up a Trick Room and starting to fire off Gyro Ball's. However, it still can have issues versus opposing Trick Room teams due to it firing of a weaker Gyro. However, it is the slowest threat these type of teams can use so I can see the mirror matchup boiling down to the Stakataka Speed ties.

Another set:
Stakataka @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Iron Defense
- Rock Blast

Basically a nice "offensive" rocker that can threaten out most entry hazard removers. However, the weakness to common offensive types like Water, Ground, and Fighting does hold it back a lot.

Naganadel @ Life Orb / Poisonium Z / Dragonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tailwind
- Draco Meteor
- Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
- Fire Blast

Basically a more threatening sweeper then it is in OU (which already seems to be pretty threatening already). Our little purple Dragon friend also learns Tailwind and with Beast Boost, it can quickly become a deadly setup sweeper with only needing even just one setup turn. Being able to fire off its STABs from both sides offensively is also wonderful, enabling it to break through checks such as Chansey and Tyranitar with ease. It is weak to priority, which is a blessing really since I really don't see what can stop this thing once it gains a Tailwind under its belt...

 

[Lavern]

Furthermore, I want you guys to keep the sample teams coming.

Tailwind + Aurora Veil

1 (Skarmory) @ Red Card
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Tailwind
- Taunt
- Brave Bird

2 (Ninetales-Alola) @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Hypnosis
- Freeze-Dry
- Hail

3 (Whimsicott) @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tailwind
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Seed Bomb
- Moonblast

4 (Naganadel) @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Gunk Shot
- Fire Blast
- Outrage

5 (Tornadus)
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tailwind
- Acrobatics
- Superpower
- Heat Wave

6 (Tapu Lele) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]

updated version of my sample team

Starboy (Mew) @ Mewnium Z
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Rock Polish
- Psychic
- Drain Punch
- Overheat

Stargirl (Sylveon) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pixilate
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 136 HP / 252 SpD / 120 Spe
Calm Nature
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Hyper Voice

Secrets (Zygarde-10%) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Draco Meteor
- Extreme Speed
- Earth Power

Die For You (Skarmory) @ Red Card
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Brave Bird

Sidewalks (Scizor-Mega) @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
- Iron Defense
- Bullet Punch
- Vacuum Wave
- Hidden Power [Electric]

True Colors (Latias) @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Healing Wish

 

[Schpoonman]

Nominating Mega Scizor to S. I always knew he was a murderous threat, but the last few days of actually using him has been even more eye-opening. Hidden Power gives him perfect coverage, while he can also use any of his massive =<60 BP coverage, including STAB Bullet Punch and Vacuum Wave to hit from the special side (as well as sniping new threat Stakataka pretty much whenever Scizor wants). His not-bad base 75 Speed also lets you outrun a lot of problem Pokemon, I'm currently toying with enough speed to beat Timid Celesteela before it hits you with Flamethrower or gets off an Autotomize.

And Naganadel and Stakataka to A+, maybe Stak to S. Naganadel is the best Tailwind user and abuser by a country mile, able to set it up itself as well as having Beast Boost to further boost it, letting it sustain a sweep even after Tailwind runs out. Stakataka just hits so fucking hard that if it gets a Trick Room up, it's getting at least one KO barring world's best predictions, and that still basically requires you to be carrying Vacuum Wave (which Mega Scizor totally has) or Water Shuriken.

 

[Ivy]

Naga getting both Speed boosts and Tailwind is pretty nuts, but the classic Kecleon and other priority users still meme on it hard. Psychic terrain support is an option but switching and setting tailwind already takes a few turns from that. Stakataka has been a real pain for my classic-FP team; as most trick rooms tend to be. It could get a free Defense boost with something like misty seed (RIP electric seed) and gain astronomical power... but my Onix can potentially live with Sturdy and OHKO it with an Earth Power, and the aforementioned scizor destroys it.

 

[Lavern]

Scizor should definitely be A+ imo, I have no idea why it isn't rn. There's just too much fire coverage in the meta for it to be S rank tho.

I haven't played enough to really say much about Naganadel, but I can see it being A or A+.

I played a bit with AV Stakataka and I really like it. It's pretty much the only thing that can counter non EQ TTar. TR is also a pretty good set, Beast Boost in TR is amazing. I would say that it should be B+ or maybe even A-. The only thing that's holding it back is its awful typing.

 

[Schpoonman]

Why is Steelix still in A+? It hits really hard, but it's almost always going second, and with everything carrying mixed coverage it doesn't really have the staying power base 200 Defense would lead you to believe. If it could set up its own Trick Room (like Stakataka) I'd be more convinced of its placement. Does anyone have any replays of Steelix doing something another Pokemon couldn't do?

 

[Lavern]

Steelix is the best wallbreaker in the metagame after TTar and it actually outspeeds most of the bulkier mons in the meta, if you run it with max speed like you should. I don't have any replays rn, but you can use max speed steelix yourself and see how good it is.

 

[branflakes]

I imagine tapu lele pretty much has free reign over the terrain game with koko being gone. Have people been experimenting with terrain extender plus things like naganadel or TR staka? Those are the first two threats that come to mind, but I'm sure there are many other things that benefit from psychic terrain. The main drawback is that lele itself isn't that strong or bulky and would be hard to use aside from setting up terrain.

 

[Lcass4919]

Why is Steelix still in A+? It hits really hard, but it's almost always going second, and with everything carrying mixed coverage it doesn't really have the staying power base 200 Defense would lead you to believe. If it could set up its own Trick Room (like Stakataka) I'd be more convinced of its placement. Does anyone have any replays of Steelix doing something another Pokemon couldn't do?

like faded said, its because steelix when it runs max speed is a very scary threat. steelix is capable of ohkoing a majority of top tier threats with its dual stab alone. unlike the other mons like ttar, kec, and etc, who rely on their bulk to help take on threats since they cant ohko certain walls. steelix can safely run max speed timid and STILL manage to ohko mons like ttar, kec, and even ones you wouldn't expect. not to mention they need the bulk for the speedmons like tapu(when it was legal) and etc.

252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Steelix Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew(just a example of bulk): 344-407 (85.1 - 100.7%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Life Orb Sheer Force Steelix Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mew: 337-398 (83.4 - 98.5%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

basically everything with under 100/100 bulk runs the risk of being ohkoed with SR up if they dont resist.

so look at the VR rankings and lets play "what do they have in common" every single one cannot tank steelixes stabs. and i'm not exaggerating either. every single one is weak to iron head/earth power.

252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Steelix Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Scizor-Mega: 344-407 (100.2 - 118.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO (vaccum wave is a thing, but so many people use hp fire not realizing its faster, on top of that im showing its not a switchin im an idiot. nuff said. scizor is faster. but cant switch in)

that is the ONLY top tier threat id say "isnt self explanitory" when looking at VR and how they fair vs it. the only switchin that exists thats "viable" is skarm.
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Steelix Dark Pulse vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Skarmory: 272-320 (81.6 - 96%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

except its actually not. basically, when steelix switches in. something dies. as it outpaces almost everything that can take a hit.

and before you say "ttar and co can just run speed" they dont for a reason. they NEED the bulk to help vs the speedmons. which steelix is used to punish. honestly try it. i saw the set at first and thought the same thing as you. then i saw it in action, and almost all my teams run one now. (i never save my replays so i cant send any sorry .-.)

 

[Schpoonman]

I'm obviously in the minority, so I'll leave Steelix alone (him being higher than is warranted on the VR doesn't magically make Steelix a threat in-game).

I would like to make a point, though. Scizor-Mega outspeeds Steelix with zero speed investment (Steelix hits 174, Scizor-Mega with no investment sits at 186), so a Scizor carrying HP Fire drops 0/4 Steelix literally every time. Check your speed tiers, please.

 

[Lcass4919]

I'm obviously in the minority, so I'll leave Steelix alone (him being higher than is warranted on the VR doesn't magically make Steelix a threat in-game).

I would like to make a point, though. Scizor-Mega outspeeds Steelix with zero speed investment (Steelix hits 174, Scizor-Mega with no investment sits at 186), so a Scizor carrying HP Fire drops 0/4 Steelix literally every time. Check your speed tiers, please.

thats really weird. i couldve sworn i always outsped scizors i might be mistaking it for something else...but yeah, that was my mistake.

 

[Funbot28]

With the USUM changes setting in after the past couple of days, we felt that now would be an appropriate time to update the FP resources to better represent the current metagame, here are the updates:

Viability Rankings Update (21/11):

Additions:

UR -> A+

UR -> A

UR -> B-

Removals:

S -> UR

C -> UR

Changes:

A+ -> A

A -> A+

B+ -> B

B -> B+

B -> B-

B -> B-

B- -> C

B- -> C

C -> B-

Reasonings

• Stakataka has proven itself to be one of the most deadliest threats in the FP metagame thanks to its astronomical Defense stat combined with its ability to fire off the slowest Gyro Ball in the entire game. Its ability Beast Boost also turns it into a deadly sweeper as well. This means that it works exceptionally well on dedicated Trick Room teams while also working as a potent OTR sweeper on its ability to set up its own Trick Room. The only thing stopping it from going to S really is it's abysmall defensive typing, making it prone to priority moves such as Vacuum Wave and Water Shuriken.
• Naganadel is a deadly Speed sweeper that can snowball versus many teams thanks to its combined access to Tailwind + Beast Boost + its great coverage. Teams without Tyranitar, Heatran or priority users are at the mercy of this offensive threat due to it hitting absurdly strong, breaking even the most sturdiest of walls after just one turn of setup. It is not placed higher due to its aforementioned weakness to the best Pokemon in the format and weakness to priority moves that are seeing a resurge in usage due to Naganadel's presence.
• Blacephalon is an interesting threat that can be annoying to deal with due to how good Ghost / Fire coverage is. It is however extremely weak to Tyranitar and also struggles against the various amount of faster offensive threats that can revenge kill it.
• Tapu Koko is now banned
• Dragalge faces stiff competition with Naganadel, making it practically obsolete to utilize.
• Swellow suffers from the rise of Tyranitar coupled with other threats going up in popularity such as Celesteela, Stakataka, and Mega Scizor. Its a powerful breaker, but is more easily checked even after the ban of Tapu Koko.
• Mega Scizor is one of the best sweepers right now and provides great utility with its access to good priority options in Bullet Punch and Vacuum Wave, checking new threats such as Naganadel and Stakataka respectively. It also can be surprisingly unpredictable depending on which Hidden Power it decides to use as coverage, making it even more difficult to check defensively.
• Mega Aggron faces still competition from both Mega Scizor and Stakataka as the former can check offensive threats much better while the ladder does not take up a mega slot and can also break through teams more easily.
• Jolteon has taken Tapu Koko's place as the premier Electric-type in the metagame, with its Quick Feet set being surprisingly difficult to check both offensively and defensively.
• Noivern is somewhat an inferior Naganadel, with its only saving grace being its ability to check the aforementioned threat due to its slightly higher Speed tier.
• Mega Steelix dropped for similar reasons as Mega Aggron, but also makes it more difficult to place on teams due to Tapu Koko's absence.
• Stakataka does Forretress's job as a Gyro Ball spammer much better, even if it can't remove hazards or provide momentum through pivoting like the former can.
• Naganadel does Nihilego's job much better as a revenge killer / sweeper. Tapu Koko's parting also gives less incentive to run it.
• Onix is a great suicide lead on offensive teams due to its absurd power coupled with its relatively high Speed. Having Sturdy as an ability can also be extremely useful at times to check certain threats as well.

I will also be providing two sample teams here to help people get into the new metagame a bit better:

http://pokepast.es/506ba20ba4226470

http://pokepast.es/5e6e592d79ef8f7a

Have fun!

 

[branflakes]

I suppose I should do my part and post the annoying-ass team I've been spamming these past couple weeks.

https://pokepast.es/1320d83fa0f4d1c7
Priority Offense

This is probably the most standard team I've built in any meta ever, but it certainly gets the job done. It works by condensing multiple roles and "playstyles" into a single team (ie trick room, tailwind, voltturn), with most users having access to some sort of strong priority. I originally experiemented with a tailwind-spamming team and found it too matchup reliant and thus incredibly unreliable. This team aims to have very few bad matchups by having options to deal with almost anything. It could probably be tweaked with Koko being banned, but I haven't gotten around to it.

Sets:

Hide

Roles: Priority, volt-turn, tailwind wallbreaker
Scarf ash gren works amazingly with and without tailwind support, being able to activate battle bond rather easily and outspeeding everything bar Electrode, Accelgor and Ninjask. Its moveset has great mixed coverage, great utility and additional coverage with U-Turn and a really powerful Water Shuriken that can easily OHKO a lot of things under tailwind.

Role: Priority, spdef wall
Kecleon with triple priority is fairly predictable, but this does not stop it from being really effective. Flamethrower is easily its best non-priority move, having almost charizard-y level power which is nuts. Fake Out + Shadow Sneak/Sucker Punch KOs a lot of fast attackers especially with SR damage. 252 speed EVs makes max speed Steelix a non-issue.

Roles: Priority, Trick Room, anti-screens, mixed (def) wall
Self-setting trick room abusers do not need to be on trick room teams to be effective. Not only that, but theyre actually necessary for speed control considering how important speed is in this meta. The moveset is fairly standard, but I opt for Brick Break to put a stop to aurora veil shenanigans. 1 speed IV is kinda experimental, but it allows me to outspeed TR-oriented dusclops outside of TR.

Role: Sweeper
I feel I don't really have to explain why celesteela is amazing, but for those who aren't aware: Celesteela's 61 base speed is actually just enough to make it an incredible setup sweeper with and without tailwind support. The coverage moves are fine for dealing with almost anything that isn't Slowbro or Araquanid. +3 speed or tailwind +1 speed allows Celesteela to out-speed every scarf user with the exception of Electrode and Ninjask. Works best with Whimsicott to not only set up tailwind, but create setup opportunities with Encore.

Roles: Priority, Tailwind, volt-turn
Whimsicott works really well alongside celesteela, and generally one of the best support pokemon in this meta. Encore + U-turn gives quick momentum, Nature Power is decent priority, and Prankster Tailwind is amazing and sparsely distributed. Encore can also potentially save the team from potent setup sweepers like Furfrou

Roles: Hazard setting/removal, volt-turn
Forretress is alright I guess. It gets the job done as a hazard lead with decent power and utility. Nothing else aside from Donphan can live any non-mold-breaker hit from 100% while having access to Rapid Spin and SR. I'm beginning to think suicide hazard leads don't always pull their weight, but the hazard support this thing provides has proven to be invaluable.

 

[Lavern]

Megalix should be unranked. The only niche it had was that it could check Koko pretty well. But now after the Koko ban there's literally no reason to use Megalix over regular Lix.

Talonflame should drop to B rank imo. Stakataka just shits on it, unless Tflame runs HP Ground, which would mean that it wouldn't be able to set up its own tailwind. Talonflame also needs +2 to have a 25% chance of OHKOing AV Stakataka, which is by far the best Stakataka set imo, after rocks.

 

[branflakes]

like faded said, its because steelix when it runs max speed is a very scary threat. steelix is capable of ohkoing a majority of top tier threats with its dual stab alone. unlike the other mons like ttar, kec, and etc, who rely on their bulk to help take on threats since they cant ohko certain walls. steelix can safely run max speed timid and STILL manage to ohko mons like ttar, kec, and even ones you wouldn't expect. not to mention they need the bulk for the speedmons like tapu(when it was legal) and etc

I don't mean to nitpick your post, but Tyranitar needs only 68 speed EVs to out-speed max speed steelix. There's no reason not to run that much speed for something so common. I could actually say the same for Kecleon; Steelix's presence is enough justification for Kecleon to run at least 236 speed EVs, and it should almost always have some sort of fire coverage in its set. You claim that ttar and kecleon are more reliant on their HP EVs for taking hits, but I don't see how this is necessarily true when they still take special attacks extremely well. Furthermore, all three of these mons have very few switchins to coverage-oriented(or even standard) sets, and I do not think Steelix distinguishes itself in this regard. I'd actually argue that Steelix is potentially hurt by its reliance on ground stab, since it means you need to account for ground immunities when making predictions.

Faded I'm curious as to why you say AV staka is by far its best set. I'm not disagreeing, I just want a bit of an explanation. Alternative items including Rockium-z and air balloon have their own benefits along with allowing staka to set its own trick room. I'm a fan of air balloon in particular because it can assist vs steelix and prevent a celesteela sweep.

 

[Lavern]

The TR sets are really good and dish out more damage than AV Stakataka. However, like I said earlier, AV Stakataka is the only viable mon that can safely counter non EQ TTar. Just that alone is enough to make it the best set imo. There are other sets that AV Stakataka can counter/check which is pretty much every mon that can't hit it super-effectively (rock/steel typing sucks).

 

[Ivy]

AV stakataka seems nice and all but is it really worth hogging up the AV slot? You could put it on, say, Sylveon, which would decimate any Tyranitar.

 

[Lavern]

The difference between Stakataka and Sylveon is that Stakataka can switch in, unlike Sylveon. If I really need something for TTar, I would pick Stakataka instead of Sylveon. And this is coming from the guy who's been saying since March that Sylveon should be A+.

 

[Schpoonman]

Posting probably my final iteration of this team. May edit in art later, probably not.

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 24 HP / 252 Def / 232 Spe
Bold Nature
- Iron Defense
- Bullet Punch
- Vacuum Wave
- Hidden Power [Electric]

Dusclops @ Eviolite
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Brick Break
- Shadow Sneak
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Latias @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch

Donphan @ Mental Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Def / 92 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Naganadel @ Poisonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tailwind
- Draco Meteor
- Gunk Shot
- Flamethrower

Stakataka @ Chople Berry
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Hidden Power Fire
- Earthquake

Team was started with Scizor, Dusclops, and Latias. I personally think Mega Scizor is the best Pokemon in the metagame. It's got huge coverage (mostly bolstered by Hidden Power. Technician makes it devastating), very good mixed bulk with a tremendous 140 Defense and Iron Defense for a fantastic boosting move, good speed for its bulk, and powerful priority (also thanks to Technician). Dusclops is another top 5 Pokemon, able to make itself specially or physically defensive while still having decent mixed bulk and tremendous power thanks to Eviolite. Coincidentally, Dusclops is easily the best Eviolite Pokemon in the metagame. Frankly, the only thing balancing Dusclops is its poor HP, but you can even run Pain Split to use that to harass your opponents. Latias is in my mind tied for best AssVest user, alongside Sylveon and maybe Kecleon. Draco is absolutely insane (it's Specs Latios Dracos without ever losing power), Psyshock lets it beat Sylveon on the switch, and EQ lets it bust Tyranitar and Steels very easily. I honestly love the idea that sweet Latias even gets Sucker Punch more than how good it is, and it's absolutely excellent.

Speaking of Tyranitar, SpDef Dusclops can also beat non-Crunch Tyranitar most of the time if you're healthy. Dark Pulse flinches suck (I know, I've lost to them before), but a healthy Spdefclops tanks Dark Pulse mostly (+1 252+ SpA Choice Specs Tyranitar Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Dusclops: 216-254 (76 - 89.4%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock) and instagibs with Brick Break.

The team was finished about two weeks later with USUM. I wanted a Rocker, and this was originally Uxie, but I started getting tired of hazards so I switched to something that still had Stealth Rock and Knock Off, Donphan. 92 speed EVs outspeeds 0 Speed lead Tyranitar to Knock Off its AssVest, making it a significantly lesser threat. Naganadel used to be Focus Sash, but I got salty at a Gunk Shot miss one day and switched to AD for the perfect accuracy. I almost never use it, its Dracos are also really insane, though it takes at least a turn for them to catch up to Latias, though Beast Boost means he can snowball. You can also use Tailwind, and it's virtually impossible to revenge without priority. If Scizor is the best Pokemon in the metagame, it's only because it has Vacuum Wave to snipe Stakataka from full. Stakataka can be AV or set Rocks and while it's not bad at doing those (maybe at Rocks, there's better Sash Pokemon and everything is mixed), Trick Room is so good that it might as well never use those sets. Gyro Ball hits upwards of 100 most of the time on a self-boosting Pokemon with over 200 Defense. It's virtually impossible to wall (I haven't started using Hidden Power yet, but I may soon), and the only way to counter it if it's got Trick Room up is special priority or having your own Staka which can still lose to speed ties.

TL;DR Mega Scizor's better than Tyranitar (who is himself overrated), Naganadel and Stakataka may need to suspected.

 

[Lavern]

Nice team. I wouldn't say that M-Sciz is the best mon in the meta, but it's definitely the 2nd best mon. Why are you running 232 speed EVs on Scizor? 232 EVs gives it 244 speed, which is enough to outspeed max speed TTar. But you don't need to outspeed that because bullet punch has priority and hp electric is doing 0 to TTar. I'd run Trick Room on Dusclops, but you need HP Fire for Scizor and Brick Break for TTar and Sneak is important too. So idk which one you should replace but it's probably Sneak. Also if you decide to run TR, make sure to downgrade Dusclops to lvl99, so that you'll outspeed other TR variants in Trick Room. I'm not sure about Gyro and Flash Cannon on Stakataka. I mean I love dual stab, that's the main reason why I use Sylveon so much, but I don't think that steel is the best typing for that. I'd run HP Fire > Flash Cannon, which would make sense because Stakataka's item is Chople Berry.

 

[Schpoonman]

232 is for Celesteela. If I'm already boosted when it comes in or I predict a switch (Scizor is absolutely Celesteela bait), HP Electric 2HKOs.

Thanks for the HP Fire comment, that seals my decision to make that switch. I've been uneasy about Flash Cannon the last few days.

 

[SaturnZelda]

Alright, one last update as FP is leaving main. The council has decided to unban Marshadow, Aegislash, and Blaziken. (Also, my first post as council, woo). I'll post the reasoning for each of these 3 here:

Blaziken's unban is for its sub-par stats and the ban of Speed Boost. This makes it rely on its 120 Attack, which honestly isn't great in FP. Not much to explain on this one.

Marshadow's unban is because its highest stats are 125 each, which also aren't amazing. It does have access to Technician Hidden Power, and also its unresisted STABs as in regular play. This may be needed to be looked at later depending on how it performs. Also, Spectral Thief can steal stat boosts and the like from Agility sweepers.

Aegislash is unbanned due to Stance Change's mechanic. As it swaps from offensive to defensive, it can't use its defensive stats to attack, because they switch from 150 to 50 in Blade Forme, so it's forced to rely on its offensive stats to attack.

Also, what do you guys think of a possible Zygarde-Complete suspect? The council are split on this. Coil makes it a powerful defensive sweeper, and I'm honestly not sure why nv wants to unban this, but feel free to leave your reasonings on replies to this post. Anyways, that's it for the last update for a bit, as FP is leaving main.

Tagging urkerab and Spandan to implement the changes on ROM and DH

 

[Ivy]

ou guys think of a possible Zygarde-Complete suspect? The council are split on this. Coil makes it a powerful defensive sweeper, and I'm honestly not sure why nv wants to unban this, but feel free to leave your reasonings on replies to this post. Anyways, that's it for the last update for a bit, as FP is leaving main.

I can see why zygarde would be mediocre since everything and their mother run mixed sets. Still, unlike Steelix, it has adequate special bulk to maybe survive a good hit? Plus, it has to live in another forme to even transform in the first place.