Lower Tiers GSC NU

[Jorgen]

I saw a few matches on the Showdown Replay site playing GSC NU (mostly between Isa and Earthworm in games like this) and it got me nostalgic for that time because I always thought NU was a cute tier.

The legal mons can be found in this post on a long-dead forum. Basically everything explicitly listed in NU and all NFEs not listed in upper tiers are fair game.

So I figured I'd make a simple post prompting people (mostly the resident experts tagged but also other dudes well versed in old gen lower tiers) to talk about nu. And of course, to give people something to start with (especially the majority of people who are uninitiated with this super tiny tier), I decided to make a "quick hits" (or rough viability ranking) of nu.

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the main players:

• dewgong: perhaps the best general-purpose tank in the tier. sleep talk with dual stab is probably the most dependable set; it can also use encore if something's cursing up. You could even use a perish trap set if you feel like gimmicking.
• dugtrio: powerful, fast ground-type.
• fearow: strongest stab double-edge in the tier, and a speed stat that outpaces pikachu
• hitmonchan: 105 base attack is huge in this tier, and it can capitalize off the rock types you need to handle fearow
• lickitung: curse, swords dance, belly drum. pick your favorite setup and go to town. perhaps the most underrated nu mon atm.
• mr. mime: the best mon in the tier. can go simple with a sleep talk set or can use more advanced strats featuring screens & bp & encore & status & such.
• rapidash: sunny day fire blast from this thing packs a punch.
• shuckle: the hardiest rock type (and mon in general) in the tier. can punish non-sters with toxic and deter setup with encore. doesn't really do much outside of that though.
• stantler: return + eq is a great attacking combo. also gets interesting moves in cray, hypnosis, and screens.
• sudowoodo: the offensive rock type of the tier.
• pineco: sets up spikes, spins, explodes.
• haunter: fast mixed attacker type. ghost is a great type in this tier.
• pikachu: hold a light ball and this thing is super dangerous. base 90 speed is actually hard to surpass in this tier.

the interesting departures:

• ariados: spider web passing can get a free kill. it's guaranteed to survive a mr mime psychic and switches in pretty easily on the hitmons. can also pass agility pretty decently.
• azumarill: tanky water that can drum up at any time.
• corsola: instant recovery on a rock type makes for a really dependable fearow check. grass weakness is a shame for fighting rapidashes though.
• delibird: alternative to pineco in the spikes game. stab ice beam is its main draw; with it, delibird easily wins 1-v-1s against opposing pinecos. Doesn't switch in on as much stuff, though.
• kingler: sder with powerful des even before setup. can play for the crit against shuckles too, and sub can be used to dodge its toxics.
• ledian: another bper with agility. +2 drumtung can 6-0 teams. access to both screens gives it utility outside of a simple bp role. switches in on hitmons easily & also has solid spdef to tank hits from mime.
• magcargo: 2x ground weak can be exploited, but it's probably the best rapidash check in nu. also tanks fearow nicely.
• mantine: rock and tbolt weaknesses are bummers, but spdef for rapidash and non-bolt mime is good. has access to haze to stop bp/curse strats too. plus, unlike dewgong, it's a solid stop to hitmons, curse or otherwise.
• murkrow: pursuiter for mime (which it outspeeds, as it does pikachu). drill peck gives it favorable matchups against fighters and grasses: hp dark makes it easier to pursuit stuff & also hits pika harder if krow is your "faster than pika" mon.
• octillery: 308 special attack means its surfs/pumps pack a wallop. can also use return with screech/curse to hit opposing waters. or it could just use a st set to be a slower, less tanky, but more threatening dewgong. excellent at forcing shuckle's fat ass out.
• pidgeot: bulkier, albeit weaker, version of fearow. still outspeeds pika which is the important part. takes max rolls to 3hko with mime psychic which is the important damage range.
• sunflora: solid special attack, growth, and the best special bulk of the three grasses in the tier. no powders, but it would struggle to get around st mime anyway.
• tangela: tangela is weird. it can set up growths in front of fighters and is a super reliable check to duggy and rocks, but it can't handle the surfs and thunders you'd want your grass to be able to take. defense stat lets it avoid being 2hkoed by fearow dp while 2hkoing in return with +1 hp ice. can use powders but would probably rather use synthesis for longevity than use powders that are likely to be absorbed by st mime no problem.
• graveler: rock type with stab ground moves. main reasons it doesn't get used more than sudo are 1) lower hp takes a significant chunk of survivability away against fearow, and 2) 2x weakness to grass and water are very abusable; fearow can run hp water for laughs and rapidash runs hp grass normally.

probably garbage or outclassed:

• aipom: pure normal typing can be handy in a handful of cases, but this is mostly outclassed.
• arbok: glare, eq, stab sludge bomb are a decent combo on paper. can come in on hitmons pretty easily. unfortunately just about every rock in the tier smashes it, and it doesn't really do enough to mime, either.
• dunsparce: basically outclassed by tung. the main things it has going for it are glare and a higher attack stat without setup.
• hitmontop: mostly outclassed by chan, which is faster with better attack. the defense rarely helps. that said, if you want a spinner that isn't pineco for some reason, top is probably better suited for that role. it's also a little better at tanking physical hits if you want to use counter.
• farfetch'd: bper that can also pass sds on top of agis. also can perhaps do some damage with stick-boosted return? lol. for the most part it's pretty bad though; it can't really switch in on anything.
• parasect: checks hitmons, pika (sort of), and can even threaten mime with hp bug. also gets spore.
• persian: second fastest thing in the tier next to duggy. kinda frail, but also has stab de and hypnosis and screech to play with.
• raticate: super fang is a fun move. also outspeeds pika.
• seadra: its kinda like a fast octillery. wimpy attack stat lets it down, though.
• seaking: it's like kingler with worse attack and speed but better special bulk. lack of power off the bad, though, makes it less useful.
• sneasel: immune to psychic, excellent speed, and decent enough attack to work with. but with that movepool I have no idea what it would really... do? probably a screech set?
• venomoth: its funny. its a sleeper that obviously cant take much abuse from mime but can keep it out with hp bug to potentially catch something else with a powder. tanks hitmons well, too.
• xatu: switches in on fighters a little easier than mime does. solid speed tier too. doesn't seem like it'd be terribly useful though.
• cubone: thick club can make for some strong attacks & a half decent bp recipient.
• dragonair: if pika runs hp fire this could be a decent check. idk what the set would be tho, this would strictly be a defensive mon. probably twave and ice beam or screens or something.
• eevee: can pass growths to pikachu. lol.
• flaaffy: unfortunately pika still 3HKOs with Surf but its better than what everything else musters: getting 2HKOed.
• houndour: alternative pursuiter for mime if you're a baby who's scared of tbolt. problem is, unlike murkrow, it doesn't have a decent speed tier nor any other decent common matchups, plus it doesn't really hold up well against multiple tbolts, either.
• magnemite: the only steel in the tier. theres probably some use for it.
• snubbull: only heal beller available. considering how many things will generally run st though, its probably not worth.
• voltorb: fastest boom in the tier. also gets mirror coat to fuck with mimes and pikas and haunters and such. grounds and grasses are also a lot rarer than in other tiers so you might even be able to get away with twave tbolt in the last slots without worrying about running hidden power.

And maybe a sample team too because I felt like building:

Hide

All mons have leftovers ofc. (There's no Pika before you get smart with me)

lickitung:
-body slam
-swords dance
-protect
-iron tail
Super tanky and can force some awkward situations with SD (I assume so anyway; never actually tried it lol). Iron tail over EQ to hit Shuckle hard, Bslam to set the stage for a late game setup. Protect gives me lefties and can potentially catch a boom from Sudo/Haunter/Grav, which is always fun.

mr. mime:
-psychic
-shadow ball
-rest
-sleep talk
Shadow Ball keeps other mimes out. I just don't like stale games and want the option to mess with opposing mimes with Sball in case they have Tbolt for my witch bird. Unfortunately this means I can't really para pikas, but on the plus side that also means I'll also always break a sub if I don't rest.


hitmonchan:
-hi jump kick
-hidden power ghost
-rest
-sleep talk
HP Ghost to be able to hit Haunters. Those precious few HP evs from HP Bug are not worth it lol. Hitmonchan hits surprisingly hard and is surprisingly tanky. It keeps Dewgong and Sudowoodo from just owning me, too, so it's super vital to have around. I'd rather run ST than Curse for this reason: if Sudo starts Cursing I need to start smashing it pronto.


murkrow:
-drill peck
-pursuit
-rest
-sleep talk
Figured I'd try it. The idea is basically "screw mime".


sudowoodo:
-rock slide
-earthquake
-curse
-self-destruct
Maybe I should run Rest. Idk. But sometimes I find that I need to be able to boom on Fighters and such. I use this instead of Graveler to live Pika Surfs & because it's just longer-lasting in general against the likes of Fearow.


dugtrio:
-earthquake
-rock slide
-rest
-sleep talk
lol. I run this mostly because I want something faster than Pika, which is super important in this tier. As is being immune to Thunder without insta-dying to Surf imo. I run ST because I don't want this thing getting worn down; he's my lifeline against Pika.

 

[Earthworm]

Here is the spreadsheet that I made when analysing this tier: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KshRwHZ3ECq0lMSDMMmutSsQy3aWthGmrVaZHZAvpMc/edit?usp=sharing

I am updating my viability ranking opinions as I play more of the tier. I have made drastic changes since I first created this so you can probably expect there to be further changes.

Key points:

• Outspeeding Pikachu is very important
• Any setup Pokemon needs to not get KOed by Pikachu (Azumarill is bad)
• Anything that allows Pikachu in is extremely risky
• Mr. Mime and Pikachu are really hard to switch into (due to access to Twave and strong Psychic, and raw power respectively) and are the key players in the metagame

 

[xJoelituh]

Remember that Graveler gets Rapid Spin too from the PCNY events and could be the one which doens't get spin blocked easily by Haunter
Apart from that, it seems a fun tier to play and mess around, i'd probably test it out

 

[kay]

http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/nu-old-gens-hub.3562659/#post-6634826

We had GSC NU going as a project in NU for awhile among other NU old gens, sadly the two people running it have quit since then so the project died off but I'm excited to see this get potentially started again. We have a decent player base in NU who play GSC NU

 

[Bughouse]

Is there any benefit to Whirlpool Perish Song Rest Azumarill?

 

[Jorgen]

Probably not, as Pikachu waltzes right on in. I see the logic though, just about as tanky as Dewgong but without the Fighting weakness.

 

[p2]

might be worth mentioning that signups for a gsc nu tour go up in a few days which could boost activity around here regarding the tier. im pretty interested myself and have a habit of picking up more obscure tiers that are rarely played

 

[Take Azelfie]

Mr. Meme (Mr. Mime) @ Leftovers
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Barrier
- Baton Pass

This is a really cool set I enjoy using a lot. Barrier Pass is neat for frailer Pokemon like Murkrow and Pikachu and it works really well with Lickitung when using a Swords Dance set. It also helps against Shadow Ball users a lot and other threats like Dugtrio. Pretty fun and I find its utility to be great sometimes

 

[Fireburn]

Pretty weird but fun meta with an interesting selection of mons. There's a lot of generally bulky things but very few dedicated walls + Pikachu's existence make this a lot more offensive than GSC OU it seems. Some early impressions:

• Dugtrio owns. It's the fastest mon in the tier and its Attack is good enough to hurt stuff with STAB EQ. It's notably the only thing faster than Pikachu that can OHKO it from full HP (Fearow's Double-Edge doesn't quite cut it), and it has the coverage to hurt most Ground resists which makes it scary late-game. I like Sub + 3 Attacks since this can force a lot of switches, with Rock Slide for birds and Sludge Bomb for the odd Grass-type, though it can also make good use of Thief to weaken tanks or RestTalk to help it stick around to check Pikachu.
• Bulky waters can be useful, but I generally don't like using them myself because of how easily they get forced out by Pikachu. Dewgong is the only one that isn't OHKOed by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, but its lack of Fire resist and weaknesses against Rock and Fighting make it tough to check some things you'd want a Water-type for. The Ice-typing does make it good vs birds though, and it's only 4HKOed by Dugtrio which is handy. That said, the flipside to this is that it's hard fitting a Water resist without using your own Water-type (or Sunflora I guess), though this is only really an issue when facing Octillery since Dewgong isn't strong enough to really threaten Mr. Mime or Hitmonchan.
  
• Normal spam is pretty threatening since Rocks are generally the defense of choice against STAB Double-Edge (there's also Haunter but he is by no means a wall). Raticate/SD Lickitung/Curse Stantler make it easy to wear down Rocks which can really let you just go to town with Fearow.
• I dunno if I'd call Pikachu broken but its so threatening lol. It's 2HKOed by everything but it also 2HKOes everything and won't die in one hit to any unboosted attack not named Earthquake or Self-Destruct. There are ways around it (Paralysis, Light Screen, running at least 2 mons faster than 90 Speed) but it's so strong and gets things like Sing and Substitute to screw with your plans. Or you can just run Thunder which lets it 2HKO even fat neutral targets like Hitmonchan and Lickitung.
• Haunter is a pretty great lead. Faster sleep than Venomoth and hits a lot harder, plus it gets Explosion to chunk something hard and Ghost-typing is handy for stuff like monoCurse Lickitung. Pretty good chance at getting sleep onto something that isn't a Talker since it has the coverage to threaten Mr. Mime and Dewgong. Has a bit of 4MSS since it wants SBall/TBolt/Psychic/Explosion/Hypnosis and is almost as frail as Pikachu though.

 

[Mr.E]

Going by modern convention, shouldn't it be GSC RU? It's not like sub-UU tiers really existed back in the day anyway.

 

[AM]

Most of the replays I've seen just show Pikachu being way too strong. Once it comes in you can't afford for it to get behind a Substitute.

 

[Bughouse]

Going by modern convention, shouldn't it be GSC RU? It's not like sub-UU tiers really existed back in the day anyway.

It's ADV NU and DPP NU. Not RU.

 

[Mr.E]

So you're saying they should be changed too.

 

[tehy]

modern convention just a bit meaningless though.

especially because the newer generations add more pokemon which lead to more tiers. quite arguably NU mons for the most part are bad as hell and that's stayed true through the generations - i.e. NU has stayed at the same relative power level, just that enough pokemon were added to form another tier entirely, and more importantly the existent nu community has links to those tiers. what's the point to change them?

 

[Jorgen]

FYI Pidgeot is a friggin tank. 33-39% from Mime Psychic - basically the same non-3HKO Zapdos survives with against Raikou Tbolt. The difference is that Pidgeot outspeeds Mime and 2HKOes in return. Also guess who isn't 3HKOed by Dugtrio Rock Slide? 31-36% dudes.

 

[Earthworm]

I updated my spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KshRwHZ3ECq0lMSDMMmutSsQy3aWthGmrVaZHZAvpMc/edit?usp=sharing

• Dugtrio is very strong. Even though some Pokemon counter it fairly effectively, it can wear them down and clean up effectively late game, and it is difficult to punish. Survives Pikachu Surf and can OHKO Pikachu, which severely decreases its threat level if predicted correctly.
• For that reason and the effectiveness of some other Pokemon I also lowered Pikachu to be equal with Mr. Mime.
• I moved Dewgong down slightly because even though it is really strong with Restalk I haven't seen it do much lately.
• I moved Fearow and Lickitung up because they are strong against most of the tier.
• I moved Hitmontop up to be equal with Hitmonchan due to the strength of Dugtrio and Lickitung.
• Dunsparce and Porygon were moved down because they are more situationally strong and lack consistency.
• Raticate up because it threatens everything even though it doesn't beat that many Pokemon by itself. Give it free turns and it will do a lot of damage, while also not being OHKOed and 2HKOed like Pikachu.
• Various other minor changes

 

[jira]

Leaving some research stuff here, for what it's worth:

Sets

Fully Evolved Pokemon:

Arbok (M) @ Leftovers
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Sludge Bomb
Glare, Earthquake

Ariados (M) @ Leftovers
- Agility
- Baton Pass
- Sludge Bomb
- Spider Web
Attract, Protect/Disable, Thief

Azumarill (M) @ Leftovers
- Amnesia
- Curse
- Frustration
- Rest
Belly Drum, Whirlpool/Perish Song, Attract

Corsola (M) @ Leftovers
- Amnesia
- Curse
- Recover
- Rollout
Mirror Coat, Toxic

Delibird (F) @ (No Item)
- Ice Beam
- Spikes
- Thief
- Toxic
Attract

Dewgong (M) @ Leftovers
- Encore
- Ice Beam
- Rest
- Toxic
Sleep Talk, Surf, Curse/Body Slam, Whirlpool, Perish Song, Growl

Dugtrio (M) @ Leftovers
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Sludge Bomb
- Substitute
Screech, Thief, Toxic, Sleep Talk/Rest

Dunsparce (M) @ Leftovers
- Curse
- Frustration
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Glare, Iron Tail, Ancient Power, Zap Cannon

Farfetch'd (M) @ Stick
- Agility
- Baton Pass
- Frustration
- Swords Dance

Fearow (M) @ Leftovers
- Double-Edge
- Drill Peck
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Hidden Power [Ground], Steel Wing, Curse, Substitute, Thief, Toxic

Furret (M) @ Leftovers
- Amnesia
- Curse
- Frustration
- Rest

Hitmonchan (M) @ Leftovers
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- High Jump Kick
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Agility, Curse, Earthquake

Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers
- Curse
- High Jump Kick
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Hidden Power [Ghost], Rapid Spin, Toxic

Kingler (M) @ Leftovers
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Swords Dance
Frustration, Double-Edge, Hidden Power [Ground], Surf, Substitute/Flail, Amnesia

Ledian (M) @ Leftovers
- Agility
- Barrier
- Baton Pass
- Light Screen
Attract, Reflect, Toxic, Thief

Lickitung (M) @ Leftovers
- Body Slam
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Frustration, Double-Edge, Earthquake, Iron Tail, Toxic

Lickitung (M) @ Leftovers
- Earthquake
- Frustration
- Rest
- Swords Dance
Iron Tail, Protect

Lickitung (M) @ Leftovers
- Belly Drum
- Earthquake
- Frustration
- Protect
Rest, Iron Tail

Mr. Mime (M) @ Leftovers
- Psychic
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunderbolt
Shadow Ball (Opponent Mr. Mime), Dynamic Punch/Submission/Hidden Power [Fighting] (Sneasel), Encore, Thunder Wave, Hypnosis, Light Screen, Reflect

Mr. Mime (M) @ Leftovers
- Barrier
- Baton Pass
- Hypnosis
- Light Screen
Meditate, Encore, Thunder Wave

Murkrow (M) @ (No Item)
- Drill Peck
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Shadow Ball
- Thief
Rest/Sleep Talk, Pursuit, Nightmare, Toxic

Octillery (M) @ Leftovers
- Rain Dance
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Surf
Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Toxic, Haze, Thief

Octillery (M) @ Leftovers
- Amnesia
- Curse
- Frustration
- Rest
Hidden Power ?

Parasect (M) @ Leftovers
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Spore
- Stun Spore
- Synthesis
Swords Dance, Toxic, Thief

Parasect (M) @ Leftovers
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Light Screen
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Persian (M) @ Leftovers
- Double-Edge
- Hypnosis
- Iron Tail
- Screech
Shadow Ball, Thief, Nightmare, Zap Cannon

Pidgeot (M) @ Leftovers
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Curse, Reflect, Toxic, Thief

Rapidash (F) @ Leftovers
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Hypnosis
- Sunny Day

Rapidash (M) @ Leftovers
- Body Slam
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Raticate (M) @ (No Item)
- Double-Edge
- Shadow Ball
- Super Fang
- Thief
Iron Tail, Toxic

Seaking (M) @ Leftovers
- Agility
- Double-Edge
- Surf
- Swords Dance
Rest/Sleep Talk

Shuckle (M) @ Leftovers
- Encore
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Toxic
Wrap, Attract

Shuckle (M) @ Leftovers
- Curse
- Defense Curl
- Rest
- Rollout
Toxic

Sneasel (M) @ (No Item)
- Moonlight
- Shadow Ball
- Thief
- Toxic
Dynamic Punch, Iron Tail, Frustration, Screech, Curse, Nightmare

Stantler (M) @ Leftovers
- Earthquake
- Frustration
- Hypnosis
- Psychic

Stantler (M) @ Leftovers
- Curse
- Frustration
- Light Screen
- Rest
Roar

Sudowoodo (M) @ Leftovers
- Curse
- Rest
- Rock Slide
- Sleep Talk
Self-Destruct, Earthquake, Toxic, Thief

Sunflora (M) @ Leftovers
- Growth
- Razor Leaf
- Synthesis
- Toxic
Hidden Power, Rest/Sleep Talk, Curse (only for Defense)

Tangela (F) @ Leftovers
- Giga Drain
- Sleep Powder
- Stun Spore
- Synthesis
Toxic, Thief

Tangela (M) @ Leftovers
- Amnesia
- Growth
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Rest

Tangela (M) @ Leftovers
- Amnesia
- Curse
- Frustration
- Rest

Venomoth (M) @ Leftovers
- Psychic
- Sleep Powder
- Sludge Bomb
- Stun Spore
Curse/Baton Pass, Rest/Sleep Talk, Hidden Power [Bug], Toxic, Thief

Xatu (M) @ Leftovers
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Psychic
- Rest
- Sleep Talk


Not Fully Evolved Pokemon:

Elekid (M) @ (No Item)
- Light Screen
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thief
Hidden Power [Ground], Thunderbolt, Zap Cannon, Reflect

Cubone (M) @ Thick Club
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Rock Slide
- Swords Dance
Belly Drum

Dragonair (M) @ Leftovers
- Body Slam
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Light Screen, Thunder Wave

Flaaffy (F) @ Leftovers
- Light Screen
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunderbolt
Hidden Power [Ground/Ice], Thunder Wave, Toxic, Reflect

Gloom (M) @ Leftovers
- Razor Leaf
- Sleep Powder
- Stun Spore
- Synthesis
Leech Seed, Swords Dance/Sludge Bomb

Haunter (M) @ Leftovers
- Explosion
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt

Haunter (F) @ Leftovers
- Attract
- Mean Look
- Perish Song
- Protect
Confuse Ray

Magnemite @ Leftovers
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunder
Toxic

Pikachu (M) @ Light Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Substitute
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
Encore, Sing, Thunder Wave, Reflect, Light Screen, Sweet Kiss

Pineco (M) @ Leftovers
- Explosion
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Spikes
- Toxic
Rapid Spin

Poliwhirl (M) @ Leftovers
- Belly Drum
- Earthquake
- Frustration
- Lovely Kiss

Porygon @ Leftovers
- Curse
- Double-Edge
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
Conversion 2, Sharpen, Agility, Zap Cannon

Seadra (M) @ Leftovers
- Rain Dance
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Surf
Ice Beam, Toxic, Agility

Personal Viability Ranking:

stripped-down

Arbok +
Ariados
Azumarill
Corsola
Delibird
Dewgong ++
Dugtrio ++
Dunsparce +
Farfetch'd
Fearow +
Furret
Hitmonchan +
Hitmontop ++
Kingler
Ledian
Lickitung ++
Mr. Mime +++
Murkrow
Octillery ++
Parasect
Persian
Pidgeot +
Rapidash +
Raticate +
Seaking
Shuckle +++
Sneasel
Stantler
Sudowoodo ++
Sunflora +
Tangela +
Venomoth
Xatu +
Elekid
Cubone
Dragonair
Flaaffy
Gloom
Haunter +
Magnemite
Pikachu +++
Pineco +
Poliwhirl
Porygon
Seadra

detailed

Mr. Mime 10
Pikachu 9,5
Shuckle 9,5
Dewgong 9,0
Dugtrio 9,0
Hitmontop 9,0
Lickitung 9,0
Octillery 9,0
Pidgeot 9,0
Sudowoodo 9,0
Dunsparce 8,5
Fearow 8,5
Haunter 8,5
Hitmonchan 8,5
Sunflora 8,5
Tangela 8,5
Xatu 8,5
Arbok 8,0
Graveler 8,0
Parasect 8,0
Rapidash 8,0
Kingler 7,5
Ledian 7,5
Murkrow 7,5
Raticate 7,5
Seadra 7,5
Seaking 7,5
Stantler 7,5
Venomoth 7,5
Ariados 7,0
Azumarill 7,0
Dragonair 7,0
Furret 7,0
Mantine 7,0
Persian 7,0
Pineco 7,0
Rhyhorn 7,0
Sneasel 7,0
Corsola 6,5
Cubone 6,5
Elekid 6,5
Flaaffy 6,5
Gloom 6,5
Golbat 6,5
Houndour 6,5
Ivysaur 6,5
Magnemite 6,5
Omanyte 6,5
Poliwhirl 6,5
Porygon 6,5
Bayleef 6,0
Delibird 6,0
Farfetch’d 6,0
Grimer 6,0
Onix 6,0
Weepinbell 6,0
Beedrill 5,5
Charmeleon 5,5
Koffing 5,5
Machoke 5,5
Smoochum 5,5
Staryu 5,5
Voltorb 5,5
Aipom 5,0
Butterfree 5,0
Chinchou 5,0
Nidorino 5,0
Noctowl 5,0
Magcargo 4,5
Nidorina 4,5
Togetic 4,5
Doduo 4,0
Drowzee 4,0
Growlithe 4,0
Magby 4,0
Mankey 4,0
Pupitar 4,0
Quilava 4,0
Shellder 4,0
Clefairy 3,5
Eevee 3,5
Exeggcute 3,5
Kabuto 3,5
Snubbull 3,5
Teddiursa 3,5
Vulpix 3,5
Wartortle 3,5
Croconaw 3,0
Jigglypuff 3,0
Phanpy 3,0
Psyduck 3,0
Sandshrew 3,0
Skiploom 3,0
Slowpoke 3,0
Tentacool 2,5
Ditto 2,0
Swinub 1,0
Unown 0,5
Wobbuffet 0,5
Wooper 0,5

 

[AM]

So I lost to jira a round or so ago with a pretty bad team I made for myself. It was fun building stuff on my down time just to get a bit familiar and I'm never a big fan of using other peoples builds out of comfort I guess. It didn't account for Shuckle and I was more surprised by how good it was defensively compared to getting practically 6-0 by it lol. So a word of advice is definitely be prepped for Shuckle and have good ways to break it. Most of this stuff is gonna be pretty non-contemporary since most times I had not much clue what I was doing outside of referencing research you guys put here and telling myself "naw I ain't using that shit lol". Anyways.

Team

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Fire Punch
- Thunderbolt
- Encore

Pidgeot
Ability: Keen Eye
IVs: 24 Atk
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Toxic
- Thief

Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
IVs: 26 Atk / 28 Def
- Rolling Kick
- Mach Punch
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Curse

Murkrow @ Leftovers
Ability: Insomnia
IVs: 24 Atk
- Drill Peck
- Pursuit
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Shadow Ball

Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Static
IVs: 26 Def
- Thunder
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Substitute

Dugtrio @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
IVs: 28 Atk / 24 Def
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Rock Slide
- Substitute

This was the team I used against Fireburn in R3 and TSR in R2. I actually planned on bringing something else against Fireburn but the Rhyhorn team wasn't fleshed out / done lol. IVs might be all over the place but w/e. Everything is sort of basic / standard in terms of sets. SubToxic Dugtrio became one of my favorite sets to use in the couple of rounds played due to the ease of using it. After some testing with Fearow I came to the conclusion I just like Pidgeot way more and I ended up using it on most of my builds. Its defensive utility I find can be a huge game changer on more bulkier builds while Fearow can be a bit risky necessitating rocks like Sudowoodo to be entirely removed. Hitmontop is a great mon, can be a win con, a priority user against faster threats etc. Mr.Mimes versatility is also crazy good, there was a lot of stuff I wanted to try out but I felt Encore would be fine here since I kind of hated the Curse Rest games people like using on fat mons.

Ideas:

Life, work, and everything else had me pretty occupied so there wasn't a whole lot of time to test stuff out that I thought would be cool to give a shot. Some I tried for a bit others not so much so you're free to create more legitimate concepts around them.

Team

Persian @ Leftovers
Ability: Limber
- Body Slam
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
- Screech

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Wave

Dugtrio @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Substitute
- Toxic

Pidgeot
Ability: Keen Eye
IVs: 24 Atk
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Thief
- Whirlwind

Haunter @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
IVs: 24 Atk / 24 Def
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Explosion

Octillery @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
- Surf
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Psybeam

This was the team I brought against jira. It turned about pretty sad but I found Octillery to be interesting albeit really slow. I figured I would pair it up Thunder Wave Mr.Mime to bring stuff down to a speed tier where Octillery can do damage. Unfortunately you need stuff like Mr.Mime out of the way for Octillery to get going and even then some fatter stuff like Hitmontop can stomach hits well. SubScreech Persian I thought was real fun though. Serves as an annoyer and pairs well with physical attackers like Dugtrio to either put a larger dent into them or just force them out putting the play more towards your favor.

Team

Pineco @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Explosion
- Toxic
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes

Seadra @ Leftovers
Ability: Poison Point
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Rain Dance
- Agility

Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Static
IVs: 26 Def
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Substitute
- Agility

Haunter @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Explosion

Dugtrio @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Substitute
- Screech

Fearow @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
IVs: 28 Atk / 28 Def
- Double-Edge
- Drill Peck
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Agility

HP Grass Fearow is legitimately terrible btw, don't ever use it. The logic was for stuff like Graveler and Sudowoodo but again, it's awful. I wanted to build sort of a strict offense here with Haunter as its "spinblocker" to maintain the Spikes portion for cleaners. Pikachu is super threatening and the majority of counterplay relies on revenge killing it with something like Dugtrio or DEdge Fearow. The idea basically was for Agility to mitigate this. The opportunity cost of not using Surf however is relatively large so its not particularly advised. Seadra I wanted to try out a little while before building on this concept and after seeing it in action a couple of times I thought trying it here on an offense would seem fine. The team as a whole comes out a hit or miss but Pineco + Haunter + Cleaner is dope and definitely advised when using the former two.

Team

Dunsparce @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
Happiness: 0
- Frustration
- Ancient Power
- Curse
- Glare

Cubone @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
IVs: 26 Atk / 26 Def
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Belly Drum

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Fire Punch
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave

Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Static
IVs: 26 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Surf
- Thunder Wave

Dewgong @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Disable
- Substitute

Arbok @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
- Sludge Bomb
- Earthquake
- Curse
- Glare

Really gimmicky and I never had the time to take the huge laughable factors out of it to form something concrete. I wanted to build a team with a Cubone Sweep in mind. It's slow but as a wallbreaker with some stuff to pass Paralysis it looked really fun to use. Originally this is where I started using Thunder Wave Mr.Mime, since it always brought out stuff like Murkrow and birds that would try to threaten it. Things I liked about this were the combination of Mr.Mime, Arbok, and Cubone for sure. Everything else I felt I could've done without or just dropped altogether. There's also the option of going Swords Dance with Cubone if you're not big on losing half your HP since Cubone doesn't have a large bulk factor to it.

Mr.Mime is super good so if you plan on playing this more just know it's what I consider the best mon in the tier.

 

[Enigami]

Don't use Belly Drum unless you want to give Cubone some other item, GSC's Thick Club is glitched and will wrap the user's Attack stat if it totals over 1023. Thick Club Cubone actually does less at +6 than it does at +2.

+2 Thick Club Cubone Earthquake vs. Snorlax: 373-439 (71.3 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+6 Thick Club Cubone Earthquake vs. Snorlax: 265-312 (50.6 - 59.6%) -- 85.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

 

[jira]

I had plenty of fun with this niche tier. At first I thought GSC NU is just a massacre thanks to Pikachu annihilating almost everything and Haunter ruining any possible Curse/Rest/Sleep Talk moveset. But I overestimated both, it is difficult to switch Pikachu in safely and Haunter lacks offensive strength. Mr. Mime is comparable to Snorlax in GSC OU imo as it is just too good to ignore. I enjoyed using Shuckle a lot (like I did in GSC UU) because its defensive stats are insane. However, it struggles with the statslimit of 999 with the result that it can't even double its defense with Curse...

These are the teams I used in the tournament:

Team

Pineco @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
IVs: 26 Atk / 26 Def
- Rapid Spin
- Explosion
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Spikes

Sunflora @ Leftovers
Ability: Chlorophyll
- Growth
- Razor Leaf
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Shuckle @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Curse
- Toxic
- Rollout
- Rest

Sneasel
Ability: Inner Focus
- Moonlight
- Thief
- Toxic
- Shadow Ball

Flaaffy @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
- Light Screen
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunderbolt

First attempt on a full stall team which I used in Round 1. Faaffy worked quite well as a Pikachu counter in testgames, while Sneasel shuts down Mr. Mime (assuming no Hidden Power [Fighting] or Submission) and Haunter completely. Sunflora fell short of my expectations thanks to its physical vulnerability though.

Team

Pineco @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
IVs: 26 Atk / 26 Def
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Explosion

Shuckle @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Curse
- Toxic
- Rollout
- Rest

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Pidgeot @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
IVs: 24 Atk
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Dugtrio @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Sludge Bomb
- Substitute

Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
- Curse
- High Jump Kick
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

A more balanced approach for Round 2 with Dugtrio as Pikachu-check. Since Hitmontop and Pidgeot are bulkier than Hitmonchan and Fearow respectively I prefer them in a defensive oriented team.

Team

Xatu @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
IVs: 26 Atk / 26 Def
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Pidgeot @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
IVs: 24 Atk
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
- Curse
- High Jump Kick
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Lickitung @ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
- Body Slam
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rest

Sudowoodo @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Rock Slide
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

No spikes in Round 3, but double Psychic with Xatu and Mr. Mime. The idea is to overload Mr. Mime with two Psychic users. Hidden Power [Bug] 3HKOs Mr. Mime: Xatu Hidden Power Bug vs. Mr. Mime: 110-130 (38.8 - 45.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
Rest/Sleep Talk/Curse Sudowoodo instead of Shuckle as Normal resistance this time which works quite nicely together with Lickitung's Body Slam.

Team

Pineco @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
IVs: 26 Atk / 26 Def
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Explosion

Shuckle @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Curse
- Rollout
- Toxic
- Rest

Octillery @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
Happiness: 0
- Surf
- Frustration
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
- Curse
- High Jump Kick
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Dugtrio @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Substitute
- Screech

Team for Round 4. Octillery is one of the most dangerous PKMN and the best mixed attacker in the tier imo. Octillery Frustration vs. Mr. Mime: 99-117 (34.9 - 41.3%) -- 76.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

Team

Ledian @ Leftovers
Ability: Swarm
- Agility
- Barrier
- Light Screen
- Baton Pass

Tangela @ Leftovers
Ability: Chlorophyll
IVs: 28 Atk / 28 Def
- Growth
- Amnesia
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Rest

Shuckle @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Curse
- Rollout
- Toxic
- Rest

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
- High Jump Kick
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Lickitung @ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
- Curse
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

I tried Ledian Baton Pass to Tangela in semifinals. After receiving Defense and Speed boosts by Ledian, Tangela can boost Sp. Defense and Sp. Attack by itself. With the boosts, Tangela is indestructible and can 2HKO/3HKO almost everything or PP stall if need be. Very few Pokemon in the tier can beat it. I can think of SD/HP Bug Parasect, Roar Stantler and Perish Song Dewgong, so not the most common ones. The rest of the team functions as a solid backbone and Shuckle, Hitmontop and Lickitung can win games on their own.
Unfortunately, I did not manage to get Ledian into a good position where it can boost and Lickitung lost in unlucky fashion against SD/Protect Lickitung, so I lost there.


Some of the teams I tested but didn't use in the tournament:

Team

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Light Screen
- Thunder Wave

Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Static
IVs: 26 Def
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Lickitung @ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
Happiness: 0
- Belly Drum
- Frustration
- Earthquake
- Protect

Kingler @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
IVs: 24 Atk
- Swords Dance
- Body Slam
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Substitute

Dragonair @ Leftovers
Ability: Shed Skin
- Curse
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Sudowoodo @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Curse
- Rock Slide
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Paralysis spam with strong attackers that make use of paralyzed opponents.

Team

Pineco @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
IVs: 26 Atk / 26 Def
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Explosion

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Pidgeot @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
IVs: 24 Atk
- Double-Edge
- Reflect
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Dugtrio @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Sludge Bomb
- Substitute

Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Static
IVs: 26 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Substitute
- Encore

Tangela @ Leftovers
Ability: Chlorophyll
- Giga Drain
- Sleep Powder
- Stun Spore
- Synthesis

Spikes + Encore Pikachu

Team

Pineco @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
IVs: 26 Atk / 26 Def
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Explosion

Shuckle @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Curse
- Rollout
- Toxic
- Rest

Sneasel
Ability: Inner Focus
Happiness: 0
- Shadow Ball
- Thief
- Toxic
- Moonlight

Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
- Curse
- High Jump Kick
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Lickitung @ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
- Body Slam
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Similar to some of the teams above, but with Sneasel vs Haunter and Mr. Mime this time

Team

Haunter (M) @ Leftovers
- Explosion
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt

Pikachu (M) @ Light Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunder Wave
- Surf
- Thunderbolt

Mr. Mime (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunderbolt

Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
- Curse
- High Jump Kick
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Lickitung (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
- Body Slam
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Dewgong (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
- Ice Beam
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Toxic

Haunter and Pikachu are trying to overload the opponents defense


Other ideas:
- Pidgeot + Fearow, problem is Haunter, so either Hidden Power [Ground] or Drill Peck is neccessary
- Curse Pidgeot
- Psychic/Baton Pass/Rest/Sleep Talk Mr. Mime together with Spikes and Screech Dugtrio
- Barrier Baton Pass to Rest/Sleep Talk Pikachu
- TwistedSpoon Haunter
- Elekid as Pikachu counter, as it is faster than Pikachu and can thief Light Ball:

Elekid (M) @ (No Item)
- Light Screen
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thief

probably not worth it lol

Don't use Belly Drum unless you want to give Cubone some other item, GSC's Thick Club is glitched and will wrap the user's Attack stat if it totals over 1023. Thick Club Cubone actually does less at +6 than it does at +2.

+2 Thick Club Cubone Earthquake vs. Snorlax: 373-439 (71.3 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+6 Thick Club Cubone Earthquake vs. Snorlax: 265-312 (50.6 - 59.6%) -- 85.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Similarly to that, don't use Shuckle with either Light Screen or Reflect. Shuckles defenses overflow when one of those is active. Afaik it is the only PKMN to which this can happen without any boosts. I almost lost Round 1 because I set up Light Screen for Shuckle vs Rapidash: Rapidash Fire Blast vs. Shuckle through Light Screen: 359-423 (147.7 - 174%) -- guaranteed OHKO :oops:

 

[Enigami]

Well, if you really wanted to use Light Screen on Shuckle, there's also the option to reduce its Special EVs to 64 so that its SpD is 511, preventing the overflow from Light Screen. That leaves Shuckle with a very big loss of 47 SpD whenever Light Screen isn't up though. Edit: This also applies to 64 Defense EV Shuckle & Reflect, but Curse + Reflect will cause the overflow.

If you use 64 Spc EV Shuckle anyway, Shuckle becomes virtually unkillable by Special attacks while Light Screen is up.
Light Ball Pikachu Surf vs. 255 HP/64 SpDef Leftovers Shuckle behind Light Screen: 54 - 64 (22.2 - 26.3%) -- 7.5% chance to 5HKO after Leftovers
Dewgong Surf vs. 255 HP/64 SpDef Leftovers Shuckle behind Light Screen: 51 - 60 (21 - 24.7%) -- 97.9% chance to 6HKO after Leftovers
Octillery Surf vs. 255 HP/64 SpDef Leftovers Shuckle behind Light Screen: 66 - 78 (27.2 - 32.1%) -- 46% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers
Octillery Hydro Pump vs. 255 HP/64 SpDef Leftovers Shuckle behind Light Screen: 81 - 96 (33.3 - 39.5%) -- 16.2% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers

 

[Earthworm]

As I won the GSC NU tournament, I decided to write an analysis of the metagame and Pokemon in GSC NU. In conjunction with this spreadsheet (which I am still constantly updating) it should be possible to grasp the landscape of the metagame. Actually, it seems to reinforce a lot of what Jorgen said, so it seems like his initial analysis was spot on.

I also put my teams at the bottom of the post.

The Main Players

Mr. Mime
Best Pokemon in GSC NU. This Pokemon's most effective check is itself, which says something about its strength. When I say most effective, I mean you compromise your team's overall strength by using a different Pokemon to counter it, unless your team capitalises off its absence effectively. However, Pokemon such as Sneasel, Shuckle, Murkrow, and Houndour can be annoying for various Mr. Mime sets under various circumstances. Anyway, Mr. Mime is very strong, 3HKOing most Pokemon with Psychic or Thunderbolt. It also has solid SpDef and a ton of utility moves which can make it unpredictable. Its weakness is its low Def stat, but it threatens all strong physical attackers in return.

Dugtrio
The best at cleaning up a weakened team hands down. It has just enough options in its movepool to cover a vast range of Pokemon as the team requires it. If your team struggles with Grass types, Sludge Bomb can give you the edge. Thief/Pursuit can be used to give you an unexpected dent in a few Pokemon. Screech with Spikes or to force a Restalker out can win games. Substitute tends to be the clear best set and makes things awkward for Giga Drain Grass types. Fastest Pokemon in the tier and has a (nearly) minimum one-time switch into Pikachu if at full health. Possibly second best Pokemon in the tier.

Pikachu
This Pokemon is really useful to have under some circumstances. In situations where you can get Pikachu in for free, it can potentially do serious damage. However it is very high risk high reward because the metagame is quite aware of its potential and a large proportion tend to stack fast hard hitters, Dugtrio, or a problematic Grass or Electric type. Its effect on the meta is significant, particularly speed tier wise, but its actual effectiveness is not all that great. One failed prediction can be very costly. Best paired with Spikes, as they can turn 3HKOs into possible 2HKOs.

Lickitung
Lickitung is very solid. It is difficult to 3HKO on the special side while threatening paralysis, and is the safest Curser in the meta. It can also be threatening if given an opportunity to set up SD or BDrum, although it is still slow and is still probably not going to one-shot everything due to abysmal Attack. It makes a decent glue Pokemon with cursetalk but has numerous solid counters.


The Birds

With Spikes and Earthquake immunity and a speed stat higher than Pikachu and Mr. Mime, these Pokemon are a great potential fit for virtually any team. They tend to beat Grass types handily which helps out Water types and Dugtrio, but it can be hard to break Rock types, especially without Spikes.

Fearow
This guy is kind of like a less bulky OU Zapdos when using Restalk. Double-Edge reliably 3HKOs any non-resisting Pokemon. Suffers from a bare movepool but dishes out a lot of damage. HP Grass is viable for Graveler and Rhyhorn on a really offensive team.

Pidgeot
Pidgeot has a lot of utility and easily fits on a lot of teams. It is surprisingly tanky and can sometimes afford to switch into Dugtrio, although if you are too predictable there are decent odds you go down to a flinch. You will usually want to be running a Restalk set, but alternative sets are possible. Pidgeot is probably the tier's best phazer and can also use Reflect, Curse, Steel Wing, Toxic, HP Ground, etc effectively.


The Bulky Waters

Octillery
This Pokemon is countered according to its set. It is capable of beating just about anything if it has the right set. Unfortunately if it doesn't use Restalk, its flexibility sharply drops in most cases, thus limiting it to 2 attacks. Surf Return, Surf Ice Beam, Surf HP Electric, and Surf Flamethrower can all be used. It can wall Cursers by using Curse itself on a Surf/Curse/Return/Rest set, although Mr. Mime and Pikachu pose problems, as well as Grass types. Amnesia can also be used alongside another move, e.g. Rain Dance. Four attacks or three attacks and Protect are also decent options if you want to focus solely on damage output.

Dewgong
This Pokemon is tankier than Octillery but packs much less of a punch when hitting neutrally. It is also weak to Fighting and Rock, both of which are relatively common. Still, there are a lot of Pokemon beaten by the standard Restalk set. Also, despite the Grass weakness, Ice Beam handles Grass types aptly. It also has a few other options, including Encore and Perish Song. Overall it is not a bad glue Pokemon.

Mantine
Unfortunately for this guy, a large proportion of strong Pokemon in the meta can crush this with no worries at all. However, it is a full stop to a number of threats which will very scarcely bother to account for it.


The Rocks

There are a lot of Normal types in this tier and exactly one Steel and one Ghost type (not including Gastly..). Rock types can often contribute a lot to a team.

Shuckle
This Pokemon walls a massive proportion of the metagame, although it can struggle to KO much on its own. Most teams have a Rock and/or Water type and so they are not helpless. Due to Shuckle's lack of threat, it is fairly easily taken advantage of when Spikes are up, and is also an obvious opportunity to place Spikes as well. Any team should have a reasonably reliable strategy to deal with Shuckle, because it is great at creating opportunities for teammates by forcing Rests and switches.

Sudowoodo
High physical tankiness and solid offensive presence, especially against teams without Fighting types. It has a slight 4MS where it wants all of EQ Rest Selfdestruct and Curse, but compromises can be made according to the team. Any of the four can potentially be left off, and usually it will be Curse or Rest.

Graveler
Lower stats Sudowoodo but has STAB EQ and Explosion over Selfdestruct in exchange for being weaker to Grass and Water. Overall, this is probably not worth it. Can Rapid Spin.

Rhyhorn
Graveler but with Roar over boom and no Spin. Roar is a good move, especially against Cursetalk Lickitung, but overall I don't think he is a great choice.

Corsola
Corsola is unique among rock types in that it is not weak to Steel and has Recover. Players who depend on Steel coverage to handle Rock types will have issues with Corsola. However, beware of Grass attacks (such as HP Grass on Fearow), and Toxic. Corsola is also probably the best Raticate counter. Corsola's biggest problem is that it has a low threat level and allows Mr. Mime and potentially Pikachu to come in easily.


The Fighters

At a glance the Fighting types look very strong, but if they take too many hits they are forced to rest and typically end up trying to tank Lickitung, Dewgong, and Dugtrio. Still, they are not to be underestimated, especially as lategame sweepers.

Hitmonchan/Hitmontop

These two have high attack stats with strong STAB moves and useful typing against some of the meta. They are reasonably durable and have sweeping potential with Curse (or in rare cases, Agility), but it isn't too hard to force them to rest, and Curse Restalk has big coverage issues. Situationally, they can be very effective, and they do have good matchups against Pokemon like Lickitung, Fighting-weak Rock-types, and Dewgong. If it weren't for Mr. Mime and having to choose between HP Ghost and HP Rock, they would be top tier contenders.

Machoke
In theory could be a threatening baton pass receiver as it has Meditate and Cross Chop.


The Physical Sweepers

Physical offense is very important because of Mr. Mime and the distribution of Curse. Dugtrio and Fearow are probably the most well-rounded physical sweepers in the tier, but boosting sets are not particularly effective on them. Building a team around one of these sweepers can definitely be worthwhile.

Kingler
Kingler has a monstrous attack stat as well as Swords Dance and decent speed. Despite its low Special Defense, its Substitutes are not broken by Dewgong's Surf/Ice Beam, and Giga Drain's failure to work on Substitutes means a lot of Grass types also lack options to break it. Particularly effective with Paralysis, Kingler can sweep teams in the blink of an eye, doing massive amounts of damage despite not having a physical STAB. Definitely a threat to be aware of.

Stantler
Stantler has quite an impressive movepool and a fairly strong attack stat. Having Earthquake means that non-Shuckle Rock types are not as reliable, and Hypnosis or Roar provides strong utility that can counter basically any defensive Pokemon. Stantler's issue is its lack of resistances and low defense stats, which mean that Stantler must be played with care.

Raticate
Super Fang and high Speed are what sets Raticate apart from other Normal types. Almost nothing can handle Raticate particularly effectively, so it makes a great fit on more offensive builds. It can make holes in an opposing squad early game to enable other Pokemon to finish the job.


The Special Sweepers

Pikachu and Mr. Mime are the real special sweepers in the tier, and Octillery is another big special threat. However, there are some other special attackers of note.

Haunter
Haunter's typing and movepool are useful. It can threaten Mr. Mime enough with Shadow Ball such that it can't switch in safely, and it could explode at any time to take out a key threat or defensive wall. It can also use a Perish Trap set, but if your opponent is aware of it, it will lose a lot of effectiveness. It has to be very wary of Dugtrio, because it could easily allow it in and give Dugtrio a lot of breathing room. Like Corsola, it also benefits from people wanting to cover Shuckle with their Normal attackers in that it is weak to Ground but takes neutral damage from Steel moves.

Rapidash
Very high speed and a strong STAB Fire Blast as well as Hypnosis, but outside of those moves, severely lacking. Octillery being very strong is a major issue for Rapidash, because it has no way of dealing with it. Dugtrio is also everywhere and outspeeds Rapidash. It must choose between HP Ground / a normal move and HP Grass. It is useful to have against Grass types, but Grass types are not the biggest threat in the metagame.

Seadra
Water is a strong special attacking type in the tier, and Seadra with Agility can capitalise on that. So long as Mr. Mime and Pikachu are slightly weakened, this has a good shot at a lategame sweep. Dugtrio, which is often conserved until late, does nothing to stop this. Seadra also has the niche of being probably the best Kingler counter.


The Grass Types

Grass types in GSC NU suffer primarily from Mr. Mime's effectiveness against them. None of them handle it particularly well, although a couple of them can withstand plain Psychic spam at least temporarily. They do have their place in the metagame, however.

Tangela
Tangela has a fantastic movepool and usefully distributed stats. It can use a Growth set with Giga Drain and Hidden Power coverage alongside Sleep Powder or Stun Spore, or it can use a Synthesis set. It can be difficult for physically oriented teams to take out, and can potentially threaten a sweep under the right circumstances. However, despite resisting Thunderbolt and Surf, its SpDef stat lets it down when it comes to taking on Pikachu.

Sunflora
Sunflora's movepool in comparison to Tangela's is abysmal, however Sunflora takes special hits a lot better and still has instant recovery. It is possibly the most reliable Pikachu answer, but its utility outside of that is very low. Still, that trait makes it valuable on teams that aim to neutralise the opposing team's offense.

Parasect
Similarly to Sunflora, Parasect can tank Special hits reasonably well, however it also gets Spore and can potentially threaten Mr. Mime with STAB HP Bug. Its general damage output is worse than Sunflora's though, because aside from the SE hit on Mime, it hits nothing else, and its SpA is really low. Again, the trait of walling non-HP Fire Pikachu (which is the majority) is valuable to certain teams.

Bayleef
Bayleef has a few relevant moves in Leech Seed and Reflect/Light Screen.


The Spikers

Spikes are very valuable to certain teams, but it is perfectly viable to use a team without Spikes or Rapid Spin, which is arguably not the case in OU. They are more effective against defensive teams than offensive teams.

Pineco
Pineco is the better Spiker because of Explosion and decent Defense. The one downside is that it can't do anything whatsoever to Haunter.

Delibird
Can potentially freeze things and steal Leftovers.


Baton Passers and Recipient

I personally have struggled to get these strategies to work consistently, but they exist and have potential against unprepared opponents.

Ariados
Has somewhat useful typing and stats. It can even do some damage with Sludge Bomb and Psychic. Can pass speed or spider web.

Ledian
Can pass Speed and Defense, and also gets both screens. Arguably worse typing than Ariados and 0 attacking capability, but the ability to boost its defensive stats is invaluable given an opportunity.

Farfetch'd
Can pass Agility and/or Swords Dance. Stats are shockingly awful, but is still able to deal some damage with SD boosted attacks. Dugtrio with Swords Dance could be a real menace.

Cubone
Probably the best Agility recipient. Deceptively physically bulky and boosts to 792 Attack after one SD.

Eevee
Only Growth passer in the tier but a lot of stuff 2HKOs it so it can't really be used.


Niches

Status Spreaders

Arbok - Has great potential for lategame sweeping if the opponent's Dugtrio and Mr. Mime are out, also not bad at forcing them in. Can't really switch in flexibly so not the best at spreading paralysis with Glare.

Dunsparce - Dunsparce is mostly overshadowed by Lickitung but it has better odds of paralysing things and can use paraflinch effectively with Headbutt. It is capable of cursing or restalking.

Venomoth - 90 base speed sleep and paralysis spreader with just enough power to be annoying, but restalk waters in particular do not care much about it.

Persian - Fastest Hypnosis and can use Body Slam or Zap Cannon, but overall it seems like the best strategy it can pull off is just playing the odds with paralysis and Swagger.

Mr. Mime Counters

Mr. Mime is really strong so having Pokemon that can switch into it or Pursuit it is a valuable trait to some kinds of teams.

Murkrow - Outspeeds Mr. Mime and threatens it a lot, but cannot afford to switch into Thunderbolt or Thunder Wave, and is less effective against Light Screen Mr. Mime. If your team operates by paralysing Mr. Mime, you could have more success with pulling off the trap. The same problem applies to Haunter who nearly always has Thunderbolt and outspeeds Murkrow.

Sneasel - Outside of walling almost all Mr. Mime sets, this Pokemon's utility is pretty low. It doesn't get Pursuit for trapping Mime or it would be more popular. It can try to use a Curse set with Return and Hidden Power, or it can try using Shadow Ball with utility moves. Thanks to Moonlight it is actually pretty hard to take out sometimes. No matter what it uses, Fighting types force it out, and Rock types will force it out too unless you use HP Grass or something.

Houndour - Mr. Mime really struggles to damage this outside of Thunderbolt, so it has a good chance of chunking it hard as it runs away. However, he is slow and Thunderbolt often 3HKOs so it needs to be a little careful. It is not bad at chunking other Pokemon on the switch with Fire Blast.

Magnemite - Restalk Thunder HP Ice walls most Mr. Mime sets and threatens to 3HKO.

Other

Porygon - Has the niche of Curse and Recover, and has an okay movepool outside of that as well. Stats are lacking.

Dragonair - Has a lot of utility and nice typing. Can use Curse Extremespeed or Curse Body Slam, or just use special attacks and Thunder Wave. However, again its stats are lacking.

Xatu - Has a decent movepool, typing, and stats. In theory it could work but I don't think it actually contributes a lot to a team.

Azumarill - I have never seen anyone use this, possibly because I said it was bad. It has good stats but I don't think it can actually do anything without using Belly Drum first, which makes it really predictable. A lot of teams don't even have Pikachu so maybe it is worthwhile to find a niche for him.

Poliwhirl - Movepool is amazing but stats are lacking.

Flaaffy - Theoretical Pikachu counter but lets Dugtrio in.

Grimer - I could see this being annoying with the Explosion threat, but it has big flaws.

Snubbull - Only heal bell user.

Most other stuff isn't worthwhile.


---

Teams

As a foreword, many of these teams contain experimental or surprise reliant aspects. If you want to use them yourself, feel free to change the sets or Pokemon.

Offense (I used this vs Heysup in the semi finals)

Hide

Raticate @ Leftovers
Ability: Run Away
- Super Fang
- Iron Tail
- Double-Edge
- Hyper Beam

Fearow
Ability: Keen Eye
IVs: 28 Atk / 28 Def
- Thief
- Double-Edge
- Drill Peck
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Static
IVs: 26 Def
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Surf

Kingler @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
IVs: 26 Atk
- Swords Dance
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power [Steel]
- Substitute

Dugtrio @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
- Substitute
- Sludge Bomb
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide

Haunter @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
- Hypnosis
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Explosion

This team just piles on offense from turn 1. It is Dugtrio weak so you have to play with that in mind.


Spikes with defensive core (I didn't use this in the tournament)

Hide

Pineco @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
IVs: 26 Atk / 26 Def
- Spikes
- Explosion
- Toxic
- Hidden Power [Bug]

Shuckle @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Encore
- Toxic
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Tangela @ Leftovers
Ability: Chlorophyll
IVs: 28 Atk / 28 Def
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Sleep Powder
- Stun Spore
- Synthesis

Sneasel @ Leftovers
Ability: Inner Focus
IVs: 24 Atk
- Moonlight
- Curse
- Return
- Hidden Power [Ground]

Octillery @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
- Amnesia
- Surf
- Rain Dance
- Rest

Dugtrio @ Mint Berry
Ability: Sand Veil
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rest
- Thief

I wanted to try a Spikes Shuckle stall. Sneasel relieves pressure from Mr. Mime. Amnesia Octillery + Dugtrio has an interesting dynamic. The team has various aspects to allow it to put some pressure on defensive teams, but overall probably struggles to break certain builds.


Spikes Anti-stall (I used this in the finals vs MarceloDK)

Hide

Pineco @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
IVs: 26 Atk / 26 Def
- Spikes
- Toxic
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Explosion

Haunter @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
- Mean Look
- Perish Song
- Protect
- Destiny Bond

Pidgeot @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
- Double-Edge
- Whirlwind
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Dugtrio @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Substitute
- Screech

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Octillery @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
IVs: 28 Atk
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

This is a Spikes capitalisation team which kind of relies on surprise for Haunter to work. It can be used with a regular Haunter set.


Defensive Growth Tangela + Murkrow (did not use in tournament)

Hide

Pidgeot @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
- Reflect
- Sleep Talk
- Rest
- Double-Edge

Dugtrio @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Sludge Bomb
- Rock Slide

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Light Screen
- Thunder Wave

Tangela @ Leftovers
Ability: Chlorophyll
IVs: 26 Def
- Sleep Powder
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Shuckle @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Toxic
- Encore
- Wrap
- Rest

Murkrow @ Leftovers
Ability: Insomnia
- Drill Peck
- Pursuit
- Shadow Ball
- Toxic

TWave Mr. Mime + Murkrow + Growth Tangela have good synergy. I have Shuckle and screens on this team because I built it before being aware of the roll over glitch's application to Shuckle, but if you are playing with awareness of that I think it can still work.


Growth Tangela alternative version (did not use in tournament)

Hide

Pidgeot @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
- Reflect
- Sleep Talk
- Rest
- Double-Edge

Dugtrio @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Sludge Bomb
- Rock Slide

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Light Screen
- Thunder Wave

Tangela @ Leftovers
Ability: Chlorophyll
IVs: 26 Def
- Sleep Powder
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Octillery @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
- Surf
- Return
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Sudowoodo @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Self-Destruct
- Rest

Although this team has defensive synergy and strong Pokemon, it is lacking against teams with strong defensive cores. However, if you think your opponent is not going to bring a stall team it could work.


Physical Spam (didn't use in tournament)

Hide

Pidgeot @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
- Double-Edge
- Reflect
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Dugtrio @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Substitute
- Screech

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Light Screen
- Shadow Ball
- Thunder Wave

Stantler @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Happiness: 0
- Earthquake
- Frustration
- Hypnosis
- Curse

Kingler @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
IVs: 24 Atk
- Swords Dance
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Substitute

Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
IVs: 26 Atk / 28 Def
- Curse
- High Jump Kick
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Rest

This team tries to capitalise off screens with physical set-up spam. Stantler can be used to break through some walls.


Paralysis-based team (I used this up until the semi-finals)

Hide

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Light Screen

Kingler @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
IVs: 24 Atk
- Swords Dance
- Double-Edge
- Substitute
- Hidden Power [Ground]

Octillery @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
- Surf
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Return

Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Static
IVs: 26 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Lickitung @ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
- Body Slam
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Fearow @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
- Double-Edge
- Drill Peck
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

I built this after losing to a Kingler team against someone in the NU room and found it to be consistently effective, so I brought this team several times in the tournament. However, the last round that I used it in (vs Megazard) was difficult to win because my opponent had a lot of solid counters to my Pokemon (Houndour for Mime, Parasect for Octillery, Graveler for Fearow, Seadra for Kingler, Hitmonchan for Lickitung). I played aggressively but not safely and lost my Pikachu fairly early. In the end, I got a very fortuitously timed critical hit that relieved a lot of pressure and my generally stronger Pokemon were able to pull off the win, but I realised that it might be wise to bring a team with more outplay potential than just Pikachu.


Offensive Curse Octillery (didn't use in tournament)

Hide

Pineco @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Explosion
- Toxic

Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Static
IVs: 26 Def
- Thunder
- Thunderbolt
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Haunter @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Explosion
- Giga Drain

Dugtrio
Ability: Sand Veil
IVs: 26 Atk / 24 Def
- Earthquake
- Thief
- Pursuit
- Hidden Power [Rock]

Octillery @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
- Surf
- Curse
- Return
- Rest

This team is designed to set up a lategame Octillery sweep. It wasn't designed with the current metagame in mind but could still work alright.

I have other teams but none I think are worth posting.

I'm looking forward to playing more GSC NU and other GSC metagames when the opportunity presents itself.

 

[badabing]

import

Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt

Pineco @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
IVs: 24 Atk
- Spikes
- Toxic
- Rapid Spin
- Hidden Power [Ground]/Explosion

Shuckle @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
- Sandstorm
- Toxic
- Encore
- Rest

Corsola @ Leftovers
Ability: Hustle
- Sandstorm
- Toxic
- Surf
- Recover

DANILO (Dugtrio) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
- Substitute
- Screech
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake

Octillery @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
Happiness: 0
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Surf
- Frustration

this is the only squad i made that i think is defined enough to post. it's a pretty balanced team with a strong offensive wing and passable threat coverage. the governing trait of the build was manually invoking sand with the stally rock duo of shuckle + corsola, then utilizing the extra 12.5% chip damage in a couple of different ways. most notably, sandstorm reduces my defensive core's overall passivity, forcing rests quickly in conjunction with toxic to enable my hitters as well as punishing resting targets when i'd normally be unable to touch them. it also limits several sub mons and dissuades pika in particular from getting in on rest with proper timing. shuckle can take on a lot of the tier (especially when supported by corsola), so i wasn't too worried about the pressure being used against me or the strat itself hardly coming into play due to lack of distribution on my team. spikes was an obvious second addition and hp ground improves pineco's odds at spinning so i can potentially take advantage of double switching with residual in my favor across more matchups. i believe this prospect outweighs the utility of boom here, but the decision can change according to the opponent. subscreech dug was an ideal partner for this core and mime is mime. the seemingly random octillery gives me a look vs rocks/dug secondary, applies pressure in some key places (shuck/some waters/not mime fodder), and just generally synergizes as an already touchy threat with upped output. used curse restalk hitmontop there on an earlier version tho