I’d change this to Smack Down + Earthquake or Gravity + Earthquake. You get hard walled by Ground immunities otherwise, and you can help support your team if you use Gravity to increase the accuracy of your moves.
Looks pretty fun, but (imo) it def struggles w speed despite being Jolly and 252 Evs, only being 262 speed after both. A lot of mons outspeed it, so you either need TW to make it outspeed everything (which gets clunky when you also need to set up grav), TR (Which has the same problem as TW) to outspeed everything thats NOT a tank, or pray that your facing against a slower team. Additionally, Flapple reallly doesn't like Steel types, as they resist 3/4 of it's moveset, so a bulky steel type that also resists dark (Such as Kingambit or Tinkaton) walls it, forcing it to pivot and effectively burn a U-turn.
Flapple @ Muscle Band
Ability: Hustle
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Grav Apple
- Dragon Rush
- U-turn
- Sucker Punch
Flapple can be a powerful force under Gravity. Grav Apple into Dragon Rush while Gravity is up makes it an incredibly deadly combo. Grav Apple has 120 BP and lowers the target’s Def. With Hustle, Muscle Band, and Dragon Rush under Gravity, Flapple ends up doing massive amounts of damage.
252 Atk Muscle Band Hustle Flapple Grav Apple (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Heatran: 67-80 (17.3 - 20.7%) -- possible 6HKO
252 Atk Muscle Band Hustle Flapple Dragon Rush vs. -1 252 HP / 4 Def Heatran: 170-201 (44 - 52%) -- 74.2% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
You’re dealing at least 73% to Heatran after Stealth Rocks.
Very few things can withstand a Grav Apple into Dragon Rush. In cases where you do find something that can tank one hit, they likely can’t tank it twice. And if they can tank 2 hits and also outspeed, you have Sucker Punch.
While under Gravity, Flapple is extremely hard to switch onto. Most Fairy types aren’t answers either unless they so happen to resist Grass and can tank a Sucker Punch afterwards.
I’d say this is strong, but balanced out by needing to set up Gravity.
These are some examples of pretty strong teammates to use in Gravity teams. Iron Crown being able to set Gravity and threatens Fairy types extremely well. Ground types and anything with low accuracy moves appreciates Gravity support too.
was going to use aqua jet during trick room to kill the 
in front of it before it could fire off any status moves (like screens) that would make sweeps or partial sweeps harder. Instead it outsped (¿outslowed?) me and used Fake Out + Parting Shot to deny me that turn and gain momentum. Lowest prio in that link is 1, right (Same as Aqua Jet)? If I'm right about this, shouldn't Aqua Jet have gone first? Min Speed is slower (Read: Faster under TR) than a same level Grimmsnarl can ever be unless it's running a speed lowering item like 
, 
, or "power" items like 
. had exactly 188 speed and was holding a speed-halving item to trigger a speed tie... which makes zero sense in a real game, especially since the chat makes it seem like my opponent actually wanted to win.
did not let it outprioritize Extreme Speed (Which fake out is usually supposed to do). Seems like a very specific bug...
I had a similar case happen to me just now. I used Bullet Punch into Rillaboom when I was for sure slower but the Fake Out Glide link went off first. The terrain healing at end of turn verifies the speed order.In This Game, my Min Speed (94)
Except I know that can't be the case because later after what first seemed like an early ragequit, the opponent came back and outsped Aqua Jet with Prankster AGAIN, but this time outside of trick room (Before actually ragequitting once full paralysis didn't kick in).
I was very careful to click aqua jet the first time in the corner furthest from other moves like play rough, so I'm really skeptical that it could've been a misclick. That said, if this is neither a misclick or a buggy interaction, the only explanation I can think of is that
Any help?
Update: Someone ran a Test Game and it's definitely not a case of me misclicking play rough. They also tested to see if "fake out + prankster status move" was actually using fake out's priority instead of parting shot's but that wasn't the case either since using it against a
Can you remove the obnoxious formatting please, it’s hard to triage bugs when I can’t parse the first sentenceIn This Game, my Min Speed (94)
Except I know that can't be the case because later after what first seemed like an early ragequit, the opponent came back and outsped Aqua Jet with Prankster AGAIN, but this time outside of trick room (Before actually ragequitting once full paralysis didn't kick in).
I was very careful to click aqua jet the first time in the corner furthest from other moves like play rough, so I'm really skeptical that it could've been a misclick. That said, if this is neither a misclick or a buggy interaction, the only explanation I can think of is that
Any help?
Update: Someone ran a Test Game and it's definitely not a case of me misclicking play rough. They also tested to see if "fake out + prankster status move" was actually using fake out's priority instead of parting shot's but that wasn't the case either since using it against a
- Priority abuser number one, Iron head + Assurance is a great nuke that can tear through annoying mons like ,,
, and
having a strong Sucker Punch in general is extremely nice, especially against threats thatcan't handle like
and. Swords Dance allows it to reverse sweep extremely easily, gaining enough power to destroy mons even through screens, and in general the defensive utility of this mon is nice, as this team doesn't have any Ghost resists or specially bulky Dark resists otherwise.- Arguably the most useful mon on this team, Fake Out + Grassy Glide is an extremely strong combo that shuts down nearly every mon. You can killbefore screens ever go up, destroy any would be sweepers, stall out turns of Trick Room or weather, all while not even being choice locked. Setting Grassy Terrain is also extremely useful for this team, since this team relies on its mons taking a few hits having extra passive healing allows for a lot more setup oppertunities or times where an OHKO becomes a roll or 2HKO.- Ever dealt 48% to your opponent just for switching in? With setup being nerfed a lot of mons rely on dual attacks, and as such, a mon that was already very good in the setup meta, now often can almost kill enemies simply by existing. Spikes + Dragon Tail is great for getting rid of mons trying to set up on, and Stealth Rocks are in general useful for chipping opponents down into Range of aSucker Punch or a Body Press, and Earth Power hits a large amount of potentially annoying foes. Garchomp's excellent bulk makes it really nice to take out any important threats, it can sit onand obliterate it with an Earth Power, chip down opposingwhile getting hazards up, and deal with annoying pivoters like
.- "What if we gave victory dance" - statements dreamed up by the utterly deranged.is both a premier hazard remover and an extremely threatening setup sweeper, being able to both remove pesky hazards and become extremely threatening all in one single turn. Headlong Rush + Ice Spinner deals with 99% of threats, especially at +1, and Bulk Up makes you able to tank most common types of priority. Sitrus Berry allows you to more easily tank many dual attacks like Iron Head + Assurance from Kingambit while staying out of priority range, allowing you to get a sweep off much more easily.- "What if we made Gen 1 Mewtwo that can attack and boost simultaneously" - statements dreamed up by the clinically insane. does exactly what you expect it to do, tanks a hit and starts obliterating everything with IDBP. Crunch and Heavy Slam deal with most threats that Body Press doesn't deal with, 
,
,
,
,and other ghosts/fairies that would otherwise stop a sweep, and Lum Berry helps against the bevy of status from foes like
,, or. Being extremely fast is also nice, allowing this team to not simply die to strong fast priority users like .- Probably the least important mon on this team, this used to be a
(and the variations of this team that I see on ladder usually still run) but I didn't see enough hazard removal to need a spinblocker that much,simply steals games extremely easily while also acting as a defensive wall for certain foes that would otherwise 6-0 this team like. Covert Cloak makes you extremelyresistant and preventsfrom being able to kill you with a few lucky flinches(although watch out for crits though, they call these sets crit magnets for a reason) - Whileanddeal with it decently well, if webs are up and your clefable is chipped it can still be extremely threatening. - Certain webs teams simply do not ever allowto spin, which normally isn't that bad with the double priority but certain foes like the aforementionedbecome a lot more threatening ifcan't check them.
- Better start praying for Flame Body odds since literally every sweeper here gets stopped by enough burns + roar.
helmet, ghost types, mons still faster than a +1 tsareena, dont let it get the free turns necessary to endure into endeavor spin, and quick claw (do not try at home)
This strategy only works if your opponent just lets you do it.
Assurance:
Belly Drum:
Dragapult:
Electric Terrain:
Endeavor:
Heat Rock:
Hoopa-Unbound:
Iron Moth:
Light Clay:
Quick Claw:
Zamazenta:Assurance is really good, but I would'nt call it broken. Its really only a problem at all on Weavile and Gambit, and Weavile's hone claws Taxel set is comparable in power anyways.Linked Survey!
Click HERE to respond to the survey. Feel free to discuss publicly!
Survey closes March 15 11:59 P.M. -5.
Watchlist Update
When set into the second moveslot, Assurance reaches 120 BP (before STAB) with no drawbacks. The move’s raw power has made it become the premier Dark STAB of choice in the fast paced games of the Linked format, even over Knock Off, getting more value from pure KO potential over the utility of removing items. The most notable user of Assurance is Kingambit, but other Dark types such as Weavile, Tyranitar and Lokix can also make great use of Assurance as well.
If Assurance were restricted from being linked, the Dark types would become a little less strong in general, defaulting to other weaker options.
Belly Drum is limited by distribution on low to mid speed-mons. Users offen require speed support, and while Belly Drum often thuds into the popular Unaware-mons, it can be extremely potent on the right builds, such as Trick Room Azurmarill or Iron Hands.
The fastest mon in the format. No one set is especially overwhelming, but the danger lies in Dragapult’s variety of options. The Will o’ + Hex set answers are completely different than Dragon Dance + Dragon Darts, or Sub + Dragon Dance or Sub + Thunder Wave. Pult is also great screen setter, the best Sunny Day setter, or can utilize attack + U-Turn to pivot. It can bypass Screens and Subs with Infiltrator, or it can block Parting Shot with Clear Body. Pult is all around challenging to predict.
Quark Drive mons were the dominant force in the earliest version of the Linked meta, but that was when Booster Energy was legal. duckycrater laid out a persuasive argument as to why Electric Terrain did not need restricted in the same vein as Sunny Day, largely owning to Rillaboom emerging as a strong meta presence, as well as the Quark Drive mons being vulnerable to priority. While it can be argued priority spam should not be mandatory for ladder success, Rillaboom and priority in general are indeed meta-defining.
On one hand, detricated ETerrain setters are generally worse than Dragapult is at setting Sunny Day. Many electric types only have Volt Switch as a pivoting move, so mons like Regieleki need Explosion to grab momentum against Ground types. Mew and Zapdos have U-Turn, but are not especially fast and thus become a vulnerability against Taunt users, or simply being outsped and KO’d.
One the other hand, if unrestricted, Iron Moth, a fantastic breaker with its Acid Spray + Fiery Dance set, would become overwhelmingly threatening once again, and would likely require an individual ban. Similarly, Iron Valiant could self set more viably, even linking ETerrain together with Calm Mind for a pseudo-Quiver Dance.
We encourage you all to pine in if you believe Electric Terrain was premature in being restricted. If the consensus is strong, we may be moved to reconsider.
The priority immune Tsareena has surprisingly emerged as a meta threat with an innovative Endure and Salac Berry set, followed up with a linked Endeavor + Rapid Spin to OHKO anything that isn’t a Ghost type or holding Rocky Helmet, while simultaneously accruing more speed boosts and clearing the field of hazards. Endeavor has also seen other uses in mildly cheesy Curse, Final Gambit or any random attack strats for quick breaking. Is Endeavor mere quirky meta cheese or a legit threat? You decide.
How does sun feel as an archetype at this point? Restricting Sunny Day only limited Sun teams a single turn of momentum loss, however, the loss of Chlorophyll does limit greatly the archetype’s speed advantage. If sun still feels overbearing, banning Heat Rock is the logical next course of action.
Hyperspace Fury + Lash Out is pretty unwallable, and Hoopa’s middling speed can be patched up by any of Trick Room, Tailwind, Sticky Web or paralysis support. Despite this, it is always vulnerable to being revenged by priority.
The moth cannot gain a Quark Drive boost nearly as easily as before, yet it remains a solid breaker with Acid Spray and Fiery Dance. Unlike main breakers, it does have unable defensive checks in things like Heatran, Skeledirge, and Goodra-H, or something as simple as Covert Cloak. Its speed isn’t so great that it cannot be forced out by something faster or priority.
A few people have brought up double screens, and specifically Light Clay, as deserving being watchlisted given how it enables bulky set up. However, screens may be considered the defensive ying to linked attacks’ yang. There are many options for counterplay to screens including Defog, Court Change, Tidy Up, Focus Energy, Brick Break, Psy Fangs, Dragapult, Ogerpon, Hoopa and simply boosting or attacking twice. If a majority finds screens oppressive, we will consider tiering action.
Many players on ladder have been infuriated by this luck based item. Quick Claw has emerged as a go-to for bulk mons like Kingambit, Ursaluna and Iron Hands, who are willing to roll the dice for the chance a speed advantage. The proc rate remains the same as standard play, but the rewards for a proc with linked moves is doubled, especially effective given the relative frailty of the format. It only takes one lucky (or unlucky) activation to tip the scales, and evasion strats have been banned for worse odds.
The second fastest mon in the meta. While it is much more linear than Dragapult, with Iron Defense + Body Press being its only real set, it basically shuts down all physical attackers and can snowball through any team lacking a Ghost, Unaware, Scarf or special priority. Keep in mind, Zam does have nice meta value in checking Kingambit and Weavile.
Assurance is fine on its own. I think only an issue on Kingambit with it having the highest Atk among Dark types, and Supreme Overlord letting it deal way more damage. Not to mention that Iron Head compliments Assurance well by hitting the Fairy types.Linked Survey!
Click HERE to respond to the survey. Also feel free to discuss publicly!
Survey closes March 15 11:59 P.M. -5.
Watchlist Update
When set into the second moveslot, Assurance reaches 120 BP (before STAB) with no drawbacks. The move’s raw power has made it become the premier Dark STAB of choice in the fast paced games of the Linked format, even over Knock Off, getting more value from pure KO potential over the utility of removing items. The most notable user of Assurance is Kingambit, but other Dark types such as Weavile, Tyranitar and Lokix can also make great use of Assurance as well.
If Assurance were restricted from being linked, the Dark types would become a little less strong in general, defaulting to other weaker options.
Belly Drum is limited by distribution on low to mid speed-mons. Users offen require speed support, and while Belly Drum often thuds into the popular Unaware-mons, it can be extremely potent on the right builds, such as Trick Room Azurmarill or Iron Hands.
The fastest mon in the format. No one set is especially overwhelming, but the danger lies in Dragapult’s variety of options. The Will o’ + Hex set answers are completely different than Dragon Dance + Dragon Darts, or Sub + Dragon Dance or Sub + Thunder Wave. Pult is also great screen setter, the best Sunny Day setter, or can utilize attack + U-Turn to pivot. It can bypass Screens and Subs with Infiltrator, or it can block Parting Shot with Clear Body. Pult is all around challenging to predict.
Quark Drive mons were the dominant force in the earliest version of the Linked meta, but that was when Booster Energy was legal. duckycrater laid out a persuasive argument as to why Electric Terrain did not need restricted in the same vein as Sunny Day, largely owning to Rillaboom emerging as a strong meta presence, as well as the Quark Drive mons being vulnerable to priority. While it can be argued priority spam should not be mandatory for ladder success, Rillaboom and priority in general are indeed meta-defining.
On one hand, detricated ETerrain setters are generally worse than Dragapult is at setting Sunny Day. Many electric types only have Volt Switch as a pivoting move, so mons like Regieleki need Explosion to grab momentum against Ground types. Mew and Zapdos have U-Turn, but are not especially fast and thus become a vulnerability against Taunt users, or simply being outsped and KO’d.
One the other hand, if unrestricted, Iron Moth, a fantastic breaker with its Acid Spray + Fiery Dance set, would become overwhelmingly threatening once again, and would likely require an individual ban. Similarly, Iron Valiant could self set more viably, even linking ETerrain together with Calm Mind for a pseudo-Quiver Dance.
We encourage you all to pine in if you believe Electric Terrain was premature in being restricted. If the consensus is strong, we may be moved to reconsider.
The priority immune Tsareena has surprisingly emerged as a meta threat with an innovative Endure and Salac Berry set, followed up with a linked Endeavor + Rapid Spin to OHKO anything that isn’t a Ghost type or holding Rocky Helmet, while simultaneously accruing more speed boosts and clearing the field of hazards. Endeavor has also seen other uses in mildly cheesy Curse, Final Gambit or any random attack strats for quick breaking. Is Endeavor mere quirky meta cheese or a legit threat? You decide.
How does sun feel as an archetype at this point? Restricting Sunny Day only limited Sun teams a single turn of momentum loss, however, the loss of Chlorophyll does limit greatly the archetype’s speed advantage. If sun still feels overbearing, banning Heat Rock is the logical next course of action.
Hyperspace Fury + Lash Out is pretty unwallable, and Hoopa’s middling speed can be patched up by any of Trick Room, Tailwind, Sticky Web or paralysis support. Despite this, it is always vulnerable to being revenged by priority.
The moth cannot gain a Quark Drive boost nearly as easily as before, yet it remains a solid breaker with Acid Spray and Fiery Dance. Unlike main breakers, it does have unable defensive checks in things like Heatran, Skeledirge, and Goodra-H, or something as simple as Covert Cloak. Its speed isn’t so great that it cannot be forced out by something faster or priority.
A few people have brought up double screens, and specifically Light Clay, as deserving being watchlisted given how it enables bulky set up. However, screens may be considered the defensive ying to linked attacks’ yang. There are many options for counterplay to screens including Defog, Court Change, Tidy Up, Focus Energy, Brick Break, Psy Fangs, Dragapult, Ogerpon, Hoopa and simply boosting or attacking twice. If a majority finds screens oppressive, we will consider tiering action.
Many players on ladder have been infuriated by this luck based item. Quick Claw has emerged as a go-to for bulk mons like Kingambit, Ursaluna and Iron Hands, who are willing to roll the dice for the chance a speed advantage. The proc rate remains the same as standard play, but the rewards for a proc with linked moves is doubled, especially effective given the relative frailty of the format. It only takes one lucky (or unlucky) activation to tip the scales, and evasion strats have been banned for worse odds.
The second fastest mon in the meta. While it is much more linear than Dragapult, with Iron Defense + Body Press being its only real set, it basically shuts down all physical attackers and can snowball through any team lacking a Ghost, Unaware, Scarf or special priority. Keep in mind, Zam does have nice meta value in checking Kingambit and Weavile.
