Format Discussion Metronome Battle

Corn.exe said:
WE NEED TO FIND A COUNTER TO MIRROR HERB,PICKUP,AND IMPOSTER. THEY ARE RUINING THE META(AND MY CHANCES AT #1) PLEASE GIVE ME SUGGESTIONS. I"VE ALREADY THOUGHT OF MOLD BREAKER AND NEUTROLIZING GAS BUT HAVENT TRIED THEM
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Mirror Pickup is unfavoured into HO (esp forms without Intrepid like Plus/Minus Amphys) and Unaware, or can be teched with an item like Kee Berry that generally activates early and gets Pickup'd in place of Mirror Herb.

Imposter is a pretty terrible matchup into any defensive team ime.
 
shadwocorner said:
Anyone know how Trump Card works? Is it based on the remaining pp of metronome?
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According to Bulbapedia: “When Trump Card is called by another move such as Metronome or Assist, it will instead use the PP of that move with the same chart applying.”
1742053480425.png

assist battle when
 
why are stat doubling abilities like fur coat and huge power/pure power banned, but not ice scales? im not too familiar with how stats work and whatever but i feel like ice scales is basically just doubling the sp.def stat by halving special attack damage taken (please correct me if im wrong)

then again it could just be cause most moves from metronome are physical. oh well
 
Rank 1 accomplished!!


aaa (Pecharunt) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Ice Scales
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Metronome

aaaa (Pecharunt) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Ice Scales
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Metronome

stole the team from this thread idk how pecharunt is allowed but we ball!!
1742315562888.png
 
eriksp said:
Rank 1 accomplished!!


aaa (Pecharunt) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Ice Scales
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Metronome

aaaa (Pecharunt) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Ice Scales
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Metronome

stole the team from this thread idk how pecharunt is allowed but we ball!!
View attachment 723186
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funnily enough, i've been climbing up the ladder with almost the same set (covert cloak instead of weakness policy and one of the pechas at full speed evs and ivs, same natures tho) and i definitely agree that pecharunt is getting... out of hand, to say the least
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if not a full ban on pecharunt, then i think specifically banning ice scales on pecharunt could be a good start. its defense is crazy yeah but paired with ice scales is just too much (especially considering its poison status immunity that other bulky ghosts/tera ghosts don't have without pastel veil)
there could also be a full ban on ice scales but idk if it's that much of a problem outside of pecharunt
 
DIOderent said:
funnily enough, i've been climbing up the ladder with almost the same set (covert cloak instead of weakness policy and one of the pechas at full speed evs and ivs, same natures tho) and i definitely agree that pecharunt is getting... out of hand, to say the least
View attachment 723244

if not a full ban on pecharunt, then i think specifically banning ice scales on pecharunt could be a good start. its defense is crazy yeah but paired with ice scales is just too much (especially considering its poison status immunity that other bulky ghosts/tera ghosts don't have without pastel veil)
there could also be a full ban on ice scales but idk if it's that much of a problem outside of pecharunt
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i do feel like ice scales is similar enough to fur coat to warrant a ban, throughout my whole run i was hardly ever hit for over 50%
 
DIOderent said:
funnily enough, i've been climbing up the ladder with almost the same set (covert cloak instead of weakness policy and one of the pechas at full speed evs and ivs, same natures tho) and i definitely agree that pecharunt is getting... out of hand, to say the least
View attachment 723244

if not a full ban on pecharunt, then i think specifically banning ice scales on pecharunt could be a good start. its defense is crazy yeah but paired with ice scales is just too much (especially considering its poison status immunity that other bulky ghosts/tera ghosts don't have without pastel veil)
there could also be a full ban on ice scales but idk if it's that much of a problem outside of pecharunt
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2nd i leave everyone like lets take the number 1 spot
 
I think discussion on the ban is interesting. Out of all the climbs to 1500 I have done and made my bot also do, the fastest was actually double specs plus minus ampharos, not double pecha, with pecha veno also getting it faster than double pecha. Also looking at usage stats pecha dropped in feb compared to january (even though I see it going up again this month simply based on the people I see climbing ladder). It's a difficult call, because through the hundreds of games I've tested and had my bot play it's really hard to determine if its actually the best team (double pecha), it is overall the most consistent (maybe tied with some bliss stuff). Weakness policy variants are also just super easy to counter if you are not afking ladder and quickly switch into a pickup mirror herp when you know you will que into one.

However one issue of banning I want to bring up is how a ban is decided upon. I'm actually on board with ice scales getting hit for the record, but around 2 months ago we had someone trying to push for a pecha ban instead which was quite nonsensical when you can slap ice scales on certain mons and also up their winrate. Which is why I wanted to discuss how bans happen/who gets to decide. I was told in the past Ivy gets the final say since they are the format creator from what I understand, but I've also messaged them over 50 days ago with questions on banning and also establishing some community for this format outside this forum and have yet to receive a response. I've done my best to advocate for some discord or at least for some way to get together as a community and have these discussions but there is clearly not enough interest or follow-through. Having a council obviously kinda a joke for this format, but at the same time I don't think a ban should be up to one person to decide based on what is judged as the vague community sentiment. Not really sure where to go from here. At a personal level I am for the consideration of an ice scales ban, but as some others have suggested overall the last few months there are other potential solutions such as unbanning of some borderline previous things for testing before committing to yet another ban. It just boils down there not being enough community interest and people just dropping by for a few weeks before ditching the format, which is fair, but doesn't help much when most people copy one team they find, run games with it and claim it is broken (not trying to aim this at anyone specifically), but the reality reflected on the forums is also just not necessarily the reality reflected on the ladder depending on who is playing at the time.

I think it comes down to how people see the format. Is this a for fun, silly format? If so then there is no need for large scale meta consideration or banning, just play the fun silly metronome mode. Is there a need to consider something more than that? Then we should have some proper community oriented way to make these decisions.
 
Game Brain said:
I think it comes down to how people see the format. Is this a for fun, silly format? If so then there is no need for large scale meta consideration or banning, just play the fun silly metronome mode. Is there a need to consider something more than that? Then we should have some proper community oriented way to make these decisions.
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I don't think that Metronome being a goofy format that people play for fun would make meta discussion and bans unwarranted. It would just mean that you need to consider them differently, through the lens of community enjoyment rather than necessarily balance. Either way, I agree that trying to foster a proper community around this mode would do wonders.
 
Tapler said:
I don't think that Metronome being a goofy format that people play for fun would make meta discussion and bans unwarranted. It would just mean that you need to consider them differently, through the lens of community enjoyment rather than necessarily balance. Either way, I agree that trying to foster a proper community around this mode would do wonders.
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I fully agree, the first part of that paragraph is sarcastic, and the approach of balance here shouldn't be the same as main formats. I spend a lot of time theorycrafting and testing for this format and even put in the time with a friend to make a bot for testing, I really care for it. I just don't know what to do more than what I've done to try to get people on board for a more centralized community space.
 
ss tamaki top 3.png


Did a quick run to 1500 with pecha bliss since its been a minute since I laddered with hard meta, and it feels really good to use right now not gonna lie. I attempted to counter-que double pickup herb once or twice into double pecha but the truth is the team does well enough into it that aiming to counter que is only worth it if there are 3 people on ladder so you can guarantee the matchup every second game (and alternate correctly). Here’s the team for all purposes:

1743208338446.png

Roze (Pecharunt) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Ice Scales
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Metronome

1743208358620.png

Raye (Blissey) @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Imposter
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Metronome

Pecha usage rating will def skyrocket during this month’s stats. I will say one interesting team I’ve had the bot running is terra grass ice scales iron hands with flower veil veno (specs veno, band hands). Bot was one win away from 1500 but I can’t really recommend the team overall since it varies really really heavily, with the bot finding itself mid 1300s very often.
 
Incredible new discovery that will shake up the metronome format forever! Gone are the days of Pecharunt with a new king having arrived. 100% win rate (or loss rate) guaranteed team to make ladder climb easier than ever. Don’t believe me? Look at the results yourselves:
aprilfirstgamer.png


Now you may be wondering, how can a team be this consistent, this masterful? I present to you the missing link of this format:

1743525800391.png

Shedinja @ Flame Orb
Ability: Slow Start
Level: 1
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 HP
Serious Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
- Metronome

1743525808080.png

Shedinja @ Flame Orb
Ability: Slow Start
Level: 1
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 HP
Serious Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
- Metronome

Now that I have unleashed this team, there is no going back. Prepare yourselves because the ladder experience will never be the same again.
 
DIOderent said:
why are stat doubling abilities like fur coat and huge power/pure power banned, but not ice scales? im not too familiar with how stats work and whatever but i feel like ice scales is basically just doubling the sp.def stat by halving special attack damage taken (please correct me if im wrong)



then again it could just be cause most moves from metronome are physical. oh well
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Frankly I would say it kind of comes down to being introduced in Gen 8 instead of being banned by default and subsequent indifference for it until later on.

I would like to celebrate a merry April Fools' (poisson d'avril) day and pray you all can enjoy its typical wisecracking candors by spontaneously expressing an audible reaction of amusement in response, as well as celebrating Metronome Battle’s sevenfold anniversary. Today I decided to follow in a certain serial letter K critic’s footsteps and test my own abilities to avoid usage of words involving a particularly dear and indispensable letter to me. It may be a truly difficult ordeal, and I may be bound to commit many errs during my attempts, but I will resort to even ripping out my keyboard sockets to fulfill my goal (not really, I just write, review, and edit afterwards, because it really does keep coming up unconsciously).

Quotes as above, numbers, and minisprite codes will be exempt, but will only be applied in necessary and traditional cases. I will ideally avoid exploiting emojis and images to get around my self-imposed exile. I will also note any resemblance to current coincidal events currently coinciding is purely coincidental and is not a reaction in and of itself towards any particular opinion.

Usage stats for mars (le troisième mois de l'année 2025) will attempt to be covered as normal, even as writing my last sentence immediately caused some regret for committing to my decision and kind of feels like a copout, but I don’t want to spend all day on describing an arbitrary alternating segment of around four weeks.

www.smogon.com/stats/2025-03/gen9metronomebattle-1630.txt
www.smogon.com/stats/2025-03/moveset/gen9metronomebattle-1630.txt

Total battle count’s been increasing back again to a sizeable 37218, a pleasant surprise of note.

mars 2025: 1630-biased top 10 + last moon positions

#1: evil fruit (no difference) :pecharunt:
#2: a certain intrepid beetle (no difference) :heracross-mega:
#3: Mega Denryu (#4) :ampharos-mega:
#4: an imposter I will not leave unaccounted for (#3) :blissey:
#5: Mega Venusaur (no difference) :venusaur-mega:
#6: Iron Palms (no difference) :iron hands:
#7: Ting-Lu (no difference) :ting-lu:
#8: Mega Gengar (no difference) :gengar-mega:
#9: Guzzlord (no difference) :guzzlord:
#10: Mega Sableye (no difference) :sableye-mega:


You may observe a notable lack of differences, aside from a certain woolly dragon overtaking Blissey, ergo I need not elaborate once more about similar reasonings. Still, looking beyond just a top 10 reveals many more rearrangements, including a certain infamous electric ox taking a surprising #11 placement as an underdog alongside a certain purple nectarine-type mon in #1, maintaining a steadily increasing 509 raw uses (moveset file), as well as Dragapult making it to #13 after not being mentioned for quite a period of time, featuring its typical odd variety of items and abilities (Clear Body and single-move-locking items especially). One more name standing out to me is Darkrai placing at #23 unaccompanied by any particular fanfare as well, seeming to be following Ice Scales’s trending success alongside an aforementioned poisonous puppeteer as a teammate, as well as Flame Body Zygarde in #29 working alongside a certain electric lamb. I guess an additional notable occurrence is Rotom-Water’s usage plummeting, marking a lesser influence of a certain tera-Stellar laddering bot named after a mon named after a certain potamus-type animal of uncooperative etymology. For a lack of better words and content to speak of, I may just spout random filler until I get to my next point. Well, I just did.

Moving along into a certain moveset file, viability ceilings (peakest GXE peak of a user of a mon to peak at) start peaking at 83 featuring Dusclops alone running classic bonkstall Friend Guard/Eviolite alongside Type: Null. Next at 81 is a certain sweet and pitted event mon I’m running out of synonyms for, following popular Ice Scales/Weakness Policy trends as seen in above posts. Next is a triple tie for 80 between a certain iron robot sumo wrestler (Magic Guard/Mirror Leaf leading, Guzzlord partner), Mega Sableye (varied partners like Slowbro and a certain bug no one beats in Attack), and an undead Zoroark forme from Legends: Arceus (Good as Gold/Blissey partner). Following at 79 is a second triple tie of Imposter Blissey, Raging Bolt (Competitive/Magic Bounce and Venusaur/Dondozo usage about even), and Basculegion (Defiant mainly, Specs/Clear Amulet close usage). I’ll add it’s specifically male Basculegion, just not denoted by default, because Basculegion-F is its own listing I almost missed. Last up at 78 completes a triple triad of familiar top rankers, like a certain attack-stacking bug, Mega Venusaur (Flower Veil overtaking Magic Bounce again), and Ting-Lu (more Ice Scales/Weakness Policy usage), rounding it all out.

I guess I don’t really need to say anymore from now, fortunately able to limit myself to get towards a verge of ending a convoluted gimmick post. I admit I don’t really play lately, but I appreciate everyone contributing posts to keep format discussion alive over time, and I am grateful for your reading.
 
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