Metagame National Dex AG Metagame Discussion

[Pigeons]

art by Kaiju Bunny

Welcome to Sword and Shield Anything Goes! This thread will be used for all things related to the new metagame - theorymonning, metagame observations, and set sharing are all encouraged! Since we're entering a generation with some pretty unprecedented differences, I'll clarify exactly how AG is going to work this generation:

AG is going to be a national dex format from now on. Because of this, we are moving into the National Dex subforum, which is kind of under Other Metagames, it's not precisely a UM anymore.

CLICK HERE FOR AN EXPLANATION OF NATIONAL DEX BATTLE MECHANICS

New Pokemon / Early Metagame Observations:

Zacian
This dog looks like it'll be the defining offensive threat of the generation. Most sets will use the Crowned Form due to its stellar Fairy / Steel typing and phenomenal speed tier. Play Rough and Close Combat together hit most of the metagame neutrally, giving it plenty of flexibility in the last moveslot on a Swords Dance set. 4 attacks seems like a viable choice as well given how strong Zacian is even without a Swords Dance boost - additional coverage allows it to bypass potential checks like Toxapex and Aegislash.

Zamazenta
Unlike the other dog, this one looks terribly underwhelming. While it has superb stats in its Crowned Form and Base Form, Zamazenta lacks the tools it needs to take advantage of this. Without any noteworthy utility options, a defensive set seems underwhelming at best, while offensive sets pale in comparison to Zacian. It's possible a Howl set could act as a bulkier but slower boosting alternative to Zacian, but at the moment I'm not seeing much use for it.

Eternatus
Eternatus seems like it has some potential. Dragon / Poison / Fire coverage is phenomenal as we know from Naganadel, and Agility with its high SpA stat could make for a decent cleaner. It has some other interesting tools in its kit as well - a bulky attacking set with Toxic Spikes or Recover seem possible as well. Overall it's quite hard to say how Eternatus will fit into the metagame, so it's definitely worth exploring more!

Dynamaxing
Dynamaxing seems like a very interesting new mechanic. While the cover legendaries can't Dynamax, Pokemon like Excadrill or Zekrom can take fantastic advantage of Dynamaxing's mechanics. It's still not clear how the meta will stabilize around Dynamaxing but it seems like it will require players to be adaptable and consider what the optimal Pokemon to Dynamax is and when to Dynamax it.


Mega Rayquaza
AG's longtime staple will no doubt continue to be extremely viable. Choice Scarf sets seem very potent for their ability to revenge kill Zacian-Crowned, but other offensive sets will no doubt thrive as well. Mega Rayquaza might end up pairing well with Zacian-Crowned: the two cover each other's weaknesses and both hit extremely hard. If Mega Rayquaza knows Dragon Ascent, it will not be able to Dynamax, only Mega Evolve. However, it will not stop any other Pokemon on your team from being able to Dynamax.


Ho-Oh
Heavy-Duty Boots is a godsend for defensive Ho-Oh that allows it to bypass its biggest flaw: a 4x Stealth Rock weakness. Considering it also checks the new legendaries, Ho-Oh is likely going to be a defining defensive threat this generation.


Mega Gengar
This gets Encore + Nasty Plot now. Stall players can be heard sobbing violently in the distance.


Necrozma-Ultra
Gets Dragon Dance now so no more getting revenged by Mega Gengar or Scarf Mega Rayquaza. Ready your Dittos kids.


Zekrom
Hits the metagame hard with its STAB moves and gets Dragon Dance too.


Mewtwo
Mewtwo gets Nasty Plot now too. MMY can probably make good use of this since it's faster. Game Freak REALLY hates stall this gen it seems.


Ditto
In a world where everything is broken, Ditto shall rise from the ashes and deliver us salvation. Ditto will probably be mandatory on balance / stall to combat all the broken new offensive threats, plus it makes a great Dynamax abuser.


That's all - discuss away!

 

[AV Cosmoem]

These two are gonna get some cool benefits in this meta. HDB lets them avoid entry hazard damage, allowing them to keep their Multiscale abilities for as long as possible. This lets them be even better on stall.

This kinda fell off this gen. This just happened so the meta rn is Zacian/Eternatus/Ditto/Quagsire which is not good for it. Plus everything is super fast now so its speed tier is less important now.

Excited to see how this meta forms!

 

[Icemaster]

this is definitely the top mon now, ignoring rocks in huge and the ability to check Zacian, and switchin is so much more easily.

Heavy Duty Boots massively helps these as well and will probably allow defensive sets to become much more common on non stall builds.

best mega.
Nasty plot, encore are huge new toys it gets, allowing it to easily sweep things and just trap way more. This will be an overcentralising mon imo, way more than goth. At least Zacian outspeeds it.

With dragon dance, this now outspeeds MGar and Zacian, Scarf Ray, which is massive. While it loses some of the damage output, this is just so much harder to revenge.

Arceus Fire, Water, Ground are all going to be big as they can handle Zacian to an extent. Calm Mind sets are probably not so good due to their weakness to encore Gar or being revenged by Zacian, as well as the buff to Ho-Oh.

all these mons will likely benefit immensely from dynamax, with Yveltal being able to drop SpDef or boost speed, Xerneas KOing things like defensive Ho-Oh and Scarf/Specs Kyogre being able to reset rain or switch moves.

 

[masterball200]

This metagame will be exciting, I think Mega Ray + Zacian + Ditto will be very common, also due to the ability to Dynamax, a lot of mons like Xerneas (who can set up), Ho-oh, and Yveltal will get a lot better. Wait a minute...Zygarde-C can Dynamax...my goodness, here we go, defensive builds should rise in popularity too.

Let's go.

 

[Kong Harald]

I think national dex AG is a good idea, but I don't see why we should reintroduce all the mechanics that was removed in gen8 (Megas, Z-moves, removed moves like pursuit, old items etc). Sounds like a complete mess to me, and it also gives us stupid things like nasty plot M-Gengar, which obviously was never meant to exist. I think just including the old pokemon would be enough to make a fun and interesting tier. We still got plenty of new stuff to play with - dynamax, new items, and updated movesets. No need to remake the whole game. My 2 cents

 

[You_GotoGulag]

Zacian dethrones M-Ray as only AG exclusive mon. enough said. Also, where's AG Doubles?

 

[Pokedom10]

From the early looks of it, it will be a very fun "Everyone is Here!" kind of meta. Just throw everything we've got building up into one big vat and see what happens. I'm so excited I logged back in after like 4 years of inactivity!

Anyways very early thoughts:

Black Kyurem is finally busted. This thing finally has Ice type STAB, which means running Ice/Dragon/Electric/Filler is super easy to do, which is terrifying. Combined with Dynamaxing it can be pretty overwhelming. It also gets Dragon Dance now if you wanna go that route.

Hatterene is such a wonderful pick in this meta. It has great typing and pretty good bulk, but it also has amazing SpA. GMaxing it is almost a free sweep; it even sets Psychic Terrain to block Scizor, then kills said Scizor with Mystical Fire/Max Flare. It beats Ferro on the account of Magic Bounce and being slow as heck, plus Mystical Fire. GMax Smite is a free switch and can turn the match around fairly quickly if done right, but you can also just spam it. You don't even have to GMax/Dyna it for it to be effective.

Bisharp kinda sucks in other formats now that it doesn't have Knock Off and Pursuit. Here however it has them and is still good, even if a little frail.

Lando still oppressive.

Polteageist would be broken with Baton Pass, but as it stands it's a pretty good Shell Smash sweeper. I made the mistake of using Teatime on it. Don't use Teatime. It sucks. Salac Berry+Nasty Plot is literally just worse Shell Smash. It'd be better if it had Unburden but even then White Herb activates... yeah just don't use Teatime. In theory you could have scouted someone's item to be a resist berry and forced them to eat it early... but you're really stretching it there. Don't use Teatime.

 

[Eve]

I think national dex AG is a good idea, but I don't see why we should reintroduce all the mechanics that was removed in gen8 (Megas, Z-moves, removed moves like pursuit, old items etc). Sounds like a complete mess to me, and it also gives us stupid things like nasty plot M-Gengar, which obviously was never meant to exist. I think just including the old pokemon would be enough to make a fun and interesting tier. We still got plenty of new stuff to play with - dynamax, new items, and updated movesets. No need to remake the whole game. My 2 cents

Hard agree. We can be fairly confident that these mechanics wouldn't be accessible without Dexit- adding these components back into the meta would be immediately deemed as Mod material and disregarded if we had the game with all the mons. That's not even the biggest issue though. The integration of Z-Moves and Mega Evolutions within a Dynamax meta is an entirely subjective setup with no real pattern to set precedence (the existing case of Mega Rayquaza doesn't give any direct guidelines of how Dynamax should interact with the other two). With this, the reasoning for how things work and what things come back amounts to "because that's how we want it" which borders on Pet Mod territory. Natdex imo should stick to emulating how the game would be if it weren't for development constraints, and that doesn't include the missing moves or mechanics.

 

[gvmgvm40]

Hard agree. We can be fairly confident that these mechanics wouldn't be accessible without Dexit- adding these components back into the meta would be immediately deemed as Mod material and disregarded if we had the game with all the mons. That's not even the biggest issue though. The integration of Z-Moves and Mega Evolutions within a Dynamax meta is an entirely subjective setup with no real pattern to set precedence (the existing case of Mega Rayquaza doesn't give any direct guidelines of how Dynamax should interact with the other two). With this, the reasoning for how things work and what things come back amounts to "because that's how we want it" which borders on Pet Mod territory. Natdex imo should stick to emulating how the game would be if it weren't for development constraints, and that doesn't include the missing moves or mechanics.

It's not development constraints though, it's a deliberate decision. What is exactly the difference between adding removed Pokemon and adding removed moves? I'm not necessarily against having Pokemon (but not moves) brought back, I don't have a strong preference, but it's sorta pet mod territory and dependent on what the community wants to see either way.

 

[Eve]

It's not development constraints though, it's a deliberate decision. What is exactly the difference between adding removed Pokemon and adding removed moves? I'm not necessarily against having Pokemon (but not moves) brought back, I don't have a strong preference, but it's sorta pet mod territory and dependent on what the community wants to see either way.

Removing Pokémon is all but certainly a result of development issues due to issues importing models- the removal of the moves on the other hand is quite clearly a deliberate design choice. I'd honestly rather have the main AG be natdex but outside of that, keeping as "un-moddy" as possible seems desirable

 

[Bread Sandwich]

I thought I would mention an underrated threat in this meta. Dynamax kartana with aerial ace is absurdly powerful. I dont know how to do calcs for dynamax but dynamax aerial ace is incredibly powerful and boosts speed, one it gets going it is pretty much only stopped by ditto

The set:
Kartana @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Aerial Ace

Example replay:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8natdexanythinggoes-1016918060


Yes this post is low quality too lazy to put in effort

Edit:Also chloe used this set first

 

[MZ]

re: bringing back old mechanics and the points brought up by Ezaphs and Kong Harald

I personally would rather z-moves didn't come back, and I don't care about megas one way or the other. But when given the choice between being restricted dex or not, I chose not because restricted dex was going to be a pointless and dead meta. This just kind of comes with being national dex, they were already in national dex OU before we jumped on board. Frankly AG has always been a bit of a ridiculous sandbox regardless, it's a bit of an identity shift to become more of a pet mod but one I think people will get used to considering the things we've already put up with, particularly late ORAS meta. And being national dex at all *is* pet mod territory, there was no way to get out of that one. We have to decide how moves and abilities interact that were never meant to. But I still feel this was the right call for how AG ought to proceed. It's not 100% my ideal system, but a lot of national dex is catering to a large PS audience that didn't want their favorites removed and honestly this seems like a reasonable enough compromise.

As for missing moves being brought back, that also kinda just came with the territory but honestly I just don't care. We can assume it was intentional but honestly Return and Frustration could've been removed because they were too lazy to make the only happiness moves work right and they might've nixed some of the less relevant things out of sheer laziness and they might've considered Hidden Power too confusing, not competitively problematic. Assuming developer intent and using that to decide the format just doesn't make sense to me. And if Pursuit and Refresh existing is the final straw for someone when it comes to playing national dex formats, I'll be shocked. We've already brought back megas, this doesn't seem like a big deal in comparison.

I hope people understand that while the format might not be their platonic ideal, for literally any specific thing you want to happen there's someone else who is against that and we're just balancing the desires of a lot of people. I mean if this meta didn't have z-moves I'd be a fair bit happier but I can also accept their popularity. I'm still really excited for AG to go national dex and have a purpose for existing, and I hope people are able to have fun with the meta in the coming months.

I'd rather this line of discussion not continue here just because we should be discussing what the current meta actually is not what mechanics people want to see changed, but feel free to reach out to me for more.

 

[TheGeneralW0lF]

I thought I would mention an underrated threat in this meta. Dynamax kartana with aerial ace is absurdly powerful. I dont know how to do calcs for dynamax but dynamax aerial ace is incredibly powerful and boosts speed, one it gets going it is pretty much only stopped by ditto

The set:
Kartana @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Aerial Ace

Example replay:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8natdexanythinggoes-1016918060


Yes this post is low quality too lazy to put in effort

Edit:Also chloe used this set first

Can confirm, Kartana OP OP: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8natdexanythinggoes-1017301813

Also, now with the heavy boots and Zacian on basically every team, i think HO-OH (and/or counterplay against it) is a must on all teams

 

[Guard]

MGar is hands down the most influential mon right now. It traps Pokemon it has no business trapping whatsoever due to the addition of Encore and Nasty Plot. The scope of Pokemon it can trap is exponentially larger than previous generations (even including something like Yveltal if you encore it into Sucker Punch/Taunt/Toxic/Roost). The effects a mega evolved Gengar has throughout the course of a battle is more notable than any other Pokemon has had in the history of the competitive scene. A mega evolved Gengar makes it impossible for the opposing Pokemon to safely replenish its health, remove hazards, set hazards, use non-speed-boosting setup moves (mainly Swords Dance), use Normal or Fighting type attacks, use Substitute/Toxic/Screens/Cleric support etc., since MGar can at all times greedily swoop in, use Encore, set up to +6 and oftentimes end the game right there. Also, contrary to previous generations, MGar isn’t solely a trapper/revenge-killer anymore. It’s a trapper/revenge-killer (a much more potent one), wallbreaker, wincon and late-game cleaner packed in one, making it more potent than ever.

It requires a lot less skill than previous generations, with a signicantly higher viability ceiling than anything else, even (I daresay) Mega Ray. In any other metagame, I’d have urged an immediate quickban.

 

[AV Cosmoem]

played meta, new thoughts

This is the best set now. The average speed has gone up by a noticeable amount, and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza capitalizes on several threats it could not before, specifically Zacian. It can lure it in and easily defeat it, plus revenge kill it.
Basically the main factor as to why this meta is so offense heavy.
(ground) This is pretty good, considering the meta has switched to highlight many Steel-, Poison-, and Flying-type Pokemon.
broken
Ultra Necrozma switching to Dragon Dance and Mega Rayquaza switching to Choice Scarf makes it much easier for Yveltal to beat both threats.
Rapid Spin increases its speed so it can run Stealth Rock-Rapid Spin-Toxic-Earthquake now. Definitely the best rocks setter.
this is bad now

 

[GoodGame1324]

Necrozma-Dusk Mane is honestly really good. With the addition of dragon dance and dynamax, it has become literally the most unpredictable mon ever.

The best set probably rn is dragon dance base form necrozma, since you don't need to run 2 different moves to boost necrozma attack and speed (rock polish/trick room, and swords dance), you can now slot in an extra coverage move which could let necrozma beat many of its would-be checks to its original double dance set. Since Dynamax exists, oftentimes running a Z-crystal is often inferior to running another item, so necrozma-dusk can now afford to run items such as weakness policy or even leftovers. Base form necrozma is an excellent abuser of dynamax being really hard to kill between the double HP, prism armor, and max-steelspike and max-quake boosting defense and special defense, respectively. The only problem is with dragon dance is that it can't outspeed zacian even at max speed at +1, but this isn't too big of a deal since it resists both its STABs, although close combat does quite a chunk of damage.

Necrozma can still run defensive SR sets really well, and imo i feel like there is appeal to a physically defensive SR set, to beat zacian in exchange not being able beat arceus-ground.

As for ultra-necrozma, dragon dance allows it to run adamant nature, which somewhat offsets the lower boost. SD still can work though, since SD allows wallbreak better in general, like getting the OHKO with EQ on defensive pDon. But not being able to outspeed zacian, gengar-mega, and various scarfers after of boost, combined with how offensive the meta is, probably makes DD the superior option to SD.


EDIT: I think the optimal item for dragon dance necrozma might actually be shuca berry to prevent imposter ditto from stopping the sweep. It also has other nice perks like being able get more setup opportunities

 

[bigtalk]

@ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Judgment
- Recover
- Ice Beam / Will-O-Wisp
- Magic Coat

I haven't had time to play much lately but I wanted to point out this set's potential right now, in one slot you counter webs / semireliably switch into Zacian / mess with defensive Ho-Oh. Magic Coat also bounces back Encore from Mega Gengar which should force some mindgames if it comes in predicting Recover. This should be amazing glue for a lot of balances / bulky offenses.

(edit doesn't really protect against encore from mgar nvm)

 

[Chloe]

Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Hydro Pump
- Dragon Pulse
- Aura Sphere / Dark Pulse

this thing is "busted", ohkos almost the whole meta after a smash

+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 360-424 (110.7 - 130.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 52 SpD Ho-Oh: 536-632 (128.8 - 151.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 376-444 (112.2 - 132.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Ground: 696-818 (156.7 - 184.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Yveltal: 412-486 (104.8 - 123.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mewtwo: 442-522 (125.2 - 147.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Eternatus: 652-768 (154.8 - 182.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Rayquaza-Mega: 624-736 (177.7 - 209.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dragon Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Zygarde-Complete: 648-764 (101.8 - 120.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gengar-Mega: 324-382 (124.1 - 146.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Marshadow: 341-402 (106.2 - 125.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Aura Sphere vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Ferrothorn: 384-452 (109 - 128.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Shadow Shield Lunala: 556-656 (116.3 - 137.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

things that beat it:
- ditto: it's a set up sweeper, so this is bound to happen
- priority: lo mray espeed does a lot, you can change some speed evs to defense to help if this is common revenge killer for you
- pdon: can't ohko defensive variants with dragon pulse, requires chip beforehand
- support arc: stoise can't ohko if isn't ground/rock/steel/normal/fire/dragon; will need prior chip to ohko you back though

 

[Samtendo09]

Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Hydro Pump
- Dragon Pulse
- Aura Sphere / Dark Pulse

this thing is "busted", ohkos almost the whole meta after a smash

+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 360-424 (110.7 - 130.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 52 SpD Ho-Oh: 536-632 (128.8 - 151.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 376-444 (112.2 - 132.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Ground: 696-818 (156.7 - 184.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Yveltal: 412-486 (104.8 - 123.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mewtwo: 442-522 (125.2 - 147.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Eternatus: 652-768 (154.8 - 182.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Rayquaza-Mega: 624-736 (177.7 - 209.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dragon Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Zygarde-Complete: 648-764 (101.8 - 120.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gengar-Mega: 324-382 (124.1 - 146.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Marshadow: 341-402 (106.2 - 125.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Aura Sphere vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Ferrothorn: 384-452 (109 - 128.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Shadow Shield Lunala: 556-656 (116.3 - 137.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

things that beat it:
- ditto: it's a set up sweeper, so this is bound to happen
- priority: lo mray espeed does a lot, you can change some speed evs to defense to help if this is common revenge killer for you
- pdon: can't ohko defensive variants with dragon pulse, requires chip beforehand
- support arc: stoise can't ohko if isn't ground/rock/steel/normal/fire/dragon; will need prior chip to ohko you back though

I know that Mega Evolution is gone in official SwSh, but if it is kept instead and that Blastoise still have Shell Smash, it will quickly dethrone Ash-Greninja as the strongest starter. It will definitely need to take a risk to set up against an Uber - and that's definitely no easy task from what I can know about AG - but once it does, you really want a Ditto or the other counters that Chloe mentioned. A single Shell Smash means that none of the Legendary Uber would be able to outspeed this one shell of a Mega Evolution.

Mega Blastoise's actual Speed with maximum EVs is 255 (or 280 with a Timid nature), which doubles into 510 (or 560 with Timid nature). This means that not even Deoxys-Speed can outrun it! For comparison, Deoxys-Speed's maximum Speed possible with max EVs and Timid nature is 504... just six points short of Mega Blastoise's 510 Speed after a Shell Smash, which at this point Deoxys-Speed needs a Choice Scarf... and even then, Choice Scarf Ditto would still a better option does to copying Mega Blastoise's boost on top of Choice Scarf benefit. This really speaks volume about how Shell Smash can completely make Mega Blastoise a true Uber level of a sweeper.

Dynamax is also another solution since the doubled HP can be a real godsend, provided that you didn't used it beforehand or got one downed by a Dynamaxed Imposter Ditto. This will turn a OHKO into a 2HKO, allowing certain Uber Pokémon to fight back. For example, Dynamaxed Mewtwo can survive a boosted Hydro Pump and OHKO Mega Blastoise in return with Max Mindstorm (Psystrike makes 130 BP + STAB). Other notable Dynamax users such as Yveltal, Xerneas, and especially KyuB, will be able to OHKO Shell Smash Blastoise with their own Max Moves.

Finally, if you already set up with a speed boost, Mega Blastoise is already screwed; Ultra Necrozma, Xerneas, Zekrom and the likes will be able to put an end into it once their Speed is ramped up via Dragon Dance (or Geomancy for Xerneas), or Max Airstream for any Flying Ubers. Sending the wrong Pokémon against Blastoise, and had it managed to set up beforehand, however, only Dynamax or Ditto would end up being your most efficient solution. However, the likes of Mega Gengar, Mega Mewtwo X/Y and even Mega Rayquaza and Crowned Zacian cannot Dynamax, and MegaRay better set up first or use Extreme Speed, otherwise none of them would stand a chance against a boosted Mega Blastoise.

TL:DR; "busted" at first, but Chloe's mentioned counters, Dynamax and/or setting up before Mega Blastoise does is/are your best bet against it.

 

[IronedSandwich]

Ditto is among the best mons in the tier now. I don't want to say better than mray/mgar/zacian but it's up there as a revenge killer which can turn around to sweep.

Offense is now bigger. Mgar and necrozma's buffs have been huge, Dynamax has generally made defensive-balance pokemon less appealing and zacian is a new threat. This all adds to the value of a revenge killer on any kind of team.

Zacian-Crowned is one of the hardest hitters and biggest threats in the tier, but unless it can use Substitute to block it out Ditto counters it with Intrepid Sword and Choice Scarf.

Choice users in general are looking much better with Dynamax.

and Ditto was not a completely terrible revenge killer last gen, where positive attributes now more relevant include being able to reliably take down priority users like Marshadow and Mray without worrying about speed at the same priority and its ability to pick up speed boosts.

for checks Substitute is good, and bulky attackers like Pdon and offensive Ho-Oh can make use of its HP stat.

(probably a cold take at this point. It's #6 in the current -1760 stats)

 

[GoodGame1324]

After building quiet a few teams in this meta, I feel like both full stall and hyper offense are both quite bad at the moment.

Hyper offense is not that good since zacian is just so good vs offense, it outspeeds everything other than scarfers, resists many forms of relevant priority (think e-speed and sucker punch), and HO's options aren't that good to beat it outside of ditto and pdon. Pdon is HO's only switch, it pretty much can only do it once since most pdons on HO dont have much longevity, especially if pdon is used to set up rocks. Since zacian is just so good, it is almost always better than not to have your own zacian on HO, which while is undoubtedly a formidable sweeper, wallbreaker, revenge killer all in one package, however, big problems arise when your own zacian gets copied by a ditto. When that happens, oftentimes you are really screwed because then you would need to deal with an opposing +2 atk and +1 speed zacian that cannot be copied by your own ditto or be revenge killed by on of your scarfers (albeit its locked into one move, but unless you have a healthy primal groudon or necrozma in the back, you're still screwed).

HO feels really hard to play since everytime an opposing zacian comes in, unless you have a sweeper already set up, you are pretty much always going to get punished hard. While many there are alot of other mons that can punish HO hard for getting a switch in (like marshadow), zacian is different since it has very narrow counterplay offensively, since there is very little that can both outspeed it and KO it (its basically just ditto, scarf-ray, and scarf-ho-oh), as some of the supposedly best scarfers (as of last gen) like yveltal and xerneas can't KO it without significant damage on it.

Full stall on the other hand is heavily annoyed by gengar-mega, since now nearly all of them run encore, and full stall, without tyranitar, straight up loses if gengar run nasty plot+encore. Even with tyranitar, its not a guaranteed stop to mega gengar, if it is paired up with mons like ho-oh or yveltal where the stall team also needs tyranitar to check them, that can wear tyranitar down and force it to use rest. Other pursuiters, either cannot switch-in safely (marshadow) , or are just extremely bad the rest of the meta (alolan-muk).

While both of the playstyle i discussed have never been the best, the introduction of zacian and gengar recieving both nasty plot and encore just pushes for them to be near unviable, or at least requiring very high amounts of both teambuilding and battling skills to be played.

 

[bigtalk]

Built a couple of teams that are probably good enough to share here.

- Got me to around #40 on ladder
- Got me to #6 on ladder at the time of writing

 

[GoodGame1324]

I think i'll take a rephrase on my previous on how HO is terrible: only traditional HO is terrible now, I find that many most specialized versions of HO like dual screens, sticky web, maybe even trick room are still just as good if not better now.

 

[Geysers]

As I’m quitting mons, I figured I might as well dump my gen8 teams here.

vish tr: mostly untested, but super fun on paper.

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Staka 1 (Stakataka) @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
- Gyro Ball

Mag (which one?) (Magearna) @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Fleur Cannon
- Heart Swap
- Trick Room

Ndm (Necrozma-Dusk-Mane) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Earthquake
- Sunsteel Strike
- Rock Blast

Staka 2 (Stakataka) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Trick Room

Ray (Rayquaza-Mega) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- V-create
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Ascent

Vish (Dracovish) @ Choice Band
Ability: Strong Jaw
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Fishious Rend
- Low Kick
- Crunch
- Outrage

note: crunch on vish allows it to break shed by dynamaxing.

NDW tr: similar to the last one. Ndw breaks fat defensive walls.

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Staka 1 (Stakataka) @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
- Gyro Ball

Mag (which one?) (Magearna) @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Fleur Cannon
- Heart Swap
- Trick Room

Ndm (Necrozma-Dusk-Mane) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Earthquake
- Sunsteel Strike
- Rock Blast

Staka 2 (Stakataka) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Trick Room

Ray (Rayquaza-Mega) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- V-create
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Ascent

NDW (Necrozma-Dawn-Wings) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Trick Room
- Calm Mind
- Moongeist Beam
- Heat Wave

Pdon Tr: this team took me to 2nd fairly early on in gen8 and I would have peaked if not for irl stuff interrupting a key battle.

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Staka 1 (Stakataka) @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
- Gyro Ball

Mag (which one?) (Magearna) @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Fleur Cannon
- Heart Swap
- Trick Room

Ndm (Necrozma-Dusk-Mane) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Earthquake
- Sunsteel Strike
- Rock Blast

Staka 2 (Stakataka) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Trick Room

Ray (Rayquaza-Mega) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- V-create
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Ascent

Pdon (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Eruption
- Precipice Blades
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Ice]

A feeble attempt at stall- I figured that the combination of magnemite and shed invalidated like 90% of dmax users, so that would be a fun core to build around. The team turned out to be really shaky and unreliable tho.

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Shedinja @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Baton Pass
- Will-O-Wisp
- X-Scissor
- Toxic

Giratina @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog
- Rest
- Toxic

Magnemite @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 1
Happiness: 160
EVs: 116 Def / 236 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Volt Switch
- Protect
- Recycle

Sableye-Mega @ Sablenite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Fake Out
- Foul Play
- Recover
- Toxic

Arceus-Fire @ Flame Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Judgment
- Recover
- Roar

Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aromatherapy
- Soft-Boiled
- Toxic
- Confide

s/o Skarph for showing me the power of shedinja, even if I personally can’t build with it.

Bad MBlast team- I made this in a hurry following Chloe ’s post about mblast, and it’s mediocre at best.

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Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Hydro Pump
- Aura Sphere
- Dragon Pulse

Eternatus @ Black Sludge
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Recover
- Flamethrower
- Toxic

Corviknight-Gmax @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Iron Defense
- Roost
- U-turn
- Body Press

Zacian-Crowned @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Wild Charge
- Close Combat
- Play Rough

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
- Gyro Ball

Arceus-Dark @ Dread Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Defog
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp

No-just no.

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Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Low Kick
- Psycho Boost

Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psychic
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam

Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Dark Pulse

Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
- Dark Pulse

Deoxys-Attack @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Low Kick
- Dark Pulse

Tapu Lele @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Taunt
- Magic Coat

dual zygs again! Following my pathetic ladder run with double zygs last gen, I’ve always wanted to try building around them. This team isn’t great, but it’s usable.

ZYGS

Zygarde-Complete @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Glare
- Coil
- Rest
- Thousand Arrows

Zygarde-Complete @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Iron Tail

Gengar-Mega @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Encore
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball

Eternatus @ Black Sludge
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Recover
- Flamethrower
- Toxic

Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Transform

Ho-Oh @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Defog
- Whirlwind
- Sacred Fire

s/o whoever suggested that I use ho-oh. I don’t remember who tho, sorry.

Garbage!

bad team

Zygarde-Complete @ Metronome
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Block
- Dragon Dance
- Rest
- Thousand Arrows

Gothitelle @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Cosmic Power
- Rest
- Stored Power

Rayquaza-Mega @ Leftovers
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 34 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 218 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Substitute
- Whirlpool
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Ascent

Darmanitan-Galar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 98 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 154 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- U-turn

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Morning Sun
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic

Corviknight-Gmax @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Defog
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Roost

presenting vish webs. This team is super fun to use, but it’s crippled by vish’s inability to outspeed zac even after webs.

V I S H

Smeargle @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Nuzzle
- Taunt
- Sticky Web
- Rapid Spin

Dracovish @ Choice Band
Ability: Strong Jaw
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fishious Rend
- Ice Fang
- Low Kick
- Outrage

Rayquaza-Mega @ Life Orb
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Dragon Ascent
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed

Zacian-Crowned @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Behemoth Blade
- Close Combat
- Wild Charge

Kyogre-Primal @ Blue Orb
Ability: Primordial Sea
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Water Spout
- Origin Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Thunder

Aerodactyl @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Tailwind
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Tomb

An attempt to use dd kyub led to an abysmal bulky offense

kyub

Kyurem-Black @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Icicle Spear
- Fusion Bolt

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Precipice Blades
- Fire Punch
- Rock Tomb

Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Taunt
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- Sucker Punch

Zacian-Crowned @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Behemoth Blade
- Play Rough
- Close Combat

Kyogre @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Water Spout
- Ice Beam
- Origin Pulse
- Thunder

Lunala @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roost
- Moongeist Beam
- Will-O-Wisp

a generic HO, it’s not great, but it‘ll work-ish.

meh

Aerodactyl @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Tomb
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Defog

Zacian-Crowned @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Wild Charge
- Play Rough
- Close Combat

Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 168 Def / 252 SpA / 88 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psyshock
- Geomancy
- Thunder

Marshadow @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Shadow Sneak
- Spectral Thief
- Close Combat

Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Oblivion Wing
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
- Heat Wave

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Ultranecrozium Z
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Photon Geyser

these next two are variants of a team I built with YaBoiJD.

KOKO

Tapu Koko @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- Grass Knot

Zygarde-Complete @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rest
- Block
- Thousand Arrows

Eternatus @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Wave
- Dynamax Cannon

Rayquaza @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- Draco Meteor
- V-create
- Surf

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Power Whip
- Stealth Rock

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Toxic

nokoko

Zygarde-Complete @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Block
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Rest

Eternatus @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Dynamax Cannon
- Sludge Wave
- Flamethrower

Rayquaza-Mega @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Draco Meteor
- V-create
- Dragon Ascent
- Surf

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Protect

Corviknight-Gmax @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Iron Defense
- Defog
- Body Press

Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 168 Def / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 80 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast

This concludes my hopefully final smogon post. I’d like to take a moment to express my gratitude to most of the AG staff for being chill and not banning me for doing dumb stuff. I’d also like to thank Ransei for not infracting me for a brainfart which led to some dumb ghosting a little while ago. Also, thanks MDB and AnythingGoesLegend and YaBoiJD for being awesome, and GRNBLN for helping me with teams whenever I needed it. Lastly, I’d like to thank Game Moderator for making my favorite team ever, electriCITY. If there’s anyone significant whom I missed, I’m sorry. I’ll miss you people.

legimitate metagame talk

dynamax sucks. Tr is totally busted in the current meta since everyone’s running some variant of hyper offense. Trick room is amazing this gen, and hopefully staka can finally get ranked. Also, what the fuck was gf smoking when they made zacian. It’s just so centralizing. Lastly, all rays are basically obligated to run scarf, otherwise they’ll lose to zacian.

 

[HanSoloIndie]

Hi, would any of you guys be interested in a 5 paper analysis of Mega Rayquaza and Zacian-C. I wanted to discuss about their impact, and I wrote it on Google Docs.