RU National Dex RU

[Furret4ssb]

: I would disagree with this nomination given the performance Toxtricity is having in the tour. It's less a pokemon and more of a wake-up slap against teams that over-prep for Raikou but are underprepared for this mon. Defensive stats are lacklustre but they serve well enough against more defence-oriented teams. Nomming arguably one of the strongest breakers in the tier to the B ranks is something that deserves a little clarification, surely.

Imo the main thing holding this back is the massive amount of steelspam and the prediction reliance of it. It is decent if you want a pivot with breaking potential but being choice locked as an electric can be super annoying. This results in on paper being an insane breaker while in reality Tox gets walled easily by most rockers. Its nice for extra insurance against flying types like Crobat but gets worn down super quickly by rocks + uturn. Overall it does well against teams without a wall such as Coba builds but there will always be the risk the opponent brings a Mega Lix or Registeel and Tox is just walled forever.
Unrelated but:

Raikou @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Aura Sphere
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]​

This thing is the goat rn. Many traditional Raikou checks such as Seismitoad can get overwhelmed very easily by +1 fightz and setup is super easy with Crobat almost half of teams. The surprise factor is also great as most Raikous are just hdb pivot so the opponent may not even realize they are giving free setup.

https://pokepast.es/3ce192b216dcc816​

I also recently remade stall for probably about the 6th time at this point lol. The build is kind of weird (as always) so here are the roles of each of the members:
- I started with umbreon because the main reason I remade it was to see if it improved now with access to umbry. Its a great spdef sponge vs mons like volcanion and is also the cleric.

- Ofc the backbone of every stall team, necessary to not lose instantly to setup mons like coba. I wasnt 100% sure about the item but helmet has been working well for passive damage and leftys arent really needed anyways.

- I went with spdef twave toge because the team needs a good mdoom mu and zarude is already walled by ches so physdef wasnt needed anyways.

- Mega Agg is now banned so lix is the best rocker for stall atm. A lot of my old stall builds used rocks zong to wall nidoqueen but luckily umbreon can do that now. The evs kill Mdoom after rocks, then a spdef dump to take hits from mons like raikou better.

- Good to have a rock solid zarude wall and a backup raikou check while providing spikes. Taunt is a bit of a filler move because idt it needs wood hammer here, but there are plenty of good moves for the last slot, I was even considering stupid tech like zen headbutt for rose but decided it was too stupid even for stall.

- This is my salazzle wall, unfortunately there arent any good salazzle counters for stall users besides this, when i tried gigalith a while ago it sucked. The evs and sleep talk could probably be changed if there is anything better to slot on, im not a huge fan of tspikes so I didnt bother slotting them but they could def be tried. s/o to DerpyBoi for the idea.

Ty for reading my incoherent nonsense

​

 

[Dorron]

Thanks to our beloved Kris and whoever has helped them (if anybody has idk), we have a challengeable format!!!

And moreover, the third edition of NDPL has two RU slots so sign up!

 

[Runo]

View attachment 448808
Thanks to our beloved Kris and whoever has helped them (if anybody has idk), we have a challengeable format!!!
View attachment 448809

And moreover, the third edition of NDPL has two RU slots so sign up!

Idk where to go to say this, but Keldeo-Resolute is legal in the builder despite being banned

 

[db]

Idk where to go to say this, but Keldeo-Resolute is legal in the builder despite being banned
View attachment 448817

this is already being fixed

 

[Runo]

this is already being fixed

Alright cool. Also just in case, Polteageist-antique is also legal

EDIT: this was mentioned in the RU Discord an hour before I posted this, but my school's internet blocked Discord so I didn't realize oops

 

[Iride]

B -> B+/A-

Leaving something that's capable of filling some of the most important roles in the B ranks feels like a crime. Between the continued prominence of defensive staples that consist mostly of bulky Waters and Grasses, alongside many fast offensive threats that define some of the most important speed tiers to have in the current metagame. Dragalge's unique combination of typing, bulk, and resistances to the common attacking types of many Pokemon has become increasingly important to me, the ability to consistently switch into and threaten out several notable top-tiers which fall under either one of these categories, such as Raikou, Nasty Plot Salazzle, Roserade, Milotic, and even SubToxic Volcanion in one slot is a rare distinction among most backbones that very few options can match, giving it a highly valuable place on many offensive teams that require role compression. Not only that, but unlike other choices, Dragalge covers multiple important Pokemon on both sides of the offensive and defensive spectrum while also remaining incredibly threatening against the vast majority of the tier itself; Adaptability Sludge Bombs complemented by the threat of a 30% poison chance helps put a ton of pressure on, and this is backed up very well by an incredibly strong Draco Meteor for additional power, which very few unresisted offensive threats can withstand from full, or Focus Blast as coverage to nail an incoming M-Steelix or Cobalion, where the immediate damage pushed onto these two becomes hugely abusable by Dragalge's teammates. Lastly, it gets access to Flip Turn to round out its offensive potential, which when combined with Dragalge's low speed and ability to force many switches, becomes huge for allowing it to reverse momentum and give its offensive teammates free switch-in opportunities to pile on the hurt. Overall, substantial improvements to Dragalge's presence characterized by a significant blend of offensive and defensive traits make it very deserving of a rise to the upper echelons of the metagame at this point in time.

 

[Lupla]

Welcome to the National Dex RU Set Compendium! The purpose of this project is to give players an easier time when trying to find the best sets for all the pokemon listed in the Viability Rankings, make teambuilding easier and allow new players to check out the current options and start building. If you have a suggestion for a viable set then be sure to let us know either on this thread or both Discord servers! (Main ND or the National Dex RU one) I'd be nice to get some extra help to discover more ideas since not everything is perfect, everything is perfectly customizable so that you can fit whatever your team needs.

If you're gonna suggest something new, make sure it is a pokemon on the Viability Rankings with justification as to why it should be added, how does the set works, etc. If its to remove, add or rework a set on a pokemon that's already listed in, you can leave a post or mention it on Discord and i'll be able to check it and confirm whether the information given is up-to-date or not. Big shoutouts to Furret4ssb and especially Arishem as they both contributed to this project a lot and it wouldn't be properly released without them!.​

The list of pokemon is ordered alphabetically

Alomomola

Physical Wall

Alomomola @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 40 HP / 216 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald / Knock Off
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic

Defense hits jump point.

Ampharos-Mega

Wallbreaker

Ampharos-Mega @ Ampharosite
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 128 HP / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch

Speed outspeeds uninvested base 60s.

Araquanid

Sticky Web Lead

Araquanid @ Splash Plate / Focus Sash
Ability: Water Bubble
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sticky Web
- Liquidation
- Magic Coat
- Toxic / Mirror Coat

Arctozolt

Slush Rush Wallbreaker

Arctozolt @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers / Life Orb
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 60 SpA / 196 Spe
Naive Nature
- Bolt Beak
- Freeze-Dry
- Icicle Crash / Hydro Pump
- Substitute / Low Kick

Speed outruns M-Sceptile in Hail

Articuno-Galar

Calm Mind

Articuno-Galar @ Flyinium Z / Weakness Policy
Ability: Competitive
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Freezing Glare
- Hurricane
- Recover / Agility

Azelf

Offensive Pivot

Azelf @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid / Hasty Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Fire Blast
- Psychic

Nasty Plot

Azelf @ Life Orb / Firium Z / Psychium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psyshock / Psychic
- Fire Blast
- Energy Ball

Barbaracle

Shell Smash Sweeper

Barbaracle @ Rockium Z
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 244 Atk / 8 Def / 16 SpD / 240 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Shell Smash
- Stone Edge
- Liquidation
- Aerial Ace / Low Kick

Spread lives Scarf Flygon’s EQ and standard Sylveon’s Hyper Voice after Stealth Rock at -1.

Barraskewda

Offensive Pivot

Barraskewda @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flip Turn
- Waterfall
- Close Combat
- Psychic Fangs / Crunch / Ice Fang / Poison Jab

Choice Band

Barraskewda @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flip Turn
- Waterfall
- Close Combat
- Psychic Fangs / Crunch / Poison Jab

Bewear

Swords Dance

Bewear @ Normalium Z
Ability: Fluffy
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Double-Edge
- Close Combat
- Darkest Lariat

Speed outruns Gligar.

Choice Band

Bewear @ Choice Band
Ability: Fluffy
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Double-Edge
- Darkest Lariat
- Drain Punch

Bronzong

Specially Defensive

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake / Body Press
- Toxic

Camerupt-Mega

Wallbreaker

Camerupt-Mega @ Cameruptite
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 88 HP / 252 SpA / 168 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast / Flamethrower
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Rest
- Toxic / Substitute / Stealth Rock / Sleep Talk

168 Speed outruns uninvested Rhyperior

Celebi

Nasty Plot

Celebi @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Psychic
- Aura Sphere
- Nasty Plot

Choice Scarf

Celebi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Trick
- Healing Wish
- U-turn

Specially Defensive

Celebi @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Healing Wish
- Giga Drain
- U-turn
- Future Sight

Chesnaught

Physically Defensive

Chesnaught @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Synthesis
- Spikes
- Drain Punch
- Wood Hammer / Toxic / Leech Seed / Roar

Cobalion

Swords Dance

Cobalion @ Fightinium Z / Steelium Z / Chople Berry / Shuca Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Stealth Rock / Stone Edge / Volt Switch

Utility

Cobalion @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Volt Switch
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Stealth Rock

Crobat

Pivot

Crobat @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 40 HP / 136 Atk / 132 Def / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn / Super Fang / Toxic
- Defog / Taunt
- Roost

Spread avoids 2HKO from Scarf Zarude’s Darkest Lariat, outspeeds Noivern.

Darmanitan

Offensive Pivot

Darmanitan @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Earthquake / Rock Slide
- Toxic

Choice Scarf

Darmanitan @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Rock Slide
- Trick / Earthquake

Dhelmise

Offensive Utility

Dhelmise @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Steelworker
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Atk / 120 SpD / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Power Whip
- Poltergeist
- Synthesis

Spread avoids 2HKO from M-Sceptile’s Dragon Pulse, Speed outruns uninvested base 50s.

Diancie

Specially Defensive

Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Atk / 216 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Diamond Storm
- Body Press / Moonblast
- Heal Bell / Toxic

20 Speed outspeeds standard Golisopod and always trigger Emergency Exit

Dragalge

Offensive Pivot

Dragalge @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 HP / 124 SpA / 132 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Bomb
- Flip Turn
- Focus Blast / Toxic Spikes

Empoleon

Defensive Utility

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Toxic / Roar / Protect
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock / Defog

Defense avoids OHKO from Cobalion’s Close Combat.

Escavalier

Swords Dance

Escavalier @ Leftovers
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Atk / 200 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Close Combat

Attack OHKOes Standard Milotic at +2 with Megahorn.

Feraligatr

Dragon Dance

Feraligatr @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Liquidation
- Ice Punch
- Crunch / Rock Slide

Florges

Defensive Utility

Florges (F) @ Leftovers / Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flower Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Synthesis
- Moonblast
- Aromatherapy

Flygon

Choice Scarf

Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- U-turn
- Stone Edge / Defog

Defog

Flygon @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 80 SpD / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Roost
- U-turn / Toxic
- Earthquake
- Defog

Speed outruns Roserade.

Gardevoir

Choice Scarf

Gardevoir @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast / Mystical Fire / Shadow Ball
- Trick / Healing Wish / Teleport

Choice Specs

Gardevoir @ Choice Specs
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Energy Ball / Mystical Fire / Trick

Gastrodon

Mixed Wall

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Toxic

Spread avoids 2HKO from Nidoqueen’s Earth Power after Stealth Rock.

Glalie-Mega

Offensive Spikes

Glalie-Mega @ Glalitite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Double-Edge / Frustration
- Earthquake
- Freeze Dry

Gligar

Defog

Gligar @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD or 252 Hp / 112 Def / 144 SpD
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- Earthquake
- U-turn

2nd spread tanks Roserade's Giga Drain better and making it 1 Speed IV Relaxed can outspeed Sylveon while keeping a slow u-turn agaisnt everything else

Golisopod

Offensive Spikes

Golisopod @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Emergency Exit
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Spikes
- First Impression
- Liquidation
- Knock Off

Speed outruns uninvested base 50s.

Golurk

Choice Band

Golurk @ Choice Band
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Poltergeist
- Earthquake
- Dynamic Punch / Close Combat
- Ice Punch

Goodra

Choice Specs

Goodra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Sludge Bomb

Guzzlord

RestTalk

Guzzlord @ Leftovers / Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 116 Def / 252 SpD / 140 Spe
Careful Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Knock Off
- Dragon Tail

Speeds outruns uninvested base 60s.

Heliolisk

Offensive Pivot

Heliolisk @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch / U-turn
- Grass Knot / Focus Blast / Hidden Power Ice

Hoopa

Choice Specs

Hoopa @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Trick

Nasty Plot

Hoopa @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Nasty Plot

Houndoom-Mega

Nasty Plot

Houndoom-Mega @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power [Grass] / Flame Charge

Incineroar

Specially Defensive Pivot

Incineroar @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 52 SpA / 128 SpD / 76 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Parting Shot / U-turn
- Overheat
- Knock Off
- Toxic

Speed outruns uninvested base 60s, Special Attack OHKOes Cobalion with Overheat.

Indeedee

Choice Specs

Indeedee (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Expanding Force
- Hyper Voice
- Mystical Fire
- Trick

Jellicent

Mixed Wall

Jellicent @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Scald
- Will-O-Wisp
- Ice Beam / Hex

Spread avoids 2HKO from uninvested Roserade’s Giga Drain.

Lanturn

Pivot

Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Toxic / Hidden Power [Grass]
- Protect / Heal Bell

Lucario

Swords Dance

Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Meteor Mash / Ice Punch
- Extreme Speed

Machamp

Guts Wallbreaker

Machamp @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Facade
- Knock Off
- Bullet Punch

Magneton

Choice Specs

Magneton @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Grass] / Tri Attack

Marowak-Alola

Trick Room Wallbreaker

Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Poltergeist
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake / Substitute
- Swords Dance

All Out Attacker

Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 SpD / 232 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Poltergeist
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Flame Charge

232 Speed outspeeds Salazzle at +2

Medicham

All-Out Attacker

Medicham @ Choice Band / Life Orb
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Bullet Punch / Thunder Punch / Trick
- Zen Headbutt

Meloetta

Z-Celebrate Sweeper

Meloetta @ Normalium Z
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Celebrate
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Hyper Voice / Shadow Ball

Metagross

Stealth Rock

Metagross @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 76 SpD / 136 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Toxic / Protect / Ice Punch

Spread avoids 2HKO from Togekiss’s Flamethrower, Speed outruns Golurk.

Choice Band

Metagross @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Zen Headbutt
- Bullet Punch / Pursuit

DemonGross (Cosmic Power)

Metagross @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 120 SpD / 136 Spe
Careful Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Body Press
- Cosmic Power
- Rest

Milotic

Defensive Pivot

Milotic @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Marvel Scale
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 60 SpD / 48 Spe
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Flip Turn
- Toxic / Refresh / Ice Beam
- Recover

Spread avoids 2HKO from Nidoqueen’s Thunderbolt, Speed outruns Golurk.

Mimikyu

Swords Dance

Mimikyu @ Life Orb / Ghostium Z / Mimikium Z
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw
- Play Rough

Muk-Alola

Assault Vest

Muk-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Fire Punch

Nidoqueen

Wallbreaker

Nidoqueen (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock / Thunderbolt / Substitute

Ninetales-Alola

Hail Setter

Ninetales-Alola @ Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Freeze-Dry
- Aurora Veil
- Pain Split
- Encore

Noivern

Offensive Pivot

Noivern @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 168 Def / 88 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor / Hurricane
- Flamethrower
- Roost
- U-turn / Defog / Taunt

Defense avoids 2HKO from Scarf Zarude’s Darkest Lariat.

Obstagoon

Guts Wallbreaker

Obstagoon @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Bulk Up / Switcheroo

Pangoro

Choice Band

Pangoro @ Choice Band
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Gunk Shot / Ice Punch
- Bullet Punch

Pincurchin

Terrain Setter

Pincurchin @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Rising Voltage
- Spikes / Toxic Spikes
- Recover
- Scald / Memento

Porygon2

Specially Defensive

Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Foul Play / Toxic
- Ice Beam
- Recover
- Teleport

Raichu-Alola

Nasty Plot

Raichu-Alola @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Surge Surfer
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rising Voltage
- Grass Knot
- Focus Blast / Hidden Power [Ice]
- Nasty Plot

Raikou

Offensive Pivot

Raikou @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Aura Sphere
- Scald / Hidden Power [Grass] / Hidden Power [Ice]

Calm Mind

Raikou @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Aura Sphere
- Hidden Power [Grass] / Scald

Regidrago

Choice Band

Regidrago @ Choice Band
Ability: Dragon's Maw
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Scale Shot
- Thunder Fang
- Hammer Arm

Dragon Dance

Regidrago @ Normalium Z
Ability: Dragon's Maw
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Giga Impact
- Hammer Arm

Choice Scarf

Regidrago @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dragon's Maw
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dragon Energy
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Reflect / Light Screen

Registeel

Specially Defensive

Registeel @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss / Body Press
- Heavy Slam / Protect

Rhyperior

Stealth Rock

Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Blast / Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Toxic / Swords Dance / Protect / Ice Punch

Spread hits extra Attack point.

Choice Band

Rhyperior @ Choice Band
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Megahorn
- Ice Punch

Speed outruns uninvested base 65s.

Swords Dance

Rhyperior @ Rockium Z
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch

Ribombee

Sticky Webs Lead

Ribombee @ Focus Sash
Ability: Shield Dust
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sticky Web
- Moonblast
- U-turn
- Stun Spore

Roserade

Bulky Spikes Utility

Roserade @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis / Stun Spore / Sleep Powder

Offensive Spikes Utility

Roserade @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Spikes
- Stun Spore / Hidden Power [Fire]

Rotom-Mow

Defog

Rotom-Mow @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog

Nasty Plot

Rotom-Mow @ Grassium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Pain Split / Thunderbolt

Salazzle

Offensive Utility

Salazzle (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Corrosion
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Knock Off / Nasty Plot
- Toxic
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Bomb

Nasty Plot

Salazzle (F) @ Poisonium Z
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Sludge Wave
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ice]/ Hidden Power [Grass]

Sceptile-Mega

Offensive

Sceptile-Mega @ Sceptilite
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Protect
- Leech Seed / Focus Blast / Hidden Power [Fire]

Seismitoad

Stealth Rock

Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Toxic / Refresh / Scald

Speed outruns Alolan Marowak.

Sharpedo

Speed Boost Cleaner

Sharpedo @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Close Combat
- Protect

Specially-Based Mixed Cleaner

Sharpedo @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Close Combat
- Protect

Shaymin

Life Orb

Shaymin @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Synthesis
- Seed Flare
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Air Slash / Psychic

SubSeed

Shaymin @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leech Seed
- Substitute / Protect
- Seed Flare
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Psychic

Sneasel

Choice Band

Sneasel @ Choice Band
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Triple Axel
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
- Low Kick / Pursuit

Snorlax

CurseLax

Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 208 HP / 216 Def / 84 SpD
Careful Nature
- Rest
- Earthquake / Sleep Talk
- Curse
- Body Slam / Return

Spread avoids 2HKO from Specs Toxtricity’s Boomburst.

Stakataka

Stealth Rock

Stakataka @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Body Press
- Toxic

Trick Room Sweeper

Stakataka @ Life Orb / Rockium Z / Air Balloon / Shuca Berry
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Stone Edge / Heat Crash
- Earthquake

Starmie

Defensive Rapid Spin

Starmie @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Recover
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Teleport / Psyshock

Life Orb

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock

Steelix-Mega

Stealth Rock

Steelix-Mega @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Atk / 8 Def / 216 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball / Heavy Slam
- Toxic / Curse

Spread avoids OHKO from +2 Non-Fightinium Cobalion's CC.

Suicune

Vincune

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Protect

Speed outruns Timid Toxtricity

Sylveon

Cleric

Sylveon @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Hyper Voice
- Heal Bell

Tanks Mega Houndoom's Fire Blast at +2 after Stealth Rock

Choice Specs

Sylveon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Mystical Fire
- Shadow Ball

Talonflame

Utility Defog

Talonflame @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- Brave Bird
- Will-O-Wisp

Tentacruel

Defensive Rapid Spin

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Sludge Bomb
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin

Speed outruns Timid Volcanion.

Togekiss

Defog

Togekiss @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe or 252 HP / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
Bold / Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Defog
- Air Slash
- Thunder Wave / Heal Bell / Wish

Speed outruns Golurk.

Nasty Plot

Togekiss @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Fightinium Z
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Nasty Plot
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower / Aura Sphere

Toxtricity

Choice Specs

Toxtricity @ Choice Specs
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overdrive
- Volt Switch
- Boomburst
- Sludge Bomb / Snarl

Shift Gear

Toxtricity @ Life Orb / Throat Spray
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Overdrive
- Shift Gear
- Boomburst
- Drain Punch

Tsareena

Rapid Spin Pivot

Tsareena (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Queenly Majesty
EVs: 252 Atk / 8 SpD / 248 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Power Whip
- Rapid Spin
- Triple Axel

240 Speed outruns positive 70s and Jolly Tyrantrum

Tyrantrum

Choice Band

Tyrantrum @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Head Smash
- Close Combat
- Crunch / Earthquake
- Outrage

Umbreon

Cleric

Umbreon @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Foul Play
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell

Vanilluxe

Choice Specs

Vanilluxe @ Choice Specs
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Ice Shard / Taunt / Aurora Veil / Flash Cannon

Vaporeon

Defensive Pivot

Vaporeon @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Flip Turn
- Scald / Heal Bell

Vileplume

Physically Defensive

Vileplume @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Strength Sap
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Corrosive Gas

Virizion

Swords Dance

Virizion @ Rockium Z
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Leaf Blade
- Stone Edge

Volcanion

Offensive

Volcanion @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog / Earth Power
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Toxic

SubTox

Volcanion @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 44 SpA / 216 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Toxic

Speed outruns everything up to Pangoro.

Choice Specs

Volcanion @ Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Earth Power / Sludge Bomb

Zarude

Pivot

Zarude @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Power Whip
- Darkest Lariat
- Jungle Healing
- U-turn

Choice Scarf

Zarude @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Power Whip
- Darkest Lariat
- Close Combat
- U-turn

Zygarde-10%

Dragon Dance

Zygarde-10% @ Dragonium Z / Life Orb
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed / Skitter Smack

Choice Band

Zygarde-10% @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
- Outrage / Skitter Smack / Zen Headbutt / Stone Edge
- Skitter Smack / Toxic / Zen Headbutt / Stone Edge

 

[Adam3560]

Hi is there a set compendium for this tier

 

[Lupla]

Congratulations to Kate for winning National Dex RU Summer Seasonal!
(Bet you forgot this existed)

 

[Dorron]

Ok so now the tour is over (congrats to Kate and Dlanyer for reaching the finals), I'd personally love that people who have reached a decent round of the tour shared their thoughts about the metagame, VR nominations, teams they have used and sets they have tried so we can make the tier much more accessible for new players. Tagging them, don't feel obligated.

tags

Kate Dlanyer DerpyBoi Ryuji-Sempai MachJacob themonkeydidit Velcroc Elfuseon Arishem pinorska Redgoop115

 

[Ryuji]

since the tour is over, i will give some thoughs about the tier and share some teams (since i won't use them in NDPL)

Sneasel Darkinium BO :

p straightforward build, wanted to pair two v strong breaker, mainly luke and sneasel. Luke seems really busted, and i'm surprised nobody ever tried it so far, even with Cobalion. Main reason i wanted luke over coba is because of the sheer strengh it has compared to cobalion. I also wanted to have a good HO MU.
Celebi is defensive here, as it can check a lot of threats, especially when paired with refresh seismi and crobat. I elected Psychic as my main damaging move, as i want to be able to threaten chesnaught, and hit hard crobat on the switch.
rest is p self explanatory, icicle crash/triple axel can be use on Sneas but Low Kick is just better imo, let it deal easily w Cobalion. Also worth mentionning Z Dark deals with Milotic with a layer of spike (otherwise it's a roll).

Sylveon Specs BO :

this team is based on the sylv specs gross scarf core, as many of gross check are forced out by sylv. I elected scarf here mainly because I needed speed control, but another version would be a Z Move agility gross and scarf misma, even if it's less good imo.
Misma is an interesting pick here, as i noticed most steel set nowadays outside of steelix play body press and protect, which allows misma to abuse that by subbing and spamming NP. Zarude can be a bit difficult, but misma will OHKO scarf variant w dazzling after sr/one layer of spike, and boots can be dealed with Noivern

NP Luke Smash Toise HO :

Just a regular spike offense, I thought of trying physical tortank which might be better considering the coverage I'm using. Imprison klefki is mainly to prevent defog and force the opp to kill klefki, which will end into a situation where opp will have to choose between remove hazards and prevent you to setup/sweep. Toise is lum to setup in front of volcanion.

CM Volt Kou Stack :

I like a lot cm volt raikou, because when people see the volt switch they usually don't expect it to be a cleaner. Rest is a v simple goli structure, even if it's a bit frail against Electric types but well that's the downside of not using a grass type. You might need to pivot a lot between gard/kou/lurk in order to deal with them. Toxic Vern helps against Raikou CM, so that your own Raikou will win the CM War (assuming you don't get crit). The original team had sd volt switch coba, but since i'm sharing stuff i decided to change the set so that it's more standart.

Sub Misma Colbur Lurk Stack :

Team is p self explanatory, you just spam hazard, then one of your two ghost has a huge MU. Colbur help luring in Zarude, as Pwhip isn't really the move you want to click. imprison klefki to prevent defog, and sub misma to abuse steel. Noivern has a bulkier spread as it's your main Volcanion answer. dealing w electric type is a bit easier, but you still need noivern toxic.

Prison Key BD Ches :

Last but not least, a really fun cheesy team. The idea is to trap and remove what prevent chesnaught to setup and sweep, mainly crobat and noivern. Fairy Lock will trap the two pokemon on the field on the next turn, meaning you want to fairy lock crobat and noivern on a u-turn. The right sequence of play in order to pull that out is to lead klefki, fairy lock on the u-turn, and then you trap and kill w deedee for bat and flygon for noivern. Rest is just put together so that i don't get annihilated by the rest of the metagame.

Overall I enjoyed building in that tier, but the 3 ppl final stuff really killed the fun cuz i had to prep a lot in a short amount of time (in a way i'm glad dlanyer beated me so that we don't have a chance to reset loser finals). So now i'm more cold about the tier, even though i still think it's a fun metagame. I always play very offensive stuff, outside of when I want to meme someone, which means those teams might be a bit inconsistent on the long run.

I wanted to s/o Lupla for helping testing at the beginning of the tour and Dlanyer for testing/building at the end. Thanks for reading
nb : nicks are french name of the pokemon.

 

[Kate]

I reused a ton of ru Snake teams from last year in the early rounds before rly just coming up with stuff at random. Because of that, a lot of the teams I did build are p jank and I doubt representative of the meta, so I'll just share the two teams that are genuinely busted:

https://pokepast.es/f45b40261430aaa1

Brought this twice in finals cuz I was extremely confident in it and it won both games. It's a very simple to use HO revolving around hazard stack. Get your spikes and rocks up, win with either puff or tricity as they share checks that only work if said pokemon take almost no chip. Doublade and flygon offer valuable resistances and sweeping capabilities to further aid the two main stars. Slurpuff especially seems very obviously busted and it not being even ranked is very odd.

https://pokepast.es/93cdf34598576c71

Bit more out there Webs HO but I brought it 3 times and it didn't really come close to losing. Incineroar is a frightening breaker with webs, being able to force in foggers that it can setup on fairly freely and shredding bulky waters with its Z move. Tsareena is actually stupid good here, winning vs opposing HO due to Queenly Majesty and Spin, which has the added benefit of boosting speed. It is also shockingly hard to answer, as fighting grass ice covers almost the entire meta. The rest of the mons are p self explanatory, you don't need twave on Mimikyu but I like it for speed control if webs get fogged. Flygon is honestly too good to pass up in terms of how valuable it is defensively, and swellow offers late game cleaning potential.

Particularly the first team here makes me think even with Light Clay banned, HO is exceptionally strong in the tier ATM and has a lot of different variations. The relatively slow pivot centric balances that dominate the tier just cannot match a well built HO for the most part. That being said, BO and Balance are still solid and easy to pilot. NDRU is a very fun tier and one I enjoyed picking up throughout this tour.

 

[themonkeydidit]

I haven't played a single RU match outside of the tournament so I don't think my grasp on the meta is great. I would just say the same as Kate that HO is incredibly strong with the lack of real walls in the tier.
I made my teams from scratch, mostly using the viability rankings and some SS RU vids I had seen (they weren't great lol). The only somewhat interesting one was an alolan raichu team:

https://pokepast.es/58e7d4d79e5c456b

Nidoqueen is timid to deal with Volcanion, crobat has enough speed for Raikou, basically just get rocks + spikes up as much as possible and then look for an opportunity to bring in Raichu with terrain up. Nothing can really deal with Feraligatr after a DD except scarfers to revenge him. The team needs work for sure though, Sylveon was mostly useless in the matches I played and could be swapped out.

I really enjoyed the tier overall, lots of variety in mons and some cool sets.

 

[Zangoose5000]

Out of the Megas in RU, which one is the most viable, and why?

 

[Furret4ssb]

Probably the best mega in the tier right now is mega houndoom. It's a great wallbreaker due to its speed tier and nasty plot, with only a few long term switchins such as diancie and milotic, although many answers can get cheesed by dark pulse flinch making it even harder to reliably switch in to. Most offensive threats such as cobalion are slower than it and threatened out so many teams have to rely on scarfers like flygon or rocks chip to stop houndoom. As a bonus, heres a ho team with doom: https://pokepast.es/007e150734f27ce4

 

[Velcroc]

Out of the Megas in RU, which one is the most viable, and why?

Megas ranked (personal): | | | .
The first 3 are easy to slot and mainstay Megas. The next 2 need support. The next 2 are borderline viable (tons of support). The last two are as Mega as Meganium. Build properly and the first 7 can help you (6 are on the VR; Mega Abomasnow is my personal opinion). You're better off using something else over the last 2.

Furret's answer about Mega Doom is pretty much spot-on. Reliable switch-ins to M-Doom are just Incineroar, Guzzlord and, depending on coverage, Diancie. The opportunity cost for running these mons is pretty noticeable for most teams and the type of sets Guzzlord and Incin need to beat MF DOOM in the long run cut into their other traits. Plenty of stuff that resists Fire/Dark but a lot of those mons tend to be UU or OU, don't check it (Sharpedo) or are pretty lacklustre (Emboar) or downright garbage (Poliwrath).

But the beautiful thing about this tier is that pretty much every mega is viable (with few exceptions). During the Mega Aggron Mega, I would have narrowed the pool of viable Megas to Aggron, Steelix and Houndoom. Following its ban, you see an uptick in Mega Sceptile as speed control that doubles as an ankle-breaker against teams whose go-to Dragon answers are Steels and whose go-to Grass answers are other grasses. Ampharos-Mega and Camerupt-Mega had modest experimentation even during the Mega Aggron era (Amphy was B ranked at one point) but didn't see a break in usage due to opportunity cost or being unable to break Magg teams. Now, both have a genuine place on bulky playstyles that need a valuable pivot (Amphy) or a breaker (Camel). Mega Glalie is ranked around the C's and is an interesting option as a spiker + breaker combo for fast-paced teams. Frailty, rocks weakness, tricky fitting all of freeze dry/taunt/ice shard/explosion in the 4th slot and competition from other spikers (even on HO, Froslass gives it a run for its money) all push it to the bottom of the C-rank barrel.

That leaves Mega Audino, Mega Banette and Mega Abomasnow. I'm leaning towards Mega Banette being the worst Mega in this tier over Maud primarily due to the prankster nerf. True, the recent tour saw HO spike in popularity but Mega Banette is at best an emergency check to a sweeper. At worst, it's a liability against most other play styles. Perhaps it's greatest weakness is being outclassed by Red Card Mimikyu - rare and cheesy - because that set will almost always cut a sweep short and has better match up against bulkier builds (with poltergeist immunity to boot). Banette has little edge over Mimikyu aside from non-STAB knock off, status and maybe gunk shot for Sylveon. Mega Audino is bad but at least I can see why it would be used. The Normal typing + better bulk than Sylv could allow for experimentation. However, Mega Audino is either really passive (Wish sets) or has 0 recovery (anything offensive). But if Florges can be experimented with success, Maud could have potential too.

Speaking of experimentation, Mega Abomasnow is a really interesting case study. Nothing wants to switch into it except Registeel (we'll touch on this later) and it has the versatility to run special, mixed and physical attacking sets. It even gets earth power now to better take on steel types. Mega Abomasnow could in theory switch into water types due to its grass typing and function as a balance breaker with an awkward but manageable typing with hail to neutralise lefties. On testing, I'm mixed. Sword Dance seems to be the best set because that's the only set that can consistently beat Registeel and get around its middling speed. Mixed and special attacking sets need substitutes to do the latter and Focus blast to have a ~2.9% chance to 2HKO Regi. Special attacking sets have no spammable grass STAB: Giga drain's power is not strong enough and Leaf Storm forces you back out. But when you run Swords Dance, suddenly your niche as a water check dwindles because you cannot switch into scald, you lose reliable blizzard STAB and Woodhammer recoil cuts sweeping potential.

Aboma is caught in a weird position where its good traits cancel out each other (i.e. breaking + exploiting waters) and the bad traits are amplified (low speed). The switching-in argument only works when the pokemon can capitalise on this and I don't think Mega Aboma can without exceptional team support. So what does it do? Abomasnow works in a similar vein to Camerupt & Nidoqueen but with set-up. Either, you force the opponent's hand by nuking their walls for reserved cleaners or you clean offence yourself with SD + Ice Shard. I believe it has potential for viability but this potential can only be known with certainty once the metagame develops. Mega Abomasnow is highly specialised in its niche (more than Glalie) and works on the team with the right core + follow-ups; adding it to the VR would give the wrong impression of what it does and why it does it. I would advise someone new against it and advise myself against it when selecting teams for a serious game. But if one of the active members tries it or someone uses it in the NPL, I can see why.

This "short post" ended up being ~900 words. I'm overseas rn so I'll be a bit busy but when I get back I'll be working on my tour post + some thoughts on the finals + usage. I'll try cutting down on asides and commentary so that the post won't be as much of a pain to read as it would be to write.

 

[Lupla]

A new PS room has been created called ND Other Tiers! This is a channel dedicated for the already existing ND Other TIers forum where you can discuss National Dex AG, National Dex Balanced Hackmons and also National Dex RU!.

Be sure to join in and have some fun https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/ndothertiers

 

[sumwun]

Can someone explain why Steelix, Houndoom, and Sceptile are considered the best mega evolutions in this format?

 

[Gangsta Spongebob]

Can someone explain why Steelix, Houndoom, and Sceptile are considered the best mega evolutions in this format?

https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/national-dex-ru.3691290/post-9328325

https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/national-dex-ru.3691290/post-9330045

Furret and Velroc gave pretty good explanations here.

But tldr;

Mega Houndoom is generally considered the best due to its incredible breaking power combined with its fantastic speed. It has very few switchins, making it a fantastic offensive threat.

Mega Steelix has a good combination of traits that let it fit on many teams. Notably, its titanic physical bulk and good typing allow it to switch into a plethora of meta staples such as Zarude, Metagross, Toxtricity, and Togekiss, and well as check others such as Cobalion and Raikou in a pinch. Its good attack stat and STAB combo allow it to maintain a solid offensive presence, lessening the support it needs. Finally, it's one of the better Stealth Rockers in the tier, due to it easily finding opportunities to set them up.

Mega Sceptile is absurdly fast and hits very hard with its STABs. Its fantastic speed also makes it a nightmare to dislodge when using Leech Seed.

However, while these Pokemon are great, it is important to mention that using a Mega is hardly mandatory in ND RU. These Megas fit easily onto teams but it's very easy to make teams that don't use them.

 

[Velcroc]

Mega Steelix has a good combination of traits that let it fit on many teams. Notably, its titanic physical bulk and good typing allow it to switch into a plethora of meta staples such as Zarude, Metagross, Toxtricity, and Togekiss, and well as check others such as Cobalion and Raikou in a pinch. Its good attack stat and STAB combo allow it to maintain a solid offensive presence, lessening the support it needs. Finally, it's one of the better Stealth Rockers in the tier, due to it easily finding opportunities to set them up.

Not to mention how bonkers Curse MegaLix is. Singlehandedly 1v1s Gligar and Bronzong - pokemon which are supposed to check it.

 

[Peum]

Why aren't suicide leads viable? They look good on teams that exert a lot of pressure

Specifically

Froslass(F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Destiny Bond
- Spikes
- Icy Wind
- Taunt



Glalie-Mega @ Glalitite
Ability: Refrigerate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Explosion
- Taunt
- Light Screen

 

[sealoo]

in the case of glalie, its a total waste of your mega slot

Why aren't suicide leads viable? They look good on teams that exert a lot of pressure

Specifically

Froslass(F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Destiny Bond
- Spikes
- Icy Wind
- Taunt



Glalie-Mega @ Glalitite
Ability: Refrigerate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Explosion
- Taunt
- Light Screen

 

[Lupla]

Why aren't suicide leads viable? They look good on teams that exert a lot of pressure

Specifically

Froslass(F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Destiny Bond
- Spikes
- Icy Wind
- Taunt



Glalie-Mega @ Glalitite
Ability: Refrigerate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Explosion
- Taunt
- Light Screen

This is probably something that could get a change (in terms of the role comp) considering the tournament and some posts made from it showed how HO is kind of raising right now but unfortunately i don't really have much to say for the leads other than the fact that imo the ones that are viable in this category are these (also that m-glalie set is bad, kind of kills its use by putting screens on it, spikes alone allows it to be a decent fit for HO since it threatens out almost every form of hazard removal)



I'd say the amount of potential breakers in the tier and the general pace of the meta which is kinda slow is what contributes to this raise since all of these have some high potential.

(i could name more but im not a HO main or anything)

If anyone has a better look on HO than me then i'd be cool to see more opinions on this and sorry for the short post but im with some issues atm so see you all soon! Also DerpyBoi post when

 

[Lupla]

Not posting for nearly 2 months holy shit...

There has been a lot of stuff going on recently for the tier and the recent inactivity from the council it almost feels like we are sort of repeating the same things. I apologize to everyone for the lack of recent activity in the tier and right now im gonna be speaking about some of the things that happened during this silent place.

After a few months of being out for work, our goated tier leader Gangsta Spongebob is back and he's planning to make a post that might be posted one day after this. A new member to the council and someone who has been following the tier for a good time already has been added, Velcroc joins the party! Unfortunately not all the news here are happy as due to certain events on NDPL, Derpyboi is temporarily out of the National Dex RU Council and until further notices there isn't much i can say for him.

Current Plans (After NDPL most likely)
​

We were discussing on doing a survey after NDPL finished, getting some feedback and seeing what our current options are in the short time that we have. Alongside this we could probably start touching some of the current bans and a few things that have been somewhat on the radar for a while


Yeah i really don't have much to say sadly but if you're one of the few ones who sticked to such a messy tier, thanks a lot for your support and im hoping things can improve in the next generation, we're trying to make this as fun and organized as we can, even with the inactivity and other stuff. See ya later and have a good day!

Don't tap

lupla trying to not end posts in the same way every single time challenge

 

[Dorron]

Hello it's me again! NDPL is almost over so I'd once again love it if everybody who played it could share their thoughts about the tier (anything broken / underexplored / whatever) and remember to post your teams in the Team Dump thread. I've also made a VR tier list so you can make your own VR. https://tiermaker.com/create/national-dex-ru-viability-rankings--443466

tags :)

hariyana grande Meru pinorska Ainzcrad gorex DugZa Goblin Fc devin Spl4sh Lily Punny crying zS Kate LBN crying LORD SAGIS Ara CMDoge Reece Beraldinho R1C3M4N Dr. Phd. BJ snaga Revenge Killer Career Ended Micaiah jonfilch