New OU List (October 2009)

[X-Act]

I decided to make this latest OU list with an accompanying tutorial, showing all the inner workings of how the list is actually compiled.

First of all, all the statistics from July, August and September (the previous three months) are collected, and each usage is divided by the total number of usages for each month. Then, each Pokemon is provided a score, using the following formula:

Score = (Usage_Sep * 20 + Usage_Aug * 3 + Usage_Jul) / 24

This provides an approximate predicted usage for the Pokemon for the following months, based on a formula that was found by observing past usage statistics.

Afterwards, the sum of all scores is found, obtaining a number that is extremely close to 1. Finally, this sum is divided by 176.1407, and this becomes the cut-off point for OU. The Pokemon obtaining a score higher than this cut-off point become OU, and the others do not make the coveted list.

Here is a chart showing all the usages and scores of the 60 Pokemon that scored the highest scores for this OU list:

   Pokemon  Jul Usage  Aug Usage  Sep Usage      Score
-------------------------------------------------------
    Scizor   0.046734   0.046890   0.051990   0.051134
 Salamence   0.034969   0.035368   0.033717   0.033975
  Gyarados   0.032366   0.030631   0.032451   0.032220
   Heatran   0.030601   0.030886   0.032021   0.031820
   Rotom-A   0.025704   0.029729   0.031767   0.031260
    Latias   0.025072   0.029233   0.031324   0.030802
 Tyranitar   0.027233   0.026834   0.028404   0.028159
 Metagross   0.027843   0.026360   0.027248   0.027161
   Lucario   0.026370   0.025590   0.025936   0.025911
 Infernape   0.026479   0.024808   0.023537   0.023818
   Jirachi   0.021052   0.024372   0.023054   0.023136
    Gengar   0.024101   0.023446   0.021588   0.021925
  Swampert   0.024047   0.022743   0.020935   0.021291
   Blissey   0.022158   0.021475   0.021084   0.021178
   Starmie   0.018356   0.017820   0.017583   0.017645
     Azelf   0.018058   0.017834   0.016967   0.017121
   Gliscor   0.015492   0.014643   0.017459   0.017025
  Vaporeon   0.014515   0.014056   0.013469   0.013586
    Zapdos   0.013412   0.013528   0.013324   0.013354
 Magnezone   0.013687   0.013910   0.012842   0.013011
  Skarmory   0.011981   0.012555   0.012373   0.012380
   Breloom   0.013349   0.012696   0.012102   0.012228
   Machamp   0.012929   0.013205   0.011817   0.012037
   Kingdra   0.012477   0.012889   0.011689   0.011872
    Celebi   0.012819   0.012292   0.011588   0.011728
   Jolteon   0.011577   0.011180   0.011217   0.011227
  Bronzong   0.012861   0.012389   0.010657   0.010966
    Flygon   0.011772   0.011983   0.010721   0.010923
  Empoleon   0.010078   0.010798   0.010953   0.010897
   Suicune   0.010888   0.011331   0.010764   0.010840
Forretress   0.010393   0.010313   0.010644   0.010592
  Togekiss   0.010755   0.009414   0.010132   0.010068
 Dragonite   0.007441   0.007409   0.009626   0.009257
Electivire   0.010659   0.009756   0.008969   0.009138
   Weavile   0.010023   0.009398   0.008692   0.008835
  Smeargle   0.007147   0.007679   0.008825   0.008612
Aerodactyl   0.009372   0.008682   0.008538   0.008591
   Snorlax   0.008310   0.008190   0.008115   0.008133
 Mamoswine   0.008171   0.008370   0.007657   0.007768
Tentacruel   0.007660   0.007450   0.007338   0.007366
 Hippowdon   0.008381   0.007381   0.007266   0.007327
  Roserade   0.005431   0.006489   0.007392   0.007197
  Dusknoir   0.009811   0.008048   0.006853   0.007126
   Ninjask   0.007153   0.007460   0.006451   0.006606
 Porygon-Z   0.006493   0.006401   0.006253   0.006281
 Cresselia   0.006653   0.006107   0.005653   0.005752
 Heracross   0.006637   0.005986   0.005645   0.005729
-------------------------------------------------------
Cut-off point                                 0.005500
-------------------------------------------------------
   Umbreon   0.006167   0.005646   0.005328   0.005403
  Alakazam   0.005822   0.005322   0.005119   0.005174
    Crobat   0.003706   0.004351   0.005186   0.005020
 Rhyperior   0.005843   0.005077   0.004469   0.004602
  Porygon2   0.005876   0.005187   0.004356   0.004523
   Ambipom   0.003968   0.004235   0.004329   0.004302
  Ludicolo   0.003935   0.004111   0.004100   0.004094
   Dugtrio   0.004642   0.004488   0.003931   0.004030
 Abomasnow   0.003901   0.003656   0.003796   0.003783
   Milotic   0.003952   0.003596   0.003613   0.003625
   Donphan   0.004216   0.003383   0.003602   0.003600
   Gallade   0.003814   0.004271   0.003465   0.003580
   Yanmega   0.003873   0.003304   0.003532   0.003517

This means that the top 47 Pokemon in the list are OU, namely:

Aerodactyl
Azelf
Blissey
Breloom
Bronzong
Celebi
Cresselia
Dragonite
Dusknoir
Electivire
Empoleon
Flygon
Forretress
Gengar
Gliscor
Gyarados
Heatran
Heracross
Hippowdon
Infernape
Jirachi
Jolteon
Kingdra
Latias
Lucario
Machamp
Magnezone
Mamoswine
Metagross
Ninjask
Porygonz
Roserade
Rotom-A
Salamence
Scizor
Skarmory
Smeargle
Snorlax
Starmie
Suicune
Swampert
Tentacruel
Togekiss
Tyranitar
Vaporeon
Weavile
Zapdos

This means that we welcome a new Pokemon in OU, Roserade!

And sadly, we say goodbye to three Pokemon: Alakazam, Rhyperior and Umbreon.

Hopefully this answers some questions about how the OU list is compiled. :)

 

[Raikaria]

So UU has two new special attackers, and a physical wall, while it loses a Special Wall.

Priority will handle Alakazam, but Rhyperior will be another problem, seeing as I think nothing short of Azumarill will be able to keep RP Rhyperior in check. Both will be major players, either way.

Heracross stayed by the skin of it's teeth! Same with Cress, and P-Z.

Also, I presume, as this is the 'new OU list' thread, that another thread will be up handleing UU -> NU Transitions, seeing as several UU's are certainly NU (Charizard, Magmortar)


Double Edit: Wait, dosen't Manphy have to added to the list of 'Entering OU', as Manphy was voted OU by a massive margin?

 

[Blue_Tornado]

This was coming for a while now, but it looks like Alakazam and Rhyperior are ready to mess up the UU tier. I actually see Registeel usage dropping - still, it takes Choice Specs Psychic from Alakazam, but it's set-up fodder for Rhyperior and besides - Alakazam can hit it with a very powerful Focus Blast.

In other words, the next few weeks will be UU gone wild.

@Edit: I see very little that can actually take Rhyperior now. Claydol and Torterra are both handled by Megahorn and I don't see anything else that can handle EQ+SE.

 

[Olliert]

When will these effects be changed on to the ladder? Looking forward to the new UU without roserade and with a couple more threats.

 

[Ritsi_Time]

No NU changes, or is a UU topic on its way?

 

[Thund91]

Thank you!!!

Can't wait to use Zam in UU! And with Rosie gone a few of my teams are now obsolete. -___-

 

[_Flygon_]

the way to handle rhyperior is to just not let it set up

i say the greater change in alakazam, especially something like subcm or subbeam

 

[Deschain]

i'm so fucking stoked about Rhyperiors drop. i've been using Rhydon to great effect already, and now...fuuuuuck this is going to be awesome. :naughty:

sad to see Roserade gone, mostly because mt new UU team now needs a new lead, and nothing can do what she does. xD

the way to handle rhyperior is to just not let it set up

yeah good call.

 

[capefeather]

Wouldn't it be easier just to have a link to the Smogon tiers article on the main page or something? I think the Smogon philosophy ought to be there, too. I never knew these existed until their links randomly came up on the Shoddy chat.

Also, I already have a team containing Alakazam and Rhyperior ready to go lol. Somehow, I think this is going to be way more exciting than Dugtrio and Donphan (though how viable they'll turn out to be is a different story).

 

[mtr]

Roserade in OU...Sleep and Toxic Spikes have become quite powerful to get an otherwise utterly subpar Pokemon into OU.

I can't wait to see how Alakazam works in UU. As for Umbreon, well, it never worked in OU in the first place anyways.

 

[Yehom]

Roserade in OU...Sleep and Toxic Spikes have become that powerful?

I can't wait to see how Alakazam works in UU.

It's not powerful, it's useful and because the tiers are based on usage, Roserade went to the OU tier

 

[mtr]

It's not powerful, it's useful and because the tiers are based on usage, Roserade went to the OU tier

Well, if you want to split hairs, I defined "power" in terms of usefulness. I was remarking that Toxic Spikes must be becoming more powerful in the metagame to lift something like Roserade from UU into OU. But then again, we also might be seeing the results of a lot of RMTs with Roserade being posted. The RMT forum has the greatest influence on metagame trends that there is.

 

[Alaka]

Alakazam in uu, fun

 

[Kachalski]

So, Alakazam's, Rhyperior's, Umbreon's, and Roserade's pages all have to be rewrote. When is this going to start happening?

 

[Snorlaxe]

Oh my goodness, Rhyperior will be horrendous in UU...cant wait =)

 

[Kachalski]

Oh my goodness, Rhyperior will be horrendous in UU...cant wait =)

I'm thinking Alakazam and Rhyperior might become the perfect suspects for the next testing, more likely Rhyperior though.

 

[Lord Blood]

Rhyperior's going back to OU or BL when it's getting tested, but for now, it's time for some RAPErior!

 

[SHUCKLE MAN]

Rhyperior's going back to OU or BL when it's getting tested, but for now, it's time for some RAPErior!

You never know! I'd say we give it a chance. Do bear in mind, that there's Rhydon, who has the same Speed, and base 10 less Attack than Rhyperior, and he's NU.

Rhyperior's defenses are a bit better than Rhydon's, but will Rhyperior's slightly higher defenses be good enough for it to increase on Rhydon's usage ten-fold? I doubt it.

 

[IcyMan28]

Heracross and Cresselia are dangerously close to the OU cutoff point! If the trend continues, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the two of them down in UU.

Roserade's rise to OU is music to my ears. While many people consider it subpar, I don't see it as such. Base 90 speed really isn't that bad (its not great, but its not bad either), and Rose does have that nice base 125 SpA. This allows it to pull off some power moves, unlike Smeargle, after it has slept something. Furthermore, its Sp.Def is quite usable, allowing it to set up TSpikes and Spikes decently as well.

 

[Kachalski]

Heracross and Cresselia are dangerously close to the OU cutoff point! If the trend continues, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the two of them down in UU.

Roserade's rise to OU is music to my ears. While many people consider it subpar, I don't see it as such. Base 90 speed really isn't that bad (its not great, but its not bad either), and Rose does have that nice base 125 SpA. This allows it to pull off some power moves, unlike Smeargle, after it has slept something. Furthermore, its Sp.Def is quite usable, allowing it to set up TSpikes and Spikes decently as well.

The best part about Roserade rising to the OU tier is that it should (hopefully) stick there. The "noob" factor dictates that once a Pokemon is seen to be OU, less-experienced players stop going "OMG is UU you get pwned by Scizorz".

 

[SHUCKLE MAN]

The best part about Roserade rising to the OU tier is that it should (hopefully) stick there. The "noob" factor dictates that once a Pokemon is seen to be OU, less-experienced players stop going "OMG is UU you get pwned by Scizorz".

Is the ''noob' factor', as you call it, really that significant? If it's such a big thing, then I doubt Roserade could've risen so much in usage in the first place.

Not only that, but if you look at the stats, you don't see a sudden huge drop in usage at the OU/UU cutoff. If the ''noob' factor' was really such a big thing, you should be able to tell from the statistics.

 

[Carmelo Anthony]

This was coming for a while now, but it looks like Alakazam and Rhyperior are ready to mess up the UU tier. I actually see Registeel usage dropping - still, it takes Choice Specs Psychic from Alakazam, but it's set-up fodder for Rhyperior and besides - Alakazam can hit it with a very powerful Focus Blast.

In other words, the next few weeks will be UU gone wild.

@Edit: I see very little that can actually take Rhyperior now. Claydol and Torterra are both handled by Megahorn and I don't see anything else that can handle EQ+SE.

Hitmontop- Intimdate and a hard hitting Close Combat, or whatever you want to use, not mention Mach Punch just in case Rhy gets out of hand.

Sadly, lol i think Montop is the only chance that anyone has of defending Rhy. CB versions may be easer to deal with. I suggest always having a Azumarill handy.

 

[ThePatriot]

rhyperior in uu will probably increase the usage of uu sandstorm by a shitload.

Zam will make chansey more used

Umbreon will be like he was in uu a couple months ago

 

[Garganator]

Hitmontop- Intimdate and a hard hitting Close Combat, or whatever you want to use, not mention Mach Punch just in case Rhy gets out of hand.

Sadly, lol i think Montop is the only chance that anyone has of defending Rhy. CB versions may be easer to deal with. I suggest always having a Azumarill handy.

Milotic, Tangrowth, Leafeon, Weezing, Poliwrath, Quagsire, Claydol (only Max HP/Max Def however and only when RP Rhyperior has Megahorn), Hitmontop, Torterra and some more... all of them survive one hit and has moves to hit Rhyperior for 4x super effective damage (or enough bulk to handle more then one hit and hit for 2x SE) and OHKO back. Really, don't hype Rhyperior that much, as it's checked by many, many pokemon. I mentioned more about it in UU New List. And unlike Aggron Rhyperior needs to use at least 3, if not 4 moves on Choice Bander, making predictions with him (and his slow speed) quite hard. Aggron on the other hand needs only two moves, to OHKO or 2OHKO almost all of UU tier - Head Smash and Aqua Tail, making Aggron in my opinion better CHoice Bander. And Rock Polish - hits hard, but many opponents survive one hit and OHKO back. However, Sandstorm may help, but still... Hippotas is so lame.

And Roserade... is back again in OU after really long time. And now UU doesn't have too many good Spikes users and for me even the best ones are at best mediocore.

 

[blasphemy1]

This was coming for a while now, but it looks like Alakazam and Rhyperior are ready to mess up the UU tier. I actually see Registeel usage dropping - still, it takes Choice Specs Psychic from Alakazam, but it's set-up fodder for Rhyperior and besides - Alakazam can hit it with a very powerful Focus Blast.

In other words, the next few weeks will be UU gone wild.

@Edit: I see very little that can actually take Rhyperior now. Claydol and Torterra are both handled by Megahorn and I don't see anything else that can handle EQ+SE.

Well, Torterra isn't OHKOed by Adamant LO Rhyperior's Megahorn(84.90% maximum), and Quagsire takes 64.97% maximum from Earthquake. While these aren't the most reliable counters, they are perfect checks, on top of this Azumarill easily revenges, and Rhyperior will have very few opportunities to set up. Rhyperior will surely make a stir, but I highly doubt it will become a suspect, with quite a few things holding it in check.

Nice to see Roserade make it to OU(though it foils my Torterra lead), free kill for Dragonite I guess :)