Metagame NP: RU Stage 1 - I Lost Something in the Hills (Indeedee-M banned)

Status
Not open for further replies.

phantom

Banned deucer.
:ss/ninetales: RU beta is finally live! :ss/gigalith:
  • Changes from the most recent tier shift:
+

-

-


Vaporeon leaving should shake up the tier pretty significantly since it was one of the best special walls in alpha, checking top threats such as Sigilyph, Goodra, Salazzle, and formed part of the infamous giga-plume-vap core. Vaporeon served as the backbone for many of the best balance teams in the metagame, so it should be interesting to see how defensive playstyles adapt to this change. Loss of Roserade takes away a strong option as an offensive Spiker, but nothing too significant otherwise. Life Orb sets were still threatening in their own right, so teams without a dedicated counter like Escavalier can now breathe a sigh of relief. Charizard should prove to be a strong addition to sun teams as well as potentially being a decent mon outside of sun. The ability to make use of Heavy Duty boots with its already expansive movepool should give Charizard plenty of potential to make an impact during this phase of the tier.
  • The plan going forward:
The tier shifts ended up being less impactful than initially expected, but we still plan to hold off on quickban votes until after the second week of beta. The reason being is home should be released sometime within the next week, which will bring about a massive change to the tier with much of the Defog, Toxic, and Knock Off distribution returning, among other things. As a result, the tier leadership believes it would be premature to cast votes this early when the results of said votes could very likely be invalidated with the release of Pokemon home. However, we will be closely monitoring the development of the tier post tier shifts and if there’s anything that needs to be immediately dealt with, rest assured the council will take action.

Feel free to use this thread to discuss anything about the current metagame. Talk about sets, teams, cores, or individual Pokemon that you believe are effective in the current metagame. This thread will be temporarily replacing the metagame discussion thread, as we will be actively tiering during this month. The rotating council will be brought back once the first voting block is announced. We will be looking for rotating council members who are active in discussions either in this thread or on discord and who show a good understanding of the tier based on their contributions. Making quality posts in this thread will increase your chances of getting added when the time comes.

song
 

Sectonia

But I set fire to the rain
is a Tiering Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
:ss/vaporeon:

The massive loss of Vaporeon is definitely something we’re going to sorely miss. However, I personally think that we might be able to recover from this loss, although Vaporeon’s utility will be sorely missed.

:sm/gastrodon: :sm/mantine:

Gastrodo and Mantine are the two mons I feel will try to fill in the void that Vaporeon left behind, and with Home being soon, Mantine will get Defog again soon. I’m sure we’ll be seeing Vileplume + Gastrodon/Mantine + Gigalith cores before long, and not much would have changed, outside of Gigalith not having as much sustain.

:sm/Charizard:

Charizard, I think, is incredibly interesting to see how it turns out. On one hand, Gigalith being common pretty much fucks it, but on the other hand, it got access to boots, and would be a strong asset to sun teams, boasting Solar Power, and strong moves to use in Sun. Hell, physical or mixed sets might even rear their head, with how many options Charizard has, but for now, I think special is the way to go.

:sm/Roserade:

Not much to say here, since I used Vileplume way more than it, but a good Spiker will be missed for the tier. But outside of that, I didn’t really have many issues with Roserade myself, so I’ll let others say what they have to say on the departure of Roserade.
 

Mavis

Banned deucer.
computer is indefinitely broken and I softlocked myself out of my main discord :(( but I've got my fair share of thoughts on the shifts today, and since I can't make a new bkvideo, I'll just share them here.

:ss/roserade:
losing this is pretty important, as it was not only our best spiker but a premier offensive threat that only had a single hard counter in the form of Escavalier. Rose was able to pressure a lot of teams and pressure them hard between it's STABs and a possible Extrasensory for Poison-types. Threatening constant sleep and entry hazards was also appreciated by a lot of teams, and as someone who spammed a ton of Rose on ladder near the end of the month, I can say with certainty it will be missed.

:ss/escavalier:
Probably the single biggest loser of this shift. Not only did it appreciate ally Roserade's Spikes, but it also appreciated the ability to set up on it as well. Vaporeon leaving is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, 3atks Swords Dance sets no longer fear it burning them, and on the other, it no longer can get good Wishes. Charizard also dropping is nothing short of a nightmare for Escavalier, as while it can't exactly switch in safely at the threat of Knock Off, mono-Megahorn and mispredictions can allow room for Zard to scare it out easily.

:ss/gigalith:
If it wasn't apparent before, this thing is the best Pokemon in the tier, bar none. Two of it's best checks leaving and gaining a Pokemon it hard walls is nothing but good news for Gigalith. Sun is likely to be on the rise again, at least for a little while, as ladder takes a few weeks to get over their new-Zard syndrome, and frankly I just wouldn't leave home without Gigalith. It's getting Toxic once Home comes out, so there's a lot to like for Gigalith.

:ss/jellicent:
Jellicent is another big winner from this shift, as its main competition is gone, and Gigalith becoming even more popular will likely only benefit Jellicent as it can now spread burns more reliably and not be stuffed by Roserade. Zard's predicted usage will also be good, as it is a great check to the fire lizard itself. All in all, Jellicent won in a big way this shift.

:ss/charizard:
Don't know how I feel about everyone's favorite Kanto starter. On one hand, I'm feeling like Dragon Dance will be a wave, as outside of Gigalith and our remaining bulky waters, nothing stops a physical Fire-type in this tier. Sun will also be great, jacking up Fire Blast to obscene levels of power and mandating a Gigalith, Goodra, or something that can take one nuclear bomb of fire STAB after another.

:ss/vaporeon:
Losing Vapo is unfortunate, as it was our best cleric and one of our best all around defense mons. It also nuked the popular Gigalith-Vaporeon-Vileplume core, so defensive play will have to find new ways to adapt without Vapo here. Again, I see Jellicent mostly rising to take its place.
 
Rises

One of the best Special walls in the tier and it sucks pretty badly that it had to rise. This mon was a very vital part of the metagame and formed a lot of the common cores that have been being used. I'm curious to see how defensive cores will be impacted by this rise due to Vaporeon being a very integral part of them.


Roserade was our best Spiker and one of the best offensive Pokemon in this tier, being able to support teams while also being an amazing breaker with only one true hard counter in Escavalier. The utility and offensive pressure this mon is able to provide will be missed, but definitely not as noticeable as Vaporeon's departure.
-----
Drops

Charizard is gonna be a cool toy for Sun to play around with. Being able to throw out insanely strong Sun boosted Fire Blasts boosted furthermore by Solar Power. Gigalith obviously hampers its ability to break but many common sun teammates are able to handle it pretty well.
-----
Impacted Pokémon

Gigalith is nothing but positively affected by these shifts. Charizard can't possibly threaten any Gigalith variant, and 2 checks to it in Roserade and Vaporeon aren't here to hit it super effectively anymore.


Jellicent could possibly take Vaporeon's role as a dependable bulky water due to lack of other competition besides Mantine with Defog when home comes out.


Vaporeon was the Pokemon that invalidated Steelix and Rhydon the most and made them very hard to fit on teams due to their terrible weakness to Vaporeon and it being so prominent. Now Steelix and Rhydon can be decent options as Stealth Rockers.


Sun has benefited heavily from Charizard's drop to RU. Charizard can aid sun as an amazing Breaker with the ability Solar Power, boosting its moves heavily in the sun on top of STAB.


One of the biggest pros to using Escavalier in this meta was it being a hard counter to Roserade. Now that Roserade is gone and Sun usage will be sky high with the drop of Charizard there's little reason to use it.

 
Roserade being gone makes me think Tspikes will finally be usable.

But then I realize sun is going to be everywhere due Zard along with Vileplume and I remain sad (also fuck Salazzle).

But it doesn't matter because no one is really going to play pre Home anyway because of how soon it is.

Metagame shifts are the best thing this paywalled national dex is going to bring.

As for what's good for the 5 seconds the current meta exists, use Gigalith on everything unless you're running Aurora Veil or some shit because it sits on half the tier. Controversial opinion, I'm sure.

Home is a scam and you shouldn't support it.
 

Feliburn

is a Community Leaderis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
RU Leader
Alright idk when home will drop but I wanted to take advantage of the situation to talk about the current meta, more specifically sun.


Since day 1, Sun has been one of the more viable types of teams in RU, because the tier got gifted the 2 Sun setters in the game, alongside the stronger Chlorophyill users. Torkoal serves as a rocker/spinner/phys def wall and Ninetales is a decent wall breaker/ set up sweeper, which adds on to the good role compression the sun setters serve.


Getting into the big scary bullies. Gonna start with the actual sun monster, Shiftry is probably the reason sun is as good as it is, it has very good offensive stats and the coverage is really good: Solar Blade, Heat Wave and Throat Chop with Growth or another grass move like Leaf Blade for situations where sun isn't active. Charizard is the newest addition to the tier and I really don't think anything bar Snorlax eats a Solar Power Specs Sun Boosted move, it's speed tier is incredible for such a strong wall breaker and the coverage is really good, you can even run Boots instead of Specs for longetivity over power but in such an offensive metas I feel the ability to get more OHKOs is better. Vileplume is like Shiftry in the sense that it can Growth and spam Sludge and Solar Beam, however I've found it to be quite weak as a sun sweeper. Leafeon is there cause llamas used it but its p weak honestly, SD Solar Blade hits like a massive truck tho.


As for decent partners to use in sun teams. Goodra is a generally good mon to have as it checks mons like Salazzle and Ninetales, both which are very annoying for sun builds. Same for Snorlax but it takes a more defensive approach for the team and it can also be a Curse sweeper. Rhydon also checks Lazzle and can set rocks up if needed. And finally Xatu is an alternative for Hazard control, mainly for Charizard, if you don't feel comfortable clicking Rapid Spin with other mons.


Finally this satanic piece of garbage is perhaps the other main reason for sun being so crazy good. Since the entire meta is built around Gigalith being the main rocker in the tier, sun teams with Trapinch can just trap Gigalith and with 2 EQs they just remove the main counter meassure opposing teams have, which is Gigalith's Sand Stream. Trapping proves to be as dumb stupid as it has always been.

Those are my thoughts rn as ppl kept talking more in depth about shit like Galv Webs and Barb Screens or something like that, so I figured a main post about dumb ass sun would be appropriate now that Vaporeon is dead, which was a decent mon vs sun funnily enough.
 

atomicllamas

but then what's left of me?
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
I 100% inspired Feli's post about sun ftr.

Are you tired of using sun or veil teams and getting ct'd by every single team on the ladder because they all run this guy :gigalith:?

Here's what you should be running:

:ninetales:
Ninetales @ Eject Pack
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Nasty Plot
- Weather Ball
- Solar Beam

:trapinch:
Trapinch @ Choice Band
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- First Impression
- Superpower
- Rock Tomb

:torkoal:
Torkoal @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Lava Plume
- Body Press
- Yawn


This Ninetales set + Trapinch guarantees that you are able to win the weather war with Torkoal in the long run. And if they don't switch in Gigalith, it still gets you a free switch into your sun sweeper of choice (Shiftry, Vileplume, and Leafeon are all pretty decent rn, Charizard is probably usable, run 2). I agree with Feliburn's options listed in the second section as good teammates, I think the best sun team looks like the above 3 mons + 2 sun sweepers (I think Vileplume is the actual mandatory one, as it absorbs t spikes) + 1 filler. Fillers should ideally be able to deal with Salazzle and Goodra (especially if you don't use one of Leafeon or Shiftry), I think Snorlax is probably the best at this, but Rhydon gives you rocks so you can run yawn Torkoal.

I still haven't seen anyone run the Vanilluxe set I'd run on a veil team, but here you go, someone try this:

:vanilluxe:
Vanilluxe @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hail
- Aurora Veil
- Blizzard / Freeze Dry
- Explosion


This way when the opponent inevitably switches in their Gigalith or Torkoal, you can hail on the switch and set up veil. You still can't set up on Ninetales and you risk your opponent not switching and outplaying you, but I think you have to run hail on a dedicated veil team if you want to actually set it up in 50% of games.
 
Last edited:

Feliburn

is a Community Leaderis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
RU Leader
Almost double posting but with Pokemon Home being free now we have so much more options to build with


Defog:

Knock Off:

Roost:

Toxic:

Synthesis:

Belly Drum:



Those are basically it I think, the Defog distribution is perhaps the best one as our removal was very limited, not to mention Knock Off being more spammable means items like the boots take a heavy hit from it. I'll try to keep the list updated if I find new stuff I missed
 
Last edited:

Mavis

Banned deucer.
Okay, time to share my thoughts on this whole matter, as you all know I love to do. Welcome poke-home, RU friends!

:ss/pangoro:
#BanGoro
Knock Off is ridiculous. Get this thing out of my good Christian RU tier so we can go back to helping the elderly across streets and organizing charity drives to feed the homeless. Bastard panda strikes again

:ss/sigilyph:
I believe Sigilyph took a slight hit thanks to home. Sigilyph loved it's checks being chipped by hazards, and now that removal is a lot better, that's not gonna be happening quite as often or with as much severity as before. Removal-less teams will be a thing of the past, and Sigilyph loved fighting those.

:ss/gigalith:
Charizard enters the tier, two of its hardest counters leave- now it gets better team support in the form of the Defogvallies AND access to Toxic back? Gigalith keeps winning and winning, and absolutely should be the best thing in the tier right now. Stay winning, king.

:ss/galvantula:
More sticky web removers isn't a great thing for Galvantula. RIP the days you could lay webs against a team, send in your Sigilyph, and then shit on six mons in a row.

:ss/silvally:
With an encore of the same dance it became famous for in SM ZU/PU, Silvally reprises it's role as a splashable, versatile Defogger which should only serve to boost the viability of it's many forms. Silvally Steel now has an excellent move to add to it's repertoire, and Silvally Ghost can abuse the 6000 things it forces out to get a Defog off. Another W for the king of pre-alpha.
 

Another reason to hate Sigilyph, you ask? Now it can Toxic + Roost Gigalith to death. Cool.


Ngl I've been kinda on the fence about Pangoro personally because Bewear is just better in my experience outside Sableye matchups what with it being just as strong and infinitely fatter (like how tf is a normal/fighting type able to live CCs and Acros that shit doesn't makes sense) but Knock probably puts it over the edge.

Wrt to Trapinch on sun, from the Alpha thread
Wanted to echo this post because it can't be overstated just how much Gigalith actually covers, to the point that if you're not running it you're bound to get ran over by some cheese sooner or later. Probably sooner too, since you can just run Trapinch on your sun/veil squad to crush Giga/anti-sun mons anyways.
call me a prophet ig. Also this tech:

I 100% inspired Feli's post about sun ftr.

Are you tired of using sun or veil teams and getting ct'd by every single team on the ladder because they all run this guy :gigalith:?

Here's what you should be running:

:ninetales:
Ninetales @ Eject Pack
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Nasty Plot
- Weather Ball
- Solar Beam

:trapinch:
Trapinch @ Choice Band
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- First Impression
- Superpower
- Rock Tomb

:torkoal:
Torkoal @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Lava Plume
- Body Press
- Yawn


This Ninetales set + Trapinch guarantees that you are able to win the weather war with Torkoal in the long run. And if they don't switch in Gigalith, it still gets you a free switch into your sun sweeper of choice (Shiftry, Vileplume, and Leafeon are all pretty decent rn, Charizard is probably usable, run 2). I agree with Feliburn's options listed in the second section as good teammates, I think the best sun team looks like the above 3 mons + 2 sun sweepers (I think Vileplume is the actual mandatory one, as it absorbs t spikes) + 1 filler. Fillers should ideally be able to deal with Salazzle and Goodra (especially if you don't use one of Leafeon or Shiftry), I think Snorlax is probably the best at this, but Rhydon gives you rocks so you can run yawn Torkoal.
completely shuts out Gigalith all day long and kinda just insta wins if you don't have multiple sun checks per team. Also in the vein of that Hail Vanilluxe set, you could also just run Sunny Day Tales which effectively forces Gigalith in twice as often, something that it can't really afford to do since theoretically every common mon on sun can at least do something to Gigalith. Yeah newer ladder players love to use mono Solar-move teams, but more experienced sun players have started to wise up to the fact that a rock type may not be the best long term check to grass type attackers. Go figure. BP Torkoal does like half and Tales can even finish up the job with Sunny Day + Solar Beam if you didn't want to go the Trapinch route, assuming a round or two of rocks.


Not even gonna touch the Charizard thing, but needless to say Specs Solar Power Zard calcs are absolutely hilarious. Not sure specs will be the set or not, but if you ever wanted to 2HKO Goodra with a special fire move, this would be the way to do it.


Also I gotta say, yes Gigalith is good, but it's usage is pretty indicative of a larger issue with the current state of the tier, which I'm surprised hasn't been brought up. It's not exactly at OU levels of ridiculous usage, but 25% is still pretty crazy especially given that its only likely to increase given that we're no longer dealing with 'new toy syndrome', again to say nothing of Zard running around now. I know that council intends to hold off on suspects until beta is over (something I actually agree with fwiw), but I'd hope that at the very least a sun suspect is on the slate to be looked at when the time comes. I may not be the most active forum poster, but I'm experienced enough with the game to have pretty comfortably stayed at or near the top of the RU ladder all throughout alpha, and I'd hope that this issue is eventually at the very least addressed. The whole 'Gigalith vs The World' dynamic the tier has is unlikely to change in any meaningful way without council intervention, and while I don't speak for everyone I wholeheartedly believe that sun is the main offender in all this. Gigalith just feels too necessary atm for any kind of consistency, despite the fact that there are many other mons I'd gladly use in its place if not for the need to check so much questionable shit.


With tier shifts being so recent and home having just dropped it's kinda hard to definitively say just who wins and loses, but I think placing Toxicroak on the losing side is a pretty safe bet. Still a pretty decent pick, don't get me wrong, but losing its #1 victim in Vape really sucks, and it doesn't really want much to do with the Quag/Gastro/Jelli that might try to fill that fat water slot. NP can do okay I suppose, but it has major 4MSS with having to pick between Focus Miss, Vacuum Wave, and Dark Pulse for its last slot. It's hardly useless now, but you might have to try a bit harder when looking to snag that +2.


Heal Bell. That is all.

Also,
and the bad one get it too ig.
 
Hello everyone, Home has finally arrived so im gonna post my thougths.

1581519985843.png
Sigilyph:
Well, Sigi just got better and better with Home, now it can act as a defogger and can Toxic supposed checks like Gigalith. Toxic being more common doesnt really hurt him, since Magic Guard completely ignores it. Sigilyph is going to be insane.
1581520228768.png
1581520239254.png
Pangoro and Shiftry: Both of this Pokemon we're alredy huge part of the meta, and now they just got another tool in Knock Off. Is there really anything needed to be said? This migth push them into being too overwhelming for the tier.
1581520371925.png
Silvally: So, i see people talking about it getting Defog back, which is obviously good, but something i want to talk about is also it getting back Flame Charge. This migth be huge for SD sets, since it now gets a free Speed boost on possible sacks or just to easily clean in general. Silvally is definetly getting a lot better with Home so i cant wait to see how things turn out for it.
1581520630780.png
Charizard: Charizard just got back Roost, and thats gonna be huge for Boots sets. Feel like the main weakness of this Pokèmon was it getting crippled too easily with Solar Power / trying to get a free turn vs stuff it resists, but now with Roost it can afford to switch into opposing Pokemon more easily. Def something to keep an eye on.

I believe those are honestly the mons that won the most with Home, stuff that got Defog and Toxic back are also welcome. We'll see how things turn out.
 

phantom

Banned deucer.
After some internal discussion, the council is set to vote on the following this weekend:

:ss/pangoro:
Pangoro is arguably the tiers best wallbreaker. Its choice band set allows it to tear open balance teams with Scrappy Close Combat, even 2HKOing many of the tiers Fighting resists. Its access to Knock Off allows it to severely cripple if not outright KO the few Pokemon that can stomach a banded Close Combat. Its bulk also allows it to take hits from weaker attackers such as Rotom and walls like Steelix, giving it a decent amount of opportunities to switch in and nab a kill. Because of its incredible wallbreaking prowess, Pangoro has been nominated to be part of the voting slate.

:ss/shiftry:
Shiftry has the perfect combination of Speed, power and coverage that makes it uncounterable. Its astounding Speed and access to priority undercuts the ability for most offensive teams to properly deal with it. Additionally, high-powered attacks such as STAB Solar Blade and sun-boosted Heat Wave allows it to cleave through most of the tier’s walls. Regaining Access to Knock Off has made it even more troublesome to deal with.

The council has had several back and forth discussions on what to do with Drought, and most of us have come to the conclusion that voting on Shiftry is the best approach for the time being. Many of the council do not believe other sun sweepers are at the same level as Shiftry, either due to lack of coverage, speed, power or some combination of the three. The Fire-types, while dangerous, also have checks or limited switch-in oppertunties, making them fairly manageable as well. If the situation on Drought changes, we may look into additional options to deal with it.

:ss/sigilyph:
Sigilyph has the perfect concoction of traits that has made it one of most threatening special attackers in the tier - great coverage, immunity to passive damage, and an excellent speed tier that allows it to sit atop all but a handful of viable Pokemon. Sigilyph’s versatility as a special attacker plays a part in how difficult it is to manage. It can employ several viable sets such as LO 3 Attacks, offensive CM, and even Tinted Lena Choice Specs that all vary in counters. Because of this and its ability to outlast many of its checks, it’s been put up to be voted on.

:ss/Barbaracle:
Barbaracle is perhaps one of the most devastating setup sweepers in the tier. Barbaracle is capable of taking turns off of several prominent Pokemon, including Snorlax, various Silvally forms, and Choice-locked attackers. Additionally, under aurora veil or even dual screens, its set up oppertunties are amplified even further. Once set up, Barbaracle becomes out of reach for all but Choice Scarf Salazzle and Mach Punch from Hitmonlee and Gurdurr, which are all ineffective with screens support. Its incredible power and flexible coverage slot leaves very little to stop it once it has setup.

Bebo and eifo have been selected by the council to take part in this vote. The votes should conclude sometime before monday. Feel free to share your thoughts on the slate for the time being.
 

Mavis

Banned deucer.
dropping thoughts bc I'm relevant as always and I love hearing myself talk

pangoro: god yes please make it go away mister phantom

shiftry: not too confident on this one. I don't think shiftry is on the same level of broken as the other three mons on the slate. yes, under sun support it's more or less unwallable with the exceptions of physically defensive Fire-types (basically just torkoal and turtonator, the latter of which will fall to +2 dark stab if not invested), but the stringent conditions it requires to make it work, at least in my eyes, don't push shiftry over the edge.

sigilyph: yeah, sure, okay, make it go away. that's fine by me.

barbaracle: hit or miss, but this time I feel like barb is a bit much. it can invalidate it's various answers with coverage (grass knot for quagsire and gastrodon, cross chop for bewear) and outside of those it's very hard to stop. it gets even more gruesome under veil or with webs support, blocking the other best way to answer it, sacking something off so your scarf salazzle can get the kill. make it go away too.

in conclusion, my opinions
pangoro: ban
shiftry: don't ban
sigilyph: ban
barbaracle: ban
 

EviGaro

is a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
RU Leader
Hlelo everyone, the RU Council + the rotating council - thanks Bebo and eifo - voted on the first slate of the SWSH RU Beta, here are the results:

: 7/9 ban

atomicllamas: Sigilyph: Do Not Ban - Another tough one that I think should be revisited in the future. I think Sigilyph has been overhyped and is something that is better on paper than in practice. While the removal of pursuit has certainly made it better, I think the drop of home will be a net negative for it, Defog and Toxic hurt it as much as help it, by reducing pressure on defensive mons and improving defensive mons in general, while Knock Off coming back is certainly to it's detriment. Additionally, there are a lot of things on offense that can take a hit and KO back, or outspeed and take it down. Defensive teams struggle a little more with setup Sigilyph but I still think there are plenty of otherwise good options you can fit on your team to deal with Sigi.

Averardo: Sigilyph: ban. Sigilyph can just do anything. Setup, remove hazards, spread status, or just clean teams thanks to its immense coverage, making finding a check even harder. Its speed is also very good, being outspeeded by few RU viable mons. Magic Guard also makes playing around it even harder, since its immune to Toxic and hazards.

Bebo: sigilyph: ban. I really dont think this mon offers anything good for this tier its just straight up busted and magic guard is way too good in this meta. It can so easily break through its checks and has the coverage to do with the likes of energyball and stabs. I've been using the CM set and its insane how easy it is to just set up with this mon and win. It's speed tier is crazy good and out-speeds silvally's so yeah busted

eifo: Sigilyph: ban. Sigilyph is a perfect description of a mon that is both broken and unhealthy. It's too good relative to the meta, the meta is completely centralized around it and it causes severe team matchup restriction. We lack good defensive answers for it, it's faster than 95% of the meta and it has several different sets, each with different counters. A mon that may beat AoA, may not beat Roost 3 attacks, CM Roost, or Cosmic Power + Stored power. A mon that may beat one variation of its coverage, may not take on others. E.g. Goodra switches in on Psychic, but not Psyshock. Escav/Lix/Steelvally switches in on some sets, but not Heat Wave. Gastro switches in on some sets, but not Energy Ball. Etc etc.

EviGaro: Sigilyph Ban: Sigilyph does too many things too well for it to be a very stable presence in the tier: it's an excellent breaker with limited switches, it's an amazing defogger with great sustain and it has incredible setup capabilities that can allow it to go past multiple checks. While in some ways it doesn't look that different to his former SM NU role, the death of pursuit, the complete lack of good defensive pivots and a speed tier that got so much better from last gen to this are all massive boons that make it definitely overwhelming. The ways to revenge Sigilyph nowadays are limited to an handful of mons that aren't all particularly great - Boltund, Liepard, Cinccino, Galvantula - which are massively unreliable as switchins and can't force it to take damage anyway, or scarfers that need to lock into Knock for the most part due to more than one of them having stabs that Sigilyph keep in check.

Feliburn: Sigilyph: Do Not Ban I've found Sigilyph to be less and less broken as it felt when the tier started, it's an incredibly good pokemon but I really don't think it's ban worthy. In fact, I've seen more teams now using it less and having more counter play to it at the same time, making it seem p manageable for the tier.

MrAldo: Sigilyph: Ban
Same venue as Pangoro, except with more stuff going for it. We all know what Sigi does but this time the metagame is the most favorable it has been for it, maybe ever. A really privilegued speed tier in a meta where stuff is sluggish, No Pursuit is a big boom for it cause there is literally no way to effectively punish it, and other sets have ways around its defensive checks so it is super hard to handle in the grand scope of things, hazards arent even an option for it. Yeah, I think it has to go as much as I like it.

Odd Della Robbia: Sigilyph - Ban: Excellent speed tier and coverage. Magic guard protecting it from getting worn down by life orb, weather, and status make it tough for defensive mons to chip it down, and most of the Pokémon capable of taking hits from it don’t have reliable recovery and will lose in the long game.

phantom: Sigilyph Ban: Sigilyph is ridiculous. It can perform a number of sets that all have different counters. Being as fast as it is and no longer being punished by Pursuit makes it difficult to get a handle on. It’s also able to sustain itself throughout the match too easily with the combination of Roost + Magic Guard, so oftentimes if your dedicated check can’t also recover as quickly, which is usually the case with most Sigilyph checks, then a well played Sigilyph will be able to outlast said counter 9/10.

: 9/9 ban


atomicllamas: Pangoro: Ban - Pangoro is a pokemon we clearly lack the defensive capability to deal with in this tier, the only switch in to CB that was consistently able to deal with Pangoro was Mudsdale, but with the release of knock off, Pangoro now can remove its only source of recovery. Knock off also pushes it over the edge vs some of it's other checks like Gurdurr. While Fairies resist both of it's STAB moves, CB Pangoro can easily fit in both Gunk Shot and Bullet Punch which do heavy damage to the fairies in the tier, while Bullet Punch allows it to be pretty functional against offense still. Overall the pressure it puts up against balance teams make it almost impossible to build a solid balance team right now, let alone a more defensively oriented team.

Averardo: Pangoro: ban. Easily the best wallbreaker of the tier. 124 Attack with access to Scrappy and Close Combat provides 0 risks and high rewards. It also just got back Knock Off, making previous switchins like Musdale and Vileplume worst checks. Its bulk and access to Drain Punch also makes it incredibly hard to revengkill. Overall, i think the pressure Pangoro puts on the teambuilder is too unhealthy for the tier.

Bebo: Pangoro: ban. I would've still voted ban before it even got knockoff this mon is crazy no matter what you will be weak to it and it has very few counter play. With the addition of knock there is literally no safe switch in nothing wants to take a huge knock and lose its item along it. Scrappy allows it to click CC whenever it likes with no drawback

eifo: Pangoro: Ban. There is not a single switchin to Pangoro. Every single mon in the tier gets OHKO'd or 2HKO'd. It thus single handedly invalidates bulkier teams, which in my eyes is enough to be deemed broken. Additonally, its power forces every single mon to carry some coverage for it, which it would otherwise never run: e.g. Air Slash Sigilyph, Superpower Gigalith, Dazzling Gleam Xatu etc. Lastly, it's a brainless mon that you can just get in and click Scrappy CB CC with, as even our best resist in Vileplume takes 40% from it. It is thus not only broken and unhealthy, but also to some degree skilless.

EviGaro: Pangoro: Ban: This is one I really strongly think should be revisited later on, as Pangoro benefits heavily from a meta that isn't super developed and severely lacking in defensive variety that will hopefully come back later on, but for now Pangoro is simply way too strong for the tier and getting Knock back makes it even better. CB is dumb, SD is also dumb and it still has decent bulk + good typing so it can almost always take a hit despite how slow it is

Feliburn: Pangoro: Ban Find Pangoro to be a tad unhealthy for the tier due to the raw power it has, coupled with Scrappy and Choice Band means the predicts you have to make are less because it basically 2HKOs everything in the tier with Banded CC and now after Home the added Knock Off

MrAldo: Pangoro: Ban
A little too good and a little too consistent for the meta to handle. Switch-ins dont exist period, and the mileage it gets for just pressing attacks mindlessly is too rewarding for no risk at all. Scrappy getting the buff and disrupting intimidate is the icing of the cake since you cant even weaken through abilities anymore so... yeah, it has to go. Im happy it is that good but not happy enough to keep it around destroying shit.

Odd Della Robbia: Pangoro - Ban: Very little counterplay. Scrappy close combat has few switchins and most things that can take a close combat will take a hefty chunk from knock off. Zen headbutt and earthquake are good options for getting past the bulky poisons that try to wall it, so it has no real counters.

phantom: Pangoro Ban: Pangoro punishes teams excessively each time it gets in, even more so than anything else voted on the slate. At least with Sigilyph, you can temporarily pivot around it. Best case scenario when dealing with Pangoro is hoping your counter will still be useful with its item stripped away. If you guess incorrectly, it can oftentimes just get a kill instead. I don’t think there’s much that needs to be said here - there’s just no switch ins to Pangoro because of how mindless STAB Knock Off and Scrappy Close Combat is. You’ll pretty much always make headway into the match when clicking either of the two moves just because of how stupidly powerful this mon is.

: 6/9 ban

atomicllamas: Barbaracle: Do Not Ban - This one is tough and probably should be revisited later, the reality is I just haven't seen enough of it in terms of usage or success in order to feel comfortable banning it at this point. It certainly has some customizable movesets in order to get past would be counters like Gastrodon and Bewear, but there are still a bunch of ways to deal with it in terms of both offensive pressure and defensive answers. I think where Barbaracle really succeeds is on Aurora Veil, but I haven't seen any success with those teams yet, again, as those teams improve, its possible Barbaracle (or veil) will need to be revisited.

Averardo: Barbaracle: ban. Barbaracle is one of the best setup sweepers in the tier. After one shell smash, its almost impossible to revengkill, especially if under screens. Opportunities to setup are also not hard to find, since it can easily abuse Snorlax, Choice locked Pokemon like Goodra, Rillaboom or Passimian, or just anything that doesnt hit it with a super effective move. Its combination of stabs is the most threatning in the tier, with enough coverage to hit checks like Gastrodon or Quagsire with Grass Knot.

Bebo: barbaracle: ban. This mon is also unhealthy and most teams really struggle with being able to avoid it setting up and just straight up winning. Our best checks are probably like quag and gastro and even then any team that dont have those 2 could very easily be broken up with. It's also way too easy to set up with the meta we have currently this mon really just doesn't give the tier anything it sets up and wins and has very minimal counterplay.

eifo: Barbaracle: ban. The meta is not centered around it, but I believe this is mostly bc users have not yet caught on to how problematic it is, due to the arguably more toxic presence of mons such as Pangoro, Sigilyph and Salazzle. That being said, we have a grand total of two mainstream mons which can tank a hit from +2 barb: Vileplume and Gurdurr (which it is a stretch to even call mainstream). Our ways of revenging it are also limited to obscure mons such as Mach Punch Hitmontop/chan/lee and Scarf Salazzle. This in my eyes makes Barb a very unhealthy presence in every game it is brought to, as unless you have any of the above on every single team, it forces the player to play in ways in which it would not in any other given matchup in order to prevent it from ever setting up. E.g. you can't kill Sigilyph with Scarf Passimian Knock Off, bc then the Barb comes in, sets up and wins.

EviGaro: Barbaracle: Ban: Despite losing the z-move, Barbaracle finds itself in a much, much slower metagame with also limited defensive counterplay to its Life Orb set and the death of hidden power lures on something like Scarf Salazzle, making it a lot more reliable to do something. Like Spirit alluded to, Barbaracle has quite a few supporting assets helping it do its thing, from veil to the rarer but effective Psychic Terrain from Indeedee-F, not only cutting down on the priority moves hitting it but also providing it Healing Wish support on top of it. Also like Spirit said, Barbaracle still has a tremendous attack stat allowing it to break when opponents hurry to their countermeasure or try to hit it as it would setup, allowing it to do more damage than just being a setup mon that can hopefully clean a game.

Feliburn: Barbaracle: Ban I don't really think Barbaracle is broken, ever since its introduction in gen 6 it's been the one mon that always has the potential to break teams but then teams adapt to it rather quickly, however back then we could slap Hidden Power Grass on most mons and call it a day. Currently it finds a lot of set up opportunities and the defensive cores aren't as anti Barb as they were in the past so sure this mon can leave.

MrAldo: Barbaracle: Do Not Ban
With Home now I believe we need to see Barbaracle a bit more doing its thing to take a better course of action. It is still doing the same thing since its introduction but in previous cases the meta always managed to adapt to it so I think the metagame right now has room for finding ways of not letting it set up as freely and because of Pangoro and Sigilyph that punish defense so freely I think new ways to handle Barbaracle like seeing more Gurdurr and what not could be a possibility. Id keep it and see how we adapt to it, I freely banning it would be a very abrupt move to do right now.

Odd Della Robbia: Barbaracle - Do not ban: Not denying this is a big threat, but it finds trouble getting setup opportunities. Dropping it’s own defenses means it basically requires veil/screens support, which can be hard to set up with ninetales torkoal and gigalith being so prominent to block veil. Even then it usually has to take a hit or get statused when setting up, and then it wears itself down with life orb recoil, leaving it easier to revenge kill. Basically I believe there is enough relevant counterplay to barb.

phantom: Barbaracle Ban: Barbaracle is a bit too unhealthy for the tier. I’ve been running LO sets and they’ve been able to cut through dedicated “counters” like Vileplume and Gastrodon with just a bit of hazards support. There’s just not much able to stop it once it gets going, and with the myriad of viable support options like screens and veil, supporting barb doesn’t take a whole lot of effort. Additionally, barb also doubles up as a breaker so even in situations where it doesn’t fully sweep, it still plays an important part in supporting its team by breaking their defensive backbone, thereby letting another sweeper pick up where it left off.

: 5/9 ban
atomicllamas: Shiftry: Ban - This was my preferred way to deal with sun, I think the issue with Shiftry is that it's a sun sweeper that doesn't struggle with steels in the same way that Vileplume and Leafeon do. Knock off release only serves to make it a better sun teammate for Vileplume and the fire Pokemon. The other thing that makes Shiftry so much harder to deal with is that you can run Sucker Punch on it so when sun ends it is still very difficult to check offensively, for example a scarf Vanilluxe + something that can deal with the Fire mons should be an adequate sun answer, but scarf Vanilluxe falls to a +2 Sucker Punch. I think for the time being Shiftry is the thing that is too much for RU, not the other aspects of the tier.

Averardo: Shiftry: ban. Shiftry is the best Sun Sweeper, and for good reasons. Very good stabs in Solar Blade and Knock Off, incredible Speed under sun, making it almost impossible to revengkill if not with some Mach Punch users like Gurdurr, good coverage in sun-boosted Heat Wave, and a good setup move in Growth. This combination makes Shiftry almost impossible to check properly, something that all the other sun abusers dont lack.

Bebo: Shiftry: do not ban. Why are we even choosing to ban this mon out of all things. I've made plenty of teams and i can confidently say i doubt this is the mon we should be testing i completely agree with eifo and feli and think we should focus our attention on something else like trapinch. Sun has a hard counter which is gigalth trapinch completely destroys that counter on its own allowing sun to do whatever it wants making it crazy good.

eifo: Shiftry: do not ban. I don't see how this mon is even remotely close to being broken. It is not too good relative to the rest of the meta, the meta is not centralized around it and it does not cause severe team matchup restriction, as we have plenty of offensive and defensive checks for it that are by no means obscure. If people want to nerf sun, I think they should look to more problematic mons such as Trapinch. Trapinch traps and kills sun's best counter in Gigalith without the Gigalith user being able to do anything about it; i.e. it is skilless by nature. Shiftry, however, is not particularly problematic in my eyes.

EviGaro: Shiftry: Ban: If it wasn't for Home coming out right in the middle of the Great Sun Debate I would probably vote no ban, but if there's one thing clear in Gen 8 is that removing items is very very very good. Add to that a ridiculous stab under sun, an ability to go to +2 on both sides under sun or just a regular +2 in attack without it mean it has ton of options to break teams with an otherwise decent speed even without sun boosts. This is another one I'm perfectly willing to re-visit later on though, as it could maybe not be the right call to nerf the sun playstyle, but Shiftry has enough tools making me think that we can start by doing this first and see how the metagame develop after.

Feliburn: Shiftry: Do Not Ban Like I've said previously, Shiftry is the one mon that abuses sun the best, and now it has access to Knock Off making it better. However I don't think this is the mon that makes sun outright broken, I still think Trapinch is a bigger problem for beating sun rather than Shiftry.

MrAldo: Shiftry: Do Not Ban
Im from the philosophy that is something is broken under an specific scenario then isnt the mon fault. Sun isnt broken without Shiftry, but Shiftry isnt broken without Sun either if you ask me. I think Drought is at fault here and while Sun is far less good without Shiftry I dont believe it is a healthy playstyle to have on a meta with far less sun checks if you ask me. It is a cool mixed attacker and wallbreaker and I think it deserve without Sun on the map, but it is how it is.

Odd Della Robbia: Shiftry - Ban: Shiftry is by far the most threatening sweeper under sun, especially now that it has regained knock off from Home’s release. Even outside of sun it can be a scary breaker with SD and still utilize sucker punch for faster foes. Both of these sets can be extremely difficult to revenge kill when set up

phantom: Shiftry Ban: I think Shiftry is a bit much to deal with. It can circumvent various priority users with boosted sucker punches and now with it having access to Knock Off, previous counters like Torkoal and Turtonator are no longer effective at stopping it. This in addition to having insane speed and enhanced coverage under sun makes it a little too difficult to play around. Its switch-in opportunities are fairly limited, which is the main thing keeping it from being as difficult to stop as the other mons being voted on, but there’s just not much counterplay available once it actually does get in, which isn’t that difficult to provide given all the voltturn users in the tier.


In conclusion, all of Sigilyph, Pangoro, Barbaracle and Shiftry are now banned from the SWSH RU tier. Tagging The Immortal and Marty to remove them from the RU ladder, thank you both.
 
Gigalith just got even better. Not only are some of its more prominent checks gone, but also Sigilyph, a Pokemon that used to completely abuse it for setup fodder despite supposedly being checked by the Rock Pokemon. Sun being worse due to Shiftry's ban means it may not be mandatory anymore, but it at least doesn't have to worry about winning weather wars as often.

Maybe I'm talking out of my ass here but Gigalith is legitimately good.
 

Feliburn

is a Community Leaderis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
RU Leader

Goodra is perhaps the best pokemon in the tier currently, being the best breaker in the tier and offering really solid defensive value as a good sp def wall. Specs is the most threatening set rn, OHKOing a vast majority of the tier not named Gigalith and other sp def mons, and also taking advantage of one of the better defensive mons in Vileplume, as you can pair Goodra with any mon that forces plume in to take damage, then go Goodra as they try to sap, preventing their recovery. Speaking of that, a Banded set can also work, seeing how you can easily lure Gigalith for other special attackers, and taking advantage of the Sap Sipper boost from plume's strength sap, making Goodra a beast.


Escavalier also feels p fun right now. Band Sets lack switchins due to the coverage it offers (Megahorn/Iron Head/Close Combat/Knock Off). And I've also seen Substitute sets that take advantage of Vileplume being unable to touch you. Overall seems like a good mon that handles the common balance cores, and it's incredibly scary when paired with a Goodra that checks fire coverage.

Idk why I get the feeling the tier currently revolves about which mons take advantage of Vileplume the most, feels like the tier is finally trying to change from the common GigaPlume teams, which funnily enough are still solid.


SD Mons are v strong rn. Bewear can p much destroy every fat mon after an SD thanks to Darkest Lariat letting it hit Jellicent and Dhelmise p strong. Gallade is a more offensive alternative thanks to its speed, but it normally doesn't perform as good as Bewear. Finally SD Silvally is as good as always except it now has the ability to fit Defog as a fourth move if your team doesn't need the coverage, this is bigger for Silvally-Steel cause it finds more opportunities to set up and Defog.

I'm patiently waiting for the next shift so we get something that actually shakes up the meta, but I felt like posting some post bans thoughts before everything changes once again.
 
Last edited:

(click us)
Here's a build a few other people and myself have been using on ladder since Home has dropped.

Goodra is one of if not the best Pokemon in the SW/SH RU Metagame atm. Being able to spam Draco Meteor with almost no drawbacks due to the lack of actual prevalent fairies. Mantine pairs nicely with Goodra due to covering its crippling Electric weakness, while Mantine helps Goodra out with rough matchups vs Pokemon like Passimian. Mantine is also my form of removal for the team, synergizing well with Gigalith and providing it breathing room VS Ground-types and the aforementioned Passimian. Passimian is here to provide a Dark-type check for Silvally-Ghost, while Silvally ghost handles the Psychic-types that can annoy Passimian greatly. Silvally-Ghost is my Secondary Fighting-type answer and a breaker, being able to hit a plethora of Pokemon for huge damage with its Ghost-type Multi-Attack. Vileplume is here to hard counter mons like Rillaboom and Passimian with its amazing defensive capabilities, while also being a good status absorber for moves like Toxic. Last but not least Gigalith is my Stealth Rocker and my Special wall, pairing amazingly with Mantine, Silvally-Ghost because they both provide it a fighting resist, while Gigalith is able to beat many Psychic-types that can give Passimian and Vileplume trouble like Xatu and check Salazzle for the team.


 
I know Gigalith is the premiere stealth rocker of the tier but I've been having a fair bit of success (and fun) with an Assault Vest variant. Max HP/Max Atk+ means it hits like a truck and can take special hits even more easily than normal. Wish support from something like Aromatisse can help it stick around for longer to tear gigantic holes in the opposing team. I've been running EQ/Stone Edge/Throat Chop/Explosion. Explosion in particular has been useful for destroying mons that think they can set up on a half-dead Gigalith (and for tilting the bejesus out of the other player). I know it's probably not the optimal build for one of the best mons in the tier but it's certainly not awful and I've had fun with it.
 
Last edited:

Feliburn

is a Community Leaderis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
RU Leader
So we got stats finally

Dropped to RU:


Rose:


P huge shift, losing the most used rocker hurts a lot but at least the meta will change from the gloomy sandstorm background we saw almost every game. Sun took a hit in Torkoal but at the same time Gigalith leaving makes it so Ninetales has an easier time doing its job so is it really a huge hit. Machamp wasn't really that great but it was still a good wallbreaker.

As for drops, Barraskewda seems like a huge danger, fastest pokemon paired with a high attack stat and really good coverage, not sure if the tier will be able to handle it but who knows. Copperajah is a fun mon I wanted to drop, good steel type with a very diverse coverage, it will be fun to see whst it can do. We got an upgrade of a mon we already had basically so not too much to say on Indeedee other than the fact that its better rofl. idk what to say about Cramorant even, its like a faster Mantine with less bulk but a broken ability. Also Coalossal seems like it will be a mid tier pokemon, at least it can set up spikes and spin so it has that going for it.

Goodra and Steelix both got better, lix being perhaps the main rocker now and Goodra losing one of its switchins, meta will be so different starting now.
 

Mavis

Banned deucer.
at least the meta will change from the gloomy sandstorm background we saw almost every game
my guy have you played a SINGLE game of advance in your entire life this is nothing

in all seriousness though, I'm really excited for these shifts. Barraskewda being RU would have terrified me at the onset of the generation, but now it gives us Yet Another Reason To Use Jellicent(tm). Copperajah and Coalossal bring some pretty nifty setter options to the table.

Male Indeedee probably takes over the breaker role from Female Indeedee, but F still retains it's access to Healing Wish, so slight edge there in the choice scarf department.

RIP Machamp, UU why'd you do my boy derpy bad like this
 

GoldCat

BOSSARU CUP WINNER
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a defending SCL Champion
1583092104528.png

Copperajah looks to be an incredible Wallbreaker and Offensive Stealth Rocker as with just Heavy Slam/ Heat Crash/Power Whip coverage it's able to break through the whole tier except Steelix thanks to Heat Crash only being 80 BP vs it even with Heavy Metal. The Steelix weakens can easily be patched up by having EQ. It'll give Escavalier stiff competition as they function very similar in the tier, but Copperajah has better Speed and general coverage. However, Escavalier's better Defensive Typing, Bulk, Overcoat, and Power means that it'll nowhere near outshined.

Offensive:
252+ Atk Life Orb Copperajah Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Jellicent: 338-398 (83.6 - 98.5%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Copperajah Heat Crash (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vileplume: 299-354 (84.4 - 100%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Copperajah Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mudsdale: 374-442 (92.5 - 109.4%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Copperajah Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mudsdale: 270-320 (66.8 - 79.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Copperajah Power Whip vs. +1 252 HP / 252+ Def Mudsdale: 179-213 (44.3 - 52.7%) -- 20.7% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Copperajah Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Runerigus: 156-185 (48.7 - 57.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Life Orb Copperajah Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Runerigus: 208-247 (65 - 77.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Copperajah Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mantine: 194-229 (51.8 - 61.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Copperajah Heat Crash (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Silvally-Steel: 390-460 (98.9 - 116.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Copperajah Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Silvally-Steel: 168-198 (50.7 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Life Orb Copperajah Heat Crash (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix: 135-161 (38.1 - 45.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Copperajah Heat Crash (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix: 158-186 (44.6 - 52.5%) -- 47.7% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Copperajah Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix: 194-230 (54.8 - 64.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Life Orb Copperajah Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix: 169-200 (47.7 - 56.4%) -- 98% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Defensive:
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Copperajah: 191-225 (49.6 - 58.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
0 Atk Steelix Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Copperajah: 254-302 (65.9 - 78.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Rillaboom Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Copperajah: 288-340 (74.8 - 88.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Rillaboom Superpower vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Copperajah: 346-408 (89.8 - 105.9%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

1583092894608.png

Barraskewda will obviously be a top contender in RU, with its amazing Speed Tier, Coverage and Power. It able to break a lot of core Balance mons like Steelix, Mudsdale, Vileplume, Silvally-Steel and- Fairy It's not without its flaws, however. Barraskweda's frailty makes it difficult to bring onto the field safely without Pivot Support and it does have solid Counters and Checks like Physical Defensive Gastrodon, Mantine, and Colbur Berry Jellicent. The pros definitely outweigh the cons of this Mon. I could even see mons like Appeltun rise in popularity solely for Barraskewda.

252 Atk Life Orb Barraskewda Psychic Fangs vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mantine: 105-125 (28 - 33.4%) -- 0% chance to 3HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Barraskewda Psychic Fangs vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mantine: 120-142 (32 - 37.9%) -- 95.1% chance to 3HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Barraskewda Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mantine: 170-200 (45.4 - 53.4%) -- 41% chance to 2HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Barraskewda Crunch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Jellicent: 226-268 (55.9 - 66.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 Atk Choice Band Barraskewda Crunch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Colbur Berry Jellicent: 113-134 (27.9 - 33.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Barraskewda Psychic Fangs vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vileplume: 214-254 (60.4 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Life Orb Barraskewda Ice Fang vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Appletun: 151-182 (35.6 - 42.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

252 Atk Choice Band Barraskewda Ice Fang vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Appletun: 172-204 (40.5 - 48.1%) -- 3.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

1583095998801.png

Ninetales is ridiculously good now that Gigalith has left the Tier. Being able to freely run Solar Beam and not having to worry about your power being cut down due to lack of sun is a godsend. It still has many great checks and counter left in the Tier such as Goodra and Snorlax. It did gain a new hard counter in Coalossal but I doubt it'll see much serious usage other than as a Ninetales counter with Hazard setting and Removal support. Also, Coalossal can be trapped by broken Trapinch

1583096779436.png

Speaking of Ninetales counters we have one in Charizard. There've been a trend of supportive Thicczard sets running around and I think it'll keep going with Ninetales growing in usage. Charizard is also able to check multiple other threatening monsters such as Escavalier, Copperajah, and Silvally-Steel and-Fairy. As its role as a Defogger also got much better as it struggled with the best Rocker Gigalith as it could only cripple it with Toxic and nothing else, but now with Steelix taking the number one spot, Charizard takes the upper hand.

Solar Power is even more of an absolute nuke then before as now its only checks are Thick Fat Snorlax and the newcomer Coalossal, both of which don't like switching into a Focus Blast. Charizard can also run HDB instead of Specs as it doesn't need the extra power to break through Gigalith in the Sand.

1583097505927.png
1583097534216.png

Prepare for trouble and make it double. To protect the team from devastation. To unite all mons within our nation. To denounce the evils of truth and love. To extend our reach to the elo above. Vanilluxe! Abomasnow! Aurora Veil blasts off at the speed of light. Click X, or prepare to fight.
1583098104830.png
Eiscue! That's right!


Veil will be really good now that you don't have to bother with annoying Gigalith preventing you from setting Veil up.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top