Metagame NP: RU Stage 4 - The Abyss (Diggersby banned, see post #65)

[BolTingBlazie]

No, I am saying espeon is a better nu pokemon, and sylveon is a better ru pokemon.

 

[Pabloaram]

Still for the sake of it, Umbreon is good in RU. Not great but has is place

 

[gye5]

I dont know why snorlax hasn dropped to NU yet I am its curses is easy to overwhelm, assault vest can be worn down easy. I mean iron def magnezone easily beats it, zarude, cobalion, SD incineroar and many more

 

[BolTingBlazie]

I still think umbreon is too passive of a stall pokemon for the tier, especially with zarude running amuck with taunt

 

[gye5]

I still think umbreon is too passive of a stall pokemon for the tier, especially with zarude running amuck with taunt

usually but I think lax is worse as a Ru pokemon

 

[Punchshroom]

Magneton @ Eviolite
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Rest
- Flash Cannon
- Metal Sound / Charge beam

this traps the fat steels reliably

heres what you trap:

• 
• 
• stealth rock
• 
• , if metal sound
• uninvested
• choice locked
• choice locked
• choice locked
• a at 50% or less, if at full and running charge beam

this pool of mons is small, which is why i think this is a pretty niche mon. however it does own these way better than magnezone and teammates can rely on it more safely. theres always a risk of a crit, but you can often kill them faster with metal sound.
the big ones here are registeel and steelix, because magnezone cant trap these as easily. the others are significant, but zone can mostly do the same.
the choice between metal sound and charge beam is mostly up to preference, as both have the potential to trap all of the targets shown.

metal sound is more reliable against steelix, because you dont have to rely on pp stalling earthquake, and registeel bc you can pp stall it pretty easily.
charge beam lets you boost your way through all of the steels except steelix. (regi can theoretically protect enough where it wins, but you have a significant advantage). i like this one a lot because it can actually pose a threat after its done trapping a steel, as not much can beat a +6 def +6 spa magneton 1v1.

the reason why i run this over magnezone is because of eviolite, which lets you sponge eqs and neutral attacks waay more comfortably. technically you lose to iron defense + body press steelix and registeel but those sets suck so whos really losing here

this is the only replay i could find. i recommend putting this on hyper fast speed. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ru-1241327892

So I've only been made aware of this set recently, and I have a lot of doubts of the efficiency of this Magneton set over a more standard IronPress magnezone set, which just seems to do everything this Magneton set wants to do all at the same time while being better and faster at it.

Magnezone @ Air Balloon / Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Def / 64 SpA / 112 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Magnet Rise

Speed is just for Adamant Araquanid, which by extension covers Adamant Rhyperior and uninvested Metagross. HP EVs primarily allow Zone to always survive 3 Seismic Tosses from Registeel, but this becomes unimportant if equipping Leftovers so they can just be dumped into SpA.

For its matchups:

• 
• 
• stealth rock
• +4 252+ Def Magnezone Body Press vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Registeel: 368-434 (101 - 119.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
• , Magnet Rise, then +4 252+ Def Magnezone Body Press vs. 252 HP / 16+ Def Steelix: 258-304 (72.8 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
• uninvested (I'm not really sure why uninvested Cobalion is considered a trap target since it'd likely have Volt Switch, but if it doesn't then Zone can just eat an uninvested CC for ~62% max, Iron Defense, eat another CC and OHKO with Body Press)
• choice locked any slower
• choice locked
• choice locked
• invested at 50% or less, if at full and running charge beam 252 Atk Cobalion Close Combat vs. 80 HP / 252+ Def Magnezone: 200-236 (66.4 - 78.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  64 SpA Magnezone Thunderbolt vs. -1 4 HP / 0 SpD Cobalion: 252-297 (77.7 - 91.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

It's literally better across the board, with Zone being far more efficient at switching into & KOing virtually all of these without having to sacrifice moveslots and not being vulnerable to getting crit by Steelix's Earthquake or whatever. I'm just not understanding if there's supposed to be anything Eviolite Magneton does better than IronPress Magnet Rise Magnezone at.

 

[Feliburn]

Alright so this is something I've been wanting to do but metas keep changing so I figured I'd wait some days for the new meta to settle a bit. My issue rn is that the tier feels all over the place, ppl talk about different threats depending on how they build and play, which isn't necessarily bad, but it really makes you feel lost when trying to discuss what the more dominant pokemon are. So this is more of a "hey this is what I think about the tier, what do YOU think?" type of post where I encourage people to also talk about who they think are the top dogs of the tier:

Starting with Thundurus which is probably the most generally accepted top demon, even though some people might disagree. This mon is such a powerhouse, going from NP + 3 attacks to a more pivotal set like Knock Off + U-turn + Tbolt + Grass Knot. It becomes such an annoying mon to face, especially because it's hard to chip it down thanks to the heavy duty boots and it's barely forced in by Knock Off pokemon that remove its item. It has great coverage in Psychic, Grass Knot, Focus Blast (rofl), Sludge Wave, etc., that it can just pick which mons check it and even then, it barely has issues getting past them if it runs more momentum based sets like the Knock Off set mentioned above.

Slowbro-Galar is another insanely dangerous pokemon. Surely it can run multiple sets like AV Future Sight or the always funny Quick Draw + Quick Claw set. However, competitively, its most dangerous set has for sure to be Calm Mind + Shuca Berry with Scald and Sludge Bomb as offensive moves. Like not only is it immune to the one status ppl use to beat fat CM users (Toxic btw), it's so naturally bulky that it takes SO LITTLE from super effective moves. Imo this mon is just one of, if not the best, wincons you can probably have on your team. Even great checks like Seismitoad are forced to run so much attack and still risk getting poisoned by sludge bomb, making it even easier for Slowbro to set up later on.

Oh my GOD do I hate this pokemon. Incredibly good defensive typing with very solid defenses and offenses AND the ability to flinch down your whole team. If there weren't so many good electric type pokemon I'd say this pokemon is beyond broken. It works as perhaps the best current check to the tier's best glue Zarude while also working as a decent overall defensive mon vs a good chunk of the tier. It can run TWave, NP 2 attacks, even wish sets with Roosts have been spotted on the ladder cause in reality, all you need is your trustry Air Slash to beat down the majority of the tier.

Zarude is such a great pokemon, like it just tanks hits, gives momentum and heals up all by itself. I think the tier has been adapting more and more to it but it still manages to work just fine, it just speaks volumes to how good of a pokemon it is. Honestly I don't have much to say about it cause this mon was the main discussion point of this thread a couple of pages back so yeah, great mon.

The dog is also incredibly good, it's a strong and fast ground type that forces you to have ground resists as its most spammable stab hits levitating pokemon. It has coverage to pwn our only good grass type that checks it (Zarude) and has ways of dealing with other checks, such as espeed to force Golisopod out before it can hit you, and toxic to slowly wear down mons and force them to take more damage as they switch into you.

I remember some months ago there was a fun battle for who the better "faster flyer" was between Noivern, Crobat and Talonflame, and while all of them are great at what they do, it was Noivern who came on top as the better suited for the meta. It's able to offensively check the strong electrics thanks to it being faster than them and hitting them hard with Draco Meteor. It also provides momentum with U-Turn to get strong breakers in. Not to mention it can actually beat the annoying Sub Volcanion thanks to Infiltrator. It's honestly SO good and I don't doubt this mon will be at the top of the metagame eventually.

I don't usually like using non steel type rockers because they are normally the fatter mons, however Seismitoad is such a cool option to use on teams. It's able to check all of our fire types excluding Energy Ball Chandelure, IT SUPER CHECKS VOLCANION which imo is great as that mon is super annoying. It forces Knock Off on so many pokemon like Zarude, Togekiss, Sylveon, Roserade, making them easier to wear down and giving a great advantage. It HARD WALLS Raikou and is able to switch into locked electrics like Xurkitree and Toxtricity. As disappoining as its stats feel, its typing and utility make up for it so much.

Now for a more underappreciated threat, Darmanitan is insanely strong. I really like boots sets with Flare Blitz, U-turn, Toxic and one of Rock Slide/Earthquake depending on what u wanna hit. It just hits absurdly strong even to mons that resist it, and gives momentum after. Scarf sets are also v strong and harder to revenge kill (before you revenge kill yourself with recoil rofl).

I could go on and on about a lot of mons but this seems good enough, which mons do you think are dominating the tier? Do you think there are ban worthy mons and why? I personally have Thundurus at the top of my list but as I mentioned earlier, this meta feels all over the place so I could be wrong.

Here are the new Viability Rankings of the RU tier, it's an early list so it's bound to have mistakes but feel free to use it as a guide to reply to this.

 

[GoldCat]

Currently, I think the overall best set is the Knock + U-turn/Volt set, but the sheer wallbreaking potential of NP sets shouldn't be overlooked. The amount of progress you can make with the pivot set is insane. Pivot Thundurus is also in some sense more threatening than NP with it safely bringing in strong wallbreakers such as Zygarde. It just synergizes really well with the overall team. Amazing Speed tier, coverage, Nasty Plot, Knock Off, two great pivot moves in U-turn and Volt. It's Thundurus.

There's next to no mon that can KO Shuca Slowbro-G after a Calm Mind. Once this demon starts going it's very hard to stop it, which is why most teams deal with it by limiting its opportunities. This is a momentum heavy metagame after all and Slowbro-G can very easily fall prey to it. Regenerator is the most problematic part of Slowbro-G, as not only can it take some really big hits, but it also heals a good chunk of it by just switching out to later do it all over again. Glowbro luckily does have at least some hard stops in Gastrodon and CM Reuniclus.

Zarude fits on 90% of teams for a reason. It's the best pivot in the tier, as it synergizes perfectly with multiple top-tier threats by either beating their checks or more commonly its teammates can easily take advantage of its checks and counters like Togekiss, Cobalion, and Weezing-G. Zarude also brings great defensive utility to any team with key resistances like Electric and Water, and it's one of the best status absorbers thanks to Jungle Heal. The Speed tier is great, and it's SO FAT. Zarude is just consistent and super splashable so it's no wonder why it's seen by many to be one of the best RU Pokemon.

Raikou is one of the best Thundurus checks in the tier and an amazing pivot. With Thunderbolt, Aura Sphere, Volt Switch, and Toxic nothing enjoy switching into Raikou. Raikou can also run Sub + CM sets quite well. There really isn't much to say about Raikou other than it's a consistent and solid mon that can be super annoying to deal with.

Cobalion's Speed tier is invaluable for a lot of teams. It's a Rocker faster than Zarude and many other threats. Cobalion is also a good pivot or offensive threat with SD + 3 attacks. Rocky Helmet is great to punish Zarude for its endless pivoting. Chople and Shuca are equally amazing on Cobalion allowing it to check like CB Zydog in pinch. Resist berries are especially good on SD sets to break Grounds more easily or preventing it from getting revenge killed.

CB Zygarde exploits the current lack of sturdy Ground resists in the tier. Most Ground switch-ins like Golisopod, Zarude, and Milotic can't take banded Outrage or coverage moves like Superpower. Tangela is the only one capable of switching in on any move except for the rare Toxic. Its Speed tier is amazing and lets it check Thundurus. Zygarde also got quite a strong priority in E-Speed. Scale Shot is also a great option to have a less punishing Dragon STAB in the early- to mid-game and as a cleanup tool in the late-game.

I don't really have anything to add. Noivern is just fantastic and I think anyone who has used non-Hurricane Noivern will agree.

Both AV regen and CM + Colbur sets are amazing. AV Reuniclus checks almost all of the special attackers and has great utility in Knock and the ever-annoying Future Sight. CM Reuniclus is great for a lot of the same reason why CM Glowbro is so good. It has a lot of set-up opportunities against a big portion of the tier. You can't cripple it with status thanks to Magic Guard. With Colbur, Dark-types like Zarude and Obstagoon can't revenge kill you, but that's if you hit Focus Blast. CM Reuniclus is also of the more consistent Glowbro answers, as you easily beats it in the CM war with Psyshock.

 

[eifo]

A lot of people seem to have issues with Thundy. It is typically argued that its speed and coverage makes it hard to handle. Some even go as far as claiming that it is broken. I do not share this view. In my eyes, while it certainly is a prevalent threat in the meta, it is also a healthy mon for the meta.
Firstly, there is a vast amount of pokemon that may check it in a 1v1 situation. Secondly, its power is not terribly impressive when compared to other electric types like Xurkitree or Toxtricity. Moreover, it is very easy to revenge kill due to its poor defenses. Consequentially, while its speed, NP and coverage does make for a solid breaker that is easy to slap on teams, I find it to be a set with more than adequate counter play. Personally, I actually find Knock / U-turn / Tbolt / GKnot to be its best set, due to the utility it provides and the consistency with which it performs.

I never built with Glowbro, barely ever faced it and only got to use it after trying out one of Goldcat's teams. In fact, I never even thought about this mon until I lost my final tour game. My inexperience with this mon may thus skew my view of it, but in my eyes it is neither a mon that is natural to put on a lot of builds nor does it seem particularly good when it does fit. I did not think much of it the few times I did use it or play against it. Hence, to me, this mon seems to be rather average at the moment. I find it to be completely unproblematic. HOWEVER: Do go ahead and ban the Quick Claw Quick Draw nonsense. For one, it does not add anything of competitive value. On the contrary, it decreases the amount of skill involved by turning every turn into a coinflip. I do not understand why we would ever want this.

Fat, strong, fast and equipped with impeccable coverage, Zarude is an excellent mon. To top it off, its main switchins all get U-Turned on into a breaker of your choice. I find Toxtricity to be a particularly good partner for it, as it tends to beat typical Zarude switchins like Togekiss, Weezing, Crobat and Cobalion, and is in my view the best breaker in the meta at the moment. I do find Zarude VoltTurn to be incredibly good in the current meta, but I do not think that this is because Zarude is a particularly unhealthy nor broken mon. In my view, the issue with VoltTurn, to the extent that there is an issue at all, is caused by the amount of great breakers the tier currently has access to.

I find Togekiss to be managable due to the prevalence of electric types in the current meta. It may prove to be an issue in the future, but for now it is a healthy presence. I think the utility it provides as a hazard remover, cleric, Zarude switchin, Noivern switchin etc to be a net good for the meta. If we were to get to a place where its checks would become less commonplace, then maybe it could become an issue. For now, however, I see no issue with it.

I do think we are well equipped to deal with Zygarde at the moment, but I could understand how some may find Arrows to be restrictive to building. If we are to go off the VR, then Zygarde performs very well against almost all the high ranked mons. We don't see many switchins to it here, apart from Golisopod, Milotic and Zarude, the latter of which may die to Superpower. At the same time, while it may 2HKO most of the meta, it does get checked in a 1v1 setting by a lot of mons and dies in one hit to any given mon that is faster. I therefore believe it to be manageable at this point in time.

I started spamming Seismitoad because of Suicune, but ended up getting to like it a lot as time went by. Defensive Seismitoad is a set which I have never liked and likely never will, but I find both CB and SR to be great sets. Because Zarude tends to switch into it a lot, I started using Focus Punch over Liquidation on SR. This has also come into play every now and again versus Porygon2, Umbreon and Snorlax, but for the most part it is just a neat Zarude lure. There's not many mons that enjoy taking this thing's hits, at least not when you have coverage for Zarude, and it does still check a lot of mons with its natural bulk as well. It's particularly good at switching into Raikou, a mon which is otherwise very annoying to most teams. The main issue with Seismitoad is the fact that it is OHKO'd by all of the other great electric types. Nevertheless, it provides lots of utility in one slot.

Darmanitan is an interesting pick at the moment. As was the case with Glowbro, I never gave it a thought until after my tour games were done. I didn't consider it when building, neither as a mon I would pick nor as something I would need to prepare for. That being said, it does seem to have potential in the current meta. Its speed tier is just good enough, tying with Obstagoon and outspeeding Toxtricity, Heracross, Togekiss, Gardevoir, Chandelure, Xurkitree, Necrozma and Metagross. Scarf is easy to switch into, but as mentioned above, VoltTurn is fantastic at the moment. With regards to non-scarf, I would argue that Life Orb is the best at the moment, as it gets extra 2HKOs and OHKOs which boots does not get.

Shark is underrated. Great mon at the moment. Has coverage for everything. Really an annoying mon to deal with. I'm expecting this to get banned at some point in 2021, but probably not soon.

On a final note, I really do need to stress how good Mega-Exploud is. Jesus this mon rocks. By far the most fun mon to use, and arguably one of the best as well. There is no such thing as a counter. They all get smashed. I love this mon so much.

 

[A floor Mat]

Golisopod @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Emergency Exit
EVs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Def / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Spikes
- Knock Off / Leech Life
- First Impression
- Liquidation

Golisopod leaves a very good impression on the RU tier, having many traits that standout among the tiers Water types. Golisopod's jaw dropping base 140 defense stat and Bug typing allow it to be one of the few mons in the tier that can comfortably switch into Zydog's Thousand Arrows. Golisopod also has an amazing base 125 attack stat that when combined with it's amazing priority First Impression hits very hard. Golisopod also has very good team support, having the aforementioned First Impression, Knock Off to cripple switch ins and Spikes to chip foes throughout a battle. Unfortunately, Golisopod still has competition with other Water types, lacking the longevity of Milotic, sweeping capabilities of Suicune and directly contends with Seismitoad as a Water type hazard user. However, it's utility, Bug typing, spikes and strength gives it a solid role in RU.

For its moves, First Impression is the Bug type move of choice, having priority and hitting faster mons like Zydog crazy hard. Liquidation is used to take mons like Steelix and Rhyperior for a swim. Knock Off is used to chip common Flying type switch ins like Thunderous, Togekiss and Noivern. Alternatively, Leech Life can be run so Golisopod has a more consistent Bug move that can also heal a bit of health. Spikes is Golisopod's hazard move and is very important to help chip switch ins for teammates and put pressure on the opponent to Defog ( if they have it ).

For it's teammates, mons who are weak to Zydog (alot of them are lol) benefit from Golisopod's ability to switch into it easily. Golisopod appreciates pivots who can bring it in safely without being chipped to much. Wall breakers and sweepers greatly appreciate Golisopod's ability to wear down opposing Pokémon with Knock Off and Spikes. Finally, Golisopod really likes mons who can switch in and threaten out the Pidgeon's it invites in.

Thanks for reading!!! I wanna know if Golisopod has left a good Impression on you as well!!!!
Shoutouts to the RU chat as always and special shoutout to Feliburn for showing his appreciation to the POD!

 

[Denial]

Bored and dont have anything to do for the next hour, so i figured i'll make a post. Really like the current meta so far, and i wanna talk a bit about Pokemon i found problematic and some underrated picks.


Thundurus is, in my opinion, broken and unhealthy for the metagame. In a meta alredy filled with electric types wallbreakers, Thundurus pretty much breaks all the rules. Amazing coverage in Focus Blast, Slugde Bomb or Grass Knot makes it pretty much impossible to switch into without stacking resistances in every team. This is furthemore exploited by Nasty Plot, making it break through the most sturdy SpDef walls like Registeel or Snorlax. On top of this, it also has amazing utility sets with U-turn/Volt Switch, Knock Off and Prankster Thunder Wave, which by themself arent broken, but makes playing around Thundurus even harder. Thundurus has every tool necessary it needs to go past its checks, which makes teambuilding and playing around it incredibly frustrating. The amazing speed of course only helps it, and althought the bulk is not amazing, its good enough where its able to tank hits from most offensive mons, and the typing gives even more value.


People that were here when this thing first dropped should alredy know i always wanted this thing banned, and i think this meta is even only more kind to it. The real problem with this Pokemon for me has always been how easy it is to fish for statuses with it. All of its checks like Seismitoad lose in the longrun to Sludge Bomb Poison, and playing long games for Slowbro-Galar isnt really a problem for it cause of Regenerator. Most of the Ground and Dark types cant switch in safely cause a Scald Burn would mean they lose the 1v1, and a Shuca/Colbur berry makes this even easier. Of course, everything else about it on paper is pretty much amazing. Now, it has counterplay in Calm Mind Reuniclus and Gastrodon, but if Gastrodon doesnt get the Earth Power crit at the right timing it pretty much loses the 1v1, and Clear Smog sets are pretty much a dead slot if not running against a Slowbro-Galar, making it a bad set. Obviously, Quick Draw Quick Claw sets exist and are really good, and althought they arent broken, they are uncompetitive and only adds to the argument.

For now, i would rather see Thundurus gone first, as that would free teambuilding by a lot and then take a look at Slowbro-Galar, but i wouldnt mind the order here.

Now, on some stuff ive been having fun with:

Gardevoir @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psychic
- Trick / Mystical Fire
- Teleport

Magnezone @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Thunderbolt
- Toxic

Pretty simple core but works fairly well. Teleport into Magnezone let it trap the most annoying steels for Gardevoir like Registeel and Stakataka, and gives you momentum no matter what, especially if they try to predict the hard Magnezone on their steels.

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

Sharpedo is stupid, like always, but im surprised i didnt see much of it. It works really well in this meta, with its coverage hitting pretty much everything for neutral damage. You could probably explore its coverage a bit too to own his checks, but i feel like this set is the most reliable in every matchup.

Volcanion @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Bomb / Earth Power / Toxic
- Flame Charge

Now this set of course isnt amazing or anything, but its always fun if you are able to pull it off.

Pretty much done here, thanks for reading

 

[MrAldo]

Excellent post, and thank you very much for bringing mons that you feel are a problem on the current metagame. I do certainly agree on thundurus right now being very oppressing given the whole package it provides with unpredictability, really annoying speed tier to match in practice and overall pretty difficult to handle in practice given now heavy duty boots gives it an option to dissuade the main way it had been used to somewhat keep it at bay which is stealth rock. Since the generation it was introduced thundurus was always kept at bay with the rocks weakness but thats not a thing anymore so, yeah.

This isnt a witch hunt or nothing of the kind, but if we could have some opinions of the general public as to how do we feel about the metagame right now? Given that finally after months of dealing with insane changes, I believe this is a great time to ask this type of question. I do feel thundurus is oppressive but my opinion isnt the only what that matters you know. My curiosity has layers.

Some cool mons to use that have been great for me:

-Starmie is great. Amazing speed tier and between hydro pump/psychic move/ice beam/grass knot nothing wants to switch into it, and it having analytic is phenomenal meaning switch-in into it is a big pain.
-Druddigon right now would well as a rocker, punishes volt turn pretty well if we using u-turn too much and fares versus electric decently (if you arent toxtricity ofc). Have been pretty annoying to take down for the opposition in many games.
-Sharpedo is great as shown above, needs very little support and it just goes ham on the lategame.
-Mienshao is lowkey the best fighting type we have, life orb is amazing. And FUCK Togekiss.

Cheers!

 

[Fabi_ODST]

This isnt a witch hunt or nothing of the kind, but if we could have some opinions of the general public as to how do we feel about the metagame right now? Given that finally after months of dealing with insane changes, I believe this is a great time to ask this type of question. I do feel thundurus is oppressive but my opinion isnt the only what that matters you know. My curiosity has layers.

I think the metagame settled in a nice way, where you can use all types of playstyles with relative success. The defensive play is not too opressive and, outside a couple odd dots, nothing strikes me as overwhelming offensively. Some mons I have liked using recently:

Magnet hands has strong competition from the rest of the electric types, so it carves niches outside of their roles as a defensive setup mon with body press and a hard stop to defensive togekiss (which are not running fire moves, as far as I have seen). While yes, the 4x weakness to ground is unfortunate, its defensive utility is pretty nice for offensive teams.

(idk why I picked this image)
Regidrago is weird to me. Most balance teams are running fairy types, which all sit of drago for days (toge is the only one really dented by its coverage). Offense usually runs mons with superior speed tiers, so it ends up not doing much trough the match (scarf works sometimes, but you are either running a slow scarfer or running double scarf, which is not ideal). So what is its niche? well, punish every team archetype without a fairy type, that is. Every time I see a team with no fairy and/or slow pivots, I know its time for drago to go brrrr. Not sure if forcing a type on teams to be effective is uncompetitive or not, but I would mantain an eye on it for the time being.

This mon is probably gonna rise next shift. It is so good as an offensive pivot and a scarfer that legit scares zarude out. I would say it's the best fighting type in the tier right now, but the other 2 good fighting types in the tier fill different niches to really compare them (coba acts as a lead/pivot, while hera acts as a cleaner/breaker depending on the set).

Now for the mons I think are unhealthy for the meta:

My definition for a broken mon is a mon that can either pick its checks/counters, or that it's too overwhelming offensively or defensively. Thundy fits in the first category fot me. Its power, abilities and movepool allows it to fit on all kinds of teams, filling holes and being a whole menace on its own. With options for all out attacker, setup with nasty plot/bulk up, support with knock off, taunt and tailwind (the last being a bit more niche, I admit) and pivoting with volt switch, you can't really check it effectively without knowing its moves first. I would not mind a suspect on this thing before the next shifts.

This mon fits the second category of my definition of broken, though not to the same extent of thundy. This is basically exploud with steroids and defensive utility....and pivoting abilities....and a decent speed tier....and more than one viable set. Man, this mon is so good as a fat mon breaker with just boomburst spam. Not sure if it is quite broken yet, but I recomend keeping an eye on it.

 

[Sputnik]

Might as well dump my thoughts on a few things here



This is the most glaring issue in my opinion at the moment. Our other Electric-types are annoying for sure, but none of them forces teams into uncomfortable situations like Thundurus. It's coverage lets it threaten most of the theoretical "checks" in some way or another; many Ground-types can't eat Grass Knot, the ones that do get Knocked, and many of them don't beat a +2 Thundurus defensively at all. Our Grass-types get U-turned on, eat a Knock Off and really don't appreciate it, or some other coverage move; Psychic, for example, just dumpsters Roserade and Vileplume getting any ideas. Other potential counters either have coverage that beats them or get crippled by Knock Off. Porygon2 is OK until it gets Knocked or eats a +2 Focus Blast, and the same goes for Registeel. We joke about how the dominant Electric's can mandate a Ground-type and something else, such as a Grass or your own Electric (oftentimes both), but even if you have all three sometimes Thundurus can dominate anyway if it mixes and matches its moves in a certain way. It is incredibly overbearing, and now that the meta has sufficiently stabilized I would support a suspect test.

And now some other things that I'm enjoying


I'm also on board the Sharpedo train, however a variant that I'm very much enjoying personally is Specially Biased Mixed Sharpedo.

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

Special STABs on Sharpedo give you better damage rolls on a wide variety of Pokemon, including Seismitoad, Galarian Slowbro, Metagross, Galarian Weezing, Togekiss, Steelix, and Doublade. Hydro Pump also removes the risk of a random Chople Berry Cobalion ruining your sweep. CC is still powerful enough to threaten damage onto Zarude, Registeel, and the like (although it needs more chip to do so). I could also see Ice Beam being useful to OHKO Noivern and reliably 2HKOing Togekiss without having to rely on Hydro Pump. Fully Physical is very good for sure, but do not discount Mixed Sharpedo, or else you might just get drowned.


I've mentioned this thing several times before but I'm gonna mention it again; Scarf Flygon is actually really nice right now. A lot of teams want the offensively checking of the Electrics that Zydog provides them while also desiring more solid Speed Control, pivoting, and notable defensive utility, and that's where Flygon comes in. It revenge kills all of the Electric-types, and can even mess with Thundurus better than most, although this does mean locking yourself into Stone Edge. There's not a whole lot too it; the resistances it provides are genuinely very useful for many teams, as is the offensively checking of Electric-type. It can even clean on some rare occasions due to its Speed-tier being very nice for the metagame. All in all a very solid mon.


I saw Ziza's post referring this as a Zydog switch in that can also act as solid hazard control, so I used it and I've been enjoying it. It's not fantastic by any means (the typing is super weird and it's not that bulky so it doesn't check that much outside of Zydog) but with a Colbur/Synth set it can put in work. The STAB combo is fantastic for the meta, Spin is super nice, and Synthesis can keep it healthy. I haven't tried Anchor Shot yet but it's probably not a bad way to give some free switches and such like that. I'm still experimenting with it but overall I'm really enjoying it.


Porygon Z is a super weird one to me, but that doesn't mean its not an enjoyable mon to use. ScarfTrick variants are what I have been using, and they are actually quite fun to use; Tricking Registeel or something trying to stonewall you is always nice, and even without Specs the thing hits like a ton of bricks. I actually tried TrickPlot as well to dumpster offensive and defensive teams; it wasn't fantastic but its probably a fringe viable strategy imo. This is something that is worth looking into more for me as well.


I got bored of normal HO leads so I brought out the old standby. This does what its always done and there really isn't much to say; it sets Spikes reliably and can take something with it with DBond. Cool mon.

 

[HailFall]

Been a while so I thought I'd make a brief post.

I disagree that Thundy's Nasty Plot set is broken. While it has a great deal of coverage, there are considerable downsides to using moves like Psychic or Sludge Wave over more widely applicable options like Grass Knot and Focus Blast. The act of setting up in itself is somewhat risky with a mon as fragile as Thundy, and we maintain certain answers that can check it regardless of NP coverage moves like Raikou and AV Reuniclus. The set I find far more concerning is it's mixed pivot set.

Thundurus (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast / Grass Knot
- Knock Off
- U-turn

What makes mixed Thundy such a dangerous set is its ability to play the long game vs its typical checks and counters, or outright beat them with Knock Off and U-turn. Knock Off is a staggeringly good move against many of Thundy's better checks, removing critical items from almost all of them. Raikou heavily relies on Boots to consistently pivot into Thundurus, but without them its extremely vulnerable to being worn down by hazards. Seismitoad, Registeel, and Diancie rely heavily on Leftovers to stay healthy, and Thundurus removes these too. Reuniclus and Glowbro need their Assault Vest to reliably take on thundurus, and even Porygon2 hates losing its Eviolite. While knocking off useful items is far from exclusive to Thundurus, how well it works against Thundurus's checks is incredible. Furthermore, U-turn and Boots along with a great speed tier enable it to constantly be getting chip on the mons it removes Boots/Lefties from while also decimating the likes of Zarude and Celebi. A volt-turn core with this set and spikes is unholy.

I would like to see a suspect test for it sooner rather than later because of how much strain it puts on teambuilding with its ability to consistently beat answers to other Electric types on top of its great speed tier.


People have said this again and again but toxtricity is a monster. It's one of the most terrifying wallbreakers in the tier and defensive counterplay to it is very limited. If your team does not have a boomburst switch-in, very little will keep this thing from getting a kill every time it comes in. There's not much to say about this one that hasn't already been said, so I'll just say I agree that it's definitely something to keep an eye on as the metagame develops.


A couple "forgotten" glue mons that still manage to pull their weight. Rhyperior is one of the most solid Toxtricity answers and a solid check to the likes of Darm and Togekiss. Klefki provides spikes (which are like broken with thundy) as well as a twave spreader, check for regidrago, and check for garde/necrozma. Both of these managed to pull through the shifts fairly well IMO and I would recommend considering them when building.

 

[xoPure]

Alright I'm getting real sick and tired of there being absolutely no love for the GOAT in the RU tier. Lanturn right now is a beast of a mon being able to switch in on almost everything in the tier except Zarude. What i love about this mon is the utility it provides to a team no matter what spread you decide to run. Having trouble switching in on the special side? Well full spdef lanturn dies in THREE specs toxtricity boomburst AND 3 shadows balls from specs Chandelure with leftovers and protect, not to mention the auto recovery if you catch a Volt Switch/Overdrive. On top of that spdef Lanturn walls NP Thundurus and the inclusion of Ice Beam lets it win 1v1 against the biggest threat of the metagame. The spdef set in my eyes is the BIGGEST counter to the overwhelming electrics that are running rampant right now while serving as a great pivot against non choice specs special attackers such as Noivern, Togekiss, Volcanion, Gardevoir, Xurkitree, and Reuini.

Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Ice Beam
- Protect

Now lets talk about the physdef set, although not as promising on paper as the spdef set, this spread works better on defense teams. First thing that comes to mind is great fire switch in and Darm/Cobalion/Mienshao check. An EQ from Scarf Darm doesnt even 2HKO with protect and lefties, Cobalion does a smooth 33-39 with CC, and there is no move that mienshao runs that allows it to do over 50% to you. The physdef set even allows it to take 1 Power Whip from Zarude in a pinch if you're ever down that bad. The new Mixed pivot Thundurus set is no problem for this spread either as non boosted Grass Knots or Focus Blasts do pitiful damage even with no spdef investment. And finally I've been testing and found Rest to be a very reliable recovery move on the physdef set on defense teams with Heal Bell support. Lanturn already takes between 35-45% from neutral hits and that not including the lefties heal, and running Rest over Protect with support from Heal Bell Togekiss/Umbreon/Sylveon allow this mon to stick around way longer than it should be, allowing it to constantly do its job and sponge choiced attackers hits.

Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Toxic / Ice Beam
- Protect / Rest

 

[Fabi_ODST]

Alright I'm getting real sick and tired of there being absolutely no love for the GOAT in the RU tier. Lanturn right now is a beast of a mon being able to switch in on almost everything in the tier except Zarude. What i love about this mon is the utility it provides to a team no matter what spread you decide to run. Having trouble switching in on the special side? Well full spdef lanturn dies in THREE specs toxtricity boomburst AND 3 shadows balls from specs Chandelure with leftovers and protect, not to mention the auto recovery if you catch a Volt Switch/Overdrive. On top of that spdef Lanturn walls NP Thundurus and the inclusion of Ice Beam lets it win 1v1 against the biggest threat of the metagame. The spdef set in my eyes is the BIGGEST counter to the overwhelming electrics that are running rampant right now while serving as a great pivot against non choice specs special attackers such as Noivern, Togekiss, Volcanion, Gardevoir, Xurkitree, and Reuini.

One thing to note about lanturn is that, alongside gastrodon, is the only reason energy ball has a place over grass knot, as it only gets 40 bp when used, so it's basically the perfect xurk counter. It's also an excellent heal bell user if you have ways to deal with the grass types in the tier.
I think the only problems I have with it are:
1. It's too vulnerable to knock off, which takes away its only means of reliable recovery. Given how common the move is (and how mixed thundy is rising in usage), that is a BIG problem
2. Grass types are on the rise again, with celebi, dhelmise and roserade making apearances more frecuently. This gives the 4th moveslot a lot of pressure between ice beam and heal bell and makes it a bit harder to use

I still think it's an underrated mon in the meta, but it requires adecuate support to work properly.