Announcement NP: Stage 16 - Tangerine (Porygon-Z Banned)

[etern]

Porygon-Z has steadily been gaining traction amongst people in the NU community since the beginning of the year and has solidified itself as the most fearsome setup sweeper in the tier, sporting strong matchups into every single playstyle and archetype. It has a wide array of sets which can pick apart any teams and inflict massive damage on teams that incorrectly guess what set it is. These sets not only vary in moves and item choice, but also abilities (namely Download and Adaptability) as well as EV spreads.

Specifically, Porygon-Z has been running a bulkier set which runs an abundance of HP and Sitrus Berry in conjunction with Nasty Plot and Agility. This set takes advantage of Porygon's insanely high base special attack and unmatched offensive abilities to bolster its defenses and make revenge killing it a very difficult task, as it can easily shrug off a hit or two from Pokemon such as Kilowattrel and Flygon while setting up. Tri-Attack and Shadow Ball covers everything offensively meaning P-Z has no issue with 4MSS. Tri-Attack has the added bonus of being an easy move to spam early-on and can potentially end games on the spot with an untimely burn or freeze. Another variant of this set exists which trades Agility for Recover and turns P-Z into a consistent corebreaker with staying power. This set also has the option of running Tera Blast Ground to tear through checks such as Diancie, Alolan Muk, and Naclstack. Moreover, while more prediction reliant, Choice Specs sets can absolutely decimate anything in P-Z's path and then cripple special walls with Trick to pave the way for a teammate to clean up. Choice Scarf sets have a strong matchup into offense and retain a solid matchup into fatter builds by virtue of having Trick.

Porygon-Z's main weakness is that at times it can get quickly overwhelmed by offensive teams which do not allow it time to setup, however it can be argued that it also forces these teams to play extremely aggressive and reckless against it as one wrong move will spell doom. Ultimately, Porygon-Z is incredibly efficient at what it does and has a big bag of tricks that allow it to adapt to any scenario and put in a lot of work, thus it is being suspect tested.


NOTE: THIS TEST WILL BE USING THE NEW SUSPECT PROCESS!

The instructions to participate in this test are as follows:​

• Create a new account on PS. You do not have to follow any specific naming convention, but your suspect account must have never played a game in NU before this suspect test went up or you will not receive valid requirements (resetting W/L does not count for this - the account you use must never have played NU before the test, full stop.​
• At any point on your new account, use the command /linksmogon on Pokemon Showdown! You will receive instructions on what to do once you run this command.​
• Double check that you're listed as a voter here! If you aren't listed as a voter despite having valid reqs, please contact myself, Rabia, or a member of staff.​
• If you have any questions about this new process, feel free to PM me.​

The requirement to vote in this suspect test is a COIL value of 2800. The deadline for getting requirements will be Sunday, May 25th at 11:59pm GMT+10.​

 

[Rabia]

So Porygon-Z took awhile to really step up into NU, really peaking recently due to Registeel's departure. Reality is our current Steel-types are pretty easy for it to get through: Bronzong is weak to its most common coverage in Shadow Ball, Klefki lacks the bulk to really answer it for the duration of a game, and Klefki + Copperajah both fall to Tera Blast Ground sets. Beyond those options, our blanket special walls truly aren't tanky enough to withstand more than a couple of attacks from Porygon-Z and don't immediately threaten it enough to beat it after switching in either. Diancie is perhaps the closest Pokemon we have to a true counter, and naturally it fails too against Tera Blast Ground sets, especially when you consider its most common set recently has been an offensive one.

I think what breaks Porygon-Z for me is the bulky double dance set. A Pokemon being a good wallbreaker, or even an amazing wallbreaker, has never been enough to ban it. If that were the case, Toxtricity likely would be banned from NU. Hell, Basculegion would be banned. Choice Specs Porygon-Z isn't banworthy on its own, but when you add in a deceptively bulky setup set that also boosts speed to avoid revenge killing from the likes of Choice Scarf Flamigo and Munkidori, you've got yourself a problem. The difference in how you play against each set makes it quite cumbersome to adequately prepare for Porygon-Z, and this doesn't even address how it fits so well into the metagame as a Munkidori and Flamigo partner.

Currently, I think the metagame is better off with a Porygon-Z ban. It's tough to argue just how much changes due to many options existing that fill the void it would leave, but I think those options are more limited and easier to account for overall.

 

[Shengineer]

Porygon-Z: Ban

I'm in agreement that bulky double dance is Porygon-Z's strongest and most problematic set. It's able to set up on anything remotely passive, or even stuff that isn't (see: PZ eats multiple +1 Diancie Moonblasts) with screens support. The set just doesn't have bad matchups. NP chews through bulky teams and Agility lets you outspeed any non-priority revenge killer. Plus, with the bulk investment and Sitrus Berry, even priority might not be enough to stop you. If this was the only set PZ could run, it would still probably be banworthy, but the fact it has a plethora of other ways to kill you (like NP Recover, Specs, or Life Orb + Download) makes a ban vote a certainty in my mind. I'll miss farming free wins with it though.

 

[5MGMatthew5]

Agree with both Rabia and Shen. It just has too many incredibly strong and all equally viable sets (go away Choice Band), which always makes it a bit of a gamble in the predictions realm when it is on the field. If you predict specs and you Protect to scout, for example, and PZ ends up clicking NP, you're screwed. If you stay in and try to chip it on a setup move and PZ ends up doing 100% of your health with Tri-Attack, you're screwed. If you bring in one of your scarfers to revenge kill it and PZ doesn't end up dying, you're screwed. (Admittedly, it does seem like I am simply echoing Shen's and Rabia's thoughts, but that just adds to the gravity of that argument imo.)

In other words, gettfouttahere PZ.

 

[Stories]

so Shen and I kinda pioneered the bulky double dance sets with Sitrus Berry during SCL and currently those sets are the most contentious, but I think people are currently underrating the Choice Specs sets with Download. +1 Thunderbolt just OHKO’s Vaporeon off the dome and Stellar Terablast avoids having to make any reads against teams packing Steel + Ghost. The speed tier of PZ is also super important because it ties with another amazing breaker Flamigo, and running a lot of bulk on PZ means you don’t get the benefit of outspeeding stuff like Toxicroak and Adamant Flygon. Anyway ban PZ this Pokemon has too many options and they’re all too difficult to deal with defensively.

 

[Django]

I'm a little bit conflicted on PZ. It's got crazy set diversity (Specs, Scarf, Double Dance, Bulky Plot + Recover, Agility LO), Tera diversity with Ghost and Ground (Stellar isn't real I refuse to believe it), and even within sets the EV spreads make it harder to guess the right lines. Some sets run 0 speed, some are Modest with some investment, others are max Timid. Often you don't have enough information to choose the right line and getting it wrong is disastrous. There isn't a single mon you can rely on to safely beat PZ, with the only counterplay being offensive pressure or consistently reading the right set + predicting the next move.

However, PZ isn't perfect. It's Speed tier is important as while tying with Flamigo is great, it also loses to a bunch of top tier threats: Kilo, Intel, Cinccino, Munki, Flygon, Tauros. Giving these mons free turns can be a big problem, so every kill PZ gets definitely comes at a cost. Choice sets are particularly vulnerable to this, clicking Normal or Ghost moves is dangerous when opposing PZ, Cinccino, or Basc are waiting. The bulky sets need free turns to get enough power to break, and these can be hard to come by in certain matchups.

It's also worth putting into context the tournament performance of PZ:

NU Open Round 2:

| 6    | Porygon-Z           |   74 |  23.42% |  48.65% |

NU Swiss Round 6:

| 6    | Porygon-Z           |   21 |  22.83% |  47.62% |

So overall the winrates are not obnoxious. This indicates to me that there also isn't a single broken PZ set, but the problem comes in the almost fishy nature of choosing a PZ set to run. You load Specs or Bulky plot into fat or balance and win, load Scarf or Double Dance into offence and you win as well. Preparing for these variations is almost impossible, so the building process tends to just be bring enough immunities and bulk and hope you end up against the set that doesn't beat you.

Like I said, I'm still a bit conflicted. PZ doesn't have a single obvious set that breaks it, and counterplay exists for each set on its own. The combination of all those sets and the matchup variance that introduces is where the problem lies for me. Is that enough to justify a ban? Maybe. Interested to see what more people think!

 

[Shengineer]

Like I said, I'm still a bit conflicted. PZ doesn't have a single obvious set that breaks it, and counterplay exists for each set on its own. The combination of all those sets and the matchup variance that introduces is where the problem lies for me. Is that enough to justify a ban? Maybe. Interested to see what more people think!

Nah, PZ does have a single obvious set that breaks it. It's the double dance one. Nice bait kiddo (/s).

On another note it is kind of odd how PZ's winrate isn't that high. It's possible that its percieved power isn't equal to its real power, since when it wins games it tends to do so very obviously, but when it loses its not as memorable. It feels more like a pokemon you have to beat with your play rather than in the builder, reminiscent of Iron Thorns or Cetitan. PZ has a bit less bulk, but its Normal typing is extremely beneficial as it's only hit by Fighting moves super-effectively, reducing the demand to burn Tera in order to set up. I actually think it's pretty easy to decipher whether a PZ is double dance (as this appears mainly on HO), but when it's on a Balance or Bulky Offense build, it's a toss-up between Boots NP, Specs, and on rare occasion Scarf.

 

[LessThanThreeMan]

Just finished my reqs run! For a long time I was a bit of a PZ hater. Download felt inconsistent (it can still be, but with partners like flamigo bringing in physical walls it isn't unplayable) and i felt like you really have to get the click right with specs to get anywhere. Speed tier has been holding it back too for choiced sets anyways. With more exploration into different boosting sets though, and the immediate threat specs can pose, I do think PZ is a bit too much for the tier unfortunately (especially post registeel.) I used modest agility with 3 attacks and life orb on my reqs run it definitely felt strong. Having an extra attack (tbolt in this case) and immediate power was nice in some situations. I used it to either clean in itself with a special attack boost, or often used it to open up for diancie to clean later. I do think the double dance sets are the biggest issue though and the "guess the set or lose" turns (or just lose if they have the right set for the situation) happen way too often for my tastes. I plan on voting ban.

 

[hammer798]

Got my reqs! From my perspective, I don't think any Porygon-Z set is banworthy by itself. However, too many games come down to, as LTTM put it, "guess the set or lose" turns. Choice Specs sets can be played around, but if you don't respect double dance sets, your check can easily be blown away by Tera Ghost Shadow Ball or Tera Blast Ground. Having to play around both the immediate damage of the Specs set and the boosting ability of double dance is borderline impossible for many teams, and sometimes your only chance is to get a 50/50 tera turn correct. As our top builders continue to innovate (looking specifically at the bulky Recover sets here), even semi-reliable checks are sometimes finding themselves unable to stop Porygon-Z from setting up. I plan on voting ban.

 

[cyluic]

Porygon-Z is super strong in NU, I got a few wins with it.

 

[etern]

Professional Idiot
Be13costa
Tree69420
hammer798
LessThanThreeMan
asa
Diamonds_realm
darkprobz
Django
milliongatejumpguy
Lucario
Cheezy
OranBerryBlissey10
Zangoose5000
Ac1D
Shengineer
Dangerous
5MGMatthew5
Stories
Elias PSY

Voting is now open for Porygon-Z, get your votes in ASAP!

 

[etern]

A 50% + 1 (11/20) majority was required to ban Porygon-Z, which it has acquired. Therefore, Porygon-Z is now banned from SV NU. The vote will stay open until 11:59pm (GMT+11) June 1st, to allow the remaining voters to cast their votes (though they will not change the outcome).

Tagging Marty and dhelmise to remove Porygon-Z from SV NU, thank you!

 

[UberFiend]

Good job NU, for dismissing one of the many cancers of the tier. No more will we have to worry about sitrus Berry Z sweeping our teams, or our x2 resistance pokemon getting one shot by already fast nasty plot download/adaptation.
But still there are others that need to go on the chopping block- pray be told they get the same treatment.

 

[Rabia]

incredible commentary, UberFiend, thank you truly

Speaking just for myself and not all of council, if further action is to be taken, I believe this is the slate of options:

The Substitute set continues to devastate balance and fat builds given how many chances you get to hide behind the cute doll of doom. Offense matchup is notably worse, as Choice Scarf Basculegion isn't seen nearly as much anymore. Could certainly see a suspect test for it, though it's likely not a strong candidate currently.

Unsure if this is a hot take or not, but OTR Diancie is quite obscene. Likely not banworthy considering the ubiquitous Bronzong and having just lost a premier teammate, but I think it's worth keeping an eye on.

Opinion has been rather split/contentious on if Drednaw is broken or just another good sweeper, but it clearly has significant enough community sentiment behind it at least and therefore deserves to be listed here.

This would be my preferred next suspect test. Between Choice Scarf, Choice Band, and Swords Dance, it has an array of options that all dismiss different counterplay. Difference between it and Porygon-Z is that the latter somehow was even stronger and more diverse, while Flamigo also must contend with Rocky Helmet chip damage and overall playstyle being pretty one-dimensional despite the different sets.

Piece of shit with much of the same influence that Basculegion has when it comes to stunting on certain archetypes. Tera Poison and... Gligar... exist to help offset its effectiveness, but I've grown increasingly upset with Muk's presence in the tier. Interested to hear what others have to say about it.

 

[Stories]

The Substitute set continues to devastate balance and fat builds given how many chances you get to hide behind the cute doll of doom. Offense matchup is notably worse, as Choice Scarf Basculegion isn't seen nearly as much anymore. Could certainly see a suspect test for it, though it's likely not a strong candidate currently.

Unsure if this is a hot take or not, but OTR Diancie is quite obscene. Likely not banworthy considering the ubiquitous Bronzong and having just lost a premier teammate, but I think it's worth keeping an eye on.

Opinion has been rather split/contentious on if Drednaw is broken or just another good sweeper, but it clearly has significant enough community sentiment behind it at least and therefore deserves to be listed here.

ban this

This would be my preferred next suspect test. Between Choice Scarf, Choice Band, and Swords Dance, it has an array of options that all dismiss different counterplay. Difference between it and Porygon-Z is that the latter somehow was even stronger and more diverse, while Flamigo also must contend with Rocky Helmet chip damage and overall playstyle being pretty one-dimensional despite the different sets.

this is probably fine with PZ banned? We'll have to see

Piece of shit with much of the same influence that Basculegion has when it comes to stunting on certain archetypes. Tera Poison and... Gligar... exist to help offset its effectiveness, but I've grown increasingly upset with Muk's presence in the tier. Interested to hear what others have to say about it.

he is evil POS but necessary imo

 

[Phantomistix]

Idt this is a problematic presence rn. I've adapted to it p well I think despite using balance more than anything and haven't felt it to be oppressive in game. Defensive counterplay struggles but there's more than adequate offensive counterplay to prevent it from wreaking havoc.


Similar to Basc, I think there is enough offensive counterplay to deal with it and there is certainly defensive counterplay with Rocky Helmets.aa and stuff that can trade with it.


I still want it gone but not as much as a few weeks ago. Just obnoxious to have to account for and predict what set and tera it is.


Like others have said, a necessary mon to have, even if it's annoying as shit to face.

:Diance:
Should be removed completely from ban discussions lol.

I also want to introduce a new mon to the discussion, and one that I think is more broken than any of the above, and maybe even PZ.


I'm seeing others start to pick up on just how obscene Munkidori is, but the message needs to spread further. A lot of people mention the tier being very boring to build and that it's hard to innovate new builds instead of recycling or defaulting to the same structures and I think that issue won't be solved by banning any of the above because they are not the root cause of the problem. That cause is Munkidori. All the established good structures have one thing in common, they all have two, three, sometimes four ways to deal with Munkidori because that's how oppressive it is. 30% poison chance on any move from the most common scarfer while having 130 SpA makes it so that switchins are EXTREMELY limited, and even those are exploitable with trick Scarf/Black Sludge, or just being down momentum and being faced with one of our many breakers.

Going through the VR, there are only four consistent switchins in the A ranks (Bronzong, Muk, Klefki, Copperajah), and all of those are susceptible to trick and can be OHKO'd by many of Munkidori's common partners. Usual protect users like Vaporeon and Sylveon both fear poison which can put them on a timer and can't switch in for fear of the same thing (and getting 2HKO'd in the process).

When it comes to offensive counterplay, bar niche options like scarf Inteleon/Infernape and priority from Sucker Punch and First Impression, Munkidori has none. It is the fastest mon on the field in 90%+ of games and dictates the pace of the battle.

IIRC, I voted 3 and 5 for the tier's enjoyment and balance respectively on the recent survey and that's all because of Munkidori. A lot of people have mentioned the tier being awful to play and I'd argue the boring, heavily biased gameplay loop that Munkidori forces is a huge part of that. Every time Munkidori is on the field, the opponent is forced to make very uncomfortable decisions.

Opponent either chances that the Munkidori will pivot out and stay in to greed hazards or damage, in which case the Munkidori user can make an informed decision and mitigate their opponent's progress while also potentially getting chip and a 30% poison for absolutely free, or the opponent cedes all momentum and goes into one of the aforementioned options or something that can rest up etc, in which case they risk being tricked while the opponent gets in something that can make even more progress and further their advantage even more.

Also keep in mind that beyond T1, most of the time a Munkidori comes in, it will be on something it can threaten big damage or a straight up OHKO on, which makes this decision even more uncomfortable. Do you really want to risk completely losing a piece of your team just to greed some damage when they can pivot into a resist? Some would argue this is skill expression, and while reading opponents is certainly a form of skill, Munkidori's game loop is more akin to a coinflip imo, except the rewards are heavily skewed in the Munkidori's favor.

This tier will continute to feel awful to build and play until we ban Munkidori.

 

[PowerOfMemes]

Nah, Phantom is wrong on Munkidori. Ban Flamigo, Drednaw, and Basculegion-M so that we can have a playable tier, council. I want balance to be usable, but these three are way too oppressive. (i was gonna write an essay but im too lazy to) Also, Alolan Muk can go. I wouldn’t mind one bit.

 

[Lucario]

Alolan Muk is something that I called broken months ago and people laughed. I'm glad we have finally gotten to the point where others are seeing what I once saw. This Pokemon is very strong into a large portion of the tier and sits on a lot of team structures thanks to Rest. Relying on Tera Poison or a B rank Pokemon to check it is not great and makes playing a little less fun.

Although I don't quite understand the argument some are making for keeping Alolan Muk in the tier. Saying "it's necessary" is like saying "we need this broken mon to check other broken mons." Last I checked that argument is historically laughed at and is not a good basis for tiering. So, I'd like to ask, why are we keeping Alolan Muk in the tier? Yeah, it checks Munkidori really well, but if that's the reason that it is "necessary" then shouldn't both Alolan Muk and Munkidori get banned?

Phantomisitx is right about Munkidori, it should go. Alolan Muk should also go. Unfortunately, if Munkidori goes, Flamigo should 100% get a suspect. Ban Drednaw too btw.

 

[5MGMatthew5]

Alolan Muk is something that I called broken months ago and people laughed. I'm glad we have finally gotten to the point where others are seeing what I once saw. This Pokemon is very strong into a large portion of the tier and sits on a lot of team structures thanks to Rest. Relying on Tera Poison or a B rank Pokemon to check it is not great and makes playing a little less fun.

Although I don't quite understand the argument some are making for keeping Alolan Muk in the tier. Saying "it's necessary" is like saying "we need this broken mon to check other broken mons." Last I checked that argument is historically laughed at and is not a good basis for tiering. So, I'd like to ask, why are we keeping Alolan Muk in the tier? Yeah, it checks Munkidori really well, but if that's the reason that it is "necessary" then shouldn't both Alolan Muk and Munkidori get banned?

Phantomisitx is right about Munkidori, it should go. Alolan Muk should also go. Unfortunately, if Munkidori goes, Flamigo should 100% get a suspect. Ban Drednaw too btw.

If the usage stats in RU remain similar in June, then Muk is gonna rise naturally. And after that I also would consider a Munkidori suspect, followed by a Flamigo suspect.

Also give Gligar Roost back.

 

[UberFiend]

incredible commentary, UberFiend, thank you truly

Speaking just for myself and not all of council, if further action is to be taken, I believe this is the slate of options:

The Substitute set continues to devastate balance and fat builds given how many chances you get to hide behind the cute doll of doom. Offense matchup is notably worse, as Choice Scarf Basculegion isn't seen nearly as much anymore. Could certainly see a suspect test for it, though it's likely not a strong candidate currently.

Unsure if this is a hot take or not, but OTR Diancie is quite obscene. Likely not banworthy considering the ubiquitous Bronzong and having just lost a premier teammate, but I think it's worth keeping an eye on.

Opinion has been rather split/contentious on if Drednaw is broken or just another good sweeper, but it clearly has significant enough community sentiment behind it at least and therefore deserves to be listed here.

This would be my preferred next suspect test. Between Choice Scarf, Choice Band, and Swords Dance, it has an array of options that all dismiss different counterplay. Difference between it and Porygon-Z is that the latter somehow was even stronger and more diverse, while Flamigo also must contend with Rocky Helmet chip damage and overall playstyle being pretty one-dimensional despite the different sets.

Piece of shit with much of the same influence that Basculegion has when it comes to stunting on certain archetypes. Tera Poison and... Gligar... exist to help offset its effectiveness, but I've grown increasingly upset with Muk's presence in the tier. Interested to hear what others have to say about it.

I would add keys to the mix. That thing is so rough end game. Steel fairy with prankster and the ability to set up screens. And set up is very broken

 

[5MGMatthew5]

I would add keys to the mix. That thing is so rough end game. Steel fairy with prankster and the ability to set up screens. And set up is very broken

Run tera electric raging bull pauros

 

[Pokeslice]

Some quick mobile gaming thoughts:

In regards to Munki, I suspect this most recent PZ ban will make it (at the very least Scarf) feel much more balanced. I wouldn’t move on this mon for a long long time, and even if I did, I’d probably target Flamigo to just remove the big nuke mon it gets to bring in on special walls instead. I think Phantom is right to be annoyed by this, but there are bigger fish to fry and more ways than a ban to deal with Munki.

Flamigo and Drednaw are the direction that I feel we should be starting to look, especially in the direction of that bird looking thing which has an annoying variety of sets and little switch ins. I wouldn’t be opposed to a suspect or ban on that mon.

As for Muk, the meta has adapted to it with the rise of things like Scrafty and it’s more of an annoying nuisance than something that needs action taken I think. At the very least, it’s not urgent and actually provides a lot of value to the tier imo, so let it be.

 

[Ac1D]

Quick thoughts on all the the mons that Rabia mentioned

I agree that this pokemon is still very strong and consistenly finds great value. The only supposed counter is Wo Chien which is a pretty niche pick that struggles into many of the other top NU mons. In theory this pokemon should be suspect worthy but admittedly hasn't done anything noteworthy in tournament play to earn a suspect test. I think it is ok but probably should be looked at closely.

Don't really have a strong opinion on this mon. OTR loses hard to steel types, Bronzong laughs at you and even Copperajah can stall out your Trick Room with Protect. The defensive sets with Diamond Storm are good but Basculegion/bulky poison types like Galarian Slowbro/Vileplume/Amoonguss can make it difficult to be effective. I think it's fine right now and doesn't require action.

Don't think Drednaw is broken in a vacuum but it's pretty cheesy so wouldn't really mind a suspect test. It's probably on par with something like a Scyther in terms of brokenness tbh.

Very strong obviously but pokemon such as Bellibolt/Galarian Slowbro are a lot more common in tournament play now and they can stifle pretty much all Flamigo sets with massive recoil and potential status. Scarf is the best set being a very effective revenge killer but even then it is not too fast, so most other scarfers can get the jump on it. CB is pretty scary admittedly but the lack of speed makes it much easier to answer for offensive teams. I think it's manageable and helps out the BO/Balance teams of the meta quite well but suspect test is probably fine.

Honestly probably the most broken pokemon out of all of these guys. Most of the time the counterplay is just praying your switch-in doesn't get poisoned. but it is pretty integral for the meta right now because it checks a lot of other top mons very well, so I wouldn't touch it. There is a chance it won't even be here in ~1 months time.

 

[Danny]

Porygon-Z has steadily been gaining traction amongst people in the NU community since the beginning of the year and has solidified itself as the most fearsome setup sweeper in the tier, sporting strong matchups into every single playstyle and archetype. It has a wide array of sets which can pick apart any teams and inflict massive damage on teams that incorrectly guess what set it is. These sets not only vary in moves and item choice, but also abilities (namely Download and Adaptability) as well as EV spreads.

Specifically, Porygon-Z has been running a bulkier set which runs an abundance of HP and Sitrus Berry in conjunction with Nasty Plot and Agility. This set takes advantage of Porygon's insanely high base special attack and unmatched offensive abilities to bolster its defenses and make revenge killing it a very difficult task, as it can easily shrug off a hit or two from Pokemon such as Kilowattrel and Flygon while setting up. Tri-Attack and Shadow Ball covers everything offensively meaning P-Z has no issue with 4MSS. Tri-Attack has the added bonus of being an easy move to spam early-on and can potentially end games on the spot with an untimely burn or freeze. Another variant of this set exists which trades Agility for Recover and turns P-Z into a consistent corebreaker with staying power. This set also has the option of running Tera Blast Ground to tear through checks such as Diancie, Alolan Muk, and Naclstack. Moreover, while more prediction reliant, Choice Specs sets can absolutely decimate anything in P-Z's path and then cripple special walls with Trick to pave the way for a teammate to clean up. Choice Scarf sets have a strong matchup into offense and retain a solid matchup into fatter builds by virtue of having Trick.

Porygon-Z's main weakness is that at times it can get quickly overwhelmed by offensive teams which do not allow it time to setup, however it can be argued that it also forces these teams to play extremely aggressive and reckless against it as one wrong move will spell doom. Ultimately, Porygon-Z is incredibly efficient at what it does and has a big bag of tricks that allow it to adapt to any scenario and put in a lot of work, thus it is being suspect tested.


NOTE: THIS TEST WILL BE USING THE NEW SUSPECT PROCESS!

The instructions to participate in this test are as follows:​

• Create a new account on PS. You do not have to follow any specific naming convention, but your suspect account must have never played a game in NU before this suspect test went up or you will not receive valid requirements (resetting W/L does not count for this - the account you use must never have played NU before the test, full stop.​
• At any point on your new account, use the command /linksmogon on Pokemon Showdown! You will receive instructions on what to do once you run this command.​
• Double check that you're listed as a voter here! If you aren't listed as a voter despite having valid reqs, please contact myself, Rabia, or a member of staff.​
• If you have any questions about this new process, feel free to PM me.​

The requirement to vote in this suspect test is a COIL value of 2800. The deadline for getting requirements will be Sunday, May 25th at 11:59pm GMT+10.​

tangerine > tangerine

 

[Be13costa]

tangerine > tangerine