With the next tier shift rapidly approaching, I think it is appropriate to mention some things that are not necessarily healthy for the meta in the hopes that the council will address these elements in some manner. I have talked to several other users to gauge their feelings regarding potentially problematic Pokemon in the current meta and will attempt to summarize their concerns below. Note that I am not necessarily arguing for a ban on every Pokemon I mention in this post. I simply want to see the council address them in some way (for example, as a slate of nominations similar to the way votes were handled during beta).
The Biggest Problems
Almost everyone I've talked to agreed that the Pokemon in this section were broken and/or unhealthy for the meta.
I covered my feelings on Clefable here. To summarize for those who don't want to read the post, Clefable's typing, stat spread, abilities, and movepool make it a top tier Pokemon in the current meta. Fairy is a great typing, both offensively and defensively. Magic Guard and Unaware are both excellent abilities that allow Clefable to excel in different roles. Magic Guard allows Clefable to ignore entry hazards and damaging status, which enables it to serve as a defensive pivot and boosting win condition. Unaware, on the other hand, lets Clefable function as an integral member of stall teams by checking many setup sweepers that would normally pressure the playstyle. Clefable's stat spread lets it abuse its typing and abilities by giving it enough bulk and offensive presence to serve the roles it's called upon to fill. Clefable also possesses an expansive movepool that contains many coverage and utility options that allow it to bypass its counters or support its team. Its ability to beat most of its checks with its coverage options means that most teams have to stack Clefable checks in a meta where every Pokemon on a team already has to cover multiple threats.
Most of the people I've talked to agree that Sharpedo currently places an enormous amount of pressure on teambuilding. Psychic Fangs is the new toy that really pushes it over the edge. The additional coverage allows it to bypass many Pokemon it struggled with before and limits the number of reliable checks available. Very few Choice Scarf users outspeed +1 Mega Sharpedo, so most of its checks need to be able to take a hit and retaliate or pack super effective priority. Since most Pokemon that usually serve as Mega Sharpedo checks are expected to check many other prominent Pokemon as well (Cobalion is generally its team's Bisharp answer, Clefable also checks Dragon-types, etc. This obviously isn't a comprehensive list), wearing down Mega Sharpedo's checks isn't particularly difficult, especially since Sharpedo benefits so much from hazard support and is often seen on offensive teams designed to overload its checks.
In addition, many people forget that Mega Sharpedo isn't just a good cleaner. It is also a powerful wallbreaker that can put in a lot of work against bulkier teams, thanks to 140 base Attack, Strong Jaw, and moves that can take advantage of its ability for a pseudo-STAB boost.
The More Controversial Pokemon
When I asked people what Pokemon they thought were unhealthy in the current meta, a few of them mentioned these Pokemon. While they are not as commonly considered problems as the Pokemon above, enough people felt they were problematic that I believe that the council should at least discuss them. I would appreciate it if any council members were to share their opinions on these Pokemon and their influence on the tier.
Alakazam was already strong before the RBY transfers became available, and Counter added a great deal to its value for offensive teams. Before, it was forced to rely on Thunder Wave to serve as a stop to Pokemon that threaten the offensive teams it often finds itself on. Thunder Wave was unreliable because it had the chance to miss or could be nullified with the appropriate item. Additionally, Alakazam often died in the process of using Thunder Wave to stop threats. With Counter, it becomes a much more reliable stop to most of the tier's physical attackers. Alakazam can reliably grab a kill against most physical attackers and still threaten the opposing team with its impressive offensive stats. In addition, Alakazam is less concerned with its coverage options now that it has access to Counter. Before, Alakazam users had to select coverage carefully to beat the threats to their teams, but now Alakazam doesn't face that same type of pressure because it can select the physical attacker it wants to remove and simply click Counter.
This Pokemon is mostly considered unhealthy, rather than broken. Serene Grace in conjunction with access to Air Slash and Thunder Wave make Togekiss incredibly frustrating to play against. Its play pattern mostly involves relying on RNG rather than outplaying the opponent (for example, its Nasty Plot set breaks stall essentially by flinching everything to death). While Serene Grace is the major reason Togekiss is so unhealthy, it also has the typing, bulk, and offensive/utility movepool to be useful even without it. Fairy/Flying is a great typing, especially when coupled with moves like Roost, Defog, Thunder Wave, and Heal Bell. It even has an excellent offensive movepool that allows it to lure offensive checks.
Hopefully this will provoke some useful discussion. I am very interested in hearing the thoughts of the council regarding these Pokemon and their effects on the metagame, as well as how we should handle potentially problematic Pokemon when our main focus is on retesting things that were banned during Beta.
The Biggest Problems
Almost everyone I've talked to agreed that the Pokemon in this section were broken and/or unhealthy for the meta.
I covered my feelings on Clefable here. To summarize for those who don't want to read the post, Clefable's typing, stat spread, abilities, and movepool make it a top tier Pokemon in the current meta. Fairy is a great typing, both offensively and defensively. Magic Guard and Unaware are both excellent abilities that allow Clefable to excel in different roles. Magic Guard allows Clefable to ignore entry hazards and damaging status, which enables it to serve as a defensive pivot and boosting win condition. Unaware, on the other hand, lets Clefable function as an integral member of stall teams by checking many setup sweepers that would normally pressure the playstyle. Clefable's stat spread lets it abuse its typing and abilities by giving it enough bulk and offensive presence to serve the roles it's called upon to fill. Clefable also possesses an expansive movepool that contains many coverage and utility options that allow it to bypass its counters or support its team. Its ability to beat most of its checks with its coverage options means that most teams have to stack Clefable checks in a meta where every Pokemon on a team already has to cover multiple threats.
Most of the people I've talked to agree that Sharpedo currently places an enormous amount of pressure on teambuilding. Psychic Fangs is the new toy that really pushes it over the edge. The additional coverage allows it to bypass many Pokemon it struggled with before and limits the number of reliable checks available. Very few Choice Scarf users outspeed +1 Mega Sharpedo, so most of its checks need to be able to take a hit and retaliate or pack super effective priority. Since most Pokemon that usually serve as Mega Sharpedo checks are expected to check many other prominent Pokemon as well (Cobalion is generally its team's Bisharp answer, Clefable also checks Dragon-types, etc. This obviously isn't a comprehensive list), wearing down Mega Sharpedo's checks isn't particularly difficult, especially since Sharpedo benefits so much from hazard support and is often seen on offensive teams designed to overload its checks.
In addition, many people forget that Mega Sharpedo isn't just a good cleaner. It is also a powerful wallbreaker that can put in a lot of work against bulkier teams, thanks to 140 base Attack, Strong Jaw, and moves that can take advantage of its ability for a pseudo-STAB boost.
The More Controversial Pokemon
When I asked people what Pokemon they thought were unhealthy in the current meta, a few of them mentioned these Pokemon. While they are not as commonly considered problems as the Pokemon above, enough people felt they were problematic that I believe that the council should at least discuss them. I would appreciate it if any council members were to share their opinions on these Pokemon and their influence on the tier.
Alakazam was already strong before the RBY transfers became available, and Counter added a great deal to its value for offensive teams. Before, it was forced to rely on Thunder Wave to serve as a stop to Pokemon that threaten the offensive teams it often finds itself on. Thunder Wave was unreliable because it had the chance to miss or could be nullified with the appropriate item. Additionally, Alakazam often died in the process of using Thunder Wave to stop threats. With Counter, it becomes a much more reliable stop to most of the tier's physical attackers. Alakazam can reliably grab a kill against most physical attackers and still threaten the opposing team with its impressive offensive stats. In addition, Alakazam is less concerned with its coverage options now that it has access to Counter. Before, Alakazam users had to select coverage carefully to beat the threats to their teams, but now Alakazam doesn't face that same type of pressure because it can select the physical attacker it wants to remove and simply click Counter.
This Pokemon is mostly considered unhealthy, rather than broken. Serene Grace in conjunction with access to Air Slash and Thunder Wave make Togekiss incredibly frustrating to play against. Its play pattern mostly involves relying on RNG rather than outplaying the opponent (for example, its Nasty Plot set breaks stall essentially by flinching everything to death). While Serene Grace is the major reason Togekiss is so unhealthy, it also has the typing, bulk, and offensive/utility movepool to be useful even without it. Fairy/Flying is a great typing, especially when coupled with moves like Roost, Defog, Thunder Wave, and Heal Bell. It even has an excellent offensive movepool that allows it to lure offensive checks.
Hopefully this will provoke some useful discussion. I am very interested in hearing the thoughts of the council regarding these Pokemon and their effects on the metagame, as well as how we should handle potentially problematic Pokemon when our main focus is on retesting things that were banned during Beta.
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