Ladder ORAS 1v1 [3v3 Team Preview]

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Welcome to 1v1, ORAS edition! 1v1 is a very simple metagame in which two Pokemon square off against each other to decide a winner. In a metagame without teammates, a Pokémon needs to rely on its own traits, and the strategy of its trainer, to win battles.

New: 1v1 now includes 3v3 team preview, which means you bring up to three Pokemon and use one of them to battle. (post)

Pokemon:
Arceus, Blaziken, Darkrai, Deoxys, Deoxys-Attack, Dialga, Giratina, Giratina-Origin, Groudon, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Kyurem-White, Lugia, Mewtwo, Palkia, Rayquaza, Reshiram, Shaymin-Sky, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zekrom

Items:
Focus Sash, Kangaskhanite, Salamencite, Soul Dew

Moves:
Perish Song, Swagger
Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly/Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake / Will-O-Wisp

Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Blast Burn
- Solar Beam
- Air Slash
- Ancient Power / Dragon Pulse

Kyurem-Black @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Outrage
- Fusion Bolt
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head / Earth Power

Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Return / Giga Impact
- Ice Punch

Porygon-Z @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid/Modest Nature
- Hyper Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Trick

1v1 is currently available on Pokemon Showdown. Feel free to share your ideas and experiences in this thread.

The 1v1 viability ranking can be found here. Check out the Beginner's Guide to 1v1.
 
1v1 Suspect Philosophy

As an attempt to draw visible traces between what is broken and what isn't broken, I will be posting the 1v1 tiering philosophy that should be referred as a base to construct your arguments on it. We definitely don't want this metagame to turn into Ubers 1v1 nor PU 1v1, we want to build a strict line and finish from a plethora of arguments with different philosophies in head. We won't follow OU or other metagame's tiering philosophy as 1v1 is a different concept which doesn't respond to the call. By studying the thread and the ladder for months, we have concluded:

1) A Pokemon is deemed suspect worthy if it's overcentralizing in the 1v1 metagame, a significantly high usage justifies the large scale it takes in the metagame which is unhealthy and needs to be looked on. This is 1v1 and not a battle between two teams, a Pokemon with high usage proves that its strong and easily splashable on most teams.

2) By definition a broken Pokemon is a Pokemon that doesn't have a lot of checks and counters. Let's define C&C in 1v1. A check is a Pokemon that can defeat another with a specific set but if it uses another it may lose. A counter is a Pokemon that can defeat another Pokemon no matter what it runs. Ex: Mega Blastoise is a check to Mega Charizard Y if it runs full spdf and mirror coat but Chansey is a counter to Mega Charizard Y as it can always beat it. A pokemon is deemed broken if it defeats at least more than the half of the metagame with a set or its other viable sets without having an opportunity cost, that was the case of Mega Salamence which could easily adjust between two sets and defeat more than half of the meta.

3) We do not judge by playstyle since this is 1v1. If a Pokemon defeats a stall team in 1v1 it shouldn't be looked into due to them having a lot of choices to pick from and being having only two-third of the team stallish doesn't stop the last member from defeating a more offensive Pokemon. Ex: If Mega Charizard Y defeats a stall team made of Mega Venusaur, Jellicent and Mandibuzz it's not the Pokemon that is broken, the team doesn't synergize to defeat common threats in the metagame which is your fault, same goes to offensive teams that loses to Chansey. They are S ranked for a reason.

4) We are not looking to make low ranked Pokemon viable in the metagame by banning high ranked Pokemon. It's not our fault if they weren't gifted with a good stats, and movesets to be viable in 1v1.

5) Please post your arguments smartly, and do not attack someone's else opinion or attack them directly, this is highly discouraged as it lowers your image and make people avoid listening to you. Some guidelines of posting are: Provide the topic of the Pokemon that you think is deemed suspect worthy, discuss it through the tiering philosophy by providing replays, calcs or strong arguments. Your arguments should provide a clear view of the Pokemon and how unhealthy it is, a list of Pokemon that can defeat it and if it has more than one set then list its sets. Don't bring up the kind of sets that are horrendously niche, they should have some amount of usage on the ladder.

6) Being an unpredictable Pokemon shouldn't be a strong trait to base your arguments on but still is a way of view and can be looked on. This is 1v1, it's sure that a lot of Pokemon will have different sets to check their checks and derailing from the norm is always something we should encourage as it helps in giving more life to the metagame. So, let's set up a clear definition of what an unpredictable Pokemon is: It's a Pokemon that can make use of different sets with little to no opportunity cost and still be able to beat half of the metagame with whatever set it runs. Per example an unpredictable Pokemon would be Mega Gyarados as it has a big movepool to pick from, and can adjust itself to beat some Pokemon, but that doesn't make it broken since it comes with some opportunity cost.

7) Staying on the topic of sets, don't bring in discussion niche sets just to prove that this Pokemon is broken since it can adapt easily, it's just not a good base to build on since most Pokemon can also run niche sets to defeat other.

8) Don't bring up complex bans they are unneeded and just creates more confusion. Per example if Trick+Choice Item is broken it's not the strategy itself but the user that makes it broken, taking per example Chansey and Meloetta. Chansey will defeat Meloetta even if its tricked if the Meloetta lacks Psyshock but if Meloetta has Psyshock it will be able to defeat Chansey.

9) If good arguments are made against a Pokemon the Tier Leader has the right to suspect it, we aren't looking for quick banning Pokemon since the community's opinion is valuable and they make the metagame. If a Pokemon didn't get banned due to a suspect don't re-talk about it even if you still think it's broken, we work on majority.
 
~~ ++ Ladder Stars ++ ~~

Dragonite (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- ExtremeSpeed
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake

Typical Bandnite (see it?) which can utterly destroy 75% of the shit stuffed in the whole Metagame. And I mean it. I got a record of 18-2 with this and more which is below. My Ladder rating was 1970 (20 battles and it was still provisional... not joking) and thus from what I know in one of the top 3 of the highest rating got in the 1v1 by anyone Laddering. With 252 HP you actually have your own pseudo Focus Sash which only an ability like Mold Breaker can cut in half. Outrage to annihilate other Dragons and thing that Dragon hits neutral to. ExtremeSpeed to demolish things like Zam, Infernape or Breloom because yolo and why not. Fire Punch for Grass types and Steel types or specifically Scizor. Earthquake to hit anything hard that can't be hit cleanly with Outrage.

Dragonite (M) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- ExtremeSpeed
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake

WP Dnite is kinda' a bit more advanced than Bandnite because it can choose any move without being locked into and when there's no Mold Breaker, Teravolt, etc you just win. And if your opponent tries to hit you hard with an SE move they die with x2 the power of what they used.

Donphan @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Endeavor
- Counter

This is just awesome! I mean it! Literally! Any Physical Attacker gets destroyed by this. And honestly the only thing that can "hit" this and not stall it out like a nub is a Special Attack that's SE (yes Scarf Latios couldn't OHKO this with Draco Meteor :>), like the more annoying Kyurem-B with Ice Beam. If you hit it with a Physical Attack and you got predicted, it means you get hit by seriously the double of what you hit. Earthquake for annoying stuff, and Ice Shard to KO Dragons when they're below 40% HP from a Counter. Endeavor is as useful as ever because Special Attackers can be hit with that. Seriously, the only thing that can defeat this is nub stall or an SE (and preferably STAB) Special Attack.

~~ ++ Ladder Stars ++ ~~

~~ ++ Others ++ ~~

Alakazam @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Trick

Not bad, not bad. Jammin' da Specs. Top speed Zam with Specs is just so good you can't say no. OHKOs everything which gets hit Super-effectively. Plus, 120 base Spd with Timid 252 Speed, my god. Literally nothing can outspeed it that rate. Magic Guard is intensively good as any indirect damage cannot do shit to it. Also, when you don't think you can do it, or you know your opponent's gonna use a move like Substitute or Toxic/WoW then just use Trick. End of Story. You auto-win. Unless you get a bad item, that is.

Lucario Da Vinci (Lucario) @ Lucarionite
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- ExtremeSpeed
- Close Combat
- Crunch

^I build that when I was literally tired of Khan. I can't stop with my HO 1v1mons... I can't! Steadfast for dat Spd boost when Khan Fake Outs. Get an SD up against something not a Ghost/Fairy, and just hit the foe with STAB Adaptability 120 Base Power +2 252 Atk Close Combat... Story ends here. Crunch for an Aegislash which you can predict against good. ExtremeSpeed to kill what's left, if any is left... *evil laugh*

Kangaskhan (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- Sucker Punch
- Crunch

I hate Khan, I hate it, and I hate it. That's the reason I have Inner Focus. Also, 4mss sucks! Needs a ban from the Metagame, though. Mine is just a meh set which was made up because I needed to get some wins to keep my rank alive. I was successful until anti-Khan people started to reign in the Ladder, and yes, I'm one of them... e_e

Meh, gg. (Charizard) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Air Slash
- Dragon Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Substitute

3 words. "Squash. The. Bugs!" Yes, literally. Or just change the Nature to Modest and destroy 60% of things in the Metagame. Substitute because of the things like Sableye, Gourgeist, etc which try to stall with "Other" or status moves.

~~ ++ Others ++ ~~
 
In literally 10 minutes, I made it to #11 on the ladder:
ggxtB0G.png

All by using this set:
Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 84 SDef / 252 HP / 172 SAtk
Modest Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Leech Seed
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire] [Ghost]

Venusaur is just too good in this meta, seriously.
 
1 vs 1 ladder you want to switch up your pokes so you don't get counter-"teamed." Here is a nice combo:

Aegislash @ Air Balloon
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Quiet Nature
- King's Shield
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak

Air Balloon Aegislash is a good choice in 1 vs 1 because of its great bulk, power, unresisted coverage, and King's Shield. Air Balloon is important to have on this set because it forces Pokemon who otherwise would just EQ Aegislash to use a contact move against him, and thus receive the -2 attakc drop. It also makes you immune to SubToxic Gliscor. Shadow Sneak is a good move to finish off faster pokemon after you have tank a hit with your defenses. He's a good Pokemon against all out attackers, but suffers against those who use "stallish" strategies.


Hydreigon @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- Flash Cannon

Hydreigon has the power to get past more stallish Pokemon. If an opponent has been using something that consistently beats Aegislash, chances are Hydreigon their primary STAB is something Hydreigon resists (Hydreigon and Aegislash cover eachother's weaknesses perfectly). Choice Specs is used to handle stallish Pokemon, while Choice Scarf is used to outspeed more offensive ones. With Hydreigon's coverage, you will be able to hit pretty much everything hard (except Chansey but Aegislash beats that).
 
Any comments on getting Mewtwonite X banned and Mewtwonite Y banned? Also, you can use Arceus-Fairy on the ladder at the moment. So that just takes everything we've done and throws it out the window.

Also what was the Deoxys-D set that was used in Gen 5?

Deoxys-D @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252/4 SDef / 252 HP / 4/252 Def
Calm/Bold Nature
- Torment
- Trick
- Recover
- Taunt

I believe it was and got me to like #11 or so in the Gen 5 ladder. (Maybe top 25 or top 20, but I know it got me high for sure.)
 
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Here's my "team"...

Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Protect
- Mirror Coat
- Counter
- Dark Pulse

It beats all offensive mons except Kangaskhan and special Dark-types because pretty much nothing can 1HKO it. It beats Aron too, which is cool. Unfortunately, it loses to most Stall and Hax mons. Dark Pulse hits Jirachi and others hardest.
 
I use a pretty good Latios that can beat 90% of the foes.
Latias ©Levitate
@Choice Scarf
EV: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 6 HP (+SpA/-Atk)
-Draco Meteor
-Psychock
-Surf
-Hidden Power FIRE

You also can use Trick instead for Hidden Power.
 
Any comments on getting Mewtwonite X banned and Mewtwonite Y banned?

Also what was the Deoxys-D set that was used in Gen 5?

Deoxys-D @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252/4 SDef / 252 HP / 4/252 Def
Calm/Bold Nature
- Torment
- Trick
- Recover
- Taunt

I believe it was and got me to like #11 or so in the Gen 5 ladder. (Maybe top 25 or top 20, but I know it got me high for sure.)
I've been testing a similar set with Saybleye, and I've discovered that it's success is almost entirely match up based. It losses to all Megas, all Assault Vest users, and all Choice users that use a move with more than 8 PP. It beats most stallers, and anything that can't 2HKO through recovery, that isn't on the previous list. So it is very situational.

Edit: Arceus isn't banned, please fix that.
 
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Been having a lot of fun with this:

Alakazam @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Encore
- Protect
- Psychic
- Disable

Not sure if anyone has come up with this before, but this is basically a protect+disable set with a twist - the use of encore to force the opponent to keep using the disabled move, thus forcing them to Struggle. Rocky Helmet makes Struggle take only 3 turns to kill them, and Psychic lets you pick off opponents after they have struggled down to low HP.


Here are some replays of the set in action:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/1v1-75096454
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/1v1-75096580
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/1v1-75096870
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/1v1-75097560
 
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Been having a lot of fun with this:

Alakazam @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Encore
- Protect
- Psychic
- Disable

Not sure if anyone has come up with this before, but this is basically a protect+disable set with a twist - the use of encore to force the opponent to keep using the disabled move, thus forcing them to Struggle. Rocky Helmet makes Struggle take only 3 turns to kill them, and Psychic lets you pick off opponents after they have struggled down to low HP.


Here are some replays of the set in action:



This set is OK, it loses to Physical attackers, smart players, and Espeon tho.
 
Mega Aggron.

Aggron @ Aggronite
Ability: Sturdy (becomes Filter)
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Iron Head / Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch / Fire Punch

lol have fun physical attackers.

252 Atk Adaptability Mega Lucario Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Filter Mega Aggron: 165-195 (48.1 - 56.8%) -- 84.8% chance to 2HKO

252 Atk Sheer Force Darmanitan Flare Blitz vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Filter Mega Aggron: 154-184 (44.8 - 53.6%) -- 37.9% chance to 2HKO

+2 252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Filter Mega Aggron: 142-168 (41.3 - 48.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Filter Mega Aggron: 100-121 (29.1 - 35.2%) -- 16% chance to 3HKO

o.o
 
Not sure how it would fare now, but I got to #1 a while back on my alt latichu

Latos @ Choice Specs/Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
- Draco Meteor
- Any three of these depending on situation: Thunderbolt/Surf/Toxic/HP Fire/Psychic/Ice Beam/Trick

Can deal with every threat I've seen in gen 5, not sure how it fares in gen 6. (Probably walled by aegislash)
 
Is mega-Aggron actually the best Aggron set? Back in 5th gen, I did quite well with the following set:
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Aggron @ Custap Berry/Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Brave/Lonely Nature
IVs: 0 Def / 0 SDef / 0 Spd
- Metal Burst
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
What you do is Metal Burst an attack back at them for massive damage, and then attack with a fast Stone Edge or Earthquake to KO. Alternatively, you could alternate between Protect and Metal Burst to restore HP (if you have Leftovers) so that you can Metal Burst more damage over time. Brave lowers your Speed, while Lonely lowers your Defense. Speed decrease is desireable because Metal Burst does not has reduced priority, and does nothing if you move first, while Defense decrease enables non-STAB fight or ground-type physical moves to bring you down to Sturdy (or near it). Nature boosts Attack so that you hit harder when you attack. You have 252 HP EVs to Metal Burst back for as much damage as possible, and 252 Attack EVs to hit hard. You don't invest anything in any other stat because Special Attack is useless, and all other stats are hindering. 0 IVs in defenses maximize the damage you take, and 0IVs in speed enable you to be outsped by as much as possible.
Protect is there to restore HP (if you use leftovers) and to make sure that the target will use an attacking move. Earthquake and Stone Edge are used for their great neutral coverage, and increased power over other 2 move combos.
Custap Berry enables you to strike first after Metal Bursting, and Leftovers prevents the foe from breaking Sturdy with an ineffective attack. Either one can work.
 
1 vs 1 ladder you want to switch up your pokes so you don't get counter-"teamed." Here is a nice combo:

Aegislash @ Air Balloon
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Quiet Nature
- King's Shield
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak

Air Balloon Aegislash is a good choice in 1 vs 1 because of its great bulk, power, unresisted coverage, and King's Shield. Air Balloon is important to have on this set because it forces Pokemon who otherwise would just EQ Aegislash to use a contact move against him, and thus receive the -2 attakc drop. It also makes you immune to SubToxic Gliscor. Shadow Sneak is a good move to finish off faster pokemon after you have tank a hit with your defenses. He's a good Pokemon against all out attackers, but suffers against those who use "stallish" strategies.

I've used a different Aegislash which worked well. It loses to Gyarados and other bulky water types that don't hit it super effectively. The Brave nature so stuff like Donphan outspeed it and activate Weakness Policy.

Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- King's Shield
- Iron Head
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak
 
Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SDef / 252 Def
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Thunder Wave
- Swagger
- Foul Play


You know the deal about this little prick. Yes, it's luck-based, but then again we do have a Quick Claw Smeargle set in the OP so might as well mention Klefki too.
 
Mega kangaskhan is insane, it can survive almost any move that isn't stab fighting and ko back with a combination of fake out, return/double edge/crunch/hammer arm and finish off survivors with sucker punch. My medicham didn't even get to hit it because it died to fake out + sucker punch already. Even if I were able to give my scarf kyurem-b 252 ev's in hp, defense and attack it wouldn't be able to ko with outrage and survive that combination of moves.

Besides failing against mega kangaskhan choice scarf works really well though, I personally haven't run into many opposing scarfers meaning I don't have to invest in speed as much which I can then use to invest into special attack and defenses. You actually most likely don't need max attack either so it's pretty fun to mess around with the ev spread untill you find something perfectly tailored to kill and survive certain things.
 
images


Avalugg @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Curse
- Avalanche
- Recover
- Mirror Coat

I played Gen 5 1v1 a lot, and I was looking for a Gen 6 Pokemon that could work in 1v1. Easily dismissed as a gimmick in standard battling, I've done around 100 matches with this guy, and it never fails to disappoint.

The premise is simple. Curse against physical attackers and take them down with Avalanche. Recover when appropriate. Use Mirror Coat against special attackers to OHKO them.

Obviously this loses to incredibly powerful physical attackers such as Mega Lucario and Darmanitan, status moves / inducers such as Toxic, Spore, and the ever present WoW Sableye for Mega Kangaskhan, and special attackers like Mega Alakazam who trace Sturdy.
 
I would vote for megakhan to be banned.

If they didn't ban Jirachi in Gen 5 1v1, they shouldn't ban Mega Kangaskhan in Gen 6 1v1 unless they ban all megas. There are PLENTY of strategies that can counter it. Here is one of my favorites:

AntiMgaKangaskhan (Cofagrigus) @ Leftovers
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spd
- Protect
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Haze

There are two ways I have seen Kangaskhan users try to counter this: Don't Mega Evolve and use Scrappy so you can keep spamming Return/Double-Edge/Power-Up Punch, or Mega Evolve and spam Crunch hoping to lower Cofagrigus's defense. After a Will-O-Wisp, Return is rendered useless, and Double-Edge just kills them faster. Power-Up Punch can be a problem if they play smart, so that's why I have Haze on there. If they choose to Mega Evolve and spam Crunch, they have to be lucky enough to get three defense lowerings, one critical at the start of the match on the first hit before its ability is turned into Mummy, AND I have to be unlucky enough to only be able to use Protect once in a row (Protect, Fail, Protect, Fail, Protect, Fail). The odds of this is (.2 x .0625 x .125) which is literally .15625%, barely have a percent. The most I've seen is one critical and two defense lowerings, but I was lucky enough to land Protect 4 times in a row. This strategy works pretty well against some other Pokemon as well. Toxic is there against powerful special attackers. This gets completely destroyed by Mega Gengar, but its purpose is to counter specifically Mega Kangaskhan.

There are many other ways to counter Mega Kangaskhan, but I find this one to be the most rage-inducing.
 
If they didn't ban Jirachi in Gen 5 1v1, they shouldn't ban Mega Kangaskhan in Gen 6 1v1 unless they ban all megas. There are PLENTY of strategies that can counter it. Here is one of my favorites:

AntiMgaKangaskhan (Cofagrigus) @ Leftovers
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spd
- Protect
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Haze

There are two ways I have seen Kangaskhan users try to counter this: Don't Mega Evolve and use Scrappy so you can keep spamming Return/Double-Edge/Power-Up Punch, or Mega Evolve and spam Crunch hoping to lower Cofagrigus's defense. After a Will-O-Wisp, Return is rendered useless, and Double-Edge just kills them faster. Power-Up Punch can be a problem if they play smart, so that's why I have Haze on there. If they choose to Mega Evolve and spam Crunch, they have to be lucky enough to get three defense lowerings, one critical at the start of the match on the first hit before its ability is turned into Mummy, AND I have to be unlucky enough to only be able to use Protect once in a row (Protect, Fail, Protect, Fail, Protect, Fail). The odds of this is (.2 x .0625 x .125) which is literally .15625%, barely have a percent. The most I've seen is one critical and two defense lowerings, but I was lucky enough to land Protect 4 times in a row. This strategy works pretty well against some other Pokemon as well. Toxic is there against powerful special attackers. This gets completely destroyed by Mega Gengar, but its purpose is to counter specifically Mega Kangaskhan.

There are many other ways to counter Mega Kangaskhan, but I find this one to be the most rage-inducing.
How does it work against other common threats?

My problem with megakhan has little to do with insufficient counters, and far more to do with the overcentralization of the metagame that it causes. You need to be able to counter it to achieve much at all in terms of rating. Its combination of bulk, few weaknesses, broad coverage movepool, and uber-level attack make it broken. Just because something can be countered without running sets fore the sole purpose of countering it doesn't mean it isn't broken, especially in a metagame like 1v1 where moveslots are precious. It's difficult to counter and omnipresent, necessitating a way to counter it, which in turn creates an unfun metagame. I think a ban should be in order, though my mind is open to persuasion.

Another pokemon that might be ban-worthy is aegislash, but that isn't nearly as egregious as megakhan.
 
Any reason to keep evasion moves banned, considering Flash, Sand Attack and Mud-Slap have very wide distribution ando practically the same thing?
 
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