Resource OU Checks Compendium (Read Post #72)

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Credit to D_what for the awesome artwork!

Following the same basic idea as the other teambuilding compendiums found throughout the OU sub-forum, the basic goal of this thread is to provide a visual tool to assist teambuilding by giving players a quick way to pick checks and counters for the metagame's top threats. Basically, a "check" as defined here is anything that reliably beats a threat, and they're separated in this list by whether or not they can switch in. The Pokemon will be listed by sprites rather than name for the sake of easy and quick reference, and they will be organized in descending order of viability ranking. As I want this to be a community-built resource, I encourage everyone to suggest changes as you see fit. Here are a few guidelines that explain how this compendium will be organized (subject to change):
  • I decided to focus on Pokemon with a viability ranking of B- or higher for now since Pokemon below B- tend to be not common enough to worry about or weak enough that they're not too hard to handle. I can add lower ranks if demand is high enough, though.
  • As a side note, anything that drops from B- will be kept rather than deleted to save me some trouble if it ever rises again to B- or higher. An exception might be made if the Pokemon suffers a serious drop in viability (i.e. D Rank or unranked altogether).
  • I've also started with offensive threats since these are the ones that players generally need the most help keeping in check (this includes slow boosting sweepers). Again, I can add the really passive Pokemon if demand is high enough.
  • When listing checks, anything that has a viability rank will be mentioned in order to include as diverse a selection for each threat as possible (within reason).
  • Checks are separated by guaranteed switch-ins (GSI), situational switch-ins (SSI), and non-switch-ins (NSI). These categories are explained in detail below.
  • I only consider fairly standard and common sets when talking about both the threats and their checks (i.e. no Assault Vest Alomomola).
  • I'm only human, which means I make mistakes. Since these took a while to put together, I tried to scan through the viability rankings somewhat quickly for checks, so there's a good chance I missed some important checks or added some things that don't belong. If that's the case, please feel free to suggest changes!

There are three categories that the checks will be divided into for each entry.
  • Guaranteed Switch-Ins (GSI): These Pokemon can switch into basically anything a threat can throw at them and win the matchup, within reason. They may only be able to switch in safely one or two times, or they may only be able to switch in with certain sets, so that'll be up to the player's discretion. When evaluating which moves a check must be able to switch into, I'll only consider moves that (A) are included as main set slashes on a Pokemon's analysis page, or (B) are at least common enough to show up on a Pokemon's 1825 moveset statistics entry. Anything else will be considered niche or uncommon enough that a check won't have to worry about it too often.
  • Situational Switch-Ins (SSI): These Pokemon can switch in safely under certain circumstances, but not always. Pokemon in this category can either switch safely into some variants of a threat but struggle against others, or they struggle with common coverage moves but can at least switch into a threat's STABs and other moves commonly used on switches (such as boosting moves and Knock Off) and win the matchup. This is somewhat of a "gray area" category, so there's a bit of flexibility here.
  • Non-Switch-Ins (NSI): These Pokemon cannot switch safely into a certain threat, generally because they are beaten by one of the threat's STABs, lose if they switch in on a boosting move, etc. Pokemon in this category can, however, defeat a threat in a 1-on-1 matchup. This includes faster revenge killers, as well as Pokemon that can take a single hit and KO back.

There might be exceptions to the above rules, so these will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

My advice for using this compendium is to take a look at the OU Viability Rankings and make sure that you have an answer to the highest ranked threats first, since these are generally going to be some of the most dangerous and common threats and as such are high priority when teambuilding. Once you have those covered, then you can more comfortably prepare for the lower ranked threats. Also, don't worry about having a GSI for everything; that's basically impossible given how many threats there are an how hard it is to fully counter some of them. Instead, try to at least have an SSI for the top threats so that you'll have something that you can throw in front of them somewhat reliably. More offensive teams can probably make do with a couple of NSIs and proper offensive pressure. Bottom line is that you shouldn't get too carried away with trying to have perfect counters for everything, but this compendium should give you a wide range of checks to choose from so that you can build until you feel you can cover what you need to between team synergy and in-game decision making.
Mega Aerodactyl Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Alakazam Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Alakazam Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Altaria Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Azumarill Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Beedrill Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Bisharp Checks
GSI:

SSI:
f
NSI:


Breloom Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Celebi Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Charizard X Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Charizard Y Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Chesnaught Checks (Belly Drum)
GSI/SSI:

NSI:


Clefable Checks (Calm Mind)
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Conkeldurr Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Crawdaunt Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Diancie Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Diggersby Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Dragalge Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Dragonite Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Excadrill Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Feraligatr Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:
 
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Mega Gallade Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Garchomp Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Garchomp Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Gardevoir Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Gengar Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Gliscor Checks (Swords Dance)
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Gothitelle Checks
GSI/SSI: LOL
NSI:


Gyarados Checks
GSI/SSI:

NSI:


Mega Gyarados Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Hawlucha Checks
GSI/SSI:

NSI:


Heatran Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Heracross Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Houndoom Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Hydreigon Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Infernape Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Kabutops Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Keldeo Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Kingdra Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Kyurem-B Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Landorus-T Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Latias Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Latias Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Latios Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Lopunny Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Lucario Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:
 
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Magnezone Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mamoswine Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Manaphy Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Manectric Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Medicham Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Metagross Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Omastar Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Pinsir Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Raikou Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Reuniclus Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Sableye Checks (Calm Mind)
GSI/SSI:

NSI:


Mega Sceptile Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Scizor Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Scizor Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Scolipede Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Serperior Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Sharpedo Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Slowbro Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Starmie Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Suicune Checks
GSI/SSI:

NSI:

Mega Swampert Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Sylveon Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:
 
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Talonflame Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Terrakion Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Thundurus Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Togekiss Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Tornadus-T Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Toxicroak Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Tyranitar Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Tyranitar Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Tyrantrum Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Mega Venusaur Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Victini Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Volcarona Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:


Weavile Checks
GSI:

SSI:

NSI:
 
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Reserving one more post just in case, so you may now post. Like I said in the OP, I went through the viability ranking somewhat quickly to put together these lists, so I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are rather rough. I especially got pretty lazy as I got into the C and D Ranks looking for checks lol. Either way, please suggest changes if there's something you think should be added/deleted, and I hope this is a helpful resource for everyone!

AM Edit: I fixed this, you should be good.

Gibbs Edit: Oh yeah, and if anyone's wondering, I assumed that the Rain sweepers (i.e. Kingdra, Omastar, Kabutops) would be in Rain. This is why their checks lists are so shorter than you might think (Kingdra especially, that thing's so hard to switch into under Rain lol).

Oh, and I know that it looks weird that some of the bulky setup sweepers have few "non-switch-ins" listed (especially Suicune). It's just that they're so passive that if you can beat them, you can probably switch in on them as well.
 
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shartruce

Chartreuse Charmanders/ US WEST 2015!
is a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnus
hey nice list! I tried making one of these myself but failed because it's really time consuming, so really appreciate the effort.

One small nitpick, not sure if Chesnaught should be in the switch ins section for Gengar, just because most Gengars I see run Sludge Wave, so Chesnaught can't really switch in even on a Shadow Ball as it will most likely get smacked by a Shadow Ball, and I haven't seen a Gengar without Sludge Wave/ with Sludge Bomb in a long time, so I think it would be safe to remove Chesnaught from Gengar's switch in list.

Will try to go through the rest of the list for other possible changes, but that was the only nitpick I saw within the A ranks
 

leremyju

Banned deucer.
This is honestly amazing. As a teambuilder that wants to check basically every threat in the mega using balance I appreciate this list and what you did
 

Always!

WAGESLAVE
is a Tiering Contributor
This is a great resource, amazing job with everything. Just a quick question, do these sets refer to everything viable these pokemon can run? Obviously not stuff like AV Alo, but every viable set a Pokemon can run, or just their one most common/most viable set?
 
Great project!
Maybe you should add Torn-T under Keldeo checks, (I guess it's kinda unreliable though because you have to rely on Hurricane's shaky accuracy to check it) base forme of Scizor under Diancie checks, and Rhyperior under Torn-T checks. (Focus Blast is rare)
 
One small nitpick, not sure if Chesnaught should be in the switch ins section for Gengar, just because most Gengars I see run Sludge Wave, so Chesnaught can't really switch in even on a Shadow Ball as it will most likely get smacked by a Shadow Ball, and I haven't seen a Gengar without Sludge Wave/ with Sludge Bomb in a long time, so I think it would be safe to remove Chesnaught from Gengar's switch in list.
Good point! Chesnaught has been removed. And yeah, please let me know if you see something else out of place!

This is a great resource, amazing job with everything. Just a quick question, do these sets refer to everything viable these pokemon can run? Obviously not stuff like AV Alo, but every viable set a Pokemon can run, or just their one most common/most viable set?
I tried to base it on the standards sets in the Pokemon's analysis, so I didn't really consider things that nobody uses (i.e. Other Options stuff). Kinda lazy, I know, but it made it easier to get this done in a timely fashion.

Great project!
Maybe you should add Torn-T under Keldeo checks, (I guess it's kinda unreliable though because you have to rely on Hurricane's shaky accuracy to check it) base forme of Scizor under Diancie checks, and Rhyperior under Torn-T checks. (Focus Blast is rare)
Done!
 

Clone

Free Gliscor
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
lovin' this thread already. however, there are a few things that i feel should be changed, based on personal experience, or otherwise.

Bisharp: I don't really think Talonflame should be listed as a switch in. More often than not, Bisharp will be clicking Knock Off, and an unboosted Knock Off is enough to force Talon to Roost, and if rocks are up, Talon can't switch in at all (for reference, Adamant Knock does (62.6 - 73.8%) to max HP talon).
Gliscor: Sableye shouldnt be mentioned as a check, especially since you specified the SD set. Sab is set up fodder for Gliscor.
Heatran: Hippo should be move from NSI to SI. Plume burns hurt, but Hippo still kills and actually doesnt mind them enough to where I'd say Hippo cant exactly switch in, esp if Tran goes for Plume anyways to try and get a cheeky last ditch burn on Hippo on a predicted Slack / SR
Landorus-T: Not sure why Breloom is listed as a switch in; a bit of explanation would be cool (not saying I disagree, but I dont entirely agree either).
Mega Slowbro: I'd remove Bisharp imo. Knock does 32.2 - 38.3% when its a Jolly LO variant, and Bro 2HKOes with Scald and can actually boost on non SD variants. It can kill weakened Bros, yes, but I dont think its that reliable. Might just be me tho.
Mega Lopunny: Move Garchomp to SI. Given the most common variant, Bulky Helmet, Garchomp can switch in on any move pretty safely, as HJK only has a 32.8% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock. Ice Punch has been pretty non existent lately.
Thundurus: Not sure why Sylveon can't switch in. It may have been an oversight on your part, but I'd definitely call it a switch in.
Zard Y: Not entirely sure how Starmie checks Zard Y when it gets bopped by Solarbeam and Scald does 30.3% max, while offensive variants do 75.4% max with a max roll T Bolt. I think it should be removed.
Diggersby: I really wouldnt call Heatran a check in all honesty, all variants bar Scarf are outsped by Jolly LO, and even then, Overheat only has a 37.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock. Not a really good check when EQ does 247.8% minimum lol.
Raikou: Talonflame doesn't check Raikou; switching it in only screams Jolly SD and even then it has to SD up to get a kill.
Chesnaught: Add Mega Lati@s to switch ins. They take anything it can throw at it.
Kyubes: Remove Heatran entirely please, or add it to NSI at the very least. E Power bops it and Kyubes will always beat it unless its an offensive variant thats running Flash Cannon.

kinda lingered off after Kyubes, but I think this covers the most important things.
 
-Clone-

Yeah, I gave a lot of things a quick eye test (i.e. with Starme and Charizard Y, I probably just thought "Fast Water beats Fire-type, listed"). If you see something and wonder, "Wait, why is this here?", it's probably just because I moved through the list pretty quickly and didn't think hard enough about some of them. But yeah, I agree with the changes you mentioned, so those have been implemented. Keep suggesting changes if you can! The sooner this thing gets ironed out, the better.
 
Yeah, it has a shot at getting 2HKOed by Foul Play on the switch if it can't get a burn on the first Sacred Fire, and if it loses its Choice Band to Knock Off, then Mega Sableye can stall it out of Sacred Fire PP and then wear it down slowly. Not really a terrible switch-in per se, and burns kinda screw Mega Sableye regardless, but it's one of those borderline cases where it's too close for comfort so I added it as a NSI.
 

p2

Banned deucer.
I'd add:
  • Azumarill, Magneton and Mega Aggron into Mega Diancie checks, all NSI
  • Thundurus-T into Landorus-T checks, NSI (scarfed HP Ice)
  • Quagsire into Lando-T checks, SI
  • Magneton into Talonflame, Mega Pinsir and Tornadus-T checks, NSI
I've probably missed quite a few, but this is definitely a cool thread concept
 
If you are going to use Wobbuffet as an NSI towards Keldeo, then make some mention of it towards its match-up towards Mega Gross as an NSI, for Mega Gross is one of the more important Pokemon Wobbuffet is capable of trapping consistently. The same applies to Mega Lopunny (whom Wobbuffet is an SI to); Wobbuffet is technically an SI towards Mega Venusaur as well, as Mega Saur generally cannot overwhelm Wobbuffet unless it has Leech Seed. Technically speaking, Wobbuffet can trap or annoy most Pokemon in OU, but Mega Metagross, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Venusaur are the three biggest Pokemon that have no mention of Wobbuffet as a check, as these three are the most vulnerable, along with Keldeo.
 
Is there a "Counters" list that is potentially in the works here as well? I am aware of the fact that such a list would be MUCH smaller, but it would be a nice counterpart to this thread, either as an addition to it or a separate brother thread where the two threads link to each other.

EDIT: Unless "SI" is supposed to be a substitute for "counter".
 
If you are going to use Wobbuffet as an NSI towards Keldeo, then make some mention of it towards its match-up towards Mega Gross as an NSI, for Mega Gross is one of the more important Pokemon Wobbuffet is capable of trapping consistently. The same applies to Mega Lopunny (whom Wobbuffet is an SI to); Wobbuffet is technically an SI towards Mega Venusaur as well, as Mega Saur generally cannot overwhelm Wobbuffet unless it has Leech Seed. Technically speaking, Wobbuffet can trap or annoy most Pokemon in OU, but Mega Metagross, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Venusaur are the three biggest Pokemon that have no mention of Wobbuffet as a check, as these three are the most vulnerable, along with Keldeo.
Yeah, I'm kinda not sure what to do with Wobbuffet, haha. It's technically a check to a ton of stuff just because of the nature of Wobbuffet, the extent to which is determined by the threat's exact moveset. I guess for now I'll go ahead and add it to the Pokemon you mentioned and just deal with other Pokemon later.

Is there a "Counters" list that is potentially in the works here as well? I am aware of the fact that such a list would be MUCH smaller, but it would be a nice counterpart to this thread, either as an addition to it or a separate brother thread where the two threads link to each other.

EDIT: Unless "SI" is supposed to be a substitute for "counter".
Sorta. I decided on "switch-ins vs non-switch-ins" because I felt that was a little more intuitive than "checks vs counters," terms which have different connotations to different people. Plus, I feel this is a good way to organize it because some balanced and offensive builds might just be looking for something that can switch in at least once rather than a hard counter due to the nature of these teams. That said, I might separate "switch-ins" by Pokemon that consistently wall a threat and those that just switch in once or twice before becoming a non-switch-in, but that'll be a project for when I have a lot more free time.
 
First of all, this is a fantastic resource.

Going back to the whole Starmie and Zard Y thing, could Reflect Type Starmie be considered a check? It becomes Fire/Flying, which resists Fire Blast, Solarbeam, and Focus Blast if Zard has that, and 2HKOs with Thunderbolt. So Starmie can win.

It's rare, but some Mega Beedrill run Drill Run over Knock Off, so things like Terrakion and Toxicroak aren't guaranteed checks. Just sayin.

Mega Altaria does run the special set a lot, but it also has a Return/DD/Roost/Heal Bell set that turns Chansey from a wall to setup fodder.

Terrakion could arguably switch in to Bisharp, depending on what is switching out. If you have a Chansey or Gengar on the field, then a Knock Off is basically guaranteed and Terrakion is a safe switch in. If you have a Fairy, Rock or Ice type out front, Iron Head is coming and Terrakion isn't safe. I'm not sure where that puts it, but Dark type attacks are a lot more common coming from Bisharp in my experience.
 
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