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A) Replace Smeargle you already have a reliable stealth rocker in Miltank and you are not getting past Skarm and Mandibuzz defogging anyway. I also recommend replacing stone edge with return on Diggersby it's not helping you get past Skarm anyway. And replace ice beam with Focus Blast on Exploud
Smeargle is mostly for Sticky Web and for being a pseudo-magic bouncer with Magic Coat. It allows me to screw up Taunt leads and keep hazards off the field at least for a little while with enough prediction. Diggersby I will consider. I don't like the set I'm running currently and, honestly, I'm only running Diggersby because I have no clue what else I should run. The only reason I can legitimately see for running FB instead of Ice Beam is Mega Gyarados. Everything else gets OHKOd or 2HKOd by Exploud's other moves after Stealth Rock. I hate Focus Miss's accuracy, but since there isn't any reason that I can see for running Ice Beam and there's one reason for running FB, I'll make the switch.
Looks like we'll start officially ranking balanced Steel and balanced Normal next. I'm kind of busy at the moment to write a full length post (as you can see from my other posts the whole thing has to be pretty comprehensive). In the mean time, you guys can begin nominating the other types/playstyles that you might be thinking about putting on here. Although I will say that balanced Steel is probably going to be high tier, but we'll see after I write up the analysis (cause even Electric which gives the vibe of being mid-tier was in fact low tier thanks to those matchups).
Smeargle (M) @ Focus Sash (Suicide lead. Goal: Get off as many support moves as possible before it dies.)
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magic Coat (If I predict a taunt or an opponent putting up a hazard of their own)
- Spore
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
Chansey (F) @ Eviolite (Toxic staller and team healer all rolled into one)
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Miltank (F) @ Leftovers (Takes a V-create like its nothing. Thick Fat is an amazing ability in this fire-dominant generation)
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock (Just in case the opponent has a spinner/defogger and Smeargle is KOd)
- Heal Bell
- Milk Drink
- Seismic Toss
Diggersby (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Meloetta @ Assault Vest (This special bulk is insane. Not to mention Serene Grace + Charge Beam = guaranteed +1 to SpA. It hits hard at +1.)
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Charge Beam
Exploud (M) @ Choice Specs (Amazing wall breaker. It can sweep entire teams if Smeargle succeeds in getting Sticky Web up)
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Boomburst
- Flamethrower
- Surf
- Ice Beam
Looks like we'll start officially ranking balanced Steel and balanced Normal next. I'm kind of busy at the moment to write a full length post (as you can see from my other posts the whole thing has to be pretty comprehensive). In the mean time, you guys can begin nominating the other types/playstyles that you might be thinking about putting on here. Although I will say that balanced Steel is probably going to be high tier, but we'll see after I write up the analysis (cause even Electric which gives the vibe of being mid-tier was in fact low tier thanks to those matchups).
With access to Pokemon like Exploud, Staraptor and Diggersby, Normal can hit like a truck. However, Normal STAB doesn’t hit anything effective dwindling its offensive potential. Even more, Normal normally (lol) gets walled by Steel, a very common type. However, Offensive / Balanced Normal redeems itself with Smeargle, with it, Normal gets Sticky Web, Rocks + Spore. Normal also gets the 3 scariest Monotype walls in existence, Blissey, Chansey, and Porygon2. They act as excellent clerics (Blissey + Chansey) and pivots letting you keep your momentum. If Smeargle isn't your thing, you can always consider Miltank for more bulk + recovery + Stealth Rocks. Not only that, Miltank gets access to the ability Thick Fat which helps greatly against Fire + Ice monos.
If you get Webs and maybe Rocks up, you’re golden. (Provided your opponent isn’t using Flying) Diggersby, Exploud, and Raptor should outspeed everything that’s caught in webs (Non-Scarfed) and hit extremely hard. If you see something scary, switch out to Chansey / Blissey / Porygon2 to absorb hits. If your opponent dares to set up, bring in a Ditto, or status it. However, this is easier said than done. Since Defog became a reliable way of removing hazards you may not have webs for the whole match. Rapid Spin works as well, since Normal has no spinblocker. Normal also struggles with Steel (Immunity to Toxic, Resistant to STABs, Bisharp + Knock Off spam), Fire (Mixape, Charizard X [No Miltank, +1 Flare Blitz 2HKOs Porygon2]), Fighting (What2Explain), Water (Keldeo), Dark (Bisharp, Sableye, Scrafty [No Ditto]), Grass (Breloom spam, Ferrothorn), Flying (Offensive only [Immunity to Webs]), and Psychic (Trick, Psyshock, Mega Medicham). It isn’t that bad tho, every type, bar Steel gets hit neutral by Normal STAB, and your offensive Pokemon will have Rock / Steel coverage. (Close Combat, Earthquake, Fire Blast + Focus Blast)
Miltank's bulkiness:
+1 252+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Miltank: 150-177 (38 - 44.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
And as Cast said, you can always Milk Drink away :D
As I said before, Normal is outclassed in a Balanced / Offensive playstyle, but it’s entirely possible to use since you have access to Smeargle and a couple of hard hitting Pokemon. You also get a reliable Heal Beller + Wish Passer, and a thing called Ditto. Unfortunately, Balanced + Offensive Normal are held back by their individual faults thus making it impossible for them to be High Tier, however, Normal has enough unique things to make it stand out.
So, because of this:
Offensive + Balanced Normal shall be Mid Mid Tier!
(The reason why I did Balanced and Offensive together is because they both belong in Mid Tier, and me being the lazy one don’t feel like writing another rating for it in the future.)
As always, tell me if I forgot anything :)
~
Erm, feel free to keep the nicknames (or change them). These teams are pretty much mine, and I'm too lazy to change them :I
Egg Beater (Chansey) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
- Heal Bell
- Wish
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
The only thing that I would include is Miltank. Thick Fat REALLY helps against those fire teams. Regarding Mega Charizard X, which you said 2HKOs Porygon2 at +1:
+1 252+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Miltank: 150-177 (38 - 44.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
And Miltank can just Milk Drink away the damage before it gets KOd. Of course Dragon Claw does a bit more:
+1 252+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Dragon Claw vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Miltank: 199-235 (50.5 - 59.6%) -- 84.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
But even that isn't a guaranteed 2HKO (although it is pretty close to guaranteed).
Other than that, you mentioned everything that needed to be mentioned ^_^
The only thing that I would include is Miltank. Thick Fat REALLY helps against those fire teams. Regarding Mega Charizard X, which you said 2HKOs Porygon2 at +1:
+1 252+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Miltank: 150-177 (38 - 44.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
And Miltank can just Milk Drink away the damage before it gets KOd. Of course Dragon Claw does a bit more:
+1 252+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Dragon Claw vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Miltank: 199-235 (50.5 - 59.6%) -- 84.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
But even that isn't a guaranteed 2HKO (although it is pretty close to guaranteed).
Other than that, you mentioned everything that needed to be mentioned ^_^
Enoch, whenever you get back, I really think you should consider sub tiers. Like High +, High =, or High - since there's going to be a lot of Mid Tier stuff
Enoch, whenever you get back, I really think you should consider sub tiers. Like High +, High =, or High - since there's going to be a lot of Mid Tier stuff
Yeah I would really appreciate sub categories cause I'm still a bit leery about Electric as just straight up low tier. Plus only low, mid, and high for 18 types (not to mention different strats) seems too ambiguous to me.
Also I'm working on a post for Balanced Steel. Either I'll finish it or let Enoch take my arguments and he'll finish it himself, but either way it will be done hopefully shortly.
Yeah I would really appreciate sub categories cause I'm still a bit leery about Electric as just straight up low tier. Plus only low, mid, and high for 18 types (not to mention different strats) seems too ambiguous to me.
Also I'm working on a post for Balanced Steel. Either I'll finish it or let Enoch take my arguments and he'll finish it himself, but either way it will be done hopefully shortly.
Bug used to be one of the scariest types in 5th Gen, Flying wasn’t as common, you got Scizor (King of OU) and Volcarona (A scary dancing bug). You also got pretty good hazard control in the name of Forretress and Armaldo. However, in 6th gen Bug won some, and lost some. Bug got Scolipede, who can singlehandedly destroy Fire teams, 2 Megas in the form of Heracross and Pinsir, Sticky Webs from Galvantula if you want a more offensive approach, and Defog letting Scizor become one of the best Defoggers in Monotype. However, Genesect was banned, Flying has risen in popularity thus making Rocks more popular than ever, and for a time, Talonflame was running rampant destroying every Bug and Plant it touched. But since it’s now banned from Mono, Bug’s finally coming out again.
How Bug fares vs other types:
Bug may get some of the best Pokemon in the metagame, but it has its flaws when fighting other types.
HARD MATCHUPS:
Fire: Nowhere near as hard as it was in Gen 5, due to lack of permanent sun (and less difficult now with Talon gone); but 4 turns of sun is really all a fire team needs to make your team drop like flies (pun intended). Volcarona with some bulk investment + HP Ground is a must here, along with EQ/Stone Edge on physical fighters, to even stand a chance. Heatran walls entire bug teams unless you bring multiple options to eliminate him. There's no "easily beating fire" with bug, unless your opponent sucks. It's going to be a tough win.
Flying: Volcarona, again with some bulk investment, can help deal with the core you mention (Zapdos, Togekiss, Skarmory). While Flying stab is less common on Flying monos than common stabs are with other monos, some Pokemon don't even need a Flying stab to be an absolute bitch to deal with. Lando-T can intimidate any physical attacker and do heavy damage/KO with Stone Edge. Gliscor hard walls most bugs. Many Flying types use Heat Wave, and can run Flying stab along with Heat Wave and run right through a bug team. Honchkrow gets special mention here, because the only thing that can easily take a Sucker Punch (Heracross) dies to Brave Bird, and Heat Wave is not entirely uncommon as a 3rd move choice on him. Charizard is very difficult, just as it is on Fire Mono. Several uncommon choices exist that are pretty difficult to deal with too, such as Moltres, Aerodactyl, Tornadus.
Steel: As with fire, Volcarona with HP Ground is a must, because Heatran walls entire bug teams unless you bring multiple options to eliminate him. On the bright side, Volcy counters Aegislash (outside the rare Head Smash variant). Scarf Excadrill can be difficult to deal with, as can hazard-heavy teams featuring Bisharp (DO NOT USE STICKY WEB IF YOU SEE BISHARP! It's not worth it, especially since you already outspeed most steels with most bugs anyway). Mawile also gets special mention, because the only thing that takes a Sucker Punch easily just kinda dies to Play Rough, and many run Fire Fang too. Outside of phasers, strong priority moves, hazard spam; most steel types are easily dealt with using Volcy, but if he goes down prematurely, gg... <_<
MEDIUM MATCHUPS (including playstyle reliant matchups):
Ghost: MUCH easier in Gen 6 than it was in Gen 5. MUCH harder if they have Golurk. Access to Stealth Rock and no-miss Stone Edge makes a huge difference here. Also, MUCH harder if they have Chandelure. If they have neither, it's close to free win. Again, Volcarona with bulk investment and HP Ground helps here, because it can help deal with Chandy. Knock off on a physical attacker helps this matchup tremendously, for obvious reasons.
Poison: Pretty tough, if your opponent is good at the matchup. Pretty easy if he is not. This is one of the most playstyle reliant matchups. I've come across one Poison team with a Nidoqueen that was an absolute bitch to get rid of. Had something like rocks, dtail, flamethrower, toxic. Many Poison types don't deal well with HP Ground Volcarona, yet again; though many Poison types commonly run moves that kill bugs, and very few bugs appreciate being stalled (for the few weirdos running Toxic Spike teams).
Fairy: Scizor eats most fairies for breakfast. However, he's 4x weak to fire and most fairies have access to fire coverage + actually use it to keep Steel types like Scizor from running through their teams. Volcy can take most specially based fairies. Again, this one is matchup reliant, depending largely on how good the Fairy user is at dealing with Scizor/Volcy. If you have trouble with this as bug, many Bug/Poison types also exist and kill almost anything with their Poison stabs.
Water: Bug lacks good options for dealing with rain boosted attacks, unless you're one of those weirdos who runs Parasect. However, many bugs get access to Giga Drain, and most water types can't deal with Giga Drain once Volcy gets a boost or 2. If you don't run Giga Drain, this matchup is very hard! Kabutops gets special mention as the hardest thing for Bug to deal with. (Rain + Swift Swim + Water Stab + Stone Edge kills most bugs pretty easily; though Scizor is one of the few things that can eliminate him under rain)
Rock: Rock has a slight advantage, but unlike the matchups listed under "hard," Bug has several options for dealing with most Rock types. Scizor + Heracross kill most Rock types pretty easily, but most Rock types also run Fire coverage for Steel types. Rhyperior with Fire Punch is pretty difficult to deal with, due to its massive physical bulk and most useful bugs being 4x weak to Fire or Rock. Remember when I said to use Giga Drain + HP Ground on Volcy? While no smart rock user will EVER let him set up, Giga Drain and HP Ground keep him from being completely worthless. Tyranitar also gets special mention, for something that commonly runs Rock/Fire coverage and can be pretty difficult to deal with.
Dark: Dark has a slight disadvantage, similar to Rock vs. Bug but in your favor. While you get a Stab that kills them, they have several options for dealing with Bugs. Sableye/Mandibuzz can be a complete annoyance to physical bugs, but is nearly always a free switch to Volcarona (beware of Toxic, though). Bug lacks good options (other than Heracross) for taking Stab Sucker Punches/Knock Off. Bisharp can sweep a team if Heracross dies prematurely, or if you rely too much on Sticky Web (again, don't do it until Bisharp dies!). Honchkrow is very difficult to deal with if you are unprepared, due to Sucker Punch + Flying/Fire coverage. Tyranitar commonly runs Rock/Fire coverage, and is also difficult to deal with. Houndoom and Zoroark can kill most bugs with their fire moves. A Dark team is unlikely to run all these options, though; but even running a few will make it more difficult than your typical "easy" matchup. Dark type in general is heavily mindgame reliant, and how much trouble you will have will depend entirely on the skill of your opponent + how many options they use to deal with Bug (MUCH more so than other types).
Ground: Some Ground types are pretty close to setup bait/Volcy food. Some Ground types are very difficult to deal with due to Rock coverage and/or sheer bulk. Most difficult to deal with Ground types for unprepared teams are already covered under my mention in other types - specifically, any Ground/Flying, Scarf or Sand Rush Excadrill, Rhyperior, or anything that commonly runs both Rock and Fire moves. Heracross and Scizor help nicely vs. people who run Mamoswine + Excadrill. Dugtrio gets special mention, for being able to easily trap and revenge kill Volcarona (assuming his sash is intact), allowing for other Ground types to be problematic.
Normal: Running Knock Off helps tremendously, since most of the problematic Pokemon you mention (Ditto, Chansey, Porygon2) rely on their items to not be trash. Heracross outright beats a majority of Normal types too. Most problematic thing Normal would run is Staraptor. Reckless Brave Bird OHKO's any bug. Normal also has access to a lot of walls (such as Furfrou and Chansey) which wall on one defense extremely well but not on the other. A smart player can set rocks and take advantage of this to be really irritating. Again, a playstyle dependent matchup.
Dragon: Another playstyle dependent matchup. Watch out for Fire/Rock coverage which is common on most dragons. Several dragon types are very easy to revenge kill, but very difficult to switch into as a result. Hydreigon is a prime example, since it dies to any bug move but easily kills most bugs with Draco/Fire Blast. Scizor has fun with many Dragons due to resisting their main Stab, though I can't stress enough that Fire coverage is VERY common on Dragons. Really bad Dragon trainers are incredibly common, more so than most types (I beat one of them with nothing but a toxic stall Shuckle).
Fighting: Only Fighting team I had difficulty with that I had seen appeared to be a counter team. Infernape, Terrakion, Hawlucha, and random things running coverage for bugs can be difficult (most of these things pretty much eat one bug and get revenge killed by another), but most fighting types have trouble dealing with Pinsir, Yanmega, Vivillon, and most other flying types. Many other common bugs (such as Bug/Poison types) can hard wall many fighting types.
EASY MATCHUPS:
Electric: Due to the lack of coverage moves that Electric gets, and a general lack of physical attackers, most Electric types are Volcy food. If they don't run a phaser or taunt, or something weird like Rock Slide Electivire, Volcy can set up/wall an entire electric team due to their lack of coverage/physical attacks.
Ice: Scizor, Heracross, Volcarona, any Bug/Rock eat most Ice types for breakfast. Pinsir and other Flying types are less useful due to their Ice weakness, however most other Bugs are neutral or resist Ice. Be careful of random coverage moves, as with other easy matchups.
Psychic: Be careful of Victini + random coverage moves and you should be fine. Be careful with how you use any Bug/Poison and Heracross due to their Psychic weaknesses. Most Psychic types die really fast to Bug moves, but anything weak to Psychic can be difficult to use unless you can find opportunity to set up.
Grass: Easiest matchup for Bug by far. Pretty close to a free win if you play it right. No useful Grass type ha
- Credits to Emmy2 for writing this :)
So yeah, Imo, Bug's more of a Mid Tier type. It gets beaten way too easily by the top 2 threats in Monotype (Steel + Flying). It lost one of its best Pokemon (Genesect) and that Stealth Rock weakness can be overwhelming sometimes. However, it gets pretty good offensive choices, and a decent way to remove hazards thanks to Defog. So this is what I think:
Offensive + Balanced Bug is Mid tier (Mid Mid tier)
I think that there are 2 types of Offensive Bug monotypes. Baton Pass and Sticky Web, I didn’t mention Baton Pass a lot since it’s pretty self explanatory when you see the team.
Sex Toy :) (Heracross) @ Heracrossite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Arm Thrust
- Pin Missile
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Blast
Armored Walnut (Forretress) @ Red Card
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
- Explosion
Mothra (Volcarona) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
Balanced Mono Electric: Low Tier
Okay I guess it's time for me to dissect the Electric type. First off Electric is one of those types that people will underestimate until you find a complete expert in the type. I know for a fact when I first started Monotype, I found MonoElectric to be one of the worst types in monotype because Flying and Water, the two types it should be beating, were for the most part staying ahead. Flying has both Zapdos and Thundurus-T while Water has many ways to deal with Electricity since that's one of the first things a Monowater team would be built around. After a month or so passed, I finally started seeing good Electric users and my way of thinking about them has changed. However through analysis of the type, no matter how good the player is, the playstyles and type in general is Low Tier. Even balanced Electric, which is the best playstyle Electric has to offer, is not enough to make it Mid Tier (maybe borderline).
First I guess outline the main threats to Electric. There's not that many viable options so most teams use the following: Mega Ampharos, Thundurus-I, Galvantula, Raikou, most forms of Rotom, Electivire, Magnezone (and sometimes Magneton), Eelektross, Mega Manectric, and finally Zapdos.
Hazard Support:
Sticky Web: one good niche that Electricity has is Sticky Web support. Although most would assume Electric is already fast, most of the viable mons are not particularly fast (ironic I know). You have Thundurus-I at base 111 Spe, Raikou with 115, Zapdos at base 100, and then there's Mega Manectric with 135 Spe. This allows MonoElectric to not have to rely on Choice Scarves for your slower mons. You might ask if Sticky Web is redundant, especially with a type that primarily will paralyze you, but Sticky Web allows Electric to handle Ground a bit more easily. It also helps that said user has a solid 108 and access to moves like Giga Drain and Energy Ball with a very accurate Thunder.
Stealth Rock: this one is less used for the obvious reason: Stunfisk. Need I say more? Okay jokes aside, the only reason you would even consider Stunfisk is if you really need the Stealth Rock since it's the only mon that has access to it. I guess it could help with Fire (and maybe ice but who really cares about that), but it's totally unnecessary against Bug and Flying. You can already Sticky Web bug to get momentum or paralyze them and Flying you already are supposed to have an advantage over. Yeah there's really no reason to put Stealth Rock unless you like the derp pokemon.
Defog: With only one Pokemon that can use it in OU Monotype, Zapdos has the ability to get rid of hazards that might stack up. It won't even matter too much for your own hazards to get cleared since the only one up is Sticky Web which is only really complementary rather than vital.
Volt-Turn:
With almost every Electric type having access to Volt Switch, MonoElectricity is easily able to rack up momentum. You even potentially have U-turn in Eelektross, but that's not important. The ability for practically your team to switch out into a better Pokemon easily brings much needed momentum which can be combined with Sticky Web for optimal results.
Physical Threats:
Electivire: someone's probably going to laugh and call me a noob for even bringing up this Pokemon. I get it you 4th generation hater. However, Electivire is one of the only two viable Physical Electric types (without resorting to niches) the other being Eelektross. Electivire isn't even that bad for MonoElectric since it brings in much coverage that most of the team doesn't have access to. It has EQ, Fire Punch/Flamethrower, and even Cross Chop for its movepool.
Eelektross: probably one of the nicer Electric types since it has levitate like Rotom. Having access to Coil allows this bulky attacker to become a nightmare to deal with once setup. It's speed can become a nonissue with Twaves and Sticky Web setup, and even Rotom could run Dual Screens to help this. It's a bulky Pokemon that's hard to take down, and once it sets up those Coils you know you're in trouble.
Boosters:
Raikou: Raikou is so deadly with Calm Mind. It could run a LO CM+3 set, SubCM, or even CM+ChestoRest. It gets a decent enough coverage with Tbolt, Extrasensory, Aura Sphere, and Shadow Ball along with either HP Grass or Ice. You know how water usually is trained to deal with Electricity? This thing can ruin that plan. Give it HP Grass and Tbolt and even Water/Grounds are not so threatening. Getting into a stall war with another bulky water? This thing has Pressure with Calm Mind with the possible ChestoRest backing it up. While not commonly seen on MonoElectric, this thing can ruin teams by itself. The only problem is that with its CM set, you only really get 2 Moves since ur other one is either Sub/Rest normally.
Thundurus-I: Nasty Plot Thundurus with LO is still scary to face. +2 Thunderbolts with HP Ice and your choice of a filler move can personally ruin teams by itself. I don't think much needs to be proven here about its might.
Offensive Typing: electric is also one of the most useful types for hitting offensively. It hits almost everything neutrally with only grass or dragon resisting and ground with an immunity. However this is mitigated to an extent to the ever wonderful HP Ice which although nerfed creates the infamous pseudo BoltBeam offensive combination. On the top of my head the only two major things that can take it easily is a Magnezone, which you probably wouldn't face unless in a mirror match. The real threat is Mamoswine. It has excellent STAB in Earthquake to decimate most Electric types, has Ice Shard and Icicle Spear to punish Zapdos and Thundurus-I, as well as the ability Thick Fat which halves HP Ice. So it has an immunity to electric as well as a resistance now to HP ice thanks to its ability and HP ice was already nerfed this gen so that won't do much damage either.
Speed: I mentioned this when talking about Sticky Web, but Electric isn't as fast as one would think. With only maybe four viable mons that have a base 100 or higher, Electric will get outrun by some of the faster types like Fighting with those base 108 hitters and Mega Medicham or stuff like Monoflying which on average uses mons at a base 100 Spe. Luckily Twave and Sticky Web are options, but just don't go in expecting you'll outrun most things with Electricity without support.
Other Niches: Okay this part of the review is probably unecessary, but MonoElectric has some interesting niche Pokemon. Between its Megas it has a 135 base Spe and SpA in Manectric, but it also has the coveted Mold Breaker on Mega Ampharos which loves to nail things with Volt Absorb or Lightningrod. Some may consider this a joke, but Pikachu while not viable since it's hard to give proper support, still can have the offenses of Ubers with Light Ball reaching potentially 400+ Atk or SpA meaning it can go physical, special, or even mixed with a decent coverage of moves including Grass Knot, Knock Off, Fake Out, Iron Tail, Brick Break, etc. It also has access to Magnet Pull from Magnezone and Magneton, but since Steel is usually a non-issue for Electric teams, Sturdy is opened up for them. They also have Water immunities if they ever need them from Lanturn or Heliolisk through Water Absorb and Dry Skin respectively.
Matchups:
Flying: Again this matchup can very greatly. Monoflying is immune to Sticky Web and they have Zapdos and Landorus among others to absorb Thunder Wave. This means that MonoElectric has to utilize its bulk to deal with faster threats since Monoflying rarely uses its own STAB unless it's like Togekiss. Also Landorus and Mega Charizard X are both able to take the electric hits and completely dent Electric teams with their respective STAB moves. Enemy Zapdos can outstall with Toxic+Pressure, but going into a mirror match is less than ideal for both teams. Since Monoflying has the coverage to play around it, Electric doesn't have the advantage in this matchup at all.
Water: Water can be either the most uphill match you will face, or it can be one of the easiest to sweep. With water's versatility, most teams have some form of dealing with Electric moves. However, they rely on one (two Pokemon at most) as their immunity ranging from Lanturn to Swampert. Gastrodon and Lanturn in particular are the most annoying to deal with since they are immune to STAB and have ways to mess with the opponent. Gastrodon could potentially setup Amnesia or Stockpile and then Recover. Toxic from Zapdos can stop this though but Grass Knot from Thundurus-I is the way to go. Lanturn can just keep recovering juice from Twaves and Thunderbolts while able to Heal Bell off Toxic from Zapdos and overall just be an annoying pivot. Also Grass Knot on Lanturn is only base 40. Once these two Pokemon are handled, the battle becomes much easier. Against the ever aggressive HO Swift Swim, Galvantula's ability to Sticky Web first turn will immensely stack the odds in Electric's favor.
Fairy: Fairy is also an interesting matchup for MonoElectric. While Electric can't really deal with stuff like Sylveon, Florges, and Clefable efficiently, Thundurus-I can still potentially Taunt them or just annoy them with Thunder Waves. Against a balanced Fairy team, it's all about chipping away at the bulky fairies. Coil+Iron Tail Eelektross can really help here since Iron Tail is a base 100 move without the worries of accuracy after a Coil or two. If MonoElectric faces HO Fairy, this becomes an easy matchup since Klefki and Whimsicott cannot Paralyze you which is their main role in order to get Mega Mawile or Togekiss setup. Also waiting out Dual Screens from Kleki isn't too hard with Zapdos ready to Defog everything including the potential Spikes while Foul Play or Draining Kiss damage does nothing.
Ground: This is supposedly the worst matchup that Electric can face. It's actually not as hard as one might think. Thundurus-I is going to be the main star having access to Nasty Plot, Hp Ice, and Grass Knot. Unboosted Grass Knot can still grab some important 2HKO's or possible OHKO's against ground types. Scarf Excadrill might be a pain since it's immune to Thunder Wave, but you have Sticky Web for that. If it's a Sand Rush + Air Balloon set, Rotom-W can check it effectively. However, Gravity can murder Electric. Landorus setting up Gravity for its teammates will bring your Levitaters and Flying mons to be exposed to Earthquakes and Earth Powers can destroy any sort of core you've built up. So depending on the team it can be one sided loss, or you can capitalize and win with a decent margin.
Dragon: Now this is probably the worst matchup for Electric. Dragon is one of the most difficult types to KO since the only really damaging moves you have are HP Ice or Ice Punch from Electivire. Latias can setup Dual Screens making even your HP ice go to nil, Zygarde isn't afraid to Coil War against Eelektross since Dragon Tail will force the switch, and Kyurem-Black is one of the harder mons to take out without using Focus Blast or after a boosed Eelektross using either Iron Tail or Drain Punch. Even Garchomp and Salamence which are arguably the easiest Pokemon to kill since HP ice actually can grab OHKO's, they still outrun most of the Electric types and deliver heavy damage first again unless Thundurus-I is being used. Mega Ampharos can't even do anything since it'll be too slow and it can't even boost to OHKO other dragons without dying first. This is just a really bad matchup for Electricity to handle.
Normal: This is probably the one type most specially oriented teams hate (unless it's physically bulky normal which just trolls everyone). Chansey and Porgyon-2 can essentially shut down MonoElectric by itself if Eelektross is gone. If Eelektross has Knock Off, it is a mandatory thing to do that above all else. However, the chances of setting up Coils to kill Chansey with Drain Punch is severely shortened with Toxic, because you still have to deal with Porygon-2. Porygon-2 is just an annoying Pokemon to deal with since it can Toxic, Recover, Ice Beam, Charge Beam, etc. Normal with these two Eviolite users will break you down eventually.
Grass: well it's not used often so I'm going to skip this one...will edit if forced too...
Ice: Ice can single handedly stop MonoElectric thanks to Kyurem-Black and Mamoswine. Both have the typing to destroy Mono Electric by themselves.
Poison: Mega Venusaur, Nidoking, Nidoqueen enough said
Steel: Ferrothorn can easily take hits from MonoElectric with only getting hit by maybe Zapdos Heat Wave and Fire Punch from Electivire. Also Excadrill is going to be scarfed on steel so that's still a huge threat to deal with.
Fighting: well Fighting just has too many wallbreakers to deal with. Guts AV Conkeldurr can do a lot of work against Electric especially Ice Punches towards your Zapdos and Thundurus-I. I guess you could setup Eelektross under some Dual Screen support from a Rotom, but even then it's not a matchup you'd like.
Other matchups are pretty even or are in favor of Electricity.
Example Team:
Sticky Web Lead:
Galvantula @ Focus Sash
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Bug Buzz
- Sticky Web
- Energy Ball
Dual Screens Rotom:
Rotom-Wash @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Def
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Reflect
- Light Screen
[show]
Please note that this team was made without trying to directly rip off some of the better teams found in MonoElectric. Although if you want to use this guideline your other options can include: Thunder Wave Thundurus, Coil Eelektross, Scrotom, and possibly AgiMegaAmpharos.
Since MonoElectric has trouble with a lot of high tier types, and does not have a solid advantage over the two types weak to it, it cannot be considered High Tier. It also struggles with many other types as seen above which drops it unfortunately from Mid Tier. Even though it's considered Low tier, this does not mean it is a bad type. Some of the greatest battlers in Monotype main Electricity and are notable for still going beyond their supposed matchups and winning through this adversity. Still, while MonoElectric is a type that you should not underestimate (even though people will still do), it is Low Tier.
*Special thanks to Tesla and Dagger who helped with this analysis. While the type and in general all play styles are Low tier, you do not want to mess with these pros with Electric. This analysis takes into consideration the type itself not the player wielding it.
I don’t save all of my replays like some people. So I only have 2 replays to show :(
Welcome Fairy into Monotype, the type that throws out sparkles at you until you faint or just roughly play with you. With a nice resistance / immunity to Bug, Fighting, Dark and Dragon, Fairy and easily find a nice place in Monotype. People have said that “Fairy’s lacking” even though it isn’t entirely true. Yes, the lack of options mean that most teams are pretty much the same, but Fairy has just enough perks to put up a fight against every type. Also, Fairy has priority Thunder Wave + Screens making it have more of an Offensive playstyle. Pretty much every Fairy setup sweeper greatly appreciates screens since some of them aren’t that bulky. These Pokemon include Belly Drum Azumarill, Belly Drum Slurpuff, Mega Mawile, or if you want to go for a bulkier route, you have Togekiss, Clefable, and Sylveon. Unfortunetly, Fairy doesn’t have good hazard control since its only Defogger is Togekiss who’d rather run something else. Fairy has excellent clerics to make up for it though, namely Florges and Sylveon. For Megas, you have Mega Gardevoir which helps against Poison and Steel, 2 hated types, and Mawile which is a complete monster with Swords Dance and Pure Power.
Effectiveness:
Fairy fares pretty well against other types since it’s only resisted by Steel, Fire and Poison.
Normal: With screens up, Bulky Normal shouldn’t be able to break your subs so feel free to set up all you want. Mawile should be able to break any walls that dare to try and wall him, and Ditto can be taken care of due to Mawile’s low speed (You may have to sack a Pokemon if Ditto has a couple of boosts.) Whimsicott can troll everything with its Sub Leech Seed set while Slurpuff doesn’t fear anything after it Belly Drums. Not even Ditto since it doesn’t get the Unburden boost.
+6 252+ Atk Slurpuff Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Porygon2: 240-283 (64.1 - 75.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
4 SpA Porygon2 Tri Attack vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Slurpuff through Light Screen: 57-68 (18.6 - 22.2%) -- possible 5HKO <- Doesn’t even break sub :)
Fighting: Shouldn’t be that hard since you have the advantage. Just be careful of Bullet Punches and Stone Edges.
Flying: A little challenging, only because of Skarmory. After that, you can easily sweep with your offensive mons. Sludge Wave Landorus is always a pain as well. The best way to take care of that is to weaken it then Aqua Jet it. http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/frost-oumonotype-696725
Poison: Nidoking’s deadly esp if it’s Life Orbed and not choiced, and Venusaur screws over Azumarill. If Scolipede gets enough boosts then that’s trouble as well. Psychic STAB (Gard) or Poison immunity helps immensely in this matchup. http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/frost-oumonotype-671132
Ground: Extremely hard to beat. Combined with its Thunder Wave immunity and Sand Rush Excadrill, it’s just difficult. Ground also targets Fairy’s weak Def side so every Earthquake deals a ton of damage. Even more, Ground has access to Nidoking and Landorus-I. Your only chance of winning would be to set up Azumarill and hopefully sweep.
Rock: Sp Def boosts are hard, however, Azumarill and Mawile do a lot in this matchup. Azumarill destroys anything it touches with Waterfall, while Mawile Play Roughs, combined with Screens they’ll be lasting for a while. Mega Aggron would be the biggest problem imo because of its colossal bulk, Immunity to Toxic, Filter and STAB Heavy Slam. Whimsicott can troll with its Sub Seed set, but Heavy Slam + Rest is going to kill it eventually. So I’d say that Rock has the advantage here, but w/o Mega Aggron, Fairy has the advantage.
Bug: Bug has the advantage since it has Scizor. +2 Bullet Punch can rip through prepared teams. Azumarill can take 1 +2 Bullet Punch but it won’t kill in return unless weakened. Max HP + Def Togekiss has a 12% chance to survive a +2 LO Bullet Punch and it can 1HKO in return with Flamethrower. Unfortunately Scizor just finds too many opportunities to set up, thus giving Bug a big advantage.
Ghost: Mawile’s a threat with Sucker Punch, and Azu’s a with Knock Off. If Aegislash carries Flash Cannon then it’s troublesome to Fairy since they can’t do a lot to Aegislash in return. Your Sp Def walls handle Chandelure and Froslass well and Mawile can switch into Gengar’s Sludge Bomb with ease. Mawile does a lot of the work here, so if you have Mawile on your team, you will have the advantage. If you have Gardevoir, she’ll easily die from Shadow Balls.
Steel: This will be your hardest matchup. All of your nightmares are in here. Steel has a huge huge advantage over you it’s almost like an auto loss (Esp if they have Ferrothorn).
Fire: Although you have Azumarill, Fire has access to Drought and Heatran, which Fairies hate. Mawile can only deal damage by Sucker Punching since it’s too slow. Gard can switch into Heatran’s Lava Plume and tickle it with Hyper Voice (or you can be like me and use Hidden Power Ground. Focus Blast works as well). Unless if you set up a Belly Drum with Azumarill or Slurpuff, you’ve lost. Fire has too many wallbreakers in the name of Darmanitan, Charizard-Y and Entei. Therefore, Fire has the advantage.
Water: Mostly neutral. Tentacruel is annoying asf with Scald and Acid Spray / Poison STAB. He can also Rapid Spin your potential Spikes. Empoleon can wall a good portion of your team as well. In Return, Mawile can spam Sucker Punch / Play Rough, and Gard can spam Hyper Voice / Psyshock. Oh, and Suicune’s a bitch.
Grass: A little harder than most people think. Grass has Ferrothorn which can Gyro its way to victory, or just absorb most moves Fairy tries to throw at it. There’s also Venusaur and Roserade who just spam Sludge Bomb until they get what they want. Venusaur even has Thick Fat making Fairy’s Fire coverage move useless. In return, Fairy has Togekiss which screws over Grass monos that don’t have Cradily / Rotom-M. Grass has the advantage tho.
Electric: Electric has little to threaten Fairy’s wide array of Sp Def walls. Mawile can Play Rough stuff, Gard can Trace Electric Immunity abilities and continue to set up with Calm Mind or just Hyper Voice anything that switches in. However, Magnezone will do a decent amount of damage before it dies tho (Esp if it has Sturdy)
Psychic: Fair game, everything on both sides can be countered. It comes down to skill mostly. Since most Psychic’s are Bulky these days, Mew can easily switch into Mawile’s Sucker Punch and burn it. Slowbro can play mind games after that. If it’s Hyper Offensive, then Mawile has a field day.
Ice: Just be very careful of Mamoswine. That thing can potentially sweep your whole team. Otherwise, it shouldn’t be that hard. Once Avalugg’s dead, Azumarill can start spamming Waterfalls / Superpowers. Weavile + Kyurem are pretty easy to take care of since their Dark / Dragon STAB are resisted. Fairies carry Fire moves are their coverage move which is an added bonus.
Dragon: A wise man once said “All Dragons have these 3 things: A Dragon move, A Fire / Ground move, and a Steel / Poison move.” So just be careful, but if you spam your Fairy STAB enough, you’ll win.
Dark: Should be easy as well, but be very careful of Bisharp. Iron Head will ruin bulkier Fairy teams.
Fairy: MEGA MAWILE SPAM LEGGGGOOOOO If you don’t have it then you have to heavily rely on your Physical attackers to abuse Fairy’s weak defensive side. Klefiki plays a big part in this, it sets up screens and lays done Spikes. After that, you can set Azumarill up with ease.
Overall:
Fairy is a great type to use. It got everything a Hyper Offense team wished for, easy Screens, plenty of Sweepers, a reliable Heal Beller, and 2 great megas. Also, the fact that it’s only weak to Steel and Poison moves make it even better since they’re rare. Fairy also has a relatively easy time against most monotypes (lol, Dragon) since it hits a majority of them neutrally. However, it’s weakness to Steel hinders it a good amount, also, since it hits only 3 types super effectively, it’s more of an skill based type. Thus making it a little harder to use. These two things prevent it from being High Tier, but it has found a place in Mid + Tier.
Hyper Offensive Fairy shall be Mid + Tier!
Tell me if I missed anything~
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe
Modest Nature
- Air Slash
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
- Heal Bell
Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Belly Drum
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Flamethrower
- Stored Power
- Cosmic Power
- Soft-Boiled
Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Hyper Voice
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Substitute
You might think I’m crazy with this set, but Ground monos are a pain to face. It’s resistance to Ground moves are great as well. Tailwind lets you outspeed a majority of your opponent’s team. Stun Spore cripples Excadrill which is deadly to Fairy teams. Giga Drain + LO do a decent amount of damage to every Ground Pokemon it hits, or you can take off the LO and put Leftovers and have U-turn instead. Most people expect the Sub Leech set, so they’re going to most likely switch so you abuse that. For the last move, you can choose between Taunt / Encore. Taunt prevents Pokemon from setting up on you, whereas Encore gives you a free turn if played correctly.
Balanced Steel is one of those playstyles almost everyone expects to be high tier and for good reason. It has very powerful threats in Mega Mawile to Excadrill; it has plenty of options to take hits with Ferrorthorn, Skarm, or Heatran; and this is coming off one of the greatest defensive typings of the game (even with the Ghost nerf). It's one of the fastest playstyles to get into, and it's rather easy to teambuild: it has many walls, physical oriented mons, but only few special attackers). One might say it's too predictable, but this isn't necessarily true. While most teams may look the same, it's because most function on their own rather well. So let's dissect this shall we.
But first here's another brief summary written by Acast/A wild Castform:
I won't go into too much detail on this simply because I feel that it's obvious that steel is an amazing type.
Steel has some of the best pokemon in the game at its disposal from both the offensive and defensive end. It could pull off either offense or defense quite well in my opinion, but using both offense and defense in the same team makes Steel an extremely difficult type to face without a type advantage. Even when steel is at a disadvantage, there are specific Steel pokemon that can counter the steel type's weaknesses. Just to give a sense of what I'm getting at, here is a list of the pokemon that Steel has at its disposal:
Offensive: Aegislash, Excadrill, Mega Mawile, Mega Scizor, Lucario, Bisharp, Metagross, Jirachi, Magnezone, Durant, Heatran
Defensive/Support: Skarmory, Ferrothorn, Forretress, Mega Aggron, Registeel, Klefki, Cobalion
Just looking at those lists of pokemon is enough for me to be convinced that balanced Steel should be high tier. Aegislash and Skarmory both do well against fighting types. Skarmory is immune to ground. Heatran gets a boost from fire moves. Ferrothorn is immune to the powder moves so it can't be put to sleep. Excadrill's Mold Breaker gets rid of Rotom, which otherwise could be a problem for Steel. The type is also immune to toxic, making it the perfect type for walling/stalling the opponent.
At this point I feel like I'm stating things that everyone already knows, so I'll stop now. Basically, Steel is a type that can cover its weaknesses fairly well and can pull off multiple play styles, but is exceptional at mixing those play styles together to create a balanced team.
Okay so you've got Klefki, Skarmory, Forretress, and Ferrothorn here. Klefki is rather nice for balanced Steel as it can completely change the pace of the game by bringing up Dual Screens in order to support its sweepers tacked on with Thunder Wave. It also has access to Rain Dance if you really hate Fire types. Combine this with the option to Spikes allows Kleki to pressure opponents rather well. The other three users are your typical walls but in the case of Skarm and Forretress they can both get rid of hazards also. Overall steel teams can setup layers and just help with the momentum.
Let it be noted that ALL of them face trouble against Zapdos. Zapdos can come in and Heat Wave, Tbolt, or Defog anything setup by these Pokemon so stay cautious about that.
Stealth Rock:
You've got a few more options here. Notable users still include Skarmory, Ferro, Forretress, but also now Empoleon. Everything except Ferrothorn again has access to remove Stealth Rock via Defog/Rapid Spin, but all of them are threatened by Zapdos.
(Toxic Spikes):
You could I guess run Toxic Spikes on Forretress, but it's not worth really looking into for balanced teams. It helps out more with defensive steel teams, but it's at least worth a mention as it is an option and can become a nuisance but Spikes or Stealth Rock is more important anyway.
Defog:
Yup having Empoleon and Skarmory being able to both setup hazards, but also remove them is really convenient. Both of them are also immune to Toxic Spikes while one resists Stealth Rock while the other is immune to Spikes and Sticky Web as well. Also both can faze the opponent out with Roar/Whirlwind.
Defiant:
While Bisharp can technically use Stealth Rock for hazard support, this is probably the main reason you'd use it. With Aegislash acting as a Spin blocker, the main method for opponent's to get rid of hazards that Steel always sets up is by Defog. Just by doing so leads into this guy sweeping. Getting a free +2 from Defog means it doesn't have to rely on SD and instead just start sweeping. This allows for more options like a Choice Scarf Bisharp that doesn't lack power or just your typical Knock Off + Sucker Punch variant.
Rapid Spin:
Well you've got Excadrill and Forretress. Honestly speaking Excadrill will never run Rapid Spin on Steel teams and Skarmory fulfills a better role than Forretress. Still worth the mention at least.
Spin Blocking:
Notable mention to Aegislash for being a Steel/Ghost type that can block enemy Rapid Spinners, and still begin to dent teams. Notable for being in a core with Heatran and Excadrill for stopping Fire types. Scarf Excadrill to sweep, Aegislash to stop Torkoal from Spinning away hazards as well as maybe activating a WP set, and Heatran for absorbing fire attacks.
VoltTurn:
Defensive VoltTurn:
Well Steel can technically do this. With Pokemon like Cobalion and Forretress, you can make a more defensive pivot. Not usually seen since both Pokemon are not common to Steel teams, but they are both usable and worth the mention
Offensive VoltTurn:
This one is slightly used more often. On Steel your main users of this would be Scizor with Magnezone. What's interesting about each of these is not only do they hit hard, but they can switch up their sets. Scizor can technically go Mega (albeit U-turn as a Mega is kind of rare). Magnezone can make use of any of its abilities in MonoSteel as well as switch up the items. Magnezone could go classic trapper Magnet Pull, meaning it can effectively eliminate threats in a mirror match, it can run sturdy to guarantee survival, or it can even go Analytic to just outright overpower things. So much power as well as momentum bringing, VoltTurn is really useful. Also worth a mention is that Choice Scarf Jirachi, which is commonly used for it's Zen Headbutt flinching against Fighting types, can also run U-turn to help out.
Megas:
Mawile:
One of the most destructive Pokemon to grace the metagame. With Intimidate first turn before Mega Evolving, you can cause some serious damage and reliably send this out to reap the field. You could use your standard SD set, all out attacker, or even SubPunch thanks to getting tremendous support from the Steel cores as well as it's partner in typing Klefki. While Fire Fang is an option for Fairies to hit Steels, Play Rough is the main reason to use this thing as it murders Fighting types. Just watch out for that low speed as many Fighting types are fast with 4 of the common ones with base 108 Speed.
Scizor:
Scizor can do many jobs. It can be your bulky SD sweeper with Roost. It can be your Defog supporter. It can use Knock Off. This thing is really useful for teams as it can do many roles. Not else really needs to be said here.
Aggron:
Not worth using on balanced steel and probably not gonna be used in general for steel. It truly shines as a mega for MonoRock but Steel has better options.
Immunities:
Spore Immunity: Ferrothorn
Ground Immunities: Skarmory, Air Balloon, Bronzong
Typing gives it natural immunity to Toxic and Toxic Spikes making it able to not be subjected to stall.
I feel like you can't mention steel teams without talking abouts it's immunity core. With proper prediction, you can avoid damage from literally any super effective move thrown your way. Aegislash, Heatran and Skarmory form a core that can overwhelm teams entirely on its own. The best part of this core is that all three are not just dead weights with immunities, but they also put pressure on the opposing team with hazards, phasing, or just offensive presence. Combine this with an Excadrill, which further restricts the opponents options for gaining momentum (volt switch), and you can walk all over teams without the proper coverage. Definitely high tier.
This core is one of the most widely used cores for balanced Steel and for good reason. Skarmory can take EQ's for days while Heatran can take all the fire attacks for the other two as well as absorb Will-o-wisps. Aegislash takes over Fighting hits which Heatran hates, and allows Skarm to avoid taking excess damage from Focus Blast.
Fire/Water/Grass core:
Technically steel does carry a Fire/Water/Grass core: Heatran, Empoleon, Ferrothorn. They don't do much to support the Fighting weakness and even Ground types can start chipping away at this core since Ferrothorn is now neutral to it, but don't let that stop you from using this core because it still does provide the benefits expected of using FWG.
Aegislash/Bisharp core:
AKA: no hazard removal core. I briefly talked about this under the hazards support but this core basically shuts down any attempt to get rid of hazards. Combine this with usually Ferrothorn and Skarmory and momentum will usually still be in your favor even if they somehow get rid of the hazards.
Now time to get to the good stuff: the matchups:
Matchups:
Advantage:
Fairy: Advantage is with Steel for this one as it should. Although some annoyances will be Whimsicott who can Stun Spore everything and just be a general nuisance but that's stopped by Ferrothorn. Klekfi providing screens and even more Twave support for paralysis however can let Togekiss, Clefable, and Mega Mawile do their thing. Togekiss can Nasty Plot and Fire Blast/Aura Sphere without worries of getting hit first and can even Air Slash troll. Clefable under screens can get those Calm Minds up and Flamethrower stuff (and also a niche they do is to run HP Ground for Heatran; uncommon but still usable). Mega Mawile with Fire Fang is probably the only thing Steel needs to worry about since the other coverage moves can be handled.
Ice: Should be an easy matchup. Only big threat is Mamoswine but that can be handled thanks to Skarm and Ferro defensively and Choice Scarfed Excadrill offensively.
Grass: Hahaha grass who runs this? Okay jokes aside not that much trouble here. Steel already has a resist, can use Ferrothorn to absorb Sleep Powders or Spores, and has Heatran that can essentially ruin most of the team if Skarm and Aegislash are still around. Also Craidily gets hammered by Excadrill. Yeah Steel should be fine.
Bug: Advantage to Steel since most bugs are physically oriented and their SR weak. May problem would be Volcarona, but setting up SR and using Heatran should be fine. If it's an HP Ground variant, there's always Air Balloon. Also there are backup strats in Sturdy + Whirlwind Skarm.
Rock: Decent matchup for Steel since Scarf Excadrill cleans up here for the most part. MegaAggron might be tricky (yes it's on Rock teams since Aggron was Rock first) but Heatran should be able to push through that.
Poison: The only big threats Steel faces here would be Nidoking and Nidoqueen due to their insane amount of coverage. Earth Powers and Fire Blasts can really dent your team and it's hard to get a decent switch to absorb the hit unless they are choice locked which is doubtful since LO Sheer Force does so much. Other than that Steel shouldn't have a difficult time. Excadrill cleans up most mons, Mega Venu might be able to tank some Steel type mons, but it can't do too much back besides HP Fire, EQ, or Leech Seed which you can switch around fairly safely. Also immunity to the type is nice since you won't get bothered by stall Poison variants.
Normal: Normal really shouldn't be a problem for balanced Steel. Bulky Normal which is the better variant of Normal has to rely on Diggersby and Staraptor for any significant damage with maybe Porygon Z destroying Skarmory. Steel can just setup in its face with Aegislash being able to kill of the Eviolite core with SD/WP boost. Knock Off on Ferrothorn and Scizor are also options leaving way for Durant/Scizor to Superpower. Ironically you can also stall out the stall team since immunity to Toxic while being able to dish it back and Leech Seed with Ferrothorn. Also since at least one Pokemon is usually wearing a Rocky Helmet that only helps chip away at their teams. Balanced Normal is the same deal but slightly more Pokemon that could be nuisances. Either way shouldn't be too much of a threat; worst case scenario Skarmory with Sturdy+Whirlwind.
Disadvantage:
Fire: Like I mentioned earlier using Heatran to absorb Fire moves and Aegislash to block spins from Torkoal in conjunction and then Choice Scarf Excadrill will be your main attacker thanks to Rock Slide. I'd still say though that this is disadvantageous but upper ranked players can handle this matchup decently.
Ground: I'd say Steel does have the disadvantage here. Not only do Nidoking and Nidoqueen lurk here but also Landorus I. Another notable threat is Mega Garchomp who nails things with EQ or Fire Blast which tear through your standard defensive cores.
Flying: This matchup is more in favor of MonoFlying thanks to its ability to grab momentum faster. Both Mega Charizards can wreak havoc upon Fire teams with only Heatran to really stop it but EQ or Focus Blast from those two can hurt. Zapdos can clear away hazards decently well since it can also carry Heat Wave but only Heatran can stop it from doing it's job. Also situations can vary depending if Dragonite uses Fire Punch or EQ for coverage. This doesn't mean Steel is outmatched entirely though. Magnezone can stop Skarmory (which besides mirror matches is where Magnezone truly shines) as well as hurt Togekiss with either STAB. Also even though I say it's easy for Flying types to get off the Defog, it still costs them turns as setting up Stealth Rock again to cripple them isn't particularly hard either.
Besides that the one thing to look out for is Landorus but more specifically Incarnate form. LO Sheer Force Earth Power can OHKO Aegislash and if it's a Gravity set, it can ruin Skarms, Air Balloons, and even hit Focus Blasts off on Ferrothorn without worrying about misses. Get rid of this thing early and your odds of winning go up tremendously.
Fighting: Okay so Fighting should have the advantage here supposedly. It has several heavy attackers that can just outright dent Steel teams. Infernape can Overheat or Close Combat so it can hit from both spectrums, Conkeldurr can be a chore to take down thanks to Drain Punch and Knock Off, and Mega Medicham just crushes teams if it weren't for Aegislash. Steel can play around it depending on the team though. Choice Scarf Jirachi is one of the best checks to Fighting teams since Zen Headbutt flinch chance of 40% thanks to its ability. If need be it can Fire Punch Cobalion and Iron Head Scrafty if necessary. Klefki can also provide much needed support with Dual Screens and Thunder Wave to cripple the series of fast Pokemon.
Keldeo: One of the main things to worry about is the Keldeo. If it's a Choiced variant the fight is a little bit easier since you can switch between Aegislash and Ferrothorn without having to predict thanks to Ferrothorn's Protect. However, if Keldeo isn't locked in moves it can hit Aegislash hard with Scald for burn or Hydro Pump and then can Secret Sword everything else. Even Skarm who can take a Secret Sword doesn't want to take a Scald. Good news is if Keldeo has taken prior damage, uninvested Brave Birds can kill it.
Water: Yeah Steel faces trouble against Water. Again Keldeo can just beat up teams, but adding to that are a series of other bulky Waters and dangerous sweepers. Greninja with HP Fire can OHKO Ferrothorn with LO which is mainly done for grass teams but still dents everything else. Also Steel is really weak to Scald. Scald burns can essentially just ruin a game for Steel users since their burn immunity, Heatran, can't do anything about it.
Neutral:
Steel: The mirror match. It's hard to really rank mirror matches but if one team is using a Magnezone then odds are stacked towards that person. Magnezone can opt for HP Ground or Fire so it can keep you guessing. Also Excadrill will sweep any player once Skarmory and Ferrothorns are down.
Ghost
Dark
Electric
Psychic
Dragon
Overall I'd say thanks to the fact that Steel has a lot of good matchups and minimum amount of disadvantages as a type (in some cases these can even be played around with) easily affords Steel it's High Tier status.
Bug used to be one of the scariest types in 5th Gen, Flying wasn’t as common, you got Scizor (King of OU) and Volcarona (A scary dancing bug). You also got pretty good hazard control in the name of Forretress and Armaldo. However, in 6th gen Bug won some, and lost some. Bug got Scolipede, who can singlehandedly destroy Fire teams, 2 Megas in the form of Heracross and Pinsir, Sticky Webs from Galvantula if you want a more offensive approach, and Defog letting Scizor become one of the best Defoggers in Monotype. However, Genesect was banned, Flying has risen in popularity thus making Rocks more popular than ever, and for a time, Talonflame was running rampant destroying every Bug and Plant it touched. But since it’s now banned from Mono, Bug’s finally coming out again.
How Bug fares vs other types:
Bug may get some of the best Pokemon in the metagame, but it has its flaws when fighting other types.
Flying: Not as bad as it seems, as most people with monotype experience know, Flying monotypes don’t carry a lot of Flying STAB. However, Flying’s core (Skarmory, Togekiss + Zapdos) can pretty much wall Bug altogether. Charizard X + Y can roast Bugs and hide behind Skarmory whenever a Rock move comes near it. However, if you get rid of Skarmory / Togekiss, you have a decent chance of beating Flying but it’s hard to do if you’re opponent’s smart.
Fighting: Should be a piece of cake, spam Mega Pinsir. Just be wary of random sashes :)
Fire: Hard matchup, Torkoal can tank some hits from Scolipede and KO right back with Lava Plume. Volc gets walled by Heatran. Fire has a pretty easy time getting rocks down since they can easily kill Forretress and Armaldo with their Fire STAB. Intimidate users (Bulky Arcanine) can stop Heracross to some extent. Once again, it’s only a hard matchup, if played right you can easily beat Fire.
Ghost: Close Combat’s useless here. Aegislash loves Scizor, and Jellicent can tank Volcarona to death. If you get +2 with Pinsir you can create a dent in any Ghost team before you get burned by Sableye (if you carry Earthquake). In return, Scarf Chandelure can KO pretty much everything with Flamethrower. Sticky Web helps a lot here, so if you’re an Offensive team, you should be fine.
Poison: Should be an easy matchup. Although your Bug STAB gets resisted, you have plenty of other STAB moves to ruin Poison. Pinsir ruins Poison’s best wall, Venusaur, and Weezing’s set up fodder with Volcarona (Some Weezing’s carry Hidden Power Rock and / or Clear Smog). Scarf / Life Orb Nidoking can do a decent amount of Fire Blast / Flamethrower as can Crobat with its Brave Bird Spam.
Steel: Pretty one sided imo. Unless Volcarona carries Hidden Power Ground, you’re going no where in this matchup. Skarmory and Heatran will wall pretty much all of your Pokemon. Same goes to Aegislash, but it acts as a spin blocker. Bisharp suckers everything, and loves Defog. Ferrothorn absorbs Sleep Powder, and Gyro Balls stuff.
Grass: This should be a easy matchup, Pinsir should wreck everything. But be wary because you never know when an Acrobatic Sceptile will come ;)
Fairy: I’ve only faced this matchup once, and with me using Fairy. Belly Drum Azumarill plowed right through after Forretress lost Sturdy. Scolipede can do a decent amount of damage, but not a lot of Scolipedes run their Poison STAB. Even so, Mawile can come in and set up. Scizor however, was a big issue. Bullet Punch can sweep a team if it gets to +2, so I’d say that Bug has an advantage with this one.
Water: Swift Swim gets wrecked by Sticky Web, and Galvantula can KO a decent amount of Pokemon with Thunder + Giga Drain. Lanturn is the only Pokemon that can safely take a Thunder + Giga Drain. Volc can do a lot of damage with Giga Drain + Bug Buzz, and Scizor can Bug Bite its way through. Water types, can freely spam their Water STABs w/o much issue. So overall, it’s fair game if you aren’t Swift Swim.
Psychic: Spam Megahorn + Various Bug type moves and it’s gg :D
Dark: You have the advantage, but Dark has Mandibuzz and Sableye. Together, they can annoy and burn everything before sweeping with Greninja. Volcarona’s your best chance here since it can easily sweep once it gets to +1.
Rock: Shouldn’t be that much of a problem, Volcarona’s Bug Buzz does a lot, Scizor can spam Bullet Punch w/o too much danger and Heracross’s Close Combats do a lot. Omastar can sweep teams w/o priority so be wary of that.
Ground: If Volcarona carries Giga Drain, you shouldn’t be in that much trouble. Galvantula’s sash will be broken by Sandstorm, and Excadrill can do a lot with its Sand Rush. Garchomp can outspeed a lot of Pokemon and hit it with a variety of moves. Also, Stone Edge is extremely common in Ground monos (EdgeQuake) making Bug mono’s harder to use. I’d say Ground has the advantage here.
Normal: It really depends on what type of team your opponent’s using. If you opponent carries Porygon2, Blissey / Chansey, and Ditto, you’re screwed. If your opponent doesn’t carry Ditto, then it shouldn’t be that bad (If your opponent doesn’t have a Frofrou instead of Ditto) I’d set up on Chansey with Scizor. Roost of the Seismic Tosses and pray that Thunderbolt from a Porygon2 isn’t going to paralyze you.
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Technician Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Porygon2: 144-172 (38.5 - 45.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO That bulk tho
Dragon: At +2, Scizor has a field day. Getting Stealth Rocks up is essential since you need to break Dragonite’s Multiscale before it gets to +3. Mixed Garchomp can pretty much screw everything Bug has to offer so I’d say it’s Neutral here, but more in Bug’s favor.
Ice: Spam Fiery Dance, Bullet Punch, and Close Combat. :)
Electric: Since Electric has its own webs, it’s not as useful. Also, I’ve seen a lot of Heat Wave Zapdos’s running (flying?) around. Half of your offensive Pokemon get walled by Zapdos (Pinsir, Scizor, and Heracross to come extent.) Thundurus-I can paralyze anything that its user deems too fast. And much like Water, Electric can spam its STAB w/o a lot to worry about.
So yeah, Imo, Bug's more of a Mid Tier type. It gets beaten way too easily by the top 2 threats in Monotype (Steel + Flying). It lost one of its best Pokemon (Genesect) and that Stealth Rock weakness can be overwhelming sometimes. However, it gets pretty good offensive choices, and a decent way to remove hazards thanks to Defog. So this is what I think:
Offensive + Balanced Bug is Mid tier (Mid Mid tier)
I think that there are 2 types of Offensive Bug monotypes. Baton Pass and Sticky Web, I didn’t mention Baton Pass a lot since it’s pretty self explanatory when you see the team.
Sex Toy :) (Heracross) @ Heracrossite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Arm Thrust
- Pin Missile
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Blast
Armored Walnut (Forretress) @ Red Card
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
- Explosion
Mothra (Volcarona) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
Idk if it's because I play weirdly, or the people you/I play against are weird, but I have trouble with different matchups from you. Overall I agree (Bug is Mid Tier, due to having some of the best options of most types, but also are hard countered by a few common types like Flying and Steel) Some things feel like they should be standard to a bug mono (unless counterteaming), such as Volcarona with Quiver Dance/Firey Dance/Giga Drain/HP Ground (instead of Bug Buzz over one of those moves) due to the sheer number of matchups that would be 100x more difficult with any other set due to coverage issues (again, unless counterteaming). Not sure if that qualifies as a gimmick, but a few gimmicks feel necessary on a mid rank monotype. Minor nitpick on your sample sets = no bug will be running 4 HP or 252 HP (always 0, 248, or a custom spread), due to the rock weakness/SR damage rounds down.
Anyway, my rankings, based mostly out of my experience (note that these are not ranked within the tier in any order):
HARD:
Fire: Nowhere near as hard as it was in Gen 5, due to lack of permanent sun (and less difficult now with Talon gone); but 4 turns of sun is really all a fire team needs to make your team drop like flies (pun intended). Volcarona with some bulk investment + HP Ground is a must here, along with EQ/Stone Edge on physical fighters, to even stand a chance. Heatran walls entire bug teams unless you bring multiple options to eliminate him. There's no "easily beating fire" with bug, unless your opponent sucks. It's going to be a tough win.
Flying: Volcarona, again with some bulk investment, can help deal with the core you mention (Zapdos, Togekiss, Skarmory). While Flying stab is less common on Flying monos than common stabs are with other monos, some Pokemon don't even need a Flying stab to be an absolute bitch to deal with. Lando-T can intimidate any physical attacker and do heavy damage/KO with Stone Edge. Gliscor hard walls most bugs. Many Flying types use Heat Wave, and can run Flying stab along with Heat Wave and run right through a bug team. Honchkrow gets special mention here, because the only thing that can easily take a Sucker Punch (Heracross) dies to Brave Bird, and Heat Wave is not entirely uncommon as a 3rd move choice on him. Charizard is very difficult, just as it is on Fire Mono. Several uncommon choices exist that are pretty difficult to deal with too, such as Moltres, Aerodactyl, Tornadus.
Steel: As with fire, Volcarona with HP Ground is a must, because Heatran walls entire bug teams unless you bring multiple options to eliminate him. On the bright side, Volcy counters Aegislash (outside the rare Head Smash variant). Scarf Excadrill can be difficult to deal with, as can hazard-heavy teams featuring Bisharp (DO NOT USE STICKY WEB IF YOU SEE BISHARP! It's not worth it, especially since you already outspeed most steels with most bugs anyway). Mawile also gets special mention, because the only thing that takes a Sucker Punch easily just kinda dies to Play Rough, and many run Fire Fang too. Outside of phasers, strong priority moves, hazard spam; most steel types are easily dealt with using Volcy, but if he goes down prematurely, gg... <_<
MEDIUM (including playstyle reliant matchups):
Ghost: MUCH easier in Gen 6 than it was in Gen 5. MUCH harder if they have Golurk. Access to Stealth Rock and no-miss Stone Edge makes a huge difference here. Also, MUCH harder if they have Chandelure. If they have neither, it's close to free win. Again, Volcarona with bulk investment and HP Ground helps here, because it can help deal with Chandy. Knock off on a physical attacker helps this matchup tremendously, for obvious reasons.
Poison: Pretty tough, if your opponent is good at the matchup. Pretty easy if he is not. This is one of the most playstyle reliant matchups. I've come across one Poison team with a Nidoqueen that was an absolute bitch to get rid of. Had something like rocks, dtail, flamethrower, toxic. Many Poison types don't deal well with HP Ground Volcarona, yet again; though many Poison types commonly run moves that kill bugs, and very few bugs appreciate being stalled (for the few weirdos running Toxic Spike teams).
Fairy: Scizor eats most fairies for breakfast. However, he's 4x weak to fire and most fairies have access to fire coverage + actually use it to keep Steel types like Scizor from running through their teams. Volcy can take most specially based fairies. Again, this one is matchup reliant, depending largely on how good the Fairy user is at dealing with Scizor/Volcy. If you have trouble with this as bug, many Bug/Poison types also exist and kill almost anything with their Poison stabs.
Water: Bug lacks good options for dealing with rain boosted attacks, unless you're one of those weirdos who runs Parasect. However, many bugs get access to Giga Drain, and most water types can't deal with Giga Drain once Volcy gets a boost or 2. If you don't run Giga Drain, this matchup is very hard! Kabutops gets special mention as the hardest thing for Bug to deal with. (Rain + Swift Swim + Water Stab + Stone Edge kills most bugs pretty easily; though Scizor is one of the few things that can eliminate him under rain)
Rock: Rock has a slight advantage, but unlike the matchups listed under "hard," Bug has several options for dealing with most Rock types. Scizor + Heracross kill most Rock types pretty easily, but most Rock types also run Fire coverage for Steel types. Rhyperior with Fire Punch is pretty difficult to deal with, due to its massive physical bulk and most useful bugs being 4x weak to Fire or Rock. Remember when I said to use Giga Drain + HP Ground on Volcy? While no smart rock user will EVER let him set up, Giga Drain and HP Ground keep him from being completely worthless. Tyranitar also gets special mention, for something that commonly runs Rock/Fire coverage and can be pretty difficult to deal with.
Dark: Dark has a slight disadvantage, similar to Rock vs. Bug but in your favor. While you get a Stab that kills them, they have several options for dealing with Bugs. Sableye/Mandibuzz can be a complete annoyance to physical bugs, but is nearly always a free switch to Volcarona (beware of Toxic, though). Bug lacks good options (other than Heracross) for taking Stab Sucker Punches/Knock Off. Bisharp can sweep a team if Heracross dies prematurely, or if you rely too much on Sticky Web (again, don't do it until Bisharp dies!). Honchkrow is very difficult to deal with if you are unprepared, due to Sucker Punch + Flying/Fire coverage. Tyranitar commonly runs Rock/Fire coverage, and is also difficult to deal with. Houndoom and Zoroark can kill most bugs with their fire moves. A Dark team is unlikely to run all these options, though; but even running a few will make it more difficult than your typical "easy" matchup. Dark type in general is heavily mindgame reliant, and how much trouble you will have will depend entirely on the skill of your opponent + how many options they use to deal with Bug (MUCH more so than other types).
Ground: Some Ground types are pretty close to setup bait/Volcy food. Some Ground types are very difficult to deal with due to Rock coverage and/or sheer bulk. Most difficult to deal with Ground types for unprepared teams are already covered under my mention in other types - specifically, any Ground/Flying, Scarf or Sand Rush Excadrill, Rhyperior, or anything that commonly runs both Rock and Fire moves. Heracross and Scizor help nicely vs. people who run Mamoswine + Excadrill. Dugtrio gets special mention, for being able to easily trap and revenge kill Volcarona (assuming his sash is intact), allowing for other Ground types to be problematic.
Normal: Running Knock Off helps tremendously, since most of the problematic Pokemon you mention (Ditto, Chansey, Porygon2) rely on their items to not be trash. Heracross outright beats a majority of Normal types too. Most problematic thing Normal would run is Staraptor. Reckless Brave Bird OHKO's any bug. Normal also has access to a lot of walls (such as Furfrou and Chansey) which wall on one defense extremely well but not on the other. A smart player can set rocks and take advantage of this to be really irritating. Again, a playstyle dependent matchup.
Dragon: Another playstyle dependent matchup. Watch out for Fire/Rock coverage which is common on most dragons. Several dragon types are very easy to revenge kill, but very difficult to switch into as a result. Hydreigon is a prime example, since it dies to any bug move but easily kills most bugs with Draco/Fire Blast. Scizor has fun with many Dragons due to resisting their main Stab, though I can't stress enough that Fire coverage is VERY common on Dragons. Really bad Dragon trainers are incredibly common, more so than most types (I beat one of them with nothing but a toxic stall Shuckle).
Fighting: Only Fighting team I had difficulty with that I had seen appeared to be a counter team. Infernape, Terrakion, Hawlucha, and random things running coverage for bugs can be difficult (most of these things pretty much eat one bug and get revenge killed by another), but most fighting types have trouble dealing with Pinsir, Yanmega, Vivillon, and most other flying types. Many other common bugs (such as Bug/Poison types) can hard wall many fighting types.
EASY:
Electric: Due to the lack of coverage moves that Electric gets, and a general lack of physical attackers, most Electric types are Volcy food. If they don't run a phaser or taunt, or something weird like Rock Slide Electivire, Volcy can set up/wall an entire electric team due to their lack of coverage/physical attacks.
Ice: Scizor, Heracross, Volcarona, any Bug/Rock eat most Ice types for breakfast. Pinsir and other Flying types are less useful due to their Ice weakness, however most other Bugs are neutral or resist Ice. Be careful of random coverage moves, as with other easy matchups.
Psychic: Be careful of Victini + random coverage moves and you should be fine. Be careful with how you use any Bug/Poison and Heracross due to their Psychic weaknesses. Most Psychic types die really fast to Bug moves, but anything weak to Psychic can be difficult to use unless you can find opportunity to set up.
Grass: Easiest matchup for Bug by far. Pretty close to a free win if you play it right. No useful Grass type has access to a useful secondary Stab; though a few will run coverage moves that deal with Bug. Beware of random HP Fire/Rock, Stone Edge, and similar on random Pokemon.
Hello again! Nominating Hyper Offense Fire for Mid (High) Tier.
Fire is definitely one of those types that sees more success running Hyper Offense rather than Balanced. This is because there aren't many Fire types available that can tank the Water attacks and EdgeQuake combos commonly seen in Monotype. Furthermore, its weakness to Stealth Rock hinder its ability to switch often, forcing the user to be more wary of their switches. That being said, HO Fire is a deadly team archetype that manages to hold its own against upper tier types such as Steel, Flying, and--yes--Water. Its ability to maintain offensive pressure throughout the match and its access to some key coverage moves coupled with a Stealth Rock weakness (that is arguably more difficult to deal with for Fire than Flying) is why I am nominating Fire for Mid (High) Tier.
Here are some of the more common types that Fire will be facing. With most match-ups involving all types, however, I found myself figuring out ways to open up opposing teams for Darmanitan to come in and sweep (preferably in the sun):
Flying: With access to Landorus/Landorus-T, Gyarados/Mega Gyarados, Dragonite, and Thundurus-I, Flying can be very challenging to face. Getting Stealth Rock up is a huge help, as common Defoggers such as Skarmory and Zapdos can easy be handled through sheer force (Darmanitan :P). After their defogger is gone, the matchup comes down to using your Scarfed HP Ice Pokemon wisely (Rotom-H, Chandelure, Glaciate Victini). Having Scarfed Darmanitan steamroll through any non-Dragon or Water type helps too. As Fire teams rely mostly on Speed, a Prankster Thunder-Wave from Thundurus can cripple a sweeper for the rest of the match; use Rotom-H's great typing and immunity to paralysis as a safe switch-in and pivot. Furthermore, If Gyarados is present, be sure to not let it set up more than one Dragon Dance--a combination of good prediction, Rotom-H, and Charizard-Y should prevent it from setting up.
Steel: Steel should be an easy matchup, although there are a couple of Pokemon to watch out for. The key is to keep your Pokemon healthy. Scarfed Excadrill with Rock Slide is a deadly force that is capable of running through entire Fire teams depending on how healthy your Rock-neutral Fire types are (such as Heatran and Infernape). This extends to Mega Mawile, as even an unboosted Sucker Punch can allow it to sweep late-game when your Pokemon have had prior damage. Infernape helps immensely with its dual STABs, so use it early-game to blow holes in the infamous Heatran/Aegislash/Skarmory core. Finally, Air Balloon Heatran is a great check to Scarfed Excadrill.
Water: This is a fun matchup. The key is to get rid of Tentacruel, as specially defensive variants are barely 4HKO'd by Mega Charizard-Y's Solarbeam. Furthermore, having prior damage on Lanturn helps, as it can stomach a Solarbeam and cripple Charizard back with Thunder Wave.
252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Solar Beam vs. 52 HP / 204+ SpD Lanturn: 274-324 (67.8 - 80.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Life Orb Iron Fist Infernape OHKOs specially defensive Tentacruel with Thunder Punch and can place Lanturn in the OHKO range with Close Combat. Finally, make sure to prevent any Gyarados or Keldeo from setting up--this is where Scarfed sweepers such as Victini, Darmanitan, and Rotom-H come in.
Normal: The priority is to take out Chansey/Blissey and Porygon2. These Pokemon have great special bulk and will be able to wall any special-attacking Fire type. Furthermore, Chansey/Blissey can set up Stealth Rock while walling any defogger/rapid spinner. Use Infernape's Close Combat and Darmanitan's Superpower to your advantage.
Psychic: Tougher to face than other types, due to a mix of physically defensive Stealth Rock Mew and Slowbro. Furthermore, common Assault Vest users such as Gallade and--to a lesser extent--Metagross can take out a potential sweeper by surprise. If you can keep rocks off the field, Volcarona is an effective sweeper. Otherwise, using a mix of U-Turns and Volt Switches from Darmanitan, Victini, and Rotom-H helps force switches and dent the opposing team.
Fighting: Talonflame where u at? If you can get Stealth Rock up, great. Otherwise, you may have to sacrifice a Pokemon to take Breloom's Spore, as most run Focus Sash. Charizard-Y's Air Slash and Victini's Zen Headbutt are very useful in this matchup. Be careful when facing Terrakion. Stealth Rock leads are easier to deal with; however, Scarfed variants outspeed Darmanitan, Victini, and Rotom-H and threaten to sweep using Stone Edge/Rock Slide. Infernape can tank one Stone Edge (provided it's not a critical hit) and OHKO with Close Combat, or revenge kill a weakened Terrakion with Mach Punch. On the defensive side, Torkoal can cripple Terrakion with Will-o-Wisp/Lava Plume/Yawn. One of the harder match-ups for Fire to face because of Keldeo and Terrakion (and no more Talonflame :( ).
Ground: Make sure to win the weather war. If Sand Stream goes up, Sand Rush Excadrill has the potential to sweep using Rock Slide/Earthquake. Air Balloon Heatran with Taunt can stop lead Hippowdon from setting up Stealth Rock if you are hesitant on leading with Charizard. Gastrodon can be dealt with using Solarbeam, Energy Ball Chandelure, or Giga Drain Volcarona. Finally, Scarf HP Ice Chandelure or Rotom-H help deal with Garchomp and Landorus.
Dragon: This is one of the toughest match-ups in my opinion. With Hidden Power's nerf, HP Ice won't be OHKO'ing any Dragons that haven't taken sufficient amounts of damage. Furthermore, Dragon types resist Fire and hit back hard with powerful STABs and Earthquake. Heatran and Bulky Volcarona with Roost are good options against specially-oriented Dragons. Take advantage of Special Attack drops from Draco Meteor to set up a few Quiver Dances so that Volcarona can dent the physical dragons later on. I've found that Glaciate Victini along with HP Ice Rotom-H help to net a couple of KOs.
Fire was such an interesting type for me to use, mainly because I don't normally run Hyper Offense. It forced me to be more conscientious about the decisions I made, whether I needed to sacrifice a Pokemon to get rocks off the field, or keep up the offensive momentum and take hazard damage along the way. I was caught off-guard and amazed by the sheer power provided by its sweepers, allowing me to secure victories within fewer turns than I'm used to. All in all Fire is a very good type that would no doubt be on par with top-tier types if not for a few flaws including a Stealth Rock weakness, weaknesses to common attacking types, and susceptibility to priority. Oh, and no Talonflame.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 220 SpD / 40 Spe
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Taunt
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Solar Beam
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower
- Defog
Rotom-Heat @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Trick
Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Mach Punch
- Close Combat
- Thunder Punch
- Fire Punch
Okay finally finished my post on MonoSteel (it's two posts above) but let me guys know if you find anything worth mentioning. Also we're still looking for some more nominations so if you have one that you want discussed bring it to the table.
Idk if it's because I play weirdly, or the people you/I play against are weird, but I have trouble with different matchups from you. Overall I agree (Bug is Mid Tier, due to having some of the best options of most types, but also are hard countered by a few common types like Flying and Steel) Some things feel like they should be standard to a bug mono (unless counterteaming), such as Volcarona with Quiver Dance/Firey Dance/Giga Drain/HP Ground (instead of Bug Buzz over one of those moves) due to the sheer number of matchups that would be 100x more difficult with any other set due to coverage issues (again, unless counterteaming). Not sure if that qualifies as a gimmick, but a few gimmicks feel necessary on a mid rank monotype. Minor nitpick on your sample sets = no bug will be running 4 HP or 252 HP (always 0, 248, or a custom spread), due to the rock weakness/SR damage rounds down.
Anyway, my rankings, based mostly out of my experience (note that these are not ranked within the tier in any order):
HARD:
Fire: Nowhere near as hard as it was in Gen 5, due to lack of permanent sun (and less difficult now with Talon gone); but 4 turns of sun is really all a fire team needs to make your team drop like flies (pun intended). Volcarona with some bulk investment + HP Ground is a must here, along with EQ/Stone Edge on physical fighters, to even stand a chance. Heatran walls entire bug teams unless you bring multiple options to eliminate him. There's no "easily beating fire" with bug, unless your opponent sucks. It's going to be a tough win.
Flying: Volcarona, again with some bulk investment, can help deal with the core you mention (Zapdos, Togekiss, Skarmory). While Flying stab is less common on Flying monos than common stabs are with other monos, some Pokemon don't even need a Flying stab to be an absolute bitch to deal with. Lando-T can intimidate any physical attacker and do heavy damage/KO with Stone Edge. Gliscor hard walls most bugs. Many Flying types use Heat Wave, and can run Flying stab along with Heat Wave and run right through a bug team. Honchkrow gets special mention here, because the only thing that can easily take a Sucker Punch (Heracross) dies to Brave Bird, and Heat Wave is not entirely uncommon as a 3rd move choice on him. Charizard is very difficult, just as it is on Fire Mono. Several uncommon choices exist that are pretty difficult to deal with too, such as Moltres, Aerodactyl, Tornadus.
Steel: As with fire, Volcarona with HP Ground is a must, because Heatran walls entire bug teams unless you bring multiple options to eliminate him. On the bright side, Volcy counters Aegislash (outside the rare Head Smash variant). Scarf Excadrill can be difficult to deal with, as can hazard-heavy teams featuring Bisharp (DO NOT USE STICKY WEB IF YOU SEE BISHARP! It's not worth it, especially since you already outspeed most steels with most bugs anyway). Mawile also gets special mention, because the only thing that takes a Sucker Punch easily just kinda dies to Play Rough, and many run Fire Fang too. Outside of phasers, strong priority moves, hazard spam; most steel types are easily dealt with using Volcy, but if he goes down prematurely, gg... <_<
MEDIUM (including playstyle reliant matchups):
Ghost: MUCH easier in Gen 6 than it was in Gen 5. MUCH harder if they have Golurk. Access to Stealth Rock and no-miss Stone Edge makes a huge difference here. Also, MUCH harder if they have Chandelure. If they have neither, it's close to free win. Again, Volcarona with bulk investment and HP Ground helps here, because it can help deal with Chandy. Knock off on a physical attacker helps this matchup tremendously, for obvious reasons.
Poison: Pretty tough, if your opponent is good at the matchup. Pretty easy if he is not. This is one of the most playstyle reliant matchups. I've come across one Poison team with a Nidoqueen that was an absolute bitch to get rid of. Had something like rocks, dtail, flamethrower, toxic. Many Poison types don't deal well with HP Ground Volcarona, yet again; though many Poison types commonly run moves that kill bugs, and very few bugs appreciate being stalled (for the few weirdos running Toxic Spike teams).
Fairy: Scizor eats most fairies for breakfast. However, he's 4x weak to fire and most fairies have access to fire coverage + actually use it to keep Steel types like Scizor from running through their teams. Volcy can take most specially based fairies. Again, this one is matchup reliant, depending largely on how good the Fairy user is at dealing with Scizor/Volcy. If you have trouble with this as bug, many Bug/Poison types also exist and kill almost anything with their Poison stabs.
Water: Bug lacks good options for dealing with rain boosted attacks, unless you're one of those weirdos who runs Parasect. However, many bugs get access to Giga Drain, and most water types can't deal with Giga Drain once Volcy gets a boost or 2. If you don't run Giga Drain, this matchup is very hard! Kabutops gets special mention as the hardest thing for Bug to deal with. (Rain + Swift Swim + Water Stab + Stone Edge kills most bugs pretty easily; though Scizor is one of the few things that can eliminate him under rain)
Rock: Rock has a slight advantage, but unlike the matchups listed under "hard," Bug has several options for dealing with most Rock types. Scizor + Heracross kill most Rock types pretty easily, but most Rock types also run Fire coverage for Steel types. Rhyperior with Fire Punch is pretty difficult to deal with, due to its massive physical bulk and most useful bugs being 4x weak to Fire or Rock. Remember when I said to use Giga Drain + HP Ground on Volcy? While no smart rock user will EVER let him set up, Giga Drain and HP Ground keep him from being completely worthless. Tyranitar also gets special mention, for something that commonly runs Rock/Fire coverage and can be pretty difficult to deal with.
Dark: Dark has a slight disadvantage, similar to Rock vs. Bug but in your favor. While you get a Stab that kills them, they have several options for dealing with Bugs. Sableye/Mandibuzz can be a complete annoyance to physical bugs, but is nearly always a free switch to Volcarona (beware of Toxic, though). Bug lacks good options (other than Heracross) for taking Stab Sucker Punches/Knock Off. Bisharp can sweep a team if Heracross dies prematurely, or if you rely too much on Sticky Web (again, don't do it until Bisharp dies!). Honchkrow is very difficult to deal with if you are unprepared, due to Sucker Punch + Flying/Fire coverage. Tyranitar commonly runs Rock/Fire coverage, and is also difficult to deal with. Houndoom and Zoroark can kill most bugs with their fire moves. A Dark team is unlikely to run all these options, though; but even running a few will make it more difficult than your typical "easy" matchup. Dark type in general is heavily mindgame reliant, and how much trouble you will have will depend entirely on the skill of your opponent + how many options they use to deal with Bug (MUCH more so than other types).
Ground: Some Ground types are pretty close to setup bait/Volcy food. Some Ground types are very difficult to deal with due to Rock coverage and/or sheer bulk. Most difficult to deal with Ground types for unprepared teams are already covered under my mention in other types - specifically, any Ground/Flying, Scarf or Sand Rush Excadrill, Rhyperior, or anything that commonly runs both Rock and Fire moves. Heracross and Scizor help nicely vs. people who run Mamoswine + Excadrill. Dugtrio gets special mention, for being able to easily trap and revenge kill Volcarona (assuming his sash is intact), allowing for other Ground types to be problematic.
Normal: Running Knock Off helps tremendously, since most of the problematic Pokemon you mention (Ditto, Chansey, Porygon2) rely on their items to not be trash. Heracross outright beats a majority of Normal types too. Most problematic thing Normal would run is Staraptor. Reckless Brave Bird OHKO's any bug. Normal also has access to a lot of walls (such as Furfrou and Chansey) which wall on one defense extremely well but not on the other. A smart player can set rocks and take advantage of this to be really irritating. Again, a playstyle dependent matchup.
Dragon: Another playstyle dependent matchup. Watch out for Fire/Rock coverage which is common on most dragons. Several dragon types are very easy to revenge kill, but very difficult to switch into as a result. Hydreigon is a prime example, since it dies to any bug move but easily kills most bugs with Draco/Fire Blast. Scizor has fun with many Dragons due to resisting their main Stab, though I can't stress enough that Fire coverage is VERY common on Dragons. Really bad Dragon trainers are incredibly common, more so than most types (I beat one of them with nothing but a toxic stall Shuckle).
Fighting: Only Fighting team I had difficulty with that I had seen appeared to be a counter team. Infernape, Terrakion, Hawlucha, and random things running coverage for bugs can be difficult (most of these things pretty much eat one bug and get revenge killed by another), but most fighting types have trouble dealing with Pinsir, Yanmega, Vivillon, and most other flying types. Many other common bugs (such as Bug/Poison types) can hard wall many fighting types.
EASY:
Electric: Due to the lack of coverage moves that Electric gets, and a general lack of physical attackers, most Electric types are Volcy food. If they don't run a phaser or taunt, or something weird like Rock Slide Electivire, Volcy can set up/wall an entire electric team due to their lack of coverage/physical attacks.
Ice: Scizor, Heracross, Volcarona, any Bug/Rock eat most Ice types for breakfast. Pinsir and other Flying types are less useful due to their Ice weakness, however most other Bugs are neutral or resist Ice. Be careful of random coverage moves, as with other easy matchups.
Psychic: Be careful of Victini + random coverage moves and you should be fine. Be careful with how you use any Bug/Poison and Heracross due to their Psychic weaknesses. Most Psychic types die really fast to Bug moves, but anything weak to Psychic can be difficult to use unless you can find opportunity to set up.
Grass: Easiest matchup for Bug by far. Pretty close to a free win if you play it right. No useful Grass type has access to a useful secondary Stab; though a few will run coverage moves that deal with Bug. Beware of random HP Fire/Rock, Stone Edge, and similar on random Pokemon.
I hate to nit-pick but I have to disagree on just this one point. Cradily's secondary Rock STAB is incredibly useful (especially against bug teams) as is Ludicolo's Water STAB (for Volcarona). Any Grass team that doesn't want to get destroyed by Fire teams will be running either Cradily, Ludicolo, or both. Also, Rotom-Mow's Electric STAB is nice to have for the Bug/Flying types like Mega Pinsir and Yanmega. Admittedly, Cradily, Ludicolo, and Rotom-Mow are all weak to Bug's STAB moves, so the Rock, Water, and Electric STAB are really only useful if they can survive a hit or two (which probably won't happen from any decently high base power Bug move) or just outspeed. Of course this doesn't change the fact that Bug teams will typically just plough through Grass teams, but Grass isn't completely defenseless ;)
I hate to nit-pick but I have to disagree on just this one point. Cradily's secondary Rock STAB is incredibly useful (especially against bug teams) as is Ludicolo's Water STAB (for Volcarona). Any Grass team that doesn't want to get destroyed by Fire teams will be running either Cradily, Ludicolo, or both. Also, Rotom-Mow's Electric STAB is nice to have for the Bug/Flying types like Mega Pinsir and Yanmega. Admittedly, Cradily, Ludicolo, and Rotom-Mow are all weak to Bug's STAB moves, so the Rock, Water, and Electric STAB are really only useful if they can survive a hit or two (which probably won't happen from any decently high base power Bug move) or just outspeed. Of course this doesn't change the fact that Bug teams will typically just plough through Grass teams, but Grass isn't completely defenseless ;)
Forgot about Cradily (which almost seems like a requirement for the Grass mono anyway, due to the fact that Rock covers 4/5 of Grass's weaknesses). It *is* slow and weak to several common attacks found on bugs though.
The rest of what you listed are only useful secondary stabs for a couple team members. Also, in the case of Ludicolo, it can't switch into Volcy (especially if a Quiver dance has been used) due to its high Spdef, but Volcy doesn't switch in either.
Tbh no team is completely defenseless against any other type. Bug can run Rock moves to hit Flying teams (and some even get stab on them), for example, but that doesn't mean that it isn't skewed heavily in Flying's favor.
Forgot about Cradily (which almost seems like a requirement for the Grass mono anyway, due to the fact that Rock covers 4/5 of Grass's weaknesses). It *is* slow and weak to several common attacks found on bugs though.
The rest of what you listed are only useful secondary stabs for a couple team members. Also, in the case of Ludicolo, it can't switch into Volcy (especially if a Quiver dance has been used) due to its high Spdef, but Volcy doesn't switch in either.
Tbh no team is completely defenseless against any other type. Bug can run Rock moves to hit Flying teams (and some even get stab on them), for example, but that doesn't mean that it isn't skewed heavily in Flying's favor.
Yay <#
(you might want to fix the copy/paste, since you didn't get the whole thing.)
Nominating Hyper Offensive Mono Dragon for High Tier
Ah dragons. One of the most hated types before Gen 6 and even now, most people hate it. In tournaments on Frost, when people see me using a Dragon team, they automatically start cheering for my opponent just because they don't want to deal with with the type. I'm not sure there is a type that could be considered more offensively threatening than Dragon.
MATCHUPS (I won't go through all the match ups. Just the ones I feel are the most significant.) Positive:
Fire - Probably Dragon's easiest matchup. Almost every physical Dragon has Rock and Ground moves. And then there's Kingdra, which can set up rain and run right through any Fire team once Char Y is down.
Rock - Spam Kingdra. If you don't have Kingdra, then spam Earthquake for the grounded Rock types, Rock Slide/Stone Edge for the Rock/Flying types, and Flamethrower/Fire Blast for Mega Aggron. Cradily could be an issue if you let it set up a Stockpile or two, but unboosted Cradily won't be taking a Banded Outrage too well.
Electric - Rotom-Wash's Will-o-Wisp is the only real issue you need to worry about in this matchup. If you can work around Rotom-Wash and KO the HP Ice users before they have a chance to attack, this is an easy win.
Fighting - Dragons as a whole typically outspeed and/or overpower Fighting types, so as long as you don't lose too much of your team to Ice Punches, this should be another relatively easy win. (EDIT: This matchup is debatable and, since writing this nomination, I have come to realize that Fighting vs Dragon is much more even than I previously thought. I still think Dragon has the advantage, but it's a small advantage.)
Neutral:
Flying - The biggest issues here will be Skarmory and Togekiss. Landorus-T's intimidate is also a bit of an issue, and a bulky Zapdos is somewhat difficult to get around. I wasn't quite sure if this matchup should go under neutral or negative, but I decided to go with neutral because Dragons have the move pool to get around Skarmory (special fire moves), and Togekiss doesn't like physical rock moves. Both of those kinds of moves are typically abundant on Dragon teams.
Negative:
Ice - Almost all of the most powerful Dragon types are 4x weak to Ice. This presents a huge problem for Dragon teams. Ice Shard can rip through half of most dragon teams. The best answers Dragon has for Ice are Kyurem-B and Kingdra, both of which can take Ice Shard pretty well and hopefully KO the Ice Shard users, freeing up their 4x Ice weak teammates to sweep. Scarf Hydreigon with Flamethrower/Superpower could also handle ice pretty well. It's not afraid to take one Ice shard, and it should outspeed any non-scarf Ice pokemon. This isn't an easy win for Dragon by any means, but it's far from impossible.
Steel - Outrage spam is almost pointless here, but as I said before, Dragons have great move pools. Earthquake and Fire moves are abundantly available to Dragons, so you just have to use the right move at the right time. This is another tough matchup, but again, it's far from impossible.
Fairy - Easily Dragon's most difficult matchup. I haven't personally faced a Fairy team using my Dragon team yet, but I'm dreading the day that it happens. Dragon's STAB moves are completely useless, so no Outrage/Draco Meteor spam. The only Dragon available in OU that isn't weak to Fairy's stab is Dragalge, and in my opinion, being a Fairy counter is Dragalge's only useful role. I used it for a little while and it became so frustratingly useless in most match ups that I ditched it for a more offensively threatening pokemon. I can't say too much about how to deal with Fairies considering I haven't faced them yet, but my plan for when I do have to face them is to hope that Iron Head Garchomp is enough, which it probably won't be.
EXAMPLE TEAM:
Hazard setter (I like to think of Tyrantrum as the Dragon equivalent of Galvantula. Set up the entry hazard and hurt things until it dies)
Tyrantrum (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Strong Jaw
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock (I almost consider it a necessity for HO teams. Prevents sashed and sturdy pokemon from surviving a OHKO)
- Dragon Dance
- Ice Fang
- Thunder Fang
Revenge-killer/Sweeper
Salamence (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Fire Fang
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Wall-breaker
Garchomp (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Iron Head
Team Support/Special Attacker
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Tailwind
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock
- Energy Ball
Sweeper w/ some team support
Kingdra (M) @ Damp Rock
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rain Dance
- Dragon Pulse
- Surf/Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
Wallbreaker/Sweeper (Hurricane is an amazing combo with Kingdra's Damp Rock Rain Dance)
Noivern (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Draco Meteor
- Hurricane
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
I've only been using Dragon for a few weeks so i'm no expert, but I feel very strongly that HO Dragon should be High tier or at least upper Mid Tier.
Nominating Hyper Offensive Mono Dragon for High Tier
Ah dragons. One of the most hated types before Gen 6 and even now, most people hate it. In tournaments on Frost, when people see me using a Dragon team, they automatically start cheering for my opponent just because they don't want to deal with with the type. I'm not sure there is a type that could be considered more offensively threatening than Dragon.
MATCHUPS (I won't go through all the match ups. Just the ones I feel are the most significant.) Positive:
Fire - Probably Dragon's easiest matchup. Almost every physical Dragon has Rock and Ground moves. And then there's Kingdra, which can set up rain and run right through any Fire team once Char Y is down.
Rock - Spam Kingdra. If you don't have Kingdra, then spam Earthquake for the grounded Rock types, Rock Slide/Stone Edge for the Rock/Flying types, and Flamethrower/Fire Blast for Mega Aggron. Cradily could be an issue if you let it set up a Stockpile or two, but unboosted Cradily won't be taking a Banded Outrage too well.
Electric - Rotom-Wash's Will-o-Wisp is the only real issue you need to worry about in this matchup. If you can work around Rotom-Wash and KO the HP Ice users before they have a chance to attack, this is an easy win.
Fighting - Dragons as a whole typically outspeed and/or overpower Fighting types, so as long as you don't lose too much of your team to Ice Punches, this should be another relatively easy win.
Neutral:
Flying - The biggest issues here will be Skarmory and Togekiss. Landorus-T's intimidate is also a bit of an issue, and a bulky Zapdos is somewhat difficult to get around. I wasn't quite sure if this matchup should go under neutral or negative, but I decided to go with neutral because Dragons have the move pool to get around Skarmory (special fire moves), and Togekiss doesn't like physical rock moves. Both of those kinds of moves are typically abundant on Dragon teams.
Negative:
Ice - Almost all of the most powerful Dragon types are 4x weak to Ice. This presents a huge problem for Dragon teams. Ice Shard can rip through half of most dragon teams. The best answers Dragon has for Ice are Kyurem-B and Kingdra, both of which can take Ice Shard pretty well and hopefully KO the Ice Shard users, freeing up their 4x Ice weak teammates to sweep. Scarf Hydreigon with Flamethrower/Superpower could also handle ice pretty well. It's not afraid to take one Ice shard, and it should outspeed any non-scarf Ice pokemon. This isn't an easy win for Dragon by any means, but it's far from impossible.
Steel - Outrage spam is almost pointless here, but as I said before, Dragons have great move pools. Earthquake and Fire moves are abundantly available to Dragons, so you just have to use the right move at the right time. This is another tough matchup, but again, it's far from impossible.
Fairy - Easily Dragon's most difficult matchup. I haven't personally faced a Fairy team using my Dragon team yet, but I'm dreading the day that it happens. Dragon's STAB moves are completely useless, so no Outrage/Draco Meteor spam. The only Dragon available in OU that isn't weak to Fairy's stab is Dragalge, and in my opinion, being a Fairy counter is Dragalge's only useful role. I used it for a little while and it became so frustratingly useless in most match ups that I ditched it for a more offensively threatening pokemon. I can't say too much about how to deal with Fairies considering I haven't faced them yet, but my plan for when I do have to face them is to hope that Iron Head Garchomp is enough, which it probably won't be.
EXAMPLE TEAM:
Hazard setter (I like to think of Tyrantrum as the Dragon equivalent of Galvantula. Set up the entry hazard and hurt things until it dies)
Tyrantrum (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Strong Jaw
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock (I almost consider it a necessity for HO teams. Prevents sashed and sturdy pokemon from surviving a OHKO)
- Dragon Dance
- Ice Fang
- Thunder Fang
Revenge-killer/Sweeper
Salamence (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Fire Fang
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Wall-breaker
Garchomp (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Iron Head
Team Support/Special Attacker
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Tailwind
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock
- Energy Ball
Sweeper w/ some team support
Kingdra (M) @ Damp Rock
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rain Dance
- Dragon Pulse
- Surf/Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
Wallbreaker/Sweeper (Hurricane is an amazing combo with Kingdra's Damp Rock Rain Dance)
Noivern (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Draco Meteor
- Hurricane
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
I've only been using Dragon for a few weeks so i'm no expert, but I feel very strongly that HO Dragon should be High tier or at least upper Mid Tier.
Personally, I think that Flying may be a positive matchup for Dragon. Esp if the Flying team you're facing is Balaced / Bulky. Everytime I fight Zer0 or Soma I end up getting steamrolled over by Kyurem-B's Ice Beam (LO). And when I use my HO team, I usually fail to 1HKO everything with Staraptor because of their above average bulk. :(
Anyways, you're completely right. I'm personally thinking of Low / Mid High Tier or High Mid Tier. I'll hear what the others think before making a decision tho.
Either way, great write up :)
Reasons why Dragons shouldn't high High Tier:
- A majority of Dragons are weak to Stealth Rocks
- Weakness to Steel (Kinda)
- Weakness to Bulky Normal (Porygon2 + Ditto + Chansey)
- Weak to set up sweepers once Dragonite's dead (Lack of priority) The most successful Dragon teams I've seen have had Specs Latios's and Mega / LO Garchomp.
- Not a lot of answers to Ice Type weakness (Hp Ice / Ice Beam may be the most common coverage move out there.)
Reasons why Dragons should be High Tier:
- Great BSTs throughout
- Able to beat Flying fairy easily (Charizard X must die!)
- Awesome abilities for a majority of Dragons
- Above average Attack / Sp Attack for most Dragons (and in some cases, Speed)
- Above average bulk for most Dragons
- So many options. You can be me and run a Toxic Stall Salamence with Wish, or a Heal Bell Dragonite. The choice is yours~
Earthquake and Stone Edge do more damage to fairies than Iron Head. Just get rocks up and you're fine.
My stuff may not be accurate since some people run different spreads. Esp on Togekiss since some people run Max HP + Def and have something like Sylveon / Florges to be their Sp Def tank.
- 252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Togekiss: 296-351 (79.1 - 93.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
- 252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Togekiss: 237-281 (63.3 - 75.1%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
- -1 252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Mawile: 237-281 (77.9 - 92.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
- -1 252 Atk Choice Band Garchomp Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Mawile: 73-86 (24 - 28.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Stealth Rock Welp Gg
- 252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 302-356 (76.6 - 90.3%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
- 252 Atk Choice Band Garchomp Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 372-438 (94.4 - 111.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
- 252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Florges: 292-344 (81.1 - 95.5%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Etc. Since Fairy users are paranoid about being destroyed by Steel, they usually have multiple solutions to it. If you Iron Head and kill something, you just end up being set up fodder for Mawile / Klefiki.
Also, this is what Life Orb does, imagine being at +2 ;) Also, you can set up all over Klefiki unless they're special and run Draining Kiss.
I much prefer poison coverage than steel coverage, it and a ground move ensure you hit every fairy super effectively, barring a balloon klefki. Admittedly, it has a much smaller distribution and is not as ideal for choicers, but it is still worth noting. One of the standouts about this is it hits Azumarill super effectively, which can cause problems otherwise.
Now that Talonflame is banned, I believe HO fighting should find it's way in Mid Tier due to the amount of coverage and offensive power the pokemon usually contain while having (above)average speed. Due to this, they can overcome their weaknesses a fair amount if the time.
Matchups:
Positive:
Normal: Despite normal types usually being bulky, very few can take a hit from fighting types such as Mega Medicham, Infernape, and Terrakion. Most fighting types also have the option of carrying rock moves, so Staraptor isn't usually a problem. Almost always an easy win.
Fire: With fast sweepers in Terrakion and Keldeo, Fire has a very hard time setting it's sun up, and with Earthquake and rock moves being popular among fighting, has a hard time getting kills. Usually an easy match.
Dark: The only threats to Fighting here are Sableye, Greninja. For Sableye, there are quite a few viable Guts users that can take advantage of him, such as Heracriss and Conkeldurr and completely shut him down. Greninja, on the other hand, gets hit hard by both priority and Choice Scarf users, which are both common for fighting teams. Mandibuzz can be difficult to kill, but has a lack of be able to Roost without taking serious damage from STAB fighting.
Steel: Once Aegislash is down, it's very difficult for steel to overcome fighting.
Electric: Due to their lack of coverage, electrics have a hard time OHKO'ing fighting, while fighting can hurt back hard with ground or rock moves. As long as you play around Rotom, it's generally quite easy.
Neutral Matchups:
Flying: Due to most flying not using STAB, along with fighting commonly having the elemental punches/rock moves (along with stealth rock) it can very easily go either way. When Skarmory is out of the way, flying has a hard time dealing with Terrakion and to some extant, Keldeo.
Dragon: With fighting usually outspeeding dragons and having moves they are weak to (Ice Punch, Icy Wind, Stone Edge, etc.) They pose a serious threat to dragons. However, with Lati@s being a common defogger/scarf, it can wreak havoc on fighting if not dealt with.
Negative:
Psychic: With Psychics now able to pack fairy moves, there aren't many reliable counters. Many psychic types outspeed fighting types (Latios, Scarftini, Alakazam, etc.) and Gardevoir, fighting has a hard time surviving psychics.
Bug: With Mega Pinsir roaming around and Sticky Web, fighting has an extremely hard time against bug.
Effectiveness
Fighting does an effective time as it has the potential to always be ahead of the opponent in terms of coverage, speed, and power. However, due to the lack of offensive rapid spinners, it has a hard time under sticky web. It outspeeds a majority of the types that threaten it, and can be hard to stop.
Variety
Fighting has decent type variety with pokemon like Infernape, Lucario, Keldeo, Heracross, and Terrakion to be able to counter the metagame. The only exception being Psychic, as the most reliable pokemon to counter them are now weak to Fairy and Slow, so a fast psychic scarfed pokemon can tear fighting teams apart.
Fighting teams do no have many special pokemon, relying in pokemon such as Keldeo and Lucario for that side of the spectrum, unfortunately, but can usually get through Physical walls due to most being weak to fighting. (Looking at you, Ferrothorn.)
Conclusion
Despite having great offensive potential, it is terribly weak to sticky web, having to rely on one of three fairly subpar pokemon to rapid spin it, where it could use another pokemon. It fairs well against a variety of types, but has a hard time facing faster psychics (and pokemon in general,) making it mid-tier.
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Secret Sword
- Scald
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Terrakion @ Expert Belt
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- X-Scissor
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Medicham @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Thunder Punch
- Drain Punch
- Bullet Punch
- Psycho Cut
Infernape @ Focus Sash
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Overheat
- Close Combat
- Stealth Rock
- Fake Out
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
Hawlucha @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rest
- High Jump Kick
- Acrobatics
- Bulk Up
