Metagame Pokébilities

Ivy

resident enigma
is a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributor
ivy_comm_2.png

Magnificent banner by @hambor12 (external link)
Credit to Throbulator36 for the concept. Programming by urkerab
Co-lead by me and Rach
Approved by drampa's grandpa and SectoniaServant

Premise
All of a Pokémon's obtainable abilities are active simultaneously.

Introduction
Generation 8 and the DLCs have had time to settle, so what better time to bring back this beloved OM!
Ever wished that Salamence can have both of its abilities—Intimidate and Moxie at the same time? Ever wished that a Pokémon could use all of its abilities to their full potential? Here is the OM for you!
In this meta, a Pokémon can have all of its abilities at the same time. Here's is the original thread from when it was a Pet Mod. An example is if you use Clefable, it will have all of its abilities: Cute Charm, Magic Guard, & Unaware, at the same time. This gives it a huge buff since all of these abilities are quite useful.

FAQ
What happens if a Pokémon's Trace is activated?
Trace is implemented to copy a single ability from the foe randomly, as it would in doubles battles.

Weezing is cheating with neutralizing gas and abilities!
This is a side effect or "feature" of the way the code is implemented. It does keep Weezing somewhat more meta-relevant, which is kind of nice. To ensure you benefit from the effects on your own Weezing, ensure Neutralizing Gas is in the ability slot.

How does Zygarde work?
Certain abilities are exclusive to differently-obtained and tiered formes, like Ash-Greninja's Battle Bond. Both variants of Zygarde with Power Construct are coded as separate entities from base ability Zygarde; therefore, Zygarde-10% is allowed in this format and will only have Aura Break.

Bans
  • Standard OU clauses incl. Dynamax clause.
  • Baton Pass, King's Rock
  • Power Construct Zygarde
  • Calyrex-Ice, Calyrex-Shadow, Cinderace, Conkeldurr, Darmanitan-Galar, Dialga, Dracovish, Dracozolt, Eternatus, Excadrill, Genesect, Giratina, Giratina-Origin, Groudon, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Kyurem-Black, Kyurem-White, Landorus, Lugia, Lunala, Marshadow, Magearna, Mewtwo, Naganadel, Necrozma-Dawn-Wings, Necrozma-Dusk-Mane, Palkia, Pheromosa, Porygon-Z, Rayquaza, Reshiram, Solgaleo, Spectrier, Urshifu-Base, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zacian, Zacian-Crowned, Zamazenta, Zekrom, Zygarde
  • Moody users (Glalie, Octillery, Remoraid, Snorunt)
  • Shadow Tag and Arena Trap users (Diglett, Dugtrio, Gothita, Gothitelle, Gothorita, Trapinch, Wobbuffet, Wynaut)
Watchlist
  • Clefable

Strategy
The activation of all abilities is a great boon to nearly everything that has multiple abilities. Some exemplary changes include:
Buffed
  • :clefable: Gaining both Magic Guard and Unaware gives it a nice buff. Cute Charm isn't that useful, but it might come handy.
  • :gigalith::hippowdon: Sand Stream with a complimentary sandy ability! Most weather setters are improved, but as usual, sand remains the best. Offensive sand utilizers are so good that two are already banned.
  • :salamence::obstagoon::perrserker: Some select physical attackers get the motherlode with all of their abilities active at once. Salamence has Moxie + Intimidate, Obstagoon has Defiant and Reckless on top of Guts, and Perrserker gets Steely Spirit with Tough Claws.
  • :dragapult::kommo-o: It no longer has to choose one of three mildly adequate abilities.
  • :slowbro-galar: funny regenerating lad go zoom
Nerfed
  • :durant: RIP soldier. No way to remove Truant.
  • :corsola-galar::skarmory::mandibuzz: Weak Armor on defensive mons. Eugh.
  • :bewear::golurk: Klutz users.
  • :sableye: Stall... at least Prankster still elevates priority.
  • :bisharp: Loses out on Intimidate Defiant boosts by means of Inner Focus.

Gen 8
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/trashchannel-gen8pokebilities-3488 Rather scintillating game especially considering it was done long after the metagame was off rotation. Demonstrates the current quirky G-Weezing interactions decently.
Gen 7
[1] - This one is good
[2] - Another good one
[3] - Shows a team which uses TR


Gen 7 Pokébilities is playable on ROM!
You can search for Pokébilities replays on replay.pokemonshowdown.com by typing in "gen8pokebilities".
 
Last edited:

Ivy

resident enigma
is a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributor
Sample teams (always accepting submissions)

:amoonguss::pelipper::gyarados::magnezone::kingdra::zapdos: Rain

:cloyster::togekiss::garchomp::krookodile::zamazenta-crowned::regieleki: Dual screen HO (Remove the king's rock!)

:hippowdon::clefable::toxapex::corviknight::dragapult::magnezone: s1mpp's semi-stall

:garchomp::hippowdon::dracozolt::porygon2::corviknight::dragapult: Rach's sand

:melmetal::slowking-galar::hippowdon::garchomp::corviknight::conkeldurr: Rach's balance

:pheromosa::slowking::magnezone::hippowdon::rillaboom::corviknight: Rach's phero+SD rilla offense

:clefable::toxapex::landorus-therian::rillaboom::pheromosa::slowking: Ivy's balance


Viability ranking
A+

:Clefable:Clefable
:Reuniclus:Reuniclus

A

:Corviknight:Corviknight
:Dragapult:Dragapult
:Magnezone:Magnezone
:Salamence:Salamence

B+
:Azumarill:Azumarill
:Garchomp:Garchomp
:Gyarados:Gyarados
:Hawlucha:Hawlucha
:Hippowdon:Hippowdon
:Kommo-o:Kommo-o
:Krookodile:Krookodile
:Ninetales-Alola:Ninetales-Alola
:Rillaboom:Rillaboom
:Slowbro:Slowbro
:Weezing-Galar:Weezing-Galar

B
:Blissey:Blissey
:Dragonite:Dragonite
:Ferrothorn:Ferrothorn
:Gigalith:Gigalith
:Heatran:Heatran
:Kartana:Kartana
:Landorus-Therian:Landorus-Therian
:Mienshao:Mienshao
:Mamoswine:Mamoswine
:Marowak-Alola:Marowak-Alola
:Porygon2:Porygon2
:Slowbro-Galar:Slowbro-Galar
:Tangrowth:Tangrowth
:Thundurus-Therian:Thundurus-Therian
:Toxapex:Toxapex
:Tyranitar:Tyranitar
:Weavile:Weavile
:Zapdos:Zapdos
:Zeraora:Zeraora

C
Certain use cases can make these relevant with proper team composition.
:Alakazam:Alakazam
:Amoonguss:Amoonguss
:Barraskewda:Barraskewda
:Bisharp:Bisharp
:Blacephalon:Blacephalon
:Bronzong:Bronzong
:Chandelure:Chandelure
:Cloyster:Cloyster
:Crawdaunt:Crawdaunt
:Diggersby:Diggersby
:Gastrodon:Gastrodon
:Gengar:Gengar
:Goodra:Goodra
:Hatterene:Hatterene
:Haxorus:Haxorus
:Heracross:Heracross
:Hydreigon:Hydreigon
:Incineroar:Incineroar
:Indeedee:Indeedee
:Kingdra:Kingdra
:Melmetal:Melmetal
:Mew:Mew
:Milotic:Milotic
:Mimikyu:Mimikyu
:Nidoking:Nidoking
:Pangoro:Pangoro
:Pelipper:Pelipper
:Polteageist:Polteageist
:Regieleki:Regieleki
:Rotom-Wash:Rotom-Wash
:Sandaconda:Sandaconda
:Sandslash-Alola:Sandslash-Alola
:Scizor:Scizor
:Scrafty:Scrafty
:Sigilyph:Sigilyph
:Skarmory:Skarmory
:Slowking:Slowking
:Slowking-Galar:Slowking-Galar
:Stoutland:Stoutland
:Tapu Lele:Tapu Lele
:Togekiss:Togekiss
:Tyrantrum:Tyrantrum
:Venusaur:Venusaur
:Weezing:Weezing
:Xatu:Xatu
:Zamazenta-Crowned:Zamazenta-Crowned

D
These see some use but are more often than not a burden. Not recommended.
:Accelgor:Accelgor
:Aggron:Aggron
:Araquanid:Araquanid
:Arctovish:Arctovish
:Barbaracle:Barbaracle
:Braviary:Braviary
:Butterfree:Butterfree
:Cradily:Cradily
:Druddigon:Druddigon
:Eldegoss:Eldegoss
:Galvantula:Galvantula
:Golurk:Golurk
:Hitmontop:Hitmontop
:Inteleon:Inteleon
:Linoone:Linoone
:Machamp:Machamp
:Ninetales:Ninetales
:Perrserker:Perrserker
:Relicanth:Relicanth
:Sceptile:Sceptile
:Scolipede:Scolipede
:Shuckle:Shuckle
:Swoobat:Swoobat
:Torkoal:Torkoal
:Vanilluxe:Vanilluxe
:Zoroark:Zoroark
 
Last edited:

Hamlette

Banned deucer.
I liked the concept of Pokébilities, but I was only able to play it against Abyssal Bot years ago. If Ursaring was in Gen 8, it'd probably be OP in this meta.

Also, what about evasion abilities?
Evasion abilities are not banned in OU (or any current-gen Smogon singles or doubles format, as far as I know) and are not banned here either. Therefore, you will be able to run, for example, Garchomp with both Sand Veil and Rough Skin.

As per the format philosophy, we also cannot strip an ability (such as Sand Veil/Snow Cloak from an Evasion abilities ban) off a mon that has several abilities (which is why the Moody ban forces Octillery et al out), so had evasion abilities been worthy of a ban, a choice would have to be made between banning these mons or keeping the ability in the format. :octillery: :glalie:

:zygarde-10: :rockruff: There are currently (to my knowledge) only two exceptions to this rule, which are Zygarde and Rockruff. Zygarde has access to Power Construct, and Rockruff has access to Inner Focus, but these are considered separate formes (like Battle Bond Greninja, which is sadly not available).
So the premise of the format could be more accurately worded as: "all of a Pokémon's ability slots are active simultaneously".

:ursaring: And about Ursaring, it essentially gains a very welcome +50% speed from its usual Guts set, which is a very nice buff, but I doubt that'd have made it viable, were it available this gen – though it is available in gen 7 Pokébilities, which is playable on the showdown ROM server, so try it out and let me know if you get interesting results! :O
 
Rapid fire thoughts go go go
:dracozolt: This mon might actually be broken. It is very powerful with Hustle, and also quite fast under Sand. It will miss once in a while but when it doesn't it just leverages an insane amount of power and speed.
:rillaboom: Gets into Overgrow range itself by using Wood Hammer, making it even more powerful. A very nice buff to an already strong mon.
:dragonite: Free pass out of taking Intimidate makes it more effective overall. There seem to be a few viable users of intimidate so this would help.
:blaziken: Endure + Blaze Kick + Reversal, anyone? Like Rillaboom it can also get into Blaze range just by spamming Flare Blitz.
:dragapult: An already good mon with three situationally useful abilities. It can be a Dragon Dancer immune to Intimidate which is nice. Cursed Body is cheesy too and will help once in a while.
:pelipper: Free Leftovers tacked on with Rain Dish.
:Bisharp: Actually nerfed. Inner Focus makes it immune to Intimidate, so it can't get Defiant off of that.
:clefable: Broken
:conkeldurr: This mon was really good last time and I don't expect that to change. It's notably more powerful than in standard, especially with its coverage moves.
:amoonguss: I like that it can cheese opponents with Effect Spore, that's pretty good. Unfortunately Effect Spore does not affect Grass-types, so Rillaboom is spared its wrath.
:zapdos: :moltres: These however are good Rillaboom switch-ins with a useful secondary ability in Pressure.
:magnezone: Magnezone sometimes feels like a dead weight in faster-paced matches, but now it will always prove useful by being able to survive a hit with Sturdy and retaliate hard with Analytic, while still doing its Steel-trapping thing.
:quagsire: Water Absorb is actually really useful on this for compressing a water-immunity on your stall team, letting you pivot in on CB Crawdaunt or something maybe.
:porygon2: Trace just makes this fun. Its other abilities are decent as well, but it'll still probably be just used as a TR setter.
:reuniclus: Does not seem fun to fight. It will outlast absolutely everything passive and just set up lategame and win.
:ninetales-alola: Free Snow Cloak, how cheap is that.
:hawlucha: Good sweeper for offense that can break through Clefable thanks to Mold Breaker. Limber is not useless either, it lets you click moves safely against incoming Zapdos.
:weezing-galar: Idk how this works. Would Neutralizing Gas pop before Misty Surge does? Levitate would prevent it from benefitting from Misty Surge, but Neutralizing Gas ostensibly nullifies that. The mechanics of this one are probably worth clearing up.
:porygon-z: +1 252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Analytic Porygon-Z Tri Attack vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Corviknight: 209-247 (52.2 - 61.7%) -- 97.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
:kingdra: Swift Swim Critdra was something I remember was used in gen 7, and it wasn't that great but definitely notable. In general I think the initial power is more appreciated.
:sigilyph: Could see niche use as Tinted Lens + Magic Guard is quite good.
:azumarill: This is probably the splashable Rillaboom check I was looking for. It's got a great defensive profile and can pivot in on a fair few resisted attacks. It can also be a setup sweeper that can't be revenged by Rillaboom.
 

Hamlette

Banned deucer.
:weezing-galar: Idk how this works. Would Neutralizing Gas pop before Misty Surge does? Levitate would prevent it from benefitting from Misty Surge, but Neutralizing Gas ostensibly nullifies that. The mechanics of this one are probably worth clearing up.
Neutralising Gas does not affecting Weezing's other abilities, which means that Misty Surge and Levitate will function properly for itself:O It will however neutralise all of the opponent's abilities, so that's pretty cool C: (afaik; at least, that's what I got from talking to the head honchos)
I had written 20 lines on Porygon-Z and its would-be checks before I realised PZ got added to the banlist while I was typing :psycry:

No matter, let's see what Sand-related mons we have available instead! C:

  • :tyranitar::hippowdon: these cuties should be able to fulfill their usual roles, with the added benefit of Unnerve/SandForce respectively C:
  • :gigalith: with great Atk and SandForce, great bulk and Sturdy, I think Gigalith just might be able to compete with Hippowdon and Tyranitar as a sand setter, having better (Sand-boosted) bulk than Hippowdon and significant offensive presence without needing to boost like TTar.
  • :dracozolt: like readytolose said, probably borked. It's extremely potent, provided that it hits. It will surely be the main Sand sweeper for now!
  • :stoutland: losing Return is a bit frustrating, but two fantastic side abilities – Intimidate and Scrappy – makes Stoutland worth mentioning :O Strength/Façade are a little weak, but it might work!
  • :garchomp: the (flying) shark has always been a powerhouse. Even outside Sand teams, SVeil will surely be useful in a format where Sand is common.
  • :palossand: now that it can have SandVeil without losing WaterCompaction, and Shore Up's direct synergy with Sand, Palossand might find a purpose with its unique set of talents. or not.
  • :sandaconda: I really want to try this one out, with its unique combination of RestSkin, Induced Sand+Veil, Coil, Glare and Rocks. Leftovers or RockyHelmet would serve its purpose as a physical wall on non-sand teams.
:sandslash::dugtrio-alola:These gets several Sand based abilities, which is a decent buff, but probably not enough:/

I'm glad :excadrill::dracovish::landorus: are banned, and am looking forward to testing these interesting mons:)

Also, hello everyone! It's my first time in the OM subforum!:)
 
Last edited:
Is there a way to play this? Can't find it on showdown :(
The first post says it's on the Showdown servers Dragon Heaven and ROM.

I remember being disappointed that there wasn't a Gen 8 Pokébilities last time I went on ROM. Is it because it hasn't been re-approved yet, or because no-one's gotten around to it?

EDIT: I tested Ursaring on ROM, and it only displayed as having its attack boosted by Guts, not speed boosted by Quick Feet. Is this a glitch, or...?
 
Last edited:

Ivy

resident enigma
is a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributor
The first post says it's on the Showdown servers Dragon Heaven and ROM.

I remember being disappointed that there wasn't a Gen 8 Pokébilities last time I went on ROM. Is it because it hasn't been re-approved yet, or because no-one's gotten around to it?

EDIT: I tested Ursaring on ROM, and it only displayed as having its attack boosted by Guts, not speed boosted by Quick Feet. Is this a glitch, or...?
The client side displays always lie for OMs. They'll show stuff based on the real ability you picked. You just have to have faith that the rest of it is working lol.
 

Hamlette

Banned deucer.
Just out of curiosity, because I don't see it in the banlist, is Zamazenta-Crowned allowed?
Zamazenta-Crowned is allowed yes! Compared to the OU banlist, the current banlist for Pokébilities has the following changes:
  • :pheromosa::magearna:these recent bans are freed
  • :zamazenta-crowned: this potentially suspected down Uber is freed (the base forme stays banned, however)
  • :excadrill: SandForce+Rush+MoldBreaker on this sand staple, banned
  • :porygon-Z: Download+Adaptability+Analytic lets it break even Blissey, banned
a few comments on why other mons remain banned:
  • :zygarde::naganadel::kyurem-black::genesect:There might be an argument for these mons, having started in OU and gaining nothing, but I feel they'd just end up busted too, so I'm glad they are banned!
  • :cinderace::spectrier::urshifu:These have been quickbanned! (edit)
  • :landorus: has SheerForce + SandForce, effectively giving it a 152BP STAB EarthPower in Sand, plus recoilless life orb...nope
  • :dracovish:retains Jaws while gaining insane speed in Sand, plus immunity to Sand and Water... Borked. Its brethren:dracozolt:might even join it soon.
  • :darmanitan-galar::darmanitan-galar-zen:interestingly, the ball forme does not have GorillaTactics in its ability slot, and therefore wouldn't be locked on a move after it transforms. note that:darmanitan-zen:also loses SheerForce, and:darmanitan:is forced to have ZenMode, which is a great nerf:(
All in all, with how this is a different format, where most mons are buffed by some amount, it makes sense that several of these weaker Ubers are freed! I can't wait to test them out! :psyglad:
(edit: forgot to add Urshifu-S in the freed mons:X)
 
Last edited:

shnowshner

You've Gotta Try
is a Pre-Contributor
Glad to see this is returning! Let's look at everything new in Gen 8

:rillaboom: Already really good and the Overgrow buff doesn't hurt a tall. Lets it deal tons of damage with Wood Hammer, which sets up for itself. Grassy Terrain healing does mean you might lose being in Overgrow range but generally you either die to Banded Rillaboom or you don't so I think it won't be too much of an issue.
:cinderace: Everything being at a much higher power level doesn't do this any favors, but Blaze does let it muscle through things with Pyro Ball a lot easier should it activate. Intuition tells me this might still be banworthy but I don't know for certain.
:inteleon: Endure Lansat Berry Snipe Shot "but inteleon bad"
+1 (Torrent) 252+ SpA Sniper Inteleon Snipe Shot vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Blissey on a critical hit: 361-427 (50.5 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Still probably bad but lmao
:greedent: Having both Cheek Pouch + Gluttony is really awesome for abusing berries but having your entire gameplan based on Berries is awesome for your Knock Off spamming opponent. Not worth it for like 99% of teams
:corviknight: Pressure + Unnerve + Mirror Armor is a fantastic defensive profile. You're immune to hax from the likes of Shadow Ball/Psychic/Moonblast and actually debuff the opponent, all while having the benefits of Pressure and the 1/175 chance of Unnerve doing something. Beats Greedent!
:orbeetle: Not much better. Swarm doesn't help much since it's generally a Webs lead or Stored Power spam. I guess it would help you blow past Dark types? Telepathy does nothing either, so you basically just have Frisk + Swarm.
:thievul: Still really weak and while Unburden and Stakeout are both really strong, Thievul is not. Maybe if Run Away was a different better ability this might have some value as a scary Psychic switch-in that chunks with Stakeout, but not likely in this state.
:eldegoss: Regenerator, Cotton Down, and Effect Spore is honestly really good. Dealing contact damage to Goss means 30% chance to get haxed, losing Speed probably, and it might just heal off the damage anyhow. Shame about the bland Grass type movepool, but all things considered this isn't half bad. Use it on your 6 member Regenerator team for Rapid Spin support.
:dubwool: Fluffy is a great ability, Bulletproof is okay, and Steadfast... not really. Still faces all the issues it does normally, just now you can't hit it with stuff like Focus Blast. Which is kinda sick but not when it has to do something in an OU-based meta.
:drednaw: Appreciates the Strong Jaw power boost to some of its coverage but not the most impressive Rain Sweeper out there. I guess it can use Sturdy to live a Rillaboom Glide???
:boltund: The two abilities this has affect opposing attacking types, so unless you go mixed this only has one Ability. Not that impressive either.
:coalossal: Flash Fire actually makes Steam Engine worse as you can't use doubly-resisted Fire moves to proc +6 Speed. At least the damage boost and flat-out immunity is nice, and it gets Flame Body as well. I don't know what you can do this.
:flapple: Ripen + Gluttony lol. It gets Hustle as well. Too frail and slow to make much impact but it can use souped-up Berries easier.
:appletun: Same combo as above except there's no need to worry about being too slow (though you might still get OHKO'd by kyurems). Thick Fat is already the go-to so now you just have Berry shenanigans as an option, but good luck making that work.
:sandaconda: No jokes this might be pretty solid. It's very bulky on the Physical side and compared to Hippo it's much more suited towards staving off Status and spreads it well with Glare, while having an easier time outpacing stuff. Lack of Slack Off hurts but just use Rest and be lucky with Sleep getting removed. Not to mention access to Body Press and Coil, which is neat. Sand Spit and Shed Skin are both cool abilities and it sucked that you had to pick one, but not anymore! At the end of the day it sets up its own Sand Veil probably can clutch a few matches.
:cramorant: lmao
:barraskewda: No difference but it's actually usable.
:toxtricity: Sadly this doesn't benefit from either of its non-Punk Rock abilities.
:centiskorch: Another Poke with three good abilities it no longer has to pick between. White Smoke nullifies any stat drops, Flash Fire gives it an improved defensive profile + chance for a power boost, and it also can burn Contact users. Can it accomplish anything of note? Odds are against it, but you could do a lot worse than Centiskorch all things considered.
:grapploct: It gains Limber and also can't really benefit from Technician all that much. Also, why use it.
:polteageist: This guy Shell Smashes on your team and dies to Sucker Punch but you get Cursed Bodied and now they can send in another brainless sweeper to 6-0. Worse yet, Cursed Body activates as it sets up and you're no longer able to force it out. Still needs tons of support, but its not any worse.
:hatterene: uhh sure? Anticipation maybe tells you if the opponent has that spicy tech and Healer does jack shit. Really doesn't add much to Hat.
:grimmsnarl: Frisk makes this a slightly better screens lead, though Pickpocket is way too situational to be consistently useful.
:obstagoon: Now we've got something HOT. Guts + Reckless + Defiant means this 90 Base Attack vermin hits way harder than it has any right to.
+1 (Guts) 252+ Atk Reckless Obstagoon Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tangrowth: 186-219 (46 - 54.2%) -- 48.4% chance to 2HKO
God forbid you give this a Defiant boost. Nothing will live.
:perrserker: Battle Armor is cute but really all we care about is Steely Spirit + Tough Claws. Man imagine if you could run two of these in Doubles. Would be bad but hilarious.
:cursola: Not only does Weak Armor barely help you outspeed stuff but you also die faster and also Die after a couple turns as well.
:sirfetch
hooray steadfast time to only abuse scrappy cc
:mr. rime: I have no idea what this does.
:runerigus: How does this interact with all abilities as once? Imagine your Clef losing Magic Guard + Unaware and giving it to the opponent because you clicked Knock Off wow.
:alcremie: All the benefits of Aroma Veil + Sleep immunity. Maybe if viability was based on cuteness it'd be like top 10 but sadly no.
:falinks: Still way too underpowered to make use of No Retreat.
:pincurchin: I guess you don't have to worry about your opponent using your terrain against you? Not the worst buff in the world, but not enough.
:frosmoth: Even with the sleeper pick Shield Dust alongside Ice Scales, can't hold a candle to Volcarona. Mainly because it'd die trying.
:stonjourner: lmao
:eiscue: l
:indeedee: In terms of spamming Expanding Force Synchronize does mean you can trade Status but ehhh and inner focus does prevent flinches, good luck living attacks though
:indeedee-f: Still less impressive than its male version. Sorry not Doubles
:morpeko: m
:copperajah: Heavy Metal doesn't do anything for its Sheer Force shenanigans so sadly this is still just an uninspired wallbreaker.
:dracozolt: Oh yeah, it's Bolt Beak time. Benefits immensely from Sand being insane while still nuking most things. Free immunity to Electric moves as well.
:arctozolt: Draco for Hail teams. No damage boost from Hustle but also no worse accuracy, and it does have the same immunity. Big problem is being slow even with doubled Speed and Static is very underwhelming for what it is.
:dracovish: [REDACTED] Thanks for the ban guys.
:arctovish: Might be a bit better than Zolt since Ice Body means it heals itself in the weather it wants to be in anyhow, while still having an Immunity just with Water instead.
:duraludon: Biggest waste of potential in the entire meta. One ability does nothing, and the two that do like 3 very specific things literally cancel each other out.
:dragapult: Pult has three good abilities for different purposes. Infiltrator makes it a great at breaking Substitute users and ignoring Screens, Clear Body keeps it safe from Stat drops, and Cursed Body enables fUnnY ChEeSe. Having all three at once makes this substantially better at the many things it can do.
:zamazenta-crowned: Right so this has been freed. With insane defenses, 130 Attack + CC and a bonkers Speed Tier for something so fat, moreso thanks to the +1 to Defense it gets upon existing, it might do okay for itself. Doesn't benefit from the meta's mechanics at all, but hey otherwise it might not even be allowed to compete. Hooray!(?)
:urshifu-rapid-strike: Really Cool Wicked Blow bear has returned and still probably lacks consistent switch-ins. At least things are likely faster and stronger than it anyhow so it might not even be that good.
:urshifu: You FOOL. The previous icon used was that of RAPID STRIKE, while this is SINGLE STRIKE. You have been CONNED.
anyway it's like rain urshifu probably not that great.
the rest of the pokedex have 1 ability nothing new for them just different meta
here's galarian forms
:rapidash-galar: Nothing of real value gained. Pastel Veil has always been its best ability and it's like not even that good.
:slowbro-galar: funny regenerating lad go zoom
:weezing-galar: If this literally removes the opponents Abilities while keeping its own two fantastic ones that's legit the most dumbass Pokemon in the entire meta and I love it.
:slowking-galar: It's basically the same. Can't be confused and uh that's it basically, couldn't care less about Intimidate immunity. Maybe would rather not have it in the slim chance you face Foul Play immediately after.
:corsola-galar: Worse and I'm happier for it.
:stunfisk-galar: Wow, it's still bad!

So basically the biggest winners are :rillaboom::cinderace::corviknight::obstagoon::dracozolt::dragapult: and anything with one ability that was previously banned if you consider being unbanned a positive trait.

Pokemon that are actually substantially improved from Pokeabilities and could see niche usage are :weezing-galar::slowbro-galar::sandaconda:. There are others that might be good but they don't gain that much from having all three abilities.

And if you can make a functioning team with :centiskorch: :inteleon: or:eldegoss: godspeed.
 
Oh hey, I remember liking this meta. I wish my man Breloom was available this gen, but oh well. At least Excadrill's starting off banned. Since shnowshner pretty much covered all of the new mons this gen, I'll go through and see what got new tech this time around.


Slowbro (and Slowking I guess) gets access to Oblivious and Own Tempo in addition to its standard Regenerator. The first, in granting an immunity to Taunt, makes it harder to stop Slowbro from healing up or Teleporting out to a threat. Own Tempo is much more niche, but avoiding Hurricane hax is certainly welcome. I think we can expect to see this thing on a lot of offensive builds.


In past generations, Gastrodon was famed for its ability to square up against rain teams with Storm Drain, while in Gen 8, its access to Sticky Hold becomes very relevant. Here, it can use both! Also Sand Force will have niche utility vs. the inevitably-common sand teams; for instance, under sand, Earthquake has pretty good odds of KOing Lonely Dracozolt from full, or KOing Adamant 'zolt after Rocky Helmet chip.


Venusaur doesn't inherently gain much from Pokebilities -- Overgrow is a nice addition to Chlorophyll, but nothing game-changing. What does seem relevant is how it interacts with the slate of new threats the meta brings -- it checks Azumarill and Rillaboom nicely, Conkeldurr can't revenge it with Mach Punch, the newly-buffed sand teams don't want to come in on Giga Drain to reset the weather, Clefable needs +3 to stay in on it... really, the only changes I see that are actually bad for it are the increased viability of some Psychic-types (Reuniclus, Slowtwins, Galarian Slowbro, Sigilyph, etc.)


The combination of Intimidate and Moxie is nice for a Scarf user, but the dream will be to proc Anger Point randomly and just 6-0 with this bad boy. Every attack that doesn't kill it has a 1 in 16 24 chance of immediately initiating Flat Fuck Friday. what do you mean it matches up poorly against the biggest threats in the meta

Edit: Apparently I've spent the last two generations being wrong about the critical hit rate.
 
Last edited:

Ivy

resident enigma
is a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributor

The combination of Intimidate and Moxie is nice for a Scarf user, but the dream will be to proc Anger Point randomly and just 6-0 with this bad boy. Every attack that doesn't kill it has a 1 in 16 chance of immediately initiating Flat Fuck Friday. what do you mean it matches up poorly against the biggest threats in the meta
Crits were reduced to 1/24 in gen 7, but yeah, good observations!
 

Hamlette

Banned deucer.
Several UU Intimidate users have been buffed, potentially becoming viable in the metagame:
  • :gyarados::salamence:gets the dreaded Intimoxie, letting them set up with more ease against physical threats, without losing on sweeping potential. Newfound access to HDB, and moves such as PWhip and DWB respectively, should help them find occasions to DD for free.
  • :krookodile:like Akumeoy mentioned, also gets Intimoxie. It is worth noting that AngerPoint can potentially abuse choice locked Urshifu-S. A shame it is weak to Kingdra/Urshifu-R:(
It is not a stretch to assume that these mons will see significant usage here, which brings us to...
  • :obstagoon:gets Defiant+Guts, dissuading Intimidaters. I'd have to disagree with shnowshner that DEdge is worth using: it's only 144BP with Reckless, versus Façade's recoilless 140BP. Obstagoon don't really have any other viable recoil moves, sadly.
  • :milotic:Competitive gives it +2SpA if Intimidated. I am thinking about a RestTalk set, with Scald and DTail: MarvelScale buffs Milotic's Defense while it is asleep, making it significantly harder to break.
Milotic, like several other mons, have gender-based abilities. These include:
:clefable::sylveon:and:nidoqueen::nidoking:
There are several gendered mons that will surely be viable, such as Lando-T, Latios and Blissey, though these don't really run contact moves (other than Lando-T's Knock and Blissey's Stoss) to trigger CuteCharm, but still matters for Rivalry. If Nidoking stays viable, Female mons might be used more, which in turn makes M-Clefables and Nidoqueen more common.
I hope that Nidoking and Nidoqueen just won't be used due to their high inconsistency, which would help make picking genders less metagaming.
 
Last edited:
Here's three pretty big winners:

:azumarill: Of course it has huge power, but now it turns one of its weaknesses into an immunity that boosts its attack, along with quad resistances to Fire and Ice.
:ninetales-alola: Gets 1.25x evasion as well as being able to set up hail, and by extension Aurora Veil.
:reuniclus: This mon rocks. Being able to switch out and heal 1/3 of your max HP, as well as being able to switch back in and not worry about hazards. On top of this, it takes no damage from burn or poison, and it isn't affected by powder moves.
 

Hamlette

Banned deucer.
:ninetales-alola: Gets 1.25x evasion as well as being able to set up hail, and by extension Aurora Veil.
Yis, while other weathers might not have it as nice as Sand, they still have some pretty neat buffs, especially Rain!
For Rain:
  • :pelipper:the Setter gets RainDish for built-in leftovers:)
  • :kingdra:Critdra and Raindra in the same set, with spammable DMeteor (as crits ignore the SpA drop), rain-boosted water moves and Hurricane, or IBeam/FlipTurn, all doing x2.25 damage after FocusEnergy? Scary!
  • :seismitoad:it might be worth to run a physical set on Stoad! PoisonTouch adds 30% poison chance to contact moves, such as Liquidation, KnockOff, PWhip or even STantrum. Water immunity is also nice to have C:
  • :crawdaunt:Immunity to Intimidate and crits, lets it switch into Urshifu variants and Kingdra better!
  • :ludicolo:gets RDish to counteract LO, decent:)
The other two weathers also get some buffs:
For Hail, :ninetales-alola:gets built-in 20% evasion. Outside of hail, Icetales can serve as an even better AVeiler now.
:arctozolt::arctovish:fast enough to outspeed the unboosted metagame, with access to BBeak/FRend and useful side abilities!
:beartic::sandslash-alola:SlushVeil is nice, but probably not enough to be good.
For Sun, :charizard::venusaur::torkoal::ninetales::leafeon:gets some small buffs, but none really noteworthy.


Hopefully Rain becomes viable! C:
 

Hamlette

Banned deucer.
If I am not mistaken, Weak Armor is considered a defense drop inflicted by the opponent, so it should be negated by Big Pecks.
Hmm, I tested it on the ROM server for gen 7, but it doesn't seem to work that way there. did it change this gen?
1615883945194.png
a shame Mandibuzz' stats are so bulk oriented, I'd have liked seeing the Weak Armor + Lash Out combination be any useful:(
 
I'd like to propose banning Bright Powder and Lax Incense.

:sandaconda:
Sandaconda @ Bright Powder
Ability: Sand Spit
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
-Coil
-Rest
-Earthquake
-Glare / Rock Slide

Set is pretty basic, although Sandaconda is surprisingly fast so it could be tweaked to outspeed some things. I don't think I need to explain what this does, it spams Coil and fishes for misses, which Glare helps it doing very well, too. Bright Powder can be slapped on pretty much any Sand Veil and Snow Cloak Pokémon to fish for more miss, another example could be both Sandslash forms using it to try to get lucky dodges against priority. In reality, however, it will rarely be the best item; this Sandaconda for example certainly much prefers Leftovers as it will have a form of passive healing and not need to use Rest as much, and Sand Veil arguably grants enough hax alone. This proposed ban is more of a band-aid patch over Sand Veil/Snow Cloak, since these items arguably don't have any competitive value by themselves and therefore the collateral damage is nil.

As for other degenerate hax stuff
:cinccino:
Cinccino (F) @ King's Rock / Choice Band / Protective Pads
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Tail Slap
- Triple Axel
- Rock Blast
- Bullet Seed / U-turn

Each move here is stronger than V-Create (except Triple Axel which has equal power, and U-turn), and has a flinch rate of 41% (27% in the case of Triple Axel and 10% in the case of U-turn). King's Rock is not just a meme item since these flinch values are so high for moves with this power, and allow Cinccino to switch moves to make use of its powerful Ice/Rock/Grass coverage, or switch out of a bad matchup with U-turn while having a small chance to flinch. Cinccino however is not just restricted to haxing, but can instead use Choice Band to achieve ridiculous power with its Tail Slap. However, as we all know, Cinccino is extremely susceptible to anti-contact abilities, such as Static, Flame Body (which have an 83% chance to activate against Tail Slap and 66% to activate against Triple Axel) and Iron Barbs (exacerbated by Rocky Helmet, Cinccino will straight up die if clicking Tail Slap against that), so if you have no sauce Protective Pads is an usable alternative to the other items, in exchange for a lot of breaking power (and I don't think Cinccino is fast enough to get away with it). Unfortunately, each item usable by Cinccino has glaring flaws that, coupled with its general inability to touch Ferrothorn, prevent it to be truly viable, but fun to goof around with I guess.
 
Hi I made a hail team

:ninetales-alola: :vanilluxe: :arctozolt: :sandslash-alola: :reuniclus: :lanturn:
Ninetales-Alola @ Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Warning (+Snow Cloak)
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Blizzard
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell

Vanilluxe @ Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Warning (+Ice Body, Weak Armor)
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Aurora Veil
- Blizzard
- Taunt
- Explosion

Arctozolt @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Slush Rush (+Volt Absorb, Static)
EVs: 252 Atk / 72 SpA / 184 Spe
Naive Nature
- Bolt Beak
- Freeze-Dry / Blizzard
- Rock Slide
- Icicle Crash

Sandslash-Alola @ Wide Lens
Ability: Slush Rush (+Snow Cloak)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Triple Axel
- Earthquake

Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard (+Overcoat, Regenerator)
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Recover

Lanturn @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Volt Absorb (+Illuminate, Water Absorb)
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Blizzard
- Discharge
- Scald

Ninetales and Vanilluxe's purpose is to set up hail and Aurora Veil so its sand abusers Arctozolt and Sandslash can switch in and start sweeping. Ninetales can also function as a cleric, as it can get Heal Bell up for free 1/3 of the time. Meanwhile, Vanilluxe functions as more of a lead, as it can set up Aurora Veil and explode on the opponent.

After Hail and Aurora Veil are set up, the big guns switch in, the big guns being Arctozolt and Sandslash.

Arctozolt is a very simple mon, as all the fossils are. Its EVs are max attack and enough speed to outspeed max speed jolly Dragapult, with the rest being invested in Special Attack. It also prevents Dracozolt from wreaking havoc with Bolt Beak, as it has Volt Absorb, and it can also hit it back with supereffective damage.

Sandslash is a mon that appreciates hail a bunch, getting a 25% chance to dodge 100% accurate attacks and being super fast. It also has the option to set up Stealth Rock (or Spikes) if it pleases. Other than that, it runs dual STABs plus Earthquake for coverage.

Reuniclus and Lanturn are very much backbone support for the team.

Reuniclus is a very nice mon to have on any team, and this one is no exception. Taking no damage from hail due to Magic Guard, along with taking no hazard damage and being able to regenerate 1/3 of its HP every time it switches out. It runs Psychic for STAB, and Thunder and Focus Blast for sheer power. I originally used Clefable, but replaced it with Reuniclus because of my team's steel weakness.

Lanturn exists to nullify weaknesses. It has a quad resistance to Steel, a resistance to Fire, and an immunity to Electric and Water due to Volt and Water Absorb, allowing it to prevent opposing Arctozolt/vish sweeps. It runs Safety Goggles to not take hail damage, and can spam moves such as Discharge and Scald to inflict status.

I'm really happy with how this team turned out, and if Pokebilities ever becomes OMotM, I'll try to use it on ladder to see how good it is in practice.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top