Metagame Pokébilities

oh, rip, thought it was poison touch and got curious, Nidoking still seems like a fine mon though for this meta
I disagree, rivalry isnt amazing as half the time give or take a few percent you're doing 0.75 damage, although it can he 1.25x. It's a bit luck based and if nido becomes meta defining people can just make their mons female.
 

Rach

Banned deucer.
:magearna:We're officially banning Magearna as well. Magearna is an extremely flexible and oppressive Pokémon in teambuilding and in battle, punishing you if you plan/play around the wrong set. The set up set is devastating if given free turns, and Specs is hard to punish with proper support, even in bad matchups.

With Magearna gone, we will be paying even closer attention to Clefable.:clefable:

As for Dracozolt and Conkeldurr: no plans to ban at the moment:dracozolt::conkeldurr:

tagging Kris to implement the ban whenever possible since Ivy is not available currently
 
Heres some thoughts on pokemon rn

:clefable:
Either love it or you hate it, or most likely both. I dont think clef is banworthy, but it is pretty team restricting in every team has to have a check to not lose to it and it shuts down most of ho barring like zama-c.
:reuniclus:
This pokemon I hate rn with a passion, it's so annoying to kill and just sets up like its nothing, acid armour calm mind or just assault vest are so infuriating to take out even if you swap something into it that supposedly checks it. I've lost so many times from swapping in physical breakers on an acid armour then it does it again and heals the next turn, making me pretty much lose the game unless I crit. Of course there are dark types but those dont make it better for other pkm.
:dracozolt:
I think is mon is absolutely fine. Absurd breaker but has a common immune type and has a 20% chance to miss each turn. Despite this, its still top 5 mons for me in this OM but it has common counterplay and doesnt restrict building as much as clefable
:pheromosa:
I thought this would be absurdly broken but I haven't seen it rip apart teams as I thought it would. It seems 100% fine (right now) but if it becomes an issue I could definitely see it being banned like the rest.
:conkeldurr:
Again, fine. One of the best physical breakers in the OM along with zolt. Although guts + iron fist + sheer force looks absolutely terrifying it isnt restricting team building or being a huge threat to a good players entire team.
 
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I love Clef. Magic Guard and Unaware are the primary draws but Cute Charm is also great, especially since you are taking a lot of physical hits. It has some nice checks though, like Zamazenta-Crowned and Magnezone, who are both fantastic in their own right. Magearna I guess was also a check before it was banned. I don't think banning Clef is a good idea, as it's not particularly broken and it has its own fair share of checks.

Personally I find Conk a LOT more annoying to deal with than Clef, Conk doesn't have any real checks. That power is so scary. Unlike with Dracozolt PhysDef Hippowdown cannot wall Conk. I guess TPex checks Conk but it's not fun to lose your item and no it doesn't it has Thunderpunch. I agree Conk is not going to 6-0 your team because it's slow and is burned but I've found it very scary. Even a PhysDef Clef I believe is 2HKO'd by Ice Punch or ThunderPunch.For my team actually I find Conk, Magnezone (especially Specs), and Heatran (especially the Taunt set) to be the scariest things to deal with. Dracozolt isn't too much of a problem as Hippowdon is so slappable. Reuniclus is good but is checked by Clef, at least Cosmic Power Clef. I think non-CP clef can moonblast through the stored powers. Clef is checked by many of the steel types, like the aforementioned Heatran, Magnezone, and Zam-C. I am currently top of the ladder.

I think I am one of the people who has swept OctoMystic a few times with Stored Power Reuniclus... it is very strong and fun to use and just sweeps many teams. It is a great partner to Zam-C who can absorb Knock Off and other dark moves and KO dark types.

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I also find Galarian-Weezing and Marowak-Alola to be really threatening. Marowak-Alola is a great Zam check as well, with its high Defense and resistance to Zam's moves.

I don't think Clef is very centralizing, I've found Zam-C to be a very slappable and useful check. The same for Dracozolt, which also needs sand and has 80% accuracy. Conk and Marowak-Alola are the physical sweepers I worry much more about.

Galarian-Weezing is a huge pain for more defensive builds. The worst is that it come in on a Magic Guard user who has been Toxic'd for 10 turns and immediately Toxic saps more than half your health. Yikes.
 

Rach

Banned deucer.
having a lot of fun with this clef set:
:clefable:
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Cosmic Power
- Soft-Boiled
- Stored Power
- Moonblast

:heatran: heatran can come in on it like any other clef, but you can outpace it from full, and magma storm is far from reliable and doesn't get the extra damage because of magic guard
0 Atk Heatran Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. +1 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 140-168 (35.5 - 42.6%) -- 91.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Heatran Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 104-126 (26.3 - 31.9%) -- 30.3% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable: 99-117 (25.1 - 29.6%) -- 0% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. +2 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable: 75-88 (19 - 22.3%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery

:corviknight: corv has no problem sponging hits and recovering it back. it also pp stalls it easily with pressure, and can also switch spam with reuniclus with no downside and roosts when it needs to
0 SpA Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Reuniclus: 102-120 (24 - 28.3%) -- 96.8% chance to 4HKO
0 SpA Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 252 HP / 88 SpD Corviknight: 92-109 (23 - 27.2%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
this set has plenty of checks (namely pokemon that take less than 50 and have recovery or regenerator, or the usual checks like magnezone and zamazenta if you don't deal with them before setting up), but it's fun and can steal late games with a supporting party and the help of magic guard + unaware
 
Hey! I wanted to share some spark ideas for this metagame, which first of all is great! Is really fun and I wish I discover it some days early to exploit some OP stuff.
Not everything on this list is Meta per say, but I though the combination of abilities are worth mentioning.

Idk how to attack spites so uhhhhhh

MIENSHAO: Fantastic mon I would say! It has the combination of Reckless + Regenerator, which allows it tobe used as a Scarfer. Its cool!

GYARADOS & SALAMANCE: Both are used in the same way, but the typing demands some other support. They are cool! Although I think Salamance would be the more use.

CINCINNO: Is one of my favorites mon in competitive. With Skill and Technician, it becomes a strong all-out-attacker and good breaker. Scarf, Band, LO or HDB it can pivot, hit with STAB 185 Tail Slap, abuse Bullet Seed, Triple Axel and Rock Blast, or even annoy thick walls with Knock Off. Its just solid.

MAMOSWINE: inmune to intimidate and a bit more evasion on hail? Sign me in!

GASTRODOM: Has a niche in Sand team! Both as a Water Check and sand abuser!

MAROWAK-ALOLAN: So, Marowak is a glass cannon, but its dificult to bring to the match. You have to choose between an inmunitunity or a safe check to abuse your strongest move. NOW YOU DONT!! Abuse your Strongest options and break the opposition!

BARBACLE: Yknow them, Hands: The Mon. Now you could try use high crit damage with contact moves. Thats somethin im definitely trying out.

ARCANINE:
Intimidate + Flash Fire AND recovery? Priority and great coverage in attack and support?!?!? Heck yeah, the doggo has it, at it can dthem

TAUROS: Intimidate + Sheer Force. Do the math

VANILLUXE: It can Abuse Weak armor and do a little sweep, i guess.

SUN CHARIZARD:
Hey, Blaze Charizard let it outdamage Moltres. Why not doubledown with Solar Power? NOW it actually ABUSE steath rocks and the chip damage it recieves just MAKESS IT STRONGER!

HITMONTOP: Intimidate + Technichien allows it to serve a variety of roles, with can go from a CB, Rapid Spinner, Revenge Killer. Is a pick-and-mach.
Personally, being able to hit Zapdos with Triple Axel can be cool w/Protective Pads.

SCRAFTY: HOLY CR@P IT HAS MOXIE, INTIMIDATE AND SHED SKIN. Im not joking, this is a potencial wincon. Bulky Set with bulk up - Rest or DD, mix and max. Plus, It has stab in moves that perfectly syncronizes. Its a match in heaven.

BUTTERFREE: ITs very niche, but now it can Spam Hurricanes. This is probably THE WORST one but on a perfect world where this is an alternative, I can see it on a BL

GARBODOR: CAn work as a weird Lead with Aftermath-Weak Armor, using Spikes or its T variant. If the opponent is an special attacker, use Explosion.

At last, there are few things to do. Like a Storm Drain Maractus on Sun team to check waters. A Custap Lead Shucker Or you can use a Swift Swim Rain Dish Ludicodo.Let your creativity flow around and welcome to Pokebilities!!
 
having a lot of fun with this clef set:
:clefable:
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Cosmic Power
- Soft-Boiled
- Stored Power
- Moonblast

:heatran: heatran can come in on it like any other clef, but you can outpace it from full, and magma storm is far from reliable and doesn't get the extra damage because of magic guard
0 Atk Heatran Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. +1 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 140-168 (35.5 - 42.6%) -- 91.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Heatran Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 104-126 (26.3 - 31.9%) -- 30.3% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable: 99-117 (25.1 - 29.6%) -- 0% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. +2 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable: 75-88 (19 - 22.3%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery

:corviknight: corv has no problem sponging hits and recovering it back. it also pp stalls it easily with pressure, and can also switch spam with reuniclus with no downside and roosts when it needs to
0 SpA Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Reuniclus: 102-120 (24 - 28.3%) -- 96.8% chance to 4HKO
0 SpA Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 252 HP / 88 SpD Corviknight: 92-109 (23 - 27.2%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
this set has plenty of checks (namely pokemon that take less than 50 and have recovery or regenerator, or the usual checks like magnezone and zamazenta if you don't deal with them before setting up), but it's fun and can steal late games with a supporting party and the help of magic guard + unaware
Hey, that's the Clef set I use! I put the last 4 in SpD rather than SpA but whatever. I thought that's the normal CP Clef. It can set up on a lot of physical threats compared to CM Clef. Also worth noting
0 SpA Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable: 194-229 (49.2 - 58.1%) -- 64.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery which is great. You speed tie with other Clefs, so if you go last on one turn then first on another you probably KO it. This means you can sweep through other Clefs. On the other hand this does show that even the 260 BP non-STAB Stored Power off that uninvested SpA is not doing too much, especially compared to Reuniclus STAB 380 BP off a higher SpA (especially at +6 SpA).

The real issue with Heatran is that it can Taunt you to prevent you from healing. If Heatran doesn't have Taunt sure you can set up on it. Flash Cannon also will do more than Heavy Slam I think and a lot of them run that also.
 
Hey, that's the Clef set I use! I put the last 4 in SpD rather than SpA but whatever. I thought that's the normal CP Clef. It can set up on a lot of physical threats compared to CM Clef. Also worth noting
0 SpA Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable: 194-229 (49.2 - 58.1%) -- 64.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery which is great. You speed tie with other Clefs, so if you go last on one turn then first on another you probably KO it. This means you can sweep through other Clefs. On the other hand this does show that even the 260 BP non-STAB Stored Power off that uninvested SpA is not doing too much, especially compared to Reuniclus STAB 380 BP off a higher SpA (especially at +6 SpA).

The real issue with Heatran is that it can Taunt you to prevent you from healing. If Heatran doesn't have Taunt sure you can set up on it. Flash Cannon also will do more than Heavy Slam I think and a lot of them run that also.

4 Atk Heatran Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 210-248 (53.2 - 62.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

0 SpA Heatran Flash Cannon vs. +1 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable: 158-188 (40.1 - 47.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Assuming they calm mind on the swap, here’s why slam is better.
 
Right, but if Clef is Cosmic Power (or just a PhysDef support set) the Flash is doing more. Also, a lot of Heatran run Specs...

Point taken though, a lot of Heatran are running Heavy Slam to get the 2HKO on the CM set.
 
Right, but if Clef is Cosmic Power (or just a PhysDef support set) the Flash is doing more. Also, a lot of Heatran run Specs...

Point taken though, a lot of Heatran are running Heavy Slam to get the 2HKO on the CM set.
Yea I get cosmic power and specs it doing more. But on the utility set slam is better to check specifically calm mind clef.
 
Haven't seen it discussed here yet, but I think both of the apple bros have a lot of potential with Ripen and Gluttony. While they lack the immediate repeatability of, say, Harvest + Chlorophyll Exeggutor under sun, a free +2 for dropping under half is nothing to sneeze at, not to mention their access to Recycle. Flapple runs the risk of Hustle misses, as always, but subbing twice or taking some chip and then getting +2 speed seems like it could definitely clean up weakened teams. Appletun could run Petaya to be more of an offensive threat, or just Ganlon or Apicot to be even more fat. And, of course, Starf is always an option for the courageous.
 

Rach

Banned deucer.
hey, posting a team I had success with :pheromosa: :slowking: :magnezone: :hippowdon: :rillaboom: :corviknight:

this team was inspired by everyone saying they didn't see much pheromosa or that pheromosa was underwhelming. pheromosa abuses future sight very nicely, and so does the rest of the team depending on the matchup. I played around with rillaboom's slot a bit, ended up going with SD rillaboom, which really tied it all together nicely. magnezone is for clefable mostly, but it's also just a good special attacker in general with specs analytic.

some annoying matchups are rain with azumarill, or azumarill in general, but i've found that people will usually stay in on the poison jab (if not, it's important to keep corviknight healthy). corviknight also needs to stay healthy for dragapult matchups (which I haven't seen a ton of). pheromosa can also become jolly if you'd rather offensively check dragapult, but I felt like corv did the job well enough. playing around opposing magnezones also requires some mind games or sacking my own magnezone if I don't need it anymore.

the team is named pheromosa + sd rillaboom because I feel like they were the highlights of my time laddering with this team

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Overgrow Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dracozolt in Grassy Terrain: 337-398 (104.9 - 123.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO (not actually too relevant, but this happened twice and it was pretty much the game winner both times)

252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 88 SpD Corviknight: 169-201 (42.2 - 50.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO (standard OU calc, but it's even better here because corv can't get shadow ball dropped)

252+ Atk Choice Band Pheromosa Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Conkeldurr: 351-414 (84.7 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Pheromosa Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Conkeldurr: 351-414 (100 - 117.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Iron Fist Conkeldurr Mach Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Pheromosa: 146-172 (51.5 - 60.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO (some general important conkeldurr calcs)

252+ Atk Choice Band Pheromosa Poison Jab vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 360-424 (105.5 - 124.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Pheromosa Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 360-424 (89.1 - 104.9%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO (idk if 252 hp azumarill is actually a thing, but it'll die after rocks and every time I used it it fainted
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 168+ Def Corviknight in Rain: 283-334 (70.7 - 83.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO (always keep magnezone alive if you see azumarill, and chip it as much as possible)

1618210914203.png

here's the final game I did before making this post, it's really cool because I feel like it really shows what this team is all about (and I played really well so I'm proud of that too) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8pokebilities-1319858208. thanks for reading and shoutout to raf for doing concepts with me when I said I wanted to build with pheromosa
 
I ran https://pokepast.es/d84448ab81e84cdf and topped the ladder with (and #3 is my alt).

I used to run Dracozolt over the Weezing (see https://pokepast.es/751415b1ab7c8400 for the team like that).

Pink Blob (Clefable) Stored Power and Green Blob (Reuniclus) Stored Power defensive sweepers for the win. Zam complements them very well, absorbing Knock Offs and checking Dark types for Reuniclus (Clef also does that) as well as checking other teams' fairies like Galarian-Weezing and Clefable. Ferro sets spikes and provides a lot of defensive utility overall, especially against rain teams where it walls most things, beware of Focus Blast from LO Ludicolo and the like. The Hippo is a physical wall that sets up Rocks and stops Zolt.

I put Galarian-Weezing in the last slot to deal with Conk, Obstagoon, and other mons that abuse their abilities to do too much damage for the blobs to set up on and/or for Hippowdon to consistently wall. With Haze it's also a good secondary Clef check (and can check Stored Power Reuniclus, but Psychic will hurt). I used to have Dracozolt there which could sweep with the sand. I have also tried experiment with SpDef Heatran there, as I do have some problems with strong special attackers that pack a fire move like Blacephelon, Heatran, and Chandelure (and also other special attackers like Magnezone after Ferro is gone). I also have some issues with Marowak. I guess Chansey/Blissey (another pink blob!) would also be a reasonable choice in that slot. Maybe Dragapult is another reasonable choice there as a fast revenge killer that resists Fire, and one immune to webs at that. In general the team does struggle a bit against HO and in particular to teams that spam strong special attackers that can overwhelm its defenses.

Overall though I've found though it's a solid team.

Screen Shot 2021-04-12 at 6.07.01 PM.png
 


Stoutland in the sand is pretty cool. It lost Return, but thanks to Scrappy it can run mono normal with Last Resort with e.g. Substitute. Something like Magnezone could help to get rid of steel types I guess.


Stoutland @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Last Resort
- Substitute

Also a berry could be cool.
 

Ivy

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


Stoutland in the sand is pretty cool. It lost Return, but thanks to Scrappy it can run mono normal with Last Resort with e.g. Substitute. Something like Magnezone could help to get rid of steel types I guess.


Stoutland @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Last Resort
- Substitute

Also a berry could be cool.
I tend to see it on sand teams with Retaliate as a decent revenge killer and as one of the few extant Sand Rush users. Still an overall pretty niche pick when sand already has zolt to fixate on; they don't particularly synergize with each other.
 
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.

: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.
Obstagoon actually doesn't get too much of a benefit from Reckless. Sure, it allows you not to have to deal with status to deal damage, but at the same time, a Reckless boosted double edge only has 144 BP, which is only 4 over a Facade after a burn. Defiant is still amazing, though

Quagsire+Clefable+Corviknight is an extremely reliable core that is hard to break through if played correctly. Covers each other's weaknesses, easy to build a team around, fits on multiple different team archetypes, extremely good. To add on, Quag works as a good way to get rid of Cosmic Power, Work Up, or Calm Mind on Clef with Unaware+Haze, which is an amazing combination. Unrelated, but with Teleport being available to several amazing pokemon, Conkeldurr gets free Flame Orb proc without having to risk taking a hit, which makes it much more reliable. I did calcs for around 40 stall pokemon from OU to NU and only two of them could check Conkeldurr, which was just because they're faster, not because they take two hits, those being Cresselia and Uxie. I did this with the boosts to the punching moves and moves with a secondary effect to be as accurate as possible. With Conkeldurr's insane coverage with S.T.A.B., elemental punches, Jab, Knock, Facade, Stone Edege, Earthquake, and even Bulk Up or Defog if you want, Conk is extremely difficult to break without sacking a pokemon because the pokemon that outspeed it mostly get OHKOd by it. In my opinion, Conk should get a suspect test, but we may want to see how the meta develops first. Funny how a move Conk doesn't even get is what pushes it over the edge in my opinion. In gen 7 pokebilities, you would have to come in on a stall pokemon or one that doesn't threaten Conk often or use a slow U-Turn or Volt Switch user, which was difficult depending on what team you had, but that's not a problem anymore with Teleport.

Anybody know how Klingklang would work in this metagame? Seeing as how it gets both Plus and Minus, would the both of them interact with one another and give Klingklang both boosts?
View attachment 326997
It only works if it's in a double battle where there are two pokemon on one side of the field that have plus or minus, can both be the same. Both don't activate in pokebilities.

So it just gets +2 speed for being hit by a physical attack? Scary stuff.
No, actually. Tested it myself and since it comes from an ability of Mandibuzz, it is counted as an artificial stat drop, like Shell Smash would be counted as an artificial stat drop. Because it's inflicted by your own ability instead of the opponent's attack, it is not protected by Big Pecks

Can I suggest taking a look at Conkeldur? Feel like an Exscadrill scenerio. Iron fist, Guts, and sheer force? Ice and Thunder Punch become casual 117 bp moves. You don't necessarily have to run flame orb to activate guts.

As for the person who said set up sweepers feel almost unviable against clef....that's kind of the point of unaware ... literally to prevent set up sweepers from doing what their name implies: sweeping you. Literally doing its job...just so happens that every unaware pokemon has access set up moves that lets them become sweepers them selves.
I won't speak on Clef right now, but I completely agree on Conkeldurr. Extremely reliable Guts proc with Teleport being a negative priority momentum move, meaning it doesn't have to risk getting hit. Nothing that I've calced doesn't have a chance to get 2HKOd by Conk, and the only things that 2HKO in return are Cresselia and Uxie, which are terrible in this metagame

pokepast.es/b3b107140809bd53

Little stall team I concocted. I know my Heatran set isn't the greatest, but for phasers, it was between Heatran and Zapdos, so I chose Heatran. Put Substitute and Protect on for some stall and if a get a Substitute on a switch, that's one more chance to burn with Lava Plume, which I did on a Garchomp yesterday, and it felt great. Miltank for a nice grass immunity and a few good resistances, the all-mighty Clef+Corv+Quag core, and Dragapult as a last ditch offensive backbone.
 
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