Hey everyone!
We recently had a tournament held by Mossy Sandwich which helped us out regarding the state of the metagame, so I'd like to add my own thoughts. Hearing about the idea of adding new mons to the metagame to help balance it really interests me, so over time this will be intriguing to see what will change. Long post, though, there's a lot to talk about. Note that everything here is at least somewhat viable, and so is subject to both additions and removals.
Breakers / Sweepers
- Yeah, this mon isn't okay. While I did find it difficult to find opportunities to set up at times, it still is stupid broken (it won me otherwise unwinnable games from being almost uncheckable). Once it sets up, you better hope your check is still healthy if you want to live. 
| 
all have the potential to defensively check it, but when they still have to deal with your other breakers you can easily overwhelm them before attempting to even sweep. Offensively, 
(
) 
() are your most consistent answers, though the former two are only effective at stopping it from boosting. Even without boosts its threatening, so always answer it accordingly, if you can.
- I feel bad for anyone on the receiving end after a boost from either of these. 
are your best bets for , but with , better answers are
(Thunder Wave) are better for . However, is a mon that offers a lot of role compression, hence why I am directly listing sets that are bad and not the mon itself. Body Press Rocks sets are good, while 
is a high-risk high-reward set that I honestly think is good for the meta as of right now.
- A unique cleaner in the metagame, it has the potential to completely blast open defences after they have been weakened. However, that's about it. Most special walls can deal with it if it's not at +2, and even the most bulky only face issues at +3. Snarl 
is by far the best counter, though, completely walling Celesteela, and both and shut it down offensively. Leech Seed sets are also quite good, but they don't differ much from usual play in Gen 8 tiers.
- One of the scariest cleaners in the tier, it has both the Special Attack and Speed to be a complete monster. 
has immediate firepower, but lacks initial speed and usefulness outside the first attempt, while lacks immediate damage but quickly racks that up with every KO. Rock STAB being resisted by almost nothing viable is nice too. Apart from the Fairy-types, most viable special walls can usually stop this, but you're unlikely to have them be issues during a sweep.
- Scary Guts / Quick Feet abuser with 210 / 315bp Facades, Close Combat and Crunch / Throat Chop. Also immune to Thunder Wave from , so the best answer for Quick Feet (
) is IMO or 
, while Guts (
) is a mon that's faster with Close Combat (best being )
- Really fun mon to use, though it really suffers from 4mss. SD for boosting, Knock for STAB and Sucker Punch for priority. However, its last move is the issue. Play Rough OHKOs , Iron Tail threatens 
, and Close Combat OHKOs . The issue is that you can only choose to beat one of these 3, which really hurts it overall. Solid breaker, but needs quite a bit of support.
- About the same as regular use. Click SD and Knock, and use Sucker Punch and Iron Head when needed.
- Scariest 
breaker in the tier, and 
can OHKO offensive at +2. If it doesn't resist a Wood Hammer, it dies. is too slow, don't use it.
- Not bad, but there are too many viable Water-types right now and generally is better. Is threatening, in Trick Room, however. 
is by far the best counter, followed by and .
- This Pokémon alone can demand a Dark-type or on every team. Calm Mind sets are hard to beat after a boost, while can be a pain to predict and deal with, especially with its access to Trick.
- This mon has the potential nearly every game to be super problematic. Whether it be an SD 3 attack set, SDtect, or even just a simple Protect 
/
set, this must be answered immediately every time. At +1 it even outspeeds the likes of with an Adamant nature, and with its respectable 100 Attack and decent coverage it can pick apart teams with ease.
- 
Eruption hurts, and is useful for outspeeding everything up to a boosted Adamant . In theory 
could work, but the loss of either choice items really hurts it.
Walls / Support
- yeah im letting the screenshot do the talking for me.
( + 0 SpA boots)
Volt-Turn hurts it (like almost every wall) but any special sweeper without powerful coverage for it dislikes this mon, and for good reason. Crediting Kha here, since they were the one that showed me really how bulky this is.
- Very similar to Umbreon, but loses out on the physical bulk for SpA. Mystical Fire is generally more useful than Snarl for reducing SpA, though, and STAB 108BP Hyper Voice is always nice. can hit this hard with either Physical or Special sets, so be aware when attempting to switch into Clangorous Soulblaze.
- Best cleric in the metagame, Scald to burn, Wishtect tech, Flip Turn for safe pivots and 130 / 60 / 95 bulk. Beware of , though.
- One of the best defoggers in the tier with Taunt and Fairy coverage for . Also can check a boosted that isn't behind Light Screen.
- They all are very similar in role, purely changing on which defensive stat you need more. beats (), while beats () ().
- Wasn't seen much as far as I'm aware, but the one match I faced it, it gave me a bit of trouble. Foul Play scares off most physical attackers, U-turn is always nice, and Defog helps in most matchups (especially since defoggers are less common).
(
) - Defensive Kommo-o is in my opinion the best Stealth Rock setter right now. STAB boosted Body Press coming off of a huge 125 defence and great typing for the meta along with Soundproof to stop opposing Clangorous Soulblaze and all sets makes other competition need great reasoning for being brought over this if it is not used offensively. is the best at stopping this mon thanks to its typing along with Misty Terrain, but and Play Rough can also get the job done.
- Being the only decent Ground-type wall, it's niche is absorbing Volt Switches from and . HP Ice doesn't 2HKO from , but a surf from will 2HKO given the opportunity to do so. Having Stealth Rock with reliable recovery is always a plus, too.
- Somehow this manages to be the most consistent way to shut down a sweeper, even if it goes down in the process. doesn't get threatened, but every other thing does, so preserve this if you can after setting up screens!
- Cool mon, not too much hazard control going on so Webs are quite strong. Never used it though, so I can't say if it's any better than .
Pivots
- These two are scary. Jolteon has more speed while Heliolisk has Normal STAB, hitting 
much harder. Jolteon also has a really nice Electric immunity, while Heliolisk has Dry Skin for more Water-type bullying (even forcing unsafe switches from ). Both also pair nicely with .
- Infinite accuracy Hurricane with only 1 good Rock type and 2 Steel Types that both dislike Heat Wave. Bring Roost and a or and you're set.
- Not too amazing with how common is right now, but nonetheless is a great way to deal with the fast-paced nature of Volt-turn cores. Also threatens for to then clean with
- Its only role is to shut down Volt-turn cores, and it does it well. Volt Switch out on a predicted switch. does live an Ice Beam, however, so don't risk an Earthquake to attempt to OHKO back.
- 
sets can switch into a +1 Meteor Beam from and 1v1 it from full. Decent pivot otherwise with middling damage and U-Turn access. Can also act as a Ground resist, for the 3 times that will be helpful.
- Decent Fire-type with Intimidate and Parting Shot / U-Turn to annoy Physical Attackers. Little use past that.
Bad Mons
- Sadly, a smaller metagame was not enough to make these two viable. lacks proper recovery and the ability to pivot, and is just too slow, not even being able to outspeed a +1 in Hail.
- Even if it had a good niche, would do it better. Magnet Pull can threaten at least, but even that isn't super commonly brought.
- This mon has potential, but there are too many viable counters to this with the most obvious being and . Also, it is pitifully weak to Volt-Turn.
That should cover everything! Edits will be made over time, should mons or sets crop up. Really excited to see how the rest of the metagame will develop, especially since the last tour.
We recently had a tournament held by Mossy Sandwich which helped us out regarding the state of the metagame, so I'd like to add my own thoughts. Hearing about the idea of adding new mons to the metagame to help balance it really interests me, so over time this will be intriguing to see what will change. Long post, though, there's a lot to talk about. Note that everything here is at least somewhat viable, and so is subject to both additions and removals.
Breakers / Sweepers
- Yeah, this mon isn't okay. While I did find it difficult to find opportunities to set up at times, it still is stupid broken (it won me otherwise unwinnable games from being almost uncheckable). Once it sets up, you better hope your check is still healthy if you want to live. | all have the potential to defensively check it, but when they still have to deal with your other breakers you can easily overwhelm them before attempting to even sweep. Offensively, () () are your most consistent answers, though the former two are only effective at stopping it from boosting. Even without boosts its threatening, so always answer it accordingly, if you can.------
- I feel bad for anyone on the receiving end after a boost from either of these. are your best bets for , but with , better answers are (Thunder Wave) are better for . However, is a mon that offers a lot of role compression, hence why I am directly listing sets that are bad and not the mon itself. Body Press Rocks sets are good, while is a high-risk high-reward set that I honestly think is good for the meta as of right now.------
- A unique cleaner in the metagame, it has the potential to completely blast open defences after they have been weakened. However, that's about it. Most special walls can deal with it if it's not at +2, and even the most bulky only face issues at +3. Snarl is by far the best counter, though, completely walling Celesteela, and both and shut it down offensively. Leech Seed sets are also quite good, but they don't differ much from usual play in Gen 8 tiers.------
- One of the scariest cleaners in the tier, it has both the Special Attack and Speed to be a complete monster. has immediate firepower, but lacks initial speed and usefulness outside the first attempt, while lacks immediate damage but quickly racks that up with every KO. Rock STAB being resisted by almost nothing viable is nice too. Apart from the Fairy-types, most viable special walls can usually stop this, but you're unlikely to have them be issues during a sweep.------
- Scary Guts / Quick Feet abuser with 210 / 315bp Facades, Close Combat and Crunch / Throat Chop. Also immune to Thunder Wave from , so the best answer for Quick Feet () is IMO or , while Guts () is a mon that's faster with Close Combat (best being )------
- Really fun mon to use, though it really suffers from 4mss. SD for boosting, Knock for STAB and Sucker Punch for priority. However, its last move is the issue. Play Rough OHKOs , Iron Tail threatens , and Close Combat OHKOs . The issue is that you can only choose to beat one of these 3, which really hurts it overall. Solid breaker, but needs quite a bit of support.------
- About the same as regular use. Click SD and Knock, and use Sucker Punch and Iron Head when needed.------
- Scariest breaker in the tier, and can OHKO offensive at +2. If it doesn't resist a Wood Hammer, it dies. is too slow, don't use it.------
- Not bad, but there are too many viable Water-types right now and generally is better. Is threatening, in Trick Room, however. is by far the best counter, followed by and .------
- This Pokémon alone can demand a Dark-type or on every team. Calm Mind sets are hard to beat after a boost, while can be a pain to predict and deal with, especially with its access to Trick.------
- This mon has the potential nearly every game to be super problematic. Whether it be an SD 3 attack set, SDtect, or even just a simple Protect / set, this must be answered immediately every time. At +1 it even outspeeds the likes of with an Adamant nature, and with its respectable 100 Attack and decent coverage it can pick apart teams with ease.------
- Eruption hurts, and is useful for outspeeding everything up to a boosted Adamant . In theory could work, but the loss of either choice items really hurts it.Walls / Support
- yeah im letting the screenshot do the talking for me.
+ 0 SpA boots)------
- Very similar to Umbreon, but loses out on the physical bulk for SpA. Mystical Fire is generally more useful than Snarl for reducing SpA, though, and STAB 108BP Hyper Voice is always nice. can hit this hard with either Physical or Special sets, so be aware when attempting to switch into Clangorous Soulblaze.------
- Best cleric in the metagame, Scald to burn, Wishtect tech, Flip Turn for safe pivots and 130 / 60 / 95 bulk. Beware of , though.------
- One of the best defoggers in the tier with Taunt and Fairy coverage for . Also can check a boosted that isn't behind Light Screen.------
- They all are very similar in role, purely changing on which defensive stat you need more. beats (), while beats () ().------
- Wasn't seen much as far as I'm aware, but the one match I faced it, it gave me a bit of trouble. Foul Play scares off most physical attackers, U-turn is always nice, and Defog helps in most matchups (especially since defoggers are less common).------
() - Defensive Kommo-o is in my opinion the best Stealth Rock setter right now. STAB boosted Body Press coming off of a huge 125 defence and great typing for the meta along with Soundproof to stop opposing Clangorous Soulblaze and all sets makes other competition need great reasoning for being brought over this if it is not used offensively. is the best at stopping this mon thanks to its typing along with Misty Terrain, but and Play Rough can also get the job done.------
- Being the only decent Ground-type wall, it's niche is absorbing Volt Switches from and . HP Ice doesn't 2HKO from , but a surf from will 2HKO given the opportunity to do so. Having Stealth Rock with reliable recovery is always a plus, too.------
- Somehow this manages to be the most consistent way to shut down a sweeper, even if it goes down in the process. doesn't get threatened, but every other thing does, so preserve this if you can after setting up screens!------
- Cool mon, not too much hazard control going on so Webs are quite strong. Never used it though, so I can't say if it's any better than .Pivots
- These two are scary. Jolteon has more speed while Heliolisk has Normal STAB, hitting much harder. Jolteon also has a really nice Electric immunity, while Heliolisk has Dry Skin for more Water-type bullying (even forcing unsafe switches from ). Both also pair nicely with .------
- Infinite accuracy Hurricane with only 1 good Rock type and 2 Steel Types that both dislike Heat Wave. Bring Roost and a or and you're set.------
- Not too amazing with how common is right now, but nonetheless is a great way to deal with the fast-paced nature of Volt-turn cores. Also threatens for to then clean with ------
- Its only role is to shut down Volt-turn cores, and it does it well. Volt Switch out on a predicted switch. does live an Ice Beam, however, so don't risk an Earthquake to attempt to OHKO back.------
- sets can switch into a +1 Meteor Beam from and 1v1 it from full. Decent pivot otherwise with middling damage and U-Turn access. Can also act as a Ground resist, for the 3 times that will be helpful.------
- Decent Fire-type with Intimidate and Parting Shot / U-Turn to annoy Physical Attackers. Little use past that.Bad Mons
- Sadly, a smaller metagame was not enough to make these two viable. lacks proper recovery and the ability to pivot, and is just too slow, not even being able to outspeed a +1 in Hail.------
- Even if it had a good niche, would do it better. Magnet Pull can threaten at least, but even that isn't super commonly brought.------
- This mon has potential, but there are too many viable counters to this with the most obvious being and . Also, it is pitifully weak to Volt-Turn.That should cover everything! Edits will be made over time, should mons or sets crop up. Really excited to see how the rest of the metagame will develop, especially since the last tour.
Nothing so far, but 
and 
summaries soon!
and summaries soon!
Last edited:
Drapion
Dustox (Note: Comes with 
Beautifly)
Farfetch'd
Hawlucha
Kingdra
Moltres
Muk
Snorlax
Stunfisk
Xatu
Azumarill
Carracosta
Delcatty
Grapploct
Meowstic (Note: Both 
Meowstic-Female are included)
Politoed (Note: Comes with 
Poliwrath)
Regigigas
Regirock
Toxapex
Vivillon
Araquanid
Barraskewda
Braviary
Druddigon
Exeggutor
Necrozma
Reuniclus
Rampardos
Skarmory
Weezing-Galar
Bronzong
Dracozolt
Escavalier
Glalie (Note: Comes with 
Mega-Glalie)
Lurantis
Mantine
Miltank
Raticate
Slurpuff
Zeraora
