Resource Simple Questions, Simple Answers Thread (read the op before posting a thread)

I won't pretend that I am knowledgeable about the event, but OU recently banning Zygarde has been a big news that has been flying around everywhere (as everyone may already know), and when I try to inform people who were away about what happened I commonly hear "they can't suspect Zygarde without doing the same to Landorus-T that has more centralization" or something similar. I honestly don't have an opinion about the decision from the council (and I don't want to disrespect their discretion in any way) so what would be the most simple way to describe the reason why Zygarde was the most urgent component of the tier that had to be brought to the table?
 

Finchinator

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LandoT is simply a very good Pokemon that merits a lot of usage, but has plenty of universal counterplay and never would even make the discussion of the most banworthy Pokémon in their tier. Zygarde had Thousand Arrows, which is all it truly needed to be good to begin with, coupled with different ridiculous variants to help it cover all normal counterplay (Toxic for Bulu Tang, DD for revenge killers, Glare for pretty much everything LOL, Z move for Glisc Tang, etc.). It was able to adapt with the metagame adapting to it, thus limiting the universal counterplay, upping the incentive to abuse the most troublesome variants, and making it too versatile for teams to have a fair shot against any given set. Anyone trying to compare the two simply doesn’t understand what merits a suspect or ban. Hell, anyone calling for a LandoT suspect STILL simply shouldn’t be discussing tiering anymore.
 
I'd argue against many of the bans that were made in the past but... I'm actually curious on how a LandoT ban would affect the metagame.
 
I'd argue against many of the bans that were made in the past but... I'm actually curious on how a LandoT ban would affect the metagame.
This video does a good job of explaining it, even though it's a little outdated

I'm not sure if I'm the one who should say this, but I'm not sure this is the place to talk about this. I don't know.
 

Astra

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It is okay to not have hazard control on offense if none of your mons are weak to sr?

Also do ppl seriously want lando-t to get banned?
:facepalm:
In general it's usually okay to not have hazard control on hyper offensive teams if you really don't want to lose the offensive momentum to remove the hazards and just focus on KOing the opponent's team. If you're playing someone thing like balance leaning towards the offensive side, then it'll really help to have atleast one hazard remover.

For the banning of Lando-T mentality I could see that as because people just want a meta change like how they wanted it with Zygarde. Though, it'll be more justifiable with Lando-T for them to think so because I think a lot of the meta revolves around it. Still, it really shouldn't be banned.
 
It is okay to not have hazard control on offense if none of your mons are weak to sr

Also do ppl seriously want lando-t to get banned
:facepalm:
It's significantly less important if you don't have any rocks-weak mons but I still strongly recommend throwing a Defog user onto the team. Stealth Rock still racks up a fair amount of damage over time and if the opponent has Spikes then it can become a huge problem. Toxic Spikes and Sticky Web are also very threatening to offense archetypes.

I suggest using Defog on Tornadus-Therian, Lando-T, Kartana, Tapu Koko, Tapu Fini, Rotom-Wash, Zapdos, etc since they can work well on bulky offense teams and comfortably fit Defog into their moveset. For hyper offense I recommend lead Excadrill with Stealth Rock, Earthquake, Rapid Spin, Rock Tomb / Toxic.
 
It is okay to not have hazard control on offense if none of your mons are weak to sr?

Also do ppl seriously want lando-t to get banned?
:facepalm:
You could also utilise prevention methods like Magic Bounce, Magic Coat or Taunt. I usually carry one removal method per team though because (t)Spikes can be really dangerous even if Rocks aren't a big deal.
 
Which is the best Tran set rn?

ppl say that z-magma storm is very good but I generally prefer running lefties on those sets

Also I know that spdef is good and steelium z has a niche
 

Finchinator

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Which is the best Tran set rn?

ppl say that z-magma storm is very good but I generally prefer running lefties on those sets

Also I know that spdef is good and steelium z has a niche
Depends on team, but all of the sets you list are good. Z Magma Storm is the most immediately threatening to a lot of teams alongside Z Flash Cannon, but Leftovers sets have more longevity and Specially Defensive variants are able to check/counter a wider array of opposing threats.
 
There are a actualized EV spread for SpDef Bulu? Or the Clasic 248 HP / 252 SpDef Careful?
I mean, if there are some speed benchmark or something like that
 
Like I asked before, Do all balance teams need scarfers/speed control?

I just read some articles on teambuilding and none of them say that they need it
 

Astra

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Like I asked before, Do all balance teams need scarfers/speed control?

I just read some articles on teambuilding and none of them say that they need it
You can argue that all teams barring stuff like stall require speed control, and having a Choice Scarf user is an easy way of doing that.
 

Finchinator

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All non-stall teams should use speed control, including balances. Speed control is not only scarfers, however. Faster Pokemon and priority can be sufficient speed control, but it depends upon what types of Pokemon and priority they are. When in doubt, look at faster threats and opposing win conditions and ask yourself "can I handle this?" -- if the answer is a secure yes for as many as possible, then you have sufficient speed control more likely than not.

Also, balance is far from as simple as 3 bulkier Pokemon and 3 more offensive Pokemon, just a heads up.
 
How is CM Reflect Type M-Latias for a balance team? or is better use Roost + 3 attacks?
And, partners for it in balance teams? was thinking things like tapu bulu to handle ash greninja and bulky volcarona to deal with m scizor, weavile, m mawile and kartana, but what else?
search in the analysis, but it seems pretty outdated :psycry:
 

Finchinator

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How is CM Reflect Type M-Latias for a balance team? or is better use Roost + 3 attacks?
And, partners for it in balance teams? was thinking things like tapu bulu to handle ash greninja and bulky volcarona to deal with m scizor, weavile, m mawile and kartana, but what else?
search in the analysis, but it seems pretty outdated :psycry:
It depends a lot on the remainder of your team composition, but it is a viable option for sure. As is Roost + 3 attacks or even Roost, TWave, and 2 attacks.

As for partners, I personally pair it with Toxic Spikes or some means of crippling/luring Tyranitar and Greninja, but it is also nice to have common counterplay measures to things like Taunt Heatran, Tapu Lele, and other offensive threats that do not mind your Mega Latias (which obviously hinges on your set and coverage moves, but you can get the gist I'm sure).

Those partners you list are fine as countermeasures that provide offensive synergy, but do note that they also require support within themselves and can make finishing the entire team challenging, especially with regards to Volcarona. Try to think more how you can make progress against things to lead to an ultimate win with Calm Mind Mega Latias instead of just raw checks/counters to problematic Pokemon, as that will just lead to an overall passive structure, probably.
 
All non-stall teams should use speed control, including balances. Speed control is not only scarfers, however. Faster Pokemon and priority can be sufficient speed control, but it depends upon what types of Pokemon and priority they are. When in doubt, look at faster threats and opposing win conditions and ask yourself "can I handle this?" -- if the answer is a secure yes for as many as possible, then you have sufficient speed control more likely than not.

Also, balance is far from as simple as 3 bulkier Pokemon and 3 more offensive Pokemon, just a heads up.
So if your team has a bunch of fast mons and strong prio it is good speed control?

Cus I'm always under the impression that ALL teams need some sort of scarfer
 

Finchinator

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So if your team has a bunch of fast mons and strong prio it is good speed control?

Cus I'm always under the impression that ALL teams need some sort of scarfer
Yes, it can be. For example, I rarely run a Choice Scarf Pokemon if my team has Mega Alakazam. I also rarely run it if I have Ash Greninja + Sucker Punch Mawile. And so on. Obviously, you still need some Quiver Dance Volcarona and Shift Gear Magearna countermeasures, but most scarfers fail to properly handle them anyway, so defensive counterplay is sufficient instead of direct revenge killers for them, allowing your faster Pokemon and/or strong priority users to form sufficient speed control backbones for your balanced/bulky-offensive teams!
 
Hey I have a question about a couple of pokemon and why are they not considered viable:
-Salamence (now that zygarde is gone)
-Mega Altaria
-Nihilego
-Croocodile
-Talonflame and bridspam in general
Thx for any answers
 

Colonel M

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Hey I have a question about a couple of pokemon and why are they not considered viable:
-Salamence (now that zygarde is gone)
Even prior to Zygarde Mence's issue is that it needs to always have momentum to keep up with its sweep. Mence is borderline viable for what it's worth, but has to be cautious of Scarf users such as Greninja.
-Mega Altaria
Extremely niche Pokemon, honestly. It's walled very hard by Celesteela in terms of its DD sets and the Defog sets are questionable. Dragon-typing can be a double-edged sword since it leaves it vulnerable to Magearna Fleur Cannon (or Flash Cannon).
-Nihilego
Magearna just shuts down the majority of offensive Nihi sets. There are more suicide-like lead approaches with it, but with Defog becoming more common and Toxapex still used on balance teams it isn't always worth going this route.
-Croocodile
More or less outclassed as a Pursuit user by [Mega] Tyranitar and Weavile.
-Talonflame and bridspam in general
Talonflame got nerfed pretty hard by the Gen 7 mechanic. There is also the annoying factor of Psychic Terrain which can help grounded Pokemon stay immune to Talonflame's Brave Bird / SSSS if Talonflame is at full health. Defog becoming more common hasn't proven to be too kind to bird spam either. Tornadus-T, being one of the most common Defoggers, also has Superpower to catch Bisharp (or Hurricane to catch Serperior, but giving it Evasion is always a risk that has to be factored too).

That isn't to say that you can't use any of these Pokemon, but some of the listed Pokemon are super fringe as is and require a lot of support or their general playstyle has some issues.
 
Thank you very much, I more question, if you z move let's say brave bird on full HP Talonflame in psychic terrain will it work with +1 priority?
 

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