THE SILVALLY FILES
Chapter 0: Prologue
Welcome to the Silvally Files, a little project I'm going to be working on where I will go in depth on Silvally and all of its forms, noting all possible viable tactics involving them, and experimenting with every single one while reporting my findings. This experiment could be a complete bust or a cool success, but overall, I think it'll be a good learning experience for me and something fun to follow for you guys hopefully.
This is Chapter 0, the first installment where I will talk about Silvally in general, pros, cons, and talking about all of the types with my first impressions before the in-depth experiments begin. The inspiration for the Silvally Files came from Silvally itself. With such an interesting concept, a STAB 120 Power move of every type, and some cool utility moves, I believe there is some potential that through experimentation I hope to be found over time.
Let's begin:
First, I want to cover the general idea of Silvally, what is good about it, and what isn't.
With that, time to move into each type, my initial thoughts, and ranking them on where I think they will stand post experiment. I'll be going alphabetically:
They will be ranked on a three rank system. A question will be asked if I think there is potential, and I will put Yes, Possibly, or No
Silvally-Bug
Potential: No
Reasoning: The bug typing is just such a bad type. Defensively it gets wiped off the face of the earth by Heatran without any real way to take it down. A Megahorn with 100% accuracy is nice and all, but I see no feasible way this thing can work. STAB U-turn sounds fun, but you'd be giving up Parting Shot which is one of its best utilities. I can't even think of a set that might be even decent for this right now.
Silvally-Dark
Potential: Possibly
Reasoning: Silvally-Dark changes things up a little. I'm not too sure what to think of Silvally-Dark. The defensive spread means if you run a specially defensive set, it walls Pult really hard with Draco Meteor having a chance to 3HKO. I'm leaning away from it because other than the ghosty bois it wouldn't check that much, but maybe it just need some more thought put into it.
Silvally-Dragon
Potential: No
While having Outrage with no drawbacks is really nice, defensive pokemon in the meta really hurt this thing. Tapu Fini would just crush this thing into the floor. It wouldn't enjoy the presence of Clefable, Heatran, Lando, and Melmetal. Would get taken out by Pult's Dracos, Lele's Moonblasts, Weavile's Triple Axel ect ect. While that Multi Attack looks tempting, it just doesn't seem like it will work with the vast amount of threats stacked against it.
Silvally-Electric
Potential: Possibly
Yes, it is highly outclassed by Zeraora, however I'm not going to discount it completely because electric is just such a good offensive typing. Multi-Attack + Ice Fang create that perfect BoltBeam coverage able to squash many defensive threats like Pex, Fini, Corviknight, Slowbro, Slowking, and Garchomp with those moves in hand. Lando-T becomes a little more complicated with Intimidate HOWEVER a special set with Thunderbolt and Ice Beam would fix this problem but would open up more checks than it's worth. Overall, I believe this is the best of the 4 so far.
Silvally-Fairy
Potential: Yes
The first Yes! Silvally-Fairy can utilize its great defensive typing with a good defensive spread to mix up its defenses and avoid the 2HKO from both Weaviles Triple Axel AND Dragapults Specs Shadow Ball after rocks while nuking them back with a POWERFUL Multi Attack. Although fringe, Rest can be a good option to recover up HP, maybe use a heal bell user or come back in on another wall to waste some sleep turns, wake up and continue doing its job. Excited to experiment with Silvally-Fairy. I will provide a theorized set for all the Yes picks, so here ya go:
Silvally-Fairy @ Fairy Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Def / 104 SpD
Impish Nature
- Multi-Attack
- Parting Shot
- Toxic / Thunder Wave / Roar / Rest
- Toxic / Thunder Wave / Roar / Rest
Silvally-Fighting
Potential: Possibly
I'm tempted by this, but I also see its issues. A Close Combat with no drawbacks is fantastic and could pair well with FuturePort Bro. Possible double dance possibilities with Flame Charge, or using Psychic Fangs for Pex, Crunch for Pult ect. Unlike some other types Silvally-Fighting has coverage to make up for Fighting's weaknesses. It is outpaced by Splashifu as an offensive physical fighting type, but could be okay...?
Silvally-Fire
Potential: Possibly
Pyro Ball before Pyro Ball, Silvally gets access to a very powerful fire STAB able to wipe the floor with things like Corviknight and even can OHKO Clef at +2! If it's Unaware Clef it gets 2HKOd after rocks. It CAN 2HKO Pex with Adamant +2 Thunder Fangs, but thats a high roll so watch out for Pex. As always Lando's Intimidate can cause some issues for you, but SpDef Lando can still be 2HKOd by Ice Fang. This was almost a yes, but just a few checks that worry me that pretty much require an SD to handle.
Silvally-Flying
Potential: No
A flying type needs to have more speed to be usable imo. Torn-T has a 375 speed tier so it can outspeed and KO things like Kartana, but Silvally-Flying just can't do that. Recoilless Brave Birds is fun and all, but things like Weavile, Electrics, Kart, Blaceph, Garchomp, Melmetal, Heatran ect ect, just hit too hard and Silvally struggles to either hit first or hard enough to beat them.
Silvally-Ghost
Potential: Yes
Literally the most powerful physical ghost type move in the game, combined with Ghosts potency to just be able to spam the same move over and over, PLUS having a non-Knockable item meaning Knock Off cant kill it makes a mon that can become a legitamate threat if used right. This thing was the start of my journey to making Project Silvally Files and could end up being a lot of fun, and can hit VERY hard.
Silvally-Ghost @ Ghost Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Multi-Attack
- Flame Charge
- Parting Shot / Substitute
Substitute SD Silvally can be used to just sit on Blissey, or you can Flame Charge on unsuspecting Weaviles. Once Ghostvally is at +2 it's gonna HURT. 2HKOing the likes of Toxapex, Lando-T AFTER Intimidate bringing it to +1, Brotwins stand no chance, Melmetal, Clefable, Heatran, Corviknight, Hippowdon, Ferrothorn, and even Tapu Fini. +2 Ghostvally is a monster that I hope turns out as well as I think it will.
Silvally-Grass
Potential: No
And immediately we return back to the bad side. Silvally-Grass suffers from the same fate as Silvally-Flying, too many things that can hurt it before it can hurt others. Silvally-Grass also struggles even worse against Heatran, and is weak to U-turn (yuck). It can handle bulky waters with Multi Attack able to take on Fini and the Slowtwins well, but then gets dropped by things like Buzzwole and Heatran.
Silvally-Ground
Potential: Yes
This is turning into a damn seesaw as we pivot back to yes! Silvally-Ground I believe would have a niche as a bulky ground able to shake off electrics like Koko and Zeraora, even being Knock resistant as to deter Zeraora even more. A 120 BP Ground STAB being literally an unmissable Precipice Blades, and the obvious coverage moves to help against its weaknesses, with good pivoting power means this thing could serve as a very strange Lando as it can even Defog and spread status. Outclassed by Lando-T? Sure. Usable? Sure.
Silvally-Ground @ Ground Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Multi-Attack
- Defog
- Toxic / Thunder Wave / Rest
- Parting Shot
Silvally-Ice
Potential: No
Sliiide to the left, sliiide to the right, CRISS CROSS. Back to No we go! Silvally-Ice is very similar to Silvally-Electric with the BoltBeam with 1 of them being STAB, decent coverage yada yada, but the difference is in the typing. Although the same concept is present, Ice is a MUCH worse defensive typing than electric, as electric only has 1 weakness while Ice has 4. This means Icevally can't eat nearly as many things as Sparkvally can, which is going to be a major issue when setting up SD. Glacial Lance - 10BP is cool, but it doesn't make up for how bad of a defensive type Ice is.
Silvally-Poison
Potential: No
Electric being weak to Ground is one thing because at least that's its only weakness, but Silvally-Poison just hurts my soul. Weak to both Ground and Psychic means a plethora of moves in the meta hit it hard, and Poison doesn't even hit that hard back. Sure, disposing of Fairies is nice, but Pex and Heatran once again show up to ruin your day. Free Gunk Shots are cool, but that's just it. I doubt Poison will get very far with Steel types being immune.
Silvally-Psychic
Potential: Possibly
This one interests me. A physical psychic type with a 120 BP STAB means Toxapex no longer becomes an issue in any universe. Once again becoming Knock resistant removes some of Weavile's threat, and a Flame Charge set similar to Spoopvally can be used, although not as effective since Ghost is way more spammable, and Heatran ONCE AGAIN becomes an issue. This will be one that could end up being near the top, but still needs more experimenting.
Silvally-Rock
Potential: No
Rock stacks up so many weaknesses of types that are so potent. Being weak to Water, Fighting, and Ground is a 1-way ticket to hell. You could hit things like Torn-T and Zapdos really hard sure, but if that Zapdos is on a rain team you don't stand a chance. Lando-T loves seeing you as it lowers your attack and hits really hard with EQ. This just isn't gonna work.
Silvally-Steel
Potential: Possibly
Got really close to yes on this, but I'm not fully sold. Steel is such a good type with 10 resistances, plus a 120 BP Steel move would hurt, but we circle back to Tran and Pex. As a defensive option thought could be a good idea with the same rest idea and thunder wave luring in both pex and heatran for good utility to help your teammates. Parting Shot as always is goated as Magnezone cannot trap you as long as you run it. This is SO close to a yes, but I'll hold out on it because of the weakness to ground and fighting scaring me with Grounds almost required on teams while Focus Blast and CC run rampant.
Silvally-Water
Potential: Possibly
From one end of possibly to the other, this one barely made the cut into possibly. The reason I put it here is because of the ability to check Heatran, Splashifu, Weavile, and Lando. Being able to check 3/4 S tiers is a great asset. It is outclassed as a bulky water by Pex, Bro, and Fini, but that doesn't change the question of is it usable. This one I doubt will actually make the cut as a good choice, but I can't deny it has at least a very small glimmer of hope with a strong 120 BP Water STAB.
Silvally-Normal
Potential: Yes
Saving this for last since Silvally Normal is very different from the others. Silvally Normal doesn't need to hold a memory so item access could play a big part in Silvally being good. Scarf, Band, Leftovers to be defensive, the options are huge for Silvally. So much so that I can't even give a set because there is just so many possibilities that I don't know where to start. Definitely going to be the longest experiment of the bunch with tons of potential.
Don't worry, future Silvally Files posts won't be nearly as long as long as this was, but this was to get a foundation. From here on out I'll post my findings probably 2 at a time showcasing what I found it could do and ranking it amongst their brethren. If you saw potential in Silvally, feel free to give 'em a shot and tell me your findings so we can see what Silvally may or may not be capable of, although I don't expect any of these to be like top tier threats, my end goal is to hopefully get a Silvally form at least nominated to the C ranks in the viability rankings.
Chapter 0: Prologue
Welcome to the Silvally Files, a little project I'm going to be working on where I will go in depth on Silvally and all of its forms, noting all possible viable tactics involving them, and experimenting with every single one while reporting my findings. This experiment could be a complete bust or a cool success, but overall, I think it'll be a good learning experience for me and something fun to follow for you guys hopefully.
This is Chapter 0, the first installment where I will talk about Silvally in general, pros, cons, and talking about all of the types with my first impressions before the in-depth experiments begin. The inspiration for the Silvally Files came from Silvally itself. With such an interesting concept, a STAB 120 Power move of every type, and some cool utility moves, I believe there is some potential that through experimentation I hope to be found over time.
Let's begin:
First, I want to cover the general idea of Silvally, what is good about it, and what isn't.
Let's start with the obvious,
Multi Attack: A 120 BP move that is ALWAYS STAB for Silvally, granting a nuke button on every single type it could utilize.
This move is the saving grace of Silvally as this means it always has a spammable move to use in a ton of scenarios, and acts as a really strong STAB with no downsides.
Defensive Stat Spread
It may not look it, but 95 across the board is a lot better defensively than you may think. Keep in mind 100 across the board gave birth to Demon Mew, which is an incredibly annoying threat that can dismantle your entire team, 5 less in each stat is not a huge detriment, ESPECIALLY when Silvally can play any type it wants.
Pivoting
The amount of good utility moves Silvally has isn't the greatest, but what it does have is Parting Shot, an incredible pivoting move that lowers both offensive stats of the opponent, giving whoever comes in a huge advantage.
Special Movepool
Silvally's special movepool is fantastic, Draco Meteor, Flamethrower, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Flash Cannon, Shadow Ball, Surf, Air Slash, Hyper Voice, Tri Attack, Steel Beam. All great moves it can utilize and make STAB by changing its type.
Multi Attack: A 120 BP move that is ALWAYS STAB for Silvally, granting a nuke button on every single type it could utilize.
This move is the saving grace of Silvally as this means it always has a spammable move to use in a ton of scenarios, and acts as a really strong STAB with no downsides.
Defensive Stat Spread
It may not look it, but 95 across the board is a lot better defensively than you may think. Keep in mind 100 across the board gave birth to Demon Mew, which is an incredibly annoying threat that can dismantle your entire team, 5 less in each stat is not a huge detriment, ESPECIALLY when Silvally can play any type it wants.
Pivoting
The amount of good utility moves Silvally has isn't the greatest, but what it does have is Parting Shot, an incredible pivoting move that lowers both offensive stats of the opponent, giving whoever comes in a huge advantage.
Special Movepool
Silvally's special movepool is fantastic, Draco Meteor, Flamethrower, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Flash Cannon, Shadow Ball, Surf, Air Slash, Hyper Voice, Tri Attack, Steel Beam. All great moves it can utilize and make STAB by changing its type.
Offensive Stat Spread
While I would consider 95 defensive spread good enough, 95 attack spread just isn't great. Luckily it does get access to swords dance, but that 95 attack really hurts the offensive pressure Silvally could put on.
Physical Movepool
Although Multi Attack is HUGE for its movepool, allowing it to have a move of any type, it's coverage otherwise is lackluster. The Fangs are okay at best, Crunch, Iron Head, Rock Slide and Shadow Claw are usable, but I feel it could've gotten such better moves. Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, Earthquake, Stone Edge all missing is a big detriment to Silvally's abilities.
Unreliable Recovery
Silvally has no reliable recovery sadly. A lack of such means defensive sets become a little more fringe especially with a lack of Item due to having to use the Memory's to get new types. It does have Rest, but that's it.
While I would consider 95 defensive spread good enough, 95 attack spread just isn't great. Luckily it does get access to swords dance, but that 95 attack really hurts the offensive pressure Silvally could put on.
Physical Movepool
Although Multi Attack is HUGE for its movepool, allowing it to have a move of any type, it's coverage otherwise is lackluster. The Fangs are okay at best, Crunch, Iron Head, Rock Slide and Shadow Claw are usable, but I feel it could've gotten such better moves. Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, Earthquake, Stone Edge all missing is a big detriment to Silvally's abilities.
Unreliable Recovery
Silvally has no reliable recovery sadly. A lack of such means defensive sets become a little more fringe especially with a lack of Item due to having to use the Memory's to get new types. It does have Rest, but that's it.
(Things I don't consider good nor bad, but need mentioned.)
Utility Movepool
While Silvally doesn't have a big utility movepool, the ones it can use are pretty good. The aforementioned Parting Shot, T-Wave, Roar, Defog, ID, along with some niche ones like Magic Coat, Rest + Sleep Talk, and Tailwind. Overall not great, but some cool options in there.
Itemless
Now I know, this seems like a really big downside, but it has an upside. With an item that cannot be knocked off, some types of Silvally can easily swap into Knock's without worry. It can't lose the memory attached to it so Knock Off doesn't get the power boost meaning you can use that to wall things like Weavile who tries to bypass the ice resistances with Knock Off.
Speed Tier
95 speed tier is a competitive wasteland with Splashifu and Lele being the big boys, however running Adamant/Modest is 100% an option because they still outspeed the likes of Heatran, Nidoking, and Volcanion while adding an extra punch to Multi-Attack and other moves.
Utility Movepool
While Silvally doesn't have a big utility movepool, the ones it can use are pretty good. The aforementioned Parting Shot, T-Wave, Roar, Defog, ID, along with some niche ones like Magic Coat, Rest + Sleep Talk, and Tailwind. Overall not great, but some cool options in there.
Itemless
Now I know, this seems like a really big downside, but it has an upside. With an item that cannot be knocked off, some types of Silvally can easily swap into Knock's without worry. It can't lose the memory attached to it so Knock Off doesn't get the power boost meaning you can use that to wall things like Weavile who tries to bypass the ice resistances with Knock Off.
Speed Tier
95 speed tier is a competitive wasteland with Splashifu and Lele being the big boys, however running Adamant/Modest is 100% an option because they still outspeed the likes of Heatran, Nidoking, and Volcanion while adding an extra punch to Multi-Attack and other moves.
With that, time to move into each type, my initial thoughts, and ranking them on where I think they will stand post experiment. I'll be going alphabetically:
They will be ranked on a three rank system. A question will be asked if I think there is potential, and I will put Yes, Possibly, or No
Silvally-Bug
Potential: No
Reasoning: The bug typing is just such a bad type. Defensively it gets wiped off the face of the earth by Heatran without any real way to take it down. A Megahorn with 100% accuracy is nice and all, but I see no feasible way this thing can work. STAB U-turn sounds fun, but you'd be giving up Parting Shot which is one of its best utilities. I can't even think of a set that might be even decent for this right now.
Silvally-Dark
Potential: Possibly
Reasoning: Silvally-Dark changes things up a little. I'm not too sure what to think of Silvally-Dark. The defensive spread means if you run a specially defensive set, it walls Pult really hard with Draco Meteor having a chance to 3HKO. I'm leaning away from it because other than the ghosty bois it wouldn't check that much, but maybe it just need some more thought put into it.
Silvally-Dragon
Potential: No
While having Outrage with no drawbacks is really nice, defensive pokemon in the meta really hurt this thing. Tapu Fini would just crush this thing into the floor. It wouldn't enjoy the presence of Clefable, Heatran, Lando, and Melmetal. Would get taken out by Pult's Dracos, Lele's Moonblasts, Weavile's Triple Axel ect ect. While that Multi Attack looks tempting, it just doesn't seem like it will work with the vast amount of threats stacked against it.
Silvally-Electric
Potential: Possibly
Yes, it is highly outclassed by Zeraora, however I'm not going to discount it completely because electric is just such a good offensive typing. Multi-Attack + Ice Fang create that perfect BoltBeam coverage able to squash many defensive threats like Pex, Fini, Corviknight, Slowbro, Slowking, and Garchomp with those moves in hand. Lando-T becomes a little more complicated with Intimidate HOWEVER a special set with Thunderbolt and Ice Beam would fix this problem but would open up more checks than it's worth. Overall, I believe this is the best of the 4 so far.
Silvally-Fairy
Potential: Yes
The first Yes! Silvally-Fairy can utilize its great defensive typing with a good defensive spread to mix up its defenses and avoid the 2HKO from both Weaviles Triple Axel AND Dragapults Specs Shadow Ball after rocks while nuking them back with a POWERFUL Multi Attack. Although fringe, Rest can be a good option to recover up HP, maybe use a heal bell user or come back in on another wall to waste some sleep turns, wake up and continue doing its job. Excited to experiment with Silvally-Fairy. I will provide a theorized set for all the Yes picks, so here ya go:
Silvally-Fairy @ Fairy Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Def / 104 SpD
Impish Nature
- Multi-Attack
- Parting Shot
- Toxic / Thunder Wave / Roar / Rest
- Toxic / Thunder Wave / Roar / Rest
Silvally-Fighting
Potential: Possibly
I'm tempted by this, but I also see its issues. A Close Combat with no drawbacks is fantastic and could pair well with FuturePort Bro. Possible double dance possibilities with Flame Charge, or using Psychic Fangs for Pex, Crunch for Pult ect. Unlike some other types Silvally-Fighting has coverage to make up for Fighting's weaknesses. It is outpaced by Splashifu as an offensive physical fighting type, but could be okay...?
Silvally-Fire
Potential: Possibly
Pyro Ball before Pyro Ball, Silvally gets access to a very powerful fire STAB able to wipe the floor with things like Corviknight and even can OHKO Clef at +2! If it's Unaware Clef it gets 2HKOd after rocks. It CAN 2HKO Pex with Adamant +2 Thunder Fangs, but thats a high roll so watch out for Pex. As always Lando's Intimidate can cause some issues for you, but SpDef Lando can still be 2HKOd by Ice Fang. This was almost a yes, but just a few checks that worry me that pretty much require an SD to handle.
Silvally-Flying
Potential: No
A flying type needs to have more speed to be usable imo. Torn-T has a 375 speed tier so it can outspeed and KO things like Kartana, but Silvally-Flying just can't do that. Recoilless Brave Birds is fun and all, but things like Weavile, Electrics, Kart, Blaceph, Garchomp, Melmetal, Heatran ect ect, just hit too hard and Silvally struggles to either hit first or hard enough to beat them.
Silvally-Ghost
Potential: Yes
Literally the most powerful physical ghost type move in the game, combined with Ghosts potency to just be able to spam the same move over and over, PLUS having a non-Knockable item meaning Knock Off cant kill it makes a mon that can become a legitamate threat if used right. This thing was the start of my journey to making Project Silvally Files and could end up being a lot of fun, and can hit VERY hard.
Silvally-Ghost @ Ghost Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Multi-Attack
- Flame Charge
- Parting Shot / Substitute
Substitute SD Silvally can be used to just sit on Blissey, or you can Flame Charge on unsuspecting Weaviles. Once Ghostvally is at +2 it's gonna HURT. 2HKOing the likes of Toxapex, Lando-T AFTER Intimidate bringing it to +1, Brotwins stand no chance, Melmetal, Clefable, Heatran, Corviknight, Hippowdon, Ferrothorn, and even Tapu Fini. +2 Ghostvally is a monster that I hope turns out as well as I think it will.
Silvally-Grass
Potential: No
And immediately we return back to the bad side. Silvally-Grass suffers from the same fate as Silvally-Flying, too many things that can hurt it before it can hurt others. Silvally-Grass also struggles even worse against Heatran, and is weak to U-turn (yuck). It can handle bulky waters with Multi Attack able to take on Fini and the Slowtwins well, but then gets dropped by things like Buzzwole and Heatran.
Silvally-Ground
Potential: Yes
This is turning into a damn seesaw as we pivot back to yes! Silvally-Ground I believe would have a niche as a bulky ground able to shake off electrics like Koko and Zeraora, even being Knock resistant as to deter Zeraora even more. A 120 BP Ground STAB being literally an unmissable Precipice Blades, and the obvious coverage moves to help against its weaknesses, with good pivoting power means this thing could serve as a very strange Lando as it can even Defog and spread status. Outclassed by Lando-T? Sure. Usable? Sure.
Silvally-Ground @ Ground Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Multi-Attack
- Defog
- Toxic / Thunder Wave / Rest
- Parting Shot
Silvally-Ice
Potential: No
Sliiide to the left, sliiide to the right, CRISS CROSS. Back to No we go! Silvally-Ice is very similar to Silvally-Electric with the BoltBeam with 1 of them being STAB, decent coverage yada yada, but the difference is in the typing. Although the same concept is present, Ice is a MUCH worse defensive typing than electric, as electric only has 1 weakness while Ice has 4. This means Icevally can't eat nearly as many things as Sparkvally can, which is going to be a major issue when setting up SD. Glacial Lance - 10BP is cool, but it doesn't make up for how bad of a defensive type Ice is.
Silvally-Poison
Potential: No
Electric being weak to Ground is one thing because at least that's its only weakness, but Silvally-Poison just hurts my soul. Weak to both Ground and Psychic means a plethora of moves in the meta hit it hard, and Poison doesn't even hit that hard back. Sure, disposing of Fairies is nice, but Pex and Heatran once again show up to ruin your day. Free Gunk Shots are cool, but that's just it. I doubt Poison will get very far with Steel types being immune.
Silvally-Psychic
Potential: Possibly
This one interests me. A physical psychic type with a 120 BP STAB means Toxapex no longer becomes an issue in any universe. Once again becoming Knock resistant removes some of Weavile's threat, and a Flame Charge set similar to Spoopvally can be used, although not as effective since Ghost is way more spammable, and Heatran ONCE AGAIN becomes an issue. This will be one that could end up being near the top, but still needs more experimenting.
Silvally-Rock
Potential: No
Rock stacks up so many weaknesses of types that are so potent. Being weak to Water, Fighting, and Ground is a 1-way ticket to hell. You could hit things like Torn-T and Zapdos really hard sure, but if that Zapdos is on a rain team you don't stand a chance. Lando-T loves seeing you as it lowers your attack and hits really hard with EQ. This just isn't gonna work.
Silvally-Steel
Potential: Possibly
Got really close to yes on this, but I'm not fully sold. Steel is such a good type with 10 resistances, plus a 120 BP Steel move would hurt, but we circle back to Tran and Pex. As a defensive option thought could be a good idea with the same rest idea and thunder wave luring in both pex and heatran for good utility to help your teammates. Parting Shot as always is goated as Magnezone cannot trap you as long as you run it. This is SO close to a yes, but I'll hold out on it because of the weakness to ground and fighting scaring me with Grounds almost required on teams while Focus Blast and CC run rampant.
Silvally-Water
Potential: Possibly
From one end of possibly to the other, this one barely made the cut into possibly. The reason I put it here is because of the ability to check Heatran, Splashifu, Weavile, and Lando. Being able to check 3/4 S tiers is a great asset. It is outclassed as a bulky water by Pex, Bro, and Fini, but that doesn't change the question of is it usable. This one I doubt will actually make the cut as a good choice, but I can't deny it has at least a very small glimmer of hope with a strong 120 BP Water STAB.
Silvally-Normal
Potential: Yes
Saving this for last since Silvally Normal is very different from the others. Silvally Normal doesn't need to hold a memory so item access could play a big part in Silvally being good. Scarf, Band, Leftovers to be defensive, the options are huge for Silvally. So much so that I can't even give a set because there is just so many possibilities that I don't know where to start. Definitely going to be the longest experiment of the bunch with tons of potential.
Don't worry, future Silvally Files posts won't be nearly as long as long as this was, but this was to get a foundation. From here on out I'll post my findings probably 2 at a time showcasing what I found it could do and ranking it amongst their brethren. If you saw potential in Silvally, feel free to give 'em a shot and tell me your findings so we can see what Silvally may or may not be capable of, although I don't expect any of these to be like top tier threats, my end goal is to hopefully get a Silvally form at least nominated to the C ranks in the viability rankings.
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Heatran isn't as splashable as some other mons, but I think overall, it is the best in the tier. Nothing wants to switch into magma storm, not even the things that typically check Heatran. Common walls, including those that resist Heatran's STABS, are trapped by Magma Storm, shut down with taunt, and can then be killed with toxic and earth power. The ability to straight up ELIMINATE defensive back bones like blissey, corviknight and toxapex makes Heatran very difficult to deal with.
The meta has adapted to better deal with dragapult, but it is still very good. Its high speed, great stab combination and solid coverage make it very splashable. The amount of pressure it can put on opponents with shadow ball is unreal, and it can nuke walls with draco meteor. Fast U-turn is great, allowing it to play around its checks, and physical dragon darts variants are also solid and great for catching opponents off guard.
Is there anything to say that hasn't already been said? Lando can fit on any team. Ground typing, stealth rocks, knock off, physical attack, earthquake, pivoting, defog, these are all things good OU teams need, and Lando has all of them. It's lower than the other two because it isn't as big as a threat, but when it comes to utility, it doesn't get any better than this.
I hate fighting against ferrothorn, because it is such a pain in the ass to kill. Great defensive stats, great defensive typing and a great ability. Whenever I'm building, I always remember to include fire coverage, because that is the only reliable way to kill it. And under rain, its even tougher. It can set hazards, wear down pokemon with leech seed and toxic, and has knock off. It can also run gyro ball or power whip just to fuck with people who think it's passive.
For starters, double iron bash is one of the best attacks in the game. Melmetal differs from other offensive threats by being really slow, but melm's great bulk allows it to take a hit, then hit back. And when it hits back, it hits hard. My favorite set to run on it is assault vest with max attack and spdef evs, as it gives melm enough bulk to live a hit from most of the things that could threaten it, and it still has enough power to hit them hard. It needs some team support, but when you build a team around it as a central threat, melm is one of the best wallbreakers in the tier.
Hot take, I think Weavile is kinda overhyped. It has two common counters in Buzzwole and Corviknight, and its base 120 attack means it needs some boosting before it can do serious damage. Band is good, but this leaves it very vulnerable to rocks. SD with boots solves this problem, but it needs an opening to set up. That being said, Weavile is still very good. It has great speed, stab knock off is great, and ice shard is great for dealing with things like dragapult.
No matter the generation, Garchomp is always good. Although it still can't learn dragon dance, SD+Scale is close enough. Once it gets set up, it's hard to stop, especially if its first scale shot kills its target. While the offensive set is one of the best sweepers in game, the defensive set is pretty good too. Although it lacks good recover, it has stealth rocks and toxic for utility, and fire blast coverage can catch its checks, such as buzzwole, off guard. Both of these sets are commonly used and have different counter play, and it can be hard to guess which set it is.
Pex isn't as dominant as it was before, but it is still one of OU's premier walls. The main problem with toxapex is that it is pretty passive and has common checks such as Heatran and Tapu Lele. That being said, its amazing defensive stats, amazing defensive typing and access to recover and regenerator make it very hard to kill. There's a reason why this is one of the most hated mons in the tier.
Tornadus-T is fast, has solid bulk, good SPA, and regenerator. This makes it pretty versatile. The pivot set has good utility with knock off and defog, regen is great and it can switch into a lot of threats. The nasty plot kicks ass. Torn-T is one of the best nasty plot users, and hits like a truck after set up. The only problem is that it is reliant on low accuracy moves like hurricane and focus blast.
I think zera is a somewhat underrated threat in the tier. The volt switch set is a good fast pivot for speed control, that also has knock off utility, but the set that i really enjoyed using is bulk up. This set provides extra power and makes zera a very effective sweeper, whose high speed makes it difficult to revenge kill. Plasma fists is a reliable stab move, and close combat is good for coverage.
Light Screen can immensely help out with Future Sight in general, this is made easier by the fact that the kantonian Slowkings never runs any immediate Psychic move and Galarian Slowking has to choose between Psyshock and Future Sight. You can also run dedicated checks to these Pokémon after they set up: Tornadus-Therian for Kartana, Iron Defense Corv/Skarm for Lando, Bish, Weav etc.., Bulk up Buzzwole and Unaware Quagsire or Clefable. There's also another Pokémon you can run, the physical form of copium: Ditto
- not bad but hates Toxic and Knock Off being everywhere. 
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- zone but worse except for its speed -
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- use Rhyperior (or a good ground type) instead. 
- one of the best NFEs imo, it lets you run 
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- glad to have a grass type that 1v1s tran, but it's 
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- stall mon, switches into zolt and weave. idk much more than that, is probably 
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- i'm biased again but 
- already ranked on VRs you all know this mon. try
- I built Drednaw rain and it was 
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- underrated screens setter imo, yawn and prankster and pretty nice to have. still, it competes with the likes of koko/leki/grimm and even espeon/klefki so overall it's just 
- it's okay. 81 special attack will let you down. 
- looks 
- had to give a shoutout to the 
- already ranked in VRs for its stall niche, make sure to 
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- sets webs, but 
- already ranked, sun is one of the most fun archetypes imo, would 
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- finally, a reliable (ish) dragapult switchin. 
