Metagame SS OU Metagame Discussion Thread v7 (Usage Stats in post #3539)

[Jaajgko]

Blissey has even started to run Shadow Ball to better answer Spectrier, but this is one of the adaptations that fear Sub Disable sets. Blissey is starting to feel a bit of 4MSS in the current metagame as it would really like Soft-Boiled, Seismic Toss, Shadow Ball, Toxic, Stealth Rock, and Teleport. Personally I am not the biggest fan of Shadow Ball Blissey and would rather run Teleport + something like Melmetal or Infiltrator Dragapult that can get in on the free switch from Teleport and threaten Spectrier even if it is behind the Substitute.

Blissey doesn't mind Sub Disable Spectrier as long as it has either Teleport or Toxic. Toxic turns the 1v1 into a 50/50 for the opponent which heavily favors Bliss as it doesn't get pressured by Spectrier as much. With Teleport you can basically switch out safely to remove the disable status, and come back in without losing much, or simply teleporting into your Scarfer on the turn it uses Disable. Obviously if you have a Dragapult in the back you just run Teleport without Shadow Ball, but in this DLC there are many preferable options to Dragapult so you're not gonna slap these two together as easily. It's also important to note that Shadow Ball not only adresses Sub Spectrier but also Sub Dragapult which has been the strongest variant at the end of DLC1

 

[ausma]

So, I suppose I'll take my hand at discussing Zamazenta-C. I've been concocting a lot of my thoughts on it the past day, especially after seeing most of the arguments for and against it in order to get a full scope of the argument, and, of course, to form my own opinion on it.

There are a few fundamental arguments that are made in its favor, namely the fact that it has little to exploit its stats with and a debilitating lack of an item slot. This much is true; lacking Body Press really sucks for it, and not being able to hold an item greatly detriments it to a point where I believe it does warrant discussion, however, discussion that needs to be thought through. It is imperative with such a finnicky talking point that we look at every facet of the metagame and argue in the context of the OU climate as opposed to looking at its attributes and arguing off of those. So, that is what I will aim to do in my breakdown. I'm going to attempt deconstructing it from every important angle, primarily with defensive counterplay, offensive counterplay, and overall impact on the metagame.

Zamazenta-H, though, has more speed and an item slot to toy with, alongside Dauntless Shield's ability to let it find more wallbreaking opportunities; it gets a pretty easy no from me.

Defensive Counterplay

As far as defensive counterplay goes... Zamazenta-C has been greatly argued to be checked handsomely by a wealth of threats: pick and choose between Toxapex, Mandibuzz, Slowbro, Corviknight, Zapdos, and Moltres. Not having an item slot does make these Pokemon appear handsomely as checks, and I am not here to show calcs that have already been shown; however, that is until you consider the 1v1 itself.

You cannot argue that the Zamazenta-C user will throw out their moves willy-nilly and expect results, because in all honesty, that is simply not going to be the case. The player making use of Zamazenta-C has access to a boosting option in Howl (despite being somewhat lame), which can readily transform checks into being easy 2hkos. This is worsened by the fact that Zamazenta-C has asinine natural bulk, letting it get away with far more set-up opportunities than what it is credited for. In execution, Zamazenta-C's absurd bulk lets it come in really often, and gives it several opportunities to boost, even against targets boasting super effective moves. None of this is even considering its natural speed tier, which lets it get a good jump on a good lot of the tier, and giving it room to afford running Adamant to still outspeed base 110s and necessitate less boosting, or give it more room to run bulk. In execution, Zamazenta-C will very easily find set-up opportunities against a wealth of the metagame, especially against more passive targets. Howl + Wild Charge + CC + Bash gives it all that it really needs offensively, and you can even grapple with options like Psychic Fangs, Ice Fang, Substitute, and RestTalk.

This only considers the 1v1. With team support (such as with Wish support, pivoting, and status spreading), Zamazenta-C doesn't even need to consider the 1v1, since its presence alone lays out a lot of pressure against its checks. It's easy to handle Spikes stacking, too; in fact, the Zamazenta-C player shouldn't even be switching it into 2-3 layers of Spikes when it is a wincon, anyway.

Offensive Counterplay

This is what really worries me. Zamazenta-C's natural bulk, even without investment, is absolutely asinine. Not only does it have the ability to wallbreak rather readily due to its ability to absurdly exploit defensive switch-ins with its type and bulk and with a bit of support, but it alone is capable of invalidating offense on a whim. Thanks to Dauntless Shield in tandem with its 92/145/145 defenses and a fairly apt Fighting/Steel type, Zamazenta-C is able to pick and choose what targets it wants to eliminate thanks to being able to stomach a wide assortment of moves, even from super-effective hits. In many cases, these hits are from major recipients that threaten Balance archetypes, such as Urshifu and Pheromosa.

However, what really irks me is the fact that it can not only take a hit, but it has the speed and strength to actually retaliate as well. Especially in tandem with pivoting support, Zamazenta-C will always force offense into the defensive, unless they want to trade off a key wallbreaker. In many cases, the damage dealt to Zamazenta-C in a hypothetical exchange isn't enough to spell its end, especially since it has the speed to not be a dead weight after taking a major hit.

This is a concerning facet to me because of the nature of offense. Although it seems you should just be able to make the trade and carry on, it is imperative to consider that offense is completely defined by maintaining momentum. If the Zamazenta-C user is able to force this trade to begin with, it is readily able to drain that momentum on a whim since it forces offense to sack a potentially major wallbreaker necessary for winning a game. I find this to be unhealthy, because in a vacuum, it invalidates an entire playstyle. Zamazenta-C does not need to run bulk for this as a matchup fish, either; it can do this very thing running an offensive Howl set.

Metagame Impact

I mention offensive and defensive counterplay, because I want to emphasize just how centralizing Zamazenta-C could very possibly be. As stated, it is able to check hypothetical defensive and offensive answers utilizing a single set, since its natural bulk with Dauntless Shield gives it all it needs to check offense, letting it put all of its eggs into the offensive basket of its own to check defensive counterplay, even making use of its bulk in this department. I worry that for this reason, that it is very possible that it will force specific, niche answers to rise in the metagame, such as Unaware Quagsire, solely to check it and it alone. I worry that it could encourage people to play more defensively just to wear it down better, too, and only it.

I think my problem with it is that it creates a prep disparity in teambuilding. It's super easy to slap on, but if you don't have certain, super specific answers, you're going to have a really hard time against it. I don't find Pokemon that mandate specific answers to be healthy; however, if they are not natural to the developing metagame and have a bevy of uses outside of dealing with one specific matchup, I find that healthy, and perfectly natural.

---

Ultimately, though, despite how harsh I'm being in my analysis, I honestly do think it's worth suspecting, mainly because every single argument here is purely hypothesis, whether we want to admit it or not. I personally think it will end up being too much regardless of what the council decides to do with it, but we cannot be 100% certain until we actually see it in action.

Though, that being said, this absolutely is not the time for a suspect on Zamazenta-C. The metagame is in a complete state of discord right now. Although the metagame is stabilizing bit by bit and is developing with every passing day, I still don't think experimenting with a major metagame changing component when we're still trying to discuss major powerhouses such as Zygarde, Urshifu-SS, Kyurem-Black, and Pheromosa while cleaning up most of the other debris from the shifts to try and solve the metagame.

For the future, though, I definitely support a suspect, but I still think it's gonna be too much.

 

[Goodbye & Thanks]

This is a concerning facet to me because of the nature of offense. Although it seems you should just be able to make the trade and carry on, it is imperative to consider that offense is completely defined by maintaining momentum. If the Zamazenta-C user is able to force this trade to begin with, it is readily able to drain that momentum on a whim since it forces offense to sack a potentially major wallbreaker necessary for winning a game. I find this to be unhealthy, because in a vacuum, it invalidates an entire playstyle.

I don't mean argue with you and I think you make good points, which I agree with, but I'm just a little confused why some people seem very concerned about Zamazenta-C being good against offense. It clearly does seem like it would be annoying for offense as it can come in and force trades against several offensive threats, but I don't think that its inclusion in the tier would just invalidate offense as a playstyle. It's not like you could take any team that's weak to offense and throw Zamazenta-C onto it and suddenly it becomes fine against offense. Zamazenta-C won't be able to repeatedly come in against multiple offensive threats because it gets worn down very easily without recovery and it isn't fast or strong enough to OHKO or revenge kill a good number of offensive options anyway. I don't think that Zamazenta-C would really be good versus certain styles of offense either, like Sun, Screens, or any time Volcarona comes in. Ditto is already a very good option against offense and potentially more threatening to the archetype than Zamazenta-C would be, and Ditto's presence doesn't make offense unviable.

Overall though, I guess my point is that it's fine if it seems like this thing would be good against offense. In previous generations, Gliscor was extremely good against stall and would sometimes just 6-0 stall teams (and I don't see a way on paper for Zamazenta-C to do that kind of damage to offensive teams). Stall didn't just disappear as a playstyle though because of Gliscor. Zamazenta-C seeming to matchup well against offense is fine, and I don't think we should be too afraid of it being good against offense to test it at some point. It doesn't really look like it would be useful against stall or bulkier balance anyway.

Also Ausma, I know that you said that you support a suspect in the future and you made a good post, so I don't want this to feel like I'm solely coming at you. I've just seen the general sentiment that because it threatens offense, some people are more adverse to even considering Zamazenta-C. If it looked like Zamazenta-C would be a big threat to stall, I doubt as many people would be resistant to giving it a shot.

Again though, this is all relatively pointless conjecture and we won't really know unless it gets tested at some point (which again, I get that you support, so I'm not talking about you). I just feel like some people are more closed-minded about this thing than they should be, because they're afraid about it being annoying for offense. If it really does prove to be a big headache to offense, offensive teams will try to adapt and we'll see how that goes, but only if it's given a shot in the tier.

 

[Spyro]

So does anything actually wall Nidoking? this thing is so good but it's balanced because it's held back by it's not so good bulk and pretty meh speed. I feel like the only way to play around it is by switching mind games because it has powerful STABs and coverage but Substitute kind of negates that Or having something faster as the only way to deal with it. I´m not saying it's broken llike Landorus but I feel like it isn't too far behind. Unlike Landorus it actually gets Ice Beam and STAB Sludge Wave to deal with the checks that Lando had.. Even Blissey isn't safe because it gets 2HKOd most of the time by Superpower but dropping Substitute kind of sucks because with Substitute you don't have to really predict. You guys should use Nidoking with Webs. It's so fucking good.

 

[BitBitio]

So does anything actually wall Nidoking? this thing is so good but it's balanced because it's held back by it's not so good bulk and pretty meh speed. I feel like the only way to play around it is by switching mind games because it has powerful STABs and coverage but Substitute kind of negates that Or having something faster as the only way to deal with it. I´m not saying it's broken llike Landorus but I feel like it isn't too far behind. Unlike Landorus it actually gets Ice Beam and STAB Sludge Wave to deal with the checks that Lando had.. Even Blissey isn't safe because it gets 2HKOd most of the time by Superpower but dropping Substitute kind of sucks because with Substitute you don't have to really predict. You guys should use Nidoking with Webs. It's so fucking good.

Well funnily enough, Nidoking is OU by usage now. Lando-I’s ban really helps it out in what it aims to accomplish. It is fantastic as busting through defensive cores thanks to its incredible coverage and when paired with another cleaner such as Urshifu, Regieleki, or Spectrier, that thrive with the removal of particular checks, it can be perfect for opening the floodgates against bulky teams. It also, like you stated, can alleviate its offense matchup with Substitute, albeit at the cost of useful coverage. While good, Nidoking certainly lags behind Lando-I in terms of the offensive pressure it exerts. Lando-I had a significantly higher Special Attack stat, a much improved speed tier, and simply more options like Gravity and Rock Polish that helped it work around counterplay, that Nidoking simply doesn’t have. This is likely the biggest proponent for Nidoking’s rise- the absence of a superior version of itself left something of a power vacuum that Nidoking fills handily.

 

[lycan2500]

Well funnily enough, Nidoking is OU by usage now. Lando-I’s ban really helps it out in what it aims to accomplish. It is fantastic as busting through defensive cores thanks to its incredible coverage and when paired with another cleaner such as Urshifu, Regieleki, or Spectrier, that thrive with the removal of particular checks, it can be perfect for opening the floodgates against bulky teams. It also, like you stated, can alleviate its offense matchup with Substitute, albeit at the cost of useful coverage. While good, Nidoking certainly lags behind Lando-I in terms of the offensive pressure it exerts. Lando-I had a significantly higher Special Attack stat, a much improved speed tier, and simply more options like Gravity and Rock Polish that helped it work around counterplay, that Nidoking simply doesn’t have. This is likely the biggest proponent for Nidoking’s rise- the absence of a superior version of itself left something of a power vacuum that Nidoking fills handily.

On top of this, Nidoking isn't able to just laugh Blissey off the way Lando-I did. Blissey is generally a hard check to Nidoking, as its unlikely to fit coverage for it without a huge detriment

 

[Ehmcee]

On top of this, Nidoking isn't able to just laugh Blissey off the way Lando-I did. Blissey is generally a hard check to Nidoking, as its unlikely to fit coverage for it without a huge detriment

0 Atk Life Orb Nidoking Focus Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 515-608 (72.1 - 85.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
muahahahahhahahahhhahahahahahhahah

 

[Vengeance417]

I've had some time to properly think about Zamazenta-C after reading the arguments from both sides, and my opinion has slightly changed from what it was before, especially after reading MrHands's and Ausma's posts.

Zamazenta-C's best role in the metagame, if it ever gets tested, will definitely be as an anti-offense mon. I still don't think it's that great of a balance/stall-breaker when plenty of the more defensive pieces can effectively check it, whether it's Toxapex, Zapdos, Moltres, Slowbro, and Counter/Yawn Swampert. Even some underutilized mons such as Buzzwole, Yawn Hippowdon, physdef Volcarona (has the benefit of not being weak to Wild Charge, unlike Moltres), and Aegislash could work, in theory. However, it's the offense matchup where Zama-C will truly shine.

I did mention how Zama-C will bring a true Knock Off absorber to the tier in my older post, and I'm only now realizing how fatter teams hugely appreciate this. Pokemon such as Moltres/Zapdos/Tornadus-T hate having their boots Knocked, and being able to fall back to Zamazenta-C which not only resists Knock, but is also quad-resistant to Stealth Rock, is crucial for the survival for the former Pokemon. This Pokemon also mega-resists U-turn thanks to the defense boost + its bulk. Pairing this Pokemon with Rillaboom also gives Zama-C passive recovery from Grassy Terrain (which is not only enough to actually remove the Stealth Rock damage, but Zama-C is Sand- and Toxic-immune so only Burn and/or Hail chip will ever cancel out Grassy Terrain recovery for it) and an EQ resistance, meaning mons such as Lando-T, Sand Rush Excadrill, and Garchomp with incredibly-powerful STAB EQs will struggle to revenge it, too.

Its natural bulk is admittedly stupid, even on the special side. If you don't have something like Scarf Eruption Heatran (2 stealth rock hits puts Zama out of KO range btw so you're better off with Overheat in the long run), Scarf Mind Blown Blacephalon (still a roll even after rocks), or Adamant Banded Pheromosa, Zamazenta will pretty much always live any one hit from full and dish out a decent amount of damage to most offensive Pokemon.

I still want to see a suspect for this Pokemon, but only after the more pressing issues, such as Zygarde, Kyurem-B (ban both please), and potentially others like Pheromosa, Spectrier, Magearna, etc are dealt with first. However, I'm starting to understand the implications that could come about from having this mon around.

 

[Bugboy]

I don’t really like that the player base survey requires a Smogon forum account. You’re only reaching the 30-40% of OU players who use the forum (that’s a guess, I obviously don’t know the real numbers), that sounds like a pretty ineffective player base survey to me.

This should be something on the first page on showdown in news or something like that, so that it actually reaches a large portion of the player base.

I imagine this is to ensure people aren’t taking it twice, but I would argue the amount of players you are missing with this method matters much more than a couple people caring enough to take it twice. Also there’s surely other ways to ensure people aren’t taking it twice.

 

[shadowpea]

Firstly, my input on the Zama discussion: Don't unban Hero, but CONSIDER Zama-C.

But this is not why I posted (and I don't have anything to say about Zama that has already been said). Instead, I want to talk about a Pokemon that I enjoyed using and have served me really well:

Buzzwole @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 Spe
Impish Nature
- Bulk Up
- Roost
- Ice Punch
- Drain Punch
​

Just a fantastic physical wall, this one. Firstly, look at this thing's stats: 107 / 139 / 139 / 53 / 53 / 79. While 139 Atk is impressive, the real highlight is its 107 / 139 physical bulk, which allows it to take just about any neutral physical hit and even some super effective ones. 53 SpD is admittedly sucky, but with its 107 HP it can take one or two special hits. Said 139 Atk also means that you're not completely helpless or anything. The EVs let you outspeed Adamant max speed Tyranitar and KO with Drain Punch (yeah, even without investment, Drain Punch OHKOes unless Ttar runs heavy Defense investment which it doesn't do). One of the biggest draws of this thing is that it walls most if not nearly all physical threats in the metagame, including Zygarde (lacking Toxic), Black Kyurem (lacking DWB), Darkshifu, and Pheromosa. Here are some calcs:

Calcs

252+ Atk Choice Band Tyranitar Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 170-200 (40.6 - 47.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after sandstorm damage and Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Excadrill Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 165-195 (39.4 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Zygarde Scale Shot (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 170-210 (40.6 - 50.2%) -- approx. 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Icicle Spear (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 200-240 (47.8 - 57.4%) -- approx. 21.9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Kartana Smart Strike vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 135-160 (32.2 - 38.2%) -- 1.3% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Kartana Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 116-137 (27.7 - 32.7%) -- 76.5% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Zeraora Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 110-130 (26.3 - 31.1%) -- 8.2% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Pheromosa Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 126-150 (30.1 - 35.8%) -- approx. 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Barraskewda Psychic Fangs vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 180-214 (43 - 51.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole on a critical hit: 90-106 (21.5 - 25.3%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole on a critical hit: 192-228 (45.9 - 54.5%) -- approx. 2% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Cinderace Pyro Ball vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 222-264 (53.1 - 63.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Blaziken Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 252-296 (60.2 - 70.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Landorus-Therian Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 108-128 (25.8 - 30.6%) -- 2.1% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Latios Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 240-284 (57.4 - 67.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Garchomp Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 134-158 (32 - 37.7%) -- 0.2% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

Yeah, this thing's bulk is kinda amazing. Maybe not as extreme as Blissey's special bulk, but Buzzwole's physical bulk is nothing to sneeze at. On to the set. Bulk up raises your Defense so you can keep up with Zygarde and Black Kyurem's DDs and Coils. It also allows Buzzwole to be a half-decent wincon for stall teams. Roost provides recovery which is good. Ice Punch is for Ground- and Dragon-types that Buzzwole runs into a lot. Finally, Drain Punch targets Steel-types and Tyranitar and gives Buzzwole another form of recovery. A nice thing about Bulk Up is that you have massive Defense so Zygarde and KB still can't touch you, but they didn't boost their Defense (unless Zygarde runs Coil, which doesn't make too much of a difference as its 4x weak to Ice) so you absolutely smash them. Buzzwole, like most physical walls, pairs very well with Blissey, as its incredibly weak to special attacks which Blissey can eat all day. It also likes Moltres or Zapdos for assistance against Melmetal and Cinderace/Blaziken as well as Defog and Flame Body/Static support. Finally, its ability to wall Zygarde, Black Kyurem, Urshifu, and Pheromosa is invaluable for most teams, so just about any mon that appreciates that will appreciate Buzzwole. (I honestly feel one of the reasons Nihilego isn't used for the same reason but on the special side is that Blissey exists lol)

In other news, I think Lando-T would be amazing this time around after Zygarde and Black Kyurem inevitably gets banned somewhere down the line. Although the losss of Z-moves hurted it, a big thing that boosts its viability is that Gliscor (you know, the all around utility belt mon back in Gen 7) doesn't exist, so it faces less competition. Offensive sets still hit hard off of a base 145 Atk, especially after a Swords Dance.

 

[Negative Charge]

Kyurem-Black @ Choice Band
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Fusion Bolt
- Dual Wingbeat
- Iron Head / Outrage / Focus Blast with Naughty (you don't need naughty for the 2HKO on banded melmetal so don't bother)

Completely unwallable with just the first three moves so you can run whatever in the 4th slot. Before the big boy gets banned I encourage everyone to try banded, it's completely stupid and hilarious. I've been running it on a team of other stupid choice mons suported by teleport clef and slowking. It's fun killing disrespectful coiled Zygardes behind sub who choose to stay in too. I'm going to miss this thing honestly, as stupid broken as it is

 

[Zneon]

Alrighty hello there, everyone is talking about Zamazenta-C, which is a pretty interesting topic to go over, but I want to go over the usage stats and basically the things that surprised me because these ones are pretty interesting to look at and how they link to the current metagame.

#29

So right of the bat, this is the first thing that surprises me. I don't think Dragapult usage has been this incredibly low in pretty much ever. The most surprising thing about this is that after all of the quickbans, you should expect it to rise in usage, however it was an opposite case for Dragapult. I feel the main reason why this could be the case is due to Spectrier getting all the spotlight. It lacks any coverage however that doesn't really matter because Ghost is just a good offensive typing and is only switched into by Dark and Normal-types, which Spectrier takes full advantage of with its great offensive stats and ability. However I don't think that detracts Dragapult whatsoever in my eyes because I think its still an excellent Pokemon that pulls its weight against any build in terms of its excellent offensive utility and very valuable Speed, which makes it in my eyes just as good if not better than Spectrier. Hopefully in the future it will rise in usage but only time will tell.

#28

Another one that surprised me quite a lot is Slowbro. Jordy brought this to my attention in his post, and I agree because I think Slowbro is an amazing Pokemon and in my eyes due to Future Sight. Future Sight is a very stupid move and Slowbro uses it the best out by far, its ability to switch into things like Zygarde, Landorus-T, Garchomp and Corviknight gives it many opportunities to get one off, and once it does it can Teleport and not lose momentum due to Regenerator, making it always useful long-term too. Its ability to support insane stuff like Pheromosa and Zygarde is pretty much unparalleled right now and the fact that it this low in the usage stats is insane. Though its probably because not enough people know how good Future Sight is in this metagame.

#16

Pretty glad that people are starting to finally use it and realise just how good and useful this Pokemon can be on so many teams. I've made a post about why Buzzwole is a great anti-meta pick, and at this point I don't think its an anti-metagame Pokemon anymore, I feel its a certified OU Pokemon at this point in time and this amount of usage shows exactly why. Not much to say except that Buzzwole is a great Pokemon and I cannot recommend enough right now.

#1

Zygarde is at the very top of the usage stats this half month, which doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Its completely broken and easily the best Pokemon in the metagame. Its of the Pokemon that abuses Future Sight the best with CB lacking good counterplay with Slowbro on the team along with just how devastating its Coil set is. Its very easy to support, as simply just using something like Knock Off Clefable or TSpikes Toxapex is enough support to make Zygarde hard to deal with throughout the course of the game. The mon is never deadweight and it needs very little support to either break holes through teams or disrupt them heavily with Glare. Simply the very best mon in the metagame by a large margin.

Hoped you liked this little analysis of both the usage stats and how they link to the current metagame.
Thanks for reading!

 

[TPP]

Mid-November usage stats are here! Credit to Kalalokki for the great visual below:

Visual

Usage

Combined usage for OU (1695 stats)
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Percent |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
| 1    | Zygarde            | 24.764% |
| 2    | Clefable           | 21.344% |
| 3    | Landorus-Therian   | 21.289% |
| 4    | Magearna           | 20.554% |
| 5    | Heatran            | 20.003% |
| 6    | Kyurem-Black       | 18.993% |
| 7    | Urshifu            | 18.251% |
| 8    | Spectrier          | 18.097% |
| 9    | Melmetal           | 18.093% |
| 10   | Toxapex            | 17.735% |
| 11   | Pheromosa          | 17.189% |
| 12   | Ferrothorn         | 16.571% |
| 13   | Zapdos             | 14.633% |
| 14   | Swampert           | 12.018% |
| 15   | Tapu Fini          | 11.726% |
| 16   | Buzzwole           | 11.234% |
| 17   | Cinderace          | 10.770% |
| 18   | Mandibuzz          | 10.479% |
| 19   | Pelipper           | 10.377% |
| 20   | Regieleki          | 10.284% |
| 21   | Rillaboom          |  9.415% |
| 22   | Excadrill          |  9.368% |
| 23   | Urshifu-Rapid-Strike |  8.984% |
| 24   | Garchomp           |  8.464% |
| 25   | Latios             |  8.346% |
| 26   | Tyranitar          |  8.279% |
| 27   | Blissey            |  7.734% |
| 28   | Slowbro            |  7.667% |
| 29   | Dragapult          |  7.492% |
| 30   | Moltres            |  7.403% |
| 31   | Tapu Koko          |  7.400% |
| 32   | Zapdos-Galar       |  7.132% |
| 33   | Tornadus-Therian   |  7.012% |
| 34   | Kartana            |  6.358% |
| 35   | Landorus           |  6.135% |
| 36   | Corviknight        |  5.682% |
| 37   | Barraskewda        |  5.481% |
| 38   | Blaziken           |  5.149% |
| 39   | Dragonite          |  4.727% |
| 40   | Nidoking           |  4.615% |
| 41   | Tapu Lele          |  4.317% |
| 42   | Hippowdon          |  3.373% |
| 43   | Slowking           |  3.230% |
| 44   | Ditto              |  3.222% |
| 45   | Celesteela         |  2.922% |
| 46   | Aegislash          |  2.870% |
| 47   | Scizor             |  2.766% |
| 48   | Zarude             |  2.684% |
| 49   | Shuckle            |  2.654% |
| 50   | Hatterene          |  2.578% |
| 51   | Thundurus-Therian  |  2.557% |
| 52   | Porygon2           |  2.500% |
| 53   | Kingdra            |  2.487% |
| 54   | Marowak-Alola      |  2.436% |
| 55   | Dracozolt          |  2.294% |
| 56   | Hawlucha           |  2.216% |
| 57   | Hydreigon          |  2.155% |
| 58   | Grimmsnarl         |  2.129% |
| 59   | Latias             |  2.122% |
| 60   | Crawdaunt          |  2.076% |
| 61   | Magnezone          |  1.967% |
| 62   | Cresselia          |  1.950% |
| 63   | Seismitoad         |  1.947% |
| 64   | Chansey            |  1.927% |
| 65   | Mamoswine          |  1.811% |
| 66   | Azumarill          |  1.808% |
| 67   | Glastrier          |  1.805% |
| 68   | Skarmory           |  1.792% |
| 69   | Mew                |  1.767% |
| 70   | Tangrowth          |  1.732% |
| 71   | Klefki             |  1.724% |
| 72   | Ninetales-Alola    |  1.710% |
| 73   | Tapu Bulu          |  1.705% |
| 74   | Suicune            |  1.562% |
| 75   | Victini            |  1.512% |
| 76   | Blacephalon        |  1.491% |
| 77   | Regidrago          |  1.482% |
| 78   | Quagsire           |  1.448% |
| 79   | Moltres-Galar      |  1.411% |
| 80   | Slowking-Galar     |  1.361% |
| 81   | Nihilego           |  1.315% |
| 82   | Amoonguss          |  1.312% |
| 83   | Volcarona          |  1.160% |
| 84   | Zeraora            |  1.149% |
| 85   | Arctozolt          |  1.131% |
| 86   | Bisharp            |  1.106% |
| 87   | Ribombee           |  1.076% |
| 88   | Kommo-o            |  1.072% |
| 89   | Volcanion          |  1.061% |
| 90   | Torkoal            |  1.030% |
| 91   | Jirachi            |  0.985% |
| 92   | Diggersby          |  0.975% |
| 93   | Salamence          |  0.961% |
| 94   | Venusaur           |  0.851% |
| 95   | Rotom-Wash         |  0.824% |
| 96   | Togekiss           |  0.787% |
| 97   | Zoroark            |  0.759% |
| 98   | Kyurem             |  0.758% |
| 99   | Stakataka          |  0.744% |
| 100  | Shedinja           |  0.731% |
| 101  | Rotom-Heat         |  0.728% |
| 102  | Metagross          |  0.661% |
| 103  | Gengar             |  0.631% |
| 104  | Nidoqueen          |  0.620% |
| 105  | Keldeo             |  0.589% |
| 106  | Incineroar         |  0.516% |
| 107  | Obstagoon          |  0.513% |
| 108  | Mimikyu            |  0.491% |
| 109  | Primarina          |  0.484% |
| 110  | Cloyster           |  0.483% |
| 111  | Weezing-Galar      |  0.455% |
| 112  | Gastrodon          |  0.452% |
| 113  | Araquanid          |  0.445% |
| 114  | Abomasnow          |  0.441% |
| 115  | Umbreon            |  0.428% |
| 116  | Azelf              |  0.421% |
| 117  | Omastar            |  0.409% |
| 118  | Weavile            |  0.386% |
| 119  | Krookodile         |  0.382% |
| 120  | Alakazam           |  0.380% |
| 121  | Articuno-Galar     |  0.375% |
| 122  | Rhyperior          |  0.370% |
| 123  | Conkeldurr         |  0.351% |
| 124  | Whimsicott         |  0.324% |
| 125  | Uxie               |  0.316% |
| 126  | Reuniclus          |  0.309% |
| 127  | Regigigas          |  0.304% |
| 128  | Avalugg            |  0.292% |
| 129  | Starmie            |  0.291% |
| 130  | Entei              |  0.291% |
| 131  | Toxtricity         |  0.279% |
| 132  | Thundurus          |  0.265% |
| 133  | Druddigon          |  0.261% |
| 134  | Mantine            |  0.232% |
| 135  | Raikou             |  0.210% |
| 136  | Porygon-Z          |  0.208% |
| 137  | Arctovish          |  0.202% |
| 138  | Lycanroc-Dusk      |  0.199% |
| 139  | Terrakion          |  0.178% |
| 140  | Xatu               |  0.178% |
| 141  | Aerodactyl         |  0.175% |
| 142  | Charizard          |  0.170% |
| 143  | Tornadus           |  0.169% |
| 144  | Pyukumuku          |  0.167% |
| 145  | Gyarados           |  0.162% |
| 146  | Vaporeon           |  0.158% |
| 147  | Indeedee           |  0.156% |
| 148  | Diancie            |  0.154% |
| 149  | Milotic            |  0.154% |
| 150  | Gigalith           |  0.154% |
| 151  | Chandelure         |  0.151% |
| 152  | Poliwrath          |  0.150% |
| 153  | Registeel          |  0.145% |
| 154  | Salazzle           |  0.143% |
| 155  | Slowbro-Galar      |  0.139% |
| 156  | Aurorus            |  0.138% |
| 157  | Kabutops           |  0.137% |
| 158  | Polteageist        |  0.135% |
| 159  | Articuno           |  0.134% |
| 160  | Necrozma           |  0.134% |
| 161  | Slurpuff           |  0.132% |
| 162  | Runerigus          |  0.128% |
| 163  | Flygon             |  0.125% |
| 164  | Tentacruel         |  0.117% |
| 165  | Cobalion           |  0.115% |
| 166  | Tyrantrum          |  0.115% |
| 167  | Darmanitan         |  0.114% |
| 168  | Golurk             |  0.112% |
| 169  | Haxorus            |  0.109% |
| 170  | Froslass           |  0.103% |
| 171  | Golisopod          |  0.103% |
| 172  | Meowstic           |  0.102% |
| 173  | Raichu-Alola       |  0.101% |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +

Changes to the Top 10:

#14 (12.207%) > #2 (21.34%)
After a slow start, Clefable is back to being at the top of OU's usage stats. It's a solid defensive mon that can switch into top threats like Zygarde, Pheromosa and Urshifu-S. Physically defensive Clefable is as reliable as ever, and it's a great Stealth Rock user that can support teams with Knock Off or Teleport + Wish.

#17 (11.254%) > #9 (18.093%)
Melmetal on the other hand might have had a slow start due to being overshadowed by the new DLC2 released mons, but it has finally gained more usage and broken into the top 10. It is a very strong physical tank that has been met with some new counterplay compared to DLC1, most notably in formes of Zapdos, Moltres, and Buzzwole. Melmetal often uses Choice Band or 3 attacks + Protect, with those attacking moves usually including Double Iron Bash, Earthquake, Ice Punch, and Superpower. It also has a ton of bulk, which makes it difficult for it to be 1HKO'd. This immense bulk along with Steel-typing lets Melmetal act as one of the best answers to Kyurem-Black.

Other notable increases in usage:

#19 (9.673%) > #12 (16.571%)
Ferrothorn has always been a reliable mon and with Melmetal and Magearna seeing more usage, Ferrothorn is becoming a little better as it may sometimes be able to handle them. Ferrothorn with Power Whip is also able to provide counterplay against Tapu Fini, who has begun gaining usage with a new Calm Mind set. Ferrothorn also gained a little bit of usage from rain becoming a little more common.

#25 (7.373%) > #14 (12.018%)
It's honestly kind of funny how regular Swampert managed to become solid in Gen 8 OU while Blaziken is nearly on the edge of falling into UU. Swampert is a pretty reliable Stealth Rock user that is able to provide defensive utility against Regieleki and Heatran while providing momentum through Flip Turn, which is actually pretty convenient given how slow Swampert is. A very slow Flip Turn is similar to Teleport, in that it allows safer switches to become possible.

#23 (8.188%) > #15 (11.726%)
Tapu Fini's defensive typing and bulk makes it a pretty reliable defensive mon that can switch into Zygarde and Heatran, but it also has a new Calm Mind set that's been growing in popularity. This set is usually Calm Mind + Taunt + Draining Kiss + Surf. This is very similar to what Primarina ran in the past, but Taunt is the main game changer here, as this allows Tapu Fini to prevent Toxapex from using Haze to remove boosts, as well as prevent both Toxapex and Blissey from using recovery moves. Draining Kiss helps Tapu Fini maintain its longevity, and the bulk and typing mentioned before make it difficult to immediately KO once it starts setting up Calm Mind.

#28 (7.039%) > #17 (10.770%)
Cinderace is starting to pick up some usage after being overshadowed by the new and returning mons. It's still running the same 4 attack pivot set as it did in the past, but with Sucker Punch and High Jump Kick being run more often. Sucker Punch is great for threatening faster mons like Spectrier, and High Jump Kick prevents Heatran from walling Cinderace. Gunk Shot is still useful for hitting Clefable, Tapu Fini, and dealing solid damage to Moltres while avoiding Flame Body.

#33 (5.445%) > #18 (10.479%)
Mandibuzz looks to be one of the more reliable answers to Spectrier, as there are not too many Ghost-resists in the tier. Its typing also allows it to handle Rillaboom, and Foul Play allows it to actively threaten physical threats that want to boost their attack, such as Excadrill. On top of switching into Spectrier, Mandibuzz can provide utility with Knock Off and Toxic, and also provide momentum with U-turn.

#29 (6.869%) > #19 (10.377%)
Rain is starting to become more common and Pelipper's increased usage is proof of it. Pelipper itself is mandatory due to providing Drizzle, and it looks like rain is doing well enough to where it may become more common as players continue to discover and fine tune a standard rain structure.

#39 (4.666%) > #25 (8.346%)
Latios had a pretty slow start due to a lot of stronger and newer options being released, but it is starting to pick up in usage. Its most common sets are Life Orb with 3 attacks, as well as Choice Specs sets with Trick. Latios has pretty good coverage with Draco Meteor + Psyshock/Psychic + Aura Sphere hitting everything for solid damage outside of Magearna. Mystical Fire can hit Magearna and other Steel-types, but misses out on Heatran. Trick alongside Choice Specs means that Latios can often cripple and opposing Steel-type or Fairy-type, with the most common victims being Magearna and Heatran.

(Rapid-Strike) #40 (4.636%) > #23 (8.984%)
Urshifu-R is usually seen on rain teams, where it looks to pose a sizable threat with Surging Strikes under the rain. Outside of Toxapex, Slowbro and Ferrothorn, not much wants to switch into Surging Strikes to begin with, but Urshifu-R also has the option to U-turn out as those mons come in, as well as Close Combat to deal with Ferrothorn on the spot.

Notable decreases in usage:

#11 (14.955%) > #20 (10.284%)

#15 (12.198%) > #31 (7.400%)

#13 (12.764%) > #32 (7.132%)

#16 (12.178%) > #38 (5.149%)

The above mons received a great deal of usage previously, which was most likely due to them being newly released, but now it appears that their usage is starting to more closely reflect their performance in OU, and their days as new toys is starting to die down. Regieleki and Tapu Koko have been met with an abundance of Ground-types, Zapdos-Galar has been alright, but nothing special, and it dislikes having physically defensive Clefable see a spike in usage. Finally, Blaziken's immense recoil from Flare Blitz along with struggling to set up at times was apparently enough to nearly make it drop to UU. These mons may continue to see less usage, or perhaps they'll find new ways to be used and see an increase in usage. It's worth noting that aside from Tapu Koko with Dazzling Gleam, the other 3 mons all strongly dislike Zygarde, who can usually sponge a hit and threaten back or cripple with Glare. Zygarde being the most used mon in OU definetely spells trouble for them, and this might also be a reason as to why they're currently struggling.

Rising to OU:

#44 (3.938%) > #16 (11.234%)
Buzzwole slightly saw a good deal of usage before, but over the last few weeks has really cemented its place in the metagame as a very solid defensive pivot that's capable of handling some of OU's biggest threats, including Zygarde, Pheromosa, and Urshifu-S. It's a lot more consistent than Clefable at checking these mons due to its immense physical bulk, and it is also able to pose a threat in return with thanks to Bulk Up. Finally, Buzzwole, like Melmetal, is one of the best in terms of being a defensive answer to Kyurem-Black. In this case, Buzzwole's massive bulk alongside Bulk Up and Drain Punch are what allow it to handle Kyurem-Black.

#54 (2.848%) > #37 (5.481%)
Rain teams are growing more common, and Barraskewda tends to be a staple thanks to its respectable attacking power in conjunction with its naturally high speed stat, which gets even further boosted by Swift Swim. Flip Turn plays a good part in what Barraskewda does, as it's able to deal decent damage while grabbing momentum in return.

#93 (0.915%) > #40 (4.615%)
Nidoking barely made the cut and is finally OU by usage after a very long time. Landorus-I getting banned opened the door for Nidoking to get used as a strong special attacking Ground-type, and it has been doing very well on that front thanks to its movepool providing solid coverage. It's able to threaten nearly every defensive mon, with Blissey being the lone exception, and it has a solid enough speed tier to threaten slightly faster defensive mons like Heatran and Buzzwole

Fall from OU:

#27 (7.143%) > #44 (3.222%)

With the metagame becoming less centralized around hyper offense, Ditto's time in OU was winding down and it's not terribly surprising that managed to drop right away.

I'll post the usual questions below:

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?
2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?
3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?
4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?
5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?
6. How do you feel about the most common offensive mons in the tier?
7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?
8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?
9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?
10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)

Also, today officially marks the 1 year anniversary of Sword and Shield! It's been a long and rough year, but it's nice to see that we're in an enjoyable metagame now, and hopefully there's more to enjoy in the future.

 

[AM]

Alrighty hello there, everyone is talking about Zamazenta-C, which is a pretty interesting topic to go over, but I want to go over the usage stats and basically the things that surprised me because these ones are pretty interesting to look at and how they link to the current metagame.

#29

So right of the bat, this is the first thing that surprises me. I don't think Dragapult usage has been this incredibly low in pretty much ever. The most surprising thing about this is that after all of the quickbans, you should expect it to rise in usage, however it was an opposite case for Dragapult. I feel the main reason why this could be the case is due to Spectrier getting all the spotlight. It lacks any coverage however that doesn't really matter because Ghost is just a good offensive typing and is only switched into by Dark and Normal-types, which Spectrier takes full advantage of with its great offensive stats and ability. However I don't think that detracts Dragapult whatsoever in my eyes because I think its still an excellent Pokemon that pulls its weight against any build in terms of its excellent offensive utility and very valuable Speed, which makes it in my eyes just as good if not better than Spectrier. Hopefully in the future it will rise in usage but only time will tell.

Dragapult is a bit hard to use in this current metagame to me im not sure if its spectrier necessarily the reason why perhaps cause all its checks are running around everywhere. The offensive teams dont have too much issue with it either but I think in a slower more balanced meta it may shine again. Who knows?

 

[Katy]

With the Mid-November usage stats out now, these are my all around thoughts about the usage stats:

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?

Nothing really susprised me, as expected Buzzwole and Nidoking are really good picks, especially the former for checking Zygarde 50%.

2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?

I think Latios, Urshifu-Rapid Strike and Barraskewda might see more usage the second half of the month because Rain-teams aren't that bad in the current metagame and Urshifu fits really well in those alongside Barraskewda. Swampert definitely is not a surprise with Regieleki and Tapu Koko having decent usage, it was a great tool against them, same with Ferrothorn, it has superb utility and checks many Pokemon, which are dangerous and threatening to rain teams, but it also fits on bulky archetype and will always find itself as a super solid pick in OU.

3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?

Regieleki and Tapu Koko, but I think Rehieleki more than Tapu Koko. Regieleki suffers from bad coverage and I think the best Set currently is quite frankly the Dual-Screen-Set, as this provides the necessary support, which Hyper Offensive-structures appreciate. But I think it'll drop more and more, as the Specs-Set gets covered pretty well currently with Ferrothorn, Swampert and Lando-T as well as Zygarde 50% having a great usage. I think Regieleki will drop even further, when the new toy syndrome died out.

7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?

While controversial Pokemon, I think Toxapex is really a great addition in the tier right now, as it keeps many offensive powerhouses like Pheromosa, Blaziken, Barraskewda, Urshifu-Rapid Strike and Urshifu-Single Strike at bay. It can blanket check many Pokemon in the tier, so I think it's not necessarily a bad Pokemon in the tier. Mandibuzz is another great Pokemon, with checking Spectrier due to it having the necessary longevity due to Roost.

8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?

In my personal opinion, Teambuilding is restricted currently as Spectrier forces a good Ghost-resist (like Mandibuzz as example) and I think Kyurem-Black and Zygarde could be restrictive to teambuilding. Moltres usage also shows how great of a Pokemon it currently is, due to Melmetal and Pheromosa being powerhouses in their own rights. I feel teambuilding is restricted currently due to the factors, which I explained above.

9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?

Imma count them down in a Top 10 List:

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 

10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)

Thanks, you too! :)

 

[shadowpea]

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?

Buzzwole in OU is a very welcome surprise for me. As I have said, using Buzzwole is fun and I love the mon, and now its in OU. Honestly though I'm surprised rain and rain mons (peli, watershifu, barra) got more popular. Also surprised that Dracozolt is not on the list. Finally this should go without saying but Pult being so low is a really big shock.

2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?

Clef and Lando-T are only going to get better imo and their usages will reflect that. By the looks of it, I think that Buzzwole and Zapdos will be used more as well as defensive Pokemon, and I wouldn't be surprised if Moltres surges in usage as well.

E: Oh yeah Latios too this thing is going to be a ridiculous breaker.

3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?

Spectrier. Its time as a new toy is coming to an end and people might start using Pult and stuff more. Koko and Eleki are probably going to drop in usage for the same reasons.

4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?

Moltres and Dracozolt. Moltres have a good defensive presence and a nice defogger, and it can scare away Ferrothorn. Flame Body is also invaluable, and it can check some big threats like Phero and Melm (You roost off Thunder Punch before it hits so ur grounded and EQ barely does half). You all know what I think about Dracozolt though after numerous posts by me so if you are still curious check those out. Kartana and Latios are inevitably gonna make their returns as stupid strong wallbreakers. Finally, I love Volcarona, nothing will change that, and after the hectic chaos it WILL make it back as an amazing QD sweeper.

5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?

Not overrated but Zygarde and Black Kyurem are gonna drop in usage because they are gonna get banned soon :P. Mandibuzz now faces a ton of competition from other defoggers and might drop off a bit though admittedly is still really good. Imo Nidoking probably will drop off after people wanting to use something like Lando when it got banned.

7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?

Ferrothorn and Pex are the two pieces of sh*t that will always stain OU. Heatran deseves its high usage imo and will function as a great rocker, though idk about tanking as it have no reliable recovery. Zapdos is a rising star and will probably be a great defogger and physical tank due to its typing and ability to punish physical attackers with Static, and with rain's prominance atm it can even see some offensive use. You know how I feel about Buzzwole.

8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?

Uhh yeah, Zygarde and KB restricts building and you have to have one of a select few to cover them. Urshifu is also kinda a pain to prepare for and AV Mage is like the only thing that can tank Latios's attacks.

9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?

You can probably figure that out too from my earlier posts: Latios, Volca, Dracozolt, etc. I really enjoy using Darkshifu as a breaker because of its stupid power, good STABs, Sucker, and U-Turn. Finally, I like using Moltres, mainly because of Flame Body and Melmetal but it can often eat physical attacks Buzzwole can't and I like to pair them together.

10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)

Right back at ya! :D

 

[Vengeance417]

I don't have time to answer all of the questions, so I'll answer a few:

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?

Definitely Dragapult's sharp decline. I mean, I figured Spectrier was going to give it competition, but not by this much. I still think Dragapult has merit in the meta. It can still revenge the two broken Dragons as well as Sub Spectrier thanks to Infiltrator.

2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?

Buzzwole has proven itself to be an amazing physical wall in this meta. It handles Lando-T, Ferrothorn, Kartana, Garchomp, Melmetal, Urshifu, and Rillaboom extremely well, and if Zamazenta-C ever gets tested, it'll take that on comfortably, too. Melmetal is a monster with either Choice Band, Iron Defense + Body Press, and Protective Pads and Thunder Wave are also neat techs. Fini brings so much defensive utility to the meta, with a great defensive typing and Misty Terrain to help its grounded teammates avoid status and nerf Dragon-type moves. Has a bit of competition with Pex as a defensive Water, but they do different things anyway.

3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?

Galarian Zapdos, which is a damn shame because I love this Pokemon. I don't think it's terrible by any means; Defiant makes for a great Lando-T check and Thunderous Kick lets it beat down fat mons like Quag. Big issue is that it has an opportunity cost because you can't run this and its Kantonian counterpart at the same time. It also faces competition as a Fighting-type from the Urshifus and Pheromosa, which isn't great.

 

[ViZar]

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?

The fact that Corviknight almost dropped to UU. I can't think of a reason why you want to use it when Zapdos, Moltres and Mandibuzz check more threads, but it still suprises me.

2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?

Garchomp, Pheromosa and Latios. Garchomp faces competition from Zygarde and is checked by Kyurem-B. Garchomp will definetly rise once those are banned. Pheromosa and Latios are great offensive mons and again once Zygarde and Kyurem-Black are banned other mons like these two will become the new meta mons.

3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?

Blaziken. I really don't think it will stay in OU. Its checked by many mons and faces a serious 4MSS. It most likely be a UUBL mon or if it's even worse a decent UU mon.

4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?

Zarude. It checks Zygarde really well and once it gets banned, it still checks Spectrier and is a mon that isn't easily stopped by Toxapex.

8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?

Honestly, I see myself using Mandibuzz and Buzzwole on all of my teams, because I don't want to loose to Spectrier, Pheromosa, Kyurem-B and Zygarde. Sometimes I use Tyranitar, Zarude, Melmetal and Clefable as substitutes, but I still feel a bit restricted in team building.

9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?

Buzzwole and Swampert. Buzzwole was my MVP in many Battles and the fact that it checks many great offensive mons makes it really splashable. As for Swampert, it warms my heart to see my favorite mon be a solid OU mon. It tanks hits really well and has some utility with SR and Flip Turn.

10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)

Thanks! You too!

 

[FrozenVoltz]

Mid-November usage stats are here! Credit to Kalalokki for the great visual below:

Visual

Usage

Combined usage for OU (1695 stats)
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Percent |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
| 1    | Zygarde            | 24.764% |
| 2    | Clefable           | 21.344% |
| 3    | Landorus-Therian   | 21.289% |
| 4    | Magearna           | 20.554% |
| 5    | Heatran            | 20.003% |
| 6    | Kyurem-Black       | 18.993% |
| 7    | Urshifu            | 18.251% |
| 8    | Spectrier          | 18.097% |
| 9    | Melmetal           | 18.093% |
| 10   | Toxapex            | 17.735% |
| 11   | Pheromosa          | 17.189% |
| 12   | Ferrothorn         | 16.571% |
| 13   | Zapdos             | 14.633% |
| 14   | Swampert           | 12.018% |
| 15   | Tapu Fini          | 11.726% |
| 16   | Buzzwole           | 11.234% |
| 17   | Cinderace          | 10.770% |
| 18   | Mandibuzz          | 10.479% |
| 19   | Pelipper           | 10.377% |
| 20   | Regieleki          | 10.284% |
| 21   | Rillaboom          |  9.415% |
| 22   | Excadrill          |  9.368% |
| 23   | Urshifu-Rapid-Strike |  8.984% |
| 24   | Garchomp           |  8.464% |
| 25   | Latios             |  8.346% |
| 26   | Tyranitar          |  8.279% |
| 27   | Blissey            |  7.734% |
| 28   | Slowbro            |  7.667% |
| 29   | Dragapult          |  7.492% |
| 30   | Moltres            |  7.403% |
| 31   | Tapu Koko          |  7.400% |
| 32   | Zapdos-Galar       |  7.132% |
| 33   | Tornadus-Therian   |  7.012% |
| 34   | Kartana            |  6.358% |
| 35   | Landorus           |  6.135% |
| 36   | Corviknight        |  5.682% |
| 37   | Barraskewda        |  5.481% |
| 38   | Blaziken           |  5.149% |
| 39   | Dragonite          |  4.727% |
| 40   | Nidoking           |  4.615% |
| 41   | Tapu Lele          |  4.317% |
| 42   | Hippowdon          |  3.373% |
| 43   | Slowking           |  3.230% |
| 44   | Ditto              |  3.222% |
| 45   | Celesteela         |  2.922% |
| 46   | Aegislash          |  2.870% |
| 47   | Scizor             |  2.766% |
| 48   | Zarude             |  2.684% |
| 49   | Shuckle            |  2.654% |
| 50   | Hatterene          |  2.578% |
| 51   | Thundurus-Therian  |  2.557% |
| 52   | Porygon2           |  2.500% |
| 53   | Kingdra            |  2.487% |
| 54   | Marowak-Alola      |  2.436% |
| 55   | Dracozolt          |  2.294% |
| 56   | Hawlucha           |  2.216% |
| 57   | Hydreigon          |  2.155% |
| 58   | Grimmsnarl         |  2.129% |
| 59   | Latias             |  2.122% |
| 60   | Crawdaunt          |  2.076% |
| 61   | Magnezone          |  1.967% |
| 62   | Cresselia          |  1.950% |
| 63   | Seismitoad         |  1.947% |
| 64   | Chansey            |  1.927% |
| 65   | Mamoswine          |  1.811% |
| 66   | Azumarill          |  1.808% |
| 67   | Glastrier          |  1.805% |
| 68   | Skarmory           |  1.792% |
| 69   | Mew                |  1.767% |
| 70   | Tangrowth          |  1.732% |
| 71   | Klefki             |  1.724% |
| 72   | Ninetales-Alola    |  1.710% |
| 73   | Tapu Bulu          |  1.705% |
| 74   | Suicune            |  1.562% |
| 75   | Victini            |  1.512% |
| 76   | Blacephalon        |  1.491% |
| 77   | Regidrago          |  1.482% |
| 78   | Quagsire           |  1.448% |
| 79   | Moltres-Galar      |  1.411% |
| 80   | Slowking-Galar     |  1.361% |
| 81   | Nihilego           |  1.315% |
| 82   | Amoonguss          |  1.312% |
| 83   | Volcarona          |  1.160% |
| 84   | Zeraora            |  1.149% |
| 85   | Arctozolt          |  1.131% |
| 86   | Bisharp            |  1.106% |
| 87   | Ribombee           |  1.076% |
| 88   | Kommo-o            |  1.072% |
| 89   | Volcanion          |  1.061% |
| 90   | Torkoal            |  1.030% |
| 91   | Jirachi            |  0.985% |
| 92   | Diggersby          |  0.975% |
| 93   | Salamence          |  0.961% |
| 94   | Venusaur           |  0.851% |
| 95   | Rotom-Wash         |  0.824% |
| 96   | Togekiss           |  0.787% |
| 97   | Zoroark            |  0.759% |
| 98   | Kyurem             |  0.758% |
| 99   | Stakataka          |  0.744% |
| 100  | Shedinja           |  0.731% |
| 101  | Rotom-Heat         |  0.728% |
| 102  | Metagross          |  0.661% |
| 103  | Gengar             |  0.631% |
| 104  | Nidoqueen          |  0.620% |
| 105  | Keldeo             |  0.589% |
| 106  | Incineroar         |  0.516% |
| 107  | Obstagoon          |  0.513% |
| 108  | Mimikyu            |  0.491% |
| 109  | Primarina          |  0.484% |
| 110  | Cloyster           |  0.483% |
| 111  | Weezing-Galar      |  0.455% |
| 112  | Gastrodon          |  0.452% |
| 113  | Araquanid          |  0.445% |
| 114  | Abomasnow          |  0.441% |
| 115  | Umbreon            |  0.428% |
| 116  | Azelf              |  0.421% |
| 117  | Omastar            |  0.409% |
| 118  | Weavile            |  0.386% |
| 119  | Krookodile         |  0.382% |
| 120  | Alakazam           |  0.380% |
| 121  | Articuno-Galar     |  0.375% |
| 122  | Rhyperior          |  0.370% |
| 123  | Conkeldurr         |  0.351% |
| 124  | Whimsicott         |  0.324% |
| 125  | Uxie               |  0.316% |
| 126  | Reuniclus          |  0.309% |
| 127  | Regigigas          |  0.304% |
| 128  | Avalugg            |  0.292% |
| 129  | Starmie            |  0.291% |
| 130  | Entei              |  0.291% |
| 131  | Toxtricity         |  0.279% |
| 132  | Thundurus          |  0.265% |
| 133  | Druddigon          |  0.261% |
| 134  | Mantine            |  0.232% |
| 135  | Raikou             |  0.210% |
| 136  | Porygon-Z          |  0.208% |
| 137  | Arctovish          |  0.202% |
| 138  | Lycanroc-Dusk      |  0.199% |
| 139  | Terrakion          |  0.178% |
| 140  | Xatu               |  0.178% |
| 141  | Aerodactyl         |  0.175% |
| 142  | Charizard          |  0.170% |
| 143  | Tornadus           |  0.169% |
| 144  | Pyukumuku          |  0.167% |
| 145  | Gyarados           |  0.162% |
| 146  | Vaporeon           |  0.158% |
| 147  | Indeedee           |  0.156% |
| 148  | Diancie            |  0.154% |
| 149  | Milotic            |  0.154% |
| 150  | Gigalith           |  0.154% |
| 151  | Chandelure         |  0.151% |
| 152  | Poliwrath          |  0.150% |
| 153  | Registeel          |  0.145% |
| 154  | Salazzle           |  0.143% |
| 155  | Slowbro-Galar      |  0.139% |
| 156  | Aurorus            |  0.138% |
| 157  | Kabutops           |  0.137% |
| 158  | Polteageist        |  0.135% |
| 159  | Articuno           |  0.134% |
| 160  | Necrozma           |  0.134% |
| 161  | Slurpuff           |  0.132% |
| 162  | Runerigus          |  0.128% |
| 163  | Flygon             |  0.125% |
| 164  | Tentacruel         |  0.117% |
| 165  | Cobalion           |  0.115% |
| 166  | Tyrantrum          |  0.115% |
| 167  | Darmanitan         |  0.114% |
| 168  | Golurk             |  0.112% |
| 169  | Haxorus            |  0.109% |
| 170  | Froslass           |  0.103% |
| 171  | Golisopod          |  0.103% |
| 172  | Meowstic           |  0.102% |
| 173  | Raichu-Alola       |  0.101% |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +

Changes to the Top 10:

#14 (12.207%) > #2 (21.34%)
After a slow start, Clefable is back to being at the top of OU's usage stats. It's a solid defensive mon that can switch into top threats like Zygarde, Pheromosa and Urshifu-S. Physically defensive Clefable is as reliable as ever, and it's a great Stealth Rock user that can support teams with Knock Off or Teleport + Wish.

#17 (11.254%) > #9 (18.093%)
Melmetal on the other hand might have had a slow start due to being overshadowed by the new DLC2 released mons, but it has finally gained more usage and broken into the top 10. It is a very strong physical tank that has been met with some new counterplay compared to DLC1, most notably in formes of Zapdos, Moltres, and Buzzwole. Melmetal often uses Choice Band or 3 attacks + Protect, with those attacking moves usually including Double Iron Bash, Earthquake, Ice Punch, and Superpower.

Other notable increases in usage:

#19 (9.673%) > #12 (16.571%)
Ferrothorn has always been a reliable mon and with Melmetal and Magearna seeing more usage, Ferrothorn is becoming a little better as it may sometimes be able to handle them. Ferrothorn with Power Whip is also able to provide counterplay against Tapu Fini, who has begun gaining usage with a new Calm Mind set. Ferrothorn also gained a little bit of usage from rain becoming a little more common.

#25 (7.373%) > #14 (12.018%)
It's honestly kind of funny how regular Swampert managed to become solid in Gen 8 OU while Blaziken is nearly on the edge of falling into UU. Swampert is a pretty reliable Stealth Rock user that is able to provide defensive utility against Regieleki and Heatran while providing momentum through Flip Turn, which is actually pretty convenient given how slow Swampert is. A very slow Flip Turn is similar to Teleport, in that it allows safer switches to become possible.

#23 (8.188%) > #15 (11.726%)
Tapu Fini's defensive typing and bulk makes it a pretty reliable defensive mon that can switch into Zygarde and Heatran, but it also has a new Calm Mind set that's been growing in popularity. This set is usually Calm Mind + Taunt + Draining Kiss + Surf. This is very similar to what Primarina ran in the past, but Taunt is the main game changer here, as this allows Tapu Fini to prevent Toxapex from using Haze to remove boosts, as well as prevent both Toxapex and Blissey from using recovery moves. Draining Kiss helps Tapu Fini maintain its longevity, and the bulk and typing mentioned before make it difficult to immediately KO once it starts setting up Calm Mind.

#28 (7.039%) > #17 (10.770%)
Cinderace is starting to pick up some usage after being overshadowed by the new and returning mons. It's still running the same 4 attack pivot set as it did in the past, but with Sucker Punch and High Jump Kick being run more often. Sucker Punch is great for threatening faster mons like Spectrier, and High Jump Kick prevents Heatran from walling Cinderace. Gunk Shot is still useful for hitting Clefable, Tapu Fini, and dealing solid damage to Moltres while avoiding Flame Body.

#33 (5.445%) > #18 (10.479%)
Mandibuzz looks to be one of the more reliable answers to Spectrier, as there are not too many Ghost-resists in the tier. Its typing also allows it to handle Rillaboom, and Foul Play allows it to actively threaten physical threats that want to boost their attack, such as Excadrill. On top of switching into Spectrier, Mandibuzz can provide utility with Knock Off and Toxic, and also provide momentum with U-turn.

#29 (6.869%) > #19 (10.377%)
Rain is starting to become more common and Pelipper's increased usage is proof of it. Pelipper itself is mandatory due to providing Drizzle, and it looks like rain is doing well enough to where it may become more common as players continue to discover and fine tune a standard rain structure.

#39 (4.666%) > #25 (8.346%)
Latios had a pretty slow start due to a lot of stronger and newer options being released, but it is starting to pick up in usage. Its most common sets are Life Orb with 3 attacks, as well as Choice Specs sets with Trick. Latios has pretty good coverage with Draco Meteor + Psyshock/Psychic + Aura Sphere hitting everything for solid damage outside of Magearna. Mystical Fire can hit Magearna and other Steel-types, but misses out on Heatran. Trick alongside Choice Specs means that Latios can often cripple and opposing Steel-type or Fairy-type, with the most common victims being Magearna and Heatran.

(Rapid-Strike) #40 (4.636%) > #23 (8.984%)
Urshifu-R is usually seen on rain teams, where it looks to pose a sizable threat with Surging Strikes under the rain. Outside of Toxapex, Slowbro and Ferrothorn, not much wants to switch into Surging Strikes to begin with, but Urshifu-R also has the option to U-turn out as those mons come in, as well as Close Combat to deal with Ferrothorn on the spot.

Notable decreases in usage:

#11 (14.955%) > #20 (10.284%)

#15 (12.198%) > #31 (7.400%)

#13 (12.764%) > #32 (7.132%)

#16 (12.178%) > #38 (5.149%)

The above mons received a great deal of usage previously, which was most likely due to them being newly released, but now it appears that their usage is starting to more closely reflect their performance in OU, and their days as new toys is starting to die down. Regieleki and Tapu Koko have been met with an abundance of Ground-types, Zapdos-Galar has been alright, but nothing special, and it dislikes having physically defensive Clefable see a spike in usage. Finally, Blaziken's immense recoil from Flare Blitz along with struggling to set up at times was apparently enough to nearly make it drop to UU. These mons may continue to see less usage, or perhaps they'll find new ways to be used and see an increase in usage. It's worth noting that aside from Tapu Koko with Dazzling Gleam, the other 3 mons all strongly dislike Zygarde, who can usually sponge a hit and threaten back or cripple with Glare. Zygarde being the most used mon in OU definetely spells trouble for them, and this might also be a reason as to why they're currently struggling.

Rising to OU:

#44 (3.938%) > #16 (11.234%)
Buzzwole slightly saw a good deal of usage before, but over the last few weeks has really cemented its place in the metagame as a very solid defensive pivot that's capable of handling some of OU's biggest threats, including Zygarde, Pheromosa, and Urshifu-S. It's a lot more consistent than Clefable at checking these mons due to its immense physical bulk, and it is also able to pose a threat in return with thanks to Bulk Up.

#54 (2.848%) > #37 (5.481%)
Rain teams are growing more common, and Barraskewda tends to be a staple thanks to its respectable attacking power in conjunction with its naturally high speed stat, which gets even further boosted by Swift Swim. Flip Turn plays a good part in what Barraskewda does, as it's able to deal decent damage while grabbing momentum in return.

#93 (0.915%) > #40 (4.615%)
Nidoking barely made the cut and is finally OU by usage after a very long time. Landorus-I getting banned opened the door for Nidoking to get used as a strong special attacking Ground-type, and it has been doing very well on that front thanks to its movepool providing solid coverage. It's able to threaten nearly every defensive mon, with Blissey being the lone exception, and it has a solid enough speed tier to threaten slightly faster defensive mons like Heatran and Buzzwole

Fall from OU:

#27 (7.143%) > #44 (3.222%)

With the metagame becoming less centralized around hyper offense, Ditto's time in OU was winding down and it's not terribly surprising that managed to drop right away.

I'll post the usual questions below:

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?
2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?
3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?
4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?
5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?
6. How do you feel about the most common offensive mons in the tier?
7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?
8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?
9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?
10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)

Also, today officially marks the 1 year anniversary of Sword and Shield! It's been a long and rough year, but it's nice to see that we're in an enjoyable metagame now, and hopefully there's more to enjoy in the future.

1.Seeing Blaziken barely avoiding the drop to UU we thought it was gonna be broken but it turns out that wasn't the case.
2.I think Landorus-T will continue to see more usage later on because its still a great glue for OU,Buzzwole is very good in this metagame and its not hard to see why,Great physical bulk,Great Attack and recovery being one of the best answers to Zygarde,Melmetal and Kyurem-B is no joke and even if Kyurem and Zygarde end up being banned Buzzwole would still be a great choice for many teams,
3.Regieleki,while it has great power and speed it has next to no coverage VS Ground types which is bad news due to how splashable Landorus-T and Zygarde are and its frailty doesn't give it any favors either, i could see this dropping in usage even more
4.Garchomp is underrated in my opinion, with Rocky Helmet and Rough Skin is a good check to Cinderace,Urshifu Rapid strike,Blaziken,U-Turn spammers and physical attackers in general,its a good rocker and its powerful with an SD up(Its a bummer that it didn't get Dragon Dance) i think it would rise in usage once Zygarde its banned which is something that happened last gen,
5.I don't see anything Overrated right IMO
6.Kyurem-B is a demon with DD and its Boltbeam coverage alone and its very bulky,Zygarde is Zygarde Thousand arrows can hit everything making it very spammable,Sub Coil sets are deadly and Glare is very dificult to block outside of Tapu Fini,Melmetal hits very very hard with Banded Double Iron Bash and its huge HP and defense means that Earthquakes can't even scare it out and Spectrier only needs Shadow Ball/Hex to be a massive threat.
7.Toxapex continues to be annoying but its a very important piece for OU,Clefable is very reliable as always thanks to its wish support and utility
8.The only problematic mons are Spectrier,Zygarde, and Kyurem-B other than that i think the tier is balanced
9.Zygarde,Landorus-T,Garchomp,Zapdos,Moltres,Cinderace,Spectrier,Kyurem-B,Magearna Etc....
10.Hope you have a wonderful day too

 

[lycan2500]

Mid-November usage stats are here! Credit to Kalalokki for the great visual below:

Visual

Usage

Combined usage for OU (1695 stats)
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Percent |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
| 1    | Zygarde            | 24.764% |
| 2    | Clefable           | 21.344% |
| 3    | Landorus-Therian   | 21.289% |
| 4    | Magearna           | 20.554% |
| 5    | Heatran            | 20.003% |
| 6    | Kyurem-Black       | 18.993% |
| 7    | Urshifu            | 18.251% |
| 8    | Spectrier          | 18.097% |
| 9    | Melmetal           | 18.093% |
| 10   | Toxapex            | 17.735% |
| 11   | Pheromosa          | 17.189% |
| 12   | Ferrothorn         | 16.571% |
| 13   | Zapdos             | 14.633% |
| 14   | Swampert           | 12.018% |
| 15   | Tapu Fini          | 11.726% |
| 16   | Buzzwole           | 11.234% |
| 17   | Cinderace          | 10.770% |
| 18   | Mandibuzz          | 10.479% |
| 19   | Pelipper           | 10.377% |
| 20   | Regieleki          | 10.284% |
| 21   | Rillaboom          |  9.415% |
| 22   | Excadrill          |  9.368% |
| 23   | Urshifu-Rapid-Strike |  8.984% |
| 24   | Garchomp           |  8.464% |
| 25   | Latios             |  8.346% |
| 26   | Tyranitar          |  8.279% |
| 27   | Blissey            |  7.734% |
| 28   | Slowbro            |  7.667% |
| 29   | Dragapult          |  7.492% |
| 30   | Moltres            |  7.403% |
| 31   | Tapu Koko          |  7.400% |
| 32   | Zapdos-Galar       |  7.132% |
| 33   | Tornadus-Therian   |  7.012% |
| 34   | Kartana            |  6.358% |
| 35   | Landorus           |  6.135% |
| 36   | Corviknight        |  5.682% |
| 37   | Barraskewda        |  5.481% |
| 38   | Blaziken           |  5.149% |
| 39   | Dragonite          |  4.727% |
| 40   | Nidoking           |  4.615% |
| 41   | Tapu Lele          |  4.317% |
| 42   | Hippowdon          |  3.373% |
| 43   | Slowking           |  3.230% |
| 44   | Ditto              |  3.222% |
| 45   | Celesteela         |  2.922% |
| 46   | Aegislash          |  2.870% |
| 47   | Scizor             |  2.766% |
| 48   | Zarude             |  2.684% |
| 49   | Shuckle            |  2.654% |
| 50   | Hatterene          |  2.578% |
| 51   | Thundurus-Therian  |  2.557% |
| 52   | Porygon2           |  2.500% |
| 53   | Kingdra            |  2.487% |
| 54   | Marowak-Alola      |  2.436% |
| 55   | Dracozolt          |  2.294% |
| 56   | Hawlucha           |  2.216% |
| 57   | Hydreigon          |  2.155% |
| 58   | Grimmsnarl         |  2.129% |
| 59   | Latias             |  2.122% |
| 60   | Crawdaunt          |  2.076% |
| 61   | Magnezone          |  1.967% |
| 62   | Cresselia          |  1.950% |
| 63   | Seismitoad         |  1.947% |
| 64   | Chansey            |  1.927% |
| 65   | Mamoswine          |  1.811% |
| 66   | Azumarill          |  1.808% |
| 67   | Glastrier          |  1.805% |
| 68   | Skarmory           |  1.792% |
| 69   | Mew                |  1.767% |
| 70   | Tangrowth          |  1.732% |
| 71   | Klefki             |  1.724% |
| 72   | Ninetales-Alola    |  1.710% |
| 73   | Tapu Bulu          |  1.705% |
| 74   | Suicune            |  1.562% |
| 75   | Victini            |  1.512% |
| 76   | Blacephalon        |  1.491% |
| 77   | Regidrago          |  1.482% |
| 78   | Quagsire           |  1.448% |
| 79   | Moltres-Galar      |  1.411% |
| 80   | Slowking-Galar     |  1.361% |
| 81   | Nihilego           |  1.315% |
| 82   | Amoonguss          |  1.312% |
| 83   | Volcarona          |  1.160% |
| 84   | Zeraora            |  1.149% |
| 85   | Arctozolt          |  1.131% |
| 86   | Bisharp            |  1.106% |
| 87   | Ribombee           |  1.076% |
| 88   | Kommo-o            |  1.072% |
| 89   | Volcanion          |  1.061% |
| 90   | Torkoal            |  1.030% |
| 91   | Jirachi            |  0.985% |
| 92   | Diggersby          |  0.975% |
| 93   | Salamence          |  0.961% |
| 94   | Venusaur           |  0.851% |
| 95   | Rotom-Wash         |  0.824% |
| 96   | Togekiss           |  0.787% |
| 97   | Zoroark            |  0.759% |
| 98   | Kyurem             |  0.758% |
| 99   | Stakataka          |  0.744% |
| 100  | Shedinja           |  0.731% |
| 101  | Rotom-Heat         |  0.728% |
| 102  | Metagross          |  0.661% |
| 103  | Gengar             |  0.631% |
| 104  | Nidoqueen          |  0.620% |
| 105  | Keldeo             |  0.589% |
| 106  | Incineroar         |  0.516% |
| 107  | Obstagoon          |  0.513% |
| 108  | Mimikyu            |  0.491% |
| 109  | Primarina          |  0.484% |
| 110  | Cloyster           |  0.483% |
| 111  | Weezing-Galar      |  0.455% |
| 112  | Gastrodon          |  0.452% |
| 113  | Araquanid          |  0.445% |
| 114  | Abomasnow          |  0.441% |
| 115  | Umbreon            |  0.428% |
| 116  | Azelf              |  0.421% |
| 117  | Omastar            |  0.409% |
| 118  | Weavile            |  0.386% |
| 119  | Krookodile         |  0.382% |
| 120  | Alakazam           |  0.380% |
| 121  | Articuno-Galar     |  0.375% |
| 122  | Rhyperior          |  0.370% |
| 123  | Conkeldurr         |  0.351% |
| 124  | Whimsicott         |  0.324% |
| 125  | Uxie               |  0.316% |
| 126  | Reuniclus          |  0.309% |
| 127  | Regigigas          |  0.304% |
| 128  | Avalugg            |  0.292% |
| 129  | Starmie            |  0.291% |
| 130  | Entei              |  0.291% |
| 131  | Toxtricity         |  0.279% |
| 132  | Thundurus          |  0.265% |
| 133  | Druddigon          |  0.261% |
| 134  | Mantine            |  0.232% |
| 135  | Raikou             |  0.210% |
| 136  | Porygon-Z          |  0.208% |
| 137  | Arctovish          |  0.202% |
| 138  | Lycanroc-Dusk      |  0.199% |
| 139  | Terrakion          |  0.178% |
| 140  | Xatu               |  0.178% |
| 141  | Aerodactyl         |  0.175% |
| 142  | Charizard          |  0.170% |
| 143  | Tornadus           |  0.169% |
| 144  | Pyukumuku          |  0.167% |
| 145  | Gyarados           |  0.162% |
| 146  | Vaporeon           |  0.158% |
| 147  | Indeedee           |  0.156% |
| 148  | Diancie            |  0.154% |
| 149  | Milotic            |  0.154% |
| 150  | Gigalith           |  0.154% |
| 151  | Chandelure         |  0.151% |
| 152  | Poliwrath          |  0.150% |
| 153  | Registeel          |  0.145% |
| 154  | Salazzle           |  0.143% |
| 155  | Slowbro-Galar      |  0.139% |
| 156  | Aurorus            |  0.138% |
| 157  | Kabutops           |  0.137% |
| 158  | Polteageist        |  0.135% |
| 159  | Articuno           |  0.134% |
| 160  | Necrozma           |  0.134% |
| 161  | Slurpuff           |  0.132% |
| 162  | Runerigus          |  0.128% |
| 163  | Flygon             |  0.125% |
| 164  | Tentacruel         |  0.117% |
| 165  | Cobalion           |  0.115% |
| 166  | Tyrantrum          |  0.115% |
| 167  | Darmanitan         |  0.114% |
| 168  | Golurk             |  0.112% |
| 169  | Haxorus            |  0.109% |
| 170  | Froslass           |  0.103% |
| 171  | Golisopod          |  0.103% |
| 172  | Meowstic           |  0.102% |
| 173  | Raichu-Alola       |  0.101% |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +

Changes to the Top 10:

#14 (12.207%) > #2 (21.34%)
After a slow start, Clefable is back to being at the top of OU's usage stats. It's a solid defensive mon that can switch into top threats like Zygarde, Pheromosa and Urshifu-S. Physically defensive Clefable is as reliable as ever, and it's a great Stealth Rock user that can support teams with Knock Off or Teleport + Wish.

#17 (11.254%) > #9 (18.093%)
Melmetal on the other hand might have had a slow start due to being overshadowed by the new DLC2 released mons, but it has finally gained more usage and broken into the top 10. It is a very strong physical tank that has been met with some new counterplay compared to DLC1, most notably in formes of Zapdos, Moltres, and Buzzwole. Melmetal often uses Choice Band or 3 attacks + Protect, with those attacking moves usually including Double Iron Bash, Earthquake, Ice Punch, and Superpower.

Other notable increases in usage:

#19 (9.673%) > #12 (16.571%)
Ferrothorn has always been a reliable mon and with Melmetal and Magearna seeing more usage, Ferrothorn is becoming a little better as it may sometimes be able to handle them. Ferrothorn with Power Whip is also able to provide counterplay against Tapu Fini, who has begun gaining usage with a new Calm Mind set. Ferrothorn also gained a little bit of usage from rain becoming a little more common.

#25 (7.373%) > #14 (12.018%)
It's honestly kind of funny how regular Swampert managed to become solid in Gen 8 OU while Blaziken is nearly on the edge of falling into UU. Swampert is a pretty reliable Stealth Rock user that is able to provide defensive utility against Regieleki and Heatran while providing momentum through Flip Turn, which is actually pretty convenient given how slow Swampert is. A very slow Flip Turn is similar to Teleport, in that it allows safer switches to become possible.

#23 (8.188%) > #15 (11.726%)
Tapu Fini's defensive typing and bulk makes it a pretty reliable defensive mon that can switch into Zygarde and Heatran, but it also has a new Calm Mind set that's been growing in popularity. This set is usually Calm Mind + Taunt + Draining Kiss + Surf. This is very similar to what Primarina ran in the past, but Taunt is the main game changer here, as this allows Tapu Fini to prevent Toxapex from using Haze to remove boosts, as well as prevent both Toxapex and Blissey from using recovery moves. Draining Kiss helps Tapu Fini maintain its longevity, and the bulk and typing mentioned before make it difficult to immediately KO once it starts setting up Calm Mind.

#28 (7.039%) > #17 (10.770%)
Cinderace is starting to pick up some usage after being overshadowed by the new and returning mons. It's still running the same 4 attack pivot set as it did in the past, but with Sucker Punch and High Jump Kick being run more often. Sucker Punch is great for threatening faster mons like Spectrier, and High Jump Kick prevents Heatran from walling Cinderace. Gunk Shot is still useful for hitting Clefable, Tapu Fini, and dealing solid damage to Moltres while avoiding Flame Body.

#33 (5.445%) > #18 (10.479%)
Mandibuzz looks to be one of the more reliable answers to Spectrier, as there are not too many Ghost-resists in the tier. Its typing also allows it to handle Rillaboom, and Foul Play allows it to actively threaten physical threats that want to boost their attack, such as Excadrill. On top of switching into Spectrier, Mandibuzz can provide utility with Knock Off and Toxic, and also provide momentum with U-turn.

#29 (6.869%) > #19 (10.377%)
Rain is starting to become more common and Pelipper's increased usage is proof of it. Pelipper itself is mandatory due to providing Drizzle, and it looks like rain is doing well enough to where it may become more common as players continue to discover and fine tune a standard rain structure.

#39 (4.666%) > #25 (8.346%)
Latios had a pretty slow start due to a lot of stronger and newer options being released, but it is starting to pick up in usage. Its most common sets are Life Orb with 3 attacks, as well as Choice Specs sets with Trick. Latios has pretty good coverage with Draco Meteor + Psyshock/Psychic + Aura Sphere hitting everything for solid damage outside of Magearna. Mystical Fire can hit Magearna and other Steel-types, but misses out on Heatran. Trick alongside Choice Specs means that Latios can often cripple and opposing Steel-type or Fairy-type, with the most common victims being Magearna and Heatran.

(Rapid-Strike) #40 (4.636%) > #23 (8.984%)
Urshifu-R is usually seen on rain teams, where it looks to pose a sizable threat with Surging Strikes under the rain. Outside of Toxapex, Slowbro and Ferrothorn, not much wants to switch into Surging Strikes to begin with, but Urshifu-R also has the option to U-turn out as those mons come in, as well as Close Combat to deal with Ferrothorn on the spot.

Notable decreases in usage:

#11 (14.955%) > #20 (10.284%)

#15 (12.198%) > #31 (7.400%)

#13 (12.764%) > #32 (7.132%)

#16 (12.178%) > #38 (5.149%)

The above mons received a great deal of usage previously, which was most likely due to them being newly released, but now it appears that their usage is starting to more closely reflect their performance in OU, and their days as new toys is starting to die down. Regieleki and Tapu Koko have been met with an abundance of Ground-types, Zapdos-Galar has been alright, but nothing special, and it dislikes having physically defensive Clefable see a spike in usage. Finally, Blaziken's immense recoil from Flare Blitz along with struggling to set up at times was apparently enough to nearly make it drop to UU. These mons may continue to see less usage, or perhaps they'll find new ways to be used and see an increase in usage. It's worth noting that aside from Tapu Koko with Dazzling Gleam, the other 3 mons all strongly dislike Zygarde, who can usually sponge a hit and threaten back or cripple with Glare. Zygarde being the most used mon in OU definetely spells trouble for them, and this might also be a reason as to why they're currently struggling.

Rising to OU:

#44 (3.938%) > #16 (11.234%)
Buzzwole slightly saw a good deal of usage before, but over the last few weeks has really cemented its place in the metagame as a very solid defensive pivot that's capable of handling some of OU's biggest threats, including Zygarde, Pheromosa, and Urshifu-S. It's a lot more consistent than Clefable at checking these mons due to its immense physical bulk, and it is also able to pose a threat in return with thanks to Bulk Up.

#54 (2.848%) > #37 (5.481%)
Rain teams are growing more common, and Barraskewda tends to be a staple thanks to its respectable attacking power in conjunction with its naturally high speed stat, which gets even further boosted by Swift Swim. Flip Turn plays a good part in what Barraskewda does, as it's able to deal decent damage while grabbing momentum in return.

#93 (0.915%) > #40 (4.615%)
Nidoking barely made the cut and is finally OU by usage after a very long time. Landorus-I getting banned opened the door for Nidoking to get used as a strong special attacking Ground-type, and it has been doing very well on that front thanks to its movepool providing solid coverage. It's able to threaten nearly every defensive mon, with Blissey being the lone exception, and it has a solid enough speed tier to threaten slightly faster defensive mons like Heatran and Buzzwole

Fall from OU:

#27 (7.143%) > #44 (3.222%)

With the metagame becoming less centralized around hyper offense, Ditto's time in OU was winding down and it's not terribly surprising that managed to drop right away.

I'll post the usual questions below:

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?
2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?
3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?
4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?
5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?
6. How do you feel about the most common offensive mons in the tier?
7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?
8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?
9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?
10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)

Also, today officially marks the 1 year anniversary of Sword and Shield! It's been a long and rough year, but it's nice to see that we're in an enjoyable metagame now, and hopefully there's more to enjoy in the future.

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?
I think a few things surprised me, but seeing Blaziken nearly drop is... Surreal to me, despite knowing it isn't the best right now. Honestly, I know it has flaws but think it may be a bit underexplored and has some potential sets, like CB, worth looking into in this meta.
2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?
Once Zygarde and Kyurem Black go away, it will open up the gates for a lot of mons and I am very glad it will happen. Just wish it happened sooner. As far as which mons, Koko should rise due to 2 good checks to it going poof. We'll also see Dragonite partially replace both of these mons as a Dragon Dance Sweeper (I think Salamence has merit here as well, but most people are bound to try Dnite). I also expect Moltres to gain even more popularity, as Pheromosa will surely continue its rise and few mons fuck it over as well as Moltres does, and it can check mons like Melmetal as well.
3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?
I honestly can't tell. We are hopefully going to see the blarring stains in OU's metagame go away soon (Zygarde and Kyurem Black), and that means usage is gonna change drastically here. All the mons that notably dropped this month would love a metagame where those 2 are gone.
4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?
I think Hydreigon will work its way back once people remember it. Dark Types are in demand thanks to horse, we are about to lose the 2 best Dragons in the tier, and Hydreigon, in particular, checks a lot of shit in the meta very well. Blaziken is criminally underexplored rn in my opinon, despite its flaws in today's meta. And Torn T and Kartana are going to surge after Zyg and Kyub leave. I also think that people should look into Aegislash, Scizor and Salamence more, but this is unlikely.
5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?
I don't see any mon that isn't earning its keep in the meta. My pick here could honestly be Nidoking, and not because I think its bad. I just think it could easily drop again once people don't feel the urge of running a Lando-like mon. Nidoking has always been a good mon, but he hasn't changed much since gen 7 and his flaws from that gen are still present.
6. How do you feel about the most common offensive mons in the tier?
If you speak of Zygarde and Kyurem Black, they are absolute bullshit and needed to be banned so long ago its not even funny. Please fucking take action already, why are you waiting this damn long. Its so stupid.
7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?
Oppresed by the likes of Kyurem B and Zygarde. I have enjoyed seeing the rise of Buzzwole and Moltres. Swampert rising is also sweet.
8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?
ZYGARDE IS BULLSHIT. Ghost Horse is annoying as heck, but since I run Bulky Offense I can usually handle it even without a Ghost resist. Pheromosa can be annoying but it has major 4mss so that helps out. Otherwise its fine, we just need Zyg and Kyub to go the fuck away already.
9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?
I actually love using Galarian Zapdos in this meta. Despite the Phero and Urhsifu competition, I find the Scarf sets to be incredible cleaners, and making Lando pay in blood is awesome. I also don't get why people claim Clef stops it, it actually gets savaged by Brave Bird very easily. Its the only of the 3 premier Fighting types to not need a dedicated slot for Fairy types. It can be annoyed by Koko, but you can easily run Tantrum for it. Great and fun mon that people forget exists outside of Hyper Offense.
10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)

Thank you!

 

[Cuddly]

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?
2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?
3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?
4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?
5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?
6. How do you feel about the most common offensive mons in the tier?
7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?
8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?
9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?
10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)

1. Galarian Zapdos being used that little. It’s a great answer to offense and defensive cores depending on the set. It does somewhat struggle against Toxapex and Clefable, although the former is only true because of Scald Burns, since Zapdos-G can spam Thunderous Kick until both have their defenses low enough to be KOd by Brave Bird on non-choice sets, but its not like Urshifu was perfect against those 2 Pokemon either. It’s also a great answer to Urshifu as well, resisting its STABs, outspeeding, and being able to KO it with either STAB.

2. Nidoking unironically. It’s an absolute destroyer of common cores with its coverage moves and Sheer Force. Aside from Blissey, a Nidoking where you don’t know its moves is extremely scare to switch into defensively. Its typing and bulk also lends itself to come in easily on most offensive threats. Besides Zygarde and Kyurem-B, but those 2 are getting the chopping block soon anyways, which will just let have less offensive outerplay.

3. Blaziken. Without Z-moves for it or its partners to break past Toxapex, Tapu Fini, and Slowbro, it really risky to use. It can requires Sword Dance to break past them since chipping them is out of the question. Also because of its frailty and needing to use Life Orb+Contact moves, Blaziken can also be very easily worn down, and despite its typing, Blaziken take a huge chunk of damage from Grassy Glide.
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Blaziken in Grassy Terrain: 158-186 (52.4 - 61.7%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
It’s low speed also makes it hard for Blaziken to immediately threaten out things without protect, something it can’t run if it wants to beat common regenerator cores.

4. Dragonite. With HDBs, a lack of Hidden Power, and actually having usable Flying STABs, it’s only set back is that Zygarde and Kyurem-B are just better than it. Once they are gone, it can be a huge threat. I also like Dragonite’s Hoenn cousin Salamence, but with defensive sets of HDBs, Wish or Roost, and Defog.

5. Spectrier, easily. Honestly Dragapult is still the better fast Ghost type by a long shot. Hell, Gengar is arguably better than it too, despite the weaker stats. Spectrier can be a huge threat with its Special Moxie sure, that is of course against weakened teams that don’t have one of the numerous resistances to its god awful movepool. Literally any Normal Type (besides maybe Whismur) will immediately stop this thing’s sweep and the bulky Darks in Tyranitar/Mandibuzz are great stops to it as well. Rillaboom is another great option since Spectier has piss poor bulk, especially on the physical side. I also find it often that you are required to run timid because of that bulk as well, which lends itself to being easily revenge killed by scarfers.
Dragapult and Gengar actually have ways to deal with those Pokemon, and both resist Grassy Glide. Gengar having that extremely useful Poison typing with actually good coverage in Sludge Wave and Focus Blast, and Dragapult having better speed, typing, Draco Meteor being very nice, being more ambiuous, and Infiltrator to deal with Sub Zygarde
Soectrier does have nice upsides, as an unprepared team can be folded easily by Spectrier.
The next one after Spectrier being Pheromosa. Without Z-moves, Toxapex really screws Pheromosa up, especially with Rocky Helmet dealing 1/2th damage when Pheromosa uses Triple Axel. With how common Toxapex is and how much it stops Pheromosa, it can be dead weight with the only purpose of luring in Toxapex. It’s blistering speed isn’t all that impressive anymore either when something like Regieleki exists. Its quiver dance set is also hard to use with its frailty, Rillaboom having Grassy Glide (252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Pheromosa in Grassy Terrain: 255-300 (90.1 - 106%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO), and no Z-moves to absorb weaker Knock Offs as well as nuke a wall.

6. Zygarde’s coil set is incredibly broken. I run Dragapult with Infiltrator primarily for Zygarde’s Coil set. Once behind a Sub, it’s incredibly hard to deal with as it’s so bulky, strong, and has Glare. If Zygarde is on the opposing team, I know I have to use my Dragapult to deal with it. And you know, it’s a shame that Aurorus is part Rock, or rather that Refrigerate+Hyper Voice is only found on 1 Pokemon, that’s a complete shitmon. The only other option of hitting behind a Sub is Noivern, which is pretty outclassed by Dragapult anyways. Everything else can’t break past its natural bulk.
Oh, and did I mention that Zygarde also gets Dragon Dance and can hold a Choice Band? Or that it also gets Scale Shot too?
Hope it gets tested soon.
I also feel the same about Kyurem-B. How did this thing get back into OU? The world may never know.
Urshifu-SS is pretty fine now with the new additions. Same with Melmetal, which I thought was going to be one of the too much for OU Pokemon. Offensive Magearna is only ok now that Heatran is back.

7. Clefable and defensive Heatran are great. I honestly don’t have much to say about Clefable, but Heatran with Ferrothorn and Toxapex make up an amazing defensive FWG core. Maybe swap out Ferrothorn for Rillaboom for Ferrothorn if you want a balance core, where Grassy terrain provides so much for Heatran like halving Earthquake damage as well as giving Heatran double leftovers. Same with Toxapex, which is great. Also glad Swampert is getting some attention.

8. Currently, the only issue is trying to deal with Zygarde and Kyurem-B effectively and in most scenarios. Other than that, it’s pretty unrestrictive.

9. Galarian Zapdos and Regieleki. The former is an excellent stallbreaker and an answer to many threatening Pokemon. With spikes and Knock Off support, Zapdos-G becomes a huge threar that either plows through a team that is forced to take spikes and a -1 Defense drop, or they face a +2 Staraptor with even higher Atk, better bulk/typing, and actually appreciates Landorus-T existing. With Scarf, it can BTFO Tornadus-T on a Defog switch-in without retaliation in the form of Hurricane. It only has to fear Zapdos as the Defogger for all its sets, even Choice Band Throat Chop is risky because of Static (Paralysis is just a mistake in general). Also Moltres can get lucky with Flame Body activating. Ar least their is no Freeze version of Static that Articuno would have, and it also has Thunderous Kick to make it so those Birds are forced to attack it, and Defiant makes defog a death sentence if you’re unlucky with ability RNG.
Regieleki is easily best offensive Electric in the game. For obvious reasons, it’s one of the best speed control options in the game. The fact that Adamant/Modest Regieleki can STILL outspeed +1 Postitive nature Base 100s by several points is assuming enough. It then has Transistor, which gives its STABs incredible power beyond even adaptability. It’s Choice Band set makes it a beast. Banded Explosion, Extreme Speed, and even Assurence is miles better than fucking Swift. I always find myself using that Choice Band set more often because of its coverage and it doesn’t get stuffed by Dragapult, Excadrill, or other ground Normal+Electric Resists. Having a legitimate use for Assurence surely makes it one of the most note worthy Pokemon this DLC (also seriously, why is the analysis page only Screens and Specs? Band definitely deserves a spot on their).

 

[ScarfchomperL100]

I'll post the usual questions below:

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?
2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?
3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?
4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?
5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?
6. How do you feel about the most common offensive mons in the tier?
7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?
8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?
9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?
10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)

Also, today officially marks the 1 year anniversary of Sword and Shield! It's been a long and rough year, but it's nice to see that we're in an enjoyable metagame now, and hopefully there's more to enjoy in the future.

1. At first I was surprised that Barraskewda rose all the way to OU, but considering that I've been seeing quite a few rain teams that surprise faded pretty fast.

2. I think Latios will continue to see more and more usage as it's a very very powerful attacker thanks to it's large special attack, STAB Draco Meteor and good coverage moves, high speed, special bulk, and key resistances to things like Electric, Fire, Fighting, and Grass and a ground immunity.

3. Tapu Koko I think will continue to decline. Losing Hidden Power Ice blows, but what may have really hurt it the most was the change to terrain mechanics. 1.5x going down to 1.3x is a very severe blow to something with only 95 base special attack trying to abuse as many boosts to it's electric attacks as possible, and it can't even switch into Defog users either as they just blow away it's terrain, and therefore the entire purpose of running it in the first place. The aforementioned lackluster 95 special attack also means that it's limited coverage moves and STAB Dazzling Gleam are not very powerful; for instance it needs a Choice Specs to guarantee an OHKO on offensive Garchomp with a STAB Super Effective Dazzling Gleam. I never consider Tapu Koko for a team slot over another electric like Zapdos and even non OUs like Zeraora and Raikou. Zapdos has STAB Hurricane and Fire coverage, better bulk, and decent abilities in Static to punish contact moves like Double Iron Bash and U-turn or Pressure to PP stall hazards. Zeraora has an electric immunity letting it block Volt Switch, and has the coverage moves that Tapu Koko would only wish it had such as Blaze Kick, CC, Knock Off, Play Rough, and an especially good move in Plasma Fists. Raikou is niche, but has Scald to hit ground types with and in general has decent special attack, speed, and has good natural 90/100 special bulk.

4. I think Tapu Lele is a very underrated Pokemon. Sure, it also dislikes the terrain nerf, but it's already very strong with 130 special attack so while it does hurt it a bit that doesn't mean it still lacks power. Choice Specs sets are pretty strong and many steels like Heatran, Melmetal, and Ferrothorn are one Focus Miss Blast away from being unable to switch in if they are not outright KOd in one hit. Calm Mind sets also seem to be pretty unexplored: You can boost up on a forced switch and when backed up with a boosting item of your choice, such as Life Orb, it ends up hitting even harder than if it were Choice Specs while having the freedom to switch moves.

5. I had to struggle to answer this question because in my opinion many of the things in high usage are there for a legitimate reason, whether it is that they are just great themselves or that they are being used to check unhealthy Pokemon in the meta. As such, even though it's not really high on the OU usage, I think Tornadus-T is overrated. A lot of us thought it would be broken with the combination of Heavy Duty Boots, Regenerator, Nasty Plot, high speed, good special attack, and Defog, but it's quite disappointing. Tornadus-Therian is usually overdependent on moves with imperfect accuracy, including it's main STAB move Hurricane, leading it to struggle to consistently hit it's targets. While you could easily run Air Slash as a replacement, it also comes with a huge power drop. Because of how inconsistent it is offensively I almost never find myself using Tornadus-T over any other flying type or Defog user like Zapdos, Moltres, Corviknight, Dragonite, Landorus-T, and Mandibuzz who are able to do their roles more consistently while also threatening the enemy team with more reliable moves.

6. Offense looks to be quite strong, with lots of powerful attackers, many of which are potentially banworthy like Broken Kyurem-Black and Pheromosa to some people. Even if they go, there are Pokemon that can take their places to an extent. Either way I think offense is in a great position in this metagame

7. I don't really have much to say about the defensive Pokemon. I am happy Swampert went from Gen 7 UU to top 15 Gen 8 OU really because of one move. I have noticed that the bulky mons, such as Blissey, are kind of forced to run things like Shadow Ball specifically because of the unhealthy elements of the metagame. Speaking of this....

8. Teambuilding is pretty difficult when there are a few broken and unhealthy things running in the metagame. Zygarde answers are very limited and can be bypassed by unexpected coverage or status, meaning that it can be a nightmare to try to add something to check it. People wanting to check Kyurem Black are usually limited to an assortment of steel types like Melmetal, Magearna (no reliable recovery, can be chipped into KO range), Scarf Kartana (who can't OHKO it), and Gyro Ball Ferrothorn (which loses if +1 Kyurem gets 3 Icicle Spears each time or, god forbid if they are a crazy man looking to use all sorts of techs, Power Herb Freeze Shock. It also cannot KO it in one hit with a 150 Power Gyro Ball) that have to be kept healthy enough to take it's hit when the time comes. Other problematic or potentially problematic Pokemon like Spectrier and Magearna can also force people to run things that they otherwise would not, but I don't want to drag this out with the overspecifications. There are many unhealthy or potentially healthy presences in the metagame for teambuilding to be not restrictive in some cases.

9. My favorite Pokemon to use in OU is not an OU Pokemon at all. It is our long forgotten beetle friend, Heracross! While normally outclassed by Pheromosa and Buzzwole, I find Heracross to be viable as unlike other fighters like the aforementioned Pheromosa and Buzzwole, and Galarian Zapdos, it cares very little about status thanks to Guts, and with Facade and SD allows it to easily break through Zapdos, Moltres, Toxapex, Magic Guard Clefable, Pelipper, and even Tapu Fini without having to worry about being crippled by status. The bug typing and forced self-burn also comes in handy against a bulky Zygarde in some situations. While as a Guts user Conkeldurr has more initial strength, Heracross' access to Swords Dance lets it take advantage of switches to boost it's attack to over 9000 1000! The extra speed also comes in handy against some of those aforementioned threats like Zapdos Moltres and Tapu Fini, where Mach Punch is pointless against them. It's not an easy Pokemon to use, especially on the higher parts of the ladder, but it's fun.

10. Thank you and you too!

(everything here is my personal opinion and everyone is welcome to agree or disagree)

 

[bumboclaat]

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?

Ttar and clefs usage. Clef is obviously amazing as always, but I figured it would take a little longer to rise back up as people would still be a bit burnt with it from pre dlc2 meta and want to explore other options. I've been having a lot of fun and success with Ttar, but I assumed it would dip potentially into UU. It definitely isn't a meta defining force, but it works quite well. The bulk, paralysis support and coverage are really nice and it survives a surprising amount of hits.

2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?

Latios. Espescially once Zyg/KB are banned I think it will steadily increase in usage as an offensive threat. A lot further down the line I think Torn-T will increase in usage thanks to its utility and versatility. The current meta is too fast and strong for it to shine at the moment.

3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?

Zapdos-Galar. I don't think it is bad, but I don't think it will stay in OU in the long term. Whilst it has a lot of good characteristics, its flaws restrict the teams it finds itself on and a complete inability to get past pex hinders it greatly. Additionally, fighting for a spot with regular zapdos, which is a fantastic mon in its own right is always going to be tough.

4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?

Kartana - I think it'll pick up once the meta settles and becomes a little less offensive in the future after the inevitable bans in the upcoming few months.

Tapu Lele - Same thing, I see it rising up to OU in the future at some point. A meta that has pheromosa, zygarde, and KB at the top isn't kind to it.

Torn T - I see this/Mandibuzz/Corv/Zapdos/Moltres fighting for the spot of the top defogger in the tier depending on what the meta looks like. It has unique utility and versatility that the others don't at the cost of a bit of bulk.

Aegislash - Its usage just seems a little low at the moment. It is still a good mon and will come back with some sort of presence in the meta. Zygarde in particular hurts it a lot at the moment. Urshifu does as well, but that is more easily played around.

Garchomp - I think it will benefit a ton from the Zygarde ban. No HP ice helps it a lot and it'll be interesting to see where it goes in the future.

5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?

Zapdos Galar - for the reasons I stated above. I don't think it is bad, but it feels a lot like new toy syndrome.

Regieleki - It is good at what it does, but that is very limited. It is not splashable, but does do well as a specs wallbreaker or as a screens setter. I think it could remain OU for a while, but will see less usage than it currently does.

Ferrothorn - I think it is quite good, but #12 seems a bit high for me. A lot depends on how the meta shapes up. When Zygarde/KB/Mosa get banned I see Cinderace/Latios rising a lot in usage which isn't good for it. I think it will still be a fantastic mon, but will have slightly lower usage.

6. How do you feel about the most common offensive mons in the tier?

I think the offensive pressure is a bit too much at the moment, though that will change when Zygarde/KB are banned. Other than those two, there are some mons I could see getting suspected in the future, but the rest of the offensive mons feel in a good spot at the moment.

7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?

I think they're in a good spot and some of the drops, heatran in particular, were sorely needed. They don't feel overbearing to deal with for the most part and buzzswole rising up is nice to see. It will be interesting to see the fluctuations in usage/viability of the various defoggers as the tier develops.

8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?

It definitely does feel like there is too much to cover, largely due to zygarde. There are very few defensive cores that can comfortably handle it without facing massive issues from its teammates. KB is something that feels more problematic in the teambuilder than in practise. Overall teambuilding will be massively eased once Zygarde is banned.

9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?

Spectrier - I'm in love with the sub/wisp/hex/np set. Been using Ttar and pex to support it with status and it is incredibly fun to manuever into over the course of the game. Basically only need to worry about koing normals as dark types get worn down into range by the endgame

 

[The_Bookworm]

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?
How low the usage of

is, considering how strong it was in previous metas as well as in National Dex. However, considering how strong HDB Zapdos and Moltres are right now, as well as Mandibuzz being used to check Spectrier, it is understandable. The current meta has strong flying type competition, and being very weak versus Zygarde does not help its case. This current meta of OU has not been kind to the usually strong Steel-Flying typing.
I also find it funny that

, predicted to be too much for the tier, ended up having much less usage than fellow starters Swampert, Cinderace, and Rillaboom.
Oh yeah, seeing

in OU Is also very surprising as well. Rain teams are so strong in the meta right now.

2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?
For my pick here, I would say

. The removal of Pursuit, as well as its immense movepool buff, gives Latios greater chances to apply offensive pressure. This said role will be boosted even further as Zygarde and Kyurem-B, especially the latter, leaves the tier.

3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?
As long as Zygarde exists in the meta, I do expect

and

, especially the latter, to continue to fall down further in usage. Not really doing much against the most common and dominant mon in the tier hurts quite a bit, and the current drop in usage reflects that. At least Eleki still has an unmatched speed tier and can viably run dual screen support lead. Koko, on the other hand, with its base 95 special attack is hitting pretty weak on the special side, especially since its main attacking fairy move is Dazzling Gleam. However, I believe the two would stabilize, or even rise back up to its early November prominent state when Zygarde (hopefully) leaves the tier. Fellow electric type Dracozolt will also appreciate this, although I doubt that mon will be as mainstay of the aforementioned two, especially the former.
However, regardless if Zygarde gets banned or not, there may be a good chance that

may fall down further. With meager defenses, poor unboosted base speed at 80, and one of the worst cases of 4MSS I have seen in a very long time, this mon is extremely high maintenance to get rolling. It oftentimes needs Protect to get the Speed Boost needed, or needs Swords Dance to break past certain threats. It oftentimes needs to choose one or the other, but either choice comes at the sacrifice of crucial, important coverage. Its low frailty combined with its main STAB in Flare Blitz causing quite a bit of recoil damage, it is easy to wear it down. Cinderace on the other hand, while it lacks Speed Boost, has 4 less points in attack, and lacks Swords Dance (aka, less likely to sweep your team), is has significantly faster base speed, has slightly higher bulk, has STAB on all of its moves, can afford to run HDB thanks to Libero, its main STAB lacks the crippling recoil damage (unless HJK misses), and has greater coverage in general, which altogether makes it a much more consistent pick. Unless Blaziken adapts and evolves with the meta, it is likely going to drop to UU (and then proceed to be banned from the tier immediately XD).

4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?

definitely. With Flame Body, decent base 90 defenses (that is usually invested), HBD, its typing, and access to some nice support moves like Roost, Defog, and Wisp, this mon has been a potent defensive core lately alongside Zapdos. It also helps that it can also pack a punch using its base 125 special attack with moves like Flamethrower/Fire Blast, Hurricane, and the new Scorching Sands. I feel it is only recently that Moltres' place in the meta is beginning to become more appreciated by the playerbase, so I am expecting to see a potential rise in usage in the future, especially when Thousand Arrows Zygarde gets banned.
Once the two big problems of Zygarde and Kyurem-B (hopefully) gets removed from the tier,

is likely going to resurge to be a potential top 3 mon in the meta. Not much has changed for the mon since DLC1: it is an incredibly versatile mon that could win games on the spot. It does now have more checks to deal with, especially the physical sets, with Zygarde being a major culprit behind this. Despite this, the amount of things this mon has up in its sleeve is immense, and once Zygarde, its main check, leaves the tier, I think the tier will once again feel the wrath of this mon. This is potentially a mon to look at in the future.
It is a little confusing to see

this far low in usage, but I think it is going to rise up after some of the busted stuff leaves the tier. It has strong ghost-type competition from Spectrier, but in comparison to the malevolent ghost horse, it possesses a coveted higher speed tier, as well as access to better coverage with Draco Meteor / Dragon Darts, Flamethrower, and Thunderbolt. Spectrier is still likely going to be the premier ghost type mon of the tier, but Dragapult definitely has a strong place within the meta.
Now for a non-OU mon. Once Zygarde and Kyurem-B leaves the tier, I do hope people would take a look at

. I doubt this mon will ever be as mainstay as its Kantonian counterpart, but with its great typing, very good bulk (particularly on the special side), and the ability to stack up so many stat boosts with Nasty Plot and Berserk (and weakness policy if you are crazy enough), this mon can tank hits and potentially turn it into a sweep. It can do this to an extent in the current meta, but too many strong stuff that unfortunately deals with its typing quite well, especially with tier kings Zygarde and Kyurem-B, which hurts the mon quite a bit. Once those two mons leave the tier, Moltres-G's role in the meta will be enforced even further, to something perhaps legitimate. It would be a strong OU mainstay if it had Roost, but it sadly doesn't. It at the very least has Rest, and also Taunt if you want to shut down support mons in the tier.

5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?
I already mentioned

earlier. However, outside of that mon, I don't really have anything else in mind. Each mon in the current top 40 usage stats has their own role in the meta, with the wavelength of significance being relatively accurate to the usage.
I do think

might drop a little when its best partner, Zygarde, leaves the tier, but it will remain one of the best mon in the tier.

will also hate losing resident Glare spreader in the tier, but I think it will still be a potent threat.

6. How do you feel about the most common offensive mons in the tier?
Offense is pretty strong in the tier right now, potentially too strong. The main culprits being the two big boys Zygarde and Kyurem-B. Other powerful offensive powerhouses like Pheromosa, Melmetal, Spectrier, Urshifu, and Regieleki in the tier further supports the strength of offense in the current meta, although once the two big boys leaves the tier, I think offense will be in a pretty balanced spot, especially.....

7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?
..... when defense is pretty potent in the meta as well. Thankfully, defense is no where near as prominent and infuriating as it was prior to DLC2, but it is still pretty good. The return of Heatran is something defense, and the entire OU tier as a whole, sorely needed.
New defensive cores, such as the newly buffed bulky waters Swampert and Tapu Fini, as well as the newly buffed Kanto birds Zapdos and Moltres, are very welcome additions to this tiers defensive cores. Buzzwole being very good in the current meta is also pretty good to see, as it is a strong physical wall that hits hard.
Tornadus-T is thankfully nowhere near as a prominent as predicted, and it is actually having a bit of trouble competing for a team slot with Zapdos, Moltres, and Mandibuzz in the current meta.
tl:dr, we now have some good variety in defense in the tier instead of mainly just wish-port Clefable and Toxapex (which dominated the tier previously), as well as now having strong offensive presence to answer it.
I am overall happy with defense right now, but I think I will be happier once Zygarde leaves the tier, as Zygarde-Clefable cores are very strong in the current meta and it is somewhat infuriating to deal with, especially if your team lacks Melmetal to deal with it. Once Zygarde leaves, I will be confident in saying that defense will be in a healthy spot.

8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?
I am personally incompetent with teambuilding of any kind. lol
However from what I have seen, Zygarde and Kyurem-B are both very difficult mons to deal with in the teambuilder, especially Zygarde. There are very little answers to deal with Zygarde, and the new answers that does exists can be worked around with a random coverage move, team support from the Zygarde player, or paralysis hax with Glare. The two mons, especially Zygarde, are overall pretty unhealthy for the tier, and are the main stains for the tier.
Once Zygarde leaves, teambuilding will ease immensely.
On a more positive note, I am surprised to see the pure amount of mons that can be made to work in the current OU tier. Granted that they require quite a bit of team support, especially with the two big boys, but they can put in the damage in the tier.
With such variety, both with OU mons and mons outside of OU, as well as a much better balance of offense vs defense in comparison to past metas, I am overall pretty happy with the current state of OU, especially since the pre-DLC2 metas were considered to be low points in OU's history, at least in terms of personal enjoyability (I know that a lot of people didn't like the state of OU prior to DLC2).

9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?
I admittedly haven't played much Showdown lately, and I will the first to admit that I am not very good in OU.
However from the games I played, I got a lot of personal enjoyment from using

.
The immense speed tier, the power, and the versatility (whether you want it with screens, specs, or the rare but strong banded), this mon is a blast to play with.
It does have the Achilles' heel of ground types, especially in a tier ruled by Zygarde, but building a team around that weakness, identifying win conditions, and getting the reward of seeing the opponent's health bar get deleted in an instant, are all exciting prospects to play with. Once Zygarde leaves, this prospect will improve.

10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)
Thanks! You too. :)

Also, today officially marks the 1 year anniversary of Sword and Shield! It's been a long and rough year, but it's nice to see that we're in an enjoyable metagame now, and hopefully there's more to enjoy in the future.
Has it been already? Time truly flies fast.
SwSh was been an absolute rollercoaster of a year for Smogon, between the limited dex, the crazy move distributions, the absurdly strong mons (Darmanitan-G and Dracovish), the Dynamax shenanigans in the early meta, and the crazy tier shifts that occurred in the start of both DLC metas (that is still getting sorted today). It is quite a unique, but also somewhat frustrating experience, but I am glad to see that we are at the very least nearing the finish line, at least until whatever shenanigans future gen 8 games (whether it is new DLC or potentially gen 4 remakes) brings to the table.

 

[AM]

Mid-November usage stats are here! Credit to Kalalokki for the great visual below:

Visual

Usage

Combined usage for OU (1695 stats)
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Percent |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
| 1    | Zygarde            | 24.764% |
| 2    | Clefable           | 21.344% |
| 3    | Landorus-Therian   | 21.289% |
| 4    | Magearna           | 20.554% |
| 5    | Heatran            | 20.003% |
| 6    | Kyurem-Black       | 18.993% |
| 7    | Urshifu            | 18.251% |
| 8    | Spectrier          | 18.097% |
| 9    | Melmetal           | 18.093% |
| 10   | Toxapex            | 17.735% |
| 11   | Pheromosa          | 17.189% |
| 12   | Ferrothorn         | 16.571% |
| 13   | Zapdos             | 14.633% |
| 14   | Swampert           | 12.018% |
| 15   | Tapu Fini          | 11.726% |
| 16   | Buzzwole           | 11.234% |
| 17   | Cinderace          | 10.770% |
| 18   | Mandibuzz          | 10.479% |
| 19   | Pelipper           | 10.377% |
| 20   | Regieleki          | 10.284% |
| 21   | Rillaboom          |  9.415% |
| 22   | Excadrill          |  9.368% |
| 23   | Urshifu-Rapid-Strike |  8.984% |
| 24   | Garchomp           |  8.464% |
| 25   | Latios             |  8.346% |
| 26   | Tyranitar          |  8.279% |
| 27   | Blissey            |  7.734% |
| 28   | Slowbro            |  7.667% |
| 29   | Dragapult          |  7.492% |
| 30   | Moltres            |  7.403% |
| 31   | Tapu Koko          |  7.400% |
| 32   | Zapdos-Galar       |  7.132% |
| 33   | Tornadus-Therian   |  7.012% |
| 34   | Kartana            |  6.358% |
| 35   | Landorus           |  6.135% |
| 36   | Corviknight        |  5.682% |
| 37   | Barraskewda        |  5.481% |
| 38   | Blaziken           |  5.149% |
| 39   | Dragonite          |  4.727% |
| 40   | Nidoking           |  4.615% |
| 41   | Tapu Lele          |  4.317% |
| 42   | Hippowdon          |  3.373% |
| 43   | Slowking           |  3.230% |
| 44   | Ditto              |  3.222% |
| 45   | Celesteela         |  2.922% |
| 46   | Aegislash          |  2.870% |
| 47   | Scizor             |  2.766% |
| 48   | Zarude             |  2.684% |
| 49   | Shuckle            |  2.654% |
| 50   | Hatterene          |  2.578% |
| 51   | Thundurus-Therian  |  2.557% |
| 52   | Porygon2           |  2.500% |
| 53   | Kingdra            |  2.487% |
| 54   | Marowak-Alola      |  2.436% |
| 55   | Dracozolt          |  2.294% |
| 56   | Hawlucha           |  2.216% |
| 57   | Hydreigon          |  2.155% |
| 58   | Grimmsnarl         |  2.129% |
| 59   | Latias             |  2.122% |
| 60   | Crawdaunt          |  2.076% |
| 61   | Magnezone          |  1.967% |
| 62   | Cresselia          |  1.950% |
| 63   | Seismitoad         |  1.947% |
| 64   | Chansey            |  1.927% |
| 65   | Mamoswine          |  1.811% |
| 66   | Azumarill          |  1.808% |
| 67   | Glastrier          |  1.805% |
| 68   | Skarmory           |  1.792% |
| 69   | Mew                |  1.767% |
| 70   | Tangrowth          |  1.732% |
| 71   | Klefki             |  1.724% |
| 72   | Ninetales-Alola    |  1.710% |
| 73   | Tapu Bulu          |  1.705% |
| 74   | Suicune            |  1.562% |
| 75   | Victini            |  1.512% |
| 76   | Blacephalon        |  1.491% |
| 77   | Regidrago          |  1.482% |
| 78   | Quagsire           |  1.448% |
| 79   | Moltres-Galar      |  1.411% |
| 80   | Slowking-Galar     |  1.361% |
| 81   | Nihilego           |  1.315% |
| 82   | Amoonguss          |  1.312% |
| 83   | Volcarona          |  1.160% |
| 84   | Zeraora            |  1.149% |
| 85   | Arctozolt          |  1.131% |
| 86   | Bisharp            |  1.106% |
| 87   | Ribombee           |  1.076% |
| 88   | Kommo-o            |  1.072% |
| 89   | Volcanion          |  1.061% |
| 90   | Torkoal            |  1.030% |
| 91   | Jirachi            |  0.985% |
| 92   | Diggersby          |  0.975% |
| 93   | Salamence          |  0.961% |
| 94   | Venusaur           |  0.851% |
| 95   | Rotom-Wash         |  0.824% |
| 96   | Togekiss           |  0.787% |
| 97   | Zoroark            |  0.759% |
| 98   | Kyurem             |  0.758% |
| 99   | Stakataka          |  0.744% |
| 100  | Shedinja           |  0.731% |
| 101  | Rotom-Heat         |  0.728% |
| 102  | Metagross          |  0.661% |
| 103  | Gengar             |  0.631% |
| 104  | Nidoqueen          |  0.620% |
| 105  | Keldeo             |  0.589% |
| 106  | Incineroar         |  0.516% |
| 107  | Obstagoon          |  0.513% |
| 108  | Mimikyu            |  0.491% |
| 109  | Primarina          |  0.484% |
| 110  | Cloyster           |  0.483% |
| 111  | Weezing-Galar      |  0.455% |
| 112  | Gastrodon          |  0.452% |
| 113  | Araquanid          |  0.445% |
| 114  | Abomasnow          |  0.441% |
| 115  | Umbreon            |  0.428% |
| 116  | Azelf              |  0.421% |
| 117  | Omastar            |  0.409% |
| 118  | Weavile            |  0.386% |
| 119  | Krookodile         |  0.382% |
| 120  | Alakazam           |  0.380% |
| 121  | Articuno-Galar     |  0.375% |
| 122  | Rhyperior          |  0.370% |
| 123  | Conkeldurr         |  0.351% |
| 124  | Whimsicott         |  0.324% |
| 125  | Uxie               |  0.316% |
| 126  | Reuniclus          |  0.309% |
| 127  | Regigigas          |  0.304% |
| 128  | Avalugg            |  0.292% |
| 129  | Starmie            |  0.291% |
| 130  | Entei              |  0.291% |
| 131  | Toxtricity         |  0.279% |
| 132  | Thundurus          |  0.265% |
| 133  | Druddigon          |  0.261% |
| 134  | Mantine            |  0.232% |
| 135  | Raikou             |  0.210% |
| 136  | Porygon-Z          |  0.208% |
| 137  | Arctovish          |  0.202% |
| 138  | Lycanroc-Dusk      |  0.199% |
| 139  | Terrakion          |  0.178% |
| 140  | Xatu               |  0.178% |
| 141  | Aerodactyl         |  0.175% |
| 142  | Charizard          |  0.170% |
| 143  | Tornadus           |  0.169% |
| 144  | Pyukumuku          |  0.167% |
| 145  | Gyarados           |  0.162% |
| 146  | Vaporeon           |  0.158% |
| 147  | Indeedee           |  0.156% |
| 148  | Diancie            |  0.154% |
| 149  | Milotic            |  0.154% |
| 150  | Gigalith           |  0.154% |
| 151  | Chandelure         |  0.151% |
| 152  | Poliwrath          |  0.150% |
| 153  | Registeel          |  0.145% |
| 154  | Salazzle           |  0.143% |
| 155  | Slowbro-Galar      |  0.139% |
| 156  | Aurorus            |  0.138% |
| 157  | Kabutops           |  0.137% |
| 158  | Polteageist        |  0.135% |
| 159  | Articuno           |  0.134% |
| 160  | Necrozma           |  0.134% |
| 161  | Slurpuff           |  0.132% |
| 162  | Runerigus          |  0.128% |
| 163  | Flygon             |  0.125% |
| 164  | Tentacruel         |  0.117% |
| 165  | Cobalion           |  0.115% |
| 166  | Tyrantrum          |  0.115% |
| 167  | Darmanitan         |  0.114% |
| 168  | Golurk             |  0.112% |
| 169  | Haxorus            |  0.109% |
| 170  | Froslass           |  0.103% |
| 171  | Golisopod          |  0.103% |
| 172  | Meowstic           |  0.102% |
| 173  | Raichu-Alola       |  0.101% |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +

Changes to the Top 10:

#14 (12.207%) > #2 (21.34%)
After a slow start, Clefable is back to being at the top of OU's usage stats. It's a solid defensive mon that can switch into top threats like Zygarde, Pheromosa and Urshifu-S. Physically defensive Clefable is as reliable as ever, and it's a great Stealth Rock user that can support teams with Knock Off or Teleport + Wish.

#17 (11.254%) > #9 (18.093%)
Melmetal on the other hand might have had a slow start due to being overshadowed by the new DLC2 released mons, but it has finally gained more usage and broken into the top 10. It is a very strong physical tank that has been met with some new counterplay compared to DLC1, most notably in formes of Zapdos, Moltres, and Buzzwole. Melmetal often uses Choice Band or 3 attacks + Protect, with those attacking moves usually including Double Iron Bash, Earthquake, Ice Punch, and Superpower. It also has a ton of bulk, which makes it difficult for it to be 1HKO'd. This immense bulk along with Steel-typing lets Melmetal act as one of the best answers to Kyurem-Black.

Other notable increases in usage:

#19 (9.673%) > #12 (16.571%)
Ferrothorn has always been a reliable mon and with Melmetal and Magearna seeing more usage, Ferrothorn is becoming a little better as it may sometimes be able to handle them. Ferrothorn with Power Whip is also able to provide counterplay against Tapu Fini, who has begun gaining usage with a new Calm Mind set. Ferrothorn also gained a little bit of usage from rain becoming a little more common.

#25 (7.373%) > #14 (12.018%)
It's honestly kind of funny how regular Swampert managed to become solid in Gen 8 OU while Blaziken is nearly on the edge of falling into UU. Swampert is a pretty reliable Stealth Rock user that is able to provide defensive utility against Regieleki and Heatran while providing momentum through Flip Turn, which is actually pretty convenient given how slow Swampert is. A very slow Flip Turn is similar to Teleport, in that it allows safer switches to become possible.

#23 (8.188%) > #15 (11.726%)
Tapu Fini's defensive typing and bulk makes it a pretty reliable defensive mon that can switch into Zygarde and Heatran, but it also has a new Calm Mind set that's been growing in popularity. This set is usually Calm Mind + Taunt + Draining Kiss + Surf. This is very similar to what Primarina ran in the past, but Taunt is the main game changer here, as this allows Tapu Fini to prevent Toxapex from using Haze to remove boosts, as well as prevent both Toxapex and Blissey from using recovery moves. Draining Kiss helps Tapu Fini maintain its longevity, and the bulk and typing mentioned before make it difficult to immediately KO once it starts setting up Calm Mind.

#28 (7.039%) > #17 (10.770%)
Cinderace is starting to pick up some usage after being overshadowed by the new and returning mons. It's still running the same 4 attack pivot set as it did in the past, but with Sucker Punch and High Jump Kick being run more often. Sucker Punch is great for threatening faster mons like Spectrier, and High Jump Kick prevents Heatran from walling Cinderace. Gunk Shot is still useful for hitting Clefable, Tapu Fini, and dealing solid damage to Moltres while avoiding Flame Body.

#33 (5.445%) > #18 (10.479%)
Mandibuzz looks to be one of the more reliable answers to Spectrier, as there are not too many Ghost-resists in the tier. Its typing also allows it to handle Rillaboom, and Foul Play allows it to actively threaten physical threats that want to boost their attack, such as Excadrill. On top of switching into Spectrier, Mandibuzz can provide utility with Knock Off and Toxic, and also provide momentum with U-turn.

#29 (6.869%) > #19 (10.377%)
Rain is starting to become more common and Pelipper's increased usage is proof of it. Pelipper itself is mandatory due to providing Drizzle, and it looks like rain is doing well enough to where it may become more common as players continue to discover and fine tune a standard rain structure.

#39 (4.666%) > #25 (8.346%)
Latios had a pretty slow start due to a lot of stronger and newer options being released, but it is starting to pick up in usage. Its most common sets are Life Orb with 3 attacks, as well as Choice Specs sets with Trick. Latios has pretty good coverage with Draco Meteor + Psyshock/Psychic + Aura Sphere hitting everything for solid damage outside of Magearna. Mystical Fire can hit Magearna and other Steel-types, but misses out on Heatran. Trick alongside Choice Specs means that Latios can often cripple and opposing Steel-type or Fairy-type, with the most common victims being Magearna and Heatran.

(Rapid-Strike) #40 (4.636%) > #23 (8.984%)
Urshifu-R is usually seen on rain teams, where it looks to pose a sizable threat with Surging Strikes under the rain. Outside of Toxapex, Slowbro and Ferrothorn, not much wants to switch into Surging Strikes to begin with, but Urshifu-R also has the option to U-turn out as those mons come in, as well as Close Combat to deal with Ferrothorn on the spot.

Notable decreases in usage:

#11 (14.955%) > #20 (10.284%)

#15 (12.198%) > #31 (7.400%)

#13 (12.764%) > #32 (7.132%)

#16 (12.178%) > #38 (5.149%)

The above mons received a great deal of usage previously, which was most likely due to them being newly released, but now it appears that their usage is starting to more closely reflect their performance in OU, and their days as new toys is starting to die down. Regieleki and Tapu Koko have been met with an abundance of Ground-types, Zapdos-Galar has been alright, but nothing special, and it dislikes having physically defensive Clefable see a spike in usage. Finally, Blaziken's immense recoil from Flare Blitz along with struggling to set up at times was apparently enough to nearly make it drop to UU. These mons may continue to see less usage, or perhaps they'll find new ways to be used and see an increase in usage. It's worth noting that aside from Tapu Koko with Dazzling Gleam, the other 3 mons all strongly dislike Zygarde, who can usually sponge a hit and threaten back or cripple with Glare. Zygarde being the most used mon in OU definetely spells trouble for them, and this might also be a reason as to why they're currently struggling.

Rising to OU:

#44 (3.938%) > #16 (11.234%)
Buzzwole slightly saw a good deal of usage before, but over the last few weeks has really cemented its place in the metagame as a very solid defensive pivot that's capable of handling some of OU's biggest threats, including Zygarde, Pheromosa, and Urshifu-S. It's a lot more consistent than Clefable at checking these mons due to its immense physical bulk, and it is also able to pose a threat in return with thanks to Bulk Up. Finally, Buzzwole, like Melmetal, is one of the best in terms of being a defensive answer to Kyurem-Black. In this case, Buzzwole's massive bulk alongside Bulk Up and Drain Punch are what allow it to handle Kyurem-Black.

#54 (2.848%) > #37 (5.481%)
Rain teams are growing more common, and Barraskewda tends to be a staple thanks to its respectable attacking power in conjunction with its naturally high speed stat, which gets even further boosted by Swift Swim. Flip Turn plays a good part in what Barraskewda does, as it's able to deal decent damage while grabbing momentum in return.

#93 (0.915%) > #40 (4.615%)
Nidoking barely made the cut and is finally OU by usage after a very long time. Landorus-I getting banned opened the door for Nidoking to get used as a strong special attacking Ground-type, and it has been doing very well on that front thanks to its movepool providing solid coverage. It's able to threaten nearly every defensive mon, with Blissey being the lone exception, and it has a solid enough speed tier to threaten slightly faster defensive mons like Heatran and Buzzwole

Fall from OU:

#27 (7.143%) > #44 (3.222%)

With the metagame becoming less centralized around hyper offense, Ditto's time in OU was winding down and it's not terribly surprising that managed to drop right away.

I'll post the usual questions below:

1. What surprised you the most from these stats?
2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?
3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?
4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?
5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?
6. How do you feel about the most common offensive mons in the tier?
7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?
8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?
9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?
10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)

Also, today officially marks the 1 year anniversary of Sword and Shield! It's been a long and rough year, but it's nice to see that we're in an enjoyable metagame now, and hopefully there's more to enjoy in the future.

1. Nothing really came as a surprise. Stuff that is still strong on its own that are dropping like Blaziken is just a current trend cause everyone is either using the stronger mons or using the checks to those stronger mons. It's still stupid strong but it's somewhat of a glass cannon and works on one type of build really. I've only had success with G-Zapdos on a Webs team, the Finch one in samples with Nido over Lando. Other builds fell flat but I do like the band set itself, just doesnt have too much staying power which is probably why it's dropping as well.

2. Assuming Zygarde stays for a bit, it would be that. Subcoil set is the strongest but the Sub Toxic one with twaves, dtail is good with spikes/ knock off support. It's a really gross mon. Ursh-S cause it's really good as well. Heatran if Zygarde goes.

3. G-Zapdos cause I think it works on only one archetype and even then you can probably justify using something else that offers a bit more utility.

4. Not sure if it'll see more use relative to where it's at right now but I do think Ursh-Rapid is underrated and I also don't think it requires it to be on rain to do well. I usually pair with the normal volt-turn offense mons, namely I've used specs drag with u-turn as a partner and some other ones. I also like that its priority move isn't depending on whether or not the mon is attacking, which can sometimes create some weird scenarios with Ursh-S Sucker Punch.

5. These won't see less usage because of what's running around right now but Buzzwole and Moltres are slightly overrated to me but I understand why they're used. I feel like in most cases they just come in to eat the attack of the mon they check, heal, then switch back out, that's it. With that being said I do like Toxic Buzzwole over the Bulk Up slot but I feel like these mons are more necessary evils in the current meta.

6. There's a good 6 or more of them either broken, slightly broken, or may be busted after some meta developments. I think you once you get rid of the red flag mons Ursh, Lando-T, Clef might end up being the holy trifecta of the tier but thats depending the direction the tier goes.

7. Heatran rising in usage is kind of weird to me cause Zygarde is still running about but may have to do with Clef and Magearna granted Heatran is a terrible Mag check if that's someones intention. Also think a lot of teams have stuff to handle Heatran somewhat easily so the usage confuses me but Heatran is Heatran I suppose

8. I like team building a lot but anyone who's familiar with me know that's always been my thing regardless of the metagame. There's definitely too many things to cover but it's largely a combination of the 6+ things mentioned in my point 6 that puts the large strain in building as opposed to just there being too much to cover. With these newer gens it's always a lot of stuff to cover but it's not a big deal as long as you have sort of the basics down and what feels right for your playstyle.

9. Definitely Ursh-S. It's so good you just can justify just using the band set all the time if you wanted to cause it has like 3 good defensive checks but it's not overbearing where you feel like you have to compensate in the builder to go up against it. It also works on a lot of builds outside of specifics like Trick Room and super fat stall types so it's easy to plop. I like Slowbro/Slowking too cause their Teleport sets are so brainless.

10. I'm going to make SubSalac Spectrier work, somehow someway