Volt Switch is used to do much more damage to stuff like Heatran, Galarian Slowking, and Clefable, and avoid Iron Barbs chip from Ferrothorn, while U-turn lets you pivot out of Ground-types.
Yes.not OP but i'd assume they were talking about Arctozolt
I usually dont run knock on blaze since pult is dying to plus two blitz after rocks and some chip. And there is not other relavant ghost in ou at the moment. You could possibly go tpunch to get coverage on fini and pex. But ig u can still be useful by knockingSince everyone’s been highlighting underrated sets, I thought I’d do the same.
Protect Blaziken
As people who have seen my VR posts are no doubt aware of, I think blaziken is criminally underrated in the current metagame. Swords dance is an excellent set for hyper offence, but outside of that archetype it can be difficult to find opportunities to safely set up with its initially poor speed and frailty. I believe the key to synergize blaziken with standard offensively inclined teams is protect. Here is the set I’ve had most success with.
Blaziken @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Protect
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
Life orb is essential to maintain Blaziken’s impressive damage output despite forgoing swords dance. Ability and evs are standard (my unique ev spreads won’t work for non sd blaze). A jolly nature is chosen to 1v1 zeraora and dragapult in conjunction with protect. Stabs are mandatory as usual. I experimented with sd+protect, but it struggles to break through its checks and knock off is much more useful for ohkoing pult unboosted, getting strong damage on slowtwins+victini, removing lefties from checks that rely on them like lando and fini, and general utility.
Why use this set?
The two primary reasons to use this set are speed control and lategame cleaning. A free +1 Blaziken is faster than all relevant non scarfed forms of speed control outside of weather. This provides the average offense team an exceptional tool vs some of the mons it struggles with the most, namely dragapult and zeraora. Protect is also useful for scouting out sets like twave ferro and scarf fini(check for hydro pump). This set also shines in lategame cleaning thanks to protect because it lessens the difficulty the sd set has with finding a mon to outspeed and ko lategame to kick off a sweep, since u can stay in on numerous offensive mons and take advantage of their vulnerability to blaziken’s stabs/knock off after a boost.
Cons of this set:
The biggest flaw in this set is the lack of breaking power. Toxapex and Fini come in considerably easier on attacks from this set rather than taking a +2 thunder punch, although fini can be worn down after knocking lefties. The second biggest con, and I am not joking, is the dumbass plays you will certainly make vs Urshifu-RS. “I’ll just scout with protect in case it doesn’t use aqua jet.” I cannot handle myself. I know what shifu’s ability does, I know I have a switchin, but for some reason I protect anyway.
Good teammates:
Anything that lures in pex (tpunch shifu, unexpected trappers like fire spin victini, etc.) Water switchins are useful, ferrothorn in particular can set spikes to wear down blaziken’s checks and check fini and lando. Double fire cores with banded victini I’ve been having considerable success with thanks to bolt strike’s high damage output on shared checks. A solid ground switchin is necessary to use this core (I’ve been quite liking blaziken/victini/corviknight). Fs users also pair well with protect blaziken since they can help it to beat pex, slowbro can check offensive grounds as well. Rotom-w is brilliantly paired with blaziken, bringing a water resist and electric moves, flying resist, ground immunity, pivot move, and blaziken appreciates it’s ability to bring it in on ferrothorn and other mons it forces out easily.
The end
I've never tried blaziken in this gen but I feel like tpunch is too weak unboosted and with pex's regen the damage is unremarkable (barely 2hko spdef pex after rocks). life orb + helmets + blitz really wears down blaziken trying to catch pex switchins, especially with lando who can intimidate and dissuade the use of tpunch. Knock off is still useful against bulky cores but most importantly because protect blaziken is more effective against faster cores, which means koing pult is huge.
The usefulness of being able to outspeed and ohko pult lategame cannot be understated, because specs pult is perhaps the best cleaner in ou. I also find knock off useful for making progress vs teams with dnite, since protect blaziken with tpunch is doing nothing in those games, and getting rid of dnite’s boots makes it easier to break through it. I actually find knock off to be better vs fini than tpunch, since unboosted tpunch is really not impressive damage and fini has no recovery outside of lefties and draining kiss(which is rly unreliable) making it easy to wear down after a knock. The obvious sacrifice imo is the rain mu, since u essentially let peli in for free(although knocking off damp rock is helpful). Tpunch is obviously still an option, but knock off offers more consistency on a game to game basis imo.
I get it now. But i am a regular user of tpunch blaze on HO. My blaze is just the standard sd three attack lorb. It was weird to see knock. Glad you clarified :)
The fact that a bulky water is starting to be forced to run Shed Shell just to stop Heatran, a fire type, from insta-winning is unbelievable. Just Magma Storm, Taunt, then EP it to death. It's a breeze.
same deal, just Magma Storm, Taunt, Toxic, and wear it down. This is a matchup both sides can win due to Seismic Toss, but Heatran being able to even get close to beating Blissey is crazy to me.
for the love of god. beating Pex is one thing, but it can also do the exact same thing to Fini. This one is closer to Blissey with it going both ways, but if Heatran can pull the Magma Storm on the switch it makes it a lot easier.
Magma Storm on the switch, Taunt to prevent Teleport, Toxic, bye bye. Scald cant do enough to kill in time.
You think I'm trapped in with you? haha no you're trapped here with meI do agree that heatran is really difficult to deal with defensively, but with this post you're assessing situations where heatran can be constantly positioned perfectly and never misses magma storm. 75% accuracy with 8 pp makes it really frustrating at times and isn't as reliable as other staple moves like pult's shadow ball or urshifu-r's surging strikes. that's only for the better, though, as it would be the most broken move ever otherwise, but clicking magma storm comes with its own risks as just one miss can make or break the game. being as common as it is, Pokémon have adapted ways to lure it exploiting its ground weaknesses, like nevermelt kyurem and EQ slowtwins.Time to make a post I've been wanting to make for a while, it'll be a pretty long one so strap in!
SCREW HEATRAN: an angy post
View attachment 374768
This thing is the most frustrating thing in the entire tier of OU. I'm in agony facing this thing even with good counterplay because it can play it's role so well that counterplay doesn't even really matter. It this thing gets in on anything that isn't your heatran counterplay you're going to take some serious damage whether you like it or not. The amount of uninvested damage this thing can deal is stupid.
This is probably due to the biggest factor, its signature move: Magma Storm.
Magma Storm is a 75% accurate 100 Power fire type trapping move. That alone is ridiculous. That is a move that is as strong as moves like Stone Edge and Earthquake, but also traps in the opponent dealing 12% every turn and preventing switching. This move is the sole reason why heatran is neigh unstoppable at doing it's job. Things that can kill heatran can't switch in except Garchomp. The fact that Splashifu takes almost half health from 1 uninvested, resisted magma storm + trapping damage is bonkers. Full Sp.D Lando takes almost the same amount. All it needs to do is Magma Storm on anything that isnt itself, and watch the opponent take a huge chunk of damage before switching out to prepare for it to do it again.
There are things in the meta that Heatran should not be able to beat on paper, but beats just because of that move and bulk.
Have mercy on your soul if you're running Offense and Heatran comes in on someone you don't want it to. Someones gonna take big damage whether you like it or not. It's ability to deal massive chip is reliable to a point of frustration. I would personally argue that Heatran is the current best pokemon in the tier easily. Being able to beat Clefable, the metal birds, some bulky waters, and decimating any offense mon that tries to switch in, resisted or not. Even the aforementioned Garchomp doesn't take too much, but with the only reliable recovery being Rest forcing it to sleep, the chip damage stacks up. I think that Heatran is currently in a state of balancing on the edge of uncompetitive, not exactly sure if its bannable, but definitely wouldn't disagree if someone said it was.
Now if we DID ban Heatran, the argument would follow: "but Heatran is the only thing keeping Volcarona in check! If we ban Heatran, Volcarona is gonna become busted" and to that I say:
SCREW HEATRAN PART 2: Screw Volcarona too
View attachment 374774
People have talked about Volcarona being overbearing more than once this generation.
Heavy Duty Boots took away its one true weakness being entry hazards, and let's all be honest. The only reason this thing is still around is because of heatran. Heatran full counters this thing and Volcarona can literally do nothing to stop it, but if Heatran is already leaning on uncompetitive, and it goes, just kick Volcarona to the curb too honestly.
Quiver Dance is the greatest setup move we have access to, giving Volcarona not only more damage, not only more speed, but special bulk to sponge hits better. This thing sets up 1 quiver dance, and suddenly you've gone into panic mode trying to figure out how to stop it from sweeping you. If you don't have Heatran you automatically don't like facing this thing, and for good reason. Great coverage with a signature fire move able to boost its special attack, but also having flamethrower and fire blast, good secondary stab with bug buzz, Psychic and Giga Drain able to deal with everything else but Heatran, Safeguard to stop blissey, Roost for reliable recovery, access to will-o-wisp and toxic, and even access to U-turn which I believe is underrated. Volcarona is one of the greatest setup sweepers in OU, and you have to tiptoe around this thing if you don't run heatran. If Heatran goes I would 100% say that Volcarona should follow.
Now if both Heatran and Volcarona are gone, surely strong grasses like Rillaboom and Kartana will become too much? Not really tbh. The very things that Heatran and Volcarona shut down also stop Kart and Boom pretty well, bulky grasses. both Tangrowth and Amoonguss would be much better off in a meta without those 2, and in turn would become the new main checks to the strong grasses that appear, and honestly I don't think Kartana would change much at all, if anything Blacephalon would become a decent talking point, but I digress.
0 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: 102-120 (29.9 - 35.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and trapping damage (up to 47.1% including trap damage.)
0 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Landorus-Therian: 112-133 (29.3 - 34.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery and trapping damage (Up to 46.8% damage)
0 SpA Heatran Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex: 120-142 (39.4 - 46.7%) -- 33.6% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
0 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Garchomp: 77-91 (21.5 - 25.4%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery, and trapping damage (Not much, but the trapping damage will bump that to 37% max, and while leftovers avoids the 3HKO, thats a lot of chip)
Thank you for coming to my TED talk, I hate facing heatran can you tell?
While I do agree that the 75% accuracy and 8pp is the only thing keeping this from being the most terrifying move of all time, bringing up the point of EQ slowtwins circles back to my point of mons having to run odd offsets just to cover heatran like shed shell Pex. I cannot think of anything else in the meta that EQ would cover than Heatran, and the fact that a water type needs to run it to win is bonkers.
Thank god it's lacking reliable recovery, but most of the time when I use or face Heatran, when it's worn down its already done its job of crippling near half the opponents team.
Praise our lord and savior Lando-T, but imo I believe Heatran is in a slightly better place than Lando. As you mentioned immune to 2 of the 3 common status ailments, taunt and toxic utility, stealth rock utility, trapping capabilities, it can hit pretty well offensively without even needing to invest unlike other defensive mons like Pex. Beautiful defensive typing of Steel with Flash Fire immunity. It's missing pivoting, recovery, and defogging. Lando-T can pivot really well, defog sets are odd but viable, and it also has no recovery, but Lando-T is also missing Taunt utility and the ability to deal bonkers damage and trap the opponent simultaneously.
The argument of the opponent luring it in and hitting it with a supereffective move is based off prediction which can go both ways, and to be fair Heatran relying on that slightly more than focus miss accuracy move is a decent point, but for Lele and some Kyurem's to predict against heatran, they have to actually use focus miss so Magma Storm doesn't seem to bad in comparison.
My point wasn't to say that we should ban Heatran to ban Volcarona, my point was to cover the fact that Volcarona would become overwhelming if Heatran was absent. Volcarona in its current state is a massive threat, but not bannable. If Heatran was gone it would be a different story which is why I brought it up, (the "screw volcarona too" thing was more for comedic sake)
And Sand Tomb Scizor, and Whirlpool Tapu Fini, and the occasional Whirlpool Galarian Slowking, and opposing Block Toxapex, and even Fire Spin Hydreigon...
tbf whirlpool on tapu fini is more for trapping, and can be used for a myriad of other mons
I think they were listing reasons for running the shed shell, not things that lure Heatran
ah never mind
Venting frustration is fair, but any assessment when it comes to ban conversations should be made as impartially as humanly possible. On a more general note, the presence of a pokemon like heatran in the meta cannot be assessed in the same way as something purely offensive like urshifu-s or, to keep it more up to date, dragapult.
people really do be out here in OU metagame discussion in the summer of 2021 pretending that if we removed one, let alone 3-5 offensive threats in the tier that fat mons would be remotely unkillable.
That is a strawman argument. The Heatran is oppressive complaints revolve around it trapping a handful of extremely passive fat mons as if they are entitled to be blanket counters for everything. Y’all know which mons I’m talking about.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I was under the impression that it was mentioned because the only things that don’t just outright get blasted are the blanket checks, which then also get trapped (and reducing heatran is oppressive arguments to being all about fat mons also feels like strawmanning - plus in my experience, as a non stall player who is had at the game, heatran has no prejudice in terms of who it blows back lol)
Combined usage for OU (1695 stats)
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Percent |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
| 1 | Landorus-Therian | 45.240% |
| 2 | Dragapult | 22.582% |
| 3 | Heatran | 21.018% |
| 4 | Corviknight | 20.940% |
| 5 | Garchomp | 18.994% |
| 6 | Ferrothorn | 17.744% |
| 7 | Weavile | 16.324% |
| 8 | Tapu Fini | 15.625% |
| 9 | Clefable | 15.195% |
| 10 | Tapu Lele | 15.187% |
| 11 | Urshifu-Rapid-Strike | 15.085% |
| 12 | Kartana | 14.732% |
| 13 | Melmetal | 13.708% |
| 14 | Toxapex | 13.579% |
| 15 | Dragonite | 12.172% |
| 16 | Tornadus-Therian | 10.946% |
| 17 | Magnezone | 10.684% |
| 18 | Tapu Koko | 10.472% |
| 19 | Rillaboom | 10.411% |
| 20 | Kyurem | 9.937% |
| 21 | Volcarona | 9.499% |
| 22 | Zapdos | 9.045% |
| 23 | Slowking-Galar | 8.993% |
| 24 | Bisharp | 8.410% |
| 25 | Blissey | 8.403% |
| 26 | Zeraora | 8.018% |
| 27 | Mew | 7.497% |
| 28 | Scizor | 6.892% |
| 29 | Pelipper | 6.327% |
| 30 | Ninetales-Alola | 6.222% |
| 31 | Slowbro | 5.991% |
| 32 | Blacephalon | 5.720% |
| 33 | Hippowdon | 5.583% |
| 34 | Tyranitar | 5.422% |
| 35 | Buzzwole | 5.080% |
| 36 | Victini | 4.919% |
| 37 | Barraskewda | 4.884% |
| 38 | Slowking | 4.470% |
| 39 | Skarmory | 4.424% |
| 40 | Cloyster | 4.336% |
| 41 | Excadrill | 4.297% |
| 42 | Swampert | 4.133% |
| 43 | Arctozolt | 4.107% |
| 44 | Mandibuzz | 4.099% |
| 45 | Regieleki | 4.050% |
| 46 | Hawlucha | 3.811% |
| 47 | Hydreigon | 3.643% |
| 48 | Volcanion | 3.446% |
| 49 | Crawdaunt | 3.249% |
| 50 | Zapdos-Galar | 3.226% |
| 51 | Nidoking | 3.171% |
| 52 | Aegislash | 3.098% |
| 53 | Hatterene | 2.841% |
| 54 | Mamoswine | 2.837% |
| 55 | Rotom-Wash | 2.543% |
| 56 | Torkoal | 2.519% |
| 57 | Blaziken | 2.490% |
| 58 | Latios | 2.383% |
| 59 | Tangrowth | 2.297% |
| 60 | Seismitoad | 2.248% |
| 61 | Marowak-Alola | 2.028% |
| 62 | Porygon2 | 2.012% |
| 63 | Chansey | 1.993% |
| 64 | Gengar | 1.902% |
| 65 | Moltres-Galar | 1.835% |
| 66 | Celesteela | 1.791% |
| 67 | Kommo-o | 1.703% |
| 68 | Cresselia | 1.673% |
| 69 | Gastrodon | 1.650% |
| 70 | Keldeo | 1.646% |
| 71 | Venusaur | 1.592% |
| 72 | Dracozolt | 1.559% |
| 73 | Azumarill | 1.420% |
| 74 | Tapu Bulu | 1.382% |
| 75 | Jirachi | 1.363% |
| 76 | Reuniclus | 1.226% |
| 77 | Conkeldurr | 1.185% |
| 78 | Kingdra | 1.166% |
| 79 | Quagsire | 1.121% |
| 80 | Grimmsnarl | 1.074% |
| 81 | Ditto | 1.071% |
| 82 | Thundurus-Therian | 1.063% |
| 83 | Togekiss | 1.028% |
| 84 | Umbreon | 1.017% |
| 85 | Latias | 0.961% |
| 86 | Moltres | 0.929% |
| 87 | Rotom-Heat | 0.861% |
| 88 | Terrakion | 0.854% |
| 89 | Shuckle | 0.847% |
| 90 | Amoonguss | 0.836% |
| 91 | Zarude | 0.800% |
| 92 | Toxtricity | 0.786% |
| 93 | Suicune | 0.770% |
| 94 | Shedinja | 0.763% |
| 95 | Primarina | 0.753% |
| 96 | Nihilego | 0.705% |
| 97 | Darmanitan | 0.696% |
| 98 | Alakazam | 0.679% |
| 99 | Polteageist | 0.637% |
| 100 | Salamence | 0.612% |
| 101 | Vanilluxe | 0.605% |
| 102 | Diggersby | 0.604% |
| 103 | Gyarados | 0.572% |
| 104 | Haxorus | 0.562% |
| 105 | Slurpuff | 0.529% |
| 106 | Slowbro-Galar | 0.517% |
| 107 | Necrozma | 0.467% |
| 108 | Klefki | 0.446% |
| 109 | Ribombee | 0.443% |
| 110 | Xatu | 0.443% |
| 111 | Snorlax | 0.442% |
| 112 | Rhyperior | 0.438% |
| 113 | Lycanroc-Dusk | 0.416% |
| 114 | Mienshao | 0.383% |
| 115 | Krookodile | 0.341% |
| 116 | Charizard | 0.330% |
| 117 | Araquanid | 0.330% |
| 118 | Porygon-Z | 0.309% |
| 119 | Azelf | 0.305% |
| 120 | Entei | 0.304% |
| 121 | Starmie | 0.301% |
| 122 | Mimikyu | 0.285% |
| 123 | Omastar | 0.279% |
| 124 | Raichu-Alola | 0.278% |
| 125 | Obstagoon | 0.270% |
| 126 | Blastoise | 0.264% |
| 127 | Avalugg | 0.263% |
| 128 | Glastrier | 0.261% |
| 129 | Gigalith | 0.257% |
| 130 | Thundurus | 0.249% |
| 131 | Arctovish | 0.248% |
| 132 | Metagross | 0.246% |
| 133 | Golurk | 0.242% |
| 134 | Scolipede | 0.241% |
| 135 | Stakataka | 0.236% |
| 136 | Tyrantrum | 0.229% |
| 137 | Weezing-Galar | 0.228% |
| 138 | Incineroar | 0.218% |
| 139 | Tentacruel | 0.203% |
| 140 | Sandslash-Alola | 0.202% |
| 141 | Espeon | 0.201% |
| 142 | Gardevoir | 0.198% |
| 143 | Druddigon | 0.197% |
| 144 | Nidoqueen | 0.195% |
| 145 | Registeel | 0.191% |
| 146 | Raikou | 0.190% |
| 147 | Sharpedo | 0.187% |
| 148 | Milotic | 0.186% |
| 149 | Politoed | 0.185% |
| 150 | Salazzle | 0.185% |
| 151 | Heracross | 0.183% |
| 152 | Regidrago | 0.180% |
| 153 | Zygarde-10% | 0.177% |
| 154 | Golisopod | 0.177% |
| 155 | Barbaracle | 0.172% |
| 156 | Drampa | 0.165% |
| 157 | Froslass | 0.162% |
| 158 | Heliolisk | 0.155% |
| 159 | Cinccino | 0.155% |
| 160 | Zoroark | 0.154% |
| 161 | Chandelure | 0.152% |
| 162 | Sylveon | 0.146% |
| 163 | Galvantula | 0.146% |
| 164 | Mantine | 0.145% |
| 165 | Aurorus | 0.145% |
| 166 | Articuno-Galar | 0.144% |
| 167 | Bronzong | 0.135% |
| 168 | Whimsicott | 0.133% |
| 169 | Lucario | 0.132% |
| 170 | Ninetales | 0.129% |
| 171 | Corsola-Galar | 0.127% |
| 172 | Diancie | 0.127% |
| 173 | Xurkitree | 0.126% |
| 174 | Jellicent | 0.126% |
| 175 | Aerodactyl | 0.124% |
| 176 | Archeops | 0.112% |
| 177 | Ninjask | 0.111% |
| 178 | Pyukumuku | 0.110% |
| 179 | Flygon | 0.108% |
| 180 | Sigilyph | 0.104% |
| 181 | Talonflame | 0.101% |
| 182 | Mudsdale | 0.101% |
| 183 | Durant | 0.100% |
| 184 | Dragalge | 0.100% |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
and 
I like how it offensively pressures teams with its Dark / Ice Stabs, pretty consistent speed control as well and priority is always appreciated. So many great sets, ranging from protective Pads to Choice Band to Assault Vest, you name them. they're all pretty good and offer different roles for a various amount of teams.
great breaker with Choice Specs, however Choice Scarf has picked up alot, with being a valuable revengekiller and tool to pressure faster threats in an offensive way. Underrated yes, Great yes, Great check to Pokemon like Tapu lele yes. This Pokemon is terrifying to face with its Fire / Electric / Ice, and Bug coverage. Choice Band can work as well under sun with V-create hitting like a truck. Great answer to many offensive Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Melmetal, Rillaboom, and Weavile. Is really great on defensive builds to cover the aforementioned Pokemon.Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
& I like this core a lot, as it is able to cover the dangerous weather in hail at the moment with Protective Pads Melmetal and Utility Rotom-Heat. Rotom-Heat can also pressure Melmetals checks in Buzzwole and Corviknight and further pressures Toxapex with chipping it down due to Volt Switch. I just simply like this underrated core and I think it has potential. You guys should give it a try, as Rotom-Heat offers also a great midground to Ground-types such a Stone Edge-less Landorus-T.
the most and I think a set like this can work out pretty reliable and well:
1.
going to seventh for me. I'm one of the few who have the unpopular opinion that Weavile is too volatile, with triple axel miss and reliance on ice shard to deal with Koko and Zeraora dropping. Ahh yes. Just when it finally gained the item it has been longing for since forever, it lost the one tool it needed to deal with lava frog. *evil starscream laugh I never once imagined I would see a psychic type of all things in the top ten and . Seriously. These two need to decide which tier they wanna live in ffs
is still the second. I mainly use this because it has a creepy look. I like creepy stuff. Pult just doing Pult stuff is straightforward and I like it when things aren't complicated
is my third favorite mon. I only started using it recently but seeing a Landorus try to intimidate you and be immediately put on its last legs or immediately dying is the single most satisfying thing in singles competitive ever is the fourth mon I like. It's the same story with Dragapult. It isn't complicated so I don't have to use all my brain power in using it
something I never expected to happen is Koko growing on me. It's fast, has u turn, reliable recovery and the irritating fairy typing. I've been using this almost as much as I used Dragapult lately is the last one. The reason is simple. I hate Ferrothorn so being able to trap and delete it from the game is fun. I hate durians in real life and I hate them even in pokemon and maybe
and that is because this thing is completely and utterly helpless against scarf Lele. The only thing it can do is hope Lele is stupid enough to click a psychic move instead of moonblast but really, if scarf Lele becomes very popular, I can't imagine this thing won't drop would also be in the same position as Weavile since they're both that helpless against scarf Lele. I mean, they're no Garchomp that can afford to use roseli berry, that's for sure
+ 
/
+ 
yeah, fuck Ferrothorn. That's literally the only reason why I love this core. Seeing Ferrothorn die to two steam eruptions, aka hydro scalds, is one of the most satisfying things ever. It's almost as satisfying as using lash out against Landorus
+ 
just the pretty standard defensive / utility core. I usually use these two a lot on my teams because they're just that reliable, as long as I have an answer for Kyurem that is
+ 
+ 
is another one. I always liked Milotic in this gen since it can stuff over half of the metagame and with Bulu support, Urshifu isn't that big of a deal thanks to Bulu and the grassy terrain, , and the hail duo of and . They're pretty good. Blacephalon is impossible to switch into, the hail duo is greatly threatening, and Hydreigon, while not as good as the banned Urshifu, is still pretty good. I've been using a specs set on it and since Clefable is dropping, it's doing fairly well. The only problem is Fini but that really isn't too much of a problem anywayI don't have a whole lot to say about the metagame, since I've only been playing a few games here and there, but something I find interesting is most teams not relying on a dedicated ghost resist to check premier special attacker Dragapult (
). Instead, they rely on a combination of:) and Ferrothorn (
), and occasionally even specially defensive Landorus-T ()), and Toxapex (). Also worth mentioning that AV Tornadus-T is being seen a little bit more) with priority in Ice Shard, Choice Scarf Tapu Lele (), Choice Scarf Tapu Fini ()2. I am surprised the monke was almost out of top 20. I knew it was falling but not that bad.Hey guys, Tier shifts happened recently!
Code:Combined usage for OU (1695 stats) + ---- + ------------------ + ------- + | Rank | Pokemon | Percent | + ---- + ------------------ + ------- + | 1 | Landorus-Therian | 45.240% | | 2 | Dragapult | 22.582% | | 3 | Heatran | 21.018% | | 4 | Corviknight | 20.940% | | 5 | Garchomp | 18.994% | | 6 | Ferrothorn | 17.744% | | 7 | Weavile | 16.324% | | 8 | Tapu Fini | 15.625% | | 9 | Clefable | 15.195% | | 10 | Tapu Lele | 15.187% | | 11 | Urshifu-Rapid-Strike | 15.085% | | 12 | Kartana | 14.732% | | 13 | Melmetal | 13.708% | | 14 | Toxapex | 13.579% | | 15 | Dragonite | 12.172% | | 16 | Tornadus-Therian | 10.946% | | 17 | Magnezone | 10.684% | | 18 | Tapu Koko | 10.472% | | 19 | Rillaboom | 10.411% | | 20 | Kyurem | 9.937% | | 21 | Volcarona | 9.499% | | 22 | Zapdos | 9.045% | | 23 | Slowking-Galar | 8.993% | | 24 | Bisharp | 8.410% | | 25 | Blissey | 8.403% | | 26 | Zeraora | 8.018% | | 27 | Mew | 7.497% | | 28 | Scizor | 6.892% | | 29 | Pelipper | 6.327% | | 30 | Ninetales-Alola | 6.222% | | 31 | Slowbro | 5.991% | | 32 | Blacephalon | 5.720% | | 33 | Hippowdon | 5.583% | | 34 | Tyranitar | 5.422% | | 35 | Buzzwole | 5.080% | | 36 | Victini | 4.919% | | 37 | Barraskewda | 4.884% | | 38 | Slowking | 4.470% | | 39 | Skarmory | 4.424% | | 40 | Cloyster | 4.336% | | 41 | Excadrill | 4.297% | | 42 | Swampert | 4.133% | | 43 | Arctozolt | 4.107% | | 44 | Mandibuzz | 4.099% | | 45 | Regieleki | 4.050% | | 46 | Hawlucha | 3.811% | | 47 | Hydreigon | 3.643% | | 48 | Volcanion | 3.446% | | 49 | Crawdaunt | 3.249% | | 50 | Zapdos-Galar | 3.226% | | 51 | Nidoking | 3.171% | | 52 | Aegislash | 3.098% | | 53 | Hatterene | 2.841% | | 54 | Mamoswine | 2.837% | | 55 | Rotom-Wash | 2.543% | | 56 | Torkoal | 2.519% | | 57 | Blaziken | 2.490% | | 58 | Latios | 2.383% | | 59 | Tangrowth | 2.297% | | 60 | Seismitoad | 2.248% | | 61 | Marowak-Alola | 2.028% | | 62 | Porygon2 | 2.012% | | 63 | Chansey | 1.993% | | 64 | Gengar | 1.902% | | 65 | Moltres-Galar | 1.835% | | 66 | Celesteela | 1.791% | | 67 | Kommo-o | 1.703% | | 68 | Cresselia | 1.673% | | 69 | Gastrodon | 1.650% | | 70 | Keldeo | 1.646% | | 71 | Venusaur | 1.592% | | 72 | Dracozolt | 1.559% | | 73 | Azumarill | 1.420% | | 74 | Tapu Bulu | 1.382% | | 75 | Jirachi | 1.363% | | 76 | Reuniclus | 1.226% | | 77 | Conkeldurr | 1.185% | | 78 | Kingdra | 1.166% | | 79 | Quagsire | 1.121% | | 80 | Grimmsnarl | 1.074% | | 81 | Ditto | 1.071% | | 82 | Thundurus-Therian | 1.063% | | 83 | Togekiss | 1.028% | | 84 | Umbreon | 1.017% | | 85 | Latias | 0.961% | | 86 | Moltres | 0.929% | | 87 | Rotom-Heat | 0.861% | | 88 | Terrakion | 0.854% | | 89 | Shuckle | 0.847% | | 90 | Amoonguss | 0.836% | | 91 | Zarude | 0.800% | | 92 | Toxtricity | 0.786% | | 93 | Suicune | 0.770% | | 94 | Shedinja | 0.763% | | 95 | Primarina | 0.753% | | 96 | Nihilego | 0.705% | | 97 | Darmanitan | 0.696% | | 98 | Alakazam | 0.679% | | 99 | Polteageist | 0.637% | | 100 | Salamence | 0.612% | | 101 | Vanilluxe | 0.605% | | 102 | Diggersby | 0.604% | | 103 | Gyarados | 0.572% | | 104 | Haxorus | 0.562% | | 105 | Slurpuff | 0.529% | | 106 | Slowbro-Galar | 0.517% | | 107 | Necrozma | 0.467% | | 108 | Klefki | 0.446% | | 109 | Ribombee | 0.443% | | 110 | Xatu | 0.443% | | 111 | Snorlax | 0.442% | | 112 | Rhyperior | 0.438% | | 113 | Lycanroc-Dusk | 0.416% | | 114 | Mienshao | 0.383% | | 115 | Krookodile | 0.341% | | 116 | Charizard | 0.330% | | 117 | Araquanid | 0.330% | | 118 | Porygon-Z | 0.309% | | 119 | Azelf | 0.305% | | 120 | Entei | 0.304% | | 121 | Starmie | 0.301% | | 122 | Mimikyu | 0.285% | | 123 | Omastar | 0.279% | | 124 | Raichu-Alola | 0.278% | | 125 | Obstagoon | 0.270% | | 126 | Blastoise | 0.264% | | 127 | Avalugg | 0.263% | | 128 | Glastrier | 0.261% | | 129 | Gigalith | 0.257% | | 130 | Thundurus | 0.249% | | 131 | Arctovish | 0.248% | | 132 | Metagross | 0.246% | | 133 | Golurk | 0.242% | | 134 | Scolipede | 0.241% | | 135 | Stakataka | 0.236% | | 136 | Tyrantrum | 0.229% | | 137 | Weezing-Galar | 0.228% | | 138 | Incineroar | 0.218% | | 139 | Tentacruel | 0.203% | | 140 | Sandslash-Alola | 0.202% | | 141 | Espeon | 0.201% | | 142 | Gardevoir | 0.198% | | 143 | Druddigon | 0.197% | | 144 | Nidoqueen | 0.195% | | 145 | Registeel | 0.191% | | 146 | Raikou | 0.190% | | 147 | Sharpedo | 0.187% | | 148 | Milotic | 0.186% | | 149 | Politoed | 0.185% | | 150 | Salazzle | 0.185% | | 151 | Heracross | 0.183% | | 152 | Regidrago | 0.180% | | 153 | Zygarde-10% | 0.177% | | 154 | Golisopod | 0.177% | | 155 | Barbaracle | 0.172% | | 156 | Drampa | 0.165% | | 157 | Froslass | 0.162% | | 158 | Heliolisk | 0.155% | | 159 | Cinccino | 0.155% | | 160 | Zoroark | 0.154% | | 161 | Chandelure | 0.152% | | 162 | Sylveon | 0.146% | | 163 | Galvantula | 0.146% | | 164 | Mantine | 0.145% | | 165 | Aurorus | 0.145% | | 166 | Articuno-Galar | 0.144% | | 167 | Bronzong | 0.135% | | 168 | Whimsicott | 0.133% | | 169 | Lucario | 0.132% | | 170 | Ninetales | 0.129% | | 171 | Corsola-Galar | 0.127% | | 172 | Diancie | 0.127% | | 173 | Xurkitree | 0.126% | | 174 | Jellicent | 0.126% | | 175 | Aerodactyl | 0.124% | | 176 | Archeops | 0.112% | | 177 | Ninjask | 0.111% | | 178 | Pyukumuku | 0.110% | | 179 | Flygon | 0.108% | | 180 | Sigilyph | 0.104% | | 181 | Talonflame | 0.101% | | 182 | Mudsdale | 0.101% | | 183 | Durant | 0.100% | | 184 | Dragalge | 0.100% | + ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
Rises:
UUBL to OU
Victinis been a pretty underrated threat for a while, being able to threaten many common defensive cores while also being annoying to switch into with its coverage and strong STAB. Its been trending on psyspam teams as of late as well sporting a great mixed or special set with Expanding Force, giving it a great secondary STAB and being able to threaten Toxapex a lot more easily. Its been rising in usage for a few months and its of no surprise to see it finally be OU.
UUBL to OU
Another Fire-type to rise from the lands of UUBL, although this was a bit more of a surprise to me. Blacephalon has been sporting an incredibly strong Choice Specs set lately being able to break through teams with ease, with its very strong and spammable STABs and Trick which enables it to cripple its checks if needed. It fits quite well on Bulky Offenses quite often Ghost-spam teams (oh btw happy spooktober) and does very well on them. This Clown definitely deserves its spot in the tier.
UU to OU
Im sorry UU, but we've stolen your buff boi. Buzzwoles been trending for a while in OU and it is definitely not a surprise to see it rise with the latest tier shifts, its ability to keep up a stellar offensive presence while also checking large threats like Weavile and Kartana carves it a very good niche in the tier. Happy to see it rise.
UU to OU
RU to OU
Both of these were definitely more of a surprise since I hadnt seen these two rise so soon, especially since rain had become a lot more scarce recently, but nonetheless I can definitely see why they did with Rain being a rather consistent weather as of late with hard to check abusers. Glad to have them back, although I predict theyll fall off similar to last time.
RU to OU
Hail and Aurora Veil have pushed this fox to OU. It is one of the main reasons why Hail is any good in OU and it definitely does deserve its spot in OU and I think its here to stay.
Drops:
OU to UUBL
Hawlucha has been falling off as of recently with less HO, and I can definitely see why it has. Its still definitely a very potent sweeper and wincon, but as the tier shifts towards Bulky Offenses and strays from HO, Hawlucha falling off was inevitable
OU to UU
Sand as a weather has been falling off for sometime, with lackluster abusers and being generally awkward to build, its no surprise that Sands most popular abuser has dropped to UU.
OU to UU
Although Hydreigon is still a great pokemon with good defensive utility and ability to break, I can see why it has dropped as its usage has been dwindling for a while with it being awkward to fit onto teams, especially when it can also be easily forced out by faster pokemon like Kartana, Tapu Koko and Weavile.
OU to UU
Mandibuzz has been struggling to keep up with the metagame for a while now, being constantly overwhelmed even by things it supposedly checks like Dragapult, Kartana and Rillaboom. Rising usage of Tapu Koko, Weavile, Tapu Fini and Tapu Lele doesnt exactly help it either. It falling off to UU was inevitable and im glad it finally happened, although itll continue to be my favourite bird.
OU to UU
The metagame hasnt been very nice to it recently, with a muriad of special attackers and competition in Corviknight and Ferrothorn, Skarmory has lost its place in the metagame, although it still is pretty good and has its uses, its general lack of special bulk and lack of momentum has lead to people prefering other mons.
OU to UU
Metagame trends have been against this mon since the start of WCoP and that has continued, unfortunately Slowkings place in the metagame has been pretty sad as of late being outclassed by a muriad of other better special Pokemon, even failing to properly check what few Pokemon it used to. The metagames ability to abuse FuturePort has also been unkind to this Pokemon, dont think anyone was surprised to see it fall.
OU to UU
Ah! Finally. This Pokemon has been pretty dissapointing for a couple tiershifts, always surviving the cut off somehow to everyones surprise, thankfully the people seem to have realised that Swampert is as good as a sandwich with jelly and cheese ( Its pretty meh ). Swampert still has a niche in the metagame ofcourse but is still outclassed and its lack of recovery and versatility hurts.
Usage rises:
#23 to #7
Weavile has only gotten better in the past few months, and has started to define the current metagame becoming one of the best breakers in the game. It can win very easily after some chip on its checks like Buzzwole, Toxapex or Corviknight with its high base power STABs in Knock Off and Triple Axel. Its Ghost-resist is very valuable for pivoting into Dragapult, along with its speed tier makes it very easy to fit onto teams effectively.
#24 to #13
Melmetal is great in the current metagame and I can definitely see why it rose in usage, its ability to cripple its checks and bypass them with its Twave Pads set is unmatched and its Assault Vest set is also great making use of its great defensive typing to check the likes of Tapu Lele and Dragapult. Its great typing and defensive utility along with the great amount of offensive pressure it exerts makes it clear why it rose. (also it helps vs hail)
#25 to #16
Oh its the real bird jesus (it just is dont ask questions), its ability to pivot like no other, the speed tier, and great defensive utility make it clear why its risen in viability and usage recently. Its Assault Vest set is great as well, enabling it to pivot into most special attackers and force them out with a Knock Off.
Drops:
#4 to #9
Clefable has recently been outclassed by other fairy types and its wide range of utility is less in need since a lot more mons can fill those spots, usually better than Clefable could. Its lackluster bulk also shows when trying to check the various Pokemon of the tier.
#11 to #21
Volcaronas inconsistency in games and Heatrans rise in usage and viability might be reasons as to why it eventually dropped.
#7 to #19
Rillaboom has fallen out of favour with Flying-types like Corviknight and Tornadus-therian which can be found on every team courtesy of another offensive Grass-type named Kartana, leaving it often helpless in games unable to make much progress in faces of these checks. It can still shine on Offenses with Swords Dance sets.
Here are the usual questions:
1. What were the most notable increases and decreases, and why do you think these mons are used more/less now?
2. What increases or decreases surprised you the most?
3. Among the mons with increased usage, what sets have you been using and enjoying?
4. Among the mons with decreased usage, what are your favorite sets for those mons?
5. What are your favorite mons to use in the current metagame?
6. What mons do you predict will continue to see increased usage?
7. What mons are you expecting to see a declining usage from?
8. What are some of your favorite cores to use?
9. How do you feel about the metagame?
10. Have you used any of the Pokemon mentioned above? If so, how did they perform for you?
11. Are there any prominent replays from OLT or SCL that you enjoyed and want to share? Any highlights worth discussing?
12: I hope you have a great rest of your day!
CBThis seems mostly a symptom of ghost just being kind of OP as an attacking type ever since trollfreak decided to remove Steel's resistance to it. Sometimes you have to work with what you have, or in this case, don't have.I don't have a whole lot to say about the metagame, since I've only been playing a few games here and there, but something I find interesting is most teams not relying on a dedicated ghost resist to check premier special attacker Dragapult (
This is pretty evident in terms of usage stats as well, with Mandibuzz dropping to UU, and Blissey taking spot 23 in usage, while all the above mentioned forms of counterplay are showing some really high numbers.
- Bulky steels like Heatran (
- Regenerators like Tornadus-T (
- Revenge killers in the form of Weavile (
I'm sure many have noticed this trend, but I feel like it was still worth a mention - considering that Dragapult is at S- in the VRs, and we still don't find a need for a "resist/immunity" to check it.
