Metagame SS OU Metagame Discussion v2 [Usage Stats in post #581]

[Dragoon Rider]

Aegislash honestly can't afford to lose King's Shield. Base 60 Speed combined with 60/50/50 bulk and weaknesses to 4 common types speaks for itself.

CC isn't even a lock to beat Umbreon, since even without any Defense EVs it's not a guaranteed 2HKO, and Aegislash takes a truckload of damage from Foul Play after a Defense drop in response.

160 Atk LO CC does 58% min to 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Umbreon and 79% min to 252 HP calm Umbreon. With decent speed investment of around 168 Spe Aegislash outspeeds most walls. The point of this Aegislash is to wallbreak not tank, so you just want to 2HKO walls on the switch or KO more offensive sweepers with one attack followed up by a shadow sneak. Aegislash isn't going to try and tank a foul play from umbreon here.

The popular choice Aegislash sets can't king shield either.

 

[kcon1528]

It's probably already been brought up, but G-Corsola seems like a reasonable switch in/check to G-Darm as far as I can tell.

252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar takes less than 40% from any of the Scarf moves and heals 311/324 from the first Strength Sap (assuming Jolly). CB is a bit tougher, with likely 2HKO from both Crash and Blitz if you switch straight into them. Obviously entry hazards can make switching in on scarf a bit more dicey, and U-turn allows the opponent to switch into their Corsola answers, but I think it's worth nothing regardless. Thoughts?

 

[Landaddy-Therian]

I think the fact that galarian darm usually requires multiple mons to take him down and he has no true counters (what is switching in, living his hits and forcing him to switch?) proves that he needs to be suspect tested.

It's probably already been brought up, but G-Corsola seems like a reasonable switch in/check to G-Darm as far as I can tell.

252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar takes less than 40% from any of the Scarf moves and heals 311/324 from the first Strength Sap (assuming Jolly). CB is a bit tougher, with likely 2HKO from both Crash and Blitz if you switch straight into them. Obviously entry hazards can make switching in on scarf a bit more dicey, and U-turn allows the opponent to switch into their Corsola answers, but I think it's worth nothing regardless. Thoughts?

Corsola is one of the few mons that can actually switch into darm but if it's CB or sub drum zen you basically just lose. CB still 2HKO's max physDef sets with crash. I tested this last night playing against my friend on the nexus server when PS was down.

 

[kcon1528]

Corsola is one of the few mons that can actually switch into darm but if it's CB or sub drum zen you basically just lose. CB still 2HKO's max physDef sets with crash. I tested this last night playing against my friend on the nexus server when PS was down.

Yeah I think you're right. One of the biggest issues with Darm is that you can counter one set (like Corsola v Scarf) but then lose to other sets.

 

[ab15]

I'd also like to add that "defensively Dynamaxing" crucially allowed you to avoid getting flinched by Darmanitan. A lot of the time, I found myself Dynamaxing to avoid the 30% chance of getting flinched on a Pokemon that could potentially eat a hit without Dynamaxing. With Dynamax gone, not only can less Pokemon use it for the double HP boost to eat a hit, but now Darmanitan has a decent chance to flinch through the few things that can eat a hit from it, which makes it all the more frustrating to deal with.

I hate how we are talking about flinching now.

Togekiss+ serene grace + Air slash should be banned. I've always thought this but I don't know how I feel if the last straw to ban darm is hax.
If its too much then yeh (See sub veil garchomp), but I guess I gotta test more now that dyan is gone.

Flinch isn't THE reason we're calling for darm suspect. It's the cherry on top.

There is a difference between the last straw and a cherry lol

I think the fact that galarian darm usually requires multiple mons to take him down and he has no true counters (what is switching in, living his hits and forcing him to switch?) proves that he needs to be suspect tested.

Corsola is one of the few mons that can actually switch into darm but if it's CB or sub drum zen you basically just lose. CB still 2HKO's max physDef sets with crash. I tested this last night playing against my friend on the nexus server when PS was down.

Avalugg is a bit underrated now. Could recover with recover and spin on darm, or just OHKO it back with body press.
Edit to fix calc

+1 252 Atk Choice Band Darmanitan-Galar Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 286-338 (72.5 - 85.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Choice band Darm is worse and easier to revenge kill and barely 2HKO's Avalugg, while taking 37% recoil damage.
In order for you to not wall Darm, the Darm would have to predict that you are switching in. If the Darm predicted correctly now its stuck on Flare Blitz, and you know its banded so its slow. Not a good situation for Darm who takes 25% on sr.

edited bec calc was off

Also I miss Dynamaxing any chance we could try and bring that back?

 

[Landaddy-Therian]

I hate how we are talking about flinching now.

Togekiss+ serene grace + Air slash should be banned. I've always thought this but I don't know how I feel if the last straw to ban darm is hax.
If its too much then yeh (See sub veil garchomp), but I guess I gotta test more now that dyan is gone.

Also I miss Dynamaxing any chance we could try and bring that back?

It's not flinch itself it's the fact that you can't 100% reliably check darm because there's a very decent chance he'll flinch your bulky physical wall and just steamroll you. Togekiss doesn't have the speed or power darm has. If you lose to togekiss air slash spam you allowed yourself to get in a position where your team is being outsped and likely crippled by Paralysis along with the flinch. It's just really not the same thing.

Flinch isn't THE reason we're calling for darm suspect. It's the cherry on top.

 

[Pabloaram]

Don't sleep on Xatu. This thing is a real dick for Stall teams to deal with thanks to Magic Bounce. It has two noteworthy advantages over Hatterene: Heat Wave and Roost. With these (as well as Psychic), Xatu can beat Galarian Corsola, Toxapex, Ferrothorn, defensive Seismitoad and Excadrill, and even some Corviknight sets, most of which are much harder for Hatterene to break.

Also Xatu have acces to teleport, -6 priority Switch being usefful with all the frail offensive metagame.

A mon i think is underated is Appletun, the phys def variant, using recover/leech seed + protect wall many offensive mon, being the absolute Gyarados counter
+1 252 Atk Gyarados Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Appletun: 66-78 (15.5 - 18.3%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery
Ice Fang is the only weapon in Gyara to "hurt" Appletun
252 Atk Gyarados Ice Fang vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Appletun: 116-140 (27.3 - 33%) -- guaranteed 4HKO.

 

[Zach Parrott]

Avalugg is a bit underrated now. Could recover with recover and spin on darm, or just OHKO it back with body press.

252 Atk Darmanitan-Galar Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 128-152 (32.4 - 38.5%) -- 98.6% chance to 3HKO

Also I miss Dynamaxing any chance we could try and bring that back?

You're forgetting to take into account Gorrila Tactics, which is currently bugged on the calc.

+1 252 Atk Darmanitan-Galar Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 192-226 (48.7 - 57.3%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO

+1 252 Atk Choice Band Darmanitan-Galar Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 286-338 (72.5 - 85.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

(+1 represents GT)

As you can see, Avalugg is definitely not a check to Darm-Galar, since it gets easily 2HKOd by both of its most popular sets as of now. Sure the opponent has to get some predictions right in order to really take advantage of this, and Avalugg can OHKO back with Body Press, but Avalugg not only can't switch in without fear of getting Flare Blitzed, it also has to find time to recover against something else on the opponent's team unless you want your Avalugg to be potential death fodder.

 

[McCoolDude]

So a mon I've been using awhile to really solid effect: Shiftry.

Sun teams aren't super common and didn't always perform well in the dmax meta, but now there's often not an opposing weather setter.

There are two basic sets that I know work well, but I think a mixed set could also work.

Obviously there are serious downsides to this mon.

• The first is that, outside of sun, it's frequently outsped.
• Its attacking stats are mediocre, forcing the use of a sun turn to boost
• There are only two sun setters in the tier, and neither is incredible. I use both, with Torkoal as my primary setter.

However, there isn't much that can consistently answer a +2 shiftry in the sun. The biggest two threats are corviknight, which is 2HKO'd by the physical set and OHKO'd by the special set, and Hydregion, who walls the special set pretty well but gets dropped by the physical set.

 

[Astra]

lyd I did it.

greatness

In order for this post to not get deleted, I guess I can talk about this 5Head of a Pokemon.

Galarian Darmanitan is really a menace to be reckoned with right now, especially with Dynamax out of the way. It definitely did get nerfed with Dynamax gone though, since it needs to play footsies more without the ability to get out of Choice lock. The question of whether or not it deserves a suspect test, though, remains unanswered with me. It certainly is extremely overwhelming, practically forcing you to run something to take hits from it (which is a very small handful of Pokemon), but at the same time, it interests me how this caused so many Pokemon to rise up from being basically garbage to having such a niche (Flareon, for example). Unfortunately these "checks" almost always still get overwhelmed by it, especially if it's Choice Band. For example, U-turn still does a good amount of damage to some Pokemon that would try to switch into Galarian Darmanitan, and if that damage keeps adding up, it really can't afford to take another hit from it.

So, does it deserve a ban? Well, I wouldn't want to think ahead, since Dynamax is now gone (and PS! has been down for the whole day, so I couldn't test it out). A suspect test I feel, however, is definitely inevitable. However, I wouldn't be too surprised if the two sides are actually close. On one hand, Galarian Darmanitan's power is something we've never had before thanks to Gorilla Tactics, which really puts a strain on switching into it and taking hits from it in general. On the other hand, there are still a decent amount of underground Pokemon that have risen thanks to needing to keep this thing in check, but even then, it's power can eventually break through. Regardless of what happens, I'm interested to see this play out.

 

[hmsa2012]

I'd like to talk about a cool mon that might benefit with dynamax being gone...

Obstagoon (M) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Knock Off
- Facade
- Close Combat

Obstagoon shines really well in Sticky Webs team since its decent speed tier can take advantage of potentially winning speed tie with Darm-G. But with dynamax being gone, I believe that it can shine as a punisher for the fatter mons we currently have in SWSH OU. Bring burned with Flame Orb means that Toxapex, Ferrothorn and Seismitoad can't really inflict status on it and avoids T-Spike damage. Trick users such as Rotom-W would have to be careful passing a potential Scarf to Obstagoon since Knock Off/Facade are great STABs that can put slight dents to teams that would have to predict correctly what moves it will go for with Guts in play. Bulk Up + Guts gives the Goon an automatic +2 that can punch holes through the fatter teams that have to fear. The +1 in DEF means that it can take less punishment of Mons that pivot with U-Turn. Lastly, Close Combat gives it excellent coverage to Pokemon such as T-Tar and Ferrothorn. The only bulkier problematic mons are Corviknight and Corsola-G if Strength Sap goes through, but that's what teambuilding is for.

Now, I'm not saying this thing is godly, but it can provide another offensive option that can break the bulkier mons that benefit with Dynamax being gone.

 

[Divine Retribution]

lyd I did it.

greatness

View attachment 212985

In order for this post to not get deleted, I guess I can talk about this 5Head of a Pokemon.

Galarian Darmanitan is really a menace to be reckoned with right now, especially with Dynamax out of the way. It definitely did get nerfed with Dynamax gone though, since it needs to play footsies more without the ability to get out of Choice lock. The question of whether or not it deserves a suspect test, though, remains unanswered with me. It certainly is extremely overwhelming, practically forcing you to run something to take hits from it (which is a very small handful of Pokemon), but at the same time, it interests me how this caused so many Pokemon to rise up from being basically garbage to having such a niche (Flareon, for example). Unfortunately these "checks" almost always still get overwhelmed by it, especially if it's Choice Band. For example, U-turn still does a good amount of damage to some Pokemon that would try to switch into Galarian Darmanitan, and if that damage keeps adding up, it really can't afford to take another hit from it.

So, does it deserve a ban? Well, I wouldn't want to think ahead, since Dynamax is now gone (and PS! has been down for the whole day, so I couldn't test it out). A suspect test I feel, however, is definitely inevitable. However, I wouldn't be too surprised if the two sides are actually close. On one hand, Galarian Darmanitan's power is something we've never had before thanks to Gorilla Tactics, which really puts a strain on switching into it and taking hits from it in general. On the other hand, there are still a decent amount of underground Pokemon that have risen thanks to needing to keep this thing in check, but even then, it's power can eventually break through. Regardless of what happens, I'm interested to see this play out.

Generally a Pokemon making random lower tier trash viable just because they check it is a textbook sign of it being broken. An example would be things like Gourgeist and Slowbro seeing a massive spike in usage for the short period of time Mega Kangaskhan was allowed in XY OU, or Nidoqueen and Golurk seeing usage in BW because they check Terrakion (yes, Terrakion in BW is broken, change my mind). Broken Pokemon giving niches to otherwise sub-optimal Pokemon isn't really a good justification for keeping them around, and it's overlooking the fact that you're forced to Pokemon who are otherwise sub-optimal in every other matchup to check them, which falls under the umbrella of restricting teambuilding.

 

[Robot7620]

Also Xatu have acces to teleport, -6 priority Switch being usefful with all the frail offensive metagame.

A mon i think is underated is Appletun, the phys def variant, using recover/leech seed + protect wall many offensive mon, being the absolute Gyarados counter
+1 252 Atk Gyarados Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Appletun: 66-78 (15.5 - 18.3%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery
Ice Fang is the only weapon in Gyara to "hurt" Appletun
252 Atk Gyarados Ice Fang vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Appletun: 116-140 (27.3 - 33%) -- guaranteed 4HKO.

First off, Gyarados took a hit from losing access to set rain and boost speed by itself.
Appletun resists EQ so there was also no need to include that calc.
252 Atk Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Appletun: 244-292 (57.5 - 68.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
GDarm 2hko's even w/ Thicc Fat
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Appletun: 328-388 (77.3 - 91.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Weavile also 2HKO'S
88 Atk Avalugg Avalanche vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Appletun: 268-316 (63.2 - 74.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Hell, even Avalugg 2hko's it.
Yes, it has a niche w/ access to recover and able to wear down stuff that would normally wall it(which is like 3/4 of the metagame) w/ Apple Acid but its bulk is mediocre at best and it just falls flat with a limited movepool and being prone to PP stalling (which I definitely see Corviknight abusing).

 

[Divine Retribution]

252 Atk Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Appletun: 244-292 (57.5 - 68.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
GDarm 2hko's even w/ Thicc Fat

The calc currently doesn't take the boost from Gorilla Tactics into account. A more accurate calc would be:

252 Atk Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Thick Fat Appletun: 372-436 (87.7 - 102.8%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO

Until they fix Gorilla Tactics, it's better to remove Darmanitan's ability entirely and then calc it at +1 Attack.

 

[GnuGnu]

This is a very one-sided perspective. Dynamaxing defensively also was employed frequently to try and keep Darmanitan in check. If anything, this proves to be favorable to Darmanitan as it no longer is a possibility. Sure, Darmanitan is a little bit prediction reliant, but even resisted Icicle Crash does a number to anything and generates free turns due to forced recovery. If played wisely, Darmanitan can always generate pressure with the Choice Band set and the Choice Scarf set is similar unless you are facing Vaporeon or Jellicent (unless you wish to use meme-tier Pokemon like Piloswine).

That's a very fair point. I still feel like defensive measures to Darm are now more solid, but it's a big nerf to the ability to beat Darm in a pinch with defensive dynamax. I should clarify, I was more speaking to the Scarf set, which didn't "lose" power from the dynamaxing, and most of the cases where you'd go for the choice lock removal, you'd be faster anyway. Banded sets probably benefit from dynamax removal overall, I don't actually even know what actually deals with that thing defensively in the first place.

I can definitely see the perspective that G-Darm is just gonna be even better in this new meta overall, but just from a personal bias, I'm going to really enjoy not having to be afraid of predicting the locked move correctly but still being afraid to heal up due to the threat of dynamax. You're right that Darm constantly generates free turns due to forced recovery as you literally have to keep them healthy all the time to still switch into this thing, but at least those recovery turns will be safer now.

 

[HailFall]

Not really sure why people are bothering to run calcs on cb darm. Nothing or almost nothing is going to be able to switch into 140 attack with 2 choice bands. Especially given its crazy coverage. Even if it's possible to find some obscure shitmon that walls it, that means very little imo

95 Spe is quite high when you consider how much the typical speed of OU has declined since previous generations

I haven't played much, but based on what others are saying and my attempts at teambuilding, it does seem like a pretty clear case of "too much".

A near unwallable breaker with a good speed tier that can both keep up momentum with U-turn and wear down it's counters.

The most reasonable argument in it's defense is probably hazards. A stealth rock weak choice breaker is definitely not a good thing. It's possible we'll see different sets like boots as the meta evolves, which may or may not be successful.

In the meantime I will need to play around a little bit to build up some experience playing with and against it before making up my mind for sure as to whether or not it deserves a suspect test

 

[Robot7620]

That's a very fair point. I still feel like defensive measures to Darm are now more solid, but it's a big nerf to the ability to beat Darm in a pinch with defensive dynamax. I should clarify, I was more speaking to the Scarf set, which didn't "lose" power from the dynamaxing, and most of the cases where you'd go for the choice lock removal, you'd be faster anyway. Banded sets probably benefit from dynamax removal overall, I don't actually even know what actually deals with that thing defensively in the first place.

I can definitely see the perspective that G-Darm is just gonna be even better in this new meta overall, but just from a personal bias, I'm going to really enjoy not having to be afraid of predicting the locked move correctly but still being afraid to heal up due to the threat of dynamax. You're right that Darm constantly generates free turns due to forced recovery as you literally have to keep them healthy all the time to still switch into this thing, but at least those recovery turns will be safer now.

G-Darm's main key to fame was to break loose of it's chains and instantly kill what you thought was a safe switch-in and suddenly go a rampage, able to tank any hit you throw at it and throw twice as much.
Now, it is much more managable, and you can feel safe knowing it's locked into the same move.

Not really sure why people are bothering to run calcs on cb darm. Nothing or almost nothing is going to be able to switch into 140 attack with 2 choice bands. Especially given its crazy coverage. Even if it's possible to find some obscure shitmon that walls it, that means very little imo

90 Spe is quite high when you consider how much the typical speed of OU has declined since previous generations

I haven't played much, but based on what others are saying and my attempts at teambuilding, it does seem like a pretty clear case of "too much".

A near unwallable breaker with a good speed tier that can both keep up momentum with U-turn and wear down it's counters.

The most reasonable argument in it's defense is probably hazards. A stealth rock weak choice breaker is definitely not a good thing. It's possible we'll see different sets like boots as the meta evolves, which may or may not be successful.

In the meantime I will need to play around a little bit to build up some experience playing with and against it before making up my mind for sure as to whether or not it deserves a ban.

It's 95 Spe, not 90 Spe lol.
Also, Gorilla Tactics is not implemented into PS( or if it is, Choice sets nullify the effects, but I've tried using other items and it hasn't been implemented) and its Band set is prone to being revenge killed, what with scarfers being everywhere, and boots is definitely not going to be viable; even with a weakness to rocks, boots are generally used on 4x weak mons or defensive mons weak to SR.

 

[HailFall]

Band set is prone to being revenge killed,

Whatever they send in to deal with band darmanitan is likely to be a lot easier to switch into than band darmanitan was lol

It's 95 Spe, not 90 Spe lol.

Yup, my bad

 

[Wendy'sBaconator]

I wanna give Crawdaunt some attention.
People having been calling Dracovish broken, while this UNHOLY ABOMINATION has quietly been shitting all over the metagame. This thing's knock offs hit harder than Mike Tyson with a bionic arm. Nothing really likes taking a a knock from this thing. Also this thing can kill darm with priority.

252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Seismitoad: 284-336 (68.5 - 81.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Crabhammer vs. 252 HP / 80 Def Corviknight: 302-356 (75.5 - 89%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Sylveon: 155-183 (39.3 - 46.4%)
252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Crabhammer vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Mandibuzz: 324-382 (76.4 - 90%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Crawdaunt Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 242-286 (68.7 - 81.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

 

[Monsoon117]

I wanna give Crawdaunt some attention.
People having been calling Dracovish broken, while this UNHOLY ABOMINATION has quietly been shitting all over the metagame. This thing's knock offs hit harder than Mike Tyson with a bionic arm. Nothing really likes taking a a knock from this thing. Also this thing can kill darm with priority.

252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Seismitoad: 284-336 (68.5 - 81.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Crabhammer vs. 252 HP / 80 Def Corviknight: 302-356 (75.5 - 89%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Sylveon: 155-183 (39.3 - 46.4%)
252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Crabhammer vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Mandibuzz: 324-382 (76.4 - 90%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Crawdaunt Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 242-286 (68.7 - 81.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

The difference between dracovish and crawdaunt comes in several aspects that make dracovish holy superior. From a defensive standpoint, dracovish has above average bulk while crawdaunt is paper thin. Dracovish has 90/100/80 with two weaknesses and three resists, notably a quadra resist to fire and water, which gives it some free switch ins. Crawdaunt has 63/85/55 bulk with 6 resists and an immunity, and it has 5 weaknesses. Of that immunity, the only common psychic type user in the metagame is hatterene or mew, each of which has super effective coverage in Dazzling gleam and CC. Those resistances on Crawdaunt are meaningless since it's so frail. This is a notch in the cap of dracovish, but it doesn't end there.

Dracovish doesn't need prediction, and it can KO bulky resists with ease. It hits substantially harder than crawdaunt.

252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 176-208 (57.8 - 68.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Strong Jaw Dracovish Fishious Rend vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 141-167 (46.3 - 54.9%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery

You'll notice that the difference between these calcs is mute. Both get the job done, but one needed prediction while the other didn't. Crabhammer only does 35% tops to toxapex. Dracovish doesn't need to worry about whether the opponent resists its stabs. You just click the button, and you're good. This applies to every counter out there. Another example would be ferrothorn. The difference between these two here is that unlike crawdaunt, dracovish cannot be KOed back after being switched in by ferrothorn. Crawdaunt gets OHKOed easily by power whip.

Mandibuzz is another great example of the raw power difference between these two.

252+ Atk Choice Band Strong Jaw Dracovish Fishious Rend vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 372-438 (87.7 - 103.3%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Crabhammer vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 238-280 (56.1 - 66%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Now I know what you're thinking. "Didn't you just say toxapex's calcs differences were mute since they both get 2HKOed?" I did, but this is a different case. Mandibuzz is faster than crawdaunt with full speed when mandibuzz invests 56 speed EVs. At that point, it can knock off the crawdaunt, crippling its deeps. Crabhammer can also miss. Dracovish is faster than mandibuzz unless mandi has 216 EVs in speed. At that point, the mandibuzz gets blown away since it's taking those EVs from defense or health. This is actually my third point in dracovish's favor - he has 20 more points of speed.

This makes a jolly scarf set outspeed a modest dragapult. That's a useful utility to have, and crawdaunt is unable to offer up speed control outside of its priority. While its priority is pretty strong, it's not enough to take out something like barraskewda or dragapult without prior chip.

252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 86-102 (27.1 - 32.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Barraskewda: 103-122 (39.1 - 46.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Adaptability Crawdaunt Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Darmanitan-Galar: 218-258 (62.1 - 73.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Not saying Crawdaunt is awful as that's quite a chunk against barraskewda and that's an unholy blast against darm. It is worth mentioning, and it's in the discussion for viable OU mons. Comparing it to Dracovish does it no favors however, as it is strictly inferior outside of offering a stab, strong knock off and priority. This lets crawdaunt destroy siesmitoad, which is something dracovish can't really do, and it does offer some sweeping potential late game with heavy amounts of chip against its resists. At the same time, this Dracovish's weaknesses are easy to fix through toxic spikes, spikes, or other team building measures. Fixing Crawdaunts flaws are a much more daunting task by comparison.

Anyways, I think the main points for Crawdaunt are its water priority and it's knock off.

 

[Wildcat Formation]

Good to see discussion about Crawdaunt; it was one of two things that I wanted to talk about in this post.

So Crawdaunt has direct competition with Dracovish as a Water-type wallbreaker. While Dracovish seems to be the more consistent pick, there are some trends that favor Crawdaunt in certain situations, mostly because of Dracovish's presence. For one, more teams are running Water Absorb Pokemon to better handle Dracovish. This is good for Crawdaunt as it would rather want to face Seismitoad than Ferrothorn + Toxapex. Secondly, Crawdaunt's retain of the move Knock Off should not be overlooked due to the lack of distribution. Finally, of course, the priority Aqua Jet is nice to have. The question I have about Crawdaunt is which is the better set: Choice Band or Swords Dance? While Choice Band has been the go-to pick in the past few generations for Crawdaunt, the ubiquity of a certain move that I want to talk about makes me feel less confident about it and lean towards the latter set.

The move? Protect.

I think Protect and its variants (Baneful Bunker, King's Shield, Obstruct (?)) are some of the best moves in the current metagame. The biggest benefit of the move is to scout on Choice-locked Pokemon, which is huge in current SS OU since there are so many of them: Galarian Darmanitan, Dracovish, Specs Dragapult, Scarf Rotom, and Specs Toxtricity for example. It is so much easier to play around those threats when you know what move they locked into, and it will be much easier after the Dynamax ban because the Choice-user cannot break the Choice lock. It is very nice versus Trick as well, making it harder for the opponent to cripple an important Pokemon on your team. Another benefit of Protect is the extra round of Leftovers recovery, useful for keeping Pokemon like Seismitoad and Rotom-W healthy. The extra round of recovery can also be important to avoid certain KOs like Pex getting 2HKOed from CB Dracovish. Finally, there are a large number of viable Wish passers that use Protect to ensure safe Wishes onto itself, so Protect is everywhere right now. A strong archetype I feel is balance with a good number of Protect users like the team Charmflash used in this replay.

So yeah, if you aren't using Protect, try it out! Or call a doctor, idk.

 

[2bainz]

So not necessarily a sleeper pick here, but a mon that has put in a lot of work for me is Toxtricity.

Toxtricity @ Choice Specs
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overdrive
- Boomburst
- Sludge Wave / Snarl
- Volt Switch

(Punk Rock boost isn't showing up on the calc so I just did 1.3x the base power of the moves to get the following percentages.)

It's relatively low base speed means it's not going to just come in and sweep teams most of the time, but it can apply a lot of pressure if you predict correctly on switches. For example, a common core right now such as Corviknight + Seismitoad. It can force out Corviknight, and get 90-106% with Boomburst on phys def Seismitoad. If they try to go Dragapult or Corsola-G to block Boomburst, Snarl can potentially KO Specs Dragapult (56% chance without hazards, guaranteed OHKO with rocks) and do 48-57% to phys def Corsola-G. Overdrive still hits those two pretty hard, so you could still keep Sludge Wave for dealing with common threats like Clefable, Sylveon and Hatterene. Since Toxtricity's main moves can all be blocked (by Ground, Ghost and Steel), people will often switch when facing it, so having a correct read can really pay off.

It can come in on Toxapex to absorb T-Spikes and force it out, and Volt Switch is great for keeping momentum. Another thing going for it is sound-based moves bypassing Substitute, so Sub set-up sweepers have to be a bit more careful with it around.

Of course, this mon hates Excadrill and Ferrothorn's existence, it's 4x weak to Earthquake and timid 273 speed lets it be revenge killed/forced out often, but fatter teams can have a hard time dealing with it and I think it will definitely have a high degree of viability in OU for much of the generation.

 

[tmacbalanced]

1. What do you find strong in the current metagame? In other words, what mons do you believe have consistent success and high viability?
2. Are there any strong cores or trends you've noticed? Are there common mons paired together that work well, and if so, would you like to share your opinion on it?
3. How do you feel about each playstyle? Which ones are strongest, which ones are weakest, and why?
4. Have you come across any unique sets that you believe have potential in the metagame? This could be something that takes advantage of common metagame trends.
5. Are there any mons you find to be underrated or overlooked?

In my opinion, I would say Clefable, Aegislash, Dragapult, Excadrill, Darmanitan-G, and Toxapex are top consistent threats for sure. Each proving to be most useful even in the DMAX era. Defensive Corsola-Galar + SpDf Corviknight is a good defensive core that I've seen, read about, & used. There's not really too much to say about it that hasn't already been said except, it does struggle against Dracovish & Dracovolt.
As for question 4 -

Arcanine @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 92 Atk / 20 Def / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
- Fire Blast / Flare Blitz
- Iron Head
- Play Rough
- Morning Sun

This is a low-key great mon to use on fat teams as it can blanket check so many pokemon with pure ease. The EVs are quite complicated so, I'll go over why the set is like this & why its Careful Nature even though the STAB move is special (you can still run Flare Blitz but the recoil makes the tank job harder).

Fire Blast is can still OHKO Bisharp & Aegi in sword form, which is great due to this set being able to tank Bisharp +1 black glasses night slash from 80% or higher and takes 54-64% from Aegi's specs shadow ball. Now, with this EV spread you can effectively take the specs shadow ball & still be able to come in on LO Clef's thunderbolt and heal up with Morning Sun while 2HKO'ing with Iron Head (50-56% against the 92HP speedy set which is the bulkiest speed set I could find). Fire Blast can also have 6% chance to OHKO Ferro after rocks. Flare Blitz is only useful for SpDf Bulk Up Corviknight as Fire Blast with Careful Nature only has a small chance to 2HKO after rocks on the switch-in (Arcanine switching in).

Iron Head not only great for Clefable but, it is also great to use against Hatterene. Arc 2HKOs w/ Iron Head and Hat only does 40-47% with Psychic (if its running Lefties, otherwise it does 52-61% w/Life Orb), allowing you to stall out trick room with morning sun. A good note to make is that it fails to 2HKO max bulk Sylveon (even if you run flare blitz) but, it can 2HKO bulky Grimmsnarl while tanking any hit.

Play Rough is honestly a fantastic move to use against Hydreigon as it does an auto OHKO. Arcanine tanks +2 Dark Pulse and Scarf Draco. (Draco Meteor does 50-58% & +2 Dark Pulse does 61-72%). This means Arcanine can check Hydrei even if a sub is up but, not if sub is up while at +2. This set can prove to be useful for stall against Sub Plot Hydreigon, which is an overall menace to it as talked about in previous threads.

Not only does it blanket check Hydreigon, Aegislash (both special & physical; tho head smash can OHKO), Clefable, Hatterene, Bisharp, Offensive Grimmsnarl, and Speedy Clefable but, it can also check Darmanitan-G choice locked in the wrong move, Dragapult (Arc does not handle Specs Modest that well but it does handle Timid) and Cinderace. This set is decent in Dmax era & will definitely do a lot better now that DMAX is gone.

 

[xRiseAboveHatex]

In my opinion, I would say Clefable, Aegislash, Dragapult, Excadrill, Darmanitan-G, and Toxapex are top consistent threats for sure. Each proving to be most useful even in the DMAX era. Defensive Corsola-Galar + SpDf Corviknight is a good defensive core that I've seen, read about, & used. There's not really too much to say about it that hasn't already been said except, it does struggle against Dracovish & Dracovolt.
As for question 4 -

Arcanine @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 92 Atk / 20 Def / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
- Fire Blast / Flare Blitz
- Iron Head
- Play Rough
- Morning Sun

This is a low-key great mon to use on fat teams as it can blanket check so many pokemon with pure ease. The EVs are quite complicated so, I'll go over why the set is like this & why its Careful Nature even though the STAB move is special (you can still run Flare Blitz but the recoil makes the tank job harder).

Fire Blast is can still OHKO Bisharp & Aegi in sword form, which is great due to this set being able to tank Bisharp +1 black glasses night slash from 80% or higher and takes 54-64% from Aegi's specs shadow ball. Now, with this EV spread you can effectively take the specs shadow ball & still be able to come in on LO Clef's thunderbolt and heal up with Morning Sun while 2HKO'ing with Iron Head (50-56% against the 92HP speedy set which is the bulkiest speed set I could find). Fire Blast can also have 6% chance to OHKO Ferro after rocks. Flare Blitz is only useful for SpDf Bulk Up Corviknight as Fire Blast with Careful Nature only has a small chance to 2HKO after rocks on the switch-in (Arcanine switching in).

Iron Head not only great for Clefable but, it is also great to use against Hatterene. Arc 2HKOs w/ Iron Head and Hat only does 40-47% with Psychic (if its running Lefties, otherwise it does 52-61% w/Life Orb), allowing you to stall out trick room with morning sun. A good note to make is that it fails to 2HKO max bulk Sylveon (even if you run flare blitz) but, it can 2HKO bulky Grimmsnarl while tanking any hit.

Play Rough is honestly a fantastic move to use against Hydreigon as it does an auto OHKO. Arcanine tanks +2 Dark Pulse and Scarf Draco. (Draco Meteor does 50-58% & +2 Dark Pulse does 61-72%). This means Arcanine can check Hydrei even if a sub is up but, not if sub is up while at +2. This set can prove to be useful for stall against Sub Plot Hydreigon, which is an overall menace to it as talked about in previous threads.

Not only does it blanket check Hydreigon, Aegislash (both special & physical; tho head smash can OHKO), Clefable, Hatterene, Bisharp, Offensive Grimmsnarl, and Speedy Clefable but, it can also check Darmanitan-G choice locked in the wrong move, Dragapult (Arc does not handle Specs Modest that well but it does handle Timid) and Cinderace. This set is decent in Dmax era & will definitely do a lot better now that DMAX is gone.

Arcanine is a decent mon, but let me talk about someone who can do this much much better imo.

Centiskorch @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 184 SpD / 72 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life
- Will-O-Wisp
- Knock Off

This mon is the complete package. It does have some switch ins available such as Clefairy, Walls, or I've been leading with this guy. I want to start working on getting better numbers but lets talk theory. Nothing wants to catch a burn or a Knock Off in this meta. Leech Life will help against Hydre, Fire Lash has wall breaking capabilities. Knock off is huge this meta, and especially with dynamaxing being gone, it's time for this move to really shine. Fire Immunity is big, and crippling with WoW gives this thing bulks. If you have problems with Rotom forms you can ditch WoW for Power Whip and give this thing a AV, but the EV spread might be changed.

Alternate EV Spread:
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Def / 100 SpD / 20 Spe
20 Speed hits 171 speed, 0 Speed Corviknight (as well as uninvested Clefable and Grimmsnarl). 136 Defense EVs mean that 252 Attack Adamant Grimmsnarl will never 2HKO with Darkest Lariat, which is an important benchmark since Darkest Lariat ignores Defense boosts. 100 Special Defense investment with a Careful nature means that Life Orb Gengar still only has a 25% chance to 2HKO with Sludge Wave, and if it switches in on Leech Life, Gengar will not be able to 2HKO due to the minor amount of HP recovered, while Fire Lash easily 2HKOs back.

 

[Jaajgko]

Idt many have talked about this but Dragapult in rain is really good, it allows it to prevent Clef from healing back the 45% it took from Shadow Ball, while not being able to miss Thunder, turning the 3HKO on Mandibuzz and SpD Toxapex into a 2HKO, while also making Surf much more spammable and able to lure Ttar easily. It loses Fire Blast but Ferro usually gets worn down by the other rain abusers in the back so that's not a big deal. On top of that, Pult provides an electric and a grass resist which is always appreciated with many water types on the team. I feel like it's not the set you're going to run on a heavy offensive rain team but on rain bulky offense where it has more turns to do damage it fits very well and should see more usage.