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

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Kommo-o might be better in OU than we thought. Immunity to Shadow Ball is pretty insane, allows it to set up and switch into an Aegislash. DDance/Clang with EQ/Drain Punch/Poison Jab has been pretty nutty. Allows it to break every wall in the game. With Dynamax gone too doesn't need a mixed set to abuse Max Ooze either.
Kommo-o has been pretty inconsistent for me, I was using a Soundproof(for Toxtricity & other Kommo-os) Sweeper with Throat Spray and Clangorous Soulblaze, and Kommo-o is either a very very good wincon and defensive mon, checking Toxtricity and Aegislash. Or it is sac fodder. Sweeping Kommo-o needs a lot of chip and wearing down vs. the opponent, and it also is slower than the vast majority of scarfers, meaning that you need to always scout for scarfers on the opposing team, and remove them, before Kommo-o can do its job. Thankfully this thing has pretty good bulk and can live a lot of hits even when using fully offensive spreads.
Kommo-o can really help your team with utility, its defensive potential, and sweeping/breaking power, and it also is definetely worth using, but this mon isn't very splasheable, and requires support from its teammates, much more than some popular picks like Dragapult or Corviknight do. Kommo-o also sucks in some matchups and make you wish like you were just using some other pokemon instead, so use it wisely.
 
Kommo-o has been pretty inconsistent for me, I was using a Soundproof(for Toxtricity & other Kommo-os) Sweeper with Throat Spray and Clangorous Soulblaze, and Kommo-o is either a very very good wincon and defensive mon, checking Toxtricity and Aegislash. Or it is sac fodder. Sweeping Kommo-o needs a lot of chip and wearing down vs. the opponent, and it also is slower than the vast majority of scarfers, meaning that you need to always scout for scarfers on the opposing team, and remove them, before Kommo-o can do its job. Thankfully this thing has pretty good bulk and can live a lot of hits even when using fully offensive spreads.
Kommo-o can really help your team with utility, its defensive potential, and sweeping/breaking power, and it also is definetely worth using, but this mon isn't very splasheable, and requires support from its teammates, much more than some popular picks like Dragapult or Corviknight do. Kommo-o also sucks in some matchups and make you wish like you were just using some other pokemon instead, so use it wisely.
I believe defensive Kommo-o has great potential in the current OU ladder but i'd recommend playing him with a wish passer on the team as the lack of recovery is his biggest weakness. Running Draco Meteor allows him to 1hko all the dragons in the tier and deal considerable damage without investment, making him a huge threat to Dracovish as band can't 1hko and scarf deals 30~35% so you can work as an effective counter to dracovish.

Kommo-o @ Aguav Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Taunt / Protect
- Stealth Rock
- Body Press
- Draco Meteor
 
Sigilyph @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic/Psyshock
- Heat Wave
- Dazzling Gleam
- Energy Ball/Roost

This is a speedier and also effective way of using Clefable+LO
It deals with Corvi Seismi Pex Ferro Ladder Teams alongside Conkeldurr, Hydreigon, Haxorus and Obstagoon and also Excadrill (obvs not switching directly into some of them, but hopefully you get the gist)

Obvs sets can always be improved but seriously: Sigilyph is criminally underrated in, the current OU metagamr

(Soory for posting in the wrong thread by accident)
 
I believe defensive Kommo-o has great potential in the current OU ladder but i'd recommend playing him with a wish passer on the team as the lack of recovery is his biggest weakness. Running Draco Meteor allows him to 1hko all the dragons in the tier and deal considerable damage without investment, making him a huge threat to Dracovish as band can't 1hko and scarf deals 30~35% so you can work as an effective counter to dracovish.

Kommo-o @ Aguav Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Taunt / Protect
- Stealth Rock
- Body Press
- Draco Meteor
Kommo-o @ Choice Specs
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Boomburst
- Clanging Scales
- Flamethrower
- Flash Cannon

Looks bad and yet good ;

Decent speed tier and bulk , checks all rotom form and kill through sub ( getting scarf tricked isn't the end of the world) , sub disable Dpult , a bit of prior is enough to 2hko spedef clef after the prot lefties recovery ( 252+ SpA Choice Specs Kommo-o Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Clefable: 186-220 (47.2 - 55.8%) ) Specs Boomburst/scales hits everything incredibly hard neutral outside of ghost/steel/fairy which drop/take a lot from flamethrower/cannon ( except the pinky fat eeve ) .
Immediate firepower over the one time use throat spray set , thanks to his typing + immunity (Shadow ball and Pyroball) and some wish pass makes this set reliable to eat stuff and doesn't mind wow/scald burn , in short it's a low cost but faster Toxtricity trading a bit of breaking power for bulky utility not walled by ferro without immense weakness to Dugtrio . ( for replays just check Trubeliver )
 
Hiya, time for more spicy tech I've been testing.

:haxorus: @ Life Orb
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab

Stabless DD haxorus. Before I say anything, I'll let the calcs speak for themselves.

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Corviknight: 266-315 (66.5 - 78.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 250-294 (82.2 - 96.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 333-393 (94.6 - 111.6%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Leftovers recovery

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Mandibuzz: 266-315 (62.7 - 74.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 295-348 (93 - 109.7%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 608-717 (187 - 220.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Sylveon: 351-413 (89 - 104.8%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO after Leftovers recovery

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Clefable: 481-567 (122 - 143.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Seismitoad: 242-285 (58.4 - 68.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Heat: 879-1035 (290 - 341.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Close Combat vs. 104 HP / 0 Def Conkeldurr: 291-343 (77.1 - 90.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after burn damage

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Earthquake vs. 212 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 348-411 (110.8 - 130.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kommo-o: 230-272 (78.7 - 93.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 112+ Def Hippowdon: 199-235 (47.3 - 55.9%) -- 24.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Haxorus Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Dracovish: 279-329 (86.6 - 102.1%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO


Outrage is not a good move in a meta where nearly every competent team has a Sylveon or Clefable on it ready to eat up the free switch in. It's more useful in nearly all cases to run with CC and EQ. Poison Jab at +1 can OHKO any relevant fairy thanks to LO, so Iron Tail is totally unnecessary.

Defensively, the only thing that can really handle this set after a DD is phys def Hippowdon. From a revenge killing perspective, the main concern is scarf Hydreigon and scarf Pult (why do people still run this???) though foul play Mandibuzz and some Kommo-o sets can be a problem too. The biggest issue it has is being worn down by priority and LO recoil, which can end a sweep early if the opponent is packing multiple priority users. Sadly, this is increasingly common. Despite these weaknesses, Haxorus is more or less guaranteed to at the very least kill one thing and nearly kill a second one if it gets that +1. In most cases it can get 2-3 kills before it goes down. I have yet to fully settle on a team to optimally support it, but with the right support it really rips.
 
On the topic of Stealth Rock Kommo-o and what moves it should run, I'd like to point towards Iron Defense. It's a cool option that I've been running for a bit now; it allows Kommo-o to reliably beat Defog Corviknight, meaning that it has a favorable matchup against every entry hazard remover. Protect can be very useful in certain situations, but the ability to beat every entry hazard remover goes a much longer way in my experience.

:ss/kommo-o:
Kommo-o @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Defense
 

hero

amiwos :J
On the topic of Stealth Rock Kommo-o and what moves it should run, I'd like to point towards Iron Defense. It's a cool option that I've been running for a bit now; it allows Kommo-o to reliably beat Defog Corviknight, meaning that it has a favorable matchup against every entry hazard remover. Protect can be very useful in certain situations, but the ability to beat every entry hazard remover goes a much longer way in my experience.

:ss/kommo-o:
Kommo-o @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Defense
I'll enthusiastically agree with this post, as I was gonna post about this set too. I've been running this set for a while with Dragon Tail > EQ sometimes and Iron Defense is no joke. As Jordy says it lets you 1v1 both Mandibird and Corvi, the two most prominent defoggers and force them to switch out. The utility this provides is far better than the scouting protect brings, not only being one of the most reliable Stealth Rockers but also having the potential to turn into a late game sweeper. Do not sleep on this set and try it out for yourself!

As far as the EV spread goes I think it's better to run the following
Kommo-o @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof/Bulletproof
EVs: 192 HP / 140 Def / 176 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Dragon Tail/Earthquake/Poison Jab

I don't recommend min speed because 1. max speed clef/aegi and adamant bish will outspeed you, which is huge if you choose tu run pjab/eq for your filler move. 2. allows you to outspeed dracovish/zolt while maximizing your physical bulk. This is specially huge for zolt, as you can outspeed it and Iron Defense and easily 1v1 it and force him out or kill him!

252+ Atk Hustle Dracozolt Dragon Claw vs. +2 192 HP / 140+ Def Kommo-o: 120-144 (35.3 - 42.4%) -- 86% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 140+ Def Kommo-o Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dracozolt: 280-331 (87.2 - 103.1%) -- 25% chance to OHKO

invest in this guy
 
The more I play, the more it becomes apparent to me that balance is underpowered this gen. (This is all on ladder. Clearly SPL tells a completely different story of balance being the singular playstyle) Hyper offensive still seems to be the most reliable playstyle from my own experience (I’m not very good, so grain of salt, I float around mid to low 1500s since I quit games a lot when I play at work when I have a minute). Balance just has way too much to worry about in terms of massive threats that most bulky mons just melt to the tier’s breakers.

Dark/Ghost spam in particular is very strong. Bisharp, crawdaunt, hydreigon are all incredibly powerful pokemon right now that hit insanely hard and open up holes for pokemon like dragapult and aegislash to clean up the rest of the game.

Generally I think this is the fault of two huge limits on teambuilding at the moment. The first is dracovish. While not the most threatening mon, he warps teambuilding. He is something you have to prep for or lose to and as a result, other threats are less prepared for. I don’t think dracovishis healthy in the long term. Second is absolutely dugtrio who is arguably way more unhealthy. He makes the tier really top heavy as the top threats are only made better since they are not trapped by arena trap. Anyone watching SPL will immediately see how good dugtrio is right now. It is seen in a ton of teams and doesn’t seem to be getting any worse.

On the topic of Kommo, it is a huge threat. It gets a lot of good switch ins thanks to its great typing, especially in this current meta. An immunity to either shadow ball or hyper voice is incredibly good. I do not understand why I have seen so many hyper voice sylveon with this thing running around. With dark being so good, Kommo can come in fairly easily and set up, outspeeding any non-scarfer in the tier, with enough bulk to live a lot of priority moves that he will most likely resist thanks to his amazing typing. It also has a lot of really good sets. It’s flexibility gives it a lot of free turns

I also have seen a lot of Conkledurr recently which is no surprise given how strong hydreigon is. Being such a dark heavy offensive meta really benefits him and I won’t be surprised when we see his placement in usage stats at the end of January. He just checks so much in the tier by just clicking a fighting stab, especially given how specially oriented the tier appears from my perspective. Even the physically bulky mons in the tier take a lot from drain punch from a guts boosted conk.

tl;dr hyper offensive is the best playstyle; balance is really tricky to play successfully; dugtrio and dracovish are continuing to put heavy pressure on team building; fighting types are pretty good.
 
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> I do not understand why I have seen so many hyper voice sylveon with this thing running around.

Hyper Voice has the benefit of hitting through sub, which, with a few fairy-weak sub-abusers running around, can be a nice asset (provided your team has an alternative answer to Kommo-o).
 
Sigilyph @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic/Psyshock
- Heat Wave
- Dazzling Gleam
- Energy Ball/Roost

This is a speedier and also effective way of using Clefable+LO
It deals with Corvi Seismi Pex Ferro Ladder Teams alongside Conkeldurr, Hydreigon, Haxorus and Obstagoon and also Excadrill (obvs not switching directly into some of them, but hopefully you get the gist)

Obvs sets can always be improved but seriously: Sigilyph is criminally underrated in, the current OU metagamr

(Soory for posting in the wrong thread by accident)
Is it better to run modest rather than timid? with timid you only get 322 which doesn't outspeed hydreigon
 
I gotta admit, the two Kommo-o sets above look fun! :blobthumbsup:

Truly if I had to commit to a particular bodypress build, I would use Jordy’s set with Hero’s ev spread. Sitting at 85 speed, I feel like Kommo-o deserves a little speed creep in this slower meta. Any investment in speed can make a difference in Kommo’s longevity. But, I defs see the appeal in immediate power with max def investment for body press.

As far as Sylveon running hypervoice goes, you gotta remember that Kommo-o will have to choose what it is opting to gain immunity from. Personally prefer bulletproof with various ghosts running around this meta. But because of that choice, Sylveon does have a chance to ohko Kommo-o if they take the gambit or they scouted the ability with Cinderace’ pyro ball or a shadowball.

If there were a sudden influx of clanging scales Kommo and boomburst Toxitricity on top of the relatively common Sylveon, then you would have to really consider which ability to bring to the match. Really it comes down to team comp to decide which your team needs an immunity to more.

Just food for thought. :psyglad:
 
About the preferrable Kommo-o ability... imo Soundproof is better than Bulletproof in a lot of forms, because:

Bulletproof only blocks one viable move rn(as far as I know, pls correct me if I'm wrong): Shadow Ball, and all the Shadow Ball users have other, better options to deal with Kommo-o, Sludge-Wave in Gengar's case, Draco Meteor in Pult's case, and Aegislash can just use Flash Cannon to deal the same amount of damage as SB. Pyro Ball is resisted and doesn't does a lot of damage to Kommo-o. Bulletproof only seems to be useful against choice-locked pokemon that won't predict your switch.

In comparison, Soundproof blocks Clanging Scales, allowing you to deal with other Kommo-os, it also makes you immune to Sylveon's Fairy STAB(which is extremely relevant), allowing you to hit it with Flash Cannon, and it also lets Kommo-o to check Toxtricity, which has very few true checks.

But yeah, it's preference I guess, maybe your team is really weak to Shadow Ball and you need that immunity.
 
Good points. To add onto that, a player utilizing Bulletproof is banking on the fact that a Sylveon player is most likely to be the type of player who does do research and is already aware the Kommo-o can carry soundproof. It opens up another dimension of play where if it is assumed that Sylveon’s sound move is not going hurt Kommo-o, they will switch out. Unless the player is willing to risk finding out. Specific sets are also an important context to consider when choosing abilities. Having a coverage move against fairys that you can toss out, gives players pause to consider if you built your Kommo-o to counter Sylveon or not.

I honestly would risk clicking hyper voice vs Kommo-o (esp if I had another pokemon to fall back on). But I know a lot of players who will assume hyper voice won’t hurt it and just switch out, allowing free turn to attack, set up, set rocks, ect. That said it is no guarantee. But it is a risk I am more willing to rely on over something like kings rock flinch chance for example.

Tl;dr Knowing the play styles of players in particular meta trends helps allow flexibility in choosing something risky like bulletproof Kommo-o vs Sylveon. Is the other player a risk taker or do they consider tried and true safe stratagies sacrosanct? It is another layer of play to take into consideration.
 
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I can't weigh in on what's better for defensive Kommo-o, but I have a few hundred games under my belt with Clanger Kommo-o and I feel fairly confident that Soundproof is the superior ability for that set.

Clanger is used almost exclusively on HO teams as a win condition, where it usually sits alongside teammates like Grimmsnarl and Bisharp. These two have an easy time handling the game's main shadow ball spammer Dragapult, and Bisharp can take on quite a few Aegislash sets as well. This diminishes the usefulness of Bulletproof, as Kommo-o can handle Cinderace about as well with either ability. On the flip side, many of the game's best breakers right now (Conk, Hydreigon, Dragapult, Dracovish, Obstagoon and more) are weak to Fairy, meaning Clefable and Sylveon pose a significant threat to a lot of HO teams. (Note that Grimmsnarl is also weak to Fairy, and Bisharp is 2HKOd by both of these mons.) Hyper Voice Sylveon is still overall the most common due to beating Substitute Hydreigon, and giving HO teams a way to set up on one of their scariest checks is hugely influential. Clanger can 2HKO Sylveon at +2, and it has surprisingly few other checks if it sets up safely.
 
I defs see where your coming from. If your team comp does not utilize Grimmsnarl/Bisharp to check ghosts, Bulletproof still has some value. For example if you were a webs based HO with Clanging Kommo as a finisher. Another factor to take into consideration is meta trends. Which pokemen are more common on a team does matter. Imo there is a higher probability that a player will face Clefable (which soundprood and Bulletproof are both irrelevant vs) over Sylveon. It is also more likely a player will face Dragapult or Aegislash over Toxitricity or Kommo-o. For me personaly it makes more sense to prepare for a pokemon you’ll see 9 times out of 10 over the pokemon that seems more niche.
 

talah

from the river to the sea
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bulletproof vs soundproof is highly team dependent and deciding to use Kommo-o with one of them in mind is usually what you should be doing, not the other way around; for example, teams in this tier generally nigh require a Pokemon with a Ghost resist/immunity in its typing(Mandibuzz, Hydreigon, Obstagoon, Snorlax etc) purely to counteract the abudance of Shadow Ball users in the tier. Kommo-o can often be used as an alternative to those by using Bulletproof, which arguably makes it easier to put on teams when using it.

Soundproof really only does 2 things(wall Toxtricity/Scales Kommo and be better vs Sylveon) and while those are certainly very useful qualities, they're not as applicable as Bulletproof.

this isn't to say one is inherently better; it's not. it's just meant to convey that, like most things in Pokemon, that choice is going to be much better made with the rest of the team you are using in context.
 
:bw/crawdaunt:
Crawdaunt @ Choice Band
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Knock Off
- Crabhammer
- Swords Dance

I think Crawdaunt is a pretty underrated wallbreaker. Imagine Dracovish, but can actually break without having to worry about Water Immunities on every team. Yeah thats Crawdaunt for you. The best part is that the only mon I can think of the top of my head that resists its Stab combo is Hydreigon who hates being Knocked because of its lack of recovery. Aqua Jet is also a boon for it because it makes Crawdaunt able to pick off frailer offensive teams and such.

The last moveslot is intresting. I think Close Combat is pretty cool but since Knock Off already slams what can take it, I actually prefer running Sword Dance in the last slot just in case you switch into a Knock Off. Realistically your only spamming its stabs anyway so its nice to not be completely dead weight against bulkier teams if your CB gets removed.

Overall I believe Crawdaunt is extremely good and way more consistent than Dracovish in the current metagame.
 

Ruft

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I've been wanting to talk about the recently discovered Healing Wish buff (see here): when the move is used on a Pokemon with full HP, the effect is stored and will be triggered only when you switch into a damaged (and/or status inflicted) Pokemon.
This is a pretty significant buff and could lead to some cool Healing Wish sets once it's implemented on Showdown, like the following:

:ss/clefable:
Clefable @ Focus Sash / Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Healing Wish

I'm thinking this could be a cool alternative suicide lead for hyper offense. It gets up Stealth Rock, threatens the most common hazard removers (Corviknight, Mandibuzz and Excadrill) with Moonblast and Flamethrower and suicides with Healing Wish to prevent further hazard removal and maintain momentum. Healing Wish's effect is then stored and can be used when needed. You could use Focus Sash to live a hit guaranteed or Life Orb to have more offensive pressure. One problem with this set is that while it fares well against Corviknight and Mandibuzz since it outspeeds them (as long as they don't run a ton of Speed themselves), it can't keep up Stealth Rock against Excadrill unless you use a spinblocker. The same applies to other HO leads like Mew and Ribombee though.
 
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I'll slap something on here from my recent testing.
1579289338113.png

Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Sludge Wave
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast

Goodra is surprisingly great even with dragons and fairies rampant because of its insane coverage and special wall potential. It's super good for baiting switches and then smacking the replacement - bringing it in on something a Ferrothorn puts your opponent in a situation where they have to risk taking a fire blast to the face or let something else take a draco. It also can comfortably 1v1 and switch in on things like Clefable and (special) Dragapult because AV allows it to take any hit and then hit back basically any switch in super effectively. It has some pretty obvious weaknesses though - getting tricked and pretty much any physical attacker that hits it specially. The best pairing for it is just to use a super bulky physical mon, or something like Toad to abuse sap sipper.

I've been using it in this team with some decent success: https://pokepast.es/daf7139ef9eb538e
 
I'll slap something on here from my recent testing.
View attachment 219063
Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Sludge Wave
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast

Goodra is surprisingly great even with dragons and fairies rampant because of its insane coverage and special wall potential. It's super good for baiting switches and then smacking the replacement - bringing it in on something a Ferrothorn puts your opponent in a situation where they have to risk taking a fire blast to the face or let something else take a draco. It also can comfortably 1v1 and switch in on things like Clefable and (special) Dragapult because AV allows it to take any hit and then hit back basically any switch in super effectively. It has some pretty obvious weaknesses though - getting tricked and pretty much any physical attacker that hits it specially. The best pairing for it is just to use a super bulky physical mon, or something like Toad to abuse sap sipper.

I've been using it in this team with some decent success: https://pokepast.es/daf7139ef9eb538e
This set can switch in on Clefable but it can't really threaten it unless Clef has no recovery. Even against offensive Clefable you can't pick up a 2HKO with Sludge Wave. Specs Dragapult also 2HKOs this set with Draco Meteor so you need a good prediction for this to even come in on Dragapult in the first place.
 
This set can switch in on Clefable but it can't really threaten it unless Clef has no recovery. Even against offensive Clefable you can't pick up a 2HKO with Sludge Wave. Specs Dragapult also 2HKOs this set with Draco Meteor so you need a good prediction for this to even come in on Dragapult in the first place.
Not true: 252+ SpA Goodra Sludge Wave vs. 196 HP / 0 SpD Clefable: 222-262 (58.4 - 68.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

And it can fight against a Standart Defensive Clef too if Clef receives a Knock Off:
252+ SpA Goodra Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 96+ SpD Clefable: 180-214 (45.6 - 54.3%) -- 4.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Goodra Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 96+ SpD Clefable: 180-214 (45.6 - 54.3%) -- 53.1% chance to 2HKO

That being said, I don,t like the set, since it needs huge support (namely Wish) as its worn down really easily. The only Goodra set I would use in OU if I were to use one is Hydration + Life Orb + 3 Attacks ( DM and 2 out of Focus Blast, Thunder and Sludge Wave) + Rest. With a Pelipper in the team, of course.

If only Goodra had Regenerator...
 
Not true: 252+ SpA Goodra Sludge Wave vs. 196 HP / 0 SpD Clefable: 222-262 (58.4 - 68.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

And it can fight against a Standart Defensive Clef too if Clef receives a Knock Off:
252+ SpA Goodra Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 96+ SpD Clefable: 180-214 (45.6 - 54.3%) -- 4.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Goodra Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 96+ SpD Clefable: 180-214 (45.6 - 54.3%) -- 53.1% chance to 2HKO

That being said, I don,t like the set, since it needs huge support (namely Wish) as its worn down really easily. The only Goodra set I would use in OU if I were to use one is Hydration + Life Orb + 3 Attacks ( DM and 2 out of Focus Blast, Thunder and Sludge Wave) + Rest. With a Pelipper in the team, of course.

If only Goodra had Regenerator...
My b, was using a set from a previous gen that was running 252HP on LO Clefable for calcs
 
Here's a couple of observations I've made in the past couple of weeks.


Stacking Pokemon such as Aegislash, Dragapult, Gengar, and Hydreigon is very strong in this metagame. They share similar checks, which can make them very overwhelming to deal with together. They also provide very useful utility individually, so putting them onto the same team is not particularly hard.


I would also like to touch on Corviknight's effectiveness as a Defogger within the current metagame. As we all know, Corviknight is by far the best Defogger in the tier. However, a strategy that we've seen being employed in SPL, like in this match for example, has made me question Corviknight's effectiveness as a Defogger a little more. What this also means for Corviknight is that the metagame could perhaps move into an even more centralized state where teams revolve around PP stalling the opposing Corviknight's Defog PP with their own.


To add onto the above, I'd also like to talk a little about what this means for entry hazard setters that are unable to beat or pressure Corviknight adequately. What this means for entry hazard setters such as Clefable, Ferrothorn, and Hippowdon is that more teams can afford to run them without having to worry about losing their hazards to Corviknight. There's really not much more to it.


While on the topic of entry hazards, let's talk about Mandibuzz as well. Mandibuzz really struggles in this metagame from my experience. It doesn't have a particularly good matchup against most entry hazard setters and is prone to being overwhelmed by Pokemon such as Aegislash, Dragapult, Gengar, and Hydreigon, which it's supposed to check. In the first week of SPL, we saw Mandibuzz drop its role as an entry hazard remover pretty often and saw it assume more of a role as a generally annoying Taunt user that provides teams with a Ghost-resistance.
 
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