Metagame SS OU Metagame Discussion v3 (Usage in post #251)

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TPP

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Pokemon Home is now available, and I decided to try and compile the notable changes we'll get for the mons viable in OU at this point in time. First and foremost, previously unavailable hidden abilities are now available on pokemon from generations 1 through 7. Also, these are the moves that are still unavailable and cannot be used even after pokemon home. Now let's move onto the move changes:

- Unaware
- Lightningrod
- Tinted Lens
- Water Absorb
- Rattled
- Insomnia
- Rain Dish
- Minus
- Hydration
- Flare Boost
- Heavy Metal
- Keen Eye
- Poison Touch
- Soundproof
- Prankster
- Telepathy
- Rivalry
- Simple
- Mold Breaker
- Mold Breaker
- Mold Breaker
- Storm Drain
- Swift Swim
- No Guard
- Prankster
- Competitive
- Pickpocket
- Sturdy
- Telepathy

This is in order of viability, so I'll start with the S rank mons and make my way down to C rank. I'm listing every transfer move and I know a majority of them are not worth using, but I'll go ahead and list them anyways. The only moves not included were Double Team and 1HKO moves.

S Rank
- Toxic, Echoed Voice, Charge Beam, Psych Up, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Headbutt, Teleport, Seismic Toss, Covet, Magic Coat, Last Resort, Knock Off, Role Play, Heal Bell, Focus Punch, Shock Wave, Water Pulse, Endeavor, Recycle, Laser Focus, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Power-up Punch, Strength, Mud-slap, Rollout, Double-edge, Counter, Mimic, Soft-boiled, Dynamic Punch, Curse, Zap Cannon, Detect, Take Down, Bubble Beam, Water Gun, Submission, Skull Bash

A+ Rank
- Toxic, Swagger, Confide, Magnet Rise, Shock Wave, Spite, After You, Laser Focus, Rock Smash, Cut
- Toxic, Aerial Ace, Echoed Voice, Swagger, Confide, Rock Smash, Cut, Double-edge, Mimic, Curse, Take Down
- Toxic, Aerial Ace, Swagger, Confide, Magnet Rise, Rock Smash, Cut, Strength
- Toxic, Roost, Torment, Echoed Voice, Charge Beam, Psych Up, Dragon Tai, Swagger, Confide, Aqua Tail, Tailwind, Shock Wave, Spite, Defog, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Strength
- Roar, Toxic, Aerial Ace, Echoed Voice, Rock Polish, Swagger, Confide, Dual Chop, Aqua Tail, Shock Wave, Water Pulse, Endeavor, Laser Focus
- Toxic, Charge Beam, Psych Up, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Pain Split, Spite, Defog, Sucker Punch, Mud-slap
- Smack Down, Frost Breath, Swagger, Confide, Covet, Magic Coat, Block, Knock Off, Pain Split, Water Pulse, Gastro Acid, Spite, After You

A Rank
- Smack Down, Toxic, Swagger, Confide, Force Palm, Block, Knock Off, Rock Smash, Strength
- Rollout, Aerial Ace, Rock Polish, Swagger, Nature Power, Confide, Worry Seed, Block, Magnet Rise, Endeavor, Hone Claws, Rock Smash, Cut, Strength
- Torment, Explosion, Psych Up, Infestation, Swagger, Confide, Headbutt, Seismic Toss, Mega Drain, Knock Off, Role Play, Pain Split, Focus Punch, Laser Focus, Rock Smash, Power-up Punch, Strength, Double-edge, Counter, Mimic, Dynamic Punch, Zap Cannon, Take Down, Submission, Skull Bash
- Fury Attack, Aerial Ace, Torment, Psych Up, Swagger, Confide, Block, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Cut
- Infestation, Swagger, Confide, After You, Knock Off, Focus Punch, Endeavor, Rock Smash, Power-up Punch, Strength

A- Rank
- Toxic, Swagger, Confide, Water Pulse, Rock Smash, Strength, Mud-slap, Headbutt
- Toxic, Charge Beam, Psych Up, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Pain Split, Spite, Defog, Sucker Punch, Mud-slap
- Fairy Wind, Toxic, Echoed Voice, Swagger, Confide, Magic Coat, Heal Bell, Laser Focus, Cut
- Toxic, Roost, Echoed Voice, Psych Up, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Covet, Magic Coat, Heal Bell, Tailwind, Focus Punch, Shock Wave, Water Pulse, Endeavor, Defog, Laser Focus, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Pluck, Air Cutter, Mud-slap, Rollout, Twister, Headbutt

B+ Rank
- Toxic, Torment, Explosion, Frost Breath, Swagger, Confide, Headbutt, Teleport, Reflect, Double-edge, Mimic, Curse, Take Down
- Toxic, Smack Down, Aerial Ace, Charge Beam, Psych Up, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Magic Coat, Shock Wave, Defog
- Roar, Toxic, Smack Down, Aerial Ace, Torment, Rock Polish, Dragon Tail, Swagger, Confide, Block, Aqua Tail, Focus Punch, Shock Wave, Water Pulse, Spite, Hone Claws, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Power-up Punch, Cut, Strength, Fury Cutter, Mud-slap, Headbutt, Double-edge, Counter, Seismic Toss, Mimic, Dynamic Punch, Dragon Breath, Detect

B Rank
- Toxic, Aerial Ace, Rock Polish, Swagger, Confide, Dual Chop, Magnet Rise, Knock Off, Role Play, Spite, Hone Claws, Rock Smash, Power-up Punch, Cut
- Vise Grip, Toxic, Aerial Ace, Swagger, Nature Power, Confide, Water Pulse, Spite, Hone Claws, Rock Smash, Cut, Strength, Fury Cutter, Mud-slap, Counter, Mimic
- Toxic, Infestation, Swagger, Confide, Block, Pain Split, Rock Smash, Strength, String Shot, Headbutt
- Toxic, Torment, Swagger, Confide, Dual Chop, Last Resort, Tailwind, Focus Punch, Laser Focus, Rock Smash, Power-up Punch, Cut, Strength
- Fury Attack, Peck, Roar, Toxic, Swagger, Confide, Block, Knock Off, Endeavor, Rock Smash, Strength, Fury Cutter, Headbutt
- Rollout, Toxic, Explosion, Psych Up, Infestation, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Magic Coat, Gravity, Knock Off, Role Play, Focus Punch, Shock Wave, After You, Laser Focus, Rock Smash, Power-up Punch, Strength
- Toxic, Charge Beam, Psych Up, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Pain Split, Spite, Defog, Sucker Punch, Mud-slap
- Rollout, Toxic, Smack Down, Swagger, Confide, Headbutt, Reflect, Seismic Toss, Power-up Punch, Focus Punch, Shock Wave, Water Pulse, After You, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Strength, Mud-slap, Mimic, Dynamic Punch, Psych Up, Zap Cannon, Harden, Take Down, Bubble Beam, Water Gun, Submission, Skull Bash

B- Rank
- Roar, Toxic, Torment, Dragon Tail, Swagger, Confide, Headbutt, Reflect, Water Pulse, Spite, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Strength, Double-edge, Mimic, Curse, Zap Cannon, Dragon Breath, Take Down, Bubble Beam, Water Gun, Skull Bash
- Toxic, Aerial Ace, Psych Up, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Magic Coat, Sky Attack, Pain Split, Defog, Laser Focus, Air Cutter, Twister, Double-edge, Mimic, Curse, Detect

C+ Rank
- Toxic, Flame Charge, Psych Up, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Acid, Shock Wave, Spite, Laser Focus, Incinerate
- Toxic, Psych Up, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Magic Coat, Bind, Shock Wave, Spite
- Roar, Toxic, Roost, Smack Down, Aerial Ace, Torment, Flame Charge, Echoed Voice, Charge Beam, Quash, Explosion, Rock Polish, Aurora Veil, Psych Up, Frost Breath, Dragon Tail, Infestation, Dream Eater, Swagger, Nature Power, Confide, Headbutt, Teleport, Seismic Toss, Mega Drain, Bug Bite, Covet, Super Fang, Dual Chop, Magic Coat, Block, Gravity, Magnet Rise, Last Resort, Aqua Tail, Bind, Knock Off, Synthesis, Role Play, Heal Bell, Tailwind, Sky Attack, Pain Split, Focus Punch, Shock Wave, Water Pulse, Gastro Acid, Worry Seed, Spite, After You, Endeavor, Recycle, Defog, Laser Focus, Hone Claws, Incinerate, Struggle Bug, Rock Smash, Power-Up Punch, Cut, Strength, Pluck, Air Cutter, Fury Cutter, Sucker Punch, Vacuum Wave, Mud-slap, Rollout, Twister, String Shot, Double-edge, Counter, Mimic, Soft-boiled, Dynamic Punch, Defense Curl, Curse, Zap Cannon, Sweet Scent, Dragon Breath, Detect, Whirlwind,Take Down, Bubble Beam, Water Gun, Submission, Skull Bash
- Toxic, Psych Up, Swagger, Confide, Magic Coat, Bind, Laser Focus, Mud-slap, Double-edge, Mimic
- Toxic, Charge Beam, Psych Up, Infestation, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Covet, Last Resort, Spite, After You
- Toxic, Echoed Voice, Swagger, Confide, Sky Attack, Shock Wave, Defog, Mud-slap, Double-edge, Mimic
- Fury Attack, Roar, Toxic, Dragon Tail, Swagger, Confide, Block, Aqua Tail, Focus Punch, Shock Wave, Spite, Endeavor, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Power-up Punch, Cut, Strength, Fury Cutter, Ancient Power, Mud-slap, Rollout, Headbutt

C Rank
- Roar, Toxic, Rock Polish, Frost Breath, Swagger, Confide, Block, Water Pulse, After You, Rock Smash, Strength
- Roar, Toxic, Flame Charge, Echoed Voice, Swagger, Confide, Headbutt, Reflect, Heal Bell, Laser Focus, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Strength, Mimic, Leer, Zap Cannon, Skull Bash
- Roar, Toxic, Aerial Ace, Dragon Tail, Swagger, Confide, Aqua Tail, Shock Wave, Hone Claws, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Cut, Strength
- Toxic, Echoed Voice, Swagger, Confide, Focus Punch, Water Pulse, Hone Claws, Rock Smash, Power-up Punch, Strength, Mud-slap, Headbutt, Double-edge, Seismic Toss, Mimic, Dynamic Punch
- Quash, Psych Up, Confide, Block, Recycle
- Toxic, Roost, Aerial Ace, Psych Up, Infestation, Dream Eater, Swagger, Nature Power, Confide, Powder, Bug Bite, Last Resort, Tailwind, After You, Defog
- Toxic, Torment, Echoed Voice, Psych Up, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Heal Bell, Spite, Laser Focus, Cut, Sucker Punch, Headbutt, Mimic, Zap Cannon, Sweet Scent
-Roar, Toxic, Echoed Voice, Swagger, Confide, Headbutt, Reflect, Aqua Tail, Heal Bell, Laser Focus, Rock Smash, Strength, Mimic, Mist, Bubble Beam, Skull Bash

C- Rank
- Toxic, Frost Breath, Swagger, Confide, Aurora Beam, Magic Coat, Water Pulse, Laser Focus
- Toxic, Aerial Ace, Flame Charge, Swagger, Confide, Headbutt, Teleport, Reflect, Superpower, Laser Focus, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Strength, Mud-slap, Mimic, Curse, Dragon Breath, Skull Bash
- Toxic, Smack Down, Torment, Swagger, Nature Power, Confide, Laser Resort, Knock Off, Focus Punch, Gastro Acid, Endeavor, Recycle, Rock Smash, Power-up Punch, Cut, Strength
- Toxic, Aerial Ace, Rock Polish, Swagger, Confide, Endeavor, Hone Claws, Rock Smash, Cut, Strength
- Infestation, Swagger, Confide, Focus Punch, Water Pulse, Rock Smash, Strength, Mud-slap, Rollout, Headbutt, Double-edge, Seismic Toss, Mimic, Dynamic Punch, Defense Curl
- Toxic, Aerial Ace, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Hone Claws, Struggle Bug, Cut, Fury Cutter, Sucker Punch, String Shot, Double-edge, Mimic

Not ranked but I'll list the following in case they turn out to be viable:
- Toxic, Aerial Ace, Torment, Psych Up, Dream Eater, Swagger, Confide, Knock Off, Focus Punch, Laser Focus, Rock Smash, Power-up Punch, Cut, Strength, Fury Cutter, Mud-slap, Headbutt

Soft-boiled:

Roost:

Defog:

Knock Off:

Toxic:


Here are the new Pokemon that are now available:


1. How do you guys feel about the changes Pokemon Home has brought us?
2. Is there anything in particular you believe to have great potential in the new OU metagame?
3. What are the biggest losers (if any) from these changes? In other words, what may face new competition and experience a decrease in usage?
4. I only listed the changes for pokemon viable in OU, but are there any other notable mons that may become OU after these changes? Try to not get carried away with this one.
5. Do you think any of the new Pokemon that are available have a place in OU? Why/why not?

I'll try and edit this post with new information once it's confirmed.

Edit #1: Regional/original variants are back in.
Edit #2: Hidden Abilities are back.
Edit #3: Added Weavile to the Knock Off list and the transfer list in case it ends up viable
Edit #4: Added the list of hidden abilities that are newly available

February Usage Stats
 
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TPP

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My personal thoughts:


Clefable gets even better as it is no longer required to run Wish or Moonlight for recovery. Life Orb sets now have better recovery, and support sets can run an additional move that Protect previously took up. The only moves that are staples will be Moonblast and Softboiled, and the remaining moves may include Calm Mind, Knock Off, Thunder Wave, Trick, Teleport (new from Let's Go), or a coverage attack such as Flamethrower or Thunderbolt.


Up until this point, Rotom's primary switch-ins have been Seismitoad, Gastrodon, Rotom-Heat, Kommo-o, Tyranitar, Hydreigon and Dragapult. All of these will hate Toxic, and this causes Rotom-Heat to become far more annoying than it has been so far. Nasty Plot + Volt Switch + Overheat + Toxic can make progress against everything and looks potent. On the other hand, Rotom-Heat can now run Defog, and should be regaining Pain Split as well. A physically defensive set with Volt Switch + Nasty Plot + Pain Split + Wisp/Toxic looks pretty reliable against most of the new mons such as Kyurem, Zeraora, and Melmetal, so I think either way, Rotom-Heat looks set to be very good in this new metagame.


Air Balloon on Ghost-types such as Aegislash and Dragapult will no longer work anymore, as Conkeldurr can threaten them with Knock Off again. Knock Off may take Bulk Up's slot, but it definetely becomes a little harder to switch into.


Despite losing HP Fire, Venusaur still has access to Weather Ball and looks to be a scary threat under the sun. Kommo-o may be able to deal with it thanks to its typing and Bulletproof, but it most likely won't be able to deal significant damage back unless it opts to run something like Flamethrower.


I'm honestly not sure how Blastoise will, but it does have access to Shell Smash now. Ice resists aren't terribly common outside of Toxapex, Steel-types and Fire-types, so Blastoise might have some potential offensively, especially under rain. Rain should be able to compensate for Blastoise's mediocre special attack stat, and if Blastoise is able to run Rain Dish, then it has a method of passively healing as well. However, it will most likely struggle to get past bulky Water-types, as it fails to 1HKO all of them, with Toxapex and Milotic being the hardest to take down due to their special defense, and Haze, which can reset Blastoise's stat boosts.


Cobalion and the other musketeer legendaries may turn out to be pretty viable in part to their base 108 speed stat, which is absolutely fantastic in the current metagame. Previous generations had several threats from base 110 speed and above, and fortunately for Cobalion and the others, most of those threats are no longer in the game. Cobalion didn't really gain much from this generation aside from Megahorn and Air Slash, and it is still unable to break through Toxapex and Aegislash due to it not having access to a single Ground-type attack. It still has Stealth Rock and Volt Switch, so it may be able to do something along the lines of utility.


I think Terrakion will be the most threatening musketeer legendary among the four of them. Unlike Cobalion, it still has access to Earthquake, and the best switch-ins to Terrakion look to be physically defensive Kommo, Hippowdon, and bulky Water-types not including Toxapex. Swords Dance or Choice Band sets with base 108 speed look pretty scary on paper. Its new moves aren't too interesting, as it also gets Megahorn and Air Slash, neither one of which it really needs.


Virizion not only obtained Megahorn and Air Slash, but it has access to Solarblade as well. It does not get Weather Ball, but +2 Close Combat with Life Orb can 1HKO specially defensive Corviknight with Stealth Rock, and generally threatens every Grass-resist outside of Dragapult, Gengar, and Chandelure. I don't think it'll be too bad, but Virizion appreciates the lack of defensive Grass-types now that Ferrothorn is the only viable one, so it might end up somewhat viable after all.


Kyurem can run Freeze Dry over Ice Beam in order to defeat some of the Water-type mons that it couldn't immediately threaten last generation like Rotom-Wash, Toxapex and Gastrodon. The only downside is that Freeze Dry is weaker than Ice Beam, and may fail to threaten mons like Corviknight and Ferrothorn quickly enough. Sylveon, Clefable, Rotom-Heat and bulky Steel-types like Corviknight and Ferrothorn look to be the main reliable answers to Kyurem.


Kyurem-Black also has Freeze Dry, but more importantly, it has access to Dragon Dance now. Its physical movepool is still a bit lacking, but considering the general lack of Ice resists, it may end up becoming a big threat. Unfortunately, the only physical Ice-type attacks Kyurem-Black can choose from are Icicle Spear and Freeze-Shock, neither one of which look too reliable when looking at a long term sweep. One thing to not forget is how bulky Kyurem-Black is, which can most likely grant it the ability to set up at least 2 Dragon Dances even if the opponent sends in something like Corviknight or Clefable. Dragon Dance with Freeze Shock (and most likely Power Herb) may be able to pick up a quick KO early/mid game, so there's that option as well. Finally, Kyurem does have some decent special attacks, including Freeze Dry, Earth Power, Weather Ball, Flash Cannon, and Draco Meteor.


Keldeo has access to Air Slash now, but it did lose Hidden Power. Just like the other musketeer legendaries, having a speed tier of 108 is excellent in the current metagame, with Gengar, Dugtrio, Cinderace and Dragapult being the only mons faster than it. It may be hit or miss depending on how the metagame develops, because its most common switch-ins look to be Toxapex, Jellicent, Gastrodon, and maybe Clefable (Choice Specs Scald does 45% at most to a maximum specially defensive Clefable). As of now, Jellicent and Gastrodon are not too common, and Toxapex is running a physically defensive set, so Keldeo could be decent. However, if those mons end up becoming common, then Keldeo will end up struggling. Calm Mind with Taunt may end up working out so long as Keldeo can deal with status from Scald burns or other residual damage.


Decidueye might turn out to be pretty good, or it might not do too well in OU. It gained Solar Blade, Hex, and Hurricane this generation. Mandibuzz and Corviknight in theory can handle this, especially Mandibuzz, but Corviknight will either need Bulk Up or Brave Bird to threaten Decidueye. Ghost-typing is very strong this gen with Pursuit no longer being in the game, and +2 Spirit Shackle can pose a threat to most targets barring Mandibuzz. The trapping effect of it may turn out to be very useful as well should the target not have access to U-turn. Most common physically defensive mons will need some new coverage move to deal with it back, but with Toxic returning and Melmetal entering the scene, Decidueye may struggle more than expected. Decidueye, like Aegislash, can prevent Dragapult from revenge killing it thanks to priority options in Shadow Sneak or Sucker Punch. On the other hand, Decidueye now has access to Hex and may be able to run it alongside Nasty Plot. However, it lacks the ability to status opponents, not to mention that it may be outclassed by Dragapult and Gengar.


Incineroar gained Close Combat, Heat Crash, Parting Shot, Reversal, Endure, and Assurance. Parting Shot and Close Combat might be cool, but considering the current surge of Kommo-o usage, I don't think Incineroar will get too far in OU. Physical sets dislike bulky waters and Kommo-o, which are extremely common at this point in time, but perhaps it may be able to do something with Parting Shot and Heavy-duty Boots. Flare Blitz with Toxic can threaten everything aside from Toxapex (assuming Flare Blitz does enough damage to threaten Clefable), so Incineroar may end up going with that instead of an offensive set.


Primarina can finally set up thanks to it having access to Calm Mind now. It also got Draining Kiss and Stored Power, which may turn it into a decent sweeper. Psychic/Stored Power can get past Toxapex, but it is unable to get past Ferrothorn, which is unfortunate as the number of defensive Grass-types is down to just Ferrothorn now. Toxic on various mons such as Gastrodon may also prevent Primarina from setting up as freely as it wants to.


I forgot to add Necrozma in originally, but it does have access to Dragon Dance now. It gets Psychic Fangs too, but I think Photon Geyser works better since it's base 100. I'm honestly not too sure what to make of it, but there's that.


Zeraora being available means we finally have something that is naturally faster than Dragapult. The main new move change for Zeraora is that it now has access to Play Rough. On paper, Zeraora looks like a massive headache to switch into because of its coverage options in Plasma Fist, Play Rough, Close Combat, Knock Off, Fire Punch, and Grass Knot. While it did lose HP Ice, Zeraora lucked out in that Gliscor and Lando, the main targets that walled it if it didn't have HP Ice, were removed from the game. This means that you can run the other coverage moves instead without worrying about not having an Ice-type move. Plasma Fist + Play Rough + Grass Knot/Toxic + Close Combat/Fire Punch/Knock Off looks pretty good in my book, with Grass Knot or Toxic hitting Ground-types like Seismitoad, Gastrodon, and Hippowdon, and then the final slot being able to hit Ferrothorn and other Steel-types harder. I mentioned Knock Off because it's a really good move in general this generation, not to mention that Rotom-Heat looks like a reliable switch in to Zeroara, and Knock Off to remove Leftovers or Heavy-Duty Boots could be valuable. Toxic with Knock Off and the ability to threaten everything outside of Ferrothorn looks great too.


Melmetal is finally available for us to use in OU! It boasts incredible bulk, with base 135 HP and base 143 defense, and has great offensive potential as well thanks to its base 143 attack stat. Its signature move, Double Iron Bash, hits twice and has a 30% chance to flinch with each one, not to mention that the attack goes from base 120 to 144 thanks to Iron Fist. Melmetal has plenty of offensive options, including Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Earthquake, Superpower, Darkest Lariat, Body Slam, Rock Slide and Self-destruct. The most notable utility moves are Thunder Wave, Substitute, Acid Armor, Rest, and Sleep talk.

Due to its low speed, Melmetal may rely on Thunder Wave to slow down switch-ins for it to later outspeed, or it may set up a Substitute in order to get multiple attacks off safely. Alternatively, it may use an offensive set with Choice Band, which can allow Double Iron Bash to deal a ridiculous amount of damage, such as 36%-43% to max defense Toxapex, 73%-86% to max defense Kommo-o, and 64%-75% to Hippowdon. While Toxapex may be able to avoid the 2HKO, one must remember that Double Iron Bash has a 30% chance to flinch, and it hits twice per turn. This means that Melmetal has a decent chance to flinch through Toxapex and proceed to 3HKO it. Ferrothorn is worth mentioning here because while it is in a similar position to Toaxpex, Iron Barbs can punish Melmetal twice per turn and force the opponent to hesitate before attempting to finish off Ferrothorn. However, Rotom-Heat and Rotom-Wash both share a quadruple resistance to Double Iron Bash, and look to be the best defensive stops to Melmetal. Finally, Melmetal does have a rather poor special defense set, which will usually cause it to get forced out or KO'd by special attackers. If given an Assault Vest with plenty of special defense investment, Melmetal can actually tank special attacks decently well similar to Assault Vest Tangrowth in the previous generation. For example, Modest Life Orb Clefable's Flamethrower only deals 30%-35% to a maximum specially defensive Melmetal with an Assault Vest.

Everything above is again, just speculation from my part, and nothing is set in stone yet. I look forward to seeing Venusaur, Blastoise, the others, and especially Melmetal make their debut in SS OU, and I'm excited to see how the metagame will adapt to them and other mons like Clefable and Rotom-Heat.

Last, but not least, I want everyone to remember that they need to explain things thoroughly with correct information if they choose to make a post. As much as I love seeing a post with "x is broken oml," I'd love it even more if that post showed me something new or taught me something I didn't know. You might end up brightening up someone's day by sharing something that's new or valuable, and considering how many users we have on here, it would be truly incredible if even half of us posted something that was helpful to others. So with that in mind, have fun, post wisely, and here's to hoping SS OU's metagame ends up better than the current one.
 
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TPP

is a Tournament Directoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
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Just gonna quickly ask for everyone to wait some time for the metagame to develop before trying to ask for quickbans. That and to avoid posting 1 liners about how something is gonna be amazing/annoying. I also stated this in the OP, but I'll try and update it with whatever new info we get.
 

zbr

less than 99% acc = never hit
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
subtox aegi and cm clef gonna come ruin lives again and with no z moves or mega this meta is going to be pretty interesting.

keldeo and rachi being back are huge personally cause I rlly missed them and heavy duty boots will prolly make threats like kyu and kyub more prevalent than in previous gens.

gonna be rlly rlly interesting
 

Yung Dramps

awesome gaming
I'm most intrigued by Melmetal. It has some absolutely amazing traits like the typing and stats being downright bonkers, but also some big flaws like linear movepool and absolutely ass speed. If it isn't broken I think its presence will be appreciated as a blanket check to a bunch of super strong things like certain Clefables, Dracovish, etc.

Also hyped for Keldeo, Toxapex aside nothing really takes it on well defensively, it even got Air Slash for any Grasses that may rise up to take it on
 

Blitz

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I see no mention of the Alolan Formes here, but aren't they technically OU?

They should be Alolan Dugtrio, Raichu, Persian, and Ninetales. Realistically, only Ninetales is of any relevance for Veil teams, but still.
 
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GMars

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I see no mention of the Alolan Formes here, but aren't they technically OU?

They should be Alolan Dugtrio, Raichu, Persian, and Ninetales. Realistically, only Ninetales is of any relevance for Veil teams, but still.
As far as I know, these formes have been freed and are in OU (including Fire Darmanitan). We're adding them now. Only exception I've seen is that you can't transfer over a Kantonian Slowpoke.
 
So my boy Terrakion’s looking damn nice right now thanks to the Speed Decreep. I most certainly see him doing well against much of the meta since it can certainly run multiple sets again; Choice Band and Choice Scarf are fantastic sets, especially since 108 is actually pretty good for them (and faster than Darmanitan was, so it can potentially outspeed more threats). If all past moves that still exist are available, a Stealth Rock lead and Swords Dance/Agility set might be a good fit...if Aegislash isn’t still in the tier; now that the ghostly sword has Toxic, I see it spiking higher than ever again. Choice sets have room to run Earthquake, but being locked in it can be a death sentence—doesn’t help that it’s literally the only solid move Terrakion has to smack it, but some people might bring an Expert Belt set out from the flames with good prediction. Toxapex is a good check to sets that don’t boost Attack, but risks a 2HKO on Choice Band from Stone Edge after Stealth Rock and Earthquake is a solid 2HKO. Corviknight must be careful, though, as even after a Bulk Up, Terrakion has a 91.4% chance to 2HKO the Substitute variant holding a Leftovers after Stealth Rock, meaning you’d have to get another Bulk Up in immediately to have a better survival rate, then Roost (though this leaves Corviknight open to Rotom-H, who can also double as a good Volt Switch user, wink wink).

Overall, I definitely see Terrakion being a worthy member of Sword and Shield OU, with its glory capable of being restored.

Also yeah, Kyurem-B is gonna likely be beastly.
 
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Something worth mentioning for Primarina is that it can act as an offensive check to Hydreigon, as it takes flash cannon neutrally unlike other fairies and does not give up nearly as much momentum as Sylveon or Clef if it chooses to run an offensive set. I think despite being walled by Ferro it could be pretty good in this meta, especially as depending on the set it also switches in on Kommo, Crawdaunt, Mandibuzz, Dragapult and non-facade Conkeldurr. While specs Hydro Pump can 2HKO even max spdef Clef
 
Pokemon that previously had slashed hidden abilities now have access to them right?

I apologise if this is a one liner but I think it's worth pointing out although a majority aren't on relevant mons
 
A+ Rank
- Toxic, Swagger, Confide, Magnet Rise, Shock Wave, Spite, After You, Laser Focus, Rock Smash, Cut
Uh oh, SubToxic Aegi is gonna make this thing much more unpredictable than what it already is, as now it can run bulkier sets on Balances (and some BOs) without fearing being too pasive. However, it's Choice sets may prove to be the superior option due to strong priority being more consistent at stopping it's offensive checks than wearing them down with status (unless Choice sets themselves start using Toxic, like how Hydrei uses Twave on Scarf sets sometimes).

- Toxic, Roost, Torment, Echoed Voice, Charge Beam, Psych Up, Dragon Tai, Swagger, Confide, Aqua Tail, Tailwind, Shock Wave, Spite, Defog, Incinerate, Rock Smash, Strength
Access to recovery at first glance may be the most important addition to Hydrei, but given how little space it has for moves now that it has NP there's not much Roost has to offer to Hydrei's standard sets (unless it pulls a Koko and starts running Roost on choice sets, as it usually tend to switch into Ghosts choice locked into a Ghost move).


These two don't look precisely like this new, Ghost and Dark infested meta, especially since Corviknight and Rotom-Heat can deal pretty well with both. However, Jirachi does have a niche: checking LO Clefable, and also provide Wish support to it's team, backed up by U-Turn. Scarf sets also are faster than Scarf Hydreigon, and have access to Healing Wish, letting it to repeat it's role as a fast pivot for BOs.
 
Just to ask are certain pokemon that are freed now going to be put back into their respective tiers from the past generation or is everything newly freed going to be in OU until the next Usage chart comes out in March?
 

Blitz

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Pokemon that previously had slashed hidden abilities now have access to them right?
Anything pre-Gen 8 (non-Galarian Pokémon) that had their HA released at some point will now have access to it.
Just to ask are certain pokemon that are freed now going to be put back into their respective tiers from the past generation or is everything newly freed going to be in OU until the next Usage chart comes out in March?
Everything is newly OU.
 
Melmetal I feel is a very interesting mythical, being almost as slow as Ferro but having pretty damn great stats otherwise. The only thing I don't like about it is that its movepool is surprisingly small, only having three moves boosted by Iron Fist and not many viable status moves (Acid Armor, Thunder Wave and Rest to be specific).

Still, I think it has the potential to be pretty dang good. Here's a sample moveset I made:

1581475899604.png

Melmetal @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Double Iron Bash
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Superpower/Darkest Lariat/Earthquake

With this set, Assault Vest brings its SpD up from an average 167 to an excellent 250, letting it take Special moves far better. Since it doesn't exactly take advantage of its status moves, I think a vest is a nice suit for it. A sky-high 423 Attack stat along with having a 216 BP move in Double Iron Bash (after Iron Fist and STAB) is fucking phenomenal, and carrying buffed up Ice Punch and Thunder Punch absolutely is great for coverage too, taking out Dragon, Water and Flying types just fine. The fourth move can be pretty much anything good that it learns. It hits like a truck anyway, so you don't have to really worry :blobthumbsup:

Sorry if this isn't up to snuff with you guys' standards, I'm kinda new to the meta and I just love Melmetal lmao
 
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Astra

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Haven't played for a bit, but I may as well share my thoughts.
1581474803820.png
Aegislash getting its Toxic back opens up its already pretty expansive moveset potential. Specifically, it now can run more defensive sets now with a useful status move, such as Substitute + Toxic back in the day. It'll definitely become more annoying, but with its nerfs to its stats and King's Shield in SS, it's hard to determine if it will be as powerful as it was back then. Regardless, I wouldn't be surprised if Aegislash gets looked at.

1581475149147.png
Hydreigon's weakness of lacking sustainability was a fairly big bane of it, but with Roost back in its movepool, it definitely become an even bigger monster. I can definitely see it making the jump to S rank with this addition alongside its already threatening power; however, the biggest challenges that now stand before it are Terrakion and Keldeo, both of which can outspeed and KO it easily.

1581475495510.png
Rotom-H is getting the talk about getting Toxic, but I think we can appreciate its washing machine counterpart. Access to Toxic gives it a way to actually touch bulky Water-types like Seismitoad and Gastrodon. It might not be as great as Rotom-H (though we certainly can wait to see that), but it has the advantage of better sustain without needing Heavy-Duty Boots.

1581475828076.png
Milotic got Toxic back, so it now it can better compete with other bulky Water-types in OU. Plus, it has a great niche in being one of the better Pokemon able to take on Choice Specs Aegislash, though Aegislash getting Toxic does make Milotic's job harder now. It does have an advantage in reliable recovery, though, so I could see increased usage of it.

Nothing really much to say. Most of the Pokemon that got Toxic don't really run it. I honestly feel like Aegislash is the biggest winner here, and I can definitely predict an On The Radar for it, but we'll need to try it out for ourselves first, especially considering the newest additions.
 
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ill give my thoughts on some of the new mons that i think will be good

yeah nah...

freeze dry kyurem is literally unwallable. next!

this shit is gonna be ridiculous. i did some calcs after it dropped, and it clean 3hkoes rotom heat and wash with double iron bash, which, mind you, are all quad resists. it had thunder punch for toxapex and corviknight, and superpower for ferrothorn. so either you run duggy, or steel + pex is back on the menu. jirachi will prob be a good check but its gonna be forced to run some phys def.

now this mon is gonna be pretty brazy, unlike melmetal i think terrak can afford to run shed shell. corviknight can take a +2 hit, but it cant take two and iron head and body press only do like 60ish max assuming terrak user doesn't cc. this mon is definitely revenge killable, but it's still a big threat. aegi also gets curbstomped by eq so theres that. but then you gotta give up rocks so theres a tradeoff there. best check will probably be phys def clanger, which is looking real good in this meta if i may add.

jirachi will be interesting. speedy fat rachi is prob gonna be used for kyurem and melmetal, and wish passing fat steel is always always nice to have. can prob hold its own vs cobalion and virizion too. and of course cloyster check always appreciated. big duggy bait though, so there's that.

still walled by pex, but other than that this mon is def a monster. celebi probably won't be good so we can't count on it and prim will prob get worn down quick so yeah i could see this thing being a problem. if youre really worried about pex i guess you can run that taunt calm mind set, because pex will probably be used quite a bit in this meta with terrak and melmetal around.

zeraora will be an actual threat. life orb mixed fucks over any ground in this meta, and this is an electric that isnt trapped by dug. the rotoms dont like taking cc or knock off so theres that as well.

not many pokemon other than ferrothorn are stomaching specs primarina's attacks. pex are phys def and that wont change in this meta, so they get bopped by psychic. if this mon does get mystical fire by some chance then it's gonna be even better vs ferrothorn.

imagine if this one got da tactics too lol. but yeah old darm is back, and phys def clanger and pex will probably keep in check but its still gonna be quite the threat.

phys def clanger and mixed def jirachi are probably gonna be alright checks but this mon is still gonna be quite the threat since there are no good fat grasses, except like celebi, which is probably gonna be the best check to this cus no one is gonna run megahorn idt.

i dont have much faith in celebi. i think offensive sets will be really bad, but maybe defensive could be used to check terrak viriz blastoise and vish all in one slot? i doubt it but it could be something to keep in mind.

i dont see how this mon breaks past other water types, especially pex, so i dont think it will be much notable. plus you're probably better off using cloyster in the first place.

TPP edit: Marshadow isn't OU and Slowbro isn't confirmed to be transferable yet.

lyd edit: thanks for letting me know
 
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Greetings! NatDex player here, but I’ve still been following the regional OU meta. I just want to comment on a few of the Pokémon returning with Home’s release that I have experienced in the other format:

Melmetal hits like an absolute truck. Very few things take Banded Melmetal’s Double Iron Bash, and he has reasonable coverage with Thunder Punch, Earthquake, and a few other relevant options that can hit many of the things that can take Bash. But really, not a lot takes Bash well. Think Steel Dracovish, but there are no immunities to Steel, it breaks Subs and Sturdy, hits much harder with its coverage, and has incredible physical bulk. Of course, Melmetal does also have downsides, namely being incredibly slow and folding over to any strong special hit. A note: Adamant with 12 speed EV’s outspeeds uninvested Pex (or run 16 to speed creep by 2 in case of a Pex with the last 4 in speed), and Adamant Banded Bash hits max physdef Pex for 36.1-43.4%, so Melmetal can beat a weakened Pex on the switch in (and of course Quake and Thunder Punch slaughter it on a prediction).

Clefable is a Pokémon we all know well, but Home now gives it access to Unaware, giving it another powerful defensive use.

I forsee a lot of dancing ice dragons in the near future. Dragon Dance and Icicle Spear were enough to kick Kyurem-Black to NatDex Ubers in short order, and while we can’t be certain it will be as strong here (although I don’t really see a reason it won’t be) I am quite sure it will make its presence strongly felt.

(Also, with regards to transfer moves, no, it’s not about the move being learnable in SwSh, it’s whether or not it was removed from the game’s code. Previously unobtainable HA’s and unlearnable moves that still exist in the code (which includes Soft-Boiled) should still be usable.)
 
Ferrothorn is worth mentioning here because while it is in a similar position to Toaxpex, Iron Barbs can punish Melmetal twice per turn and force the opponent to hesitate before attempting to finish off Ferrothorn.
It's worth noting that Ferrothorn needs to be very careful with switching in, especially if it's a specially defensive variant, as Melmetal does have access to Superpower to O/2HKO it on the switch. Banded Superpower also chunks both Rotom-H and Rotom-W quite hard on the switch, although Melmetal can't realistically stay in against Heat even if equipped with an Assault Vest.

Melmetal also gets access to Thunder Punch and Earthquake (and even if transfer-only moves can't be used, High Horsepower). When Banded, both moves handily 2HKO physically defensive Toxapex. Toxapex also can't particularly do much against Melmetal aside from fishing for a Scald burn, as the hex nut is immune to Toxic and Toxic Spikes.

A set of Double Iron Bash, Earthquake/HH, Superpower and Thunder Punch cover basically every defensive threat in the tier (or at least as well as Melmetal can deal with them). Ice Punch isn't particularly worth running as even a neutral DIB does more than a 2x effective Ice Punch, and nothing that resists Steel is weak to Ice.

However, due to Melmetal's abysmal speed and semi-reliance on flinches, it must actually run some decent speed investment if it wants to hax its way past all but the very slowest of walls without paralysis. 12 Speed EVs creeps 0 EV Toxapex, 108 Speed EVs creeps Hippowdon and 212 creeps neutral 0 EV base 60s (all neutral, 31 IV).

However, even with 252 Speed investment, non-Scarf (lol) Melmetal can never outspeed Corviknight (unless said bird runs 0 speed IV or otherwise has lower than normal Speed) outside of Trick Room. As such, Melmetal is hard walled by Corviknight as the bird can Roost before Melmetal moves, weakening Thunder Punch by half.

252+ Atk Melmetal Superpower vs. 252 HP / 24 Def Ferrothorn: 240-284 (68.1 - 80.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Melmetal Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 138-164 (45.3 - 53.9%) -- 92.6% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Melmetal Superpower vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Wash: 218-257 (71.9 - 84.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Melmetal Superpower vs. 236 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Heat: 218-257 (72.6 - 85.6%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Iron Fist Melmetal Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 242-286 (60.5 - 71.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 162-192 (40.5 - 48%) -- 5.9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Melmetal Superpower vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 214-254 (53.5 - 63.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery (after Corviknight Roosts on the same turn)
 
Well, I do believe Celebi will be very valuable at this metagame. You can run a wallbreaker set with NP, Aura Sphere, Psychic and Giga Drain and keep almost every single Rocker bar jirachi under pressure. Seismitoad will hate it a lot because even with toxic It can't touch Celebi properly. And no pursuit makes the onion even better.
 

watermess

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Surprisingly Cobalion actually sounds like It has a potential niche in the OU!
In previous years we have seen it fall in UU, However I think in the current meta it holds great potential defensive utility! First off it has a great speed teir, SS has had some quite big gaps in the speed teirs so far and Cobalion outspeeds everything in the middle/fast department, stuff hydreigon, and drill, both of which this can quite effectively check. Hydreigon especially has it's duel stab hard walled by cobalion and is punished for trying to nasty plot up or dark pulse by giving cobalion a reletivly strong Cc, but defensive utility aside, I think cobalion has great potential as a taunt rocker that can sit on corvaknight.

Cobalion @ Leftovers/rocky helmet
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat/sacred sword
- Iron Head
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt

With taunt rocks and a fighting move and in combination with a helmet or lefties this could be a solid way of getting your rocks Vs the b*tch of a defogger that is corvaknight which Is definitely a draw to the Mon.

Finally a few more notable draws:

- This Mon is a huge middle finger to cloyster and weavile, weavile especially will give you 6 justified boosts it it makes the mistake of attacking you.

- This will also be a decent check to the threat that will be kyurem black.

-and ofc you are an absolute and hard counter to bisharp amen to destroying what the teir currently calls HO

Thanks for reading tell me what you think!
 
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I think that with it getting Knock Off back, Bisharp is going to become much stronger. Dark is spammable as hell this generation, and with nothing being immune to it Knock Off does work no matter how many resists you have. I doubt it's sets or it's meta role are going to change much, but it's going to become much more spammable in general due to it's newfound offensive utility. This is compounded by the fact that many trendy physical walls, such as Kommo-o and Seismitoad, have no recovery and hence are highly reliant on keeping lefties. It being a reliable offensive response to other benefactors of Home, like Clefable and Aegislash, is also good for it's place in the tier.

Naturally, the return of the Swords of Justice is a pretty big downer for Bisharp, especially if predictions of Terrakion's glorious return to OU are true. Nonetheless, I think it has squarely come out ahead with Pokemon Home.
 
Stuff:

This dude seems very capable in a metagame without splashable Fire immunities (aka Heatran). Flare Blitz is a very free move to click. The main trouble is Toxapex, who switches in quite freely, but it can be 2HKO'd by Banded Earthquake. Overall I can see Darmanitan playing similarly to his icy counterpart, despite being overall more manageable thanks to Flare Blitz recoil and just being weaker in general. It seems like a great boon to Sun teams along with Venusaur.

Just want to mention that abilities that were previously unavailable due to certain Pokemon not spawning as Max Raids should now available, unless I'm wrong. This means that Unaware Clefable is back too. This lets you answer safer to NP Hydreigon, becoming a very safe defensive answer to it. Basically further establishes Clefable's presence as an excellent mon in the tier.

Necrozma could be a good bulky SR mon and supporter thanks to its great bulk. Offensively it's pretty nice in terms of movepool but absolutely fails against Mandibuzz with a CM set. Could this be a good new Dragon Dancer? It's not as obviously powerful as Kyurem, but it is one point faster than Dragapult after a boost. It's also got very nice bulk to let it set up, and its coverage is good enough, with EdgeQuake, Knock Off or Brick Break to hit the common Psychic resists, although it can't cover everything on one moveset. Corviknight troubles it, but many defensive variants actually can't do all that much to it, simply becoming setup fodder. Basically seems like the better version of DD Mew, but still not that good.

Here's a nice Defogger for when you want to compress a Hydreigon check and a Defogger into one slot. Roost gives it more consistent recovery, basically letting it fill the same niches it already can, only better. Also, it's probably the best Defogger to beat Kommo-o.

This can use Nasty Plot + Simple now. It boasts pretty respectable power at +4, and it can actually have decent chance at 2HKOing specially defensive Mandibuzz with Air Slash at +4. Heat Wave OHKOs any Steel types, and any other Dark types like Hydreigon and the Goon get OHKO'd by +4 Life Orb Air Slash Probably still bad but looks fun to try. It's hard for a Psychic type in OU currently, even without Pursuit.

Another returning defogger, for when you want to compress Water immunity and Defogger into a slot. Also a good check to the newly unleashed Keldeo and uh I guess Smashtoise too. It could also just generally check special attackers that don't carry an Electric move. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of Fire types in the meta for it to take on, so it seems niche.

Mew has regained its full power, letting it remain in the game for longer, being a persistently annoying Defogger, Spike setter, Cleric, or just general wall. I could see this thing rising to prominence as a really annoying and common support mon.

Might be a weird one to mention, but I think now that it can use Heavy-Duty Boots and Roost in tandem, Charizard will be able to take advantage of its surprising defensive qualities. As a Defogger it can easily force out or beat Ferrothorn, generally beats the weird non-lead SR Excadrill variant, matches up well against defensive Clefable who I could see becoming a common SR setter. Basically similar to what Moltres does in National Dex OU as far as I know. I could see this getting fringe usage.

Teleporting Dog. Teledog. It's a nice buff that lets it actually perform better as a pivot. That's it.
 
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