Metagame SS ZU Alpha Discussion Thread

[5gen]

After months of waiting, gen 8 ZU is out! Although we've been hit hard by dex cuts, we hope to continue growing ZU this generation. Moreover, ZU will get its ladder next month during beta as opposed to this month during alpha, so be sure to check out the ZU room and Discord for tournaments and friendlies.

During alpha there are no bans, no council votes, and no changes to the initial list of Pokemon. Council and players alike will use this time to familiarize themselves with the tier and also to get an idea of what ZU will look like in the months to come. Here is the current list of ZU Pokemon:

Usage Stats

----- above is PU, below is ZU* ------- * except Wishiwashi rose
| 46 | Wishiwashi | 4.477% | to NU at the same time
| 47 | Meowstic | 4.399% |
| 48 | Dusclops | 4.174% |
| 49 | Gourgeist | 3.883% |
| 50 | Wartortle | 3.843% |
| 51 | Eiscue | 3.466% |
| 52 | Klang | 3.321% |
| 53 | Palpitoad | 3.312% |
| 54 | Pyukumuku | 3.291% |
| 55 | Lunatone | 3.213% |
| 56 | Greedent | 3.138% |
| 57 | Dusknoir | 3.137% |
| 58 | Vibrava | 3.006% |
| 59 | Whiscash | 3.005% |
| 60 | Mareanie | 2.991% |
| 61 | Solrock | 2.911% |
| 62 | Silvally-Fighting | 2.723% |
| 63 | Gloom | 2.704% |
| 64 | Silvally-Dark | 2.554% |
| 65 | Togetic | 2.549% |
| 66 | Delibird | 2.522% |
| 67 | Duosion | 2.204% |
| 68 | Maractus | 2.153% |
| 69 | Gothitelle | 2.089% |
| 70 | Vulpix | 1.948% |
| 71 | Machoke | 1.922% |
| 72 | Beartic | 1.891% |
| 73 | Seaking | 1.834% |
| 74 | Drakloak | 1.809% |
| 75 | Shedinja | 1.795% |
| 76 | Sudowoodo | 1.597% |
| 77 | Silvally-Rock | 1.522% |
| 78 | Linoone-Galar | 1.491% |
| 79 | Onix | 1.461% |
| 80 | Silvally-Electric | 1.449% |
| 81 | Charjabug | 1.339% |
| 82 | Glalie | 1.218% |
| 83 | Hakamo-o | 1.215% |
| 84 | Silvally-Grass | 1.213% |
| 85 | Diglett | 1.213% |
| 86 | Octillery | 1.189% |
| 87 | Wailord | 1.008% |
| 88 | Torracat | 0.970% |
| 89 | Vullaby | 0.952% |
| 90 | Mudbray | 0.949% |
| 91 | Munchlax | 0.930% |
| 92 | Ivysaur | 0.923% |
| 93 | Raboot | 0.911% |
| 94 | Hippopotas | 0.863% |
| 95 | Gourgeist-Large | 0.818% |
| 96 | Gastly | 0.776% |
| 97 | Morgrem | 0.749% |
| 98 | Pupitar | 0.708% |
| 99 | Oranguru | 0.669% |
| 100 | Bronzor | 0.655% |
| 101 | Natu | 0.639% |
| 102 | Koffing | 0.597% |
| 103 | Sliggoo | 0.551% |
| 104 | Sinistea | 0.543% |
| 105 | Frillish | 0.492% |
| 106 | Drilbur | 0.478% |
| 107 | Farfetch'd-Galar | 0.457% |
| 108 | Lampent | 0.426% |
| 109 | Thwackey | 0.425% |
| 110 | Zweilous | 0.423% |
| 111 | Honedge | 0.404% |
| 112 | Charmeleon | 0.380% |
| 113 | Rufflet | 0.347% |
| 114 | Scraggy | 0.343% |
| 115 | Dottler | 0.337% |
| 116 | Darumaka | 0.312% |
| 117 | Vulpix-Alola | 0.303% |
| 118 | Chinchou | 0.291% |
| 119 | Cutiefly | 0.272% |
| 120 | Boldore | 0.259% |
| 121 | Swirlix | 0.245% |
| 122 | Spritzee | 0.222% |
| 123 | Dartrix | 0.218% |
| 124 | Corphish | 0.166% |
| 125 | Corvisquire | 0.160% |
| 126 | Gossifleur | 0.146% |
| 127 | Cherrim | 0.143% |
| 128 | Cufant | 0.134% |
| 129 | Shellder | 0.133% |
| 130 | Brionne | 0.132% |
| 131 | Cottonee | 0.132% |
| 132 | Salandit | 0.129% |
| 133 | Baltoy | 0.127% |
| 134 | Trubbish | 0.124% |
| 135 | Timburr | 0.117% |
| 136 | Snover | 0.115% |
| 137 | Pikachu-Sinnoh | 0.114% |
| 138 | Pancham | 0.109% |
| 139 | Stunky | 0.109% |
| 140 | Dwebble | 0.106% |
| 141 | Silvally-Psychic | 0.103% |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------- +

Use this thread to discuss all things Alpha ZU, be it Pokemon, sets, teams, initial impressions, and so on, but do not post one-liners.

 

[5gen]

Viability List

Old Pokemon

(Large and Regular):meowstic_m: (Bug, Dark, Electric, Fighting, Grass, Ice, Psychic, Rock)

New Pokemon

 

[Xayah]

Personally, I'm not... too stoked about what we got, admittedly, but I also don't think it's completely awful. A surprisingly decent amount of fully evolved Pokemon, at least. Now, obviously, Silvally will rule the tier, and that's something we'll have to live with, at least until the DLC reaches us (where the first DLC will likely have an impact on our tier around November-December I believe, if we do something with faster drops). For now, I wanna just have some fun talking about (the pre-evo of) one of my favourite gen 8 Pokemon.

Drakloak is fascinating to me. It's got so much interesting stuff going on. For one, it's pretty damn fast, specifically faster than Silvally's, and has some powerful STAB moves (Draco and Outrage), in addition to a setup move in Dragon Dance. Unfortunately, its offensive stats are kind of abysmal. Still though, I think it has significant potential. Here are a few sets I think might be usable:

Specs

Drakloak @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid nature
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast / Thunderbolt
- U-turn

Band

Drakloak @ Choice Band
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly nature
- Outrage
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn
- Phantom Force

DDance

Drakloak @ Eviolite
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw
- Phantom Force / Sucker Punch / U-turn

In addition to these, I see both special and physical scarf potentially being relevant. I like this mon a lot and hopes it shows up more than I admittedly expect.

Note: I didn't play speculative and probably won't play this meta either, but theorycrafting is fun.

 

[wooper]

Personally, I'm not... too stoked about what we got, admittedly, but I also don't think it's completely awful. A surprisingly decent amount of fully evolved Pokemon, at least. Now, obviously, Silvally will rule the tier, and that's something we'll have to live with, at least until the DLC reaches us (where the first DLC will likely have an impact on our tier around November-December I believe, if we do something with faster drops). For now, I wanna just have some fun talking about (the pre-evo of) one of my favourite gen 8 Pokemon.

Drakloak is fascinating to me. It's got so much interesting stuff going on. For one, it's pretty damn fast, specifically faster than Silvally's, and has some powerful STAB moves (Draco and Outrage), in addition to a setup move in Dragon Dance. Unfortunately, its offensive stats are kind of abysmal. Still though, I think it has significant potential. Here are a few sets I think might be usable:

Specs

Drakloak @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid nature
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast / Thunderbolt
- U-turn

Band

Drakloak @ Choice Band
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly nature
- Outrage
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn
- Phantom Force

DDance

Drakloak @ Eviolite
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw
- Phantom Force / Sucker Punch / U-turn

In addition to these, I see both special and physical scarf potentially being relevant. I like this mon a lot and hopes it shows up more than I admittedly expect.

Note: I didn't play speculative and probably won't play this meta either, but theorycrafting is fun.

i can also definitely see a wisp + hex set working, maybe also sub disable. think of it as just a mini-dragapult!

 

[275p]

Well I wrote something about the current threats that may be good.

Meowstic:

Meowstic returning, was a good thing for this tier. It fits great on Sticky Web Teams, due to Competitive and also has access to NP, to further boost its power. The only problems it has, are breaking past Silvally Dark and Zweilous, but it is able to 2KO both of them with Disarming Voice after a NP boost. Of course it is still a weak move and a rather questionable choice, but overall Meowstic will be finally good in this tier.

Dusclops:

It finally returned to ZU and I can see it as a staple on stall. It has a great synergy with Zweilous and has a access to status moves like Will-O-Wisp, Toxic and fixed damage moves like Seismic Toss. With evio, it has a high bulk, being able to tank a lot of hits on the physical side. Admittedly, it may not be as good as it was in Gen 7, due to the amount of dark types in this tier, but I believe it is still a good choice for stall and bulky teams in general.

Now onto the last mons I wanted to talk about, the vallys themselves.

Silvallys:

Flying thankfully left this tier and SD Vally Dark and Fighting are both manageable (Togetic gainst Dark Vally and Gourgeist against Fighting Vally). Vally Electric is a decent offensive pivot, due to its Bolt Beam Coverage and its ability to pivot out of unfavorable situations. Vally Psychic is also a good set up sweeper, since it actually threatens Mare and it can be stopped by walls like Gourgeist and Linoone Galar. That's all I can say about the Vallys, since I haven't tested Grass, Bug, Rock and Ice yet. Hopefully you can shed some light onto it.

 

[413X]

DDance Drakloak @ Eviolite
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw
- Phantom Force / Sucker Punch / U-turn

lmaoo I just saw drakloak doesnt have access to dclaw. V cool sets but idk if non band phys can be used without a reliable stab to use, with Phantom being 2 turn and Outrage locking you

 

[WMAR]

My favorite meta is here. completely different too, cant wait to play. Drought is here and praying to stay. Vulpix + Maractus is king

 

[czim]

Is Maractus slowly costing you your sanity?
Is Ivysaur's Sleep Powder giving you nightmares?
Is sun so annoying that you started hating a mon as adorable as Cherrim?
Say no more!

Meow

Meowstic (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Energy Ball
- Dark Pulse

Scarf Meowstic is here to save you
This furry when boosted by a Choice Scarf outspeeds and deal severe damage to all sun sweepers, while also being a good Silvally revenge killer even after they get off a Flame Charge. Infiltrator also lets you bypass Eiscue's Substitutes. Give it a try!

 

[5gen]

i can also definitely see a wisp + hex set working, maybe also sub disable. think of it as just a mini-dragapult!

lmaoo I just saw drakloak doesnt have access to dclaw. V cool sets but idk if non band phys can be used without a reliable stab to use, with Phantom being 2 turn and Outrage locking you

My favorite meta is here. completely different too, cant wait to play. Drought is here and praying to stay. Vulpix + Maractus is king

Hey all. As per the one rule in the OP, please do not post one-liners. While I appreciate the opinions and thoughts, one-liners clog up the thread and do not anything substantial to discussion.

Speaking of Drakloak, I've found that Eviolite Wisp/U-turn/Draco/Hex should be its go-to set. Drakloak's great Speed, access to WoW and U-turn, and Dragon / Ghost typing give it pretty decent utility in a meta filled with slower Pokemon and physical attackers. While Drakloak is weak, having high BP moves such as Draco and using Hex onto burned foes save it from being unable to KO weakened threats such as Silvally-Fighting, Eiscue (w/ Ice Face intact), and Solrock. Also, Clear Body makes Drakloak p neat counterplay to Webs teams.

 

[ringtomb]

i know its a bit early to make teams, noting that as of right now, showdown doesnt even have ZU laddering open, but i wanted to share this team with you guys because it looked kinda fun

Cutiefly @ Focus Sash
Ability: Shield Dust
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sticky Web
- Moonblast
- Bug Buzz
- U-turn/stun spore
My sticky web-er that mimics ribombee used in higher tiers, though it has minimal usage outside the lead slot, so it might be wise to change it to something like swirlix (a mon that im very interested in seeing work in a meta game riddled with knock off)

Machoke @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Facade
A monsterous wallbreaker that can soak up status and deal damage, knock off is the key as stronger attackers like beartic would outclass it, but the ability to hamper walls reliant on eviolite is ideal

Octillery @ Life Orb
Ability: Suction Cups
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Energy Ball
- Ice Beam
- Fire Blast
i didnt really know what to put here so i decided to put a LO octilery, noticing that it was one of like, 7ish (not counting silvally forms) fully evolved pokemon that were excluded from PU, with "better stats" i reasoned that it could break walls weak to its amazing coverage, other than that, i need another mon that packs more utility, ALSO i just realized this as writing, it has the ability suction cups making it a sudo knock off switch in

Meowstic-F (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Competitive
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Energy Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Since there are literaly 0 defiant mons in ZU, i found meowstic with competative to be an interesting suplement, for it doesnt have bad coverage, and with specs is doing insane damage, the moves can very, for i hadnt put much thought into it, but it pretty safe to assume that +2 specs boosted psychic is tearing nasty holes, another honorable mention here would be gothitelle, because of it's serperior bulk, it makes it a safer switch into defogers that may attack, but i find meowstic's extra speed, which is blazing fast by ZU standards, more important

Dusknoir @ Choice Band
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Darkest Lariat
- Earthquake
- Shadow Sneak
- Trick
another tough choice for me, of course you need a spin blocker for teams like this, but choosing one made me realize the immensely shallow pool to work with, anyway dusknoir is a choice band with priority that im sure can break a couple walls, and the ones it cant break, possible because of eviolite, get trick a choice band and crippled for the rest of the match, the main competition for this slot in my eyes is shednija, i know a little weird but hear me out, when i first saw the item heavy duty boots, my mind immediatley thought on how much more effective shedinja would be in a metagame with out damaging weather, say sandstorm, i soon realized that it would be the case mainly because status is everywhere, makeing the few pokemon it actually hard walls, counters, but as the metagame evolves, maybe shedinja will find a place in ZU

Silvally-Fighting @ Fighting Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Multi-Attack
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
Silvally is here mainly bcause im assuming the principle that "silvally is required on any team" based off of it's numerous benefits, which are, suprise type factor, damage potential, team support, knock off switch in, powerful and safe pivot, coverage options, ect. for the fighting type, the knock off resistance on a knock off switch in is very nice, but other than that, i literally have tested the team, so i dont know how well it will synergize with the other team mates

Now that im done going over the team, i want to point out one crucial point about the team, and thats speed tiers, i dont know them, so just take max speed on all the mons and make them plus speed if it doesnt outspeed a threat, ok thanks for reading my manifesto

 

[Leni]

Uhmmm Hello,

Two threats that has been super fun to roll with;

Solrock @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature OR Jolly if afraid of sun teams
- Rock Polish
- Flare Blitz
- Stone Edge
- Zen Headbutt

Lunatone @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature OR Timid if afraid of sun teams
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rock Polish
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam / Psychic
- Earth Power

I dont think these two bad boys need too long explanations as they play themselves pretty well - pretty cool duo that actually can go nuts. Thanks to very weak u-turners, u will pretty much activate weakness policy without any kind of problem. Lunatone has even access to calm mind which will help even more to get that WP off. Both has excellent coverage to make big dents after buffed up and prolly as the biggest coverage note access to smash mr. klang.

 

[ringtomb]

OML im doing 2 post today cause im hella bored, but what on, how about weather, that seems like a hot topic
speaking of hot, i have theorized that sun teams will dominate the tier with powerful offense, with great setter like meowstic or maractus, and powerful abusers like ivysaur, cherrim, maractus, and even silvally fire(oh wait that shits fuckin banned my b), but other than that, weather ball really put certain mons, mainly ivysaur over the edge in power, though manual weather has never been a staple of any metagame due to the pain of setting it and limited turns to work with, but all this talk about sun has dried me out, oh i ineed a drink of water....

one crappy transition later, rain has its place, but i just dont see it as powerful as sun, for the abusers are NFE with the exception of beartic and seaking, and beartic doesnt even get stab water moves, though it is nice that seaking gets knock off, thats only one pokemon(with knock off) so i see rain to be a bit more on the niche side, if sun even becomes that revelant, that it comes in to counter it

imma stop with the transitions and move one to sand, which actually has an automatic setter in hippopitas, which you can forget about running offensively, if drilbur is going to be your abuser, other than that hippopitas is a fine pokemon, i actually think it may be quite good with eviolite and reliable recovery for balance/stall teams

now for hail, and like pokeaimmd said, "Its the worst weather..." which is accentuated more in OU, due to the lack of abusers, but lets cover the setter before we cover the play style, which is alolan ninetales Vulpix, which is pretty shit, its decently fast, but im sure will be outsped by a decent portion of the metagame, and dont even bring up scarfers, there for auroa veil teams will be stuck with a delima, either risk outspeeding and setting with light clay, or put sash on it and only get 5 turns, pokemon trainers are a shrew bunch, so ithink they would go with the former and abusing the extra turns for something like beartic, machoke, or octilery to get work done, the other route would be running beartic on the team and getting a dangerous sweeper in with giant attacking stats, which would work, if alolan vulpix was an overall much better pokemon, take ou sand teams, excadrill getting on the feild doesnt feel like your playing 5 v 6 with one of the 5 being "better" than 2 or more of the opponent's six to out wieght the cost of running alolan vulpix, but beartic's coverage, offesive typing, and sheer power can be quite enticing, just make sure ur sending it in late gam, when hopefully most of the eviolites on the opponet's walls are gone, because you lack knock off

ok i think this will be my last post, but i tell my self that when i have a party size bag of chips, and you can assume what happened to the rest of the chips, thats for reading my tumblr post

 

[ringtomb]

Ok i promise this is my last one, but i made a sun team cause i dont want to work on my homework, anyway i dont really know manual sun strats, so im sorta taking inspirations from previous generation's lower tiers, that used manual weather to much sucess

Onix @ Heat Rock
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sunny Day
- Explosion
- Rock Blast
- Stealth Rock
Go to lead with sturdy popping sun and setting rocks, then exploding, though speed can be an issue, if you see a faster taunt lead coming, use meowstic, this slot could be taken up my solrock, as it is a more overall useful mon that has a ground immunity and great recovery in the form of morning sun, but onix's sturdy is key as it can almost guarantee that sun will be up

Maractus @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Solar Beam
- Weather Ball
this is a mixed maractus, i originally thought of putting growth on it, but i reasoned that it would be too risky because maractus's typing and bulk make it vulnerable to dying in one hit, so i just replaced growth with drain punch for recovery on weakened targets

Ivysaur @ Eviolite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Growth
- Weather Ball
- Solar Beam
- Sludge Bomb
I assumed this is the set the ivysaur ran while it was in NFE before it got banned, so i made this knowing with eviolite it was pretty much guarenteed to get a growth(maybe 2) up unless ur stupid and let it take a fire type move from something that isnt pyukumuku(it doesnt get any fire type moves but u get the point) the set is pretty standard, dual stab plus weather ball, one may argue to put on the most invaluable knock off that is boosted by growth, but it doesnt have time to hamper walls, when it can just set up on them

Cherrim @ Heat Rock
Ability: Flower Gift
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sunny Day
- Leech Seed
- Synthesis
- Giga Drain
I need a little help here, because i do not know what to do with cherrim, because of the weird boost flower gift give(attack and Sp.def by 1.5 in sun) i reasoned that the Sp.def boost could make it a reliable sun setter and semi abuser, i say semi because cherrim is supposed to set sun and wait for and optimal time to get an abuser in, which is a pretty shitty strat on my part, so someone please tell what to do, because i know it has potential

Meowstic (M) @ Heat Rock
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sunny Day
- Yawn
- Psychic
- Disarming Voice/magic coat
the moves on this are pretty weird, i read in a reply above the disarming voice is for dark types that may switch in on it, i took it mainly because i dont have any other moves that could fill the last slot, it has no reliable recovery so out with that, im not running yawn and another status like t-wave or toxic, and it has no pivoting, though magic coat might work to prevent stealth rock from reaching the feild for the next mon, but other thn that is pretty fringe

Charmeleon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Solar Power
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Weather Ball
- Dragon Pulse
- Fire Blast
- Echoed Voice
this one is a fun one, a little bit of backstory here, i was playing gen 7 ru with my friend when we decided to play sun, we had a charizard on the team, and we gave it choice specs because that look funny, and then when we played it we saw the sheer damage it did, to sum it, it 2hKOed bulky milotic with fire blast, doing 60%, ah the good days, now with charmeleon, its a wallbreaker, im not bothering with some heavyduty boots cause they're for pussys that cant take a little chip, but in all honesty its movepool is shit, i ended up putting echoed voice because i reasoned it could help break through flash fire mon, even though i have dragon pulse, ok i fuckin lied its useless, so maybe running a heavyduty boots sets can give it move options, like room for... dragon dance? again his movepool is shit that even with utility options, your not running thunder wave on this thing, if anything at all, so i'll settle with specs

other than that, i need to stop posting, this is my third one in a row, but yeah thanks for reading my twitter thread.

 

[275p]

Hey guys, I just want to post you some sets of a few pokemon. Let's go!


Whiscash:

Thanks to an awesome defensive typing, good hp stat and immunity to Intimidate, Whiscash finally has a niche as a Dragon Dance Sweeper.

Here are some sets that I used in the past month

Regular DD

Whiscash @ Life Orb
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Ice Beam
- Liquidation
- Earthquake

The classic Dragon Dance set. Earthquake and Liquidation are the main stab moves, while Ice Beam is there to get past walls like Gourgeist. After one Dragon Dance, Whiscash is able to outspeed all the vallys and is only stopped by Choice Scarf users.

Lure DD

Whiscash @ Life Orb
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dragon Dance
- Earth Power
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam

This one looks strange at first glance, but it is quite simple. You use Dragon Dance. Your opponent thinks that it is a physical sweeper and then switches to Gourgeist. But then you surprise it with Special Coverage! Hydo Pump and Earth Power are the main stabs and Ice Beam is for coverage! I know this set looks a bit gimmicky, but you could try it at least right?


Dusknoir:

Dusknoir returns once again to this tier and may actually be better than last gen. It is one of our few viable ghost types and it has a good attack along with usable bulk, so it isn't bothered too much of a lack of stab. I have two sets this time around!

CB

Dusknoir @ Choice Band
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Darkest Lariat / Trick
- Ice Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- Earthquake

Thx to its good attack stat and nice coverage, Dusk is an effective Choice Band user. Earthquake is the strongest attack, Ice Punch is for coverage and Shadow Sneak is for priority. Trick is there to cripple walls, such as Mareanie, Duosion or Gloom. You can also run Darkest Lariat as another option for coverage, though it then would lose its ability to cripple walls.

Focus Punch

Dusknoir @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Focus Punch
- Substitute
- Shadow Sneak
- Ice Punch

Focus Punch is Dusknoir's strongest attack. Substitute ensures that you can hit without losing your focus. Shadow Sneak is for priority mainly and Ice Punch is for coverage, while I chose a pinch berry, so Dusk can use Sub more times.


Cufant:

OK this mon looks bad at first sight, but really it is alright. It has a great defensive typing, access to Stealth Rock and Whirlwind. Now people might ask why you'd use that instead of Hippototas. Well it's easy. Full physical defensive Cufant is actually able to tank a hit from Eiscue after one Belly Drum boost and then phaze it away (unless Eis runs reversal, but who does that lol). Anyway, here's the set I used

Physcial Defensive

Cufant @ Eviolite
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- High Horsepower/ Rest
- Iron Head
- Whirlwind

Stealth Rock is self explanatory, Whirlwind is for phazing and Iron Head is for main stab. High Horse Power is just a filler and can be replaced with anything else. Maybe Rest?


Ok, I hope you like my sets. See ya!

 

[mpknife]

Hi! This might be my first actual forum post, not sure. Just wanted to share the baby goon because it is really nice in testing and seems to be one of the best mons in the tier.

Linoone-Galar @ Eviolite
Ability: Quick Feet
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Parting Shot
- Knock Off
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave

Parting Shot makes the set what it is; you pair it with your basically mandatory Silvally and always keep momentum by switching around with Parting Shots. Knock is very spammable and the only things willing to take it are usually Silvally, which you outspeed as well, so you just pivot from there. Taunt is there to prevent recovery and subs, and T-Wave because it doesn't get Toxic. It's a very nice annoyer which helps set up attackers win or your team or just gain a lot of momentum otherwise. Keeping this mon alive is imperative if they have psychic sweepers as well, as it basically shuts down them all down

Linoone-Galar @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Quick Feet
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Knock Off
- Parting Shot
- Switcheroo / Protect

This set eschews the bulk from the previous set to be more of an offensive nuisance with strong Facades. With your Toxic Orb activated, you can outspeed basically everything except Scarf Meowstics, which means you can afford Adamant for that extra power. I'd run Protect with Adamant to make sure I can outspeed Vallys afterwards or at the very least scout for scarfers, but Switcheroo can be nice to get rid of your Toxic Orb whenever you're done with it if something is proving hard to break through for you.

 

[Spacial]

Greetings, Pokefans, MonkeySniper here!

With the start of gen 8 ZU's Alpha stage, I wanted to share a team I've had great success with in tournaments.

The Squad

Charjabug @ Eviolite
Ability: Battery
EVs: 252 HP / 8 Atk / 248 Def
Impish Nature
- Volt Switch
- Sticky Web
- X-Scissor
- Toxic

Lunatone @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Power Gem

Meowstic-F (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Competitive
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Dark Pulse
- Energy Ball
- Trick

Rufflet (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Aerial Ace

Farfetch'd-Galar @ Eviolite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Leaf Blade
- Swords Dance

Silvally-Dark @ Dark Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Multi-Attack
- Psychic Fangs
- Flame Charge

The idea is pretty simple: set up Webs with Charjabug, and run through the opponent's team with raw power. Meowstic returning after its stint in PU proved to be a big help to this team, as it can deter Defog and check the Silvallys with a Choice Scarf. Lunatone is the team's SR setter of choice. Rufflet is an absurdly strong attacker that benefits a lot from Sticky Webs, and can pivot well to boot. Garfetch'd is a bit of an odd choice, but with SD and fighting STAB, it can punch some serious holes. Rounding off the team is Darkvally, which serves as the win condition. Darkvally rips entire teams apart after an SD (I think it's broken, but that's for a later time), and with Webs, sometimes you won't even need to use Flame Charge.

The main weakness this team has is, ironically, opposing Darkvally. You can get around it by playing aggresively, but it's hard to deal with if it sets up. That said, I hope everyone (both new and veteran) gen 8 ZU players can enjoy this team I've crafted.

 

[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d]

ZU Alpha oh yeah yeah! Okay, after a good look at the meta from what has been the latter half of ZU Spec and the past few days, it's safe to make some generalizations about what the early meta is going to be like.

All in all, ZU alpha is in a weird situation with the lack of mons in general, and how most teams are mostly NFEs. Here's a list of the mons that I think are worth their salt, and then my opinions on the Silvally situation:

Highlighted NFEs

Galarian Linoone is likely one of the best NFEs thanks to its great Speed, being able to naturally outspeed Silvally forms and much faster mons like Hail Beartic if Quick Feet Facade. That latter set is awesome speed control, while being a great offensive pivot with Knock Off and Facade. The Eviolite sets have a lot more bulk to their name, and can afford to stay in and Taunt walls. A fast Dark-type with Knock Off support is just great for debilitating all the other NFEs in the tier, and even though Silvally forms don't mind Knock Off, they have to be careful of being Parting Shot fodder or hit by Double Edge / Facade.

Klang is likely our best Steel-type, and like in NFE can have three or so viable sets. Shift Gear has not been used as much as I've seen, as the RestTalk Volt Switch set seems to be the most popular for its walling and pivoting. Otherwise, Shift Gear Rest Talk / Offensive Sub seem like they could have some mad potential. Also don't forget Choice Specs, as it deals with most defensive switch-ins to Klang like Machoke, Mareanie, Honedge, and more with Steel Beam, Thunderbolt, and Volt Switch.

Mareanie is a good defensive pivot that can Haze Eiscue, Beartic, and Silvally forms if needed, but is kinda underwhelming for the vallys. It helps that there's a lack of Electric- and Ground-types in the tier, but there's still a ton of Psychic and Silvally forms that can break it down. Gloom is another good physical wall from NFE, and appreciates going for Strength Sap and Sludge Bomb against general physical attackers. Palpitoad lacks recovery but its typing and stats are well-rounded, and can be a great Stealth Rock user for the team while still checking Klang and Solrock. Natu is awesome for Magic Bounce and Teleport, and likely is best suited as a special defensive pivot; it can also be the team's only hazard control considering how it can sometimes switch into a lot of setters like Palpitoad, Solrock, Maractus, and Charjabug.

Charjabug itself is an awesome defensive pivot that can safely switch into and Volt Switch on any vally form that isn't Rock, or Twave them right then and there. It's also the tier's Sticky Web setter, and this package makes it a great choice for any offensive team. Sticky Webs themselves is a great playstyle for the opposing Silvallys alone, as they are all vulnerable to them and it can secure them being slower than your own Silvally or wallbreaker. Machoke is a great general tank with 4 attacks, or a good physical wall if RestTalk. Torracat, Raboot, and Thwackey make interesting picks for either Choice Scarf or for bulky offensive pivots. Wartortle seems really underplayed right now, but as a Shell Smash sweeper it looks like its got a ton of potential. Honedge is another Steel-type worth considering as it checks a lot of physical attackers like Silvally-Fighting, Beartic, Eiscue, and even Galarian Linoone if healthy enough. Onix does this same thing as well thanks to its huge phys def, and can Taunt slower walls while having a nasty Body Press for Linoone and Klang. Also, Rufflet is a killer wallbreaker with Hustle and its coverage, albeit a little slow and unreliable.

Both Vulpix forms are legal and provide Sun, Hail, and Veil for teams to build. These, along with Sticky Webs, are some of the best offensive playstyles to build, so watch out for them no doubt. As for NFE abusers, Ivysaur with Growth and Weather Ball takes the cake for how threatening it can be.

Highlighted FEs

Meowstic is notable for being the other worthwhile, naturally-faster-than-Silvally picks in the meta. It can be decently strong with Choice Specs / LO, or can be even more dangerous with NP. Sadly, its coverage is a little underwhelming, and its poor bulk makes it easy to revenge kill. Play it cautiously and choose when to make the right trade off like against the Silvally or Dusknoir if needed. Other Psychic-types like Goth and Oranguru also work for either NP wallbreaking or defensive support, but might be outclassed by Meowstic's Speed alone.

Eiscue with Belly Drum and its ability have been abused a lot early on, and is still a good wincondition. It's super fast after it changes forms, and its Ice- and Psychic-type coverage is great once Steel-types are removed.

Pyukukumu has not been ran enough at all, despite it countering so many relevant physical sweepers. More balance teams should try it out, maybe even over Mareanie, with some flexible sets like Counter + Mirror Coat or Soak Toxic. Pair it with Natu to help its status vulnerability.

Solrock and Lunatone stick out as some of the only good SR users for the meta. Solrock has got good physdef, and can Burn physical attackers and Stone Edge special walls. Lunatone is a bit more offensive with its special coverage and lack of status potential, and makes a good suicide lead.

Oct is a great wallbreaker with its coverage, and can essentially break any Eviolite defensive core on its own. It's a little susceptible to hazards and being revenged by Silvallys, so make sure to support it there.

Weather has abusers like Beartic and Maractus, which can boost and break unprepared teams with ease. Beartic is notable for HDB buffing the amount of switchins it has, while Maractus can go mixed, special, or physical even without Sun support thanks to its good natural Speed and power.

Wishcash has been a cool DD sweeper with its dual-STAB attacks that offer good coverage; just have a Fire-type to help with Silvally-Grass and Gloom.

Gourgeist is cool for its decent speed, and it I'm wondering if its NP sets could see some use. Otherwise, the defensive sets with Colbur Berry and Wisp are good for debilitating Silvally forms, even if that means Gourg may go down itself.

The Silvally Problem

The remaining Silvally forms in ZU are likely the best of the best with what we got. They have huge BSTs, great coverage, and despite not having a usable ability or item they still manage to be crazy good. I truly believe that every form besides maybe Ice and Psychic can be used to great success, and even those two would be fine if they didn't have as much competition as they do.

The entire meta at the moment centers around these forms, as they are either the best win conditions available or the best support that there is to offer. Like I mentioned earlier, most teams are built with NFEs, and some of the better fully evolved mons are Pyschic- and Ghost-types; this makes Silvally that much more warranted on every team as a Knock Off absorber.

There's nothing to do now except build for these behemoths. You can't just go for all physical walls either; Silvally-Electric has a great specially offensive set to worry about, and other forms could too if they wanted to bait or adapt. It'll be hard to make a good balance or stall even that adapts for these forms, and maybe offense is the only way forward in the time being. I could be wrong, but any bulky team can be worn down by the right Silvally form and support.

There's totally more out there, but this is what comes to mind for me. Let's all have fun with ZU Alpha and don't forget to hang out in the ZU room on PS for room tours and games!

 

[czim]

For now, Silvally-Dark seems to be the strongest mon in the metagame. Its Swords Dance set has become one of the hardest things to handle. But, imo, it's widespread use is the one thing keeping setup psychic types in check. Mons like Gothitelle, Duosion and Lunatone are extremely bulky and can easily muscle their way past teams without a Dark type using ridiculous sets like this one below.

broken

Duosion @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Acid Armor
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Recover

So this is something to keep in mind while building a team. Also, i just want to talk about a mon that has been extremely fun for me to use.

Maractus

Maractus @ Life Orb
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Spikes
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Leaf Storm

This guy is an excellent annoyer and similarly to SM Shiftry (obviously much weaker), can hit on both sides of the spectrum with good dark and grass coverage while also being able to set Spikes to support its team.
Here are some fun calcs.
252 SpA Life Orb Maractus Leaf Storm vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Silvally-Dark: 250-294 (75.5 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Maractus Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Mareanie: 253-300 (83.2 - 98.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Maractus Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Machoke: 242-286 (66.4 - 78.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

 

[iLiekMudkipz_]

I have not played yet, but one thing I know is that sun teams will be cancer down here. Like this post if you are hyped for the eventual UU Drought suspect.

I'm just going to leave this boldore here.

Boldore @ Eviolite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Body Press
- Stealth Rock

Use sturdy if not on sand team and replace Heavy Slam with Stealth Rock

 

[Ginger Princess]

NFE + Silvally

 

[5gen]

I have not played yet, but one thing I know is that sun teams will be cancer down here. Like this post if you are hyped for the eventual UU Drought suspect.

I'm just going to leave this sand team boldore here.

Boldore @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 6 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Body Press
- Heavy Slam

Use sturdy if not on sand team and replace Heavy Slam with Stealth Rock

While sun is arguably a dominant play style in this first month of ZU, Boldore works best on teams that need a blanket check to Fire- and Normal-types. Boldore should run a rocker set with 252 HP/252 Def Impish to act as a blanket check to physical attackers thanks to its great Eviolite-boosted bulk on the physical side (or it can run a tank set with 252 Atk Adamant, that's viable too). I've yet to see it alongside Hippopotas on sand teams, but that certainly looks like fun counterplay to sun in the right circumstances. That being said, Eviolite totally outclasses Assault Vest and Boldore sand seems incredibly niche.

NFE + Silvally

Hey. As per the one rule in the OP, please do not post one-liners. While I appreciate the insightful observation, one-liners clog up the thread and do not add anything substantial to discussion.

 

[Charles A. Theist]

Hey everyone, it's your old uncle Charles here. I know I don't post on the forums often, or much at all really. Since I've been reluctantly enjoying myself in Alpha ZU, I figured it'd be fitting to give my view on certain 'mons in Alpha.




First off, let's give special mention to our hazard setters. Although the introduction of Heavy-Duty Boots has allowed some such as Beartic or Shedinja a way to get around their typical hazard weakness, a bulk of the meta still consists of many NFEs and more importantly Silvallys (but I'll get to that later). This means the hazard wars are still gonna be an important aspect of your match, and I feel these guys in particular are gonna see the biggest play out of any of them.

Hazard Game

Although we lack many Fully evolved Pokemon in the tier, plenty of NFEs are able to provide our Stealth Rock needs.

Boldore is rather interesting, as its bulk is actually rather decent with an Eviolite boost. The set I've mainly used is Specially Defensive with Iron Defense + Body Press to give it offensive presense. This set allows it to not only boost up alongside opposing SD Silvallys, but also patch its rather low Special Defense. From testing, Rock STAB in Stone Edge is still a necessity though, as otherwise it becomes complete bait for Natu to switch in.

I'm gonna lump these three together because these are our primary Ground-type Stealth Rock setters, although they do provide something unique to the table to set themselves apart from the other.

Hippopotas is probably the better out of the three I'd say. Recovery in Slack-Off, utility in Toxic or Whirlwind and bringing weather to the table helps to turn the tide of a match, especially if you end up facing opposing weather like sun or hail.

Mudbray definitely has the better all around bulk out the three, can tank some hits thanks to Stamina and has some decently strong Earthquakes and Rock Slides. I'd say this one is a sleeper pick right now.

I... don't particularly like Palpitoad as a Stealth Rocker really, but an okay Whiscash check thanks to Water Absorb is kind of nice. I'd personally invest in it as an offensive Stealth Rocker myself, since otherwise Natu just switches in for free and roosts off whatever you throw at it.

Hey look, non-NFE Stealth Rockers! Although Sudowoodo can set them up too, I feel these guys do a better job in that department personally. I've seen plenty of defensive variants of these guys thanks to their recovery, Ground immunity, and their ability to spread status, but what I personally enjoy are the offensive ones thanks to their bonkers coverage options. The Dark and Bug-type weaknesses do suck in this meta, but I feel these two will still prove themselves to be the better setters as the meta goes forward.

Probably the more notable Stealth Rock user at the moment due to the playstyle it's most used on: Sun. Sun is known as of typing this to be one of the better team archetypes right now due to its strong abusers in Ivysaur and Maractus, and its notable setters in Vulpix and of course, Onix. The unicorn snake has quite a few notable qualities. Its speed combined with okay bulk and Sturdy ensures it's either getting up Sunny Day or Stealth Rock unless it gets taunted by Linoone-Galar. Taunt is another tool that actually separate Onix from its competition, as it can prevent opposing hazards from getting set up, and then proceed to use Explosion once its job is done. I've seen some non-sun Onix with Body Press, but honestly feels it's weaker all around.

Gonna lump these guys together, but Spikes all around are underutilized I feel. It's strange too, because our setters are all around pretty solid. Glalie is the best offensively, it got huge buffs in Heavy-Duty Boots and the addition of Icicle Crash to its movepool, meaning it can reliably run Physically Offensive sets. Maractus meanwhile picks up the slack defensively by checking waters like Octillery and Whiscash. Spiky Shield and Leech Seed is also pretty nice options of getting in some chip.

Mareanie does what it does best really: tank hits it has no business taking and either fish for a burn, set up a Toxic Spike, remove your item or recover from the hit. Biggest issue I find with it is that now more than other people are building in ways to where you're not steam rolled automatically by the mere presence of that T-Spike on the field, while packing coverage to hit Mareanie without giving it a free switch-in.

Koffing is the other T-Spike user of choice I prefer. Mr. Smogon's no slouch offensively, and with the choice of a Ground immunity or absorbing T-Spikes and nullifying Magic Bounce with Neutralizing Gas. This one is another surprise pick I feel, and should definitely be explored more.

Speed is the name of the game, and when your Silvally moving first can decide entire matches, Sticky Web is seeing exploration as the primary form of speed control. Charjabug is definitely the more notable of the two, as it has solid bulk, typing and slow momentum in Volt Switch to reliably set webs and get them back up later should you need to. Personally, I've also been trying Swirlix as a Hyper Offensive lead of choice, as Unburden + Endeavor basically lets you get a kill once Swirlix goes down. Magic Coat is also pretty handy if you to mess up your opponent by preventing them rocks.

While I have the time I'll mention the cute bois . These guys might have an under explored niche in the metagame, but for now I have either yet to use them or have only seen them used by others.

Cufant has been seeing a bit of usage due to it being the sole Steel-type Stealth Rock user in the tier that you would want to use. Solidly tanky with access to Sheer Force for a bit of offensive presence and can phase out dangerous stuff like Eiscue and Gothitelle before they become ridiculous.

Pupitar and Sudowoodo are not quite as suitable as Stealth Rockers from my experience. Personally, Dragon Dance And Choice Banded sets are better on them respectively.

Delibird is a mixed bag at a glance (ha), but Spikes and Rapid Spin role compression might be useful down the road. For now, I prefer Glalie if I want an Ice-Type Spiker.

Dwebble and Trubbish are a bit difficult to justify really. Dwebble I think is the better of the two, both Stealth Rock and Spikes with Sturdy is a blessing, and Shell Smashing with Rock Stab to get by Natu can be so satisfying. Trubbish has decent bulk and utility with both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, but I'd say it has a difficult time standing out compared to say Mareanie.

Meanwhile Dottler exists... I guess. It gets Recover and is decently bulky, but man, I have to question if the recovery is worth sucking up momentum for your team.

When you have hazards, you have to have hazard control. We definitely got the poop end of the stick so far this gen, only really getting a couple of NFEs and Silvally. Honestly, I've found it easier at times to slap a Magic Bounce user to use your opponent's hazards against them. Regardless, it's important to make note of what exactly IS available for those that need hazards gone.

Removers

Defoggers are probably the easiest ones to fit onto your team, but I'd probably realistically only use Togetic and Vullaby.

Togetic is definitely the bulkiest out of the bunch, and it has decent cleric support with Heal Bell, or you could be that mad-lad that runs Serene Grace Tri-Attack. Biggest issue with Togetic is that it's pretty passive, and having to repeatedly switch in on Stealth Rock really wears it down and worsens its ability to check stuff like Machoke, Linoone-Galar or Silvally. Probably better on more bulky builds, or outright stall (if that exists right now).

Vullaby is probably the better of the four, and the one I'd use on more balanced builds. Dark/Flying has pretty key resists in the meta right now, and getting momentum with U-Turn is pretty nice. Kind of has the same problem as Togetic, where hazards cripples its ability to check the stuff it needs to, but scoffing off Grass-Types and Meowstic is pretty good.

Dartrix is decent stat wise, and Grass/Flying isn't necessarily the worst typing to have, but a x4 weakness to Ice is definitely not great right now when a lot of stuff are carrying Ice Beam that it wants to check. You could probably do worse, but I'm not rushing to just slap this on a team.

Vibrava is under the same umbrella as Dartrix mainly, except it actually has a decent matchup vs our rockers and has a cool resistance to Fire, so it can check stuff like Torracat and Raboot. It's too bad about that Ice weakness.

I'm just gonna mention Silvally really fast here, but I find Defog to be a waste at times on it, as Offensive sets are just THAT terrifying. Still, I guess if you're in desperate need, it isn't that bad of a filler move.

Rapid Spin is probably at its worst since ORAS, and if your familiar with that meta, it was mainly Wartortle and Wannabe Wartortles. Wartortle itself is probably the most decent one out of the three, and that's not saying much because, shockingly, I'd rather use offensive Shell Smash. The lose of Refresh and Foresight kind of hit defensive a bit hard, as now Ghosts like Drakloak and Dusknoir can just get in for free on your spin and punish you super hard. It doesn't help matters that Toxic Spikes are still fairly common, meaning Wartortle is gonna need to eat a Poison just to get a spin off to begin with. Still, as a defensive water, I guess you could do worse? Delibird I already mentioned in the hazards section, but to summarize: Spikes and Rapid Spin is its main niche, but because of typing can be difficult to fit over other Pokemon you're likely to use on your team. Steenee is just... yeah, don't use Steenee. Period.

Surprisingly, I've been really liking what Magic Bouncers we have this gen. Hatenna has been especially fun, as it's basically a bulkier, slower Natu with Nuzzle and potentially Aromatherapy and Healing Wish for cleric support. It was a genuine surprise and joy to see it do work (shoutouts to Allstar for bringing this 'mon to my attention)

Meanwhile, Natu does what it's been doing for a while. It actually got a really neat buff this gen in Teleport, which now acts like a negative priority pivoting move, meaning on top of discouraging hazards, it can bring in something safely without taking damage, like say Specs Octillery. Like I've said, our removal is pretty abysmal, but these little dudes might be cool ways of keeping hazards at bay.

And lastly, I'm gonna go through some stuff that are just... really not fun. We can't really do much about this stuff now since this is alpha, but maybe when we enter beta and the meta stabilizes we can look at these guys and we'll all be happy little beavers.

Me when I see these bois

Question. Do you have a Dark-Type or powerful Ghost-Type? No? Well, good game then. These guys do just about the same thing: set up Cosmic Power or Calm Mind + Acid Armor, and proceed to hit your team hard with Stored Power. These blobs are made worse by the fact that they have actual bulk and recovery to properly utilize their ridiculous strategy. Gothitelle is worse between the two personally, because instead of Magic Guard, it can just Mean Look a passive Pokemon and proceed to Cosmic Power and Rest on them. I feel the only reason these two aren't talked about as much is because Silvally-Dark is everywhere, but guys please make sure you're prepped for these.

I legitimately hate facing this thing. Yeah, special attacks can handle it fine and dandy, but late game this thing can be an absolute menace after your team is weakened. Between its Ice STAB and Zen Headbutt or Reversal, Eiscue can become extremely difficult to properly handle because once it sets up a Belly Drum, It's game for the most part. It doesn't help once you do break its Ice Face, it gets a decent speed boost to out-speed your remaining team members. This thing is just not cool.

These things are a menace. It feels at times no matter how well you build your team, you're weak to at least ONE of the Silvallys. Well-rounded stats, a buffed Multi Attack, decent movepool, there's almost no reason to not run one yourself (unless you run a weather or Trick Room I suppose). Ice and Rock feel fine I suppose, but mind you this is also compared to their much better counterparts. There's not much I can say that hasn't been said already by just about everyone in the ZU chatroom and Discord. Silvally IS ZU at the current time.

Hope you have a way to negate weather, have Trick Room or bring a Hippopotas, because Sun and Hail are some of the top Offensive playstyles besides Sticky Webs. Having Auto inducing weather abilities are just bonkers right now when we have powerful abusers of them (Ivysaur who now has access to Weather Ball + Chlorophyll, Maractus and Solar Power Charmeleon for sun, and let's not forget Beartic can rock Heavy-Duty Boots to increase its longevity). I'm not sure if this will be a problem that will persist for long, but there have been a lot of games where you just kind get your weather up, go to your abuser and break your opponent.

So, this is the end of the post. I know I covered a bit of the meta so far, but it's important to remember this tier is only a few days old. Stuff will probably change and fluctuate, and we the players will adapt to this hostile metagame for the time being. Always remember though: our teams are not going to be perfect. Especially right now where we have a lot to learn about what 'mons work and which ones are better left in the PC, we need to remember that May comes and gives us ZU beta. June still brings DLC too, which means more Pokemon to try out and more change to the tier. So if you ever want to try a Pokemon or struggle to get started right now, check out the ZU room or Discord, there's some nice people there to help. (Also the 'mons I used for this last bit are cool and you should use them. They're cool but I'm getting tired from making this post.)

 

[Ginger Princess]

Man no ones talking about this beast

Gastly @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Psychic

This is an unironically good right now. Specs Gastly can abuse Sticky Webs support with its 100 Special Attack and 80 Speed, while simultaneously being unaffected by webs itself, and proceed to clean up late game. 284 max Speed is excellent right now, only being persistently harassed by Silvally-Dark (obviously), Gourgeist, Meowstic, and Drakloak, though the latter 3 cannot handle Gastly defensively, thus aren't switch ins and will succumb if Sticky Webs are up. Moveset isn't final, mostly in that I don't know if Psychic is the move, currently running it rn for potential Gloom and Silvally-Fighting.

 

[iLiekMudkipz_]

Man no ones talking about this beast

View attachment 233771
Gastly @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Psychic

This is an unironically good right now. Specs Gastly can abuse Sticky Webs support with its 100 Special Attack and 80 Speed, while simultaneously being unaffected by webs itself, and proceed to clean up late game. 284 max Speed is excellent right now, only being persistently harassed by Silvally-Dark (obviously), Gourgeist, Meowstic, and Drakloak, though the latter 3 cannot handle Gastly defensively, thus aren't switch ins and will succumb if Sticky Webs are up. Moveset isn't final, mostly in that I don't know if Psychic is the move, currently running it rn for potential Gloom and Silvally-Fighting.

Replace Psychic with Dazzling Gleam , as you can hit Darkvally super effectively with said move, and Fightingvally too.

 

[iLiekMudkipz_]

Heres a list of viable ZU Pokemon of each type. Trust me when I say it took forever to make.

Normal :

Fighting : :farfetch

Flying :

Electric :

Ground :

Water:

Grass: (normal+large)

Poison:

Psychic: :meowstic-m:

Ghost: (normal+large)

Dark:

Bug: (?)

Rock:

Steel:

Ice:

Dragon:

Fairy:

Fire:


Things I have noticed after making this list:

-Psychic is an overly dominating type

-Lots of NFE's here