Yo gonna post my current VR as well as some thoughts on some mons. I won't talk about anything that Duo discussed specifically though so go check out his post just above mine.
Fluxtape-Stereo or Stereotape: Yeah this thing is crazy. Its stats look like Melmetal's and it's just as difficult to wall. Flare Blitz+Earthquake already covers the entire meta while Wild Charge takes care of annoying Cetaidons or Nimbustorms. Its Flare Blitz hurt especially badly, 2hkoing Spdef Whiscamp despite its resistance to the move and that's not even under sun. Its only reliable counter would be Drakotomy with Earthquake thanks to its resistance to both stabs and respectable bulk. Physdef Burrodger can also wall it except under sun and you can try switching into a faster pokemon on a resisted move such as switching Laopharsi or Nympheral on a Flare Blitz. However, despite that, Stereotape is insanely difficult to deal with. It even learns Dragon Dance to threaten a sweep and outspeeds and destroys just about everything after 2 dances. So yeah, Stereotape might need a nerf.
Nimbustorm: Those HUGE wishes are back! Nimbustorm finds a very nice place in this meta due to its raw bulk and its big wishes. It can easily wall threats such as Jungape or Gorilax thanks to its massive HP stat and Magic Guard. It can also Defog very reliably and spread burns thanks to Scald. However, the main reason it's seeing such a huge rise is the introduction of an amazing partner: Gargogunk. Gargogunk's huge special bulk makes it unbelievably hard to take down. However, it suffers from one weakness: lack of recovery. Luckily, Nimbustorm can give it exactly that, making for a very tough core. Of course it can still pair up with its old partner, Heraleo to form the same old defensive core, though it isn't nearly as unbreakable as it used to be.
Gargogunk: This pokemon is great. Its massive special bulk allows it to shrug off even super effective hits like it's nobody's business and it also packs a ton of utility between Rocks, Toxic Spikes, U-Turn and Glare and can even use Trick+Black Sludge to try to cripple opponents. Its slow U-Turns generate a ton of momentum and, with wish support, it becomes nearly unbreakable. This makes it incredibly valuable on teams going from bulky offense to hard-stall. One of my favorite new pokemon.
Heraleo: Despite gaining competition in the form of Beetilient, a pokemon that is also far easier to use than it thanks to reliable recovery, I still believe Heraleo is on par with it, even better in certain scenarios. Its immediate bulk is far better than Beetilient's thanks to Dauntless Shield and its access to Rocks is a lot more useful than Spikes due to the meta being filled with Fire types which commonly use items other than Boots. Its defensive typing is also a lot better, meaning it can take a lot of hits due to lacking a 4x weakness and making it not instantly crumble against pokemon such as Fluormingo. However, the move that currently defines and always did define Heraleo is Roar. It's an absolutely amazing phazer that can take boosted attacks easily and Roar away the opponent, getting rid of the threat for the time being and stacking hazard chip on the opponent.
Fluxtape-Stereo or Stereotape: Yeah this thing is crazy. Its stats look like Melmetal's and it's just as difficult to wall. Flare Blitz+Earthquake already covers the entire meta while Wild Charge takes care of annoying Cetaidons or Nimbustorms. Its Flare Blitz hurt especially badly, 2hkoing Spdef Whiscamp despite its resistance to the move and that's not even under sun. Its only reliable counter would be Drakotomy with Earthquake thanks to its resistance to both stabs and respectable bulk. Physdef Burrodger can also wall it except under sun and you can try switching into a faster pokemon on a resisted move such as switching Laopharsi or Nympheral on a Flare Blitz. However, despite that, Stereotape is insanely difficult to deal with. It even learns Dragon Dance to threaten a sweep and outspeeds and destroys just about everything after 2 dances. So yeah, Stereotape might need a nerf.
Nimbustorm: Those HUGE wishes are back! Nimbustorm finds a very nice place in this meta due to its raw bulk and its big wishes. It can easily wall threats such as Jungape or Gorilax thanks to its massive HP stat and Magic Guard. It can also Defog very reliably and spread burns thanks to Scald. However, the main reason it's seeing such a huge rise is the introduction of an amazing partner: Gargogunk. Gargogunk's huge special bulk makes it unbelievably hard to take down. However, it suffers from one weakness: lack of recovery. Luckily, Nimbustorm can give it exactly that, making for a very tough core. Of course it can still pair up with its old partner, Heraleo to form the same old defensive core, though it isn't nearly as unbreakable as it used to be.
Gargogunk: This pokemon is great. Its massive special bulk allows it to shrug off even super effective hits like it's nobody's business and it also packs a ton of utility between Rocks, Toxic Spikes, U-Turn and Glare and can even use Trick+Black Sludge to try to cripple opponents. Its slow U-Turns generate a ton of momentum and, with wish support, it becomes nearly unbreakable. This makes it incredibly valuable on teams going from bulky offense to hard-stall. One of my favorite new pokemon.
Heraleo: Despite gaining competition in the form of Beetilient, a pokemon that is also far easier to use than it thanks to reliable recovery, I still believe Heraleo is on par with it, even better in certain scenarios. Its immediate bulk is far better than Beetilient's thanks to Dauntless Shield and its access to Rocks is a lot more useful than Spikes due to the meta being filled with Fire types which commonly use items other than Boots. Its defensive typing is also a lot better, meaning it can take a lot of hits due to lacking a 4x weakness and making it not instantly crumble against pokemon such as Fluormingo. However, the move that currently defines and always did define Heraleo is Roar. It's an absolutely amazing phazer that can take boosted attacks easily and Roar away the opponent, getting rid of the threat for the time being and stacking hazard chip on the opponent.
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