META HOT TAKES:
I feel like the Smogon equivalent of “go touch grass” to people that are chronically online is like “Go play high ladder” to people who only lurk on the forums. To all you forum lurkers, I see you, I feel you, and I got you. That was me a few years ago. So here’s my list of takeaways from getting suspect reqs:
Cinderace meh
Don’t get me wrong - without a shadow of a doubt, this mon is good and undeniably has a place in OU. However its offensive capabilities are just not enough to be a threat with so many monsters running around rn. Court change and will-o-wisp are both incredibly valuable and annoying on it, especially with that speed. It’s no longer the offensive monster who can tear through teams like last gen - a combination of power creep, protean nerf, and the introduction of some REALLY strong counters like Dondozo, Garganacle, Great Tusk, Skeledirge, and Clodsire make life very difficult for this mon. As good as a fast WoW sounds, half of these guys don’t care all that much about being burnt/ can’t be burnt at all, making it a bit less useful. Still good, but it’s far from the S tier threat imo (at least as of rn!) and it certainly does not destroy hazard stacking. It does provide a really solid way to deter hazardz while also being an answer to gholdengo, but it’s not at all a silver bullet.
Gholdengo good
Oh hey this things pretty good. It’s undeniably strong, but fairly predictable. Never felt all that unmanageable, but always put in work, solid 8/10. Fighting is the best tera type offensively, flying is the best tera type defensively.
Ting Lu Exceptional
This is imo the best defensive mon in the tier. INCREDIBLE bulk, rocks, spikes, phasing, guaranteed 1/2 damage to any target, and a respectably strong earthquake? Absolutely phenomenal. There’s not really any such thing as a “bad user of tera,” but this mon doesn’t really need it all that much.
Espathra good but people use it wrong
This thing is better than people in this thread think but that’s because the sets most people use are bad. Run max Hp/max phys def under screens w/lefties and tera fighting, not tera fairy. CM, Sub, Stored Power, and T Blast? Absolutely cracked. Everyone thinks you’re tera fairy w/ dazzling gleam, but that sets not as good at all. Requires a pretty good amount of support, but provides very strong results.
Annihilape still good
This things such a menace, but people know what to do with it a bit more now, but that doesn’t change how threatening this thing is as a whole. Rest, Bull Up, Drain Punch, Rage Fist is still its best set imo, but Taunt, Final Gambit, Rocks, and even Scarf are all viable options (arranged in descending order of viability imo)
Banded Scizor amazing
This thing’s so so so good please use it with tera steel BULLET PUNCH KABAM
Ceruledge is cracked
Don’t listen to the haters this guys amazing. Tera Bug w/ Flash Fire basically hard counters sun, and finds a chance to set up on TONS of stuff - Tusk, Volcarona, Torkoal, and lots of other odds and ends around the meta. Lots of other useful and cool sets like endure + weakness policy + weak armor can work too but need more support, and aren’t always as guaranteed to pull off some easy wins. It’s fairly matchup dependent, and often relies heavily on tera, but it’s a fun pick that’s very under-prepared for in the current moment.
Quaquaval is the best anti-lead to Glimmora in the tier no contest
Turn 1: Quack vs Glimm get sent out as leads. Quack uses Aqua Step, bringing Glimm down to its sash and raising its speed, which sets up T Spikes through Toxic Debris as Glimm uses the turn to either attempt a KO with Energy Ball (it lives) or set up rocks/spikes
Turn 2: Quack uses Rapid Spin, activity TD again to set up a second T Spike layer, and then the hazard removal effect takes place, Glimm is KO’d, moxie activates, leaving Quack at +2 speed and +1 attack, with NO hazards on the field, and a dead Glimmora.
I have probably done this 2 dozen times, and this is how it plays out every single time without fail.
Defensive win cons are amazingly good!
Curse Dondozo steamrolls teams that aren’t prepped for it, ID Garganacl is a MENACE, Torch Song Skeledirge can snowball through teams REAL quick, and ID Corv is very solid as well. These guys are super fun to use, and can set up some games while providing defensive utility in others. Very versatile!
Chi Yu
The fish is good people. I know everyone here is convinced it’s punching holes in Blissey left and right, which is a bit of an exaggeration, but it is a total fiend. Flame charge set is Underwhelming. Taunt + NP is good. Specs is great. Scarf is exceptional. I suspect there are some underutilized options for a NP Charcoal set that allows you to bluff specs on things like dragons and waters that switch in only to nail them with a Dark Pulse, but it likely won’t stick in the tier long enough to find out. I will say, the near guarantee of a choice item does make this thing much more manageable than you’d think, but c’mon. Nothing comes close to that raw power.
Revival Blessing Ok
Yeah it’s fine. Not game breaking like some people thought, being revived at 1/2 HP is not quite as high as you want it to be, but obviously playing with 7-8 mons is always fun.
Iron Hands good
This thing smacks. SD is an astonishingly strong wall breaker that can body Dondozo, Garganacl, Corviknight, and Ting Lu. Tera Flying is cracked. Defensively, it can emergency check a lot, especially with defensive investment or an AV, stuff like Chi Yu, Chien Pao, Gholdengo, or Kingambit all get beat 1v1.
That’s all I got friends. Lmk your meta hot takes from laddering :)
went to OU, whats the niche? checking Chi yu? Sweeps? Wallbreaking? Cuteness? all of the above?
