Metagame SV OU Metagame Discussion v4 [Volcarona Banned]

It's alright, it does counter two top mons and intimidate is an amazing ability. However, it is weak to hazards, which isn't good in this meta.
heavy duty boots is a must on it yeah

but incineroar does seem like a good mon to play w this meta, as mentioned before it switches in nicely against :gholdengo: and non low kick :kingambit:, and threatens them with knock off, flare blitz/will o wisp respectively. its also good against :skeledirge: and :serperior:, and also :weavile: and :meowscarada: with incin worrying about knock off. its a great utility mon too, with the aforementioned will o wisp on mons such as :great-tusk: and pivoting with parting shot. i feel like its a one trick pony but it actually good at what it does
 
:Cinderace:, :Kyurem:, :Volcarona:, :Weavile:, :Dragonite:, :Gouging Fire:, and :Skeledirge: would all really like to be able to run a different item if they could. HDB alleviates hazard pressure and is a really good item, but being forced to run it, especially as a bulky pivot, is definitely a downside.
I probably could have said that it is required to run HDB, unlike other mons weak to hazards. They all want to ignore hazards, but if they go up, they can deal with it. Incineroar without HDB is almost dead weight, it can't switch in often and gets worn down extremely quickly.
 
:Cinderace:, :Kyurem:, :Volcarona:, :Weavile:, :Dragonite:, :Gouging Fire:, and :Skeledirge: would all really like to be able to run a different item if they could. HDB alleviates hazard pressure and is a really good item, but being forced to run it, especially as a bulky pivot, is definitely a downside.
I wouldn't say Kyurem, DNite, or Gouging Fire are forced to run Boots. DNite is a perfectly competent Choice Band user (and Weavile used to be), and the other two have options like Dice, a Choice item, Booster Energy in Gouging Fire's case, etc.

Hell, I'd even go so far as to argue that the Kyurem sets you should be afraid of don't touch Boots at all. Those Specs and Loaded Dice+DD sets are pants-shittingly scary to go up against. Yes, those sets have the very real flaw of being weak to hazards, but the tradeoff of being able to either OHKO 75% of the tier outright early in a game or effortlessly sweep a weakened team lategame make those tradeoffs incredibly worthwhile (hence why they're even run in the first place).

Having to wear Boots is a drawback, absolutely, but it's not a major one. Being able to completely remove the biggest thorn in some of these mons' sides with just one item is a very good tradeoff.
 
:Cinderace:, :Kyurem:, :Volcarona:, :Weavile:, :Dragonite:, :Gouging Fire:, and :Skeledirge: would all really like to be able to run a different item if they could. HDB alleviates hazard pressure and is a really good item, but being forced to run it, especially as a bulky pivot, is definitely a downside.
Heavy duty boots is a top 5 item in gen 9 OU. In a hazard infested meta running heavy duty booty is beneficial even if you arent weak to hazards. Offensive Pokémon would rather run other items but for Defensive pokemon running boots isnt a detriment. If you look at many balance teams they are running boots because it helps with longevity, even if the power isn’t as high.
 
ou is a lot of HO rn, and i got this :focus-sash: :smeargle: lead from someone and optimized it


Smeargle @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 140 HP / 116 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Silk Trap
- Spore
- Sticky Web
- Stone Axe

we all know :smeargle: is a ho lead, but mons like :meowscarada: and :weavile: threaten it with triple axel. with silk trap, :smeargle: lowers their speed and spores them back (:meowscarada: due to protean ice) and allows :smeargle: to get up hazards. silk trap is also useful for :great-tusk: that can switch in on a sticky web or a stone axe and threaten with a rapid spin, breaking sash and wiping hazards. silk trap lowers :great-tusk: speed and gets a spore on it, keeping hazards up while switching into a ghost mon (would like to try screens :dragapult: with this to get fast screens + blocks spin). the ev spread is to specifically avoid the OHKO from non-boosted :iron-crown: tachyon cutter. this allows :smeargle: to spore and get up some hazards. obviously smeargle is suspectable to taunt and opposing hazard stacking so cm :hatterene: could help
 
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ou is a lot of HO rn, and i got this :focus-sash: :smeargle: lead from someone and optimized it


Smeargle @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 140 HP / 116 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Silk Trap
- Spore
- Sticky Web
- Stone Axe

we all know :smeargle: is a ho lead, but mons like :meowscarada: and :weavile: threaten it with triple axel. with silk trap, :smeargle: lowers their speed and spores them back (:meowscarada: due to protean ice) and allows :smeargle: to get up hazards. silk trap is also useful for :great-tusk: that can switch in on a sticky web or a stone axe and threaten with a rapid spin, breaking sash and wiping hazards. silk trap lowers :great-tusk: speed and gets a spore on it, keeping hazards up while switching into a ghost mon (would like to try screens :dragapult: with this to keep hazards + blocks spin). the ev spread is to specifically avoid the OHKO from non-boosted :iron-crown: tachyon cutter. this allows :smeargle: to spore and get up some hazards. obviously smeargle is suspectable to taunt and opposing hazard stacking so cm :hatterene: could help
This set I'm interested in but I don't think that it will become meta. Although it is a great idea, smeargle I believe always has too many options to run (along with poor stats but i digress). You have to give up something like magic coat or ceaseless edge to have silk trap. Still, interesting thinking.
 
I wouldn't say Kyurem, DNite, or Gouging Fire are forced to run Boots. DNite is a perfectly competent Choice Band user (and Weavile used to be), and the other two have options like Dice, a Choice item, Booster Energy in Gouging Fire's case, etc.

Hell, I'd even go so far as to argue that the Kyurem sets you should be afraid of don't touch Boots at all. Those Specs and Loaded Dice+DD sets are pants-shittingly scary to go up against. Yes, those sets have the very real flaw of being weak to hazards, but the tradeoff of being able to either OHKO 75% of the tier outright early in a game or effortlessly sweep a weakened team lategame make those tradeoffs incredibly worthwhile (hence why they're even run in the first place).

Having to wear Boots is a drawback, absolutely, but it's not a major one. Being able to completely remove the biggest thorn in some of these mons' sides with just one item is a very good tradeoff.
Heavy duty boots is a top 5 item in gen 9 OU. In a hazard infested meta running heavy duty booty is beneficial even if you arent weak to hazards. Offensive Pokémon would rather run other items but for Defensive pokemon running boots isnt a detriment. If you look at many balance teams they are running boots because it helps with longevity, even if the power isn’t as high.
That's on me for poor phrasing, but my point was that being hazard-weak and having to run Boots is a pretty notable downside, and in particular for something like Incineroar where its function is as a defensive pivot meant to switch in often. Kyurem and Dragonite and Gouging Fire can get around it for sure, that's because they serve different roles. Or, in Gouging Fire's case, it still needs Boots to fulfill the bulky pivot role.
 
Upon playing more, I’m surprised the council is so lax about waiting for the next survey. It’s once against just HO/cheese/MU Fish all over the ladder. Kyurem doesn’t even fall under that anrchetype and is clearly cracked. Balance styles do work but it’s very narrow (mostly Skarm/Gliscor type) and so many new pokemon have been let into the tier it puts huge stress in the builder. I think people ranked it more enjoyable because it new but this current meta just seems like all the bad parts of the previous ones. It’s harder than ever to account for every threat in the tier.
 

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Upon playing more, I’m surprised the council is so lax about waiting for the next survey.
The point of surveys is to check-in once every month or two with the playerbase. Given tight release schedules and a hectic year of the metagame, we have done them closer to monthly than anything else, even going biweekly for a bit.

The last survey ended on December 31st and our proposal is to wait "a week or two" from January 4th, meaning there will be 2.5-3 weeks between surveys. This already is an aggressive pace and there is no significnt events ongoing right now to prompt it while the first week of two of the biggest SV OU events -- OST and SPL -- will both coincide with then, giving us a much better qualified demographic to rely upon.

Doing it any sooner would be an abuse of the system for the sake of prioritizing a specific agenda realistically. We had a very fair and public vote, nothing got the support it needed, and only one Pokemon came close, so we are just running out the most common sense application of the process from there.

I also think this metagame is just as good as the pre-HOME or DLC1 metagames, and the scores do back that up, so I am sorry you do not enjoy the metagame and I very much hope this changes, but we can only go off of what is in front us us. Appreciate your input for sure, but I think we have the right idea right now.
 
The point of surveys is to check-in once every month or two with the playerbase. Given tight release schedules and a hectic year of the metagame, we have done them closer to monthly than anything else, even going biweekly for a bit.

The last survey ended on December 31st and our proposal is to wait "a week or two" from January 4th, meaning there will be 2.5-3 weeks between surveys. This already is an aggressive pace and there is no significnt events ongoing right now to prompt it while the first week of two of the biggest SV OU events -- OST and SPL -- will both coincide with then, giving us a much better qualified demographic to rely upon.

Doing it any sooner would be an abuse of the system for the sake of prioritizing a specific agenda realistically. We had a very fair and public vote, nothing got the support it needed, and only one Pokemon came close, so we are just running out the most common sense application of the process from there.

I also think this metagame is just as good as the pre-HOME or DLC1 metagames, and the scores do back that up, so I am sorry you do not enjoy the metagame and I very much hope this changes, but we can only go off of what is in front us us. Appreciate your input for sure, but I think we have the right idea right now.
that makes sense to me. I had thought they were more frequent in an early meta. But I understand you want to avoid the appearance of hunting for suspects. As for my enjoyment, it doesn’t matter that much if I’m in the minority.
 
I probably could have said that it is required to run HDB, unlike other mons weak to hazards. They all want to ignore hazards, but if they go up, they can deal with it. Incineroar without HDB is almost dead weight, it can't switch in often and gets worn down extremely quickly.
Volcarona needs boots tho. This isn't gen 7 anymore where you can compensate for starting at 50% with a fucking nuclear weapon. Specs Kyurem is such a nuke you can generally afford to take hazard chip (or just simply win the hazard war lmao) because in return you're doing more than 25% most of the time.


ou is a lot of HO rn, and i got this :focus-sash: :smeargle: lead from someone and optimized it


Smeargle @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 140 HP / 116 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Silk Trap
- Spore
- Sticky Web
- Stone Axe

we all know :smeargle: is a ho lead, but mons like :meowscarada: and :weavile: threaten it with triple axel. with silk trap, :smeargle: lowers their speed and spores them back (:meowscarada: due to protean ice) and allows :smeargle: to get up hazards. silk trap is also useful for :great-tusk: that can switch in on a sticky web or a stone axe and threaten with a rapid spin, breaking sash and wiping hazards. silk trap lowers :great-tusk: speed and gets a spore on it, keeping hazards up while switching into a ghost mon (would like to try screens :dragapult: with this to keep hazards + blocks spin). the ev spread is to specifically avoid the OHKO from non-boosted :iron-crown: tachyon cutter. this allows :smeargle: to spore and get up some hazards. obviously smeargle is suspectable to taunt and opposing hazard stacking so cm :hatterene: could help
lmao nice scale shot garchomp fodder nerd, surely my scale shot will connect and I will not get owned by a smeargle team in 2024
 
Volcarona needs boots tho. This isn't gen 7 anymore where you can compensate for starting at 50% with a fucking nuclear weapon. Specs Kyurem is such a nuke you can generally afford to take hazard chip (or just simply win the hazard war lmao) because in return you're doing more than 25% most of the time.
Although most of the time, yes, sometimes you could say no and just try to go for an all out sweep. But that may be me and my HO riddled brain that has been playing in rain.

lmao nice scale shot garchomp fodder nerd, surely my scale shot will connect and I will not get owned by a smeargle team in 2024
Nice focus sash, would be a shame if I tail slapped you to oblivion with cincinno. Definetely not coping for the fact that cincinno is only mid.
 
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