I went digging into the archives a few days ago to research Terastallization again. After a string of frustrating losses that felt dictated more by luck than strategy, I realized that the variance introduced by Tera mechanics deserved a deeper look. My goal was to understand what makes it such a polarizing mechanic and how it could be improved. After losing several low-ladder coin-flip matchups, I realized the problem with Tera is not Tera Blast or the type-flipping component to become immune to a previously 4x weak attack, but rather the variance caused by having so many different unknown Tera choices. This variance can save unwinnable scenarios far too often. The solution to this is "Open Tera," or revealing Tera types at Team Preview. This idea gained traction during the suspect test two years ago. The Tera vote itself was one of the closest in Smogon history (59% in favor of action), and the action preferred was Tera Preview. I didn’t count the votes myself, but my guess is that two years ago, if Tera Preview had been the choice against no action, it would have won outright.
SV OU is not a perfect metagame. However, it is redeemable because of its strong foundation of diverse team archetypes and creative strategies. The tools for a balanced and competitive experience are already in place; they just need refinement to mitigate excessive variance and improve gameplay consistency. Tons of suspect test ideas have been thrown around in various threads. The Palafin test was a huge missed opportunity to address the real root cause of SV OU discontentment. When the idea of a "community-led" suspect test arose, I created an internal big board of over 30 different suspect test ideas, including all A+ VR Pokémon and above, bringing down unloved Ubers, retesting previous controversial cases, and tweaking game mechanics. Among all these, "Open Tera" stood out because it most closely addressed the root cause of SV OU frustration: its abnormally high variance in results.
Some variance is tolerable and even encouraged. For example, moves like Scald introducing the chance of a burn or secondary effects like flinches from Air Slash add an element of unpredictability without completely overriding strategy. Pokémon is not chess; it has nondeterministic elements that make each match unique and exciting. If games didn’t have randomness, casinos wouldn’t exist because there’d be no reason to pull the lever on a slot machine. However, too much variance bails out players in poor positions far too often. This makes the game far less enjoyable. Losing to hax feels bad, but at least there are ways to minimize risks and play better. Tera, on the other hand, can feel like a “get out of jail free” card, flipping outcomes with minimal counterplay.
The Eight Components of Terastallization
Terastallization is built on eight distinct components that make it a unique mechanic. While each of these adds depth to the gameplay, they also combine to amplify variance to a level that can feel unmanageable. Understanding these components helps clarify how they contribute to both strategic opportunities and frustration. While some of these encourage strategic depth, others significantly amplify variance:
- Type Transformation: The ability to change a Pokémon’s type to any other type creates flexibility, allowing surprise immunities or resistances.
- Tera Blast: A special move that adapts to the user’s higher offensive stat and matches their Tera type, offering unique coverage options.
- STAB Amplification: Pokémon that Terastallize into their original type gain an enhanced 2× multiplier on their STAB moves, compared to the standard 1.5×. This 33% increase in damage output significantly enhances their offensive pressure.
- Surprise Element: Without Tera Preview, opponents must guess the Tera type, creating high-stakes situations where wrong predictions flip games unexpectedly.
- Defensive Resilience: Tera allows a Pokémon to neutralize or reduce previously crippling weaknesses, such as Garchomp using Steel Tera to counter Ice and Fairy.
- Synergistic Interactions: Certain items (e.g., Assault Vest) and abilities (e.g., Protean) synergize with Tera, redefining a Pokémon’s role mid-battle.
- Strategic Type-Matching: Teams can leverage Tera types to counter threats or create synergies, such as Dragonite’s Normal Tera enhancing Extreme Speed.
- Mid-Battle Role Reversal: Tera enables dynamic role shifts, such as Dragapult becoming defensive with Fairy Tera to counter threats it couldn’t otherwise handle.
These elements interact to create unprecedented levels of variance. For example, the combination of defensive resilience (Component 5) and surprise element (Component 4) often leaves players unable to predict or counter effectively, flipping games in unpredictable ways.
Historical Precedent for Action
Smogon has addressed problematic mechanics in the past when they threatened the competitive integrity of the game. For example, Sleep Clause and the Dynamax ban were broadly supported because they restored balance to the game. While controversial at first, these decisions ultimately enhanced competitive play and earned widespread acceptance. Tera Preview aligns with this precedent as a measured approach to preserving strategic depth while addressing its flaws. For example:
- Sleep Clause: Implemented to mitigate the randomness of sleep spam, despite being outside cartridge rules.
- Dynamax Ban: Dynamax was deemed too powerful for competitive play and removed entirely in Gen 8 OU.
- National Dex itself is a modification to bring back Dexited components of previous generations.
Tera Preview aligns with this tradition. It preserves the strategic depth of Terastallization while mitigating its variance. Dynamax was laughably overpowered and had no place in OU; Tera is far less egregious but suffers from an overabundance of unpredictable outcomes.
Missed Opportunities and Future Directions
I don’t fault any tier leader—they’ve done incredible work, and I certainly wouldn’t want that job. That said, as a community, we’ve made systemic missteps that have compounded over time, leaving key opportunities to improve the tier unaddressed. However, as a community, we’ve made systemic missteps:
- Kyurem: Mishandled twice, it dominated the tier and warped team-building before being banned (and then unbanned after joke votes intended to have no impact kept it alive when a cheating scandal broke out.)
- Kingambit: A razor-thin vote allowed it to run unchecked, becoming one of the biggest problems in OU.
- Palafin: A suspect test could have addressed Tera's overwhelming presence, but the opportunity was missed.
These decisions weren’t made by any single individual, but they’ve shaped the current state of SV OU. We now have the chance to fix Tera before inaction causes permanent damage. Open Tera would reduce variance without removing the mechanic entirely, striking a balance between innovation and competitive fairness.
Call to Action
Inaction is a choice. The closer we get to the end of SV’s lifecycle, the harder it becomes to make meaningful changes. Open Tera offers a solution that respects the spirit of Terastallization while addressing its flaws. Let’s not let this opportunity slip away again. The future of SV OU depends on our willingness to act now.