1. Rank the above in terms of how much you prefer the above playstyles and how effective/good they are in your opinion (1 being the best and 4 being the worst)
2. What Pokemon do you think are staples for each playstyle, or are very good for each specific playstyle?
3. What are some fun pokemon you like for each playstyle, or for some playstyles
4. Most overrated Pokemon in your opinion?
5. Most underrated Pokemon in your opinion?
6. Favorite new Generation 9 pokemon to use?
7. Favorite returning Pokemon from Gens 1-8 to use?
8. Have you tried out any of the new items? If so, are there any you like or any that are making a solid impact in OU?
9. On a scale of 1-10, how much are you enjoying SV OU, with 1 being the least and 10 being the most?
10. On a scale of 1-10, how competitive do you find SV OU, with 1 being the least competitive and 10 being the most competitive?
1. Balance/BO/HO >>> Stall
I think BO/Balance/HO are all really close. The line between BO and HO has blurred so much this generation as all of the Paradox Pokemon have great typings and at least one decent defensive stat. Other prominent Pokemon, both old and new, also seem to fit on both (think Garchomp or Kingambit). I think Stall has taken a hit thanks to the bevy of new offensive threats, the increased distribution of hazards, and Terastallization.
2. BO - Garchomp (great speed tier, excellent bulk and offenses, great typing, access to SR/Spikes)
Balance - Corviknight (fantastic bulk and typing with relatively little hazard weakness, Defog/U-Turn)
HO - Dragapult (the fastest unboosted Pokemon, huge amount of set variety and an excellent movepool to support it)
Stall - Dondozo (bananas bulk, great defensive typing which is bolstered by Tera, Unaware)
3. My teams feel pretty run of the mill, but one mon that I have liked on HO is Hydreigon, especially as a lead. It gets SR/Taunt/Twave, all of which are fantastic for a lead Pokemon, and since its attacking move (Dark Pulse/Earth Power) will be special, its not giving anything to Glimmora. Great Tusk usage has increased a lot though, which is very troubling for Hydreigon. I really wish this thing still got Roost, because a fast bulky set could be a great answer for Gholdengo.
4. This feels absolutely wild to say, but Gholdengo. I'm in a really weird spot with this little guy. He has absolutely had an effect on the metagme, and remains a staple on a lot of hazard-centric builds. However, the metagame has seriously adapted to him with rises in usage for Chi-Yu, Chien-Pao, Great Tusk, Garchomp, and others. Gholdengo can still do what it needs to with these threats around, but its position is a lot more perilous. (Despite this, I still think this Pokemon will eventually be suspect-worthy.)
5. This also feels wild to say, but Chi-Yu. People have for sure acknowledged its power, but this is a special attacking Pokemon that even Blissey can't switch into ON A NEUTRAL HIT AT FULL. Sure, it has to be Specs Tera Fire with Overheat, and the 2HKO is a roll (does 94% minimum), but this calc is still is mind-boggling to me.
6. Gotta be Chi-Yu or Iron Valiant. Chi-Yu is just so incredibly powerful (see 5) and BE Iron Valiant is really fun as a cleaner.
7. Garchomp. I have been running a fast bulky Garchomp with SD + Tera Fire + Terablast. It dismantles Corviknight balance while allowing Garchomp to take hits from the likes of Chien-Pao and Iron Valiant.
8. Is Booster Energy an instrument?
9. I'd give it a 9. GF released so many insanely new strong Pokemon that are also insanely fun to abuse. The metagame is pretty offensive, allowing the dopamine receptors in my brain to fire off the maximum number of times per hour.
10. A 6 here with Tera being my biggest issue. Offensive metas can also be more match-up oriented, so I'd probably still only give an 8 if Tera were removed.