Howdy fellers, even with this meta still being pretty new I'd like to bring something to attention that I believe is worth discussing with regards to the future of SV UU. UU still has a few centralizing mons around that probably should be discussed further about whether their centralization is good for the tier or not. I think some mons that come to mind for most range from Latios, Garg, Greninja, Gmoltres, Garchomp, and Moth for many reasons. However, in the new meta id like to bring attention to hazard dynamics in uu.
and that is the current hazard dynamics in sv uu.
Before i get into it, id like to clarify that im not saying Treads leaving alone was the culprit in the state of hazard stack, but rather its absence makes the issue more apparent. Hazard stack is crazy good at the moment, perhaps even too good in the current state of uu. It's no secret that hazard removal has been rather scarce in all of sv with the omnipresent setters this gen has created, but for the most part uu to me has never really had it that badly the way other tiers have. In recent dlcs the hazard dynamics have gotten worse for uu even with or without Iron Treads in the tier. There's a few different things that play into how good hazard stacking is, but it can be simpled down to too many good setters existing, limited viable removal options, and removal deterrents.
etc.
etc.
For the different setters, there can be solid removal mons that matchup into them well. However, this usually only goes so far depending on the type of removal in question. UU has always been a tier primarily dominated by rapid spinners with occasional defoggers that could also be used. At this point in time, much of this remains true. There may be a few more legit defogging options now in Mandibuzz and Weezing-g (and less traditional means of control in Maushold, Cinccino, Smeargle lol), but for how good hazard stack can be, players are just much more inclined to run spinners to maintain the strategy easier. With this preference for spinners in mind, it's also worth considering the removal deterrents the tier has that the spinners must be mindful of. In this meta, the spinblockers are quite the potent forces that largely enable hazard stacking, along with occasional tera ghost techs that also play into this a bit. The ghost(s) in question is usually bulky ghosts like sinistcha, with the occasional offensive ghosts in gengar/zoroh/polteageist/mmq/etc., but has also now developed into pecha being part of the dynamic. I think by now most are no stranger to something like tera ghost garg, ribombee, garchomp, sandy shocks, ursaluna, etc. that can also put in immense pressure for hazard teams. Hazard removal options only get so far with these things to where over the half the mons performing these roles are more likely to not accomplish what they've set out to do. Now this only doesn't apply to bulky structures, but it tends to manifest for offensive structures too in HO to an extent, some weathers, and even psychic terrain builds. Because of the current hazard dynamics making it very difficult to really manage them effectively, some of these playstyles end up being rather oppressive. Perhaps the weather playstyles less than the others, but psychic terrain especially has gotten more potent than it previously was with the addition of Iron Crown, on top of all the other fan favorite staples of the playstyle, and part of that is because of how limited the hazard dynamics are in current uu. The thing about this playstyle being very good when offense as whole is rather dominanting the tier, traditional means for checking some of the offensive teams aren't effective versus this particular structure just taking into account what psychic terrain does. Surely you get the point I'm trying to make here in mentioning all of this. Essentially, I believe that hazard stack might be too good in current uu to where some action might be required for the health of the tier.
One could argue that there's other pressing issues that could be looked at first, but I do think it's worth discussing how this sort of issue would be addressed if at all. Ideally, the answer to this would result in some of the hazard control options benefiting in some way. Perhaps any of the setters could be looked at, but that doesn't necessarily address the removal dynamics to get better. Essentially, if this were to be looked at in some way, I believe one of the bulky ghosts should be looked at, namely Sinistcha. When you look at rapid spin options the tier has, most of them can be hard punished by this mon or usually have to tech in something very specific just for this mon. Quaqaval has run flying coverage as knock off isn't enough, Tsareena has to run triple axel if it wants to come close to 2hkoing it, Cyclizar doesn't do enough damage despite its typing theoretically being effective against it, Donphan just gets outsped and outlasted by any of the moves Sinis uses, Tentacruel actually does okay for the most part but can also potentially lose to repeated shadow ball, Tatsugiri does threaten it but has other issues beyond just this matchup as do most of the other spinning options also considering that Sinis is not frail, etc. I've advocated before for Sinis being too good of a mon and I think more than ever is it the most unhealthy it's been, on top of having legit tech options for some of its supposed checks like Stun Spore + Hex into a lot of the flying types, scald into some of the darks, a variety of berry options, and multiple tera options as well. Now you might ask why not Pecharunt? well, this mon is still rather new but so far it facing it, it has struck m as a mon that is almost as annoying as Garganacl is, but I think it could definitely be argued to interact with the tier in a healthier way than Sinis does, most namely that it's easier to pressure it and doesn't have the same longevity that Sinistcha's movepool allows. Now, if the issue of bulky ghosts is being addressed, one could definitely argue that random tera ghost plays into this as well for something like Garganacl especially, but even with tera ghost this does have a cost to it whereas for something like Sinis it's more of a benefit pre-tera. I'm curious to hear other peoples' thoughts on this and how they would go about this issue.
Anyways, the tier has just lost one of the most impactful influences that sv uu has for a while with the rise of Iron Teads. It's splashability onto teams will surely be missed, but at the same time changes like this can be a good thing in broadening teambuilding a bit more creatively rather than being complacent in using "safety net" mons. Alomomola also played into this a bit in single-handedly carrying an entire playstyle that we have also lost with its rising. UU has acquired Pecharunt, Toxapex, and Iron Crown, some interesting drops to say the least. The feel of the tier seems gloomy overall while it has to adapt without two very influential presences, but maybe that's just an overreaction to the new meta flow. While some things in the tier may change drastically, others not so much. It should be interesting seeing what new surprises arrise from these changes.
Thanks for reading if you got this far :D
