Sword&Shield&Speculation!

[Eve]

Sword&Shield&Speculation!

Pokémon Sword and Shield are possibly the most conterversial Pokemon games ever announced due to their limited roster and removal of features such as Mega Evolution and Z-Moves. Of course, many people have talked about how a competitive SwSh metagame would play out.

This pet mod aims to fulfil that, by using playtesting and available information about the games to speculate in a totally new way: by playing the game before it comes out!

...Okay, I'm gonna stop plagiarising Theorymon's "Let's Go Speculate!" Pet Mod now- if it wasn't clear, this submission aims to work in a similar manner!​

Rules & Info
0. This is a 6v6 Singles metagame. Standard OU clauses like Sleep Clause, Species Clause, Evasion Clause, and OHKO Clause apply.
We do also have Doubles OU- and VGC-style metagames set up for anyone interested

1. Only Pokemon that have been confirmed to appear in the game will be allowed in the standard meta (with some specific exceptions).
In order to avoid potentially involving Pokémon that might not be in the games, we'll only be using those that are guaranteed to be in the games through trailer reveals. We're making an exception for Venusaur and Blastoise, who are almost guaranteed given Charizard's presence, as well as the base formes of Linoone and Weezing who will most likely be included with their variants. You can find every other confirmed Pokemon here. The formats themselves allow the use of any mon for the sake of National Dex meta testing, but the restricted meta is definitely our main focus. I'll make an announcement in here if and when more Pokemon are confirmed!

2. Mega Stones and Z-Crystals do not exist and have no function.
They're replaced by...

3. Dynamax is fully implemented, along with Max Moves.
Our implementation of Dynamax relies on a few assumptions and estimates, but it works as such-

• Dynamax lasts 3 turns, doesn't require an item slot and can be activated at the press of a button. It also ends if the user switches out. Like Mega Evolution, it activates at the beginning of the turn.
• The user's current and maximum HP recieve a 1.5x boost for the duration of Dynamax, which is scaled back down once dynamax ends. The user cannot be flinched for the duration of Dynamax.
• The user's attacks are turned into powerful Max Moves. While not as strong as Z-Moves, each Max Move has a guaranteed secondary effect. For example, a Flying-type attack will be boosted into Max Airstream which provides a +1 boost to the user's Speed after attacking. We can't be certain about these effects, but out of the 18 types, our assumption working off currently known Max Moves is that 4 set their respective Weathers, 4 set their respective Terrains, 5 boost one of the user's stats and 5 drop one of the opponent's stats. A list of known and currently assumed Max Move effects, as well as a chart for figuring out their Base Power, can be found here for now.
• Status moves are turned into Max Guard, a Protect clone that fully blocks Max Moves- Max Moves will break through regular Protect and its variants, dealing 1/4 of their normal damage.

In battle, the "Mega Evolution" button will correspond to activating Dynamax. Max Moves will be displayed visually as Z-Moves.

4. Terrains affect all Pokemon, not just grounded ones.
According to many people who played the E3 demo, their Corviknight (holding an Everstone) was healed by Grassy Terrain. Video footage showing this can be found here! This makes it seem very likely that terrains have been reworked to affect all Pokemon, and we will be playing with that change in effect.

5. Corviknight and Weezing-Galar have been implemented in a speculatory manner.
Corviknight is a Steel/Flying type with Pressure, Unnerve and Mirror Armor, a new Ability which reflects stat drops from opponents' moves and Abilities. The demo, screenshots and trailers have given us a rough estimate of its stats (102/80/98/56/78/60). We are granting it Skarmory's movepool for testing as it will likely be fairly similar, with the known additions of Hone Claws and Power Trip. For the sake of visual representation in battle, it overwrites Murkrow.
Weezing-Galar is a Poison/Fairy with Levitate and Nullifying Gas, a new Ability which prevents all other abilities from activating while the user is active. We are assuming it has the same stats as its regular form, and have given it regular Weezing's movepool plus Moonblast, Dazzling Gleam and Fairy Wind. For the sake of visual representation in battle, it overwrites Koffing.
As the Pokemon in question may be functionally different to how this portrays them (especially in Corviknight's case), feel free to request matches without them included if you want.

6. New items are included.
The Eject Pack and Room Service items are introduced. Eject Pack seems to be a consumable item which makes the holder switch upon having one of its stats lowered, while Room Service is a consumable item which drops the user's Speed by 1 stage under Trick Room. These can be used by editing the Pokemon's import- for example "Roserade @ Eject Pack"


Current Banlist: Wobbuffet, Wynaut- These two Pokémon turn the already powerful setup-centric teams of this meta's defensive answers into free setup opportunities and punish common revenge killing options. They aren't healthy.

Watchlist: Gyarados- Gyarados is easily the strongest known abuser of Dynamax. A single Dragon Dance is often all it needs to sweep, from which point its coverage of Waterfall (sets Rain when Maxed), Bounce (gives +1 Speed when Maxed) and Earthquake (drops opponent's Defense by 1 stage when Maxed) can snowball through many teams thanks to Moxie. It's made even more fearsome with Screens support. There is counterplay, however- Mimikyu is always a safety net as long as Disguise is active, extremely bulky Pokemon that take its hits neutrally such as Dusclops can disrupt it, and the newly revealed Rotom-Wash deals with it decently.

We've been playing since late June with a small but dedicated playerbase, which has given us some time to make resources! Shoutouts to Luisar2002 and Yung Dramps in particular for their assistance with these resources, as well as the rest of the players.
Viability Rankings
Speed Tiers (Just sorted by base Speed for now)
Fully playable on Nexus!
Our shiny new Discord!

This thread IS the place for discussing the metagame and our resources for it. It ISN'T the place for discussing the Pokedex cut, although its impact on competitive play may be relevant to discussion and therefore given a pass. Enjoy, and get testing!

 

[Eve]

Reserving

 

[Eve]

Reserving

You can talk now :]

 

[Luisar2002]

Well, time to talk about one of the mons i think has the most potential of all, mew. This thing really apreciates the dex cut, not only because of the lower powerlevel, but also because a lot of mons that outclassed his sets are now gone, for example, azelf can't no longer outclass it as a suicide lead. Being able to run more sets than before is definitively a plus to mew, allowing the mon to basically be unpredictable.

Other change that mew really likes is dynamax, physical variants can get an speedboost thanks to dynamaxed sky attack, both offensive variants can summon psychic terrain with just one use of stab psychic, and one last thing that doesn't seem big but can potentially change the outcome of the game is the fact that you don't know if a dynamaxed move was physical or special, as they both look the same, so imagine that you get revenge killed by a mew that used a psychic move, you have a chance to stop it with either your physical or special tank/wall but you don't know which one you have to use, mew could potentially grab one extra kill before being forced to be switched out or even end a game thanks to the snowball effect of dynamaxed moves.

Here are some sets, but it's mew, so you can slap anything you want tbh:


Mew @ Mental Herb
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Tailwind / Knock Off
- Explosion


Mew @ Life Orb
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Superpower
- Zen Headbutt
- Sky Attack


Mew @ Life Orb
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rock Polish
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball

 

[Eve]

As the resident Trick Room user for this meta, I want to explain why it's really actually something you have to prep for this time! In general, Dynamax and the currently available mons lead the meta to tend towards Hyper Offense which Trick Room absolutely destroys. Dynamax also gives its abusers the boost they need to bypass annoying walls that might otherwise give them issues, meaning the playstyle has solid matchups against both frail and bulky teams. Dynamax's bulk increase also turns the generally bulky TR abusers into real pains to take down, meaning they can put in work even after Trick Room runs out which is massive. In addition the Pokemon that best fit TR happen to be great anti-sweeper picks such as Mimikyu and Dusclops, meaning it's one of the few playstyles that really isn't too scared of behemoths like Gyarados.

TR has great setters that each provide different things, like Mimikyu's absolute reliability, Bronzong's Stealth Rock + Explosion, Dusclops' Anti-setup options and Memento paired with absolutely insane bulk and Reuniclus' amazing OTR potential. These setters are definitely pretty vulnerable to stuff like Hydreigon and Gengar but those things are checked at least once by Mimikyu.
TR also has some pretty solid abusers. Vikavolt is a common choice with its amazing Bug/Electric/Grass coverage and insane Special Attack as well as good bulk and Volt Switch to deal with predicted switches into its very few answers like AV Goodra. Reuniclus doubles as a setter and an abuser, with Psychic/Ghost/Fighting coverage dealing with pretty much everything and Dynamax making it even better (gives Psychic Terrain, +1 Sp.Atk and patches up bad accuracy respectively). Machamp is great at spamming Guts boosted CCs, EQs and Facades with priority Bullet Punch to deal with stuff outside of Trick Room, especially after getting Attack Boosts from Max Close Combat. Machamp and Conkeldurr do similar things but I'd say Machamp's access to a more spammable powerful Fighting STAB and Bullet Punch giving it free coverage for Clefable when Dynamaxed gives it an edge on TR. Options such as Snorlax and the extremely niche Gigalith are powerful Choice Band abusers that also provide momentum by blowing themselves out and probably picking up a KO in the process, which is pretty nice.

tldr; prepare for Trick Room if you play this meta, I especially spam the playstyle lol

 

[Yung Dramps]

Le best OU meta in years has arrived

Lemme run down some of my favorite mons in this meta real quick

Gengar's back at the top, Sub on this man is monstrous with Max Ghost boosting Special Attack. Even if it turns out the real version of it can't boost SpA so easily, it'll probably still be pretty good with 110 speed being far less crowded/overshadowed and just the general fact of it being Gengar in a severely decrept metagame.

Ash-Gren is gone, so long live the Ludiking. It's pretty easy to see why this combo is deadly: Half of the time, you'll just be spamming specs Hydro Pump with Ludi. Max Water can even let Ludi set its own rain in a pinch!

Peopled memed about this thing being evil when it was confirmed to return, but I'm seriously glad it did. This meta's still very offensive, but our man Pex has so far been a solid defensive backbone pick in spite of it. The meta is definitely better off with its presence as a roadblock for sweeps and stuff.

This mon is super fun... ...mainly because it's busted lol. I'm mentally immature and like it when I can win games after 1 DDance, ok? But FR probably gonna need to be banned if future meta shifts dont introduce any notable checks, although Rotom-Wash is a good counter at least in theory.

In short, this meta is great and the dex cut completely paid off.

 

[Eve]

But FR probably gonna need to be banned if future meta shifts dont introduce any notable checks, although Rotom-Wash is a good counter at least in theory.

I've checked resistance lists and I'm pretty sure Washtom is literally as good as answers get for Water/Flying/Ground coverage

 

[Cuddly]

SWSH Regional Dex is looking to be very Stall oriented Metagame, despite the new form mechanics.
Assuming most legendaries are gone, most psuedo legendaries are gone, and all Megas are not returning being confirmed, this leaves Stall teams with significantly less threats to deal with, while maintaining most of the Pokemon they use. Although Chansey is not confirmed (she is likely to be in due to Gen 1 status), along with Mega Sableye, Stall still has Clefable, Quagsire, and now Skarmory 3.0. Stall also have tons of its niche Pokemon like Avalugg, but like stated earlier, is less likely needed due to several threats leaving the metagame. Stall also gets Galarian-Weezing, which neutralizes Sheer Force, Huge Power, Poison Heal, and anything that can cause trouble for Stall. Also, since Dynamax lasts so shortly, the affects won't affect Stall that much, especially since Stall can Dynamax on the opposing Pokemon at any time the opponent is going to Dynamax, and since Stall is Stall, it's not like a person playing with Stall will try to sweep with a Dynamax, so they can have it in reserves always.

SWSH Full Dex on Showdown (maybe with Megas and Z-moves too) will be very different however, and I assume we will not be discussing it, but I thought I would mention it since Showdown announced that they will let users play with all Pokemon.

 

[Yung Dramps]

SWSH Regional Dex is looking to be very Stall oriented Metagame, despite the new form mechanics.
Assuming most legendaries are gone, most psuedo legendaries are gone, and all Megas are not returning being confirmed, this leaves Stall teams with significantly less threats to deal with, while maintaining most of the Pokemon they use. Although Chansey is not confirmed (she is likely to be in due to Gen 1 status), along with Mega Sableye, Stall still has Clefable, Quagsire, and now Skarmory 3.0. Stall also have tons of its niche Pokemon like Avalugg, but like stated earlier, is less likely needed due to several threats leaving the metagame. Stall also gets Galarian-Weezing, which neutralizes Sheer Force, Huge Power, Poison Heal, and anything that can cause trouble for Stall. Also, since Dynamax lasts so shortly, the affects won't affect Stall that much, especially since Stall can Dynamax on the opposing Pokemon at any time the opponent is going to Dynamax, and since Stall is Stall, it's not like a person playing with Stall will try to sweep with a Dynamax, so they can have it in reserves always.

SWSH Full Dex on Showdown (maybe with Megas and Z-moves too) will be very different however, and I assume we will not be discussing it, but I thought I would mention it since Showdown announced that they will let users play with all Pokemon.

If Chansey gets in and/or the Galar dex introduces a brand new super fat stall mon... ...maybe? Right now though, stall ain't looking too great. It's not unviable and some offensive threats leaving definitely helps it, but Dynamaxing making the metagame very offensive does it no favors, and while it doesn't need to rely on the mechanic much it can struggle to stop its boost to certain sweepers. Again, not unviable, but far from dominant.

Galarian Weezing sucks on stall btw. It's mainly for balance teams which happen to be very weak to Fighting types

 

[Cuddly]

If Chansey gets in and/or the Galar dex introduces a brand new super fat stall mon... ...maybe? Right now though, stall ain't looking too great. It's not unviable and some offensive threats leaving definitely helps it, but Dynamaxing making the metagame very offensive does it no favors, and while it doesn't need to rely on the mechanic much it can struggle to stop its boost to certain sweepers. Again, not unviable, but far from dominant.

Galarian Weezing sucks on stall btw. It's mainly for balance teams which happen to be very weak to Fighting types

I kind of agree with Dynamaxing being primarily used as a tool for offensive teams, in a similar way to how Z-moves are used offensively. However, due to the nature of Dynamaxing being item/ability free, and also the fact that status moves (such as taunt) are turned into Max Protect, Stall teams will be able to flip the situation by Dynamaxing against the Pokemon. Don't forget that HP (and also Def and SpD probably are boosted. We have not been confirmed or deconfirmed otherwise on the matter) also is boosted, making the Pokemon bulkier. I was thinking about the LGPE candy metagame is like, since every Pokemon is incredibly bulky. It turned out that the metagame was more offensive, sure, but this is due in part by the bulk of Pokemon being so high that you can safely taunt as you please without that many repercussions, as well as any other status move. Dynamaxing how ever, changes ALL status moves to just Max Guard.
This mechanic (as well as the limited turns and the items/ability-free usage) changes a lot of the Dynamics. A Stall Player can just simply Dynamax, Max Guard a few oncoming attacks, and then probably do significant damage to the foe who just converted back to a regular Pokemon. This is not to say Dynamaxing is useless or that general bulky Pokemon can do this 100% of the time. With how Stall is played, you are never going to sweep, so you can always keep a Dynamax in reserves on your Stall teams, like I said before. The whole reserves aspect also means Stall will have a better time against Dynamaxing than Z-moves. Yes, Dynamaxing lasts 3 turns, but unlike Z-moves, you don't need a specific item and you get benefits like better bulk. With Z-moves, Stall would need to not only sacrifice an item slot that they could use with Leftovers, but this also means that the Z-move can be wasted before you get to use it and you can't just use a Z-move on an unintended Pokemon (like for backups or when the Pokemon has a better team match-up). Not to mention very few Z-moves benefited stall that much, even if they were willing to use them.
Dynamaxing, however, can have backups, be used at any time, can be used for better match-ups, and it can help Pokemon survive hits. The flexibility of Dynamaxing will also be what helps stall counter the opponent Dyanmaxing.
I know this sounds like madness, and that I am saying this is going to benefit Stall the most (I do know Dynamaxing is really more for offense.). I just know that this insane ramblings somewhat makes sense.

 

[Luisar2002]

Stall also gets Galarian-Weezing, which neutralizes Sheer Force, Huge Power, Poison Heal, and anything that can cause trouble for Stall.

That specific point is kinda flawed right now, there isn't a single poison heal user currently confirmed in galar, and the only good sheer force users (braviary and conqueldurr) usually prefer other abilities. There's also only one sheer force user too, diggersby, and against that one is either taking the ground inmunity or removing his ability, in both situations he will do similar damage.

EDIT: It does prevent magic guard, which is good against opposing clefables (which you win with levitate regardless) but that's it, the other magic guard user of this meta, reuniclus, can easely take weezing down.

 

[Count Bleck]

Well let me give a shot at some theory crafting.

Hydreigon is back wreacking havoc once again! With a brand new meta and toys to play with, a Dynamaxed Drei is something to be feared. Max Darkness lowers the Sp.D stat every time it hits, so even the bulkiest of walls will have to watch their HP religiously. Add in something like Speca or Life orb and we are talking about a world of hurt. Max Flare will also immediately make the next one hit harder with the sun up. It can also carry Max Knuckle, Max Geyser, or even Max Steelspike, all coming off a respectable 125 Sp.A.

If we are talking about scary DDancers, we cant forget about the actual dancing dragon. While Gyarados gets +1 on every kill, Max knuckle gets +1 on every HIT, which is a very important distinction. Max Ironspike can slap up any potential Clefables trying to ruin his day, and access to the elemental punches gives him a lot of versatility in both power and set up. Combined with his already great bulk and typing, even after maxing out he can still be a huge threat, especially if he is carrying Drain Punch over Superpower

 

[Yung Dramps]

If we are talking about scary DDancers, we cant forget about the actual dancing dragon. While Gyarados gets +1 on every kill, Max knuckle gets +1 on every HIT, which is a very important distinction. Max Ironspike can slap up any potential Clefables trying to ruin his day, and access to the elemental punches gives him a lot of versatility in both power and set up. Combined with his already great bulk and typing, even after maxing out he can still be a huge threat, especially if he is carrying Drain Punch over Superpower

Just so you know, Kommo-o gets Close Combat. Personally, I find CC is better on Dragon Dance sets while Drain Punch is better on Swords Dance sets.

 

[Eve]

Sets

Weavile @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
- Pursuit

Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
- Swords Dance

Weavile is extremely good in this metagame. Not only is it currently the second fastest confirmed Pokemon, but the only confirmed resistances to its dual stab are Lucario and itself- neither of which can withstand multiple attacks. Knock Off is better than ever without unremovable items like Mega Stones and Z-Crystals. Pursuit is extremely useful for picking off targets such as Gengar, Espeon and other offensive threats, while Ice Shard is invaluable for revenge killing.
Weavile actually has two threatening sets in this meta- Choice Band with its ability to immediately make holes in teams, and Life Orb Swords Dance with its scary sweeping potential. Both sets are roughly equally effective, and play off each others' effectiveness- Swords Dance benefits from switches that a potential Choice Band set would force, while Choice Band potentially benefits from free KOs against opponents staying in to punish an expected Swords Dance.
Both sets make good use of Dynamax, which allows Weavile to surprisingly take some attacks as well as being near impossible to switch into. Max Icicle Crash's effect of setting Hail may seem fairly redundant, but on a fast Pokemon like Weavile it can be great at shutting down opposing weather teams. The extra 6% can be relevant on occasion as well. Dynamax also allows Choice Banded Weavile to use Ice Shard or Pursuit against a weakened target, and then power it up into a 100BP attack against a healthier target instead of being absolutely forced to switch out.

Set

Tsareena @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Queenly Majesty
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Power Whip
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- U-turn

Priority is a pretty big deal in this meta, and Tsareena won't be having any of it thanks to her Queenly Majesty. Partially thanks to this, Choice Scarf Tsareena is a surprisingly effective pick right now as a revenge killer and pivot. Power Whip is extremely powerful coming from its Base 120 Attack, and is complimented nicely by High Jump Kick (hits Ferrothorn and Hydreigon hard) and Knock Off (hits Gengar and other Misc. mons while also being Knock Off). U-Turn rounds out the set nicely. Tsareena's naturally solid defenses also allow it to be switched in on most attacks if necessary, which is very useful for a pivot. Its major issue as a Choice Scarf user is that it's slower than Gyarados and Kommo-O after a Dragon Dance, but otherwise it's one of the best picks for a Scarfer.
Tsareena can also be used as a Rapid Spinner but it loses to most common hazard setters other than Hippowdon, which is a big issue for it in that role.

 

[Count Bleck]

So from the limited mons we know of, I wanted rp give a shoutout to a possible trick room abuser that could run up on people unaware.

Yes, Im serious. Ive been a fan of trick room and sand for years, and as someone who is going to miss mega steelix, this is a nice little apology. With a base speed of 25, very few pokemon can outcrawl it, and with Max moves this guy can snowball kinda quickly. Sand Force boosts 3 of its usual toolsand with Max knuckle on board he can constantly +1. Max Rockfall can even set up his own sand, so he doesnt even technically require to be on a dedicated sand team to run. Sand also naturally increases his special bulk, so it can survive hits that would usually down it otherwise. And if all else fails, you can always just blow up with Explosion or if still dynamaxed, an extremely powerful Max Strike to lower the opponents speed (trick room should end before they can possibly use the lower speed against you, especially in singles). Outside of dynamax, its still a strong contender for a tr sweeper, setting up rocks and if not a dedicated dynamon, a sand set up as well. Tyranitar isnt slow enough and hippowdon not powerful enough for a true sand tr team, both qualities Gigalith fits nicely.

 

[Eve]

So from the limited mons we know of, I wanted rp give a shoutout to a possible trick room abuser that could run up on people unaware.

Yes, Im serious. Ive been a fan of trick room and sand for years, and as someone who is going to miss mega steelix, this is a nice little apology. With a base speed of 25, very few pokemon can outcrawl it, and with Max moves this guy can snowball kinda quickly. Sand Force boosts 3 of its usual toolsand with Max knuckle on board he can constantly +1. Max Rockfall can even set up his own sand, so he doesnt even technically require to be on a dedicated sand team to run. Sand also naturally increases his special bulk, so it can survive hits that would usually down it otherwise. And if all else fails, you can always just blow up with Explosion or if still dynamaxed, an extremely powerful Max Strike to lower the opponents speed (trick room should end before they can possibly use the lower speed against you, especially in singles).

Yep! Gigalith used to be ranked for this exact reason- the major issue for it is that generally Snorlax is the better non-STAB Max Knuckle abuser with the ability to blow up, and Machamp (or Conkeldurr) uses Max Knuckle better than both thanks to both STAB and Guts. I did use it on my first TR iteration though, and it's definitely no slouch.

 

[Ludicrousity]

Max Water can even let Ludi set its own rain in a pinch!

Guess I'm part water-typ;e.

Looking forward to messing around with some of the SwSh meta.

I'll update this post after actually being able to do some battles :)

 

[ChrystalFalchion]

This looks like a lot of fun, if anyone wants to battle me I'm on GMT and I'm free most evenings. Just PM me or leave a message on my profile.

Also, here are some sample sets for Togekiss:

Togekiss SSOU Sets

As someone who hates SM OU with a passion, I'm really looking forward to trying this meta. Something I also posted in the SS Discussion thread regarding the competetive use of Dynamax. Here are some theoretical uses for the mechanic.

1. Boosting sweepers

I bring in Gyarados on something it can force out and set up Dragon Dance. Then, I Dynamax. This turns Waterfall into Max Geyser, which summons Rain, Bounce into Max Airstream which also gives me a Speed boost and whatever coverage move I happen to be running (probably Earthquake). The HP boost makes Gyarados much harder to revenge kill, while the secondary effects of the moves make it ridiculously powerful.

2. Wallbreakers

I have 4 attacks Hydreigon and Dynamax. Now Dark Pulse turns into Max Darkness which also lowers the Special Defence of whatever it hits, letting it wallbreak more easily. Like Z-moves Max Moves also lack the drawbacks of the original moves (i.e. low accuracy, recoil, conditions), so Hydreigon can ignore Draco Meteor's stat drops for 3 turns and it can wallop the Fairies with a 150 BP Max Corrosion thanks to Belch. AoA Hydreigon is looking very threatening.

3. Setting up Weather / Terrain

If you have something like Charizard or Ludicolo, it can use Max Flare or Max Geyser respectively, to both have a strong STAB nuke and trigger their abilities. Charizard can also use Max Airstream based on Air Slash to boost its Speed, letting it sweep late game. Ludicolo can use Max Overgrowth based on Giga Drain or Energy Ball to set up Grassy Terrain, giving both its STABs a huge boost. And of course the weather / terrain don't end when your Pokemon shrinks back to normal, potentially helping the rest of your team.

4: Revenge killing / staving off threats

If something like Gyarados and Kommo-o has set up, you could Dynamax yourself and buy time with Max Guard. The extra HP you gain can also buy your team more time, as obviously it'll be harder to kill. The boost in power means you might now have enough strength to OHKO threads you otherwise couldn't, and you can mess with their weather / terrain.

I really hope Metagross gets confirmed, that thing will love Dynamax.

 

[Eve]

ok so sans

but as for stuff relevant to the meta from today's Direct:

Chandelure, Cherrim, Claydol, Ditto, Sigilyph, Sudowoodo, Togedemaru, Unfezant and Vileplume and all prevolutions confirmed- these are now allowed in our battles!
Polteageist revealed- has Weak Armor
Cramorant revealed- Water/Flying, has Ability Gulp Missile: stores a fish in its mouth after using Surf or Dive, if hit it'll fling that fish at the attacker for a bit more damage


So basically, we got Chandelure and Ditto. Maybe Sigilyph.

 

[Yung Dramps]

Lemme drop some thoughts on the actually important new meta picks

I was really, really hoping this mon would return, and what would you know, it did, and now I'm hyped as shit to see what it can do. Ghost/Fire as a STAB and Dynamax combo is amazing, and it's not short on versatility with Specs, Scarf and Substitute all having potential. Say hello to the new best Fire type aside from maybe Rotom-Heat.

Ditto's been kind of a niche pick in recent OU gens, but this time the stage is set for it to be a genuine high-tier threat. Set-up with crazy assortments of boosts thanks to Dynamax is everywhere, and a meta like that is where Ditto can really shine with its classic Scarf Impostor revenge killer set.

While the above two mons have received a lion's share of the hype, Vileplume has flown under many people's radars, but in my opinion, while it won't be A tier anytime soon, I could genuinely see it being a perfectly usable nichemon. Go on the VR right now and look at our best physical attackers aside from Gyarados, Weavile and Braviary: Mimikyu, Conkeldurr, Hawlucha lacking Sky Attack, etc. Before long, you'll begin to notice a pattern: Vileplume shuts them all down. Hard. "But Dramps," you say, "Toxapex does that too!" Ok, but does Toxapex have the same Special Attack as Jolteon? How about a positive match-up against Electric types? How about the ability to put switch-ins to sleep, or access to Strength Sap, the core of its toolset and unironically one of the best moves in the game? So while you're prepping for Ditto and Chandy, watch out for the Plume...

Everything else is not really notable enough for me to talk about.

 

[Eve]

Addendum: Cherrim and Togedemaru are also both confirmed! Thanks to Luisar2002 for bringing this to my attention.

 

[Yung Dramps]

Rhyperior (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 212 Atk / 252 SpD / 44 Spe
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Rock Slide
- Megahorn
- Dragon Tail

This set looks kinda interesting. STAB EdgeQuake is nice to have even with a more bulky spread, and the 44 speed can get you clutch kills on weakened Conkeldurrs. Megahorn hits Reuniclus, Hydreigon and Tsareena switch-ins hard, and Dragon Tail can even foil an attempted Gyarados sweep if you play smart as well as shuffle around Corviknight. Give it a try!

 

[Yung Dramps]

meta expansion probably coming tomorrow so let's get the current VR up to speed before that happens

Undetermined Additions/Delistings


UR ---> A-/A
Among the best set-up stoppers in a meta filled to the brim with set-up.


UR ---> A- or higher
Some of our bulkier builds rn borderline auto-lose to it at team preview and offense isn't safe because of Scarf. Rocks weakness and frailty hurts it, but otherwise amazing.


UR ---> B/B+
It eats hits from key physical and even some special attackers very well. Loses to a bit too much relevant stuff to make it to the A ranks, but it's otherwise rock-solid.


UR ---> C
Nifty spiker and yet another option for rain teams. Could see it going higher but lack of testing kinda impedes that


UR ---> shadow realm
Dumb cheese mon that can't cheese against even the most blatant of misplays


UR ---> shadow realm
On the one hand nobody's actually used it, but at this stage that's probably more of an indicator of its actual value than a case of us not giving it chance. Seriously its match-ups are ass lmao

Rises

A- ---> A
It was already pretty good but now it has a new target in Chandelure to trap. A great rocker that can stand tall against the two S rank threats + others and is one of my favorite "pinch dynamaxers"


B ---> B+
It's shown that it can work well outside of dedicated Sun teams. Even stronger Fire attacks, anti-rain capabilities and a better speed tier set it apart from Chandelure and Rotom-Heat.


B ---> B+
It's one of the few things that doesn't keel over to Weavile's dual STAB and Bullet Punch is amazing priority in this meta. Solid Dynamax user with a far less crowded speed tier as well.


C+ ---> B-?
AV is good set indeed yes, also seed bomb mew isn't real


C- ---> C
Not a huge leap but it can get a raise for being insanely hard to stop from getting at least 1 layer of spikes. Cursed Body is unironically a top-tier ability for this role

Drops

A- ---> B+
Last shift was really bad for it, it's still OK but having to deal with Vileplume and Chandy around is a bitch


B- ---> C/C+
Had a fair bit of hype initially but its worn off, not particularly bulky and pretty weak for a fighting type


C ---> shadow realm
What does this mon do and when was the last time anyone used it


C ---> shadow realm
venusaur is a pokemon that exists


C- ---> shadow realm
see cinccino


C- ---> shadow realm
just use toxapex

 

[Eve]

Not a huge amount of info this time round, but this trailer confirms that Escavalier is in the game! Because of this, we can also infer that Accelgor is in, which is the new fastest Pokemon in the entire dex.
Also, we don't know Sirfetch'd's stats, but we do know that Farfetch'd can now hold an Eviolite and be used in LC! Enjoy

 

[Yung Dramps]

Not a huge amount of info this time round, but this trailer confirms that Escavalier is in the game! Because of this, we can also infer that Accelgor is in, which is the new fastest Pokemon in the entire dex.
Also, we don't know Sirfetch'd's stats, but we do know that Farfetch'd can now hold an Eviolite and be used in LC! Enjoy

Since we're making inferences like that, can we add in other duos? Off the top of my head, Shiftry and Mandibuzz are likely seeing as Ludicolo and Braviary are in