-
Check out the relaunch of our general collection, with classic designs and new ones by our very own Pissog!
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
Project The Top 10 Titans of the 6th Gen OU Metagame
- Thread starter Agent Gibbs
- Start date
Aegislash
Alongside Mega Charizard X, this is the other Pokémon that I think really screams "defining." It singlehandedly invalidated a large number of Pokémon, including being the factor that was holding back Mega Medicham, Jirachi, (Mega) Alakazam, Starmie, Mega Gardevoir and Mega Heracross way back in XY, and if you look at the tier list back when it was around there is a very obvious lack of Psychic-types which very quickly surged into usage when it got banned 'cause of the fact that Aegislash completely invalidated it as a type, as well as--if my memory serves--the only Fighting-type with OU usage being Conkeldurr. It forced EQ onto almost any physical attacker that couldn't dent it without making contact, and all in all it centralised the meta around itself like Charizard X has. It is far and away the onlt 'mon I'd ever consider for the #2 spot.
Alongside Mega Charizard X, this is the other Pokémon that I think really screams "defining." It singlehandedly invalidated a large number of Pokémon, including being the factor that was holding back Mega Medicham, Jirachi, (Mega) Alakazam, Starmie, Mega Gardevoir and Mega Heracross way back in XY, and if you look at the tier list back when it was around there is a very obvious lack of Psychic-types which very quickly surged into usage when it got banned 'cause of the fact that Aegislash completely invalidated it as a type, as well as--if my memory serves--the only Fighting-type with OU usage being Conkeldurr. It forced EQ onto almost any physical attacker that couldn't dent it without making contact, and all in all it centralised the meta around itself like Charizard X has. It is far and away the onlt 'mon I'd ever consider for the #2 spot.
Last edited:
Aegislash
I never played XY OU (I only got competitive around XY), but when one thing makes 27 (I think that was the number) things become a lot less viable, you know something's pretty influential. It also says something when more people voted to keep it banned the second time around. ffs it made Starmie, the only really viable offensive spinner besides Excadrill(?) fall to UU. Hell, it made JIRACHI a UU 'mon, who is the master of flinching past it's so called counters, which shows RNG would not save you from Aegislash. It also made Mega Heracross, when it was oh so rarely seen because of this monster, run Earthquake, and forced Mega Gardevoir to run Shadow Ball (presumably), something none of them run nowadays, or at least after Aegi got the boot. The only thing that kept me from voting Aegi for #1 was the fact it was only around in XY and not ORAS like Xard, and Xard as a result had a much longer lasting impact.
EDIT: Also, for reference, OU atm contains about 50 Pokemon, so Aegi made the equivalent of half of OU less viable. That's quite significant.
I never played XY OU (I only got competitive around XY), but when one thing makes 27 (I think that was the number) things become a lot less viable, you know something's pretty influential. It also says something when more people voted to keep it banned the second time around. ffs it made Starmie, the only really viable offensive spinner besides Excadrill(?) fall to UU. Hell, it made JIRACHI a UU 'mon, who is the master of flinching past it's so called counters, which shows RNG would not save you from Aegislash. It also made Mega Heracross, when it was oh so rarely seen because of this monster, run Earthquake, and forced Mega Gardevoir to run Shadow Ball (presumably), something none of them run nowadays, or at least after Aegi got the boot. The only thing that kept me from voting Aegi for #1 was the fact it was only around in XY and not ORAS like Xard, and Xard as a result had a much longer lasting impact.
EDIT: Also, for reference, OU atm contains about 50 Pokemon, so Aegi made the equivalent of half of OU less viable. That's quite significant.
Last edited:
Went for it before but still gonna go with Landorus-T. It's been so dominant so consistently throughout the whole generation. While Aegislash's concentrated dominance was obviously stronger, I don't feel it was in the tier long enough to get second place.
Bizarre that Lando got more for 1st but Aegislash is more backed for 2nd
Bizarre that Lando got more for 1st but Aegislash is more backed for 2nd
This prolly just means people who voted for zard are voting for aegi honestly. Like, I've not compared the spread of votes but it is a logical explanation.
Aegislash hands down.
Aegislash
Good lord, this thing had everything, a great typing, 720 BST if you factor in the forms, a buffed version of protect etc. It wasn't even that hindered by its low speed, in fact, it was even helped by it in some cases. It was also helped by having STAB priority off of 150 attack. The entire meta was based around Aegislash, and a mons viability was rely reliant on its matchup against it. Nothing I can recall has come close to the centralization this mon caused, and I'm surprised I didn't vote this for #1.
Good lord, this thing had everything, a great typing, 720 BST if you factor in the forms, a buffed version of protect etc. It wasn't even that hindered by its low speed, in fact, it was even helped by it in some cases. It was also helped by having STAB priority off of 150 attack. The entire meta was based around Aegislash, and a mons viability was rely reliant on its matchup against it. Nothing I can recall has come close to the centralization this mon caused, and I'm surprised I didn't vote this for #1.
Swords'n Shields, Aegis should be 1st lmao, but since it's too late: Aegislash was one of the most dangerous pokemon on the tier, He not only could pressure a big portion of the metagame, he was also unpredictable, It was hard to wear down since he was immune to Toxic, Resisted rock, 3 Immunities, A bunch of resistances, Great movepool on both Phys. and Sp. sides, it was so easy to set up Subs or SD, had STAB priority and the most important: Kings Shields, with that he could come back to its amazing 60 / 150 / 150 bulk and halve the opponent's attack, reducing its possible checkers to a minimum level. Behind subs, he was the scariest thing possible in the metagame, since most of its checkers were reduced to at least Soft-Checker status. After a SD, It could hit almost everything thanks to its Priority Ghost / Steel / Fighting coverage. But he was far beyond for being limited by these sets, He could be a speedy special attacker, Defensive, Sp.Defensive, SubToxic, Mixed AoA and Lead. He is definitely the best non-legendary or mega Kalos pokemon.
Last edited:
Aegislash
You either had him in your team or secretly wish he was banned and built your team to deal with him 100%, only you couldn't even do that because there was no way ensuring a safe outcome of that 50/50 roll of the dice or even what kind of set he had. Speaking of which, he hit hard physically, he hit hard specially, with Ghost already beating Dragon to being the best neutral type and no nonsense Shadow Balling, this thing was a major pain. Low speed? Shield form. Opponent about to die? Shadow sneak. You would have thought a meta infested with knock off would have no problem finishing this thing off, but not him. Once in play, nobody is safe.
You either had him in your team or secretly wish he was banned and built your team to deal with him 100%, only you couldn't even do that because there was no way ensuring a safe outcome of that 50/50 roll of the dice or even what kind of set he had. Speaking of which, he hit hard physically, he hit hard specially, with Ghost already beating Dragon to being the best neutral type and no nonsense Shadow Balling, this thing was a major pain. Low speed? Shield form. Opponent about to die? Shadow sneak. You would have thought a meta infested with knock off would have no problem finishing this thing off, but not him. Once in play, nobody is safe.
Aegisslash . While I was tempted to Vote clef Since Zard X got number 1 its clear Aegis should get number 2.
Arguably the most centralising pokemon ever to be pixelised (Rivaling Gen 2 Snorlax). Virtually no Switch in's, Great all round stats, Versatility rivalling that of Clef and a typing that made it the best pivot ever to exist. The Combination of these traits literally made the game revolve around it and its mere existance made 3 entire types of pokemon almost irrelvent in OU (Fairy, Fighting, Psychic). Forced teams regardless of weather they carried it or not to use hard checks like Umbreon, Bisharp and Hippowdown lest they lose, Forced every wallbreaker to have shadowball or lose and Even if you built for still forced oppenents to fight through 50/50s. It effect on the game while it was legal was visible for all to see and the legacy it leaves is one of contreversy as its also the only pokemon this generation to be tested twice
The Only reason its not number 1 is because it stayed banned for oras
Arguably the most centralising pokemon ever to be pixelised (Rivaling Gen 2 Snorlax). Virtually no Switch in's, Great all round stats, Versatility rivalling that of Clef and a typing that made it the best pivot ever to exist. The Combination of these traits literally made the game revolve around it and its mere existance made 3 entire types of pokemon almost irrelvent in OU (Fairy, Fighting, Psychic). Forced teams regardless of weather they carried it or not to use hard checks like Umbreon, Bisharp and Hippowdown lest they lose, Forced every wallbreaker to have shadowball or lose and Even if you built for still forced oppenents to fight through 50/50s. It effect on the game while it was legal was visible for all to see and the legacy it leaves is one of contreversy as its also the only pokemon this generation to be tested twice
The Only reason its not number 1 is because it stayed banned for oras
Aegislash
It may not have been in the metagame for as long as some other defining threats, but it sure as hell shaped the metagame while it was legal. It single handedly neutered the viability of dozens of pokemon, and bolstered the viability of pokemon that could answer it - of which there were about no hard counters. It's been called the best pivot in the game more times than I can count on my fingers. It heavily influenced coverage choices as well, most notably the usage of EQ on 'mons with equally viable or better options. Some people say it would have been even better if steel was not defensively nerfed, but it also plays in its favor offensively, allowly for it to mindlessly spam Shadow Balls. People said it back then, and they still will now. Aegislash was ridiculously centralizing, and if its retest says anything, it has only been missed less.
It may not have been in the metagame for as long as some other defining threats, but it sure as hell shaped the metagame while it was legal. It single handedly neutered the viability of dozens of pokemon, and bolstered the viability of pokemon that could answer it - of which there were about no hard counters. It's been called the best pivot in the game more times than I can count on my fingers. It heavily influenced coverage choices as well, most notably the usage of EQ on 'mons with equally viable or better options. Some people say it would have been even better if steel was not defensively nerfed, but it also plays in its favor offensively, allowly for it to mindlessly spam Shadow Balls. People said it back then, and they still will now. Aegislash was ridiculously centralizing, and if its retest says anything, it has only been missed less.
Its already #1
Also lando-t because i never played x and y ou and ive never played with aegislash
Aegislash: 18
Landorus-T: 4
Mega Sableye: 1
Aegislash wins second place! Easily one of the most low risk / high reward Pokemon to ever grace the metagame, Aegislash demanded respect from every team with its wide collection of amazing traits. Its influence was fully realized after its ban as many Pokemon suddenly jumped up in viability as the pressure that Aegislash exerted was finally lifted. If it wasn't for the fact that it didn't even last a full year, who knows? It might have taken its place as the undisputed king. With that said, now we move on to:
Landorus-T: 4
Mega Sableye: 1
Aegislash wins second place! Easily one of the most low risk / high reward Pokemon to ever grace the metagame, Aegislash demanded respect from every team with its wide collection of amazing traits. Its influence was fully realized after its ban as many Pokemon suddenly jumped up in viability as the pressure that Aegislash exerted was finally lifted. If it wasn't for the fact that it didn't even last a full year, who knows? It might have taken its place as the undisputed king. With that said, now we move on to:
Voting for #3
First is worst, second is best. Third is the one with the hairy chest.
Landorus-t because it checks like half the ORAS metagame
Clefable
Comes down to Clefable and Lando-T for #3 to me and because I'm biased it goes to Clefable. Both of them are blanket Checks and great a role compression which is great in a game which has constantly growing threats yet still remains with 6 Team slots.
Clefable despite having mediocre stats got the Fairy Typing and that was all it needed. It somehow managed to creep up to A+ despite the power creep of the game and manage to stay there despite all the heavy hitters in the metagame.
Then someone had the bright idea to put Thunder Wave on it.
Can fit on so many teams except the more fast-paced offense with tons of utility and lure moves and can work as a win condition.
Comes down to Clefable and Lando-T for #3 to me and because I'm biased it goes to Clefable. Both of them are blanket Checks and great a role compression which is great in a game which has constantly growing threats yet still remains with 6 Team slots.
Clefable despite having mediocre stats got the Fairy Typing and that was all it needed. It somehow managed to creep up to A+ despite the power creep of the game and manage to stay there despite all the heavy hitters in the metagame.
Then someone had the bright idea to put Thunder Wave on it.
Can fit on so many teams except the more fast-paced offense with tons of utility and lure moves and can work as a win condition.
Clefable at number 3
This thing has been pretty consistently incredible throughout this generation, so I'd say it's worthy of a 3 spot.
This thing has been pretty consistently incredible throughout this generation, so I'd say it's worthy of a 3 spot.
I never got around to voting myself last time (although I would have voted for Aegislash anyway), so I'll vote early this time. I have to go with Landorus-T for the reasons mentioned earlier in the thread. Long story short, it's widely considered to be one of a few Pokemon that's essentially holding the metagame together at this point, and it's kinda been doing that for a really long time. It's been a staple on many teams in need of a Stealth Rock user, bulky pivot, Scarf check to random threats, or whatever else you can get from Landorus-T. Much like Charizard X, it has been doing pretty much the exact same thing since the beginning of the generation and has always been really good at it.
Deoxys-D
Do you love to play HO? If not, OU is not for you while big bro Deoxys was around. With decent all-round bulk and good Speed, Deoxys-D can almost always guarantee that 2 layers of hazards will be up on your side of the time, rendering the usage of Balance and Stall team very difficult as the hazards will cut into their health very quickly. It quickly centralizes the metagame into HO where DeoSharp teams are popular. This kind of teams really discourages the opponent to remove the hazards away as Defog is met by a Defiant Bisharp while Rapid Spinners just give Aegislash a free switch-in. Deoxys-D also has a large movepool such as Magic Coat, Skill Swap, Taunt and Thunder Wave in case you want to try anything funny. In short, Deoxys-D's presence alone made HO the only viable playstyle as it's large movepool allows it to tailor its move to suit most occasions. This also forces mirror matches of DeoSharp team into 50/50 coinflips.
Do you love to play HO? If not, OU is not for you while big bro Deoxys was around. With decent all-round bulk and good Speed, Deoxys-D can almost always guarantee that 2 layers of hazards will be up on your side of the time, rendering the usage of Balance and Stall team very difficult as the hazards will cut into their health very quickly. It quickly centralizes the metagame into HO where DeoSharp teams are popular. This kind of teams really discourages the opponent to remove the hazards away as Defog is met by a Defiant Bisharp while Rapid Spinners just give Aegislash a free switch-in. Deoxys-D also has a large movepool such as Magic Coat, Skill Swap, Taunt and Thunder Wave in case you want to try anything funny. In short, Deoxys-D's presence alone made HO the only viable playstyle as it's large movepool allows it to tailor its move to suit most occasions. This also forces mirror matches of DeoSharp team into 50/50 coinflips.