the main problem with jolteon has is it's movepool, which you outlined in your post. While electabuzz's might not look that much better the addition of focus blast (and possibly mixed) really really helps him out. I'm not aware of any important positions that you could get in that would really want the extra special attack. it's kinda like the difference between raikou and manectric in ou.
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Ladder Tier Shift ORAS [Swift Swim Unbanned; Check Post #95 for some info]
- Thread starter Peef Rimgar
- Start date
Eh, I think they fulfill slightly different roles then. Jolteon's main thing is, IMO, its incredible neutral damage output coming off modest specs. The extra power lets it, sometimes, plow right through walls like unaware Clefable giving it its incredible sweeping potential.
I just checked... I went into a battle with a Magikarp with no HP evs (without TS boost: 181HP, 20 base) and if it were to have a +20 to the base stat would have 221 HP (40 base) however it instead has 201 HP, therefore it's a flat increase. I think this was changed to a flat increase a little bit ago.
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It certainty shouldn't be a flat increase. It must be a bug i'll have to check up on this. There was a problem with HP values before but i thought it was fixed.
Edit:confirming the HP is still bugged, i'll ask for it to be fixed.
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I'm so sorry guys! I wasn't really aware what the issue was and I also forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me Deathly ♛The King! The HP boost will be fixed on the next PS update. 
Also, Kingslayer2779 weren't you supposed to keep this thread active >_>
Also, Kingslayer2779 weren't you supposed to keep this thread active >_>
My boy Scrafty should be pretty high up imo, the sweeper combo is too dope.
Scrafty is my favorite competitive pokemon, and he's even better in Tier Shift.
Drain Punch sweep combo isn't just the best part, you can setup so many other killers with this Mohawked Maniac
Look at that animation too, he's just so happy tocrush your opponents dreams battle, I mean, he's dancing
Scrafty @ Black Belt
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Crunch
- Ice Punch
Bulk Up for Atk boost to make sure they die, and Def boost for anti-priority hits/faster 'mons
Drain Punch for obvious kill, eat, buff, next victim
Crunch for anti Ghost/Psychic
Ice Punch for coverage
I'd put a replay down (and I was going to, but I lost the link) but just one try and you might see a difference.
Scrafty is my favorite competitive pokemon, and he's even better in Tier Shift.
Drain Punch sweep combo isn't just the best part, you can setup so many other killers with this Mohawked Maniac
Look at that animation too, he's just so happy to
Scrafty @ Black Belt
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Crunch
- Ice Punch
Bulk Up for Atk boost to make sure they die, and Def boost for anti-priority hits/faster 'mons
Drain Punch for obvious kill, eat, buff, next victim
Crunch for anti Ghost/Psychic
Ice Punch for coverage
I'd put a replay down (and I was going to, but I lost the link) but just one try and you might see a difference.
Wouldn't Knock Off be preferable to Crunch because it's able to remove the target's item and is more powerful while doing so?
Also, Dragon Dance might be the superior boosting option if you're using Moxie as your ability as with Moxie you'd be wanting to outspeed your target and get a KO before they can status you. Just a thought. (Bulk Up is the better option if you're running Shed Skin though)
But I agree, Scrafty does look pretty good here.
While Knock Off is more powerful in the first hit (implying they aren't using gems/berries) Crunch is only 10 less power, and has the flinch in case you somehow don't kill.
I agree that Dragon Dance is also a good stat booster, but I like Bulk Up because the only status you have to worry about it Burn, and a large portion of the burn-mons are weak to Scrafty (with this set), or slower than him in TS with the RU boost (I'm pretty sure). But imo it's all up to you, this is just my setup I have that I've suggested, and my setup I have in ORAS.
The flinch chance is with Bite, not Crunch*.
*Crunch has a chance of lowering the opponent's Defense
Normally its an OHKO on Super Effective targets so I didn't know. Apologies. c:
I nominate Lickilicky for A (or at least A-). With its 130/115/115 defenses and Oblivious making it immune to Taunt, it can wall significant portions of the metagame. It provides great support with Heal Bell, Wish passing, and Knock Off. Even uninvested, its base 105 attack threatens frail Pokemon that try to set up on it.
The thing that keeps Lickilicky from being that high in the viability rankings is that it doesn't really significantly distinguish itself from Chansey. While its less passive then Chansey, Body Slam and Knock off are not that much more effective then Seismic Toss. Its also forced to run Wish/Protect iirc. Lickilicky is also much less bulky then Chansey. Its 2hkoed by Mega Charizard y's Fire Blast without lefties. The taunt immunity is a relevant niche and its good enough to do most of what Chansey can so its not unviable, but its not A rank either. I'm leaning toward some sort of C rank.
I'm also not really impressed the other nominations. I've playtested Scarfty for the teambuilding workshop and it was downright horrible. Both me and Deathly ♛The King were hardly ever able to set up with it and rarely got KOs. The 4x Fairy weakness is also pretty back breaking. Jolteon is mostly outclassed by other electrics due to its terrible movepool. Shadow Ball and Signal Beam are not good coverage moves. The high speed is really the only reason to ever run Jolteon, otherwise Electabuzz is better everytime. Vivilion is pretty reliant on Sash+Powder to set up and it has a pretty mediocre typing. Gogoat and Bouffalant are pretty solid though, I like the idea of putting those in B rank.
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I agree that Scrafty kinda sucks-I never found a use for it. Does Ditto get boosts post-transformation? That'd be ace ;).
Laxpras
One small yeet for man, one giant yeet for mankind
Marowak for A-/A
I used this to win the TS Open, and I've been fooling around with it on the ladder. It is realllyy good.
With an maximum attack stat of 656, its absolutely crushing every wall. Bonemerang is great for breaking sash's, and with moves like Stone Edge and knock off, it gets the coverage and crippling ability it needs to excel. Also, it has decent bulk that prevents it from getting OHKOd by much, and with a +20 boost in speed, it can outspeed many uninvested walls. Lastly, with access to swords dance or stealth rock, it can serve as either a wallbreaker or offensive rock setter. It won me a game in finals almost by itself, so I definitely vouch for it
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/tiershift-357419257
I used this to win the TS Open, and I've been fooling around with it on the ladder. It is realllyy good.
With an maximum attack stat of 656, its absolutely crushing every wall. Bonemerang is great for breaking sash's, and with moves like Stone Edge and knock off, it gets the coverage and crippling ability it needs to excel. Also, it has decent bulk that prevents it from getting OHKOd by much, and with a +20 boost in speed, it can outspeed many uninvested walls. Lastly, with access to swords dance or stealth rock, it can serve as either a wallbreaker or offensive rock setter. It won me a game in finals almost by itself, so I definitely vouch for it
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/tiershift-357419257
Since I finally have a chance to make a tier shift post, I will make it on a mon I personally love, but many people may have different opinions on it, which is ok. This pokemon is Musharna. At first you might think, "it is 100% outclassed by reuniclus and cresselia." If you were to think that, you are wrong. Musharna has two specific moves that set it apart from the rest, barrier and stored power. In tier shift, Musharna has 131 / 100 / 110 bulk. But the thing that makes the fetus so deadly is the access to boosting both of its defensive stats, and stored power. The set is the standard stored power set (see nu set). The things this set hates is status, 8 recovery pp, taunt, trick + choice item, and dark types, since it hard walls most of the time. I would nom it for at least A, but that's just me. Here is a list of replays of Musharna just dominating with nice team support --> http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/tiershift-357163134 http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/tiershift-357176681 http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/tiershift-357185986
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Hello Dr. Phd. BJ , I would like to notify you of some issues I have with you nomination.
On paper Musharna looks incredibly dangerous, and in game it certainly can sweep unprepared teams, but I would like you to tell us what sets it apart from other calm mind users. Sure, it has the ability to boost its defense and a decent STAB move to make use of this, but to be completely honest I would rather use something like Slowking for this role. Musharna has far less opportunities to set up and far more wallbreakers that can KO it before boosts than other bulky CMers. You may point to your replays for evidence that it has a good time setting up against teams, however in your second and third replays, the sweep was initiated by pretty severe misplays on your opponents' part. In G2, your opponent could have 2kho'd with Durant even if you used Barrier after the first X-Scissor. In G3, your switch to Mushy was fairly obvious, and the double to Honchkrow would have ended that sweep early. Given, in this situation if you were able to set up rocks you could have won by forcing out Honchkrow to take damage. This game was more easily won than G2, but it still proves my point I think.
Regardless, Musharna does seem like a good CMer that has a niche in being able to set up on some physical attackers in addition to walls without status and many special attackers. However, this is the extent of its usefulness as far as I'm concerned. In terms of ranking, seeing as it's situationally effective but still has a niche over other Pokemon with similar roles, I would recommend Musharna for C+.
On paper Musharna looks incredibly dangerous, and in game it certainly can sweep unprepared teams, but I would like you to tell us what sets it apart from other calm mind users. Sure, it has the ability to boost its defense and a decent STAB move to make use of this, but to be completely honest I would rather use something like Slowking for this role. Musharna has far less opportunities to set up and far more wallbreakers that can KO it before boosts than other bulky CMers. You may point to your replays for evidence that it has a good time setting up against teams, however in your second and third replays, the sweep was initiated by pretty severe misplays on your opponents' part. In G2, your opponent could have 2kho'd with Durant even if you used Barrier after the first X-Scissor. In G3, your switch to Mushy was fairly obvious, and the double to Honchkrow would have ended that sweep early. Given, in this situation if you were able to set up rocks you could have won by forcing out Honchkrow to take damage. This game was more easily won than G2, but it still proves my point I think.
Regardless, Musharna does seem like a good CMer that has a niche in being able to set up on some physical attackers in addition to walls without status and many special attackers. However, this is the extent of its usefulness as far as I'm concerned. In terms of ranking, seeing as it's situationally effective but still has a niche over other Pokemon with similar roles, I would recommend Musharna for C+.
I could go on for ages on why u are wrong, but C+???? I basically stated why it isn't outclassed, what it does, what it is weak to, what it beats, and gave replays vs great players (TS open winner, top 20 random on ladder, and of course Deathly The King), so if ur argument is solely based on disliking me and my opponents misplaying, that just isn't an argument. I may have given it a generous rank, but at least give it respect. It has another niche over bulky cmers because it can learn baton pass. How many psychic CMers stand a chance of beating full health Durant anyways? None really. I can keep arguing, but ill leave it here.
Hate to cut into this conversation but I just wanna point out: the viability ranking is almost entirely theorymon. Tbh until the meta sees consistent plays, we shouldn't even have the VR as a resource as it brings a lot of false value to mons that may or may not be top tier, and undervalues others.
The best discussions that I feel should be had about now are analyses of the TS Open and Conquest tours! What thrived and what struggled in the tournaments?
The best discussions that I feel should be had about now are analyses of the TS Open and Conquest tours! What thrived and what struggled in the tournaments?
I don't know where you're getting that I dislike you? Disregarding that, Musharna doesn't beat Durant 1v1 anyways. Durant does like 87% before you can Barrier. My point is, its harder to set up with than something that has a better typing and even with Barrier it struggles to set up on many physical attackers, which I might add are very common on most TS teams because of bulkier playstyle. CM pass is another niche it has which I forgot about, so you do have me there, but you also failed to mention that set in your original post. Also I wasn't saying that Musharna was bad because your opponent's misplayed so much as I was saying that your replays kind of twisted the reality of what types of situations Mushy can set up in. Also I don't dislike you fren :(
I was thinking of an old replay when I used twave vs you, and how much u hated me then lel. But let's discuss ranking other pokes like Durant, I will leave off on overrating it, cuz that is my specialty. Enough arguing :(
Gotta keep in mind 2 things once again:
1. That is a viability ranking for a heavily underdeveloped metagame. It doesn't neccisarily reflect the meragame perfectly by any means.
2. OU POkemon that weren't too viable because of their looming BST like Sableye are still going to be quite good and hard to overshadow
NOTE: All base stats WERE CORRECTLY EDITTED IN THE CALC. I simply typed in the correct base stats, then EVed the monsters as I saw fit.
I believe Reuniclus should be dropped from A rank Viability to perhaps B+, and actually be replaced by his little form DUOSION! There is no arguing that Reuniclus getting an extra OOMPH didn't make it usable in a big way. Much like Suicune, Reuniclus is an improved force that uses it's tiny UU boost to make the best of some great abilities and really rise in usability.
Reuniclus hp115/att70/def80/spA130/spD90/spe35 (UU, UU boosted)
Duosion DOE hp85/att60/def70/spA145/spD80/Spe50 (NFE, PU boosted)
Duosion effectively gets to compare itself to it's evolved form (their abilities are all the same too, gr8!), so the basis of my argument will simply be some calcs (and scenarios), and me defending Duosion's lack of focus miss.
First though, let me defend Duosion from the obvious "Duosion gets no focus blast, how can it be better!?" argument. Focus blast is the only move Duosion really needs from its evolution... HOWEVER an 8 PP 110 base move, with 70% acc and only a 10% proc rate (stat dropper) FIGHTING can be replaced by a 16 pp 110 base move, with 70% acc and a gnarly 30% proc rate (STATUS) electric type. Thunder has you covered vs many threats, has higher Power Points (since tier shift can be stally it CAN END UP MATTERING) and Thunder's Status, Paralysis, doesn't go away if the foe switches. It can effectively cripple unsuspecting foes trying to come out knowing your strongest fighting move possible is Hidden Power, such as a Tyrantrum, eating it's Lum or ruining it's chances of getting fast from dances!
Possibly useful moves Duosion cannot learn that Reuniclus CAN: Grass Knot (Duosion DOES learn Energy ball though, 90 base, 16 pp, 10% drop spD. Grass Knot isn't really needed, hits suicune 10 base harder, and you dont even wanna fight suicune. You hit Quag harder with energyball than with grass knot, also.)
Other moves Duosion cannot learn that Reuniclus CAN which are physical: Superpower, Drain Punch, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, knock off, Power Up Punch.
With that out of the way let's see some delicious Calcs!
First let's see POWER. Duosion also gets life orb/magic guard, and a massive 145 special attack stat to launch off of. If you decided to run Duosion in the same way as a Reuniclus and have a little less staying power (I wouldn't suggest this in tier shift but netting OHKOs on certain foes using that 145 base special attack is a HUGE help and is pretty tricky to unsuspecting switch happy opponents)
252+ SpA Life Orb Reuniclus Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyrantrum: 285-335 (87.6 - 103%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Duosion Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyrantrum: 308-363 (94.7 - 111.6%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Reuniclus Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 312-368 (43.6 - 51.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Duosion Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 339-399 (47.4 - 55.8%) -- 22.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Reuniclus Thunder vs. 248 HP / 36 SpD Alomomola: 520-614 (94 - 111%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Duosion Thunder vs. 248 HP / 36 SpD Alomomola: 564-665 (101.9 - 120.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
NOW for the GOOD stuff. We can use REGENERATOR/Eviolite and make this 145 base special attacker into a sustainable Mind Cannon who can keep coming back in and blasting your brains out with super cellular psychic shit shows!!! THIS is why I believe Duosion really belongs as an A RANK THREAT!! This particular combo lets you have offensive power over Reuniclus, longevity over it in your higher defenses, and even encourages that you switch out and avoid knock offs by rewarding each switch with 33% of your HP back!
NOTE: I made EV investment so both defenses would end up the same, and then threw the rest into HP so that hits would literally be absorbed equally specially and physically, that's why each has 80 def EV and 0 sp defense, so their real stats are (reuni) def216/spD216 and (duosion) def196/spD196
252+ Atk Life Orb Strong Jaw Tyrantrum Crunch vs. 176 HP / 80 Def Reuniclus: 411-486 (99 - 117.1%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Reuniclus Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyrantrum: 376-444 (115.6 - 136.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO (70% acc)
252 Atk Life Orb Strong Jaw Tyrantrum Crunch vs. 176 HP / 80 Def Eviolite Duosion: 276-325 (77.7 - 91.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Duosion Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyrantrum: 237-279 (72.9 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Strong Jaw is ONLY used here because it'll hit the hardest, makes the calc more dramatic.
Now here Focus blast comes in handy, OFC! But Reuniclus is slower and ALMOST guaranteed to die to a single hit (as if anyone strong jaw crunches). Still, We're starting to see the defensive nature of Duosion already, surviving a strong jaw hit and CRIPPLING Tyrantrum, then switching away to simply regenerate 33% as you go, leaving behind a mangled addition to fossil fuels, and if he danced you simply bring out a rough skin/rocky helmet/iron barb monster and bye bye beastie, no damage done to your dangerous duosion dude!
+3 252 SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 176 HP / 0 SpD Reuniclus: 312-367 (77 - 90.6%) -- 25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock(30% burn for 12% also, since this is REGEN, making the chance for Reuniclus to die even higher, but he'd still get to attack)
252+ SpA Reuniclus Energy Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 210-248 (61.5 - 72.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
OR (ALTHOUGH chances of Reuniclus running thunder is much lower than Duosion, since Focus Blast is likely to take that spot) 252+ SpA Reuniclus Thunder vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 256-302 (75 - 88.5%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+3 252 SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 176 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Duosion: 219-258 (61.6 - 72.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock (cannot be one hit, even if burned)
252+ SpA Duosion Energy Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 234-276 (68.6 - 80.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
OR (much more likely Duosion runs Thunder, since it doesn't have access to focus blast!)
252+ SpA Duosion Thunder vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 286-338 (83.8 - 99.1%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Here we start to see some of the differences between the two, and the advantage of THUNDER vs FOCUS BLAST, in that Manaphy also likes RAIN, and sometimes you will have 100% acc Thunders! We also see that Reuniclus could be one hit, and WOULD be out sped, making it necessary for Reuniclus to flee where Duosion simply launches off an attack and more than 50% of the time (due to acc and odds but its str8 up 75% in rain) ends up netting a KO!
+1 252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 176 HP / 80 Def Reuniclus: 438-516 (105.5 - 124.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Reuniclus Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard X: 180-213 (60.6 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
+1 252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 176 HP / 80 Def Eviolite Duosion: 306-361 (86.1 - 101.6%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Duosion Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard X: 201-237 (67.6 - 79.7%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Here we have a real difference, without rocks on your side, with a 37.5% chance to end the opposing Charizard's sweep in one hit and 12.5% chance to die. Assuming you switch right in on it after the dance that would be a game changing 7/8 chance that Duosion gets a MORE THAN 1/3 chance to END the mega, and retreat to regen!
There are also GREAT calm mind/acid armor/recover sets that Duosion can do just as well as Reuniclus, IF NOT BETTER. However hanging around and setting up can end up in you taking a nasty Knock Off, and losing an eviolite if you're carrying one, though it's not entirely necessary to have eviolite considering how Duosion hits 15 special attack harder, and there is only a 30/10/10 difference in defenses it's ALMOST a fair trade even without evio, just to net OHKOs.
Duosion effectively comes out hits hard and gets the fuck away, it's a great way to go, and I'd strongly recommend it be placed in A RANK, and either taking Reuniclus' rank down a few steps, or placing directly above Reuniclus in A RANK (but I find Reuniclus inferior, honestly only shining in trick room settings due to Duosion's higher speed.)
Sure, Duosion doesn't have a Fighting move! Let's face it, it doesn't wanna take a hit from a dark type anyway and would still be able to signal beam it and leave for some extra damage over Hidden power. Over all, avoiding focus blast and running attacks like THUNDER, and Energy Ball for the Bulky water threats maybe beneficial even on Reuniclus at times, so I don't feel entirely hindered without Focus blast here, honestly.
That's all I've got. I really enjoy Tier shift, and I do not post often, though I have been around for quite some time and played competitively before I even joined smogon, being a shoddy battler and pokemon online battler, as well as VGC player long before I even decided the join the forums in order to vote on bans!
Hope to post more here later and I hope you accept my suggestions because I 'studied' a bit by playing through with a few variations and it takes a lot of time to find tier shift battles and play them! You can imagine tryin both Reuniclus and Duosion on multiple varities of teams took some time!
I believe Reuniclus should be dropped from A rank Viability to perhaps B+, and actually be replaced by his little form DUOSION! There is no arguing that Reuniclus getting an extra OOMPH didn't make it usable in a big way. Much like Suicune, Reuniclus is an improved force that uses it's tiny UU boost to make the best of some great abilities and really rise in usability.
Reuniclus hp115/att70/def80/spA130/spD90/spe35 (UU, UU boosted)
Duosion DOE hp85/att60/def70/spA145/spD80/Spe50 (NFE, PU boosted)
Duosion effectively gets to compare itself to it's evolved form (their abilities are all the same too, gr8!), so the basis of my argument will simply be some calcs (and scenarios), and me defending Duosion's lack of focus miss.
First though, let me defend Duosion from the obvious "Duosion gets no focus blast, how can it be better!?" argument. Focus blast is the only move Duosion really needs from its evolution... HOWEVER an 8 PP 110 base move, with 70% acc and only a 10% proc rate (stat dropper) FIGHTING can be replaced by a 16 pp 110 base move, with 70% acc and a gnarly 30% proc rate (STATUS) electric type. Thunder has you covered vs many threats, has higher Power Points (since tier shift can be stally it CAN END UP MATTERING) and Thunder's Status, Paralysis, doesn't go away if the foe switches. It can effectively cripple unsuspecting foes trying to come out knowing your strongest fighting move possible is Hidden Power, such as a Tyrantrum, eating it's Lum or ruining it's chances of getting fast from dances!
Possibly useful moves Duosion cannot learn that Reuniclus CAN: Grass Knot (Duosion DOES learn Energy ball though, 90 base, 16 pp, 10% drop spD. Grass Knot isn't really needed, hits suicune 10 base harder, and you dont even wanna fight suicune. You hit Quag harder with energyball than with grass knot, also.)
Other moves Duosion cannot learn that Reuniclus CAN which are physical: Superpower, Drain Punch, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, knock off, Power Up Punch.
With that out of the way let's see some delicious Calcs!
First let's see POWER. Duosion also gets life orb/magic guard, and a massive 145 special attack stat to launch off of. If you decided to run Duosion in the same way as a Reuniclus and have a little less staying power (I wouldn't suggest this in tier shift but netting OHKOs on certain foes using that 145 base special attack is a HUGE help and is pretty tricky to unsuspecting switch happy opponents)
252+ SpA Life Orb Reuniclus Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyrantrum: 285-335 (87.6 - 103%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Duosion Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyrantrum: 308-363 (94.7 - 111.6%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Reuniclus Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 312-368 (43.6 - 51.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Duosion Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 339-399 (47.4 - 55.8%) -- 22.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Reuniclus Thunder vs. 248 HP / 36 SpD Alomomola: 520-614 (94 - 111%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Duosion Thunder vs. 248 HP / 36 SpD Alomomola: 564-665 (101.9 - 120.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
NOW for the GOOD stuff. We can use REGENERATOR/Eviolite and make this 145 base special attacker into a sustainable Mind Cannon who can keep coming back in and blasting your brains out with super cellular psychic shit shows!!! THIS is why I believe Duosion really belongs as an A RANK THREAT!! This particular combo lets you have offensive power over Reuniclus, longevity over it in your higher defenses, and even encourages that you switch out and avoid knock offs by rewarding each switch with 33% of your HP back!
NOTE: I made EV investment so both defenses would end up the same, and then threw the rest into HP so that hits would literally be absorbed equally specially and physically, that's why each has 80 def EV and 0 sp defense, so their real stats are (reuni) def216/spD216 and (duosion) def196/spD196
252+ Atk Life Orb Strong Jaw Tyrantrum Crunch vs. 176 HP / 80 Def Reuniclus: 411-486 (99 - 117.1%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Reuniclus Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyrantrum: 376-444 (115.6 - 136.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO (70% acc)
252 Atk Life Orb Strong Jaw Tyrantrum Crunch vs. 176 HP / 80 Def Eviolite Duosion: 276-325 (77.7 - 91.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Duosion Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyrantrum: 237-279 (72.9 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Strong Jaw is ONLY used here because it'll hit the hardest, makes the calc more dramatic.
Now here Focus blast comes in handy, OFC! But Reuniclus is slower and ALMOST guaranteed to die to a single hit (as if anyone strong jaw crunches). Still, We're starting to see the defensive nature of Duosion already, surviving a strong jaw hit and CRIPPLING Tyrantrum, then switching away to simply regenerate 33% as you go, leaving behind a mangled addition to fossil fuels, and if he danced you simply bring out a rough skin/rocky helmet/iron barb monster and bye bye beastie, no damage done to your dangerous duosion dude!
+3 252 SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 176 HP / 0 SpD Reuniclus: 312-367 (77 - 90.6%) -- 25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock(30% burn for 12% also, since this is REGEN, making the chance for Reuniclus to die even higher, but he'd still get to attack)
252+ SpA Reuniclus Energy Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 210-248 (61.5 - 72.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
OR (ALTHOUGH chances of Reuniclus running thunder is much lower than Duosion, since Focus Blast is likely to take that spot) 252+ SpA Reuniclus Thunder vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 256-302 (75 - 88.5%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+3 252 SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 176 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Duosion: 219-258 (61.6 - 72.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock (cannot be one hit, even if burned)
252+ SpA Duosion Energy Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 234-276 (68.6 - 80.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
OR (much more likely Duosion runs Thunder, since it doesn't have access to focus blast!)
252+ SpA Duosion Thunder vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 286-338 (83.8 - 99.1%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Here we start to see some of the differences between the two, and the advantage of THUNDER vs FOCUS BLAST, in that Manaphy also likes RAIN, and sometimes you will have 100% acc Thunders! We also see that Reuniclus could be one hit, and WOULD be out sped, making it necessary for Reuniclus to flee where Duosion simply launches off an attack and more than 50% of the time (due to acc and odds but its str8 up 75% in rain) ends up netting a KO!
+1 252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 176 HP / 80 Def Reuniclus: 438-516 (105.5 - 124.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Reuniclus Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard X: 180-213 (60.6 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
+1 252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 176 HP / 80 Def Eviolite Duosion: 306-361 (86.1 - 101.6%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Duosion Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard X: 201-237 (67.6 - 79.7%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Here we have a real difference, without rocks on your side, with a 37.5% chance to end the opposing Charizard's sweep in one hit and 12.5% chance to die. Assuming you switch right in on it after the dance that would be a game changing 7/8 chance that Duosion gets a MORE THAN 1/3 chance to END the mega, and retreat to regen!
There are also GREAT calm mind/acid armor/recover sets that Duosion can do just as well as Reuniclus, IF NOT BETTER. However hanging around and setting up can end up in you taking a nasty Knock Off, and losing an eviolite if you're carrying one, though it's not entirely necessary to have eviolite considering how Duosion hits 15 special attack harder, and there is only a 30/10/10 difference in defenses it's ALMOST a fair trade even without evio, just to net OHKOs.
Duosion effectively comes out hits hard and gets the fuck away, it's a great way to go, and I'd strongly recommend it be placed in A RANK, and either taking Reuniclus' rank down a few steps, or placing directly above Reuniclus in A RANK (but I find Reuniclus inferior, honestly only shining in trick room settings due to Duosion's higher speed.)
Sure, Duosion doesn't have a Fighting move! Let's face it, it doesn't wanna take a hit from a dark type anyway and would still be able to signal beam it and leave for some extra damage over Hidden power. Over all, avoiding focus blast and running attacks like THUNDER, and Energy Ball for the Bulky water threats maybe beneficial even on Reuniclus at times, so I don't feel entirely hindered without Focus blast here, honestly.
That's all I've got. I really enjoy Tier shift, and I do not post often, though I have been around for quite some time and played competitively before I even joined smogon, being a shoddy battler and pokemon online battler, as well as VGC player long before I even decided the join the forums in order to vote on bans!
Hope to post more here later and I hope you accept my suggestions because I 'studied' a bit by playing through with a few variations and it takes a lot of time to find tier shift battles and play them! You can imagine tryin both Reuniclus and Duosion on multiple varities of teams took some time!
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Laxpras
One small yeet for man, one giant yeet for mankind
You're forgetting several things with Reuniclus. First off, it can run Colburr berry to live dark attacks to retaliate. Secondly, it is not as crippled by knock off in this way. Finally, it can run life orb in a non-set up set to much greater success, giving it much more variability than duosion. All of these are actually pretty important individually, and combine to make Reuniclus substantially better imo.