• Check out the relaunch of our general collection, with classic designs and new ones by our very own Pissog!

Project Top 10 Titans of Generation 8 OM Metagames

Status
Not open for further replies.
1656092049432.png
 
It's time for our second metagame, Almost Any Ability!
From June 26th to July 10th, you will nominate Pokemon that will be voted on for the top 10 most influential Pokemon throughout Gen 8 AAA. After that, you will all evaluate all the nominations and individually rank the Pokemon from 1-10 by vote. Of course, all the nominations will count as long as they're reasonable and fit the criteria. Please keep in mind that we're not ranking Pokemon based on how good they are, but we're ranking Pokemon based on how influential they've been. When nominating Pokemon, consider their influence not just in the current Crown Tundra format, but in the Isle of Armor, Home, and Pre-Home metagames as well (if they were there, of course)!

Here's a reminder of the submissions format for those that need it.
Enter your nominee's sprite here.
:ss/pokemon:

What effect did Pokemon have on the metagame?

Explain how the Pokemon effected the metagame as whole, and how the metagame adapted around it. A brief description of which Pokemon it countered and which Pokemon it did well against would be good here as well. Be sure to consider their impact in previous iterations of SS AAA as well if they weren't removed.

In what main roles was Pokemon used?

Explain why this Pokemon was used on a team more often then most other Pokemon, and what was it particularly used for? What made it so good at this role?

What caused it to have a significant impact?

What exactly made this Pokemon have such a large impact on the metagame? Was it its stats, ability, useful resistances, amazing synergy, or the ability to sweep most of the metagame very easily? Did a certain Pokemon cause it to become that much better when it was partnered with it?

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in AAA?

What are the best checks/counters to this Pokemon? How does the metagame adapt to this Pokemon?

:ss/blacephalon:

What effect did Pokemon have on the metagame?

It's been around for a while and been a strong Magic Guard Life Orb sweeper.

In what main roles was Pokemon used?

It clicked Mind Blown and shit died

What caused it to have a significant impact?

See above

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in AAA?

Fat walls and resists

please format your suggestions more seriously than this one it's just an example to show off the format

You're allowed to reserve nominations, but make sure to finish them in 24 hours, or they will be back up for grabs! Also, you can only reserve one nomination at a time. This is to make sure that your reservation gets done before you finish another. If you pick a Pokemon that has more than one form, be sure to clarify which it is. Happy posting!

Archeops
Blacephalon
Blissey
Corviknight
Dragapult
Garchomp
Genesect
Gengar
Heatran
Kommo-o
Mew
Noivern
Snorlax
Swampert
Talonflame
Tapu Fini
Tapu Koko
Tapu Lele
Terrakion
Victini
Weavile
Zeraora
 
Last edited:
:ss/genesect:

What effect did Pokemon have on the metagame?

Genesect had some of the most absurd set variety in all of AAA, with up to 7 sets being equally viable depending on the state of the meta. This forced teams to try to cover as many sets as they could, although the most common sets consisted of Tinted Lens, SFLO, and Choice Scarf Regenerator. One core that popped up was DShield Mandibuzz + RegenVest Jirachi, which could cover almost all of the most common Genesect sets (since SFLO sets did not run Flamethrower very often) while being good against many other metagame threats such as Power Construct Zygarde-10% and Tapu Koko. Defensive Pokemon also had to have some way of threatening Genesect. Blissey was forced into Thunder Wave, Mew needed Will-o-Wisp, and Jirachi commonly ran Fire Punch. This had to apply to every single defensive Pokemon on a team, lest Genesect get a Shift Gear up and win on the spot.

In what main roles was Pokemon used?

Genesect had two main roles: a Shift Gear sweeper and a Choice Scarf Regenerator pivot. Between its great offensive stats and outstanding coverage, Shift Gear sets were powerful, versatile, and a major threat to be prepared for. Choice Scarf Regenerator pivots flexed Genesect's solid bulk, unique typing, STAB U-turn, and coverage options to constantly pivot around, slap answers with coverage, and just generally be an unkillable annoyance if played properly.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

The most important this about Genesect is this: it was impossible to be safe against all possible Genesect sets. This is not an overexagerration; Genesect simply had too many options at its disposal for a single team to say "yeah, I do well vs this" against every set. Even if a team were to somehow dedicate itself to solely beating Genesect sets, it would most likely lose to the many other strong breakers in the tier. It also had insane coverage. Flamethrower, Iron Head, Blizzard...you name it, Genesect had it, at least on the special side of things. In fact, Genesect had a whooping 12 types of moves available at its disposal (technically 11 because its only Rock-type move is Rock Polish), which could be further compounded by strong abilities such as Tinted Lens, Sheer Force, No Guard, and Flash Fire.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in AAA?

As stated above, you could not prepare for every Genesect set. It just wasn't possible. However, options did exist to beat some or most sets.

:ss/heatran:
Heatran

Heatran was the best Genesect counter in the tier. Despite Magma Storm's dismal accuracy, it boasted a 4x resistance to both of Genesect's STABs, took at best neutral damage from even the most fringe of Genesect's coverage, and could take advantage of Genesect switching out by laying Stealth Rock or trapping the switch-in. Genesect had ways around it (Flash Fire for Desolate Land Heatran, Primordial Sea for Mold Breaker Heatran), but not only were these looked down upon as more fringe options, Regenerator Heatran ran Body Press and could threaten Genesect either way. Genesect often had to rely on teammates to dispose of Heatran before it could make meaningful progress.

:ss/jirachi: :ss/mandibuzz:
RegenVest Jirachi + Dauntless Shield Mandibuzz

Rising as a metagame pick in the latter half of Gen 8 AAA as a counter to SFLO Tapu Lele, it really took off whenever Pixilate Tapu Koko was discovered and became a great choice on many a team. With its great special bulk, Fire Punch, and U-turn, it could directly threaten most special Genesect sets while negating the damage Choice Scarf sets did to it with Regenerator. However, it could not beat Tinted Lens sets. This is where Mandibuzz came in, as it solidly walled most physical variants of Gensect and had Foul Play to punish it for setting. Barring a strange mixed set with enough Attack to OHKO Jirachi at +1 or a lucky Iron Head flinch, Genesect struggled to get past these cores by itself.

:ss/toxapex:
Toxapex

Depending on the ability it ran, Toxapex could take on almost any Genesect set. Prankster was the most common, and this ability allowed it to 1v1 most physical sets, barring Galvanize Extreme Speed sets. Volt Absorb was the second most common, and as Genesect often relied on Thunderbolt or Zap Cannon to hit Water-types, it often blanked special sets, as ones that tried to tech VA Pex with Psychic lost to other threats in the long run. However, the reverse also works; Prankster is near useless against most special and mixed sets and can only remove Genesect's boosts with Prankster Haze, while Volt Absorb can potentially Burn physical Genesect and leave it much weaker, but not only did Guts sets exist to remove this weakness, it was always one Tinted Head Iron Head flinch away from losing.

:ss/blissey: :ss/ferrothorn: :ss/mew:
Some defensive cores

While not all defensive cores could completely prevent Genesect from coming in and sweeping, they could at least punish it for attempting to do so. For example, Blissey could Thunder Wave it, Ferrothorn could set up on it with Iron Defense or also Thunder Wave it, and Mew could Will-o-Wisp physical sets and either dent special sets with a Body Press or pivot out with Volt Switch. These are obviously set-dependant and not true answers, but often, a crippled Genesect was a useless Genesect.
 
Last edited:
:ss/noivern:

What effect did Noivern have on the metagame?

Noivern was infamous for its Choice Specs Aerilate set, which abused the absurd power of the 168 base power Aerilate-boosted Boomburst to demolish slower Pokemon. Even coming off of Noivern's mediocre 97 base Special Attack, this extremely spammable STAB move was still able to OHKO or 2HKO the vast majority of the metagame, including several notable Flying resistances like Tapu Koko and Zapdos. Because of its absurd power, specialized checks were required to deal with Noivern, which led to the rise in niche sets like Assault Vest Silvally-Electric. Noivern's presence in the metagame practically mandated a specialized bulky Flying resistance (or Blissey) on every team, which led to the rise in niche or otherwise unviable sets like Assault Vest Silvally-Electric and Specially Defensive Stakataka to handle it. Because of how Noivern would warp teambuilding and gameplay around itself, it was deemed overwhelming by the community and was banned in a May 2021 suspect test.

In what main roles was Noivern used?

Noivern was solely used as a fast offensive wallbreaker, equipped with Choice Specs for maximum damage output. While it had a fantastic utility movepool, very few of those options saw use thanks to the sheer power of Aerilate Boomburst, which OHKO'd or 2HKO'd the vast majority of Pokemon in the metagame. Access to U-turn allowed Noivern to form potent Voltturn cores with other fantastic offensive pivots, like Cinderace, Landorus-Therian, and Zarude, who could pressure the Flying resistances that could tank a Boomburst while also being able to pivot back into Noivern. Switcheroo was used to cripple walls by giving them Noivern's Choice Specs, which could open up an opportunity for one of Noivern's partners to wreak havoc. Noivern's last moveslot was flexible, albeit rarely used. Flamethrower, Taunt, Roost, Defog, and Super Fang were all viable options, but rarely saw use as pivoting out with U-turn or clicking Boomburst were generally more useful options.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

Noivern's fantastic speed tier of 123 allowed it to outspeed and OHKO other offensive threats such as Cinderace, Terrakion, and Zarude, providing immense offensive pressure for its team alongside pivoting with U-turn. Not only that, but Noivern absolutely demolished any defensive Pokemon without a Flying resistance. Noivern's tendency to end up on Pivot cores further cemented its dominance, as Noivern greatly appreciated being brought onto the field to dish out more damage.
While many of these Pokemon may be able to take 1 or 2 Boombursts, over the course of the match they're liable to get worn down, necessitating a dedicated Noivern check on the team.
:blissey: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Blissey: 258-304 (36.1 - 42.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
:corviknight: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Corviknight: 135-159 (33.7 - 39.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
:mew: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Mew: 241-285 (59.8 - 70.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
:silvally: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Silvally-Dragon: 168-198 (42.6 - 50.2%) -- 93.4% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
:swampert: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Swampert: 172-204 (42.5 - 50.4%) -- 41% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
:tapu fini: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tapu Fini: 268-316 (77.9 - 91.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
:toxapex: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Toxapex: 189-223 (62.1 - 73.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
:zapdos: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Zapdos: 183-216 (47.7 - 56.3%) -- 85.9% chance to 2HKO

Dedicated Noivern checks (note how all of them rely on Regenerator for recovery):
:jirachi: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Jirachi: 120-142 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
:nihilego: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 248 HP / 104+ SpD Nihilego: 111-132 (26.3 - 31.3%) -- 100% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
:silvally: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Silvally-Electric: 84-99 (21.3 - 25.1%) -- 98.3% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock
:stakataka: 252 SpA Choice Specs Aerilate Noivern Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Stakataka: 60-70 (18.4 - 21.4%) -- possible 6HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in AAA?

Nearly every team in AAA was required to have a dedicated bulky Flying resistance to deal with Noivern. Most commonly, these were Rock, Steel, and Electric Pokemon running Regenerator (possibly with an Assault Vest) to ward off chip damage and recover HP after Noivern switches out; including Jirachi, Nihilego, and Silvally-Electric. However, all of these Pokemon dislike receiving Choice Specs from a Switcheroo, and many of them were vulnerable to getting blown away by Noivern after repeated chip and entry hazard damage. In order to deal with an opposing Noivern, players needed to make decisions throughout a match which keep their Pokemon healthy and keep the enemy Noivern off the field, which usually boil down to smart Hazard control and keeping Stealth Rock up on your opponent's side.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top