Metagame Trademarked

I tested something today...

Smeargle @ Focus Sash
Ability: ingrain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Skill Swap
- Parting Shot
- Magic Coat / Lunar Dance / Memento / Anything

You simply Skill Swap your Ingrain onto the opponent, and Spore them for support. Then you pivot out to a different Pokemon, getting rid of your trap, while your opponent stays trapped (unless they can pivot too, or are a Ghost-type). After this, you can freely abuse the opposing Pokemon as they're completely trapped. You can set up on them, or just simply remove them from a defensive core if you're facing stall. It costs a teamslot, but I feel like this could be devastating when supported with other Pokemon that can take advantage of trapped Pokemon.

(Side note: can also be used on Lilligant with Healing Wish / Trevenant can Ingrain + Skill Swap and switch out due to Ghost-type)
How often do you hit an opposing Pokemon with U-turn or Volt Switch (or Parting Shot) with Skill Swap?
 
I've been playing around with this Duo a bit and would like to share it:

Infernape @ Fightinium Z
Ability: nastyplot
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
- Vacuum Wave
- Grass Knot

Greninja @ Choice Scarf
Ability: spikes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Dark Pulse

Infernape is here because I wanted to use it. I thought about all the Kartanas I was seeing and realized that Infernape gets a special priority move that Kartana is weak to. Then I remembered that it gets Nasty Plot for an instant plus two and a decent speed tier. While Pokemon like Toxapex can switch into it, a lot of things on offensive teams don't look forward to taking a plus two fire blast or All Out Pummeling based on Focus Blast. The last slot is customizable, Grass Knot being there in case I think an opponent is going to try and switch in Rain Dance Swampert on the Fire Blast.

Spikes Scarfed Ninja is a great spiker. Able to get spikes up multiple times in one game, it can abuse U-Turn to hit Hoopa-U hard, keep momentum, and guarantee a second layer the next time it comes in. The move set itself is customizable, as is the case with Greninja generally although I opted for Ice Beam and dual stabs because of the loss of Protean.
 
Came up with a fun set, might be worth trying.

Araquanid @ Leftovers
Ability: Soak
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spider Web
- Toxic
- Rest
- Aqua Ring

Also question: How strong is magic bounce in this meta?
 
Came up with a fun set, might be worth trying.

Araquanid @ Leftovers
Ability: Soak
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spider Web
- Toxic
- Rest
- Aqua Ring

Also question: How strong is magic bounce in this meta?
Pretty strong, since it bounces back trademarks. Someone switched their crobat in on my Mega Sableye, immediately screeched, which bounced backed and halved its defense, and then dropped to knock off (to be fair it also crit). It's very useful for punishing hazard and status trademarks.
 
Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
Ability: Belly Drum
EVs: 252 Atk / 8 SpD / 248 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost
Very situational and I'm not sure how good this even is, but it's an ok sweeper.
 
Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
Ability: Belly Drum
EVs: 252 Atk / 8 SpD / 248 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost
Very situational and I'm not sure how good this even is, but it's an ok sweeper.
Why not 252 Speed? Looks like it could break stall teams that rely on defense boosts as opposed to haze/unaware.
 
Anyone else having trouble with ingrain (trademark) + skill swap? It's very uncompetitive, and I understand why it's not as bad as mean look in some ways (you need skill swap in your moveset, and you need an extra turn to use it). However, skill swap bypasses magic bounce; and, more importantly, the trapper can switch out after trapping the opponent, while they remain trapped. So for example, if you can check something with your trevenant, you can force it out, skill swap ingrain on the switch in, and switch to a check for that switch in (which can't switch out).
 
Anyone else having trouble with ingrain (trademark) + skill swap? It's very uncompetitive, and I understand why it's not as bad as mean look in some ways (you need skill swap in your moveset, and you need an extra turn to use it). However, skill swap bypasses magic bounce; and, more importantly, the trapper can switch out after trapping the opponent, while they remain trapped. So for example, if you can check something with your trevenant, you can force it out, skill swap ingrain on the switch in, and switch to a check for that switch in (which can't switch out).
Ingrain is very predictable and the pokemon who learn it usually don’t have any damage output, as long as you’re running a uturn/volt switch pokemon you’re gonna be fine.
 
So to rap this all up, Parting Shot is now BANNED as a trademark. tagging The Immortal , though its already banned on main anyway, so it can just stay that way.


Now I also heard people complaining about substitute. Substitute I would rather wait at least about 3 days to see how it fits in the meta and properly see if many are considering it bannable (also dont wanna go on a ban happy run), at which I would rather hold a suspect for it. I would like to at least see feedback on it over that time and replays showing it being broken, as Im not free most of my day to confirm for myself and Trademark lacks a council as of the moment.

Nonetheless, thanks to those who read and are playing trademarked, any feedback given is greatly appreciated. Hope you all have a Blessed Day :D
Gotta say, thanks for doing this. PShot was super-abusable and allowed easier offensive or defensive switchins almost for free.

Also, if you guys want an idea on how the "infinite loops" with Parting Shot worked, here's a sample team I crafted that exemplifies an near-infinite stall loop: https://pokepast.es/c314a1bac14ce8a8


Okay, onto the main point at hand. I'm just listing down things that people want to see suspected or banned so far. This is not a call for all of these to be banned on the spot, just a list of what people are talking about and have the possibility of becoming a major problem:
  • Substitute: Allows a free switchin or setup opportunity for almost anything. Can make some incoming threats nearly impossible to revenge kill as it grabs a kill almost for free. This gives the player ample time to control setup opportunities and snuff counterplay, sometimes enabling win conditions like Victini to go off uncontested. Especially problematic with...
  • Wish: Grants every Pokemon a recovery option, making Stall and balanced offense incredibly consistent. Chansey gives the team near-full heals for free while offering crazy cleric support. It just makes teams incredibly difficult to take down without a dedicated breaker.
  • Yawn: Kind of confused why this move is allowed when other sleep-inducing moves aren't. It forces the opponent into unfavorable situations that could either inconvenience their momentum, force undeserved switches, or change the game around completely. Frankly, this should have been banned with the other sleeping moves under principle and seems more like a loophole than a legit strategy.

  • Hoopa-U: Can break through just about anything and has almost no counters. It can come in with either Substitute for a free switchin or extreme difficulty revenge killing it, Laser Focus to gain a free power boost off a single crit (primarily for physical sets) that can't be removed by Haze or Heart Swap, or Nasty Plot for easier nuking capabilities (for special sets). Coverage and raw powerr means that almost nothing can safely switch into it boosted or not, which means it will almost always net a kill at the right moment.
  • Kartana: Much less so than Hoopa-U, but crazy for the same circumstances. Stupidly strong on its own and can nab free boosts off Trademarked mechanics for even more destruction.
  • Xurkitree: Mentioning this because it's on the original watchlist, but acts the same as Hoopa-U and Kartana despite its differences. Can completely break apart teams with raw power and access to Tail Glow. Unlike most other boosters, it has an exceptionally good matchup against most common Haze users, making it incredibly difficult to prevent the sweep.
 
I've been informed that the current mechanics are correct. If Stealth Rock for example were an ability in-game, the opposing Pokemon would take damage in the case of a double switch.

Also, I've played a lot of TM games and imo after the Parting Shot ban, there isn't really a pressing issue. Meta is mostly fine and I would let it develop.
 
How does Endure work? I’d assume it works like normal, but does it fail ever? Also, King’s Shield isn’t mentioned to be banned in the OP. Is it meant to not be banned?
 
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How does Endure work? I’d assume it works like normal, but does it fail ever? Also, King’s Shield isn’t mentioned to be banned in the OP. Is it meant to not be banned?
King’s shield isn’t banned because smeargle is the only pokemon that can learn it and most of the time all it does is use hazards
 
So, I've been using this anti-breaker set, but unfortunately I haven't gotten much use out of it. Perhaps the threats it is meant to check (Xurkitree, Hoopa-U, and Blacephalon) just aren't that popular. Anyway, because I haven't gotten much use out of it, I was thinking of replacing it. But I'm also reluctant to do so. What do you think?

Shuckle @ Assault Vest
Ability: Power Split
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earth Power
- Knock Off
- Bug Bite
- Rock Slide

Because of Shuckle's terrible offensive stats, power split nearly halves the opponent's offensive stats. Furthermore, because the Pokemon it checks have such high offensive stats, Shuckle gets decent offensive stats to work with.

Bug bite targets Hoopa's low defence, and hits 4x effectively. Assault vest allows it to check specs Xurkitree, which is 2HKOed by earth power after power split. Knock off helps Shuckle and the team better wall the threats it checks, as they rely on choice items to even get close to 2HKOing Shuckle. Rock slide is mostly filler; it would hit Blace hard, but Blace tends to minimize attack, making Shuckle's attack poor. Ancient power is only as strong as earth power, so that's pointless. It could be useful for Volcarona, but that's not particularly hard to wall with other Pokemon anyway.

Does Shuckle have a place in this meta? What could I have in the 4th move slot?
 
So, I've been using this anti-breaker set, but unfortunately I haven't gotten much use out of it. Perhaps the threats it is meant to check (Xurkitree, Hoopa-U, and Blacephalon) just aren't that popular. Anyway, because I haven't gotten much use out of it, I was thinking of replacing it. But I'm also reluctant to do so. What do you think?

Shuckle @ Assault Vest
Ability: Power Split
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earth Power
- Knock Off
- Bug Bite
- Rock Slide

Because of Shuckle's terrible offensive stats, power split nearly halves the opponent's offensive stats. Furthermore, because the Pokemon it checks have such high offensive stats, Shuckle gets decent offensive stats to work with.

Bug bite targets Hoopa's low defence, and hits 4x effectively. Assault vest allows it to check specs Xurkitree, which is 2HKOed by earth power after power split. Knock off helps Shuckle and the team better wall the threats it checks, as they rely on choice items to even get close to 2HKOing Shuckle. Rock slide is mostly filler; it would hit Blace hard, but Blace tends to minimize attack, making Shuckle's attack poor. Ancient power is only as strong as earth power, so that's pointless. It could be useful for Volcarona, but that's not particularly hard to wall with other Pokemon anyway.

Does Shuckle have a place in this meta? What could I have in the 4th move slot?
Maybe Infestation so that when the opponent switches out to something that can deal with Shuckle, you can then switch without fear of the opponent double switching?
 

Boomenheimer

formerly 2020 idm boomer
is a Tiering Contributor

Swampert @ Swampertite
Ability: raindance
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Power-Up Punch / Stone Edge

Mega Swampert can set up its own Rain before the Mega.

Hydreigon @ Razor Claw
Ability: focusenergy
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Superpower
- Fire Blast / U-Turn
- Flash Cannon

100% Crit rate, spam Draco Meteor and Superpower without caring about the stat drops.


Hawlucha
Ability: encore
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Acrobatics
- High Jump Kick
- Iron Head

Switch into a Ground move or a boosting move, and boom, you got a free switch in, and a turn to set up.
i don't think the mega-swampert sets works as well because it's lost accessed to swift-swim now. it still hits like a truck but it's technically worse than the standard mega-swampert with swift swim in rain. this set is technically just mega-swampert as a rain setter as opposed to mega-swampert the rain sweeper
 
i don't think the mega-swampert sets works as well because it's lost accessed to swift-swim now. it still hits like a truck but it's technically worse than the standard mega-swampert with swift swim in rain. this set is technically just mega-swampert as a rain setter as opposed to mega-swampert the rain sweeper
It still has access to swift swim. It just megas when its ready to sweep. Megas removes trademarks just like they do with regular abilities. Though i personally prefer work up on swampert and running rain on something else.
 
azumarill whit belly drum ability

Azumarill @ sitrus berry
Ability: bellydrum
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Ice Punch
 
Hi guys.
Can this Starmie works?

Starmie @ Choice Specs
Ability: Gravity
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Zap Cannon
- Blizzard
- Hydro Pump
- Psychic

Blizz and Pump are 100% accurate under Gravityn and Zap Cannon is 83%, with 100% para chance.

This can be done with Z-Conversion Porygon-Z, but there are too many Heart Swap and Haze out there, and I want my Z slot in other mon... Maybe Tectonic Rage from SD Lando since Gravity means no ground immunity.

Any tips? Ty.
 

SBPC

stranded on an island
is a Forum Moderator Alumnus
I've been playing this as OMotM, and it's interesting for sure. I've had a lot of fun running through matches on the ladder, and I made a team that I'd like to present as a sample.


Minior @ White Herb
Ability: Shell Smash
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Acrobatics
- Stone Edge
- U-turn

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Rock Polish
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off

Weavile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Swords Dance
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab

Tapu Fini @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Haze
EVs: 252 HP / 8 SpA / 248 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Nature's Madness
- Moonblast
- Defog

Slowbro @ Slowbronite
Ability: Iron Defense
EVs: 252 HP / 124 Def / 132 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Surf

This team was built around the core of Shell Smash Minior + Magnet Pull Magnezone. Since shell smash activates on switch-in, It acts as an incredible revenge killer being uncontested with it's instant 744 speed and 598 attack, while magnezone is able to trap steels that attempt to stop it, such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, Skarmory, Celesteela, and even Scarfed Kartana if it can successfully come in on leaf blade, while nonscarfed is outsped and ohko'd by Hidden Power.
I noticed that sets that carry Psych Up/Heart Swap, as well as copycat Mew, would be rather disruptive against this core, so enter Haze Fini. This is both the defogger and haze user for this team, so it should be played very carefully.
Choice Scarf Weavile is an incredible member of this team, being able to be a priority cleaner to hit weakened teams with its ice shard, as well as check Psychics and Eviolite users with Knock Off, with Poison Jab to hit any fairies that can be predicted to switch in.
Rock Polish + Z Stone Edge makes for an excellent offensive electric and ground immune sweeper.
So with all this fast offense, I needed an answer to trick room teams. So what better to do that then Slowbro-Mega, designed to be a crocune-esque wincon that sits on trick room teams after 2 calm minds.
 
Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Nasty Plot
EVs: 252 Sp.A/252 Spe
Timid Nature
-HP Fire/Ice
-Thunder/Thunderbolt
-Grass Knot
-Surf

Pikachu might be useful under a Tailwind/Sticky Web setter team with its massive 750+ Sp.A.HP Fire is to take down Ferrothorn(2HKO),or you could opt for HP Ice and pray to god you win the speed tie between SwordsDance Lando-T to OHKO it.Thunder could be used as a risky yet more powerful STAB(you're already using Pikachu which is risky as it is).Surf and Grass Knot are coverage obviously.Priority/T-Room/Chansey beat it down obviously.
 
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Clamperl @ Deep Sea Tooth
Ability: Shell Smash
EVs: 252 Sp.A/252 HP
IVs: 0 Spe
Quiet Nature
-Surf
-Ice Beam
-HP Grass/Fire
-Substitute/Protect

Similar to the high risk Pikachu set,Clampearl offers a great reward with 1000+ Sp.A at a cost of being durable as wet paper after boost.Trick Room is likely your best bet to utlize it to the fullest and take down whatever doesn't resist its moves.Substitue could be used to prevent Mew Transform shenanigans while Protect just scouts in a way.Might wanna lay down a Psychic Terrain to prevent Sucker Punchers from ruining its day.Do what you will with the precious pearl.
 
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