Ubers Stats - May 2013

[Sweep]

Ho-oh doesn't destroy anything with a reflect up, and reflect + toxic is a death sentence for him. I also fail to see how Espeon (the other bouncer) would stop a switch to Ho-oh. Sure Espeon could run the same set as Xatu, but he has worse defenses and doesn't have roost to back it up.

Espeon's overall bulk is actually slightly superior to Xatu's (65/65/95 for Espeon vs. 65/70/70 for Xatu). Xatu can switch in much easier on defensive Groudon, which is great news, but if an offensive Groudon uses Stone Edge or Rock Slide you will lose. Also note that Espeon has access to Morning Sun, which is actually better than Roost in the sun. I do agree that Ho-Oh cannot switch in safely on Xatu as Ho-Oh hates both Toxic and Thunder Wave.

I get that, but like I said above I learned really quickly to NOT put hazards up when I see a team with Espeon, and instead just throw off an attack when I predict a switch. If you don't bounce anything, all Espeon does is delay the set up of hazards and maybe hit a slower target for half health if the other guy stays in, but you're essentially playing 5 on 6 to get that. Xatu can switch in on earthquakes with its typing or weaker attacks like Deoxys-s fire punch and get up screens and/or toxic, then roost off the damage.

That is all Espeon needs to do to do its job. Entry hazards don't need to be held off the entire match; just for a good chunk of it. Espeon also has the advantage of actually having a usable special attack stat and decent movepool, though Xatu's flying typing and access to Thunder Wave makes it perfectly viable as well.

Xatu's ability to better deal with Ho-Oh and defensive Groudon gives it a nice edge over Espeon against opposing Sun teams. However, Espeon is better vs. rain IMO due to its access to Grass Knot. It can severely damage offensive Kyogre with Grass Knot and serve as an emergency answer to Omastar and Kabutops with Grass Knot so long Focus Sash is preserved. I don't know why some people argue passionately for one over the other; both are usable in Ubers but neither are guaranteed to keep hazards off your side of the field, much like Rapid Spinners do not guarantee that you will be safe from hazard stacking.

 

[levenl00s]

I get that, but like I said above I learned really quickly to NOT put hazards up when I see a team with Espeon, and instead just throw off an attack when I predict a switch. If you don't bounce anything, all Espeon does is delay the set up of hazards and maybe hit a slower target for half health if the other guy stays in, but you're essentially playing 5 on 6 to get that. Xatu can switch in on earthquakes with its typing or weaker attacks like Deoxys-s fire punch and get up screens and/or toxic, then roost off the damage.

Basically this...Espeon takes a hit on switch-in, unless playing against a bad player or nice prediction or overprediction, then it blocks hazards once and next time it could stop hazards it dies to another attack. Granted, it stopped hazards once and if you can keep sick offensive pressure, you might actually prevent another opportunity, but then you offered a team slot for a one time stop to rocks, not worth it imo.

Xatu's ability to better deal with Ho-Oh and defensive Groudon gives it a nice edge over Espeon against opposing Sun teams. However, Espeon is better vs. rain IMO due to its access to Grass Knot. It can severely damage offensive Kyogre with Grass Knot and serve as an emergency answer to Omastar and Kabutops with Grass Knot so long Focus Sash is preserved. I don't know why some people argue passionately for one over the other; both are usable in Ubers but neither are guaranteed to keep hazards off your side of the field, much like Rapid Spinners do not guarantee that you will be safe from hazard stacking.

Should your rain team lack a decent switch-in to Espeon, you might be in for a hard time...hard to see how you would not have one though...then Xatu doesn't do too much to rain either, except getting that nice Light Screen at times and maybe even a lucky Toxic on Kyogre, I guess that Espeon does have an advantage over Xatu here (how are you preserving his sash for Swift Swimmers though?).

To me, Espeon just seems a little more niche even than Xatu in general, which is absolutely not reflected in usage. If they would be used the same amount, I'd be super happy and not whining at all. I guess the biggest repellent from using Xatu for most players is his terrible stats, but I hope that at least some players will see this plea for him and start seeing some potential and using him, he deserves it!

 

[DoABarrelRoll]

Xatu's ability to better deal with Ho-Oh and defensive Groudon gives it a nice edge over Espeon against opposing Sun teams. However, Espeon is better vs. rain IMO due to its access to Grass Knot. (Xatu also has access to Grass Knot.) It can severely damage offensive Kyogre with Grass Knot and serve as an emergency answer to Omastar and Kabutops with Grass Knot so long Focus Sash is preserved. I don't know why some people argue passionately for one over the other; both are usable in Ubers but neither are guaranteed to keep hazards off your side of the field, much like Rapid Spinners do not guarantee that you will be safe from hazard stacking.

Espeon really sucks. Nothing prevents Darkrai from predicting the Espeon switch-in and smash it with Dark Pulse. And if Darkrai has a Focus Sash that's basically 2 pokemon down for your opponent. Rain is the most common weather in the uber metagame so there's no way Morning Sun > Roost. Also, Espeon really needs that sash to survive anything and Yawn is fucked up by lum berry, which is extremely common.
Xatu isn't that good either but at least it can set up dual screens and still hurt offensive threats. The ability to set up dual screens effectively is what makes it more useful than Espeon in Ubers. But that's just me.

 

[rileydelete]

Wow, Genesect's meteoric rise in usage really blows me away sometimes. It became widely available as a pre-order bonus for BW2 and quickly became OU's most used Pokémon. Fast-forward to today, and it's the third most popular lead in the entire tier! In my opinion, it's the best U-Turn user in the entire game, and is easily among the best Choice Scarf users.

When the next movie "Mewtwo vs Extremespeed Genesect" comes out, this Genesect will even get access to Shift Gear and Extremespeed, making for one heck of a physical sweeper. As an aside, the cyborg will get Blaze Kick too, but I doubt that will really be used.

It will be interesting to see how this powerful fiend's future will play out.