Metagame NFE

5Dots

Chairs
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
NFE
1FB719F4-16FA-4D4D-8BC1-A83676AC5450.png
lovely art by in the hills

NFE, or Not Fully Evolved is a metagame around the premise of only allowing pokemon that can still evolve. Unlike LC, this includes any stage 2 Pokemon that is able to evolve, rather than just Stage 1 Evolutions.

Basic Strategy:
Eviolite or Eviolite? That is the question. Historically, the NFE metagame has mainly consisted of balance and bulky-offense teams that center around Eviolite, as it increases the bulk of non-fully evolved Pokemon by 50%, and by extension, moves like Knock Off, Thief, Covet, and Trick become very valuable for creating progress. However, other playstyles have also been very successful, with hazard stack and Sticky Web teams being especially notable due to the rarity of Heavy-Duty Boots. All in all, NFE is a wide-ranging metagame with a low power creep that offers an enjoyable experience for both beginners and competitive veterans alike.

However, the introduction of threats both old and new and a generation-defining mechanic in terastallizing means that the metagame is doubtlessly going to evolve from here!
Please use this thread to discuss meta trends and new features that impact the Generation 9 NFE metagame!

For live discussion, check out our Discord Server!
thanks to Mirbro and Greybaum for helping a lot with this OP

Rules: NFE allows any pokemon that is both unbanned from the tier, and can evolve in-game.
Clauses: Standard OM Clauses + Sleep Moves Clause + Terastal Clause
Banlist:
Pokemon:
Bisharp
Chansey
Duraludon
Haunter
Magneton
Porygon2
Primeape
Rhydon
Scyther
Ursaring
Basculin-White-Stripe
Sneasel-Hisui
Abilities:
Arena Trap
Shadow Tag
Magnet Pull
Moves:
Baton Pass
Current Watchlist:
:Electabuzz: Electabuzz
:Gligar: Gligar
:Piloswine: Piloswine
Resources:
Sample Teams
Resources Thread
Viability Rankings
Role Compendium
Speed Tiers

SV NFE Council:
:pikachu: 5Dots
:Drakloak: Dragonillis
:Frogadier: elleapple
:Monferno: Maybca☆〜ゝ。∂
:Slowpoke: Mirbro
 
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lepton

im fragile, but not that fragile
is a Tiering Contributor
NEW STUFF NEW STUFF
random sets of new mons that are good/interesting

:bisharp: Bisharp @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Night Slash
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance

:primeape: Primeape @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Fighting/Ground
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Gunk Shot
- Earthquake
maybe we shouldn’t have left these two free…

798620D2-2EDE-42AF-96F7-38D46E524AD9.png

Tinkatuff @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
very cool with a great defensive typing and utility movepool. However, offensive presence is very limited, and it doesn’t get any good physical steel stab fsr. moldy rocks is rly cool for beating hatt

01456425-3582-4897-ABE5-F5C5474658CD.png

Toedscool @ Eviolite
Ability: Mycelium Might
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Earth Power
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Knock Off
another mon that can set hazards on hatt, this time spikes. weird defensive typing, very bad physical bulk but the utility movepool is so amazing that i want to try and make it work.

7274E14E-DACD-4C34-8FD7-E0E29824ADE9.jpeg

Naclstack @ Eviolite
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Stealth Rock
this thing is actually so bulky. best haunter counter atm as the ability makes it resist ghost AND immune to status. pure rock isn’t a great typing, and it doesn’t help at all vs bisharp and primeape, but i think it certainly has potential as a ghost answer and rocks setter

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Floragato @ Choice Band
Ability: Protean
Tera Type: Fairy/Grass
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Petal Blizzard
- U-turn
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
weed cat has obvious potential with protean and a decent movepool, should be good

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Quaxwell @ Eviolite
Ability: Moxie
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 HP OR 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Liquidation
- Brave Bird
- Rapid Spin
- Roost
HAZARD REMOVAL WITH RECOVERY THATS NOT WEAK TO ROCKS!!! defenses kinda lackluster, offenses good with fine coverage leads to not an amazing mon but the utility makes it a huge deal


anyway that’s all the new stuff i’ve had time to test so far, i’ll edit this if i find more!
 

Greybaum

GENTLEMAN, THIS IS DEMOCRACY MANIFEST
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
And the first ban of the generation goes to...

:ss/haunter:
Haunter has been quick banned!
Ban SlateleptonbeautsMirbroGreybaumTotal
HaunterBANBANBANBAN4-0-0 BAN

Haunter returned to NFE this generation with two phenomenal new tools in Nasty Plot and Focus Blast, making light work of anticipated checks like Naclstack and Bisharp. Even Chansey, a defensive behemoth, has to run a Calm nature and Shadow Ball in order to answer it. Throw in a limited dex where very few Pokemon can outspeed Haunter, much less switch in, and the option to further augment its damage or hoodwink offensive counterplay with Terastallizing, and it becomes very apparent that Haunter does not belong in this tier.

Tagging Kris to implement.

Going forward we'll be keeping a close eye on Bisharp and Primeape in particular, two Pokemon that have stood out as potentially deserving of a quick ban. Expect an update on those in a couple of days.
 
From a total of 1 game and just theory crafting in the infinite wait looking for another I present to thee

EL MACHO

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El Macho (Crocalor) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Slack Off
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Tera Blast

So we're gonna have Bisharps SDing left right and centre, as well as lots of other physical menaces like WeedCat and Primeape and this is probably the best answer to the first 2 of those.

Very respectable physical bulk means that it can easily handle Eviolite Bisharp without issue, even with coverage.


252+ Atk Bisharp Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Crocalor: 132-156 (36 - 42.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Crocalor: 69-82 (18.8 - 22.4%) -- possible 5HKO

Even if Bisharps opt for a more offensive item, El Macho still handles it well, with Stone Edge, whilst 2hkoing, still isn't disasterous.

252+ Atk Choice Band Bisharp Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Crocalor: 196-232 (53.5 - 63.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Crocalor: 103-123 (28.1 - 33.6%) -- 0.2% chance to 3HKO

In return, Crocalor uses its great 90 Base Special Attack to cleanly return fire.


0 SpA Crocalor Flamethrower vs. +1 0 HP / 4 SpD Bisharp: 158-188 (58.3 - 69.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA Crocalor Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Bisharp: 236-282 (87 - 104%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock


3 main weaknesses for El Macho at the moment:
:Chansey: Free Switch in for whatever the croc wants to do
Hazards: Being a Fire Type has its drawbacks, however I think a pairing with a fellow starter can aid Crocalor very well.
Tera: lmao what if I, a physical mon, changed my type to kill you with a special move hehehehe.
edit: add :naclstack: here bc I forgor wisp doesn't hit it, so if you aren't Teraing El Macho, then the rocks just cancel anything you could want to do

Anyway, I'm hoping to try out NFE some more bc it definitely looks fun.
 
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From a total of 1 game and just theory crafting in the infinite wait looking for another I present to thee

EL MACHO

View attachment 467185

El Macho (Crocalor) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Slack Off
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Tera Blast

So we're gonna have Bisharps SDing left right and centre, as well as lots of other physical menaces like WeedCat and Primeape and this is probably the best answer to the first 2 of those.

Very respectable physical bulk means that it can easily handle Eviolite Bisharp without issue, even with coverage.


252+ Atk Bisharp Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Crocalor: 132-156 (36 - 42.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Crocalor: 69-82 (18.8 - 22.4%) -- possible 5HKO

Even if Bisharps opt for a more offensive item, El Macho still handles it well, with Stone Edge, whilst 2hkoing, still isn't disasterous.

252+ Atk Choice Band Bisharp Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Crocalor: 196-232 (53.5 - 63.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Crocalor: 103-123 (28.1 - 33.6%) -- 0.2% chance to 3HKO

In return, Crocalor uses its great 90 Base Special Attack to cleanly return fire.


0 SpA Crocalor Flamethrower vs. +1 0 HP / 4 SpD Bisharp: 158-188 (58.3 - 69.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA Crocalor Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Bisharp: 236-282 (87 - 104%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock


3 main weaknesses for El Macho at the moment:</p><p>Chansey: Free Switch in for whatever the croc wants to do
Hazards: Being a Fire Type has its drawbacks, however I think a pairing with a fellow starter can aid Crocalor very well.
Tera: lmao what if I, a physical mon, changed my type to kill you with a special move hehehehe.

Anyway, I'm hoping to try out NFE some more bc it definitely looks fun.
Damn was gonna mention Crocalor but someone already has, ya this mon is useful for any physical offensive mon. i didn’t think of using terra blast on it tbh since I’ve been running yawn/wisp, but after playing bits of Gen 9 grass terra helps it entirely in the meta rn.
 

5Dots

Chairs
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Day 3! Been experimenting with Pokemon like Primeape, Sneasel, and Bishop after the Haunter ban.
:ss/Primeape:
Primeape @ Choice Band / Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Night Slash / Gunk Shot / Rock Slide / Encore
I believe Eviolite is still its best set, especially after Haunter's ban and Bisharp's prominence, but Choice sets have proven potent at providing wall breaking prowess; Band notably 3HKOes Greavard and 2HKOes Crocalar, while Choice Scarf crucially outruns Sneasel and gets the leg up on opposing Primapes. It's a nightmare to face, as it's super splashable with its set variety, speed, and power. Like lepton said, please ban this ASAP.
:ss/Bisharp:
Bisharp @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Night Slash / Brick Break
Even without Knock Off, this is even more nightmarish than Primeape. Without Crocalar or offensive checks like Fletchinder or Primeape, Bisharp can, and has proven to very easily crush teams with +2 Sucker Punches. Given the tier's low power level and the tier's incredibly offensive pace, this can easily set up without those two in the way. Primeape with a Choice Item can potentially get picked off at 80% minimum with Bisharp's +2 Sucker Punch; any attack or enough rounds of Rocks can finish Primeape off and leave it invalid as a revenge killer. While Night Slash is usually considered as a secondary Dark STAB to complement Iron Head and provide a safety net for Sucker Punch, I prefer Brick Break for the mirror and Sneasel. Please ban this ASAP for how oppressive it is offensively.
:ss/Morgrem:
Morgrem (M) @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Parting Shot
- Dark Pulse / Dazzling Gleam
The most potent Screens Pokemon debuts again, and also is a great enabler for offense/hyper offense teams. Completely blanked by Bisharp, but the same can be said for enabling it to set up with ease. Nasty Plot sets could be worth considering if the power level decreases a bit more, but it's not worth using over other Pokemon at the moment.
:ss/Pikachu:
Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Surf
- Encore / Substitute
A titan from NFE returns as a potent pivot! While not as much of a hot topic as Haunter, Primeape, and Bisharp, Pikachu still combines pivoting with unmatched offensive presence with Light Ball and good coverage with Electric/Water coverage. Looking for a way to blast through Coal? Never fear, Pikachu is here! Want an emergency offensive check to Bisharp? Pikachu with Encore can make it think twice before pressing Sucker Punch! Calling out the switch from Quaxwell? Grab a safety net with Substitute! It is a shame it lost Extreme Speed and Knock Off, but I still see Pikachu as a force for VoltTurn and offense builds alike.
:ss/Surskit:
Surskit @ Focus Sash
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sticky Web
- Leech Life
- Liquidation
- Aqua Jet
Is this really worth a Webs slot, especially with the ape and bishop running around? In all honestly, it's a niche option, considering Surskit's miserable offensive presence, but the other Webs user is even worse off. Not great against the ape and bishop, but the fact it can be the potentially only viable Pokemon to slow down the opposing team is exciting!

I'd love to see what happens with meta changes in NFE next!
 
:sv/pawmo:
What are you trought about Pawno? Nice offensive pivot and Bisharp check. Good priority in Iron Fost Mach Punch but lack Ice punch wich his evo Pawmot has.

Puño (Pawmo) @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Mach Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Volt Switch
- Low Sweep
 
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Misdreavus @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Tera Blast (Fighting) / Dazzling Gleam / Thunderbolt
- Trick
- Nasty Plot


Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Tera Blast (Fighting) / Dazzling Gleam
- Taunt / Wil-O-Wisp / Psyshock
- Nasty Plot

General Ghost type mon to help keep rapid spin from being used, but it shows promise as being a trick user to help tilt stall teams or general gameplay and with the lack of knock trick usage could prove useful in the meta. Another set you could run is nasty plot + 3 attack moves or run it with taunt/wisp. Tera Blast (Fighting) is merely for its weakness against bisharp and other dark types. And instead of dazzling gleam you could potentially run psyshock for any Chansey issues you run into. It’s a good mon with overall decent stats with 85 from spa to spe but overall frail as a mon, however I’ll still test it some more to get used to it a bit.

C71709AC-9D9F-4BF7-98FB-8C0E239D4FED.png

Gastly @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzing Gleam
- Sludge Bomb
- Trick


Gastly @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Tera Blast (Fighting) / Dazzling Gleam / Psychic
- Substitute / Destiny Bond

While it’s not Haunter it can prove to have its uses in the meta rn as a trick user as mentioned similarly with misdreavus with the lack of knock. It deals good damage as it helps deal that input towards slower mons in the meta, only issue I have with it is that it’s frail but you could still make use of it. You could run Life Orb as a set with Tera Blast for bisharp or other dark types. It does also get Nasty Plot which you could potentially use but it deals good damage the way it is already. It is a generally fun mon to use similarly as it was to last gen after Haunter was banned also.
 
:sv/pawmo:
What are you trought about Pawno? Nice offensive pivot and Bisharp check. Good priority in Iron Fost Mach Punch but lack Ice punch wich his evo Pawmot has.

Puño (Pawmo) @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Mach Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Volt Switch
- Low Sweep
Seems like a cool lil fella. Will definitely shine with all the Bish, and also nice for revenging vs Ape, doing ~30-35% to choiced. Low Sweep wouldn't be my last move of choice though, I'd probably opt for Nuzzle, Encore or even Low Kick if Naclstack matchup wants it. Plus I'm permanently scared of lowering stats with Bish and Ape. Might try it out soon.

Anyway, just wanted to talk a little more about :Naclstack:

Bulky as heq, even after a knock. However, its attacks are pitiful. Lepton's set had EQ and Stone Edge, unfortunately this makes Naclstack a sitting duck.

I propose that Naclstacks should be running this:


Naclstack @ Eviolite
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 8 Def / 248 SpD
Careful Nature
- Salt Cure / Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Stealth Rock
- Recover

Salt Cure is the current option due to Haunter still being on ladder, but either work. Due to not being able to be statused it gives Stack to sit on the field and soak up hits. Salt Cure and Iron Defence both facilitate this well, Salt Cure applies some very nice constant chip pressure which adds up nicely with hazards, and Salt Cure punishes arguably the best remover coming in. It also means that in wall wars, you provide extra chip, likely meaning they run out of recovers first in addition having good PP.
If you are feeling confident against Ghosts you could run Iron Defence, making you bulkier against the physical threats in the tier, as well as forcing setup if they can't break past you.

Just wanna see the lil rocky guy shine :)
 
Seems like a cool lil fella. Will definitely shine with all the Bish, and also nice for revenging vs Ape, doing ~30-35% to choiced. Low Sweep wouldn't be my last move of choice though, I'd probably opt for Nuzzle, Encore or even Low Kick if Naclstack matchup wants it. Plus I'm permanently scared of lowering stats with Bish and Ape. Might try it out soon.

Anyway, just wanted to talk a little more about :Naclstack:

Bulky as heq, even after a knock. However, its attacks are pitiful. Lepton's set had EQ and Stone Edge, unfortunately this makes Naclstack a sitting duck.

I propose that Naclstacks should be running this:


Naclstack @ Eviolite
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 8 Def / 248 SpD
Careful Nature
- Salt Cure / Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Stealth Rock
- Recover

Salt Cure is the current option due to Haunter still being on ladder, but either work. Due to not being able to be statused it gives Stack to sit on the field and soak up hits. Salt Cure and Iron Defence both facilitate this well, Salt Cure applies some very nice constant chip pressure which adds up nicely with hazards, and Salt Cure punishes arguably the best remover coming in. It also means that in wall wars, you provide extra chip, likely meaning they run out of recovers first in addition having good PP.
If you are feeling confident against Ghosts you could run Iron Defence, making you bulkier against the physical threats in the tier, as well as forcing setup if they can't break past you.

Just wanna see the lil rocky guy shine :)
I am running Iron Defence + bPress + salt + recover. Ev are 252 hp 252 SpD to check Ghost-
He become a great sweper in late game
 
Been experimenting around SV NFE despite the limited ladder matches and friendlies, I think I got some stuff on how the meta will be.
For one thing, the lack of Knock Off and Toxic means that the meta is bulkier and you can't throw toxic as much anymore to cripple things. At the same time, the nerf of recovery PP means that those stall-out turns are not going to be longer, and you're committing to losing the longevity. So an interesting contrast here.
I think the lack of defog is a little bit bothering as hazards were supposed to be out of control, but after playing some games I found that hazards are doable by like only two mons highkey I do believe there will be double hazard control though as the main thing sadly :/
No big opinion on this Terastallizing, but I think it could actually work in this meta. Obviously, offensive mons will abuse this more, but defensive mons can take some advantage of it so it's not like one thing are so one-sided compared to Dynamax. I think you should always give ALL OF YOUR POKEMON the typing from Terastalllizing, even if you're not planning to use them. There's no drawback to doing this, and it can always be beneficial for those last cases and unfortunate moments/positions that happened with your last mons.

1668978435965.png


Quaxwell @ Eviolite
Ability: Torrent
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Roost
- Surf
- Encore

This is more than likely one of the most important defensive pokemon right now. Finally, we have a pure water type that can remove hazards and recover with good base stats. I found this to be extremely bulky enough to consistently switch in against Bisharp and Primeape. And it handles against all Stealth Rockers besides those who could stall it out like Chansey. Here is where I prefer Surf over Physical moves. The only reason I prefer that is particularly because of the Glimmet MU where if it gets hit by a contact move, it'll automatically spread T-Spikes, even if you KO it.
Although go ahead with the Physical move, but I would advise having a poison mon as a partner.

I saw that some of yall had full-speed Quaxwell, and that's where I disagreed because these pokemon need all the bulk it has and I don't know what mons it can check offensive with that speed tier. So I made a spread where it has 40 speed at least because 1+ speed from spin lets you become faster than Jolly Bisharp. So if they opt to set up Sword Dance, you can punish that instead of hard call out.

Originally I had Chilling Water in there as the opponent gets their ATK stat lowered, and it had a ton of PPs. The problem was that it activated Bisharp's and Primeape's Defiant which is a HUGE NO. I'll revisit this move once these two are gone or not that relevant.

If you're wondering about Glimmit vs Quaxwell MU, while you could cover that MU if SpDef invested, I believe Glimmit's STAB + Poison will overwhelm it. 105 Base SpAtk is no joke here. A very important key knowledge to know if you're in a position where your Rapid Spin kills Glimmit do not be afraid to use it. T-Spikes will come out before the spin effect will be out so it means you'll still get rid of T-spikes as the ability activates.


:Bisharp:
This pokemon is definitely a problem as more I face it. Its Wallbreaking potential is a bit crazy because Dark/Steel has no resists in this tier besides itself, but I would argue that its bulk is way too absurd coupled with its amazing typing and vibe check ability. It's actually so hard to kill it, especially from Screens support and Tera making it harder to deal with. I don't really want to talk more about this pokemon because I think other people like 5dots have mentioned it enough for me about this mon. An instant ban is something I don't think it's needed, but I will this pokemon does not feel like an NFE at all and if it got banned, then it's not over because Pawn exists and would be very much viable here.


:Primeape:
This is the Bisharp's best check despite the suspectable bulk. Primeape is one of those that are able to resist Sucker Punch and revenge kill back. And has the coverage to handle the main Bisharp's tera types as I see it. While the attack output from it isn't that hard to handle (equally strong to like Gurdurr), their speed tier coupled with Pivot and Defiant worries me especially in a meta if we've to rely on Defog more. Besides that, I think Eviolite and potentially Choice Band will be the ideal set for it. I personally like the Thief + Rocks combo to get rid of Quax's Eviolite and pressure Hattrem. Otherwise Revenge killing this pokemon is not easy at all.

:Hattrem:
Hattrem @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Water / Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Def / 176 SpD / 12 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam / Thunder Wave
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Just learned it doesn't have Aromatherapy in this gen... :X
Anyway, this pokemon is also really solid at denying hazards. But if you combine this with Quax, you'll get the best hazard control core in this meta rn. I prefer Spdef investment since it can switch in against Glimmit solidly enough, so the spread you've from me is tanking 3 hits from Modest Glmmet. Dazzling Gleam is the preferred second attacker so you can attack dark types and especially Bisharp. Thunder Wave > Nuzzle mainly because I want to prevent its ability to activate. Yes, Glimmit's ability goes through Magic Bounce. But if you have a poison type, then go for Nuzzle for 100% accuracy.

:Misdreavus:
Last Pokemon I want to talk about since I want to keep some things to myself personally ;)
This pokemon is actually so stupidly good against hazard control, and I mean really good. Quax and Hattrem both lose towards Misdreavus's Shadow Ball + Thunderbolt, and all Defoggers also lose to Misdreavus's coverage. Doesn't help that it's faster than all of them in the process.
IMO this should be in every hazard-focused team, and Hyper Offensive team because this pokemon provides so much that skipping them holds your team back. Tera type should probably be between Fighting and Fairy since both of them hits their targets. I usually prefer Fairy for better defensive stuff tho.

Misdreavus doesn't only need to go NP+3 Attack by the way. An option you could use Misdreavus is using NP + Shadow Ball/Dazzling Gleam + Pain Split to deal with the Chansey MU. What is Chansey going to do against you, Toxic? Oh wait that doesn't exist lmaoooo. So burn those Softboiled PPs. Calm Mind can also be helpful for Chansey and other things for SpDef boost are useful in general as well.


I picked all these Pokemon since I find them meta-defining in SV NFE atm, so pay attention to these pokemon if you want to make good teams in SV NFE.
 
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Greybaum

GENTLEMAN, THIS IS DEMOCRACY MANIFEST
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
:sv/bisharp: :sv/chansey: :sv/primeape:

Bisharp, Chansey, and Primeape have been quick banned!

Ban SlateleptonbeautsMirbroGreybaumTotal
BisharpBANBANAbstainBAN3-0-1 BAN
ChanseyBANBANAbstainBAN3-0-1 BAN
PrimeapeBANBANAbstainBAN3-0-1 BAN
TerastallizingDo Not BanDo Not BanAbstainDo Not Ban0-3-1 Do Not Ban

Bisharp was quickly flagged as The Guy at the start of this generation, and for good reason - it was recently OU, after all. While it initially seemed that physically defensive walls like Fletchinder, Crocalor, and Mudbray were enough to keep Bisharp in check, Bisharp's far superior statline ended up making all the difference by allowing it to comfortably trade with these Pokemon, particularly with Healing Wish support. Bisharp had a few offensive checks, but outside of Primeape they all required using the Tera slot. Additionally, Bisharp could likewise use Terastallization to generate unhealthy 50/50s, threatening to sweep teams with Flying-type Terablast.

Chansey was initially kept unbanned for similar reasons to Bisharp; without Toxic, Chansey has little to no way to fend off attackers, and with Soft-Boiled being cut to 8PP it was seen as a potential liability in a tier with set-up sweepers like Misdreavus and Vigoroth available. Unfortunately, Chansey's absurd bulk is considered too restrictive in the current NFE metagame, shutting down swathes of otherwise decent offensive Pokemon with Seismic Toss alone. As a result, Chansey has been banned from SV NFE.

Primeape, while arguably the least powerful of the three, has also been voted out of the tier. Primeape's uncontested speed and power makes it an overbearing offensive pivot with U-turn, being able to break down its own answers into range of Close Combat. Bulkier Primeape sets utilising Rage Fist have also made themselves apparent, further limiting Primeape's counterplay. With how quickly Rage Fist is able to accumulate boosts, Primeape actively incentivizes the opponent not to attack - on top of Primeape's more traditional sets being broken, this is not something that can be considered healthy for the metagame, and Primeape has been banned from SV NFE as a result.

Terastallization was discussed for a potential ban, but as this has huge implications for the metagame we have decided not to touch it until the metagame solidifies. We hope to start a suspect test on this mechanic in the near future - in the mean time, please let us know how you're finding terastallization; Do you like it? Hate it? Have any cool strategies you'd like to share? Let us know below!

I and the rest of the NFE council do not expect to ban any other Pokemon in the upcoming weeks, but we will continue to keep a close eye on the metagame as it develops, particularly as we kickoff NFE's first tournament of the generation. Don't forget to sign up!

Tagging Kris to implement the above bans. Thanks as always!
 
good riddance to all 3 of them. so many games came down to primeape wars.
chansey being gone is a nice cherry on top of the obvious bisharp and ape bans

:naclstack: stonks to the moon with this, losing 2 of the biggest hitters against it (ignoring tera). Probably see a rise in things like :gabite: to fill the void.

ngl if things go haywire stack could be a bit too strong. Sub :Misdreavus: I've found to be the best answer to it due to Salt Cure being either 2 or 3 hits to break the sub.

0 Atk Naclstack Salt Cure vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Misdreavus: 30-36 (11.4 - 13.7%) -- possible 8HKO

Defog is now safe to use with the 2 defiants gone, so probably some :fletchinder: and other defoggers coming up, most likely with tera fighting or ground for rocks resist and Tera Blast on Stack.

:morgrem: probably gonna pick up quite a bit thanks to it being able to actually use its moves without being shut down completely by Bisharp.

A fun set I saw on the ladder which fits on the HO teams I think we'll see a rise in:

:flittle:
Flittle @ Eviolite
Ability: Speed Boost
Tera Type: Fighting???
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stored Power
- Calm Mind
- Roost
- Protect / Tera Blast

for some reason, very hard to stop

Anyway viable fighting types uhhh? mainly :pawmo: and :meditite: Dark is much better off

And hopefully the ban goes through on showdown quickly
 
Oh boi, look at who's back: one of the best bulky sweepers! With enough speed to deal with Specs Misdreavus and specs gastly, as well as a ghost immunity, Vigoroth might be one of the top tier threats! Throath chop over Taunt gives you something to hit ghost types with, and if u want to, you can run night slash for the sweet crits. Also, having enough bulk to take stuff like pikachu head-on helps a ton :)

1669163534160.png



Vigoroth @ Eviolite
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Facade
- Slack Off
- Throat Chop/Taunt
 
Once again waiting on the ladder so might as well post my thoughts on Tera.
Now going into this, I'm very biased against tera and I do not think that it is really possible for it to be healthy in any meta. You basically get one of adaptability for already difficult to switch into moves (:primeape:), an offensive trick for a strong attacker to blast through some usually reliable answer (:pikachu:) or just a defensive gotcha which makes planning wincons even more of a gamble if it suddenly walls you, especially if it can just kill you back aswell (:bisharp:).

Now with all that whining being said, and still really wanting it to be banned, NFE is the most balanced I've seen Tera in any regular 6v6 singles format. This is primarily due to the bulk of the tier, and for a lot of teras, being able to regroup after the initial surprise.
Maybe it could be beneficial to get a bit more power in the tier, however I don't think it's in a healthy way. Also getting :naclstack: out of its horrid typing is insanely good whilst not really having a downside.

Anyway, useless ramble done.

Basically I'd like for Tera to be banned, however I feel, due to its prescence being less turbulent in NFE than in other formats, the best plan is probably to wait and see what happens with it in OU and LC first. (and yeah, other tiers shouldn't affect NFE but I feel that'd be the most pragmatic approach).
 
1669429097648.png

OK so apparently Ursaring and Stantler are legal now despite their evos not existing in game yet.

Stantler, eh, I guess a fast physical attacker with double edge, but with Naclstack everywhere, I don't see it being broken, maybe not even good but I may be wrong.

Ursaring... uhhh might be a little spicy

going to be insanely hard to switch into. I don't think there is a single mon in the tier that can switch in without fear of being ohkod, especially if given hazard support. A rather easy help. The only sane thing about ursaring is its speed which at least allows for easy revenging... unless its SD quick feet in which case oop.

Its probably a worse mon than Bisharp or Primeape, but yeah teambuilding just got a whole lot scarier, especially with the tournament starting next week
 
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OK so apparently Ursaring and Stantler are legal now despite their evos not existing in game yet.

Stantler, eh, I guess a fast physical attacker with double edge, but with Naclstack everywhere, I don't see it being broken, maybe not even good but I may be wrong.

Ursaring... uhhh might be a little spicy

going to be insanely hard to switch into. I don't think there is a single mon in the tier that can switch in without fear of being ohkod, especially if given hazard support. A rather easy help. The only sane thing about ursaring is its speed which at least allows for easy revenging... unless its SD quick feet in which case oop.

Its probably a worse mon than Bisharp or Primeape, but yeah teambuilding just got a whole lot scarier, especially with the tournament starting next week
Stantler will take a bit creativity to use but ursa just seems like an unmatched breaker. It doesn't really have very many walls. It has low speed and can be revenged but if it gets in to the game, it is just going to get kills most likely. Guts minimises prediction reliance as well and sd quick feet is genuinely terrifying in a late game situation. Definitely a scary addition to the builder.
 

Greybaum

GENTLEMAN, THIS IS DEMOCRACY MANIFEST
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
Is punching globe updated to increase 50% punch moves?? And doesn’t stacks with iron fist
hi! unfortunately this is not the best place to ask; if you truly believe there is a bug i recommend raising it in the bug reports thread so that it can be documented properly.
in this instance however it appears that showdown already has it right, although details on specific mechanics like this are still being explored.
 
After having played several games, I'll sum up my thoughts here.

1 - Naclstack

Yeah, it needs to go. You only need 1 Iron Defense to become unkillable and smash everything hard (or even OHKO) with Body Press, and games usually revolve around who gets their Naclstack going first. Answers to this are NP+Tera Blast Fighting Misdreavus and... that's it? Oh and Naclstack can also Tera fighting itself to get a STAB Body Press AND get a better defensive typing allowing you to now wall the likes of Swords Dance Pawniard, CB Sneasel trying to Low Sweep you, Quaquaval etc.

Naclstack @ Eviolite
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Salt Cure
- Recover

2 - Tera

I will not say too much about tera here. If you wanna see the consensus on Tera, just check this and this. My opinion is that it should just be banned right now, even before Naclstack, but I'll let the council decide on that.

3 - Well...

The meta feels actually really fun and looks balanced outside of Naclstack and Tera making every setup sweeper terrifying to the highest degree, and I had a blast playing the tier. Now, I did not try every mon and playstyle yet, but I am hopeful that we may not have to ban anything for a while after the 2 bad guys are dealt with.

4 - Some sets

I'll now talk about a few mons I like in this tier.

Tinkatuff @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
Tinkatuff is the best special sponge in the tier, boasting a broken defensive typing, super high special defense with eviolite, and packs Knock Off to remove Eviolites, Stealth Rock with Mold Breaker to set rocks up freely and Thunder Wave to spread paralysis everywhere. Tintatuff absolutely needs a teammate that can come in Ground-type foes like Gabite but I can hardly find a reason not to have Tinkatuff in any non-HO builds.

Toedscool @ Eviolite
Ability: Mycelium Might
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Earth Power
- Knock Off
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
Packing Knock Off, TSpikes, Rapid Spin and an immunity to Electric is obviously very nice, but Ground/Grass, although having some very interesting resistances, also comes with a Flying, Ice and Fire weakness and no immunity to any hazard. Spore is a nice option but it would mean giving up on another move and would make it even more Taunt bait (and even more Misdreavus bait). Earth Power does very little damage to most of the meta due to a low SpA stat and 40/35 physical bulk is pitiful even with max investment. That's a lot of small issues that end up piling up and I don't feel like role compaction is very important in this meta, which is Toedscool's specialty. Regardless, it still has a lot of unique properties and any build should at least consider what Toedscool can bring, as it is highly customizable with Spore, Toxic, Rapid Spin, Leech Seed, TSpikes, Spikes, Stun Spore, Reflect, Light Screen and Knock Off.

5 - Conclusion

This gen's NFE is 100 times more enjoyable than this gen's OU and I plan on staying there until OU settles down in a month or so. I don't know, I feel like everything blends in so well in this meta, it might become my favorite meta since Gen 6 OU :)
 
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I thought I might as well post the team I used to climb today, I went 12-2 (last time I played seriously was at the end of ORAS OU pls understand) and I'm currently #5 on the ladder

gabite.png
misdreavus.png
pawmo.png
sneasel.png
tinkatuff.png
toedscool.png


pokepaste

The objective is to whittle down your opponent's Pokémon HP through hazards and Dragon Tail so that Sneasel can clear everything with Ice Tera Ice Shard (it would probably still work post-Tera ban if it were to happen, it's just that it makes it a little easier I guess).

Lead with Misdreavus, Taunt or Thief the lead depending on if you know your opponent will click Rocks, then just play passive, setup your rocks and spikes, spread status and Dragon Tail your opp's team around to eventually clear with Banded Ice Shard. Your Naclstack "answer" is mainly Dragon Tailing it away and Toxic Toedscool, who can Toxic through Purifying Salt thanks to Mycelium Might. Pawmo is basically your Pawniard answer and can wish pass around to keep Tinkatuff, Toedscool and Misdreavus healthy for long enough. Electric/Fighting has key resistances you must use.

naclstack is broken blah blah just deal with it for now

murkrow.png
I have seen a lot of Murkrows for some reason, it can be tricky to deal with it mainly because I have seen some random sets from people. Substitute + 3 Attacks is a example of what I've seen. The most dangerous set is probably NP+Heat Wave that can break through Tinkatuff, meaning your only answer would be Sneasel. Be extra careful if your opponent can stack hazards on your side and keep them around, making your Sneasel's HP melt away and getting overwhelmed by the crow.

I haven't played against HOs yet so I'm theorizing here, but one of the team's weakness is that it can get overwhelmed by repeated assaults from the strongest breakers in the tier, and HO is just that. Having at least rocks up and revenge killing with Sneasel is key.

I forgot to save replays so I only have one lol
It does show the general gameplan of the team really well though.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nfe-1722227842-7gzj43djgib3cunay662xf050xd80mppw

We can see on the team preview that our opponent most likely does not have a hazard remover, so it's a good Spikes matchup. As said previously, we lead with Mismagius. As the opponent doesn't lead with anything worth to Taunt, we Thief away their first item, a pair of HDB, making their Crocalor extremely vulnerable to our hazards, mainly Rocks. This is primordial since we want to clear with Sneasel's Ice Shard.
We start playing passive right away, switching on our counters until Tinkatuff can come into the Zweilous and set Rocks up. We make full use of the fact that Glimmet cannot do much against Toedscool to set our Spikes up asap. Now that we have all our hazards up, Dragon Tail becomes an immense threat for our opponent, so we want to start phazing around asap. Forcing Crocalor in through Dragon Tail into our hazards has won us the game as Gabite can now KO the opponent's answer to Sneasel. That is when our opponent pulls off the surprise Sub Murkrow (I had Brick Break instead of Play Rough on Tinkatuff there so I couldn't hit it). Thankfully, Pawmo can break its sub in one Mach Punch, allowing us to start Ice Sharding everything. Since our opponent did not Tera yet, I didn't want him to Tera into an Ice resistance and revenge killing Sneasel. Our patience pays off as our opponent pulls out his last trump card, a Tera Fire Gabite, on our precautious scout. It is now just a matter of finishing the game.

You may use the team on the ladder to get a feel for it, I really like this team because it forces a lot of interaction between the two players in this new metagame. Perfect for getting into the tier. I'll leave you with one last spoiler containing extra info on the spreads I use for the nerds out here, and thank you for reading my post!

224+ Spd on Gabite lets us outspeed 252+ Tinkatuffs (I saw a lot of Swords Dance Tinkatuffs who I believe were max speed, trust me). The spread for TInkatuff is a bit random, I just wanted to make sure to have enough Def EVs to have some leeway against the likes of Sneasel. Pawmo has enough speed to outrun 252 neutral Pawniard so Mach Punch goes first against Sucker Punch. Adamant on Sneasel is enough to outspeed everything but opposing Sneasels and Drakloak (who you can Ice Shard anyway). We go for Defense EVs instead of HP on Misdreavus because it will be there against physical threats 98% of the time and it is better if we Thief an Eviolite.
 
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Some quick stuff I want to talk about before the tournament starts.

While I like the aspect and the application of Terastallizing A LOT, I think in the long term it'll be unhealthy just because I see abusers taking more advantage of it and the counterplay is not as clear and the mix-ups are too absurd. Another thing I see is the restriction it'll put on teams, and sets. Something like you're forced to use Encore and Foul Play in order to stop them, though I'm unsure if it's a fully unhealthy thing. I'm all okay if it's banned, but I do want to see its development for why it's broken. It's not as clear cutter as NFE and is much bulkier compared to other tiers so it's already more doable than other tiers in my eyes.

With that said, there are some broken aspects I've been building around it which could be problematic. A combination of Sub + Tera can really, really turn against its supposed checks, and IMO it's stupid. It's like you're combining reflect type that resists the coverage + sub at the same time, absurdly dumb. If you want an example of a pokemon right now...?

Fraxure @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Stomping Tantrum
- Poison Jab
- Substitute

or

Fraxure @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature / Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage / Dragon Claw
- Tera Blast
- Substitute

:Fraxure:
Fraxure's weakness is usually the typing being defensively exploitable. But with Tera+Sub, you could take advantage of mons that have only one attacking move, and setting up like that means you'll usually force one or two kills. The flaw is losing 25% and once your type is revealed, the opponent can react toward it. But this is still a very powerful tool, and if used in endgame you'll get one hell of a 6-0 reversal. I definitely think there are more, but it's more leaned to those who can set up though.

Now on Fraxure itself, I think the DD set is better than the SD set, but SD sets do have their fair advantages where it's able to tear apart stall/defensive teams better. The meta isn't as fast-paced enough to stop Fraxure, so it's easier to abuse SD because of it. Fraxure's most preferred tera-type are those that resist stabs, specifically from Sneasel and somewhat Pawn. But you should also take advantage of its powerful base attack, so it really depends. Water, Steel, and Fairy are both good defensively, but Fire gives Fraxure such dangerous coverage that beats most of the checks tbh. Fraxure is just one of the scariest mons to watch out for, and Tera makes this mon even more unpredictable.


Now for other meta talks, I'm gonna tackle a bit on :Naclstack:
I don't think it's impossible to stop and I feel like the set off Iron Defense + Body Press is not hard to react to if you have the right sets, which is very possible with something like Encore existing. I do think the counterplay against it is weirdly enough not as fun or can be really one-sided. There are not enough offensive in order to stop it, so you're kinda forced to play the extremely lame game which is restricting in itself. Combine with Tera, this would end up being a bit more inconsistent. And while there are defensive ways to stop it, they're also kinda restricted by like encore or some specific techs in order to deal with it. So the tl;dr is Naclstack is possible to stop, but the number of ways to do it is awkward and a bit limited in my taste. For its place when you want to pull it out, it's probably best as an endgame setup, but you can switch it in on mons you can easily counter and annoy the next mons with salt cure. That move is really insane for chipping 1/4th of water/steel mons.
Also some personal comments towards some people, Naclstack is not a Misdreavus check or does well against it. It literally gets screwed by the sub set or another coverage move lol.

:Sneasel:
This pokemon is so much dumber after the Primeape/Bisharp bans. Choice Band Beatup/Tera Blast + Tera does hit like a bastard, but the SD set is infinitely more annoying to face. Specifically, Tera Ground Sneasel goes through its most common checks against like Crocalor, Tinkatuff, Pawniard, and Carkol. You can stop it, but that coverage is not easy to cover at all, so you'll need all of the defense in order to stop it since outspeeding it is usually not a thing. That pokemon is faster than all mons bar Drakloak and Voltorb when it's Adamant lol. Unsure about bannable, but I'm keeping a good eye on it.

:Pawniard:
This pokemon is actually insane after the ban, as Bisharp/Primeape held it back. Yet I don't see many people talk about it or use it despite being known for its problematic strengths back in older NFE gens. Well, can be a number of reasons unrelated to people not using it, but looking at the perspective of this pokemon. It's actually not that difficult to check it, especially when it can't freely knock anymore lol. Yes, it can still tear apart teams, but there are some mons keeping an eye on it such as Quaxwell, Crocalor, Carkol, Gabite, etc. Losing Knock Off and the meta being less Knock Off and Defog spammable did definitely affect it. Do not overestimate it though, this thing is dangerous but it's much easier to switch in and deny progression from it.

:Misdreavus:
If I really want to talk about a pokemon that's the closest thing the council should look at it, it's 100% Misdreavus. This pokemon literally has no consistent checks with the combination of Tera. It's also in a very privileged speed tier, but the worst part is that it makes the hazard absurd in a combination with the above. Literally beats every hazard removal/blocker with simply Shadow Ball + Thunderbolt, and none of them outspeeds it,,,,,
NFE Moment when Fletchinder, when it's base 84 speed and Misdreavus is just at base 85 speed lol... If I wanted to see Tera gone, it would probably be this, Fraxure and Sneasel abusing the hell out of this. Because of all these attributes, forming a hazard stack team is easily possible with this two tbh. Such as Glimmet, Tinkatuff n such. Especially Misdreavus should force the hazards in the field enough that removing it is not an option anymore, especially when Defog is so bad rn. I think Normal Offense, Hazard Stacked, and HO should always include this pokemon in your team. Like it's mandatory or at least it will always make your team stronger than without it. So it goes without saying that I think Misdreavus is more problematic than Naclstack.

Besides all that negativity, there are some fun mons I want to talk to quickly.

:Girafarig:
I didn't know this Pokemon existed until Quag pointed it out and after facing against it, damn that pokemon is NASTY. This pokemon has some of the most obscure qualities for this meta but in a good way. At first, the typing oddly works for some mons like against Misdreavus. It has also a very respectable bulk at 70/65/65. But its offensive sets are more interesting in my eyes. It can act as a physical attacker with respectable coverage, but I prefer it as a special attacker. Calm Mind and Nasty Plot are good, but I do like the CM set as it compliments the bulk. Combine that with Rest + Early Bird which means you've some clutch recovery. It's easier to check this mon, but damn it's actually quite scary to face it. Respect the horse fr.

:Foongus:
I actually wanted to talk about this mon before the bans because this was excellent at its job. In this meta, it's still good IMO. It's bulk still lets it switch in physical mons while not being passive. Another note is that I've been using this to consistently take care of Naclstack. It can actually force it out with the combination of Worry Seed + Toxic while not giving a fuck about Iron Defense + Body Press

Foongus @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Synthesis
- Worry Seed
- Toxic

Well, it's not a 100% check if you're facing Curse Naclstack with the flying coverage LUL, but overall does feel like a strong counter to it. Other mons I use it for like Quaxwell, Floragato, Fraxure, etc. This pokemon will fall once the meta becomes more Knock-Off type of meta. But otherwise, it does its job well. Also being a poison type is extremely good for reasons I'll speak about later on.

:Tinkatuff:
Tinkatuff is easily one of the most interesting Pokemon right now, and perhaps one of the most important supporters of mons right now. That combination of Knock Off + T-wave + Mold Breaker makes this easily the best rocker in the game, and forces progress regardless you have the counters. The typing is also just perfect for keeping dark types and some special attackers in check. What it does is predictable, but it's so good at it that you've to respect it. Definitely, something any team will need to prepare for in the building for the influence it has atm.

:Carkol:
I really like this pokemon right now. It's an extremely good check to offensive mons such as Sneasel and Pawn. But also annoys defensive mons such as Tinkatuff and Quaxwell with Will O Wisp and Flame Body at the same time. While not threatening Missy, it will still break through Sub so you're not as deadweight against it. Both rocks and spinning are good, but not at them at the same time. But if I had to pick, then it would be spin as rocks are deadass walled by Hattrem lol.

:Gabite:
Just found it learns Sword Dance... Damn SD + rocks go in crazy as hell. Would have been more crazy if it also learned spikes, but that's probably overdone LOL. I think this pokemon has a lot of potential for that aspect alone. I haven't built much with it, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on this pokemon a lot more. Note, Adamant works here since you're still faster than Jolly Quaxwell LOL(tho that mon is mid against Gabite, rip Ice moves).


Before ending this, there is some general stuff I want to talk about. For one, I think a lot of teams should have some sort to handle Tspikes or have a poison type to absorb it. T-Spikes are mad nasty against the teams as far as I've seen atm, and by nasty I mean specifically Glimmet xd. Another thing is that there will be quite of PP stall positions you can't really avoid. A lot of NFE mons are still less powerful and you're forced to play the slow chip game or the draining PP game. One example where I can see it becoming a 1v1 stall war is trying to switch in Nuzzle Rest/Talk Hattrem. I don't think most of them are comfortable to switch into Nuzzle, so either you have an electric type that gets chipped down... Or plays the Hattrem war. Well, as far as I'm theorizing erk. Other things I wanted to go into more are Screens HO having an insane amount of potential right now, but maybe someone would talk about it. I'm not that experienced in those playstyles, but I know when something is good I'll mention it.
 
Tera Steel/Flying/Fighting, Iron Defense/Curse...
If I need to run Sub Misdreavus and Worry Seed Foongus to have a chance at countering SOME sets of Naclstack... no thanks.
 
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