Metagame 1v1 Metagame Discussion

Morgan

Morgius Sweep
is a Pre-Contributor
Oh right, so you'd need a Charizard with all HP and SpD EVs so that you can have an 2HKO even though it is neutral damage, if you still think that counts as disproving the fact that Z moves do not do so much damage that having an actual fight is thrown out of the window then I don't know what else to say, additionally this element of surprise amuses exactly no one, I go into a fight expecting you know a fight, and then the enemy uses a Z move on the first turn and its over on the next turn if I'm lucky, I don't see a Hoopa Unbound using a Z move and be like "oh! what a fun surprise" when they easily do an extreme amount of damage even though its the first turn and I lose the chance at a real fight, at least by having their own bracket, it will allow 1v1s to actually have fights which doesn't just make it a brain dead 2HKO (if we're lucky).
232 HP/232 SpDef Zard This investment also works as a counter to specs, also wins cuz DD/Flame-> Mega Outrage
What hoopa-u uses Z. Darkinium Z 7.440% | Psychium Z 1.992% |
Why are you playing a meta with Z moves and not expecting people to use Z moves.
How is Z Moves make the game go faster a reason to ban when Choice Items and Mega Stones do the same thing but have done it for generations
Choice Items do a lot of damage for no real set back in 1v1, I go into a fight expecting you know a fight then sawk outspeeds my lopunny and I lose 40 Elo because this is an example

How to counter Z moves 101
1. Bulk it, OHKO
2. Bulk it, Speed Control -> KO
3. Bulk it, heal up, set up
4. Outspeed, OHKO
5. Outspeed, Set up
 

Kaif

tensai
is a Tiering Contributor
Oh right, so you'd need a Charizard with all HP and SpD EVs so that you can have an 2HKO even though it is neutral damage, if you still think that counts as disproving the fact that Z moves do not do so much damage that having an actual fight is thrown out of the window then I don't know what else to say, additionally this element of surprise amuses exactly no one, I go into a fight expecting you know a fight, and then the enemy uses a Z move on the first turn and its over on the next turn if I'm lucky, I don't see a Hoopa Unbound using a Z move and be like "oh! what a fun surprise" when they easily do an extreme amount of damage even though its the first turn and I lose the chance at a real fight, at least by having their own bracket, it will allow 1v1s to actually have fights which doesn't just make it a brain dead 2HKO (if we're lucky).
ok vro now ur asking for it

I posted the standard special defensive charizard set which is widely used among the metagross. You say that hoopa unbound does an extreme amount of damage and that is true. However, there are counters to it.
252 Atk Hoopa-Unbound Black Hole Eclipse (180 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 237-280 (83.1 - 98.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
even our mans the greninja tanks it with 0 defensive investment, I really don't get ur point here to be honest. Banning zmoves has been discussed a long while ago and it was decided to not be bannable. To my knowledge, nothing will be changed this late into the generation. Im too fucking lazy to make a longer post so this is what u get
 
Oh right, so you'd need a Charizard with all HP and SpD EVs so that you can have an 2HKO even though it is neutral damage, if you still think that counts as disproving the fact that Z moves do not do so much damage that having an actual fight is thrown out of the window then I don't know what else to say, additionally this element of surprise amuses exactly no one, I go into a fight expecting you know a fight, and then the enemy uses a Z move on the first turn and its over on the next turn if I'm lucky, I don't see a Hoopa Unbound using a Z move and be like "oh! what a fun surprise" when they easily do an extreme amount of damage even though its the first turn and I lose the chance at a real fight, at least by having their own bracket, it will allow 1v1s to actually have fights which doesn't just make it a brain dead 2HKO (if we're lucky).
sorry to say but z moves sure don’t seem bannable, take the zard vs naganadel matchup, sure zard would have to run lots of hp and spd, but with those hp and spd it allows it to beat more then just naganadel, in fact it can also beat things like dragonite with wisp outrage, greninja tanking specs and torrent boosted water z, porygon z, etc, while still beating many things that regular zard x sets beat. All I’m trying to say is that even if u ev for z moves it doesn’t mean that it just plays that role in beating that mon, it’s not just a waste of evs to beat one mon or tank a z move
 

D2TheW

Amadán
Z-moves need to be banned, one goes into a fight expecting an actual fight but then your tanky pokemon gets almost one shot by a first turn z move and its not FIGHT anymore, its like they introduced a stronger, 100% accuracy, no recharge needed, nor type immune (depending on the z move) hyper beam and giga impact, in a 1v1, a z move is as similar to making the "fight" one or two turns long depending whether you can actually survive it the first turn, it is absolutely broken and should not be allowed in a 1v1, even if you have SpD, Def or HP EVs it will most certainly lower your health to more than half or close to half at absolute best, specially mons like Hoopa Unbound and Naganadel doing a first turn Z move to OHKO even with type resitance when one just want to have an actual fight with actual moves and strategy. Offensive Z moves (or even non offensive z moves as well if you'll use that as your only defense idc ban those too) should be banned since its absolutely ruining the whole point of a 1v1 fight, which is using one pokemon to have a fight with another pokemon and with Z moves the "fight" part of the equation is removed altogether.
The issue I have with this argument is that you claim that Z moves get rid of all of the strategy in 1v1. Since 1v1 is so drastically different to almost every other ladder strategies are different from the other ladders. In standard ladders like OU a lot of the strategy is centered around switching, switching in your heavy hitter to offensively pressure your opponent, switching in the right check to the opponents mon to take advantage of it, switching in your hazard setter to make your opponents switches harder etc. A lot of strategy is very long term, trying to pick off or weaken the mon you need out of the way so your sweeper can sweep, trying to preserve the mon you need to stop the opponents sweeper from destroying you late game, trying to cripple your opponents problem mons with status to lessen their effectiveness. When you're team building your mons need to be able to take advantage of each other's strengths and support the whole team in a very general way. You're running stall? You need a status sponge like Gliscor or a heal bell user like Chansey. Running offense? You need a wall breaker to kill walls that stop your other mons. Try Mega Mawile.

Strategy in 1v1 is very different. Strategy is more focused on covering as many Pokemon as you can in three mons, in particular building to beat the most common threats on the ladder. You're movesets have to be specifically chosen, your Evs specifically tailored to beat what you need. X needs to bulk move Y from pokemon Z so that X can boost it's attack and kill Z next turn. Obviously there's an element of this in standard ladders but you typically have multiple ways to deal with any particular threat. In this meta you can often only afford one mon that deals with that Zard X, that Psych Z Hoopa U because your other mons have to beat other things. You complain about having to put a lot of Evs into a mon to live a specific hit or beat one thing but if you build it right than it should beat other things too. If can't beat anything else or no mon on your team can spare the Evs than either pick a new counter/check, build a new team or accept that you're gonna get 3-0d now and then. If you're getting 3-0d by something super common like Mega Gyara than you need to rebuild but if it's something obscure and unusual like Z Bounce Gyara than either accept the 3-0 or work out a way to kill that specific threat. There's so many things to cover that you're never gonna get it right first time but that's where you switch it up or rebuild, not give up and blame Z moves for everything.

And this is where the most important difference comes in. Predictions. So much strategy happens in team preview. One of you're mons beats two out of three of the opponents team but loses to the last mon. My opponent knows this so they'll pick that mon so I should pick this mon even though it only beats that one mon. Or maybe they'll see that coming so I shouldn't pick that mon. And so on and so forth. In standard ladders a bad pick at team preview will typically put you at a small disadvantage, maybe a big one if you fuck up massively. But you can play around it. It might go badly but you don't lose the game outright. In 1v1 your predictions have to be good or you might outright lose. So a lot of strategy is based around manipulating your opponent to pick what you want. Lures are incredibly effective in 1v1. That Zard Y might seem like it has a great matchup against your opponent and their Durant but if that's a Jolly Z Stone Edge Durant than that's a hard loss bucko. Your Donphan is going to head smash that Zard X to death and then it's 252 Hp/ 252 Def with Will O Wisp and roost and your Donphan isn't even getting a 2HKO. Using lures (good lures now, not shuca berry Klingklang specifically Ev'd to beat Stunfisk or something like that) can really ease your prediction game. or just use Shedinja to force your opponent to pick something with the coverage to beat it like some kind of animal

Now on to your complaints about Z moves themselves which have been covered already but still. There are typically two types of offensive Z move users. The first wants to outspeed and kill you before you can attack such as Zeraora and the second wants to live a hit through bulk or sturdy and either kill you or lower your speed with bulldoze, rock tomb etc. such as Donphan. Both have issues. Fast Z move users need to be fast obviously and that means they need to invest Evs into speed which means they have less Evs to put in attack or bulk. So many Pokemon simply can't function like this because they need both an attack boosting nature and a speed boosting nature. Either they can't outspeed or they can't KO you. And if they can have both the speed and offensive potential they can't have the bulk to live hits if they are outsped by say a choice scarf user or if they can't kill and have to take a hit themselves. The other bulky archetype typically requires minimal speed so they can focus on attack investment and however much bulk they need. But since they're slower they're more vulnerable to being statussed or having their stats lowered by Charm or Eerie impulse or the like (which are good in this meta cos you can't just switch). They also give you time to boost your defenses and live their hits easier. The point is that both have issues and can be played around.

And this is where we reach the crux of the issue. There is no one counter to every Z move user because there is no one Z move user that beats everything. Banning Z moves because they boost the offensive potential of many Pokemon is like banning choice scarf because it let's many Pokemon outspeed things they couldn't otherwise. It's not like Z moves have no drawbacks either. If you do sponge the hit and heal up than the opponent has a useless item that doesn't help at all anymore. A Z crystal typically only boosts one of your moves meaning your coverage takes a hit whereas if you had a specs or band that wouldn't be an issue. If you effectively resist or are immune to the opponents z move than they can end up pretty ineffective. They also can't use a scarf and thus might not be able to hit important speed benchmarks. Your Z fly Salamence might be able to kill that Pheromosa four times over in one hit but if it's outsped and hit with an ice beam then it doesn't really matter. Scarf outrage would just do that job better (though you're better off using Dragonite). Z crystals are really good items but just like every other item they have pros and cons and have enough opportunity cost that they aren't always worth it.








If you really, REALLY hate being killed by a z move first turn than use a prankster mon with substitute but there are probably better options available.

Hey I'm finally contributing to a thread that I've been lurking for over a year yay
 
I think we should suspect test focus sash again. It was banned before mega stones and z moves were introduced, and now that we have those new powerful items, focus sash looks more balanced.
No. Focus sash is an item that is way too broken/uncompetitive for this metagame. It was banned because it was broken, and it still is. IIf you want to see that for yourself, request a roomtour in the 1v1 room. I'd suggest maybe delving a bit before you post something to this degree, and have a little more content than just an Idea that can be discussed in the 1v1 room.

Have a nice day.
 
No. Focus sash is an item that is way too broken/uncompetitive for this metagame. It was banned because it was broken, and it still is. IIf you want to see that for yourself, request a roomtour in the 1v1 room. I'd suggest maybe delving a bit before you post something to this degree, and have a little more content than just an Idea that can be discussed in the 1v1 room.

Have a nice day.
If focus sash was really that broken, then you would expect sturdy users to be more dominant in the metagame than they currently are, since sturdy has a built in focus sash effect. Just asserting that focus sash would still be broken without providing any argument doesn't prove anything.
 

Morgan

Morgius Sweep
is a Pre-Contributor
If focus sash was really that broken, then you would expect sturdy users to be more dominant in the metagame than they currently are, since sturdy has a built in focus sash effect. Just asserting that focus sash would still be broken without providing any argument doesn't prove anything.
Focus sash doesn’t work in 1v1 for numerous (2) reasons.
A. It’s broken. Giving any pokemon the ability Sturdy is ludicrous. Why run a choice item and get one shot when you could run Sash and get 2 attacks off, dealing more damage? Secondly it’s not affected by mold breaker, which is one of Sturdy’s big weaknesses. You are now able to run FEAR Tailow for free elo unless they bring a user of toxic/Willo/leftovers/cteam magic

B. It doesn’t fit thematically. Some mechanics in 1v1 thematically fit. Mega Evolution, Choice Items, debatably Z-Crystals, Custap Berry, and this is because they directly augment and improve damage or ability to deal damage typically with an opportunity cost (I’m looking at mega and z). The only opportunity cost to running focus sash is that you aren’t a mega and you aren’t running Z. There isn’t a way for Sash to fit with the theme of 1v1. It allows for too much polarization away from innovation into who can run the fastest sash user with priority. Sash is like Perish Song in this sense. It doesn’t make sense when one looks at the fundamental concept of 1v1. Perish Song was banned, so why would we legalize the more problematic Sash.
 
Focus sash doesn’t work in 1v1 for numerous (2) reasons.
A. It’s broken. Giving any pokemon the ability Sturdy is ludicrous. Why run a choice item and get one shot when you could run Sash and get 2 attacks off, dealing more damage? Secondly it’s not affected by mold breaker, which is one of Sturdy’s big weaknesses. You are now able to run FEAR Tailow for free elo unless they bring a user of toxic/Willo/leftovers/cteam magic

B. It doesn’t fit thematically. Some mechanics in 1v1 thematically fit. Mega Evolution, Choice Items, debatably Z-Crystals, Custap Berry, and this is because they directly augment and improve damage or ability to deal damage typically with an opportunity cost (I’m looking at mega and z). The only opportunity cost to running focus sash is that you aren’t a mega and you aren’t running Z. There isn’t a way for Sash to fit with the theme of 1v1. It allows for too much polarization away from innovation into who can run the fastest sash user with priority. Sash is like Perish Song in this sense. It doesn’t make sense when one looks at the fundamental concept of 1v1. Perish Song was banned, so why would we legalize the more problematic Sash.
sash whimsicott would become quite possibly S tier, only losing to bullet punch mMetagross, mGyarados and Grass types. Then you can run either moonblast for dark types or taunt for taunt users.
 

Tol

Retirement house
If focus sash was really that broken, then you would expect sturdy users to be more dominant in the metagame than they currently are, since sturdy has a built in focus sash effect. Just asserting that focus sash would still be broken without providing any argument doesn't prove anything.
See, the thing is that sturdymons without sturdy are just terrible. All of them have common weaknesses that are patched up by sturdy. Giving pokemon that are already good sturdy would push them over the top.
 
For those saying Whimsicott and maybe Smeargle would be OP with Focus Sash, you can ban the broken abusers of an item instead of the item itself.

And there are other ways around beating focus sash like Snow Warning or Fake Out. Combine this with team preview, and you can send out your focus sash counter if you predict your opponent will send out a focus sash user.
 

Ehmcee

A Spoopy Ghost
is a Pre-Contributor
You should never ban pokemon over an item.
The sheer number of pokemon that could easily abuse focus sash is way too many to count, all for the use of one item.
Also, pokemon+item combinations have never been implemented in the game (To my knowledge), so you would have to ban every pokemon that could abuse the item.
It's a ridiculous idea, that one single pokemon with a sash, let's say Taillow, beats Zard X (Without sub), Gyara, Magearna and Charizard Y.
Without counting other potential threats, the addition of focus sash would destabalize the entire VR, which has taken multiple months to make, putting unviable LC mons in the higher ranks.
 
For those saying Whimsicott and maybe Smeargle would be OP with Focus Sash, you can ban the broken abusers of an item instead of the item itself.

And there are other ways around beating focus sash like Snow Warning or Fake Out. Combine this with team preview, and you can send out your focus sash counter if you predict your opponent will send out a focus sash user.
While yes you can bring a hail/sand/fake out user but you would need one on every team just to beat all the things that are viable with focus sash, pretty much making focus sash take over the meta, just like how you needed a ground type/ lightning rod user to beat koko, that’s not how I/I don’t think anyone would want to play 1v1
 
other than the fact that every mon would run sash then the meta game would go crazy. everymon would need atleast one move to counter sash (willo,toxic,etc) and since hazzards are useless in 1v1 that is not a solution.




that wasnt even long but imma put a tl;dr giving sturdy to everymon in 1v1 would fuck everything over



also kaif try to guess how many braincells i have
 
Things I've been messing around with lately:

191565
191564

not a team, just 3 individual mons from different teams​
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 60 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 192 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Power Gem
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Skill Swap

I discovered skill swap Diancie when messing around with HP Ground Gardevoir. With garde I'd trace sturdy and use HP ground against magnezone and aggron baiting z-electric and metal burst respectively. The main problem was that they run sturdy too. While looking into 2v2 Strats I explored deleting abilities when using skill swap and mega evolving and the two ideas formed into one.
This diancie was born to kill magnezone, dnite, and anything else with a defensive ability.
Its evs are set to outspeed Band Chomp, max SpA, 4 in SpD for downloaders, and the rest dumped into its pathetic hp stat.
zeraora can get walled when running plasma fists and outrage as an un-mega'd diancie can take advantage of its superior bulk, Magnezone risks using electroweb on a pokemon with clear body (that won't outspeed mega if modest zone), and fear get demolished.

Manaphy @ Icium Z
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 192 HP / 104 SpA / 4 SpD / 208 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Tail Glow
- Surf
- Grass Knot

This set is strange. Bulked to fight against Dragonite, OHKO with Z-blizzard. Z-Blizz ends up doing more damage than surf so if both are neutral, use z-bliz. Grass knot and tail glow defeat gyarados and mega bro.

Tentacruel @ Air Balloon
Ability: Liquid Ooze/Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 156 Def / 104 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Mirror Coat
- Scald
- Acid Spray
- Icy Wind

Mirror Coat is viable on anything bulky, Scald for burn hax, Acid Spray does not waste turns by being 40 +2*scald vs 2*scald which is only bad if you needed burns, Icy Wind will slam things like Dragonite, Lando-T (not z-fly), and Donphan. Liquid Ooze ruins leech seed, and other draining moves, while clear body prevents faster rock tombs from taking advantage.
I'm not recommending this exact set but I hope it shows how niches fill teams and the power of acid spray and mirror coat

Highlight reel:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen71v1-964062975
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen71v1-869770125
 
Last edited:
192914
Allow me to deviate from the general suspect discussion by discussing four examples of metagame trends in these tours from 1v1 PL to The 1v1 World Cup, along with mentioning ladder tournament trends.

Code:
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Use  | Usage % |  Win %  |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Zeraora            |  124 |  14.42% |  51.61% |
| 2    | Charizard          |  122 |  14.19% |  50.82% |
| 3    | Tapu Lele          |   74 |   8.60% |  41.89% |
| 4    | Gardevoir          |   70 |   8.14% |  47.14% |
| 5    | Metagross          |   68 |   7.91% |  48.53% |
| 6    | Dragonite          |   67 |   7.79% |  52.24% |
| 7    | Magearna           |   66 |   7.67% |  51.52% |
| 8    | Aegislash          |   64 |   7.44% |  39.06% |
| 9    | Kommo-o            |   63 |   7.33% |  49.21% |
| 10   | Greninja           |   59 |   6.86% |  50.85% |
| 11   | Porygon-Z          |   57 |   6.63% |  57.89% |
| 11   | Tapu Fini          |   57 |   6.63% |  45.61% |
| 13   | Primarina          |   55 |   6.40% |  43.64% |
| 14   | Gyarados           |   54 |   6.28% |  57.41% |
| 15   | Victini            |   53 |   6.16% |  62.26% |
| 15   | Meloetta           |   53 |   6.16% |  56.60% |
| 17   | Heatran            |   51 |   5.93% |  62.75% |
| 18   | Garchomp           |   47 |   5.47% |  53.19% |
| 19   | Donphan            |   41 |   4.77% |  63.41% |
| 19   | Landorus-Therian   |   41 |   4.77% |  48.78% |
| 21   | Genesect           |   39 |   4.53% |  74.36% |
| 22   | Celesteela         |   36 |   4.19% |  63.89% |
| 23   | Naganadel          |   35 |   4.07% |  48.57% |
| 24   | Incineroar         |   34 |   3.95% |  38.24% |
| 25   | Magnezone          |   33 |   3.84% |  66.67% |
| 25   | Swampert           |   33 |   3.84% |  36.36% |
| 27   | Mew                |   32 |   3.72% |  40.62% |
| 28   | Altaria            |   30 |   3.49% |  60.00% |
| 28   | Zygarde            |   30 |   3.49% |  50.00% |
| 30   | Volcarona          |   29 |   3.37% |  48.28% |
| 31   | Slowbro            |   27 |   3.14% |  44.44% |
| 32   | Hoopa-Unbound      |   26 |   3.02% |  61.54% |
| 32   | Type: Null         |   26 |   3.02% |  50.00% |
| 32   | Crustle            |   26 |   3.02% |  34.62% |
| 35   | Necrozma           |   25 |   2.91% |  48.00% |
| 35   | Manaphy            |   25 |   2.91% |  48.00% |
| 35   | Venusaur           |   25 |   2.91% |  44.00% |
| 38   | Mawile             |   23 |   2.67% |  47.83% |
| 39   | Medicham           |   22 |   2.56% |  63.64% |
| 39   | Sableye            |   22 |   2.56% |  54.55% |
| 39   | Tyranitar          |   22 |   2.56% |  36.36% |
| 42   | Excadrill          |   21 |   2.44% |  61.90% |
| 42   | Lopunny            |   21 |   2.44% |  52.38% |
| 44   | Diancie            |   20 |   2.33% |  45.00% |
| 45   | Landorus           |   19 |   2.21% |  57.89% |
| 46   | Durant             |   18 |   2.09% |  55.56% |
| 47   | Zapdos             |   17 |   1.98% |  58.82% |
| 47   | Haxorus            |   17 |   1.98% |  35.29% |
| 49   | Kartana            |   16 |   1.86% |  56.25% |
| 50   | Clefable           |   15 |   1.74% |  66.67% |
| 50   | Kyurem             |   15 |   1.74% |  60.00% |
Code:
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Use  | Usage % |  Win %  |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Charizard          |   75 |  14.65% |  58.67% |
| 2    | Gyarados           |   61 |  11.91% |  54.10% |
| 3    | Zeraora            |   49 |   9.57% |  28.57% |
| 4    | Greninja           |   47 |   9.18% |  46.81% |
| 5    | Dragonite          |   45 |   8.79% |  60.00% |
| 6    | Tapu Lele          |   41 |   8.01% |  51.22% |
| 6    | Gardevoir          |   41 |   8.01% |  48.78% |
| 6    | Magearna           |   41 |   8.01% |  43.90% |
| 9    | Metagross          |   40 |   7.81% |  62.50% |
| 9    | Altaria            |   40 |   7.81% |  52.50% |
| 9    | Garchomp           |   40 |   7.81% |  47.50% |
| 12   | Meloetta           |   39 |   7.62% |  43.59% |
| 12   | Kommo-o            |   39 |   7.62% |  35.90% |
| 14   | Serperior          |   38 |   7.42% |  60.53% |
| 15   | Tapu Fini          |   35 |   6.84% |  57.14% |
| 16   | Zygarde            |   31 |   6.05% |  51.61% |
| 16   | Tapu Bulu          |   31 |   6.05% |  41.94% |
| 18   | Heatran            |   29 |   5.66% |  51.72% |
| 19   | Genesect           |   28 |   5.47% |  39.29% |
| 20   | Primarina          |   27 |   5.27% |  59.26% |
| 20   | Crustle            |   27 |   5.27% |  44.44% |
| 20   | Aegislash          |   27 |   5.27% |  33.33% |
| 23   | Magnezone          |   26 |   5.08% |  61.54% |
| 24   | Porygon-Z          |   24 |   4.69% |  45.83% |
| 25   | Mawile             |   22 |   4.30% |  63.64% |
| 26   | Donphan            |   20 |   3.91% |  80.00% |
| 27   | Volcarona          |   19 |   3.71% |  52.63% |
| 27   | Tyranitar          |   19 |   3.71% |  42.11% |
| 27   | Slowbro            |   19 |   3.71% |  36.84% |
| 30   | Victini            |   18 |   3.52% |  72.22% |
| 30   | Whimsicott         |   18 |   3.52% |  50.00% |
| 32   | Deoxys-Speed       |   16 |   3.12% |  50.00% |
| 32   | Mew                |   16 |   3.12% |  31.25% |
| 34   | Incineroar         |   15 |   2.93% |  53.33% |
| 34   | Venusaur           |   15 |   2.93% |  46.67% |
| 36   | Naganadel          |   14 |   2.73% |  71.43% |
| 37   | Registeel          |   13 |   2.54% |  61.54% |
| 37   | Celesteela         |   13 |   2.54% |  53.85% |
| 39   | Landorus-Therian   |   12 |   2.34% |  50.00% |
| 40   | Nihilego           |   11 |   2.15% |  36.36% |
| 40   | Aggron             |   11 |   2.15% |  27.27% |
| 40   | Hoopa-Unbound      |   11 |   2.15% |  18.18% |
| 43   | Clefable           |   10 |   1.95% |  70.00% |
| 43   | Lopunny            |   10 |   1.95% |  70.00% |
| 43   | Lucario            |   10 |   1.95% |  40.00% |
| 43   | Sawk               |   10 |   1.95% |  40.00% |
| 47   | Durant             |    9 |   1.76% |  66.67% |
| 47   | Manaphy            |    9 |   1.76% |  33.33% |
| 47   | Sableye            |    9 |   1.76% |  22.22% |
| 50   | Medicham           |    8 |   1.56% |  62.50% |


:sm/zeraora: Zeraora is still a great option in the metagame. Although not the most used pokemon in this tour so far as it was during PL, it is still able to run a myriad of sets, including Mixed, Dragonium, Physical Electrium, and Fightinum Z. Those qualities make it a dominant force in today's USUM metagame.

:sm/greninja: Greninja is breathtaking! This mon is able to utilize a plethora of different move combinations in order to beat threats such as Magearna, Tapu Lele, Dragonite (not running insane amounts of special defense) and Gyarados. Its been seen at very high levels of play and I predict that it will continue to persist there for the rest of the generation. Don't kill me for the Keanu line.

:sm/serperior: :sm/registeel: The Rise of SerpRegi. If you've played at any decent level of 1v1 play, you have seen these two pokemon. Spearheaded by players such as Justrav and ryyjyywyy, these pokemon have seen significant levels of play on the LT ladder, primarily due to their utility and overall splashibility. Pokemon such as Victini and Mega Lopunny have risen to counteract them.

:sm/lopunny-mega: I swear, Mlop is underrated. Most zards are spdef right now, and SerpRegi is quite weak to it. Grounds for this thing's viability. I think rosa or fertile crescent made a low sweep set that beat Gyarados, but I don't have it with me.

There's a lot of other stuff I wanted to write but I only have 20 minutes. Thank you for reading and have a Breathtaking day.
 
1.zera is unpredictable with being able to run many things (for example band,z plasma fists,the very rare z outrage,LO bulk up zera)

b.yes gren i very breathtaking with ice beam and has many options with moves and ways to run him(sub torrent z hydro cannon,spex hp fire)

3.lkjc gave me a regiserp team with chomp in the middle and dam its very strong,overall i liek the combo

d.mlop can do many things and is very strong with having fakeout for sturdy mons ice punch for flying types,giga impact for alotta damage,and a very good speed


thx for calling me breathtaking
 

Morgan

Morgius Sweep
is a Pre-Contributor
Pokesartoolcay ’s Data also shows a few more interesting things.

Victini is surprisingly consistent. With a 62.66% Winrate in PL and a MASSIVE 72.2% winrate in WC this thing has become a monster with the prominence of Zeraora, Serperior, and Registeel, which it beats with its Flame Charge + Z Move sets.

Aegislash is garbage. Zard, Vic, Prim, Zera, Chomp, Serp, Dnite all stomp it and wouldn’t you know. These are some of the most prominent Pokemon atm. Aegislash’s sub 40% winrate in both tours show how this unflexible stance changing demon blade has fallen behind.

Naganadel is improving. The prominence of Z move Greninja has helped it a lot, as well as the prominence of SerpRegi, with it being possibly the most reliable serp beater in the game.

Medicham is slept on. Over 60% win rate in both tours! This thing is turning into a menace with the :o rise of serp regi and fall of aegislash, just like a few other pokemon. :smogthink::blobthinking::blobshrug:
 

Ginger Princess

Girl moding so hard rn
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
:sm/lopunny-mega: I swear, Mlop is underrated. Most zards are spdef right now, and SerpRegi is quite weak to it. Grounds for this thing's viability. I think rosa or fertile crescent made a low sweep set that beat Gyarados, but I don't have it with me.

There's a lot of other stuff I wanted to write but I only have 20 minutes. Thank you for reading and have a Breathtaking day.
cough cough spdef zard can be eved to beat mega lopunny and modest gren edit: at the same time xd

edit: low sweep is meant to beat all zards tho. So that set could catch some
 
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