Disclaimer: This is not a suspect tournament and I nor the DOU council can guarantee a Zamazenta suspect in the future. I also can not promise free pizza.
Whether Zamazenta should be suspected/released into Doubles OU has been a topic of discussion over the course of the generation after the release of numerous metagame threats alongside the Crown Tundra DLC. Ultimately these discussions have not gone very far and we finally have a mini tournament to determine once and for all: Is Zamazenta really broken?
Note: While Zamazenta-Crowned is where the 'Pizzamenta' nickname and pizza theme originates this tournament will be played with only Zamazenta-H legal. In the context of DOU 'Pizzamenta' will often refer to Zamazenta-H.
SPECIFIC RULES
To sign up, please post "in", "free pizzamenta" or your favourite pizza topping in this thread. Signups will close on Sunday, June 26 at 11:59 PM EST (GMT-4).
Why is Zamazenta-H legal but Zamazenta-C still banned?
Whether Zamazenta should be suspected/released into Doubles OU has been a topic of discussion over the course of the generation after the release of numerous metagame threats alongside the Crown Tundra DLC. Ultimately these discussions have not gone very far and we finally have a mini tournament to determine once and for all: Is Zamazenta really broken?
Note: While Zamazenta-Crowned is where the 'Pizzamenta' nickname and pizza theme originates this tournament will be played with only Zamazenta-H legal. In the context of DOU 'Pizzamenta' will often refer to Zamazenta-H.
SPECIFIC RULES
- This is a standard SS Doubles OU tournament, with Zamazenta-Hero allowed.
- Rusted Shield, and by extension, Zamazenta-Crowned is banned
- Otherwise all standard Doubles OU clauses apply
- This tournament will be Single Elimination
- Rounds will be Best of Three. You may switch teams in between battles of the same set.
- Matches are to be played on Pokemon Showdown! (Main or SmogTours)
- Replays are required for all matches. Wins reported without replays will not count.
- Activity calls will be made by me, potentially with neutral assistance from a Doubles OU Forum Moderator. Coin flips will be done publicly on PS!
- Do not cheat. Cheating will result in a disqualification. Additional punishments may be applied as necessary. Cheating includes, but is not limited to:
- Signing up with more than one account
- Ghosting or being ghosted by another player (e.g. while playing a set, asking for advice about what plays to make)
- Manipulating match outcomes (e.g. throwing a match in exchange for Smogon likes)
Code:
/challenge gen8doublesou @@@ +Zamazenta, -Rusted ShieldWhy is Zamazenta-H legal but Zamazenta-C still banned?
Very little meaningful discussion has taken place as to why Zamazenta is (potentially) broken. There are arguments for both forms of Zamazenta to be the 'weaker' version but a tournament with both legal would be impacted by their matchup against each other, so only one can be freed for this tournament.
While Zamazenta-C is widely regarded as the weaker form in singles in the context of DOU this is not necessarily the case. Zamazenta-C is ranked tier 2 in Dubers due to its support capabilities, while Zamazenta-H is unranked. Two weaknesses of Zamazenta-H, its lacklustre defensive typing and its lack of STAB move that doesn't lower its defences, are mitigated with its Crowned variant. It is possible that having a flexible item slot makes Zamazenta-H better but so far most discussion has been centred on Zamazenta-H.
While Zamazenta-C is widely regarded as the weaker form in singles in the context of DOU this is not necessarily the case. Zamazenta-C is ranked tier 2 in Dubers due to its support capabilities, while Zamazenta-H is unranked. Two weaknesses of Zamazenta-H, its lacklustre defensive typing and its lack of STAB move that doesn't lower its defences, are mitigated with its Crowned variant. It is possible that having a flexible item slot makes Zamazenta-H better but so far most discussion has been centred on Zamazenta-H.
