Metagame NFE

[FranziskaSkye]

Some more thoughts on the meta pre tour after some extensive laddering:

The Big Two

Naclstack moreso than Missy, but most matches revolve around these two. Funnily enough, they're at opposite ends of knowing what they'll do. If naclstack deviates from the standard Cure/Press/Defence/Recover then, while capable of getting a specific thing, I feel its just hindered in the long run. Only good creativity is maybe mixing up the EVs for the mirror or the Tera Type. Even still, it is very restrictive, especially with Tera. If anything is up for a ban, its the stack, although it should definitely wait until after Tera is decided on. I genuinely feel it fits on pretty much any team and not using it is for that teambuilder's detriment.

Misdreavus on the other hand is probably the most versatile mon in the tier, ranging from nasty plot sweeper, Wisp utility, and some other funny gimmicks. I do not feel it is broken, especially if we lose tera, but it is still very good. In addition it is by far the best spinblocker with the other ghosts just feeling worse. This honestly is one of the best ways to play around it though, as having missy forced in without reliable recovery means that its constantly getting worn down, moreso if it is running sub. I expect Missies to generally get more defensive with time on all sets for just general longevity with spinblocking. Also with the sub set, a little defence evs goes a long way, such as to lower the odds of the sub being broken by 2 Salt Cures or a Tink Play Rough.

The Hazard Game

Hazards are strong as hell. Lets say you want a remover with eviolite who isn't weak to rocks. You have Quaxwell, Toedscool, Steenee and Bramblin. The latter two's stats leave a lot to be desired, although Bramblin I guess could work. But that leaves with just duck and not-jellyfish. Both of these are weak to TSpikes and so even the best removers can't safely deal with hazard stack. You do have other options like Fletchinder and Carkol, but they're forced to run boots, making them frailer than you ideally would like your remover to be, and also
The best anti-hazard option really is Hattrem at the moment, being able to safely come in on most hazard setters. Except one :tinkituff: With Tink being common enough, I don't think you can get away with just Hat unless you're comfortable having boots on plenty mons.
And going back to the big 2, this only helps them. Stack threatens the removers and missy prevents spin. In addition, neither are affected by TSpike which only makes them stand out more against their grounded colleagues.

I've been rambling a bit so from here, just quick thoughts on some mons I've used/seen.
imo the best hazard remover, in addition I've converted a simple spin to remove hazards into a moxie sweep too often. defensive set with brave bird is imo the best
probably the scariest direct offense available with an uncontested speed tier. Stack and lack of good dark moves keeps this in check
love this lil guy. Just easily capitalises on the hazard game above whilst still being threatening. Dual Stab is nice, but mud shot is a nice tech for the mirror and slowing down some scary opponents
Slightly worse nasty plotter than missy, but still very potent with a good speed tier. TwinBeam>Psychic imo for all the Sub Missies
eh its fine. I've been running CB and its good, just not quite there imo. SD might be better, but having the speed tier below missy is yucky. Nice for the rare Tandemaus though. Also too many times have I Dragon Tailed into a tera-fairy and it is definitely not the primary reason for my dislike of tera.
he really packs a punch, one of the best naclstack answers available, through either trick or just hitting the wall. having CC is such a blessing
the utility god. pretty much any time this is in, its a nuisance, with an important eviolite going or para or rocks. Probably the best rocker available, unless you're going all offense, in which case Glimmet
strong, I feel its a very potent matchup check looking from priority or something faster, otherwise tera ice is getting you. or just naclstack and only take 50% from surf
how far you've fallen since the bisharp days. Roar and Encore are still nice for naclstack but as long as naclstack and hazards are around, hes not having a great time tbh
seems cool, if only mach punch went before ice shard
a scary sight for pretty much anyteam without a healthy croc. Suffers BIG from 4MSS though as it can;t fit bulk, slack and normal moves with both somethign to hit stack and missy
doesn't last long enough tbh, healing wish is nice though
screens are nice, but definitely keep dazzling gleam on this. 4 status moves makes this a sitting duck against certain threats.
annoying little sporers, toedscool is better in every way except recovery tbh, Mycelium Might is such a forgettable ability that it works in toedscools favour.

Anyway, very fun meta, I look forward to losing R1 in the tournament.

 

[R-G-E]

Some more thoughts on the meta pre tour after some extensive laddering:

The Big Two

Naclstack moreso than Missy, but most matches revolve around these two. Funnily enough, they're at opposite ends of knowing what they'll do. If naclstack deviates from the standard Cure/Press/Defence/Recover then, while capable of getting a specific thing, I feel its just hindered in the long run. Only good creativity is maybe mixing up the EVs for the mirror or the Tera Type. Even still, it is very restrictive, especially with Tera. If anything is up for a ban, its the stack, although it should definitely wait until after Tera is decided on. I genuinely feel it fits on pretty much any team and not using it is for that teambuilder's detriment.

Misdreavus on the other hand is probably the most versatile mon in the tier, ranging from nasty plot sweeper, Wisp utility, and some other funny gimmicks. I do not feel it is broken, especially if we lose tera, but it is still very good. In addition it is by far the best spinblocker with the other ghosts just feeling worse. This honestly is one of the best ways to play around it though, as having missy forced in without reliable recovery means that its constantly getting worn down, moreso if it is running sub. I expect Missies to generally get more defensive with time on all sets for just general longevity with spinblocking. Also with the sub set, a little defence evs goes a long way, such as to lower the odds of the sub being broken by 2 Salt Cures or a Tink Play Rough.

The Hazard Game

Hazards are strong as hell. Lets say you want a remover with eviolite who isn't weak to rocks. You have Quaxwell, Toedscool, Steenee and Bramblin. The latter two's stats leave a lot to be desired, although Bramblin I guess could work. But that leaves with just duck and not-jellyfish. Both of these are weak to TSpikes and so even the best removers can't safely deal with hazard stack. You do have other options like Fletchinder and Carkol, but they're forced to run boots, making them frailer than you ideally would like your remover to be, and also
The best anti-hazard option really is Hattrem at the moment, being able to safely come in on most hazard setters. Except one :tinkituff: With Tink being common enough, I don't think you can get away with just Hat unless you're comfortable having boots on plenty mons.
And going back to the big 2, this only helps them. Stack threatens the removers and missy prevents spin. In addition, neither are affected by TSpike which only makes them stand out more against their grounded colleagues.

I've been rambling a bit so from here, just quick thoughts on some mons I've used/seen.
imo the best hazard remover, in addition I've converted a simple spin to remove hazards into a moxie sweep too often. defensive set with brave bird is imo the best
probably the scariest direct offense available with an uncontested speed tier. Stack and lack of good dark moves keeps this in check
love this lil guy. Just easily capitalises on the hazard game above whilst still being threatening. Dual Stab is nice, but mud shot is a nice tech for the mirror and slowing down some scary opponents
Slightly worse nasty plotter than missy, but still very potent with a good speed tier. TwinBeam>Psychic imo for all the Sub Missies
eh its fine. I've been running CB and its good, just not quite there imo. SD might be better, but having the speed tier below missy is yucky. Nice for the rare Tandemaus though. Also too many times have I Dragon Tailed into a tera-fairy and it is definitely not the primary reason for my dislike of tera.
he really packs a punch, one of the best naclstack answers available, through either trick or just hitting the wall. having CC is such a blessing
the utility god. pretty much any time this is in, its a nuisance, with an important eviolite going or para or rocks. Probably the best rocker available, unless you're going all offense, in which case Glimmet
strong, I feel its a very potent matchup check looking from priority or something faster, otherwise tera ice is getting you. or just naclstack and only take 50% from surf
how far you've fallen since the bisharp days. Roar and Encore are still nice for naclstack but as long as naclstack and hazards are around, hes not having a great time tbh
seems cool, if only mach punch went before ice shard
a scary sight for pretty much anyteam without a healthy croc. Suffers BIG from 4MSS though as it can;t fit bulk, slack and normal moves with both somethign to hit stack and missy
doesn't last long enough tbh, healing wish is nice though
screens are nice, but definitely keep dazzling gleam on this. 4 status moves makes this a sitting duck against certain threats.
annoying little sporers, toedscool is better in every way except recovery tbh, Mycelium Might is such a forgettable ability that it works in toedscools favour.

Anyway, very fun meta, I look forward to losing R1 in the tournament.

Good luck in the tour

 

[TTTech]

Been experimenting and found this gem (someone probably found this already though).

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

Or

Flittle @ Eviolite
Ability: Speed Boost
Tera Type: Steel / Fighting / Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Calm Mind
- Tera Blast
- Stored Power

Been using this on HO teams and it cleans pretty well if you're able to get it to +1 or +2 with spatk. First set is more defensive to be able to get the calm minds off and tank physical hits, however you can't hit dark types. Second set is all in offensive pressure with hoping you can either sweep or weaken majority of the opponents team. I personally find the first better because it's more consistent, but you can switch the moves and evs around to however you like. Fun mon to use and there are ways to get around it, but once it gets going it nearly unstoppable.

 

[RextheNoname]

Lets talk about!


Yup! Sneasel's back for the 5th generation in a row! Doing what it does best. Ice Sharding and tearing teams to shreds. However, I do think that it's considerably worth noting how much worse of an appearance Sneasel has made this gen. I mean come on, this guy's lost knock off, Triple axel, the whole nine yards! Gen 9 is definitely not a golden year for this guy. Sneasel has gone from being a ban-worthy threat to just a really strong one in the NFE metagame. However there is one thing able to keep this fella on-par with his glory days.

the part where this stops being about sneasel
(if you thought this was going to be about why sneasel is broken im sorry)
Terrastalization has shown to be quite the controversial new-topic withn our community. Straight up there with NaclStack and Vigoroth, this thing has had numerous discussions over whether it's banworthy or not. Let me just toss my hat in the ring for now. With respect to terastalization, I find it to be the perfect concentration of unhealthy within SV NFE. Now that we've gotten rid of the monsters of the tier, (,,) I can get down to dissecting this shit-smeared mechanic.

For starters, terastalization does a very good job at blurring the line between what is broken because of terastalization, and what is broken without it. Due to the nature of terastalization, certain offensive mons can feel especially broken with the correct tera types. Hmm... I'll need an example... Oh wait! Sneasel is the shining example of this, a mon that functions as a top tier, potentially suspect-worthy mon within the NFE meta. Sneasel's awful coverage allows for un-pressured defensive checks to easily wall it, but its poor bulk allows for any greedy setup attempts to be punished. However, if you set up sneasel correctly, then it succeeds.

This is, obviously, what a half-decently balanced threat looks like. However, with the introduction of terastalization, Sneasel is propelled over the line of what is balanced, and what is broken. Now this reveals the problem with Terastalization. Offensive threats in Sneasel's position could very easily succumb to a similar fate. Being called broken because of terastalization, rather than because of merit. This could very easily spiral into ban after ban for threats which are truly not that broken.

What about complex bans?

I firmly believe that complex bans could be entertained, but most just seem to be dancing around what is truly broken about terastalization. bans which advocate for displaying what tera-typings are before the match, or limiting the amount of terastalizing pokemon seem to fall flat for me. This would afford the opposing party some fore-warning or upper hand, making terastalization more manageable. I find that these fall flat because many tera-mons don't give a damn if you know whether they're coming or not. They can be just as successful without your foresight.

Banning Tera-Blast is also slapping a band-aid on a fatal gash. Most threats hardly need the coverage, rather they need the resistance to get up one setup move. However, Banning Tera-Blast remains a better option than the former in my eyes. Limiting tera-types to STAB types seems the best to me, and I think that if we're looking for a complex ban, then this might be our best option. It affords some defensive utility while remaining worthwhile offensively. No insane defensive types are given, and it removes the signature element of surprise Terastalization has. The boosting to STAB damage that comes with this will have to be a topic for another time. However, overall I find all of these to not be superior to banning terastalization at all. I am in favor of the complete banning of terastalization in SV NFE.

TL;DR: tera is broken, sneasel isnt. ban tera pls

 

[fluff!!]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Lets talk about!


Yup! Sneasel's back for the 5th generation in a row! Doing what it does best. Ice Sharding and tearing teams to shreds. However, I do think that it's considerably worth noting how much worse of an appearance Sneasel has made this gen. I mean come on, this guy's lost knock off, Triple axel, the whole nine yards! Gen 9 is definitely not a golden year for this guy. Sneasel has gone from being a ban-worthy threat to just a really strong one in the NFE metagame. However there is one thing able to keep this fella on-par with his glory days.

the part where this stops being about sneasel
(if you thought this was going to be about why sneasel is broken im sorry)
Terrastalization has shown to be quite the controversial new-topic withn our community. Straight up there with NaclStack and Vigoroth, this thing has had numerous discussions over whether it's banworthy or not. Let me just toss my hat in the ring for now. With respect to terastalization, I find it to be the perfect concentration of unhealthy within SV NFE. Now that we've gotten rid of the monsters of the tier, (,,) I can get down to dissecting this shit-smeared mechanic.

For starters, terastalization does a very good job at blurring the line between what is broken because of terastalization, and what is broken without it. Due to the nature of terastalization, certain offensive mons can feel especially broken with the correct tera types. Hmm... I'll need an example... Oh wait! Sneasel is the shining example of this, a mon that functions as a top tier, potentially suspect-worthy mon within the NFE meta. Sneasel's awful coverage allows for un-pressured defensive checks to easily wall it, but its poor bulk allows for any greedy setup attempts to be punished. However, if you set up sneasel correctly, then it succeeds.

This is, obviously, what a half-decently balanced threat looks like. However, with the introduction of terastalization, Sneasel is propelled over the line of what is balanced, and what is broken. Now this reveals the problem with Terastalization. Offensive threats in Sneasel's position could very easily succumb to a similar fate. Being called broken because of terastalization, rather than because of merit. This could very easily spiral into ban after ban for threats which are truly not that broken.

What about complex bans?

I firmly believe that complex bans could be entertained, but most just seem to be dancing around what is truly broken about terastalization. bans which advocate for displaying what tera-typings are before the match, or limiting the amount of terastalizing pokemon seem to fall flat for me. This would afford the opposing party some fore-warning or upper hand, making terastalization more manageable. I find that these fall flat because many tera-mons don't give a damn if you know whether they're coming or not. They can be just as successful without your foresight.

Banning Tera-Blast is also slapping a band-aid on a fatal gash. Most threats hardly need the coverage, rather they need the resistance to get up one setup move. However, Banning Tera-Blast remains a better option than the former in my eyes. Limiting tera-types to STAB types seems the best to me, and I think that if we're looking for a complex ban, then this might be our best option. It affords some defensive utility while remaining worthwhile offensively. No insane defensive types are given, and it removes the signature element of surprise Terastalization has. The boosting to STAB damage that comes with this will have to be a topic for another time. However, overall I find all of these to not be superior to banning terastalization at all. I am in favor of the complete banning of terastalization in SV NFE.

TL;DR: tera is broken, sneasel isnt. ban tera pls

couldn't have said it better. Banning the mons instead of Tera will just lead to every attacker getting banned one after the other. We must avoid the scenario of:
ban Sneasel because of Tera > ban Misdreavus because of Tera Fighting > Ban Drakloak because of Tera Ghost > ban Fraxure because of Tera [insert type] > ban Marill because of Tera Water > ban Pikachu because of Tera Water...

 

[FranziskaSkye]

Usage Stats from the 111 games of tournament rounds 1, 2, 3, 4

Usage Stats

Rank	Pokemon	Number Used	Usage %	Number Wins	Win%
1	Misdreavus	135	60.81%	71	52.59%
2	Tinkatuff	117	52.70%	58	49.57%
3	Sneasel	104	46.85%	55	52.88%
4	Gabite	93	41.89%	45	48.39%
5	Quaxwell	91	40.99%	44	48.35%
6	Naclstack	85	38.29%	52	61.18%
7	Fraxure	62	27.93%	35	56.45%
8	Toedscool	60	27.03%	32	53.33%
9	Pikachu	59	26.58%	29	49.15%
10	Crocalor	52	23.42%	29	55.77%
11	Morgrem	34	15.32%	17	50.00%
12	Glimmet	33	14.86%	18	54.55%
13	Fletchinder	29	13.06%	16	55.17%
14	Dunsparce	27	12.16%	20	74.07%
15	Hattrem	27	12.16%	6	22.22%
16	Pawmo	25	11.26%	13	52.00%
17	Mareanie	24	10.81%	10	41.67%
18	Pawniard	23	10.36%	12	52.17%
19	Floragato	23	10.36%	11	47.83%
20	Vigoroth	22	9.91%	7	31.82%
21	Murkrow	20	9.01%	8	40.00%
22	Girafarig	20	9.01%	6	30.00%
23	Eelektrik	19	8.56%	11	57.89%
24	Drakloak	17	7.66%	8	47.06%
25	Flittle	17	7.66%	7	41.18%
26	Foongus	15	6.76%	8	53.33%
27	Carkol	14	6.31%	7	50.00%
28	Meditite	13	5.86%	7	53.85%
29	Krokorok	11	4.95%	5	45.45%
30	Marill	8	3.60%	2	25.00%
31	Zweilous	7	3.15%	3	42.86%
32	Sliggoo	6	2.70%	4	66.67%
33	Surskit	6	2.70%	2	33.33%
34	Shelgon	5	2.25%	2	40.00%
35	Arctibax	5	2.25%	1	20.00%
36	Staravia	3	1.35%	1	33.33%
37	Floette	3	1.35%	0	0.00%
38	Pupitar	3	1.35%	0	0.00%
39	Magnemite	2	0.90%	1	50.00%
40	Steenee	2	0.90%	0	0.00%
41	Gastly	1	0.45%	1	100.00%
42	Psyduck	1	0.45%	1	100.00%
43	Shroodle	1	0.45%	1	100.00%
44	Bramblin	1	0.45%	0	0.00%
45	Corvisquire	1	0.45%	0	0.00%
46	Dolliv	1	0.45%	0	0.00%
47	Dragonair	1	0.45%	0	0.00%
48	Gothorita	1	0.45%	0	0.00%
49	Jigglypuff	1	0.45%	0	0.00%
50	Mankey	1	0.45%	0	0.00%
51	Mudbray	1	0.45%	0	0.00%

I'll update this one again after Round 4, then repost once tournament is finished

 

[fluff!!]

Thought I might as well have a meta update thing so I compiled usage stats for r1 and 2 of the NFE tournament going on right now. Data is from 81 total games.

Thank you for these stats. Naclstack is dominating, as expected.

edit: I'm glad my team has a >55% winrate (no one uses Pawmo, come on)

 

[Shing]

Out of the tournament by some unfortunate hax against me, ggs to Greybaum although I'll wait longer to start reading Fire Punch because of that g3 alone .

Teams
https://pokepast.es/24098de54ba3b113 Krokorok Thief + Tspikes Mareanie + Pikachu
https://pokepast.es/6c165ce71c72251b Hazard Stack over to the top ft Scarf Pawn and Tera Ground Sneasel
https://pokepast.es/16b90ba82eb3b6ee DD Fraxure w/taunt and Tera Fire + Scarf Quaxwell combo
https://pokepast.es/16b90ba82eb3b6ee HO team with the cores taken and refined from Career Ended
https://pokepast.es/d1e7f223cc68d903 1.2 with dropping NP Sub Pikachu with Fake Out Pikachu to take advantage over Glimmet MU
https://pokepast.es/2452851b3bed7ea9 Drakloak + Vigoroth combo, prob recommend to change Drakloak to something else and Foongus from Growth into worry seed or toxic, or rather drop it tbh I don't vibe with this too much.


I'm gonna wait for Home patch coming because I don't like this meta and trying to push it is not worth my time. Naclstack and Tera shenanigans are a Lil annoying, but I still think Misdreavus with the combination of hazards mons like Toedstool, Tink, Naclstack and Glimmet makes the hazards overturned in the worst way possible, to the point if you're not using Misdreavus in your team you're literally handicapping yourself as far I see it. That pokemon is basically the definition of a privileged pokemon in SV NFE lol. There is probably more stuff I want to talk about as far as I've observed, but I think I'll just wait for the new tier or if there will be changes in this tier. Huge thanks to Mirbro for being a king to add money pot for the tournament. Sorry if I'm not the most positive person rn, I'm just that tired of this damned state of the tier rn.

 

[fluff!!]

going back to ORAS OU until action is taken about Naclstack. This is becoming just frustrating to play this tier when everything ultimately comes down to which Naclstack wins the war.

I think that the issue about hazard stacking is Glimmet more than Misdreavus. Having no (good) defoggers means spinblocking becomes vital and the difference between OU and NFE is that running HDB instead of Eviolite is throwing. Being able to set Spikes and TSpikes in a single turn is, for the lack of a better word, broken in this meta, even moreso when you can't even block TSpikes through Taunt. If you want to ban Misdreavus because of hazard stacking, then ban Drakloak, Sandygast and Bramblin as well.

 

[FranziskaSkye]

going back to ORAS OU until action is taken about Naclstack. This is becoming just frustrating to play in this tier when everything ultimately comes down to which Naclstack wins the war.

I think that the issue about hazard stacking is Glimmet more than Misdreavus. Having no (good) defoggers means spinblocking becomes vital and the difference between OU and NFE is that running HDB instead of Eviolite is throwing. If you want to ban Misdreavus because of hazard stacking, then ban Drakloak, Sandygast and Bramblin as well.

Sad to see you leave the meta, but understandable for the Naclstack side. As much as I love my Leftist Meme bricks, saying that it is healthy for the meta is a lie. I do think good counterplay is developing but it is still an issue. Tera should be dealt with first though as it reenforces the strongest mons even more, with the main culprits of the last 2 will be fine without tera. Maybe missy too but idk. Stack I feel would still be too strong with tera gone, but tera addressed first.

As for the hazard stacking, I disagree with Glimmet being the problem. If glimmet goes then Toedscool and other hazard setters are simply going to fill the gap. I feel there is definitely a place for Fletchinder to become good. However there is a brick wall in the way. As for the spinblockers, I feel Misdreavus is the only problematic one. Sandygast and Bramblin just don't have the stats or the typing to come in reliably, plus levitate for missygives a big advantage. That, and Missy has a lot better utility and threat against both spinners with sub or wisp. Drakloak can do this too but to a lesser extent, but being weak to spikes among other factors leads it to being underwhelming in comparison.

but ye Ban Tera, probably ban naclstack afterwards (I'm sorry little one ;( ) and then mayyyyyyybe Missy

Both will probably be back for Home though, unlike the ones currently banned.

edit: pls wait until tournament is done for any tiering decisions thank you <3

 

[Shing]

going back to ORAS OU until action is taken about Naclstack. This is becoming just frustrating to play this tier when everything ultimately comes down to which Naclstack wins the war.

I think that the issue about hazard stacking is Glimmet more than Misdreavus. Having no (good) defoggers means spinblocking becomes vital and the difference between OU and NFE is that running HDB instead of Eviolite is throwing. Being able to set Spikes and TSpikes in a single turn is, for the lack of a better word, broken in this meta, even more so when you can't even block TSpikes through Taunt. If you want to ban Misdreavus because of hazard stacking, then ban Drakloak, Sandygast, and Bramblin as well.

Glimmet is by far much easier to handle than Misdreavus when it comes to the discussion of Hazards itself. You could use a poison type to play around its T-spikes ability, and spin mons can easily play around against Glimmet gameplan if you look it at a standalone itself, and then we have Hattrem that blocks it out while walling it which forces Glimmet teams to preserve that mon later in the game. Toedstool, Naclstack, and Tink are by far more difficult for example when it comes to stopping their hazard game because the tools to cripple anti-hazard mons and their longevity means they have other opportunities to set it up, so they're consistent at it against more MUs. Glimmet is good, but it's somewhat bit MU-fishy and I honestly think it's carried by having the incredible synergy with Misdreavus.

There's a huge difference in how Missy denies hazard removal compared to every other ghost type. Besides the big utility tools like Taunt, Pain Split, and Sub, I should have also mentioned that Misdreavus perks in the offense are also top excellence. Misdreavus is one best set-up sweepers in the game, with both Calm Mind and Nasty Plot working for their own purposes even if NP is the common one, and a near-perfect 2 atk coverage that's difficult to switch in. Besides being threatening to the whole tier, it's also effortlessly good against Anti Hazard where Shadow Ball/Thunderbolt/Taunt goes through all hazard removals while being effective to everything else.

Missy isn't only problematic because it enables the hazard game, but it's also a very difficult pokemon to check because it's one of the fastest tiers with some of the best wall-breaking potential in this tier and at the same time with little consequences on picking its moves. The 4th slot itself is just a little more extra that you can just use to nail some matchups or interactions into your favor. Another thing I can mention is that most other faster pokemon are usually frail, easier to check defensive, struggles to switch in the field, and can be easily played around with Tera which means you can bypass revenge killing. This makes the best counterplay against Missy more defensive, which Missy can easily take advantage too. Missy is a problem in my eyes because it has a very unhealthy way to deal with it while its strengths are way too powerful for this tier. Also for some people, Naclstack is not a missy check where Taunt, Sub and another coverage move if wanted destroys it.

Out of the other ghost mons, I can see Drakloak fulfilling the role because it's arguably better at blocking Spins, but that means Defog like Fletchninder and another flying can freely defog against it. And with the lack of recovery, weaker base stats, and potentially suffering from a 4mss if it has to decide if it'll be a rest/talk set or mons with coverage. Other ghost types are far too weak and very much exploited by everything else in this tier for many reasons I can point out. Such as Sandygast being weak to water types, not touching Fletchinder, and being walled by Hattrem. Brablim lacks the bulk and being grass type makes it vulnerable to Carkol and Fletchinder. It's probably walled by Hattrem too. In the end, Missy is another whole level not only from a spin blocker perspective but also an SV NFE mon overall.


Just gonna talk something other things because I had more thoughts I felt like talking about.

Some talk on Naclstack: I think the longer the meta goes think it has less counterplay because checking everything else while checking Naclstack is actually very, very restricting. Usually, I need something to handle all offensive stuff, but it gets very awkward when it comes to Naclstack because it becomes too specific to deal with it, and some teams require one core to completely deny it from progress unless you're going for too specific ones like worry seed Foongus, go all spam taunt/sub type of offensive teams. While all Naclstack just needs is eventually annoy teams with salt cure at some positions, or play the rocks game in a very obnoxious fashion, and then let its other teammates deal with their teammates where it'll just sweep the endgame. This is very much possible because most offenses are physical ones, so some HO teams are designed to pressure missy and special attackers to the point where Naclstack will win the endgame. The HO team I've made is a very good example of it, and the same goes with me vs Greybaum at the tour game and many other ladder games where I've won just because of endgame Naclstack.

Naclstack's issue for me comes more from the influence it has done on the tier. The restricted and specific defensive counterplay where it's weak against everything else but Naclstack is a huge issue. When you have a meta where Knock Off is almost non-existent, and the raw base attack isn't that great, and the limited water, grass, fighting, ground offense means that Naclstack will have a much more comfortable time to switch in multiple times and kills the momentum of your team if you fail to limit it. Naclstack is not impossible to stop nor is it broken in my eyes, but it's probably put too much restrictions for this tier from a building perspective and dealing with it. I think it'll be way worse once Knock and more variety in offensive types make it more difficult to build around this pokemon, but for now, I think this pokemon should be discussed for the restraint to the teambuilding and how the centralization is worth for the tier or not.


The last I want to quickly speak about is that Tera is not healthy as the more I see it being developed. How I see it in this tier boils down to this:
Defensive mons has clearly a risk/reward if they'll be terastallized, Offensive mons instead get another option to bypass its checks.

Despite the meta being very bulky, Offense is still the superior decision because it has obviously more simplified tools to deal with everything in general and Tera strengthens it even more unfairly. Defensive mons are notoriously limited from the move pool by either lacking recovery or coverage to keep them too passive. Breaking down Defense is far easier than stopping Offense is what I'm trying to say, and Tera kinda makes it a 100 times worse because it's almost impossible to stop the Tera mons even with reacting against it with your own Tera. which still favors them as they've weakened your defensive core by forcing you to use your own Tera. I could go on the abusers, but that'll be another topic if anyone want me to talk about it.

Other than that, there are some observations that have helped me to pick Tera types that I want to share with yall. Not that random type to make your wall breakers even more powerful, but just general meta observations that can be applied generally.

- Ghost types are very valuable for those that can set up with recovery for Naclstack, turning around the endgame and making you able to counter the general set regardless of their Tera. Ghost types are actually the best defensive type to beat out Naclstack as a whole really.
Here's an example in this replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nfe-1727442757-a6qnaj9ktyl06bob2c0h7x47hi2vf8vpw
- Fairy is the best middle-ground type where you're not getting the stab boost, but the defensive types can clutch it out. Low Risk / Mid Reward
- Reconsider using Steel/Water Type if that pokemon is unable to pressure Naclstack because of Salt Cure. There is a risk to those types despite having the best defensive types in this meta, so if you can find another one try that one out.
- Normal is somewhat underrated because the lack of fighting types and the immunity to ghost attacks has some value for some mons. E.G I made a team around Tera Normal CM Hattrem to flip around against Missy.
- Using other unusual types has its use from being immune to tera coverage while taking neutral damage against its other coverage move. Definitely do not limit yourself to fairy/water/steel just because it's just that easy to do. Depending on the context of the position you're in and after that sometimes you can use other types to clutch yourself out that the other types couldn't do. Though this all requires meta knowledge, so this applies to those who played the meta really.

 

[Tuthur]

Hey, now that I am out of NFE No John, I'd like to share my thoughts on the metagame.

As a starter, I'd like to say the metagame feels much more enjoyable than SS. I've found SS NFE to be very boring both to watch and to play, and I'm glad the dynamic of SS is much faster. That said, there are some elements in the metagame that are in my opinion quite undesirable.


Everyone has already beaten this dead horse. But, I don't think it is as good as some make it seem and it surely doesn't sweep as easily as some try to make it seem. It is very hard to play around it in game, but it still struggle to make progress through Pain Split / Substitute Variant of Misdreavus which has like 80% usage rate. Getting a Knock Off on it can also be quite strong and it is often forced to click Recover and make no progress due to how prominent hazards are right now, also Tinkatuff being able to paralyse it with Thunder Wave is hilarious and it feels like a lot of people don't know the interaction between Mold Breaker and Purifying Salt. I don't think it needs to be banned, Naclstack grantly contributes to the balance of the tier imo, preventing HO from being completely dumb and being kept in check by one of the dominant archetype in stack hazard + Misdreavus. I wouldn't mind it receiving a suspect test in the future.


The most centralizing Pokemon in the tier, being able to keep hazard on the field, while not carrying much about them being up. It is an incredible Pokemon, to the point where it seems hard to justify not using it. I think its presence is quite healthy that said, as it has numerous checks, even with tera, and also prevents defensive archetypes to be too good by preventing hazard removal and stallbreaking with Taunt and/or Nasty Plot.


I think this Pokemon is quite ridiculous. The Speed and raw power are just insane, Pikachu forces out most of the tier and we don't get many Electric immunity in this tier that can come into Surf, basically Toedscool and fully healthy Gabite. With hazards being so good, it is quite easy for it to make progress on Electric resists like Fraxure, Dolliv, and the aforementionned Ground-types. It has been the number one threat, except for tera users, to me when using bulkier teams that lack Foongus. Tera Electric and Water are also quite deadly, but I feel like Pikachu doesn't even need it to be dumb, and I wouldn't mind it getting quickbanned.


This might be controversial, but I like tera in NFE (and in general tbf). I think the mechanic is quite healthy on most Pokemon and allow many Pokemon like Girafarig, Misdreavus, and Gabite to break more easily, while defensive Pokemon like Crocalor and Dunsparce have the option to counter these tera threats. The mechanic may not have been explored to its best in NFE, but currently, I just fail to see what would make it broken. It has never led to unhealthy 50/50s in my time of playing with and against it, and it is not impossible to take it into account in teambuilding and in the gameplan imo. That said, I think tera breaks two Pokemon; Fraxure and Sneasel. Fraxure has 3 good tera types in Water, Steel, and Ground, which all have their own perks and have few countermeasure, close to perfect coverage, and insane sweeping potential. Sneasel on the other hand, pretty much only has one good tera type in Ground. Dark and Ice are also options but are far from broken. Ice + Ground not only has perfect coverage but also hits most of the tier for super effective damage, with Sneasel outspeeding the whole unboosted tier and having access to STAB priority, it just looks ridiculous with tera. Tera Electric is also an option that I have seen, which looks less good but gives a better matchup into Quaxwell and just shows how versatile Sneasel is with Tera. I do think both of these threats are pushing tera over the edge, and I'd like to see both getting quickbanned, before any action is taken on tera (and their ban being revisited if tera is still dumb). Tera is only pushing these two threats over the edge, and arguably Pikachu for those who don't think it is broken on its own.

tldr; Ban Pikachu, Sneasel, and Fraxure, DNB Misdravus, Keep Naclstack and tera under the radar after the bans

 

[5Dots]

Going to post my thoughts on the two hot topics:


If Misdreavus is running Substitute, then Naclstack is fine. Misdreavus will usually carry some boosting/recovery move and eventually overpower it. Without Misdreavus, it becomes a lot more overbearing. At least, so it seems. Even when offensive checks like Meditite and Gabite can be caught off guard when Naclstack terrastalizes into a Ghost or Fighting-type, which shores up its bad defensive profile, it's still not broken. It's really passive and hazard control is not good right now. Considering that it often gets forced out a lot by the aforementioned Pokemon and the opportunity cost of terastalizing, it often is forced into Recover range, leading to its passivity. Said passivity also leaves it vulnerable to being caught off guard to Encore Pokemon (quaxwell, Crocalor, some Tinkatuff and Pikachu variants) when it's trying to recover or setup, meaning that it often won't get far as it likes as a wincon. While potent as a Stealth Rock setter, it doesn't exert a lot of offensive pressure since Salt Cure and Recover are too important to pass up on.


This is likely the best Pokemon in the entire meta. Multiple viable spreads and sets, an important speed benchmark, and a wide utility movepool make it super splashable on team builds, ranging from balance to hyper offense. As others have mentioned, it's insurance against all Rapid Spin users with its typing, movepool, and stats. Offensive Misdreavus sets are fine, but I like to run more bulky variants to capitalize this better. Here are some examples:

Bulky CM + Tera Type Normal

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 140 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
- Pain Split

This walls Naclstack and outruns Fraxure and most Quaxell variants. Vigoroth not being too popular also helps. Could probably tweak EVs more but I like this set a lot as a wincon. Normal-type Tera puts a stop to normal Misdreavus and causes them to rely on tera and/or coverage. I elected to go with Pain Split since Misdreavus lacks recovery outside Rest, and it usually gains sufficient amounts due to its own low HP stat. While not popular and is much more passive compared to offensive ones, the focus on bulk is valuable when dealing with general threats.

SubPlot + Tera Type Fairy

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 24 Def / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Nasty Plot
- Dazzling Gleam
- Shadow Ball

Better handles the Misdreavus mirror under Tera Fairy and takes on Sneasel more reliably. 24 Defense EVs end up surviving 2 Salt Cures under a Substitute. EVs also end up outrunning Jolly Gabite (take note of Scarf variants, though).

 

[Greybaum]

Hey, some announcements to make!
First up, beauts has unfortunately decided to step down from NFE council. They were a great help in kicking off this new generation of NFE, and their presence will be dearly missed. Also, a warm welcome to 5Dots, who is now joining the council!

Next up: we have a Resources thread! We hope to have a full Viability Rankings up in the near future, but for now please give us your feedback on the Viability List and please let us know if anything looks off to you, or share your own preliminary rankings.

Lastly, the elephant in the room: terastalization. We're currently planning a suspect to take place shortly after the SV NFE No-Johns Kickoff Tour has concluded, and it'll likely be on terastalization; a lot of players have made it known that they consider the mechanic an unwelcome presence in the tier, though others believe eyes should instead be on its primary abusers, namely Fraxure and Sneasel. Let us know what you think.

 

[Greybaum]

My most recent post was Council thoughts, this one is mine and mine alone.

song link

Tera - it has to go.
The biggest problem with Tera, to me, is that it heavily limits the available counterplay to top abusers; Fraxure being able to turn into a Steel-type means that checks like Sneasel and Tinkatuff are giving it a free Substitute, or possibly further set-up (1) (2), at which point counterplay becomes very limited. Sneasel gets unresisted coverage in Ice/Ground, largely limiting counterplay to opposing Sneasel (3). This can be expanded to various other Pokemon, from strong cleaners like Pikachu to bulky set-up mons like Vigoroth and Naclstack (4) (5) (6). I do not think that banning every Pokemon made broken by Tera is a viable alternative because I believe that doing this means banning any remotely offensive Pokemon and people have already raised concerns about the long-term health of bulky walls like Crocalor that would massively benefit from this implementation.
This is the short version of my argument. Open the spoiler for about twice as much information and an explanation on why I think a simple ban on Tera as a mechanic is far better than any restriction proposed elsewhere on the forums.

on "restrictions"

• Showing the Tera type of each Pokemon in the each player's party at Team Preview

To get the obvious out of the way - most of the time you can already make an educated guess at what a Pokemon's Tera type is; Fraxure wants to shut down Sneasel, so it'll usually become either Steel- or Fire-type to resist Ice Shard. Pikachu wants to cover Ground- and Grass-types, so it'll almost always be Ice-type, and when it's not it'll probably be Flying-type. Murkrow will almost always be Water-type to break through Naclstack. Knowing this does not prevent Fraxure from destroying Sneasel, nor does it make Pikachu or Murkrow easier to switch-into. It does not give you more options to break through a Fighting-type Naclstack, or a Fairy-type Vigoroth, or a Poison-type Dunsparce. Until Tera has been activated, you have to preserve at least two methods of answering every Pokemon, and this is not only overly straining but also realistically impossible in a tier with a pool of Pokemon as limited as SV NFE.
On the completely other side of the spectrum, until Tera has been activated you have to play extremely cautiously with any offensive Pokemon lest you lose your primary source of damage to a fluke prediction; if you can see my Tinkatuff has the option of becoming a Ground-type, your Pikachu is actively discouraged from clicking any attack in front of it until it's in range of Surf. Discouraging the opponent from even attempting to make progress is not something I find healthy, and putting so much emphasis on just one, or possibly two turns where Tera is activated drastically simplifies the game and, I find that in contrast to public opinion it decreases the amount of creativity that can be expressed in the builder, because using one of the 3 optimal Tera types on a top mon is just untouchable as a win condition.

• Limiting the amount of Pokemon on any given team that have access to possibly Terastallize during a battle

This fixes the second problem that I alluded to in the above paragraph, mostly because using Tera offensively is so absurdly strong that using it on a defensive Pokemon like Tinkatuff becomes unviable. In my eyes it doesn't fix the first issue, however, which is the bigger one. We would still need to ban Sneasel, Fraxure, Pikachu, and Murkrow. We would also likely need to ban Misdreavus, Naclstack, Dunsparce, Vigoroth, and Gabite, as well as any other possible threats that become broken as a result of Tera afterwards like Drakloak, Meditite, Girafarig, and Flittle. This is not something I can get behind, especially considering how few Pokemon we already have as a result of dex cuts.

• Banning usage of the move Tera Blast

This deals with some of the bigger Tera abusers like Sneasel and Murkrow, but does nothing to others like Misdreavus and Fraxure and in the process heavily nerfs some of the more manageable abusers like Girafarig and Choice Scarf Gabite; this isn't an effective solution, it's just an arbitrary half-measure that doesn't solve the root problems with Tera as a mechanic.

• Limiting Pokemon to only using a Tera Type that matches their current STAB

This is the closest to fixing Tera, but it removes any semblance of creativity the mechanic holds. On top of that, it's still a free Adaptability boost on any offensive Pokemon that wants it. This is somehow the worst of both worlds despite being the only option listed thus far that could actually have a chance at making the mechanic balanced.

• Anything else

We could spend hours coming up with other restrictions like "to Tera, the Pokemon must hold X item", or "the Pokemon must be level 95", or "the Pokemon must have a move of that type in their movepool", or "the Pokemon must not have set-up moves", or "the Pokemon must only have 3 moves", or "the team must have only one unique Tera-type amongst all 6 Pokemon", or "the user must send Greybaum £5 on PayPal upon activating Tera" but... I don't think the mechanic is worth preserving. All of these are convoluted, arbitrary, and directly go against Smogon's tiering philosophy. Banning the mechanic is simple, straightforward, and leaves no room for abuse.

On Naclstack - I understand where gripes are coming from, but I think the only thing making it potentially unhealthy is Tera giving it the ability to transform into a Ghost/Poison/Water type while boosting its defenses with Iron Defense, making offensive answers like Meditite and Gabite inconsistent. Still, it's not a (body) pressing concern in my mind. Foongus and Toedscool force it out with the threat of Toxic, Pokemon like Mareanie can Haze its boosts and slowly chip at its PP by turn cycling, it's vulnerable to hazards, can't do any immediate damage to our best phasers in Crocalor, Drakloak, and Gabite, and is susceptible to lures like Substitute Misdreavus and Tera Blast Murkrow. It's definitely on my personal watchlist, but removing Tera from the tier is my biggest priority.

 

[lepton]

HAZARDS
(disclaimer this is not council thoughts this is my own)

I’d like to talk about the hazard meta as I think it’s super important to how the meta as a whole functions right now. hazard setters are very powerful and removal is very limited at the moment.

SPIKES/TSPIKES

Toedscool @ Eviolite
Ability: Mycelium Might
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Leech Seed
- Toxic / Rapid Spin

The meta’s premier spiker right now is Toedscool. It possesses an incredible utility movepool with Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Rapid Spin and the all-important Knock Off. With limited Spikers, Spinners, and knock users in the meta right now this mon’s role compression and utility is insane. However, it’s mediocre defensive type leaves a lot to be desired, and it’s difficult to fit all the moves you want on a set.


Mareanie @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Toxic
- Toxic Spikes / Haze
- Recover
- Chilling Water

Babypex has certainly fallen off in the transition between gens, the loss of scald makes it much more passive. Tspikes are still a strong progress tool, especially with the limited hazard removal in the meta. Despite this, the arguably two most important mons in the meta, Misdreavus and Naclstack, are immune to Tspikes. More importantly though, there is another tspikes setter that is much more reliable at getting them up, which I will be talking about next.


Glimmet @ Focus Sash / Eviolite
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Spikes
- Sludge Wave
- Power Gem / Stealth Rock
- Memento / Stealth Rock

Glimmet is actually insane right now, Toxic Debris means it can get up Spikes or Rocks AND Tspikes at the same time. It’s the best lead for hyper offense and it’s not even really close. It has decent offensive presence however it’s walled by Gabite and Tinkatuff which isn’t the best for it, but it’s still a great offensive rocker. Which brings me to…

OFFENSIVE ROCKS SETTERS

Gabite @ Eviolite
Ability: Rough Skin
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

I’m loving offensive sd rocks Gabite right now as a setter, it gets rocks up really consistently especially with Hattrem less common compared to gen 8. Quaxwell struggles to deal with +2 Gabite (+2 252 Atk Gabite Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quaxwell: 238-282 (69.1 - 81.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO), and Toedscool does not have nearly enough physical bulk. This means that both premier spinners cannot really stop gabite from setting up rocks reliably.


Pawniard @ Eviolite / No Item
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Steel / Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Thief
- Sucker Punch

Bisharp may have been banned but little brother Pawniard is here to take up the mantle. Pawn is ok, not amazing as a rocks setter because giving up SD makes it harder for it to break through defensive cores, though Thief is still some unique utility that it has.


Krokorok @ Eviolite
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Taunt / Stone Edge

The other ground-type offensive rocks setter in the meta right now is Krokorok. Ground/Dark coverage is insane at the moment, only resisted by Murkrow which is both frail and has no reliable recovery. Taunt is an interesting option that Krok has over Gabite, as it can be used to stop other hazard setters from setting them, especially defensive rocks setters such as Naclstack or Tinkatuff.

DEFENSIVE ROCKS SETTERS

Naclstack @ Eviolite
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Ghost / Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Salt Cure
- Body Press
- Recover

One of the most talked about mons in the meta right now alongside Misdreavus, Naclstack is probably the best rocks setter at the moment. Obscenely bulky and immune to status, Naclstack is incredibly hard to wear down and make progress against. Salt Cure is a ridiculous move, and makes it very difficult for Quaxwell to keep hazards up in the long run. People have suggested banning this mon, and while I don’t discount this option, I personally would like to see Tera go first.


Tinkatuff @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Water / Fairy / Ground / Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def OR 236 Spdef / 20 Spe
Impish / Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Thunder Wave / Encore

Tinkatuff <3. This mon has a ton of utility, being one of the few things to learn the all-important Knock Off, alongside Mold Breaker rocks and status. Thunder Wave is great speed control in the current meta. Tink gets worn down super easily by Salt Cure, though. Not the greatest mon for offensive presence but it’s utility is so good it rightfully sees a lot of use.


Dunsparce @ Eviolite
Ability: Serene Grace
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm / Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Shadow Ball / Earth Power
- Glare / Thief
- Roost

Dunsparce is a very versatile Pokemon in the current meta, with both Coil and Calm Mind sets being strong set up sweepers and wincons. Utility sets are ok in my opinion but struggle to do anything offensively at all. It can provide nice defensive utility, and consistently get up rocks and provide paralysis support. It has to choose between being able to damage Misdreavus or Naclstack which really limits this set in my opinion.

Obviously there are other rockers but these are the best ones and the ones I wanted to talk about.

HATT

Hattrem @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Psychic / Dazzling Gleam
- Nuzzle / Life Dew

Hatt has certainly fallen off as well since Sword and Shield, but this time not because of lost moves. Hattrem is less used right now because two of the most common hazard setters can set them through magic bounce, reducing its utility greatly. RestTalk is ok, but even with the recovery it’s still easily worn down by stuff like Salt Cure.

Hattrem @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Normal / Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Healing Wish
- Psychic
- Nuzzle
- Mystical Fire

Healing Wish is I think the better set right now, it’s great for more offensive teams and still has other great utility with Magic Bounce and Nuzzle.

DEFOG

Fletchinder @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
Tera Type: Water / Fairy
EVs: 248 HP / 224 Def / 36 Spe
Timid Nature
- Defog
- Will-O-Wisp
- Flamethrower
- Roost

The fact that Fletchinder is our best Defogger is very dire lol. Wisp, Roost and Flame Body are all super nice, but it’s defensive stats are bad, and non-terad it is quad weak to rocks making Boots almost mandatory. This makes Fletchinder even frailer as it can’t afford to run Eviolite. Even still, Fletch still has its uses because Defog is just that important.


Rufflet @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Hustle
Tera Type: Flying / Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Aerial Ace
- Close Combat
- Defog / Facade

Scarf Rufflet is good and I guess Defog is an option on it. I’ve never been a huge fan of Defog on Choiced mons but the meta is so desperate for hazard control right now that it’s ok.

SPIN

Quaxwell @ Eviolite
Ability: Torrent
Tera Type: Dragon / Electric
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish / Bold Nature
- Aqua Cutter / Surf
- Rapid Spin
- Encore
- Roost

Quaxwell is probably the best and most reliable hazard remover in the meta right now, but even then it’s not without its flaws. It cannot spin at all on Misdreavus and even though it has a good type matchup on Naclstack, it struggles to switch into it because of Salt Cure. Encore helps, as otherwise it would be setup fodder a lot of the time, and reliable recovery in Roost is always nice.

I’ve already talked a bit about Toedscool in the spikes section but it’s the other great spinner in the meta right now, and with Knock Off and Toxic it can actually pressure Misdreavus on the switch.

SPINBLOCKING

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Electric / Fairy / Fighting
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt / Dazzling Gleam / Tera Blast
- Taunt / Substitute

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitatel
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
- Pain Split
- Substitute / Taunt / Thief

Misdreavus is in my opinion the best and most important pokemon in the meta. Extremely strong both offensively with the Nasty Plot set and defensively with the utility set. It does an incredible job at stopping Rapid Spin and making progress. Again I understand calls for a ban, but I would like to see it after a tera ban first. Misdreavus alone adds to the current power of hazards by a lot and in my opinion that’s a huge part of the reason why it’s the best pokemon right now.

CONCLUSIONS
Overall, hazards are easy to get up and very difficult to get rid of once they are up on your side. This combined with the reduced recovery PP makes it much easier to wear down bulky mons, and resisting rocks/being immune to Spikes is incredibly important.

 

[FranziskaSkye]

Final Usage Stats from the 120 NFE Tournament Games

Usage Table

Rank	Pokemon	Number Used	Usage %	Number Wins	Win%
1	Misdreavus	151	62.92%	78	51.66%
2	Tinkatuff	129	53.75%	64	49.61%
3	Sneasel	108	45.00%	58	53.70%
4	Quaxwell	101	42.08%	48	47.52%
5	Gabite	97	40.42%	45	46.39%
6	Naclstack	92	38.33%	56	60.87%
7	Fraxure	72	30.00%	41	56.94%
8	Toedscool	65	27.08%	35	53.85%
9	Pikachu	64	26.67%	32	50.00%
10	Crocalor	59	24.58%	31	52.54%
11	Glimmet	37	15.42%	21	56.76%
12	Morgrem	34	14.17%	17	50.00%
13	Fletchinder	30	12.50%	16	53.33%
14	Dunsparce	27	11.25%	20	74.07%
15	Hattrem	27	11.25%	6	22.22%
16	Pawmo	25	10.42%	13	52.00%
17	Mareanie	24	10.00%	10	41.67%
18	Pawniard	23	9.58%	12	52.17%
19	Floragato	23	9.58%	11	47.83%
20	Murkrow	23	9.58%	11	47.83%
21	Vigoroth	22	9.17%	7	31.82%
22	Girafarig	22	9.17%	6	27.27%
23	Eelektrik	20	8.33%	11	55.00%
24	Drakloak	20	8.33%	9	45.00%
25	Meditite	17	7.08%	8	47.06%
26	Flittle	17	7.08%	7	41.18%
27	Carkol	16	6.67%	8	50.00%
28	Foongus	15	6.25%	8	53.33%
29	Krokorok	12	5.00%	5	41.67%
30	Marill	8	3.33%	2	25.00%
31	Zweilous	7	2.92%	3	42.86%
32	Sliggoo	6	2.50%	4	66.67%
33	Surskit	6	2.50%	2	33.33%
34	Shelgon	5	2.08%	2	40.00%
35	Arctibax	5	2.08%	1	20.00%
36	Psyduck	3	1.25%	3	100.00%
37	Shroodle	3	1.25%	3	100.00%
38	Staravia	3	1.25%	1	33.33%
39	Floette	3	1.25%	0	0.00%
40	Pupitar	3	1.25%	0	0.00%
41	Dragonair	2	0.83%	1	50.00%
42	Magnemite	2	0.83%	1	50.00%
43	Mankey	2	0.83%	1	50.00%
44	Steenee	2	0.83%	0	0.00%
45	Gastly	1	0.42%	1	100.00%
46	Shellder	1	0.42%	1	100.00%
47	Bramblin	1	0.42%	0	0.00%
48	Corvisquire	1	0.42%	0	0.00%
49	Dolliv	1	0.42%	0	0.00%
50	Gothorita	1	0.42%	0	0.00%
51	Jigglypuff	1	0.42%	0	0.00%
52	Mudbray	1	0.42%	0	0.00%

Please analyse these well. I'll probably edit this post with some meta thoughts later on

 

[Shing]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1608614089772728323

Since you're able to catch Cinderace via Raids in SV now, this means Raboot is legally available as well. Raboot has mostly been a top-tier threat in SS NFE and I expect it to be a solid top-tier in this meta, changing up meta in the process.

It received new moves but has lost moves from gen 8 at the same time. Huge thanks to Kris for providing me the quick info and the teambuilder being there as always.
New Moves: Fire Spin, Helping Hand, Swords Dance, Take Down, Terablast, Trailblaze
Lost moves: Ally switch, Assurance, Attract, Blaze Kick, Focus Energy, Mega Kick, Round, Snore, Work Up

It lost two noticeable moves that were used in the past. Assurance was used to directly hit against Ghost types that resisted Raboot's other coverage move, for e.g Sub Lampent w Flash Fire and Rest/Talk Drakloak. While Work Up was used in combination with Substitute in order to setup up Corsola-Galar in Gen 8 meta. But those minor nerfs are pale compared to the amazing buff it got.
Raboot learns now Swords Dance, boosting its offensive capability even further and becoming a setup sweeper that's not easy to stop due to its amazing coverage and great speed. Losing Assurance sucks a bit because that means Drakloak is a more reliable switch-ins and it could have some uses in this hazard-centric meta, but overall the nerfs are very pale in comparison to Swords Dance buff. Work Up is outclassed by Sword Dance in every way and Assurance can be replaced with the power from Sword Dance or another Tera move in here, so Raboot is buffed


From a meta-perspective, it's gonna spice up this meta in a significant way. The biggest one that catches my eye is Raboot's Speed. It's only outsped by Drakloak and Sneasel, but being able to outspeed Pikachu, Vigoroth, Murkrow, and especially Misdreavus is a huge deal. It's also easily the best pivot in this game. Unlike Fletchinder, it has much better coverage without the need to sacrifice it to tera such as High Jump Kick against Naclstack. Combine pivoting with speed, Raboot becomes the definition of the "hit and run". You don't need to be a pivot abuser though, as you can also be an endgame sweeper although having slight competition against Sneasel.

Raboot should always be Jolly Nature because Adamant(287) is not faster than Timid Misdreavis(295). As for items, Pivot should always use Heavy Duty Boots because the interactions favor rocks to stay in the field more than the latter and you want to switch in as much as you could go. Choice Band could have a use, but because of Tink and Toed I prefer not using CB that much. While for the SD w/o pivoting can opt for either Eviolite and Heavy Duty boots as we've seen Eviolite Sneasel in endgame being bulky enough to take one hit before sweeping through the team.
As for the moves, here's a list that's noticeable to be aware of IMO
1. Sword Dance, Flare Blitz, U-turn, High Jump Kick, Tera Blast [Grass][Fire][Normal][Ground]
2. Quick Attack, Double Edge, Sucker Punch, Taunt, Tera Blast [Water][Fairy][Electric][Psychic]

There are some flaws as far as I've observed right now. Raboot has a slight 4mss issue with targetting some specific mons. For example with the endgame sweeper set, SD Raboot should usually run with Flare Blitz. But you could run into a slight problem with covering Naclstack, Drakloak, and other water mons checks at the same time. Unlike Sneasel, you've some minor coverages you can't completely have the full powerhouse + coverage as Flare Blitz/HJK/Tera Grass or Fairy doesn't completely cover things perfectly for example. Dropping HJK for Double Edge for more power and because of how the Libero functions in this gen which I'll talk about later can limit the coverage for against like Drakloak etc. And I didn't write about its priority moves at all, which could add more issues. Though they're not that important since both Sneasel and Drakloak can play around Sucker Punch and Quick Attack. Raboot can still hit a lot of things, but I have a feeling the coverage isn't as perfect as I expected it to be.

Libero is also nerfed along with Protean activating only once per switch-ins and Tera deactivates Protean once it's being used??? Tbh this one is a very odd mechanic I didn't know until recently, but it's a glaring flaw. Because of that, some people have thought of using Blaze as an alternative ability with using along with SD instead of Libero. I understand the reason for it, but I'm unsure if that's the right move, but at least you don't have a useless ability when activating Tera. I talk a lot about this because I think Raboot is also a good abuser with Tera Blast, unlike Florgato here. But still, using Tera for Raboot has some actual risks here, so be aware of that atleast.

Now for partners, I think the obvious one is teaming this with pivots. looks like one of the easiest ones for the slow pivot aspect. While are the faster ones. But if I had pick the most relevant pivots, it would be as they'll use pivot 100% of their sets.

But there are some offensive cores they can build around to lure their targets or another one. For example, Raboot would more than likely bait in Drakloak, Quaxwell, and Mareanie and lure with Tera which helps with some mons like etc.

For the Checks and Counters, a good one is abusing the status abilities like Flame Body since clerics do not exist in this meta, so giving Raboot a burn is huge. Though Raboot could avoid that interaction by just attacking with a fire move and pivoting out, but that's not a safe position for themself so something like U-Turn Fletchinder and Carkol spikes can take advantage of it, which are main Flame Body users. Crocolar also counters anything Raboot has to offer besides Tera sets. Water types like Quaxwell and Mareanie keep a good eye on it as they can switch in and stop it from progressing, especially Mareanie. Drakloak resists what Raboot has to offer and Sucker Punch doesn't work as more Drakloak sets are Rest/Talk these days, so Raboot has to commit to activating Tera in order to get rid of Drakloak. Aggressive ones would probably be Quaxwell and Gabite, but the checking it way more favoured for slower pokemon.

Overall I expect Raboot to be ranked high whenever the VR comes out. Despite how SD could potentially make Raboot too powerful, the meta is also vastly different from SS NFE and has enough to have checks to handle it, and there are legitimate flaws that keep it too become too good. For example, the meta isn't as heavy in pivoting, and the lack of Knock Off means that it's not getting to break things as quickly, but at the same time it's one of the best abusers of hazards and while you can check it I believe Raboot has a way to beat through the checks and counter in a consistent way. So I cannot judge it yet and only theorize it at best.

Some sets for anyone that has no idea what to put on Raboot.

Pivot (Raboot) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Libero
Tera Type: Fire / Grass / Psychic
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- High Jump Kick / Tera Blast
- Swords Dance / Sucker Punch

Sweeper (Raboot) @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Eviolite
Ability: Libero / Blaze
Tera Type: Fire / Normal / Fairy / Ground
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Flare Blitz
- High Jump Kick / Double Edge / Tera Blast
- Sucker Punch / Tera Blast / Quick Attack

Note: Take this a grain of salt and figure your own, I believe Raboot's set is highly dependent on how your team is constructed.


Also, Charmeleon was also released like a few weeks ago, but no one talked about it. To make a tl;dr, it's a sun abuser though it has some nasty SD/DD sets. But overall has a conflict with power and speed since Scarf doesn't do enough against Naclstack and it'll need Tera Fire + Specs to 2hko it from full health. Otherwise not much else to do but can definitely go through a team that doesn't prepare for Fire Offense.

 

[blinkboy]

Posting a few teams i built for the nfe startup tour and also laddered to #1 with. Mostly balance based around hazards (shock) lol. I tried tera blast quack with dark typing to try and beat missy and enable a spin on the one build.
https://pokepast.es/fcd5b223aadf8a42
https://pokepast.es/3ae97baffd945491
https://pokepast.es/9efefef72d68a209

 

[5Dots]

Might as well share some more thoughts on the meta:

Yes, it's quite fat and feels impossible to break after one Iron Defense. A good number of endgame scenarios come down to Naclstack dittos, where one runs out of Recover PP and then succumbs to Salt Cure damage. I find it to be passive and hard to to come in, as before an Iron Defense boost and/or Terastalizing, it can be pressured by numerous super effective attackers, like Gabite and Meditite, and attackers with the right coverage, like Pikachu, Misdreavus, and Terastalized Sneasel, Fraxure and Murkrow. Substitute Misdreavus with the right EVs can use Naclstack as setup fodder, and Drakoloak can comfortably wall it with RestTalk. Hazards and its ideal purpose as a wall are its greatest flaws - while it can comfortably switch into most utility- and status-reliant Pokemon and beat them eventually, it often has to deal getting worn down by Stealth Rock (spikes as well) and resisted attacks, which forces it into Recover range frequently, making it not so easy for it to set up and sweep late game in practice. No doubt, it's a top-tier Pokemon, but I feel it's not broken as initially made out to be.

Probably my favorite Pokemon to use. Meditite has pretty much no safe switches and even resists like Hattrem can get 2HKOed with the right move. Fighting coverage is very valuable because of the number of Pokemon weak to it, like Dunsparce and Naclstack. Crocalor with Boots gets cleanly 2HKOed by CC, and Eviolite can do the same if Stealth Rock is in the picture. Misdreavus is immune to CC and can live Psycho Cut variants, but Zen Headbutt after Rocks has a high chance to KO. While it does need paralysis support to outrun a large number of foes, it shouldn't be hard considering how effective Tinkatuff and Dunsparce are at providing so. I think Meditite is definitely one of the scariest wallbreakers in the meta even when considering its mediocre usage in NFE No Johns.
Terastalizing
I have also fallen victim to it a lot, but while its shown to be very potent offensively, I like the new twist it brings and think this can be a healthy part on the meta. Pokemon like Sneasel, Pikachu, and Fraxure can be very menacing with the proper tera type, but why not try it on Pokemon like Crocalor or Mareanie? Crocalor can solidify its position as a great blanket physical check with Tera Water (mitigating its weakness to Stealth Rock and making it less vulnerable to Pokemon like Gabite and Tera Ground Sneasel); Mareanie might not benefit so much, but it's a similar case with Croc: it gets rid of more weaknesses, enabling it to function better as a wall. Tera Water allows it to better take on Ground-types like Krokorok and Gabite. No doubt, Tersatalizing is a game-changer, but I think this new dynamic provides an interesting twist that allows this generation to stand out more compared to other gens.

 

[Greybaum]

https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/sv-nfe-suspect-1-terastallizing.3714584/#post-9474527

Terastallization has been banned from NFE!
The council will be keeping a close eye on how the metagame changes from here on out; look forward to updates in the near future.

Thanks again to everyone who took part in discussing, voting, and otherwise contributing to this tiering decision!

 

[Maybca☆〜ゝ。∂]

hello, even if I did not participate in the teracrystalisation suspect I would like to say something and that is why I would still like it to be debanned because: this new generation is taking its first steps, for now there is some idea and some surprising teams, but little by little, the meta is getting tighter and the 6 will often look alike and the tera was an interesting thing because example snealser tera blast tera ground could turn games around since it could all to touch . but I think even if I don't hope this new generation will look a lot like the old one (I'm talking about the resemblance of the teams) of the same pokemon that lead the same defensive corps, the same very strong pokemon that will become central the meta, even if with the 8 pp of care it can come interesting the sets will be seen in advance and the innovations will be very rare or even bad, even if shing will necessarily contradict me;).

 

[lepton]

Frogadier has been released!
the funny frog has been added to SV through a tera raid event, which means it’s now legal here! I wanted to share sets I thought were cool.


Frogadier @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
- Spikes
I think offensive spikes will generally be the best and most useful frog set overall. Spikes are very powerful right now, and being able to set them with a fast pivot is something we don’t have currently.


Frogadier @ Choice Specs
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
- Switcheroo
Specs is also a set worth looking out for, the extra power is certainly useful and item disruption through switcheroo can be extremely powerful.


Frogadier @ Focus Sash
Ability: Protean
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes
- Taunt
- U-turn
Hazard lead frog is also an option, while I think Glimmet will generally be the better option, taunt and uturn are solid reasons to run frog instead.


Frogadier @ Eviolite/Boots/No Item
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Liquidation
- Gunk Shot
- Trailblaze/U-Turn/Thief
- Swords Dance
A new addition to frog’s movepool is SD. While it’s attack stat isn’t amazing, SD with good speed and coverage good be an option on some teams. Itemless thief can be an option on other sets too, but I believe it would be best on SD.

this is my 500th post. I never thought i’d get to this position, and i’m so grateful to everyone who’s supported me. Here’s to more NFE.

Shoutouts

Greybaum for always supporting me and being a great help with tournaments, leading and everything in between
Mirbro 5Dots the rest of the council for being (almost lol) as dedicated to nfe as i am
SBPC for getting me into nfe in the first place, i really couldn’t be here without you
Jett HATTREM
cityscapes XxLazzerpenguinxX and the rest of wcoom west. WEST BEST
Shing its truly incredible how often you leave and join the nfe server
in the hills UT KaenSoul drampa's grandpa Kris forum mods are cool dudes
it’s truly amazing how little I planned these and how many people i’m forgetting, and i wish i could mention everyone in the om/nfe community. thanks to everyone <3

 

[lepton]

Viability Rankings are up!
check them out on our Resources Thread!

announcement 2
Currently accepting sample team submissions!
please feel free to submit a team you like and think would fit well as a sample, thanks in advance!

 

[Maybca☆〜ゝ。∂]

https://pokepast.es/a343c67703226050
I think we still have to decide the team a little ducoup: this team revolves around the sub spam suir pikachu and misdreavus, misdreavus is there to annoy mini garganal who must be suspicious please. He can sub on it without taking the salt cure damage, it sets up and with that spread raboot can't revenge kill neither frogadier nor tinkaton, pikachu is there to bring a sweeper with speed, I play def tinkatuff because I like counter fraxure raboot don't OHKO, i play fletchfinder for raboot gzbite flametrowher can be replace wow, toedscool for misdreavus and pikachu, naclastak spd it's for misdreavus however you can swap roles between tinkaton and naclastak for frogadier.