Metagame NP: ZU Stage 4: Changing of the Seasons - Falinks and Lycanroc-N quickban #14

[Tuthur]

We got a hit with a pretty consequent tier shift and here are the new Pokemon that dropped from PU!

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Ariados
Cacturne
Chimecho
Crabominable
Dachsbun
Ditto
Dugtrio
Dusknoir
Falinks
Flapple
Furret
Gabite
Gogoat
Golduck
Illumise
Jumpluff
Leafeon
Magcargo
Mightyena
Misdreavus
Noctowl
Phione
Quaxwell
Rabsca
Swalot
Tinkatuff
Wyrdeer

As these changes completely reshape the metagame, the council decided to free every ZUBL Pokémon. Thus, the following Pokemon have been freed:


Stay tune and don't hesitate to share your first impressions on the new metagame here. Reminder that one liners are prohibited.

 

[Tunana]

This metagame seems pretty cool now, so I’m trying to pick it up. I played for a bit, and it could just be that I’m inexperienced, but Cacturne seems like a great wallbreaker and revenge killer.

Cacturne @ Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Seed Bomb

+2 Life Orb STAB Sucker Punch coming off of an attack stat of 115 is a priority tactical nuke in this tier. I might play around with the EVs in speed a bit more to see if there are better defensive spreads, but I have been impressed with the raw power from this thing so far.

 

[Melons-N-Soda]

Obligatory set dumps.

Dusknoir @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Poltergeist
- Earthquake
- Shadow Sneak
- Will-O-Wisp

Largely Missy is a better Ghost, and Banette gives this heavy competition, but this leverages most of Dusk's niche, mainly the ability to run an item that isn't Eviolite, and its decent bulk and coverage with Ghost + Ground to spread around burns.

Flapple @ Salac Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Grav Apple
- Outrage
- Dragon Dance

The non-Hustle abilities on Flapple are typically underexplored but IMO I find them more reliable, and here's a good example. Berry of choice and ability used can vary but the moveset remains the same.

 

[BaitWiz]

Day 1 posting b/c I feel like it, take these with a grain of salt

Drops Review:

- Ultimately it's probably outclassed by other webs setters but who knows.

- Amazing mixed attacker, dunno how well it'll fit in with all the Fighting- and Fairy-types around though.

- ZU's first real cleric (Happiny sucks), has decent natural bulk and can pull some Cresselia-esque shenanigans with Tera Steel + Levitate.

- This mon's nuts under Trick Room and is just really strong in general with amazing STAB coverage boosted by Iron Fist and a monstrous base Attack stat, plus Terastalization to work around the weaknesses that come with its Ice and Fighting typing. Pretty slow, but decently fat and a monster to switch into (especially since it gets pretty good coverage too), potentially on the watchlist for a ban imo.

- Well-Baked Body is a pretty good ability and it's a Wish passer as well! Physically defensive sets are probably the go-to with Body Press, but I could see some bulky offensive stuff working as well.

- Can do neat things sometimes with Scarf and can turn the tables on setup sweepers, of which there are several notable ones.

- Has a niche as a suicide lead for hyper offense teams imo and can beat Lycanroc-N, but Lycanroc-N does more into most other leads.

- Oh hey, a ghost. I think this one probably isn't all that great, but I could be wrong - it has solid bulk and an okay Attack stat, plus Poltergeist is great with Swalot back in the tier.

- Probably will be overshadowed by Crabominable for a while, but No Retreat is cute and this can probably do some cool things with Scarf or Band with its solid coverage.

- Free prizes for the reckless with Banded Hustle, or you can be safer and go Wide Lens + DDance. Technically our new strongest Draco Bomber as well, though physical sets will probably be more common.

- Got here too late, should've been in the base game. Tidy Up is a really good move, but the trade-offs for not using a different Normal-type are just way too steep imo.

- Mini Chomp has arrived. Probably does some cute things with SD + Scale Shot or just acts as a generally solid offensive Stealth Rocker.

- Bulky defensive Grass with reliable recovery. Probably ultimately overshadowed by Leafeon for the time being, but we'll see - sap sipper is a nice tool to have at least.

- The duck has returned. Solid with Specs or Scarf, probably decent with manual rain. Don't get clowned by Lumineon.

- Speaking of weather, this is probably the go-to manual weather setter now. Has Prankster + plenty of good status moves including the aforementioned weather moves, Encore, TWave, Screens, and more. Also, it can pivot with U-Turn!

- Probably sucks since 55 offenses really suck in this post DLC meta, but who knows - it's pretty fast and has annoying status moves still.

- Leafeon's back. Premier physical attacker that got Solar Blade and Knock Off back, plus can still terrorize teams with a few different Terastalization options. Seems like a solid Scarf/Banded option off the bat, though I imagine its standard SD set will return with a vengeance as well. Might be ban worthy, but hard to say at the moment.

- Shell Smash seems initially promising but it's power isn't sky-high and the typing sucks without Terastalization. Pretty high commitment mon, but the reward's potentially there as well - time will tell if it's legitimate in serious play, but it'll probably mess some people up on ladder either way.

- Pretty bad. Use Cacturne or Krokorok instead. Hell, even Zweilous is better and it sucks too.

- Fat with eviolite, has an okay speed tier, and has a nice ability to boot. Probably will mainly see usage with status/Hex plus two, but has a pretty deep movepool to make plenty of things happen. Rip spinners.

- A real defogger, thank god. Actually does pretty alright with offensive sets due to Tinted Lens, and has decent special bulk to boot.

- Add another fat water to the pile. Mainly noteworthy due to access to the incredibly rare Scald alongside Knock Off and a cute signature move in Take Heart (which is CM + Refresh), though its stats ultimately don't offer much and the lack of reliable recovery is a pretty big thorn in its side.

- Probably arrived too late with Misdreavus and Dusknoir both joining the tier at the same time as it, but at least it's a new spinner and has reliable recovery.

- Funny Revival Blessing and a decent Trick Room setter and sweeper in its own right. The typing leaves a lot to be desired, but it's got genuinely solid bulk and great Special Attack.

- Return of the King. Amazing glue, Knock absorber, and can now spread its own Knock in addition to all of its previous shenanigans.

- A REAL STEEL-TYPE. Amazing special bulk with Eviolite and typing that outright blanks every single Psychic pre-Tera except for Grumpig, who doesn't even do that much with Earth Power. Tinkatuff can cause plenty of chaos itself with Knock Off, Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, and more. It also has Mold Breaker to ignore Swalot's Sticky Hold, meaning its Knock Off can't be absorbed, period. Amazing glue, expect to see this a lot in the coming weeks and months.

- Agility + Calm Mind is a hell of a drug, probably going to sweep a lot of people on ladder. Okay with Pincurchin and pretty solid as a standalone Pokemon, but definitely look out for this once Thwackey drops in a month or two.

Freed from ZUBL + not mentioned above:

- Outclassed in most regards as a bulky Ice-type by Carbominable at the moment, but it's still a solid Swift Swim/Slush Rush abuser.

- Finally has met its maker in Tinkatuff after being quick banned twice in September. Pretty strong Specs + Scarf abuser still, though.

- Solid Band user, and has been seeing some usage as a lead with Focus Sash + Taunt + Stealth Rock. Mostly outclasses Stonjourner, rest in peace my boy.

- Great Electric-type that has Surf to break through Grounds and can be generally annoying with the usual Volt Switch. It also has amazing Speed and often runs Nasty Plot to abuse the switches it so often forces.

- Part of the Tera Steel + Levitate club. Has pretty respectable bulk in its own right and can do a lot with Tera Steel/Ground/etc, plus does plenty just with Air Slash, Discharge/Thunderbolt, and Nasty Plot.

- Solid scarfer and gets to do some funny things with Serene Grace + Body Slam/Headbutt. Probably outclassed by Leafeon in most other aspects due to Leafeon's access to Knock Off and better Attack + bulk, but normal STAB plus real abilities helps distinguish itself apart from Leafeon.

- The latest and greatest Facade abuser returns. 115 Attack Toxic Boosted Facade is pretty hard to switch into, especially when augmented by solid neutral coverage provided by Close Combat and Knock Off and a respectable 90 base Speed, but lack of reliable priority outside of the weak Quick Attack mean it can get abused by faster Pokemon and it can sometimes miss kills against bulkier Pokemon without prior chip. It's also on a timer from the moment it enters the field due to Toxic Orb, meaning it often wears itself down into getting revenge killed if it isn't saved for endgame scenarios. That being said, this thing's really good and arguably banworthy.

 

[wooper]

been working all day and havent had a chance to play yet but i wanna give my initial thoughts!


faster and stronger than spidops and even gets knock off now! spidops still has standard spikes and circle throw, so i see ariados as a sidegrade if anything

base 115 offenses is nothing to scoff at; has utility in spikes, leech seed, and spiky shield; can go physical, special, or mixed easily; can boost with sd, np, and trailblaze; has coverage in drain punch and focus blast; has the strongest sucker punch in the meta. terrible defensive typing and poor bulk but this is going to be top-tier i'd reckon

been waiting for this one! the tier's first real cleric: has wish, heal bell, and healing wish; knock, taunt, encore, twave, trick, yawn for utility; can setup with cm or cosmic power + stored power; can sweep with tera fairy draining kiss or tera electric charge beam; recover for reliable healing; levitate is a great ability; respectable bulk as well

not surprised to see this here. super duper strong, great coverage, respectable bulk, bulk up 3 atks + sub bulk up will fare nicely, even has knock now!

pretzel. another wishpasser! low base hp unfortunately but solid defenses and abilities in well-baked body and aroma veil--i see merit in both. has somewhat of an offensive presence too with body press, which synergizes well with well-baked body if you can play it right. roar and yawn are neat too, esp on hazard stack i'd bet

with the breadth of setup mons we have now, i can imagine this being good, but a bit of a matchup fish in that regard

fastest unboosted mon in the tier besides its flop cousin wugtrio, gained sd this gen so it's super potent

strong attacker, but the increased knock distribution means that building around its poltergeist will likely be awkward and will require some strategic piloting. has neat coverage options like eq and the elemental punches, a strong shadow sneak, and utility options like wisp and low base hp means pain split will be great. probably inferior to bane though, which is stronger, faster, and has knock.

i thought this was gonna stay pu tbh. no retreat is heat, esp when considering its interaction with tera ghost, still has sd, and its coverage options are great. another mon who gained knock in the dlc

hustle is bad, dd sets good, ripen/gluttony + berry with tera fly acro is heat, special options are great, decent speed tier as well

was super ladder bait in pu that im surprised this dropped. new hazard removal option that also is a dragon dance is great, but furret is frail and still weak. no strong stab normal options, but coverage in knock, elemental punches, brick break, uturn, and additional options in quick attack, sucker, trick, super fang, and even coil. i predict this will also be ladder bait

once a pu staple, gabite will probably be fine here. sd + scale shot will give hakamo-o a run for its money i'd bet thanks to its higher base attack and speed, but might have a harder time setting up with worse base defenses and worse ability. i dont think it'll be great defensively thanks to power creep and the number of ice-type moves that are around now

oh how the mighty have fallen. great coverage, reliable recovery in milk drink, bulk up to be a bulky defensive sweeper with horn leech, has trailblaze, just an overall good mon. excited to have it here, but im interested to see if maybe it's too hard to take out down the line

the duck is back! respectable speed tier, np is great, excellent coverage options, trailblaze, knock, and flip turn even. good scarf and specs mon. a nice check to weather teams with cloud nine, but i wouldnt be surprised if this rose back up in december with rain

speaking of rain, this will be the premier weather setter. prankster and reasonable bulk and not evio-reliant like our past prankster users in murkrow and shroodle, AND it has recovery in roost! other utility options like twave, encore, and even wish. i bet specs tinted lens would be a fun lure

the pluff returns! great speed tier and utility options with sap, sleep powder, encore, synth, uturn. i dont think sd will be as good as it was before it left the tier; the power level is just too high for it to keep up if i had to guess

has consistent rock stab in power gem now, and shell smash sets might be able to pick up some wins for the unprepared, but it dont think it'll be that great overall. a phys def set with rocks + recover could have some merit i suppose

could be a scary sweeper under the right conditions, has fun coverage, but i dont think it will be meta-defining

another former mon of pu glory, passable defensive profile and setup options with cm or np, tera fairy draining kiss, tera electric tbolt, wisp/twave + hex, taunt, or defensive set with pain split. i could also see scarf with trick and/or destiny bond seeing usage

a mon so scary it was once banned from zu! offensive sets with tinted lens and the potential for dual dance will probably be the wave, but its high base hp and spdef means it can function as a solid special wall with defog, night shade, and roost

a take heart bot most likely, also has the rare scald now! neat options in acid armor + rest under rain with hydration, just like manaphy in ou, and knock and uturn will see some usage i'd guess

this has been a LONG time coming, but sadly i think it came too late. one of our only rapid spinners, but its bulk is poor, it's reliant on evio and cant (or at least shouldnt) run boots, and it's quite weak. at least it gets flip turn now? unsure of how it’ll do

another ladder bait mon i'd reckon thanks to revival blessing and its interaction with sleep talk, or just leppa berry. decent bulk, coverage, has recover and setup with cm. excited to use this!

very happy to have swalot back! one of our only knock absorbers (shellos doesnt count) thanks to sticky hold, has knock of its own, and so, so many options--toxic, tspike, twave, encore, yawn, acid armor + body press, sd + eq, ice beam, giga, etc.

a real steel-type! also has knock, rocks, encore, and foul play, but i think it might struggle to keep up with the power level and the fully-evolved mons. gets chipped easily based on my pu experiences, and rest is just so passive. i want this to be good so desperately but i think it'll be mid or even low in viability

physical and special movepools are quite colorful, so i could see this being varied at times, but double dance + stored power is gonna be its most used and most viable set i'd bet

and rapid fire for the freed zubl mons

has stiff competition from crabominable, but you benefit on weather teams at least. this might finally stay zu

we have some options now to handle this, but i think it might still be too busted to stay

mostly walled by a lot of our previously-viable mons like hakamo-o, monferno, and vullaby, but who knows if those will stay relevant? swalot and tinkatuff might be enough to keep this healthy, but those can get chipped easily, esp into range of an sd leafeon, so im unsure how this fares. and thats before considering its role on sun

i want this to stay so bad but i dont think with its attack, speed, access to sd, no guard stone edge/rock blast, and great coverage in cc, play rough, knock, sucker, and psy fangs that it will be healthy

np and encore and coverage and fast and volt..prob shouldnt stay because what is answering this

this still doesnt have answers i do not want this here

i think this will still be too broken to stay too, serene grace flinches are just uncompetitive and game-winning

also will still be very, very broken. at least it kills itself over time with toxic orb if it doesnt run through your team fast enough?

can you tell that i gave up towards the end? i am saur tired but these are my thoughts maybe! i love to talk

 

[5Dots]

Ok going to be posting some quick thoughts here on Pokemon I experimented so far:

A powerful physical sweeper that can run many terastalizations. Tera Electric gives you a single weakness to Ground, makes you immune to Thunder Wave, and gives you an additional flying resistance (while still keeping an electric one). Alongside Sawsbuck, it sets an important base 95 Speed benchmark that is important on offensive cores. The fourth move (after SD, Knock, Leaf Blade) is flexible, with Synthesis setting up on passive walls like Clefairy, Dachsbun, and Quaxwell, Double-Edge being useful against Swalot, Gogoat, and Hakamo-O without Tera, and Tera Blast with various types to be even more vicious offensively. Wish sets have also been decent, albeit harder to fit, thanks to its immense physical bulk and Knock Off, and can more consistently check threats like Dugtrio and Scarf Lycanroc-N. Has been relatively easy to fit on builds so far.


I worry about Psychic Seed shenanigans empowering Wrydeer, but it also applies to even uncommon recipients like Falinks and the aforementioned Leafeon. Psychic Terrain teams have been easy to overwhelm foes and wreak havoc, especially when priority options like Dugtrio's and Flapple's Sucker Punch or Dusknoir's Shadow Sneak are negated. Indeedee-F itself is excellently built because of its STABs being strengthened, solid Speed tier, and utility options like Trick and Healing Wish, which more than make up for its subpar physical bulk and lacking Expanding Force.


Didn't really like running this, but it was fine from what I've seen. Tinted Lens + Hurricane did surprisingly okay against resists like Raichu and Lycanroc, but defensive sets were better since Terastalization, good bulk, and an okay defensive typing helped do its job. Definitely go Air Slash over Hurricane for defensive sets, since Noctowl is pretty weak beforehand even with Tinted Lens and it does NOT like missing. There were times where winning matchups like Flapple and Leafeon turned 180 degrees because of Hurricane's accuracy.


Swalot was already good in PU, but it's going to be an elite force in ZU. Not as good as before because of how high the power level has increased, but like before, it's going to bring excellent set variety with its good blend of offense and defense, especially with the addition of Knock Off. I'd personally like defensive sets better, as Toxic + Protect can quickly add up residual damage when combined with Knock Off, and is able to do well against almost every other wall (minus Tinkatuff, but it hates Earthquake and Knock Off anyways) thanks to Sticky Hold.


Could see it being used, and its bulk is pretty good for the tier's power level. Outside of Wish passing, two good abilities (one giving a fire immunity, and one preventing Encore and Taunt) make it much preferred over the extremely Wigglytuff, despite lacking Stealth Rock and having a much lower HP stat. A strong Body Press and better typing also help it too. It was fine at what it did, but a bit underwhelming since it didn't do much outside of Wish passing.


A cool spiker, but it feels better in NU and PU than here. Most Water-types have super effective coverage that makes it iffy at best to check it, and that it was very frail overall. I think it was still interesting to try out, since Sucker Punch + Knock Off coming off a meaty Attack stat makes it pretty scary to check without having proper Dark resists. Probably better would be to explore all-out-attacking sets, since it has the potential to go full special, physical, or mixed with how good its offensive movepool and attacking stats are.

Here's a team I've used for shifts:

Team description

It's a bulky offense team that spread Knock Off and allows either Leafeon or Noctowl to clean late-game. Tinkatuff and Swalot make up the defensive core, for physical and special hits respectively. Crabominable was an offensive tank that used its good special bulk to threaten many of the opposition with its excellent STABs. Lycanroc-N was the team's wallbreaker, and Noctowl provided Defog support against Spikes-heavy teams. Leafeon rounded the core by providing a Ground resist and a breaker/sweeper.

 

[Dorsia]

I'm very excited with all these drops and I'd appreciate any reviews on the following sets:

Noctowl @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Tinted Lens
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Air Slash
- Moonblast
- Agility

The double dancer set is probably outclassed by but Tinted Lens + STAB Moonblast is not something you should be laughing at. Blunder Policy is tempting if you use Hurricane but I think HDB is more reliable overall.

Gabite @ Eviolite
Ability: Rough Skin
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Scale Shot
- Stone Edge

Once the more threatening mons will be gone, Gabite may shine.

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fairy / Electric
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Draining Kiss / Thunderbolt
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp

It's fantastic to prevent Rapid Spin and can cripple physical attackers with WoW. Tera Electric is nice too but I prefer to have some recovery + Tera Fairy absorbs Knock Off better. It should fit very well in most hazard stacking teams.

Crabominable @ Punching Glove
Ability: Iron Fist
Tera Type: Electric / Fighting / Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Ice Hammer
- Drain Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Knock Off

Use it with Trick Room support - the drops includes cool TR abusers/setters such as , , , etc.- and enjoy the havoc it causes. It has perfect coverage so I'm not running CB + being locked means the opponent can take momentum. Punching Gloves works well with its ability/movepool. Lastly Knock Off punishes bulky Ghost types

 

[Ruby4]

Wanted to share some sets that I found noteworthy :

Cacturne @ Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb
Tera Type: Fairy / Grass / Dark / Fairy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe (pretty sure you can find better EV spread but w/e)
Naive Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Leaf Storm
- Spikes

This mon is pretty hard to wall, considering it can knock off eviolites / hdb so flying types wont like to come in that much.It also lures physical walls with leaf storm, or can use spikes if it gets countered.

Wall of Calcs, tldr at the bottom

4 Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Fan: 146-173 (60.5 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
4 Atk Life Orb Cacturne Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Fan: 105-125 (43.5 - 51.8%) -- 8.6% chance to 2HKO (combined >100%)

4 Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Noctowl: 265-313 (65.5 - 77.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (second knock is enough to kill)
4 Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Noctowl: 265-312 (77.7 - 91.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (offensive noctowl is faster but you did so much damage so it's fine)

252 SpA Life Orb Cacturne Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Vullaby: 121-142 (35.1 - 41.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Cacturne Leaf Storm over 2 turns vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Vullaby: 269-317 (78.1 - 92.1%) -- guaranteed KO in 2 turns after Stealth Rock
Knocking off eviolite is huge for the rest of your team, so not doing much damage beforehand isn't a big issue

252 SpA Life Orb Cacturne Leaf Storm vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Leafeon: 179-212 (66 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
4 Atk Life Orb Cacturne Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Leafeon: 90-107 (33.2 - 39.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
50/50 sucker

252 SpA Life Orb Cacturne Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Hakamo-o: 113-134 (35.9 - 42.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
Same deal as vullaby

You start to get the point (please do i don't want to calc it vs the entire tier)

TL;DR : Cacturne hits comically hard , only mons that can really switch in hates losing their item. However, you need some support as this thing will die quite quickly

Crabominable @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
Tera Type: Fighting / Steel / Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 228 Atk / 28 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Ice Hammer
- Earthquake
- Knock Off

Didn't have time to test it yet, but i'm pretty sure that it can work very well. This thing can tank most attacks, and still dish put massive damage. 28 SpDef EVs to tank Psychic from
252+ SpA Choice Specs Grumpig Psychic vs. 252 HP / 28 SpD Assault Vest Crabominable: 336-396 (84.4 - 99.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Indeedee-F @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Psychic Surge
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Tera Blast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Healing Wish

I'm pretty sure everyone has tried or on this, but using can lead to different possibilities. First one is HO, where you just click Bulk Up / Calm Mind / SD and win (or lose) quite fast. The second one is Psychic Spam, where your psychic type of your choice will nuke the enemy team. You also need to lure dark types, so dazzling gleam and/or tera fighting is great for this mon.

Dusknoir @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Poltergeist
- Focus Punch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Substitute

Saw this set on the ZU Discord (join it now or else ) and I'm pretty sure this will replace (or at least be a sidegrade, dont mark my words). This mo does very well in hazard spam teams, because you can block the spin and get a meaningful Substitute. Most mons that can switch into Poltergeist wont like Focus Punch, and vice-versa. Also, it wont hate losing it's item as much as , so that's a plus.

 

[Welcome to mars]

Furret could be a mid tier mon if used right, or not since it has like, two good sets

Furret @ Choice Band/choice scarf
Ability: Frisk
Tera Type: Normal/Fairy
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe/ 4 spd
Jolly Nature
- Trick
- Double-Edge/body slam
- Ice Punch/fire punch/play rough
- U-turn/ice punch/play rough

anti lead/pivot/choice bander

its main purpose is to cripple walls and specs users that don’t one shot it since frisk helps it and then get the hell out, once it tricks an item, it can trick a bander reliant on choice band as long as it doesn’t need to switch into its attack or isn’t outspeed, it can trick a choice item onto a lead like tinkatuff, sudowoodo or the occassional spidops and carkol (although they aren’t meta or even good anymore) it can also be a pivot after losing its source of power(if its banded) since its fast for zu standards, frisk can let you find out a pokemons set and helps furret do whats it been doing since bw zu, overall i would give furret a B- since the meta has shifted to a position that favours it (buts its still furret with its lack of good stab and poor bulk), i expect to be D tier if anything important rises like noctowl or quaxwell or if anything big drops like klawf or hisuian avalugg

 

[Tuthur]

​

We had a council vote and as a result Crabominable, Raichu, and Zangoose have been banned from SV ZU. Tagging Kris to implement. I abstained from that slate as I didnt feel comfortable enough giving my opinion on the new metagame, but don't worry, I'll vote in next slates.

 

[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d]

The Meta: (click on sprites for sets)

Brokens:

Lycanroc-Midnight is more broken than Falinks because it's coverage and raw strength is unstoppable, even with defensive Teras, and its Speed + good pivots in the tier mean it can always get away with a few devastating trades. On its movepool: spamming Stone Edge is the M.O. so u just need coverage to compliment. Play Rough hits Gabite, basically the best answer to Stone Edge, as well as any Fighting-type that thinks they can come in for a hit (you also can force out non-boosted Falinks with it). CC hits Steel-types, and while Stomping Tantrum is technically a little stronger versus Tinkatuff, you still 2HKO with CC and it's better neutrally for other MUs like tearing through normal types or bulkier Rock-types like Stonjourner. Then, you have Knock Off, which is the perfect midground if you can't get a play right, offering good neutral damage or the ability to remove Tinkatuff / Gabite's Eviolite. No switch-in is consistent. While some walls like Dachsbun could turn into a Steel-type with Tera to make the team less vulnerable to Stone Edge spam, it just means that Lycanroc has more of the opportunity to spam Knock Off or CC.

An easy QB for me, chief.



I mean yeah this goober was pretty good off the rip but I think we've had way more adaption for counterplay. Still I think it's broken with its sets and the right Tera typing (Tera Dark to counter Illimuse, for example). If not outright broken, it's clear the metagame can't actually have a good Fighting-type sweeper with Knock Off. Let's go back to Hakamo-o sweeps lol.

Defensive Cores:



Gabite + Illumuse is alright at checking Lycanroc-Midnight but excels everywhere else, especially versus Falinks. Amph is the perfect special wall catch-all, and where it might fail, usually Gabite does well (think Camerupt). Illimuse can run U-turn instead of the wall set on VoltTurn teams, but generally Infestation + Charm works very well for it, and maybe more special bulk could be afforded. This core opts for HDB spam instead of Defog / Rapid Spin, although Quax / Vullaby is still doable here; the former works as a proper Water resistance, and the latter for Indeedee-F / Chimeco.

(holy shit this things huge lmao)


Phione + Camerupt is a really good core for softchecking everything but Lycanroc-Midgnight, so I found the best partner is physically defensive Tinkatuff. I think now that physical bulk is better on Tink specifically for this core, and it also means it can run Play Rough for Cacturne, and Pickpocket to steal its HDB. This core is awesome with all the status and utility it brings, and once again it relies on HDB and Knock Off spam to control the entry hazard metagame.



I like this core a lot, and I think it'll do wonders later in this meta's lifecycle, but for now it's neutered by not having a consistent Stone Edge switch-in.

Once Lycan is gone, we can afford more cores that can likely deal with Falinks, even if it is centralizing. Other threats like Choice Specs Glaceon can probably rise to the top too. For now though, the top 2 cores are some of the only ones you can run to be effective.

Offensive Highlights:

Cacturn is one of those mons that is fitting everywhere. The offensive utility of a strong Knock Off + Sucker Punch user is always great in ZU, but then its immunities to Water and Psychic round out its role on the team by denying threats like Golduck and Indeedee-F from outright tearing through walls. Spikes is also a godsend in this metagame, as is Leaf Storm so that most behemoth physical walls can't safely switch in. That's the highlight of Cacturn over say last meta's Banette: there's more power AND utility all in one set. While there's a slight dilemma of Spikes or Swords Dance on the main HDB set, I think you can't go wrong slapping this guy on anything.

Rotom-fan... B.A.F.? Not yet. But really good. I fancy Choice Scarf now just so I can revenge kill +1 Falinks and other potential Choice Scarf users like Golduck and Indeedee-F. I also like Tera Dark on Nasty Plot sets for the Sucker Punch resistance and Prankster Encore immunity.

Frogadier is surprisingly very antimeta right now due to Lumineon being absent in favor of Phione / Cacturn as Water-type checks. While Phione and Golduck can tank Frogadier pretty well, it's fast U-turn and ability to force out the likes of Rotom-S and Lycanroc-Midnight is super valuable. When the latter gets banned, Frogadier will likely still be pretty good on entry hazard focused teams due to Spikes. Don't discount this frog just yet.

Entry Hazards:



Not really good. I still favor having about 4 HDB mons and no removal as the winning strat. These guys can do their job well enough, sure, but have huge opportunity costs for the slot.



Sticky Webs is seeing a lot of use but I think it'll phase itself out with more HDB spam. Notable weak targets to Sticky Web include Lycanroc-Midnight, Life Orb Dugtrio, Lum Berry Falinks (although now it's stronger due to Defiant), and grounded Choice Scarf users like Indeedee-F and Sawsbuck. I think a lot of other mons vulnerable to Sticky Web like Flapple just aren't good right now because of the overall centralization on HDB anyways. It's a neat trick but I don't think Sticky Webs will stay to last.


Closing Thoughts:

• Magcargo doesn't really check anything and is a gimmick. Shell Smash sets might be better than the wall sets.
• Snow cores of Beartic + Alolan Vulpix can work decently well.
• Council should have more active discussions, polls, anything. Smaller but consistent updates are better than one big overhaul midmonth. This is one of the most exciting months for ZU with all the new mons and, like last month, it feels dead quiet. Boring. Sad.
• Check out the VL I made for more sets and what I would say is 80% accurate of what the meta is. Feel free to make your own with subranks and comment on what you agree / disagree with. https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/sv-zu-personal-vr.3719285/#post-9857650

 

[Medeia]

Thoughts about some mons in this current meta that will be lost in history in 4 weeks:

:</p><p></p><p>Lycanroc-Midnight: A crime that this mon wasn't quickbanned last slate, it's more broken than slow af & Tera reliant Crabominable. Scarf is ez & dumb top 2 with arguably still too strong Rotom and clicks buttons against everything to get multiple kills almost every game, even the grounds hate Knock Off or even Play Rough & Close Combat in case of Gabite. Choice Band meanwhile invalidates even some Tera'd mons as "defensive counterplay" and makes Sandyghast cry with Knock Off. I firmly believe Stonjourner should have been banned prior November shifts and this Werewolf is that pile of stone on steroids. The only sensible vote that should be done is to QB this monster before ZU Swiss Topcut starts.

Rotom-Fan: NP sets are still strong af wincons, tho there's at least mindgames involved now against some mons that could CC or Terablast Fire it to oblivion (Dugtrio could Stone Edge you to oblivion if you try to predict the Terablast Fire). SubNP with Tera Steel kinda invalidates Sliggoo as defensive check and so does Trick NP, so like in previous metas Ampharos is still your best actual defensive check, but even then Volt Switch pressure + Hazards/Knock and switch to breaker often eventually does the Trick. I would definitely call for a suspect test if there wasn't Tier Shift in December + DLC2 release mid december completely shaking up this tier.

Leafeon: Still dangerous af with it's speed tier + physical bulk + Knock Off. SD set is kinda a Tera hog that needs Tera Blast to more effectively get rid of some defensive checks (Tera Fire being easily the best Tera to hit all of Sliggoo, Tera Steel Rotom-S, Tinkatuff, opposing non Tera'd Leafeon, non Tera'd Gogoat and so on) but more often than not super worth it. Physical defensive wish one of our best defensive answers vs Dugtrio, SD Gabite, Scarf/SR Lycanroc (CB still smashes you) and so on.

Glaceon: Still one of the most dangerous wallbreakers with Specs. Sure Tinkatuff resists your STAB but one ez Tera Blast Ground or Mudshot on switch already weakens it enough to overwhelm it later or force the sack next turn. Definitely likes the fact that Monferno & Grumpig are less common than in previous meta. CM Sets seem kinda worse than last meta tho due to overall higher power level. Probably best partner for Scarf Indeedee since it easily lures and overwhelms the latters defensive checks, you can more easily just run Tera Psychic instead and clean even easier lategame with Indeedee.

Indeedee: Sliggoo & Tinkatuff are enough to help deal with it defensively and going Tera Ground Tera Blast early game comes with a cost for the Indeedee user. Scarf set is still super dangerous late game and one of 3 mons you should really think about slapping a scarf on in this meta (outside of like Ditto which LustfulLice uses). CM Sets & Specs also seem strong tho Wyrdeer with it's access to Earth Power & Intimidate gives these sets competition.

Squawkabilly: A lot more balanced this meta cause there's way more viable speed control than last few metas + SR & Flame Orb Recoil putting it on timer as always (it despises Gabite with it's Rough Skin + proficiency at setting Rocks), but it loves that Stonjourner's outclassed by broken Lycanroc so once you actually get it in safely you still click buttons like the previous metas.

Gogoat: Big disappointment so far. So many strong mons check it without really trying and it's kinda hard justifying it's usage since Leafeon got Knock Off back. Mid Ranking in provisional Viability List seems very justified for this thing which is mostly a solid water check in this meta.

Noctowl: Seems like our best Defog option in this meta, but even NP+Agility seems really anti-meta cause the steels in this tier simply can't deal with it.

Falinks: Really haven't seen anything from this of course dangerous mon that indicates a urgent need for QB, but i'd be fine with suspect testing it unless DLC2 release in 4 weeks doesn't make it worth it.

Gabite: best Ground/Volt Blocker in this tier, one of our few pretending answers vs Lycanroc, best Rocker, SD is a nice breaker/wincon, mon is simply good not much else to say.

Sliggoo-Hisui: I used it a few times last few rounds of Seasonal & Swiss (more out of time constrictions/laziness than anything else) and agree with the Viability list that it's pretty mid tho. Only set you really should bother with is Max SpA Draco Meteor + Flash Cannon & Rest Talk, it's standard Resttalk sets from previous metas get completely bullied in this meta and are honestly garbage.

Swalot: best Knock Off switchin, best non Tera Ground Tera Blast Leafeon answer, T-Spikes setter & absorber and so on that can use multiple sets well and is super customizable to it's teams needs. It's the ol reliable and and one of the best mons again after it's return.

Misdreavus: Kinda same as Gogoat, so much Knock Off around, Indeedee and lesser used Wyrdeer troll it and it's so reliant on boosts to deal any kind of damage and become dangerous. Pretty mid from my experience with it.

 

[wooper]

home sick from work today so im gonna take some time to talk about the recently-updated viability list (thread and shifts) and the meta from my perspective! i wont be going over every mon's placement because that is too tall of an order, but i'll give a summary of my thoughts on each ranking methinks.

top

Top
Falinks
Indeedee-F
Leafeon
Misdreavus
Rotom-Fan
Tinkatuff

i mostly agree with the top mons, but i dont think i'd place or here. theyre good at what they do, but they play more like high in my experience, the latter moreso just because of how one-dimensional it is. youre basically always gonna be running rocks, knock, twave, and encore, with the potential for something like foul play or play rough (off of an uninvested base 55 attack stat) or rest (passive as heck) over rocks. at least has variety with np vs cm, sub vs taunt, will-o vs twave, kiss vs tbolt (or other coverage, but i think these are the best), pain split on defensive sets, bulky spreads vs offensive ones, etc. i also think not including was a mistake; scarf and band are incredibly strong and hard to switch into, and then you have fun options like sd and/or loaded dice + rock blast, with great coverage and support in close combat, play rough, knock, sucker, trailblaze, and more. is still busted

high

High
Dugtrio
Gabite
Golduck
Lycanroc-Midnight
Sawsbuck
Swalot

this list pretty much makes sense to me. notice that top + high are all mons that dropped from pu or were freed from zubl with the november shifts. when i planned to write this out last night and was brainstorming things to say, i was considering including and here as well, but thinking it over, i dont think that those mons are on par with the ones council established. i gotta try out more

mid

Mid
Ampharos
Banette
Cacturne
Camerupt
Clefairy
Dachsbun
Dedenne
Ditto
Dunsparce
Dusknoir
Flapple
Frogadier
Glaceon
Gogoat
Grumpig
Illumise
Kricketune
Lumineon
Noctowl
Phione
Quaxwell
Sliggoo-Hisui
Squawkabilly

it's sad to see former staples in both zu AND pu here in mid, but it's justified imo. admittedly i havent used a lot of these in the current meta, but on paper, i think it's a good representation of mons that are still great picks on both the offensive and defensive spectrums, just not the best and/or most consistent performers. struggles with not being zu's best knock off user, and with the move's distribution and its interaction with poltergeist (banette's best stab move), it falls flat. more ghost types in the tier also hurt its viability. is super strong, but so, so frail, and it suffers greatly from 4mss, but spikes + knock still go a long way. surprisingly, webs--and by extension, --are quite good and can be a pain to try and clear, so HO teams are fun as of late. and speaking of hazard removal, hasnt wowed me yet, but it does its job fine

low

Low
Beartic
Calyrex
Chimecho
Crocalor
Dartrix
Dusclops
Eelektrik
Flareon
Fraxure
Furret
Glalie
Glimmet
Greedent
Hakamo-o
Jumpluff
Krokorok
Magcargo
Monferno
Persian
Pincurchin
Pupitar
Quilladin
Raboot
Rabsca
Scovillain
Stonjourner
Sudowoodo
Tropius
Vespiquen
Vullaby
Vulpix-Alola
Wugtrio

low contains a lot of mons that were once top-tier threats, some of whom were suspected or even banned, but who couldnt keep up with the powercreep of the generation. seeing titans in here like and breaks my heart! but metagames change and develop and we move on. a few pieces that surprised me were , who i expected to be placed in mid thanks to its breadth of coverage and support options alongside levitate; , because fake out chip + knock + uturn on a fast pivot mon goes a long way still i think; , because we are so desperate for hazard control, because knock + uturn once again on a (relatively) fast pivot, and because new toy syndrome with tidy up (i swore this was gonna stay pu); and , because i have not seen that mon once in quite a long time. like with mid, i havent tried out a lot of these mons in the meta we have now, but i wanna get around to it. hopefully!

i wanna end this post off with some cores ive been using in building that either worked well in practice, or look good together on paper if i havent tested them out yet. i wont be including sets for a lot of these in particular because i think that they have just so many options individually and as a result can be tailored to your wants or your teams' needs


really, really great offensive core that compliment each other well. appreciates 's ability to spread knock to weaken its checks, such as and , and remove boots + eviolites, and in turn appreciates coming in on fighting-, grass-, ground-, and steel-type attacks, while also threatening water-types like with electric stab + its higher speed tier. can also weaken 's checks, namely , with air slash or the threat of a burn from will-o-wisp


similarly answers 's weaknesses-- is immune to ground and threatens water-types. in return, rotom appreciates the chip from setting rocks, spreading burns with lava plume or dealing massive damage if running an offensive camel (dont sleep on its base 105 spatk or 100 atk), phazing with roar, and the 50/50s that yawn forces


plays a similar role here as did above, in that it is a great answer to fighting- and ground-type moves aimed at , and can disrupt the team with its wide support movepool or setup and/or break holes through setting up


these former pu alumni make their debut in zu, and they still pair well together. is one of two viable steel-types in the entire tier (and is objectively the better as well), and therefore she checks 's dragon-, fairy-, and ice-type weaknesses. she also spreads paralysis and knock, can set rocks, and disrupt the opponent with encore, which is handy for SD variants of (and scale shot ones too!). defensively they work well together, too, because of their great natural typings, their serviceable bulk, and the progress they make

 

[Tuthur]

​

The ZU Council held a quickban slate. As a result Falinks and Lycanroc-Midnight have been banned from SV ZU! Tagging Kris and Marty to implement, thank you.

	Outcome	Corthius	Danny	Drud	fish anemometer	Monai	OranBerryBlissey10	Tuthur
Falinks	Ban	ban	dnb	Ban	ban	Ban	Ban (2 years too late)	Ban
Indeedee-F	DNB	dnb	dnb	Ban	dnb	Ban	dnb	DNB
Lycanroc-Midnight	Ban	ban	ban	Ban	ban	Ban	Ban	Ban
Rotom-Fan	DNB	ban	dnb	DNB	ban	Ban	dnb (but suspect pls)	DNB

 

[Welcome to mars]

so the one of the best stealth rockers in the tier, lycanroc midnight got banned, so stonjouner may thrive again since lycanroc was basically better than it in most areas except raw bulk and power and the main reason its low tier rn, falinks, a powerful fighting type, has also been banned which pokemon that hits stone for strong super effective damage so thats appreciated too


all this has allowed for the former king of ZU to regain some of its former glory, i propose this set that allows for stonejourner to have more opportunities to set up rocks in the first place

stealth rock lead/offensive steath rocker
Stonjourner @ Leftovers/heavy duty boots
Ability: Power Spot
Tera Type: Ground/ water
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly/Adamant/impish Nature
- Body Press/heat crash
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

the max hp evs give it some physical bulk(and ONLY psychical bulk) and combined max speed evs help it get up stealth rock against common leads, Max attack instead can be used for a better offensive presence and making it harder to switch into, stab stone edge hits naturally hard of stones 125 attack and can pressure noctowl which is one of the best hazard removal options in the tier, even if its not carrying defog then hitting for big super effective damage on the physical side is still of great use since noctowls without defog are mostly offensive, block could be an option but theres not much that stone would want to trap and kill to my knowledge, so its not that good of an option