Other Tiers Orre Colosseum (Now Playable!)


"The pleasure, harshness, and depth of Double Battles... You do understand, don't you?"



Orre Colosseum
Welcome to Orre Colosseum! This is a format centered around the Orre Colosseum game mode in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. The rules are exactly the same, the only difference is that you can play against other humans!

For those that aren't familiar, the resulting format is essentially ADV VGC. It's fast-paced, explosive, and has a lot of room for creativity.

This is not meant as a replacement for ADV Doubles OU, but as an alternative, with quite a few key differences.

Rules
  • All Pokemon from the first three generations are allowed, except Restricted ("Box" Legendaries) & Mythicals.​
  • Item Clause (no duplicate items), Species Clause, Sleep Clause​
  • Team Preview​
  • Bring 4 out of 6​
  • The format is Double Battles, with standard Gen III mechanics.​
  • Soul Dew is banned.​
Gen III Mechanics
  • When a Pokemon is made to faint, the replacement is sent in before the turn ends.​
  • No Physical/Special split. Moves are either Physical or Special based on their type.​
  • Hidden Power has 70 BP.​
  • Protect has a 1/2 chance of working in succession, instead of 1/3.​
  • Spread moves have 50% damage reduction, instead of 75%.​
  • Spread moves that target the entire field (Earthquake, Explosion) have no damage reduction.​
  • Type-specific boosting items like Charcoal only boost moves by 10%.​
  • Steel resists Ghost and Dark.​
  • Explosion deals double damage.​
  • Sandstorm does not boost Rock types' Sp.Def.​
  • Ability-summoned weather conditions are permanent.​
  • Surf does not damage your ally.​
  • Critical hits do 2x damage.​
  • Sitrus Berry only heals 30 HP.​
  • Electric types & Grass types aren't immune to Paralysis & powder moves.​
  • Lightningrod doesn't absorb Electric moves.​
  • Blizzard isn't affected by Hail.​
Banned



Threats


Much like in Doubles OU, Metagross remains a premiere threat. Steel typing, Intimidate immunity, and, of course, Explosion. Meta-defining, and should probably be on your team.


Despite the Soul Dew ban, Latios & Latias remain excellent additions to almost any team, with their combination of speed, power & versatility.


Immune to both Explosion & Earthquake, Gengar is possibly the best Metagross pairing, and a great lead Pokemon in general, with fantastic Special coverage.

A reliable Choice Band user with powerful STAB moves and the excellent Intimidate ability.


A menacing Choice Band user that outspeeds almost everything.


A flexible special attacker with an amazing speed tier.


A powerful offensive presence that resists Explosion and chips teams away with Sand.


A phenomenally bulky tank with the strongest Explosion in the game.


The premier Rain abuser, with well-rounded stats and an excellent defensive typing.


A strong and bulky tank that provides support with Fake Out.


A fearsome offensive threat with access to Dragon Dance and the excellent Intimidate ability.


A destructive Fire-type with the moves and typing to hard-counter Metagross.


An unpredictable threat with Thunder Wave, Dragon Dance, and the excellent Intimidate ability.


A fantastic special attacker with Thunder Wave and exceptional typing.


A powerful sweeper with an amazing speed tier.


A flexible Rain abuser with great typing and Fake Out.


The strongest physical attacker with terrifying STAB Earthquake and the supportive Lightningrod ability.


A fragile but fierce physical threat that provides support with Fake Out.

Viability Rankings

Sample Teams

Tournament Results

Subformats

History

Orre Colosseum is essentially the first ever VGC format. While it wasn't called VGC at the time, a series of official tournaments took place in 2005 that effectively used these rules. [1][2][3][4]

The only difference is that anything exclusive to Emerald and XD (such as the Battle Frontier tutors) was not allowed, as those games weren't released at the time. Furthermore, they used Level 50 rather than 100, which caused Tyranitar & Dragonite to be banned, neither of which are top tier threats.

We decided to base the format on the Orre Colosseum game mode in XD, as it felt like the most complete version of the format, without any unnecessary limitations.

Resources

The following command can be used to challenge someone on Pokemon Showdown (although we currently play on https://dawn.psim.us):
Code:
/challenge gen3doublesou @@@ teampreview, item clause, freeze clause mod, !sleep clause mod, stadium sleep clause, exact hp mod, picked team size = 4, !evasion moves clause, !evasion items clause, !ohko clause, -Mew, -Celebi, -Jirachi, -Deoxys, -Deoxys-Attack, -Deoxys-Defense, -Deoxys-Speed, +Wobbuffet, +Wynaut, +Latios, +Latias, -Soul-Dew, +move: Swagger
Discord: https://discord.gg/cSZE6MZX5Q

Here's an example match. And here's Smogon's guide to the game mode in Pokemon XD.
 
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I've updated the OP with some more details and general pizzazz. This thread will now serve as the main discussion hub for the meta (alongside the Discord).

For now the format is playable via custom challenge commands. It works fine, although rematching doesn't work, so you have to send the full command every time. Would be cool if the format was added to Showdown, in order to fix that and make the whole process quicker.
 
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SergioRules

||blimp||
is a Community Contributor
Level 60 Speed Tiers
Orre Cup was originally played at level 60, now that the game is played at level 100, these Speed tiers are out of date but keeping them here for history's sake.


Only doing these as baseline numbers (252+nature, 252 neutral, or 0 neutral), so no modifiers unless they're extremely important (Swift Swim, Chlorophyll, Speed Boost)
417 / Ninjask / 160 / +Spe / 252 / +1
326 / Kingdra, Qwilfish / 85 / Neutral / 252 / +2
312 / Shiftry / 80 / Neutral / 252 / +2

290 / Ludicolo / 70 / Neutral / 252 / +2
278 / Ninjask / 160 / +Spe / 252 / 0
254 / Exeggutor, Omastar / 55 / Neutral / 252 / +2
253 / Ninjask / 160 / Neutral / 252 / 0
251 / Electrode / 140 / +Spe / 252 / 0
238 / Aerodactyl, Jolteon, Crobat / 130 / +Spe / 252 / 0
232 / Swellow / 125 / +Spe / 252 / 0
229 / Electrode / 140 / Neutral / 252 / 0
225 / Dugtrio, Alakazam, Sceptile / 120 / +Spe / 252 / 0
218 / Starmie, Raikou / 115 / +Spe / 252 / 0
217 / Aerodactyl, Jolteon, Crobat / 130 / Neutral / 252 / 0
212 / Latios, Latias, Gengar, Tauros / 110 / +Spe / 252 / 0
211 / Swellow / 125 / Neutral / 252 / 0
205 / Manectric / 105 / +Spe / 252 / 0
205 / Dugtrio, Alakazam, Sceptile / 120 / Neutral / 252 / 0

199 / Flygon, Salamence, Zapdos, / 100 / +Spe / 252 / 0
199 / Starmie, Raikou / 115 / Neutral / 252 / 0
193 / Latios, Latias, Gengar, Tauros / 110 / Neutral / 252 / 0
192 / Arcanine, Houndoom / 95 / +Spe / 252 / 0
187 / Manectric / 105 / Neutral / 252 / 0
185 / Moltres, Kangaskhan / 90 / +Spe / 252 / 0
181 / Flygon, Salamence, Zapdos / 100 / Neutral / 252 / 0
179 / Heracross, Suicune, Kingdra, Qwilfish / 85 / +Spe / 252 / 0
175 / Arcanine, Houndoom / 95 / Neutral / 252 / 0
173 / Gyarados, Milotic / 81 / +Spe / 248 / 0
172 / Blaziken, Dragonite, Gardevoir, Medicham, Shiftry / 80 / +Spe / 252 / 0
169 / Moltres, Kangaskhan / 90 / Neutral / 252 / 0
163 / Heracross, Suicune, Kingdra, Qwilfish / 85 / Neutral / 252 / 0
159 / Breloom, Cloyster, Magneton, Metagross / 70 / +Spe / 252 / 0
158 / Gyarados, Milotic / 81 / Neutral / 252 / 0
157 / Blaziken, Dragonite, Gardevoir, Medicham, Shiftry / 80 / Neutral / 252 / 0
152 / Scizor / 65 / +Spe / 252 / 0
147 / Tyranitar / 61 / +Spe / 248 / 0
146 / Swampert, Lapras / 60 / +Spe / 252 / 0
145 / Breloom, Cloyster, Magneton, Metagross, Ludicolo / 70 / Neutral / 252 / 0
139 / Scizor / 65 / Neutral / 252 / 0
134 / Tyranitar / 61 / Neutral / 252 / 0
133 / Swampert, Lapras / 60 / Neutral / 252 / 0
131 / Moltres / 90 / Neutral / 0 / 0
127 / Exeggutor, Machamp, Ursaring, Omastar / 55 / Neutral / 252 / 0
126 Marowak, Armaldo / 45 / +Spe / 252 / 0
120 / Milotic / 81 / Neutral / 0 / 0
115 Marowak, Armaldo / 45 / Neutral / 252 / 0
113 / Claydol / 75 / Neutral / 0 / 0
107 / Skarmory / 70 / Neutral / 0 / 0
101 / Scizor, Umbreon, Vaporeon / 65 / Neutral / 0 / 0

95 / Swampert, Lapras, Weezing, Clefable / 60 / Neutral / 0 / 0
89 / Blissey, Machamp / 55 / Neutral / 0 / 0
83 / Donphan, Hariyama, Registeel, Regirock / 50 / Neutral / 0 / 0
63 / Wobbuffet / 33 / Neutral / 0 / 0
59 / Snorlax, Slowbro, Slowking, Steelix / 30 / Neutral / 0 / 0
53 / Dusclops / 25 / Neutral / 0 / 0


Role Compendium (WIP)
Boomers: :camerupt::claydol::cloyster::electrode::exeggutor::forretress::gengar::golem::metagross::muk::qwilfish::regice::regirock::registeel::shiftry::snorlax::steelix::weezing:
Baton Pass: :dodrio::espeon::jolteon::medicham::ninjask::scizor::swellow::umbreon::vaporeon::zapdos:
Follow Me: :clefable::electabuzz::magmar::mr. mime::raichu:
 
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Just want to mention that we have decided to remove the Level 60 restriction, since Orre Colosseum can be played at any level past 60, so it felt like an unnecessary limitation.

Also we've been getting quite a few new members recently, so do join our Discord if you want to try it out!!
 
Item Tier List
Generation III's items are mostly underwhelming. Since Orre Colosseum Doubles enforces Item Clause, the limitation of held items is more of a factor in teambuilding than most other formats. Certain Pokémon benefit from being able to use items that others can't (e.g. Thick Club, White Herb), increasing their relative strength and making them more viable.

A Tier
Items that are consistently strong or situationally amazing

A+
Choice Band
This is the immediate first choice when looking at a physical 'mon. In this fast-paced format, an immediate x1.5 damage boost is incredible - especially when the next highest immediate boost is... x1.1 from type-enhancers. Choice Band enables many OHKOs and 2HKOs, turning Tauros into a top tier threat and Snorlax into an offensive win-condition. It offsets the Intimidate weakness of physical attackers and the lower base power of many physical moves (e.g. Pokémon that rely on Hidden Power for STAB).

Choice Band has two downsides: it can be played around in Games 2 & 3 of a set once it's revealed in Game 1 (choice-lock into EQ can be game-losing), and it discourages Protect, permitting easily double-targeting. However, the trade-off is worth the power. In a format where turns are limited, KOs are more significant than 6v6, and you can only run one Leftovers and one Lum Berry, Choice Band is phenomenal. Expect to see it on most teams.
Leftovers
This is an excellent item that works on almost every Pokémon. Leftovers increases the longevity of bulky Pokémon such as Metagross and Snorlax. In tandem with the omnipresent Protect, it recovers a fair amount of HP. Fake Out users such as Ludicolo and Hariyama appreciate the recovery more due to the free turns bought by flinches. Substitute users such as Zapdos and Lati@s appreciate the added recovery and can even win 1v1 endgames due to the stalling enabled. Snorlax can 1v1 most Special Attackers when running Leftovers.

Leftovers' effectiveness is limited by the format (Doubles, 4v4, Explosions galore): most Pokémon don't last more than 3-4 turns. However it is the undisputed best defensive item in a format absent of stronger tools from Gens. IV and later. Expect to see it on all teams.
Lum Berry
This is an excellent item that works on almost every Pokémon. Lum Berry is the best insurance against disruption of one's game plan. Worried about WoW turning your Metagross into a sitting spider? Lum Berry helps with that. The momentum of your Sun sweeping Shiftry stops once paralyzed? Lum Berry helps with that. Facing a surprise Jynx player who rolls 75/25s to try to win games? Lum Berry helps with that. Lum Berry's added benefit is that it can gain significant momentum by wasting one of an opposing player's attacks. Finally, it sees some use with Swagger for sweeping potential. Lum Berry is best placed on sweepers who want their offensive presence to be uninterrupted.

Lum Berry's effectiveness is reduced in Games 2 & 3 of sets, where the lack of surprise means you won't get surprise free turns. Unlike Choice Band and Leftovers, which have a consistent effect almost every turn, Lum Berry can be dead-weight if one doesn't face status. Its versatility in stopping disruption, however, is important enough to warrant use on many sweepers. Expect to see it on all teams.
A
  • Thick Club - Item Clause makes Marowak even better relative to the format. The underwhelming nature of other items is good enough reason to put Marowak on your team
  • White Herb - provides Overheat users a second full-power shot. Negates Intimidate on physical attackers/Exploders. Negates Icy Wind. Outclasses Liechi Berry. Expect this on most Gengar and on most non-CB, non-Clear Body physical attackers.

B Tier
Items that are consistently useful or situationally strong

B+
  • Cheri Berry - protects fast Pokémon from the disruption of paralysis. Many Thunder Wavers cannot afford to trade two turns for one paralysis, making this a good filler item for Lati@s and Gengar
  • Petaya Berry - can naturally proc or self-proc by Substitute/Endure. Boosting a fast sweeper like Starmie or Lati@s can change 2HKOs to OHKOs, swinging games
  • Salac Berry - can naturally proc or self-proc by Substitute/Endure. Transforming a bulky sweeper like Zapdos or Charizard into the fastest Pokémon on the field can swing games. Frail Fighting-types (Medicham, Blaziken, Heracross) will opt for this with Endure+Reversal
B
  • Brightpowder - the evasion buff is relatively strong compared to alternative items. A decent filler item, especially for leads like Starmie, Gengar, and Clefable
  • Quick Claw - 20% chance to go first is high. A fantastic choice for Snorlax and Regis and swings the odds for base 110 speed ties.
  • Type-enchancers (Charcoal, Miracle Seed, etc.) - a 10% damage increase isn't much, but the constant benefit makes them a consistent filler item.
C Tier
Items that are consistently weak or situationally useful

C+
Chesto Berry, King's Rock, Liechi Berry, Persim Berry

C
Focus Band, Lansat Berry, Lax Incense, Scope Lens, Shell Bell*, Starf Berry

D Tier
Items that are consistently irrelevant or situationally weak
  • Sitrus Berry
  • DeepSeaScale
  • Flavor berries (Figy Berry, Wiki Berry, etc.)
  • Light Ball
  • Sea Incense
  • Apicot Berry
  • Ganlon Berry
  • Lucky Punch
  • Pecha Berry
  • Rawst Berry
  • Stick
  • etc.
F Tier
Items that have no effect in-battle or are banned
  • PokéBalls
  • Mail
  • Potions
  • Amulet Coin
  • Soul Dew
  • Etc.

*Shell Bell is bugged on Showdown. It only heals for the first target hit, but in-game it heals from all targets hit.

Revision List
2022-10-27 - Initial List
2022-11-05 - Lum Berry to A+. Cheri Berry to C. Separated B and C tiers.
2022-11-17 - White Herb to A, Quick Claw to B+, Liechi Berry to C+
2023-06-02 - Cheri Berry (C to B+). Type-enhancers (C+ to B). Petaya & Salac Berries (A to B+); Quick Claw (B+ to B); King's Rock (B to C+); Shell Bell (B to C);
 
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SergioRules

||blimp||
is a Community Contributor
There's been a lot of talk in the Discord about getting this meta really developed, and I think the best way to do that is by making some preliminary Viability Rankings. Some people have already made their own in Tier Maker, but I hope to make this one a little more formal by making it here. Not necessarily putting them in any order within subranks.

S Rank
(Pokemon who define the metagame and have a place on just about any serious team)
Metagross ./sprf_xd_376.png
Latios ./sprf_xd-S_381.png
Gengar ./sprf_xd-S_094.png

  • Metagross is one of the defining Pokemon of this game, boasting an incredible typing, great bulk and attack, and strong moves which include the likes of Meteor Mash, Earthquake, and the coveted Explosion. Metagross resists both opposing Rock Slides and Explosions as well as having the ability Clear Body which prevents opposing Pokemon from lowering its Attack with Intimidate. Access to Agility can also make it a great anti-offense tool when needed. Basically every team should have a Metagross on it.
  • Latios is banned in standard ADV DOU with good reason. He's super fast and strong with his STAB Psychics and decent array of other coverage moves. Versatility can be found throughout his sets between full attacking, Calm Mind, support with Thunder Wave, Icy Wind, and Recover, or even a rare Dragon Dance.
  • Gengar is the quintessential Ghost-type of the metagame. With great Speed, access to strong special coverage moves, and great support options like Will-o-Wisp, Gengar becomes able to force several Pokemon to run certain moves to take care of it. Being immune to Earthquake and Explosion while having access to Explosion itself gives it a great niche in beating certain threats. Its main downside is the fact that it only Speed ties with the Lati twins and other base 110s, potentially leading to some awkward 50/50s.

A+ Rank (Pokemon that have a significant impact on the metagame)
Latias ./sprf_xd-S_380.png
Zapdos ./sprf_xd-S_145.png

  • Latias is very similar to her brother Latios, just with a more defensive focus. Latios is slightly superior for his stronger offensive presence, but bulkier teams can sometimes prefer the better support that Latias offers.
  • Zapdos is famously great in ADV. As the only Electric-type Pokemon immune to Earthquake, it both makes a great teammate for Earthquake users who usually struggle with bulky Waters and Grasses, and a great deterrent for Choice Banded opponent spamming Earthquake. 125 Special Attack is nothing to scoff at and STAB Thunderbolts with HP Grass coverage make it hard to deal with. Drill Peck can be used to check Ground types like Breloom and Ludicolo, Baton Pass can allow for free switching or passing Agility boosts, and even Metal Sound could be used to make certain walls easier to wear down.

A rank (Pokemon who are generally good in the metagame)
Arcanine ./sprf_xd-S_059.png
Raikou ./sprf_xd_243.png
Starmie ./sprf_xd-S_121.png
Marowak ./sprf_xd_105.png
Snorlax ./sprf_xd-S_143.png
Tauros ./sprf_xd-S_128.png

  • Arcanine is the least obviously powerful Intimidate user, but good support options in Helping Hand, Charm, and Roar coupled with good offensive tools in Flamethrower and Extremespeed, Arcanine can definitely find a spot on teams that need the support, though Earthquake weakness can leave it a little lacking sometimes. It carves a niche over other Intimidate users by having the ability to beat Metagross.
  • Raikou shares some similarities with Starmie as a fast answer to Water-types. With a much stronger Thunderbolt thanks to STAB, access to Calm Mind, and actually beating Zapdos setting it apart. It can face some competition from Jolteon when it comes to the Speed department, but the power and potential of being a wincon makes it preferable in most situations.
  • Starmie is a fantastic Pokemon for the Orre Colosseum metagame. When Speed is so important, beating the normal base 110s sets it apart from other Water-types. In addition, it has tools to beat opposing Water-types with Thunderbolt and the coveted Recover for longevity. With these traits it can match up well against the Lati twins, Gengar, and even has a decent matchup against non-exploding Metagross.
  • Marowak is notable for being a strong, albeit slow, physical attacker. STAB Earthquakes boosted by Thick Club in a generation where Knock Off and Trick are close to nonexistent is greatly appreciated. Its mono-Ground typing leaves it with few weaknesses and its access to Lightningrod makes it a perfect partner for Pokemon like Gyarados, Suicune, and Aerodactyl. Its reliance on Thick Club can be a nuisance in usual play, but due to Orre Colosseum's Item Clause, it makes choosing item slots for your other Pokemon a little easier.
  • Snorlax is an absolute unit. Amazing bulk and a great 110 Attack along with a general lack of good Fighting-types in the meta make it hard for many teams to handle. It's notably the only Pokemon with a STAB boom move in ADV, meaning that it has one of the strongest base-powered attacks in the game. Not ending there however, its access to Earthquake and Shadow Ball means it can deal with pretty much any usual Normal-type check as well. Choice Band, Curse, Toxic+Rest stalling, SubPunch, and even Belly Drum sweeping, Snorlax can do it all pretty well.
  • Tauros is a fast and powerful Normal-type Pokemon, offering strong STAB Double-Edges and having great coverage to handle most of its checks. Intimidate is a great ability that gives it a form of team support as well, and can sometimes make up for its somewhat lacking bulk.

A- Rank (Pokemon who are good in the metagame but may have some shortcomings)
Suicune ./sprf_xd_245.png
Milotic ./sprf_xd-S_350.png
Gyarados ./sprf_xd_130.png
Salamence ./sprf_xd-S_373.png
Tyranitar ./sprf_xd-S_248.png
Dusclops ./sprf_xd_356.png
Moltres ./sprf_xd_146.png
Regirock ./sprf_xd_377.png
Aerodactyl ./sprf_xd-S_142.png

  • Suicune and Milotic perform similar roles as bulky Water-types, though have some notable differences. Suicune works much better as a Calm Mind wincon, with STAB Surf and either Ice Beam or Icy Wind to round out coverage. Milotic acts the same but trades the offensive utility of Calm Mind for the defensive utility of Recover and access to Hypnosis. Both can also use Hydro Pump for a stronger STAB move but are fairly weak to Zapdos and Explosions.
  • Intimidate users are definitely some of the most important Pokemon in any Doubles format no matter what generation you're in. It's no different in Orre Colosseum. Every viable Intimidate user has something that sets it apart from the others. Gyarados' great typing gives it few weaknesses, the biggest of which can be negated by a Marowak partner. Salamence has the stats to run a mixed spread if it wants to and has the highest base Attack of all Intimidate Pokemon.
  • Tyranitar is notable as the only weather setter in the generation outside of Ubers. Sand Stream allows Tyranitar to wear down Pokemon throughout the game, and its mixed offenses with great coverage moves and good typing helps it check things like Zapdos, the Lati twins, Gengar, and is a safe out against the rare Shedinja. However, automatic permanent Sandstorm is a double-edged sword. With item clause only allowing for the use of one Leftovers, any Pokemon not immune to Sandstorm gets worn down much easier, both on your opponent's side and your own. It also struggles a bit versus Metagross. Make sure your own team isn't too hurt by the constant residual damage and you'll be fine!
  • Dusclops is another useful Ghost-type, and that's about where its similarities to Gengar stop. Unlike the former, Dusclops is extremely passive and offers virtually no offensive presence in a normal game. It makes up for this in bulk and support though, as moves like Helping Hand, Seismic Toss, and Imprison can set it apart from Gengar while moves like Icy Wind and Will-o-Wisp can further help teammates.
  • Moltres can struggle a bit in a metagame so full of Rock Slides, but its ability to spread burns with Will-o-Wisp, heal with Morning Sun, and do insane damage with STAB Fire Blast and Overheat makes Moltres a very potent special attacker. It appreciates Orre's lower use of rain teams and does a great job beating one of the best Pokemon in the tier in Metagross, but still has to be wary of Zapdos, Water-types, and Tyranitar.
  • Regirock performs a few different roles. As one of, if not the bulkiest Pokemon on the physical side, it does a great job of deterring opposing Explosions while also being able to use Explosion itself. It also has the ability to live even Choice Band Metagross' Meteor Mash and fire back with a decently strong Earthquake.
  • Aerodactyl can sometimes be overlooked in a metagame like this, but it can't be stressed how important that Speed is in a generation before Choice Scarf was introduced. Aero luckily has enough Speed to outpace base 110s even with an Adamant nature (though falls short of 115s like Raikou), allowing it to further boost its power. STAB Rock Slides and Earthquakes are no joke, although it does make Aerodactyl pretty one-dimensional.

B rank (Pokemon who are situationally good or have very specific good matchups)
Hariyama ./sprf_xd-S_297.png
Persian ./sprf_xd_053.png
Kangaskhan ./sprf_xd_115.png
Swampert ./sprf_xd_260.png
Politoed ./sprf_xd_186.png
Houndoom ./sprf_xd_229.png
Alakazam ./sprf_xd_065.png
Clefable ./sprf_xd-S_036.png
Togetic ./sprf_xd_176.png
Kingdra ./sprf_xd-S_230.png
Ludicolo ./sprf_xd-S_272.png
Flygon ./sprf_xd_330.png
Heracross ./sprf_xd_214.png
Regice ./sprf_xd-S_378.png
Registeel ./sprf_xd_379.png
Blissey ./sprf_xd_242.png

  • Fake Out users work very well in Doubles formats and this is no exception. Hariyama is notably one of the only viable Fighting-types and offers Knock Off support as well as being strong physically. Persian is fast and has good support in Icy Wind, Hypnosis, and Charm though it is extremely frail. Kangaskhan offers the strongest STAB Fake Out and has much more physical coverage and bulk when compared to Persian at the cost of Speed.
  • Swampert is another one of the best bulky Waters in the generation. Trading a better matchup against the Electrics like Zapdos and Raikou for a 4x Grass weakness. With a notable lack of viable Grass-types and less flexibility on movesets to run Hidden Power Grass, Swampert's excellent bulk and typing let it have some great success in the tier. However, even with a good defensive typing, Swampert can be held back a little by its low Speed and its lack of recovery doesn't leave it much room to take repeated attacks as such a defensive Pokemon.
  • Politoed is pretty much the only viable Damp user. This gives it a very specific niche as a Pokemon immune to Explosion but prevents it entirely. While it doesn't have any overwhelming offensive prowess, it does have some decent support options like Hypnosis, Perish Song, and Icy Wind that can make it have a place on certain teams.
  • Houndoom offers a great niche in the current metagame. Flash Fire helps it to check opposing Fire-types while its own dual STAB coverage is extremely strong. Whether using Flamethrower for consistent damage, or Overheat for a one-time nuke to anything that doesn't resist it, it along with Crunch can take a serious chunk out of most Pokemon. Access to Will-o-Wsip and Taunt help it with support as well, but its Speed tier leaves a little to be desired and it has about as much bulk as a spaghetti noodle, so can't be expected to take many hits at all.
  • Alakazam is a fast and strong special attacker. Outspeeding most of the unboosted metagame, Alakazam carves its niche by getting off strong hits with its wide coverage options and decent support options before opponents can attack. Its strong STAB Psychic and access to the elemental punches gives it near perfect coverage, while support options like Encore, Knock Off, and Trick help with things it can't break through. However, its bulk is abysmal. Any physical hit will destroy it and it doesn't appreciate strong special attacks either.
  • Follow Me users are the only form of redirection in the metagame, and they are few and far between. Clefable and Togetic are pretty similar in essence, both have access to Encore, screens, Thunder Wave, and Soft-Boiled; one of the more consistent forms of recovery. Clefable has slightly more bulk on average and offers Icy Wind, while Togetic offers Helping Hand, Yawn, and Baton Pass. Both are pretty passive but the support of Follow Me is great support for a ton of sweepers.
  • Rain isn't usually as good in the faster pace of 4v4 as it is in 6v6 doubles, but in some matchups it can be very good. Kingdra offers good stats across the board, and has the highest Special Attack out of the viable Swift Swim users but lacks a strong secondary STAB move. Ludicolo is much slower and slightly weaker but offers a secondary STAB, Fake Out, Icy Wind, and a slightly wider selection of coverage moves.
  • Flygon has one of the strongest STAB Earthquakes in the game and some decent mixed coverage options to go along with it, although being in the already crowded base 100 Speed tier can be a little underwhelming.
  • Heracross has access to one of the strongest moves in the game with its Swarm boosted STAB Megahorn which it can easily activate by using Endure. It also has access to Reversal, further helping the Endure strategy. This strategy can be easily thwarted by spread moves and priority however, so it may not always be the best.
  • Regice is the counterpart to Regirock, being much more specially bulky. This allows it to easily check Pokemon like the Lati twins, Zapdos, Starmie and other Water-types thanks to having BoltBeam coverage. However, it is utterly destroyed by Metagross and Explosion users, leaving it slightly lower in viability.
  • Registeel is a middle ground between the other two Regis. It does similar things to the other two, with the added benefit of having a Steel-typing and all of its great resistances. Registeel doesn't have as much offensive utility as the others, meaning it usually has to rely on Seismic Toss and Explosion to do damage, but its typing makes it able to easily Toxic/Thunder Wave many threatening Pokemon and wall them like the Lati twins and Gengar. It severely fights for a slot as a Steel-type with Metagross however, making it mostly outclassed.
  • Blissey is Blissey. Similarly a special wall like Regice, but with reliable recovery in exchange for offensive ability. It still walls basically every special attacker, but the metagame is overwhelmingly physically oriented, leaving it much less useful then it could be.

C rank (Pokemon who have very small niches or are considered gimmicks)
Electrode ./sprf_xd-S_101.png
Manectric ./sprf_xd-S_310.png
Steelix ./sprf_xd_208.png
Umbreon ./sprf_xd-S_197.png
Gardevoir ./sprf_xd-S_282.png
Sceptile ./sprf_xd-S_254.png
Breloom ./sprf_xd-S_286.png
Ursaring ./sprf_xd-S_217.png
Qwilfish ./sprf_xd-S_211.png
Dewgong ./sprf_xd-S_087.png
Shiftry ./sprf_xd_275.png
Victreebel ./sprf_xd-S_071.png
Exeggutor ./sprf_xd-S_103.png
Slaking ./sprf_xd_289.png
Medicham ./sprf_xd-S_308.png
Blaziken ./sprf_xd_257.png
Ninjask ./sprf_xd-S_291.png
Shedinja ./sprf_xd_292.png
Porygon2 ./sprf_xd-S_233.png


I'm still actively working on this but wanted to get it out before this weekend. Any suggestions can be sent to me in the Discord server, but I thought this was a decent enough start for most people looking to getting into the meta.
 
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From my very limited experience in ADV Doubles, I remember Dewgong being a pretty decent pick. A dedicated support slot is probably a lot less valuable given the breakneck pace of games here, but having Fake Out, the bulk to take one of basically any hit in the game as long as it's partner is alive, and Encore to brutally punish opposing Protects is almost certainly worth something. Most likely a B tier mon.

It's tempting to look at the top 4 I see here and say something nice about Houndoom, though looking then at... everything in both A and A- makes me a lot less certain. Still, outspeeding and threatening an OHKO on Metagross with a 100% accurate move (which can be done while Timid if you opt for Charcoal) is nice, and Endure + Salac probably has a some potential as a way to call out obvious Booms before trying to chunk something on the way out. Potential for C tier.
 
Houndoom is definitely decent, having crunch for latis/gar is a niche over moltres. Charizard should also be placed around the moltres tier, dragon claw for latis and mence and also blaze boosted fire attacks are stronk.

Anyway, this meta is actually offensive enough that this is no joke:

Tauros (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Hyper Beam
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ghost]/

Honestly, these games are so fast and the setup moves in the format are weak enough that I think this actually isn't meme tier. Tauros is a pretty good mon, fast with intimidate, but it's stab hyper beam is actually absurd. Going from double edge, you guarantee the OHKO on zapdos/moltres/mence/latios/latias, and you can OHKO starmie at -1. Even without clean OHKOs, the power boost is significant and there's a lot of things that can be chipped into range by rock slides or even sandstorm chip without lefties, it can also soften them impact of intimidates.

If you want to get into actual meme territory, you can pair it with something like roar zapdos and roar into the Tauros the turn it hyper beams to switch it out and avoid the recharge turn.

Speaking of Zapdos:

Zapdos @ Lum Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect
- Light Screen

Light screen is a pretty great 4th move on the bird. Games are quick enough that the screen lasts a significant portion of a game, and there are a lot of special attackers in this tier. Usually better vs latios than clicking hp:ice and praying for the 3hko.

Bomb Squad (Jynx) (F) @ King's Rock
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Lovely Kiss
- Fake Out
- Icy Wind

Sleep is good in this meta because nothing preps for it cause the sleepers suck. Jynx probably sucks the least. Sleeping Metagross is one of the few ways to stop the boom outside of stab fire moves. Ice beam is a good stab but Jynx is slower than a lot of the things it wants to ice beam. The last two slots you can slot in stuff like psychic or protect, the first two moves are the ones that matter. Petaya berry would be cool if it activated mid turn. King's rock icy wind is fun.

Swampert @ Salac Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 28 Atk / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Substitute
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Earthquake

Protect is super common in doubles (duh) and sub punishes protect, and Offpert is a great abuser of subs. Speed mark outspeeds max base 110s after salac. Want to test protect over EQ since getting a sub up tends to invite double targeting from the opponent, first to break the sub then KO you before you can spam sub to activate your berry, and protecting a subbed mon that's being double targeted probably just wins you the game on the spot.
 
If you're reading this, go join the discord and get involved rfn

I made a youtube video talking about how I won the discord's latest Orre Cup tournament, definitely check that out!

The metagame feels very balanced, Metagross obviously has the most insane damage output but you can force CB sets to lock into a bad move or boom pretty easily // non CB sets struggle to hit the same absurd damage output. I think Metagross is the scariest on paper but Gengar might actually be the scariest in practice, and I was able to put in a lot of work by using a Gengar set with 4 moves people probably wouldn't assume to be related to each other. The discord really likes this bulky Dragon Fang Latios to OHKO 4 HP opposing Latios but I gotta say I felt like I really liked Lum Berry for the moment.

Item Clause makes building feel a bit more calculated in a meta where you otherwise have a lot of safe choices. I think it's a fun layer to add to building here.

I have definitely not played enough to make my full VR, but I think the top 3 are Gengar > Metagross > Latios in that order.

Like I talk about in the video, I really wanted to use Houndoom in this tournament and I'm glad I did! It seemed to perform very solidly. Some of the next Pokemon I'll be building with are Raikou, Heracross, and maybe some weathers.

Really hope to see more people playing this :)
 
Sample Teams Compendium
Courtesy of many players on our Discord.

Selected Sample Teams
These teams have proven success in tournament play and in casual battles. They're examples of serious designs intended to win. "OC"="Orre Cup"

:metagross::latias::zapdos::snorlax::starmie::swampert:
Zapdos-Swampert v2.1 by Mosquito (OC3 1st>OC8 1st)
Report: https://pastebin.com/821JbTtG

:metagross::latias::gyarados::snorlax::starmie::marowak:
Gyarawak Refined by Nnico Iosi (OC1 1st->current version)

:metagross::latios::gyarados::snorlax::starmie::marowak:
gyarawak starmie by TeamCap

:metagross::latios::zapdos::snorlax::starmie::arcanine:
Mt. Battle 1 by Michael 96

:metagross::latios::zapdos::swampert::tauros::tyranitar:
SwampTar by Nnico Iosi (OC10 1st)
Report: YouTube

:metagross::latios::zapdos::raikou::starmie::tauros:
Blitzkrieg v1.0 by Mosquito

:metagross::latios::zapdos::snorlax::tauros::ludicolo:
Rain by For 4LOM

:metagross::latios::zapdos::swampert::tauros::medicham:
Medicham by TeamCap

Additional Teams
:metagross::tauros::zapdos::snorlax::gengar::dusclops:
Boom Perish by Akiak (OC3 2nd->OC4 5th->OC5 3rd->interim->current version)

:metagross::latios::zapdos::charizard::clefable::medicham:
Belly Drum v1.1.1A by Mosquito

:metagross::latias::ludicolo::regice::tauros::arcanine:
Tanky Intimidate Spam by Nnico Iosi (OC5 2nd->OC6 4th->current version)

:alakazam::shiftry::exeggutor::moltres::gengar::aerodactyl:
Sun Hyper Offense 2.0 by Nnico Iosi

:metagross::ninjask::marowak::clefable::gengar::gyarados:
Ninjask Pass by Akiak

:metagross::salamence::kingdra::tauros::gengar::medicham:
Salamence by Akiak

:scizor::starmie::zapdos::electrode::gengar::rhydon:
Magless by Akiak
 
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Orre Cup Results

I am going to post the results Orre Cups here. If you see any errors please let me know.


Orre Cup 1

1703879445474.png


Orre Cup 2

1668736570847.png


Orre Cup 3

1668736340680.png


Orre Cup 4

1668736262901.png


Orre Cup 5

1674510438303.png


Orre Cup 6

1676260403926.png

1676260473545.png


Orre Cup 7
1678067624228.png


Orre Cup 8

1684638833584.png


Orre Cup 9

1689306599125.png


Orre Cup 10


1699413337809.png

1699413907069.png

1704000028930.png

1699413928309.png


Mt. Battle

1703879394189.png


Mt. Battle 2

1703879423594.png

 

Attachments

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Orre Colosseum Role Compedium

Bug:


Dark:


Dragon:


Electric:
1668390498476.png


Fighting:


Fire:


Flying:
1668390498476.png


Ghost:


Grass:


Ground:


Ice:


Normal:


Poison:


Psychic:


Rock:


Steel:


Water:
Leftovers:
1668390498476.png


Choice Band:


Lum Berry:


Liechi Berry:

Petaya Berry:
1668390498476.png


Salac Berry:
1668390498476.png


White Herb:


Quick Claw:


Thick Club:
Intimidate:


Lightning Rod:


Volt Absorb:


Flash Fire:


Icy Wind:


Fake Out:


Helping Hand:


Follow Me:


Encore:


Imprison:


Status:

Thunder Wave:
1668390498476.png


Will-O-Wisp:


Sleep Powder:


Yawn:
 
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Orre Colosseum Viability Rankings

The Orre Colosseum community has collaborated to create viability rankings! Users ranked individual 'mons via Google Form, with the results creating a preliminary list. After discussion on Discord, Pokémon rankings are adjusted. The end result are of the Viability Rankings.

Version 1 of the rankings were produced immediately after Orre Cup 6. Subsequent versions are produced after relevant tournaments.

Below are the rankings along with explanations of each Pokémon's roles and shortcomings. If a Pokémon is missing, it either hasn't seen enough usage to accurately assess, or it was judged to be nonviable.

S Tier
These Pokémon can fit onto any team and will come out in nearly every game. If your goal is to win, you certainly use at least one of these Pokémon.

S+
:metagross::latias:
S
:latios::zapdos:
S-
:snorlax:

The S tier Pokémon all have fantastic stats, solid typing, and sufficient moveset variety while having few glaring weaknesses. Their usage has been disproportionately higher than the rest of the Pokédex in casual and tournament play. They're easy to put onto a team or they compress enough roles into one team slot. Lati@s and Zapdos in particular provide highly-needed Earthquake immunities to most teams.

The S tier Pokémon are staples, especially due to their unique synergy with each other. The Metagross/Lati@s/Zapdos core is the best core in the format and is seen on the majority of teams. Snorlax checks every special attacker in the format.

Metagross is the undisputed best Pokémon in the format. Its traits all combine to make a physical tank that every team desires: great bulk, amazing Attack, a high-power STAB, access to both Earthquake and Explosion, immunity to Intimidate and Icy Wind, and resistances to most types (especially Normal). It's an immediate addition to almost every team because few Pokémon can serve as a better physical tank. While it isn't perfect, every single team in the format must have a way to deal with it.
Latias and Latios are the format's premier special attackers, boasting stats and typing that synergize perfectly with Metagross. Both have the bulk and resistances to survive nearly everything, as well as outrunning most of the format. Latias trades slightly lower damage-output for higher bulk, making it the Lati of choice when intending to use one of its countless supporting moves.

Latios hits hard with a fantastic variety of coverage moves, making it the Lati of choice if attacking is the only goal. Latias has recently seen higher usage than Latios, resulting in a higher ranking.
Zapdos serves as a well-balanced special attacker whose unique typing lets it check Metagross as well as single-handedly making Water and Flying types worse in this format. Its bulk, few polarizing matchups, and high-power STAB Thunderbolt makes it an easy pick to balance out a team.

Snorlax serves as the format's best check to special attackers: it takes most of them four hits to KO Snorlax, who hits back with high-power, rarely resisted STAB Normal moves. In addition, it sports the strongest move in the format in STAB Selfdestruct. Many teams add Snorlax as their answer to Lati@s, which really cannot beat it.

A Tier
These Pokémon have rare qualities that can vastly improve a team, generally good stats, and advantageous matchups against some top tier threats.

A+
:tauros::starmie::swampert::gengar:
A
:arcanine::marowak::raikou:
A-
:tyranitar::gyarados::ludicolo:

The A tier Pokémon are usually the choices that differentiate serious teams from each other. They may not be as versatile as the S tiers, but their specific strengths often set the direction of games or stop S tiers from steamrolling. Most serious teams will carry one or two of these to complement their S tier 'mons.

Tauros threatens OHKOs or 2HKOs on most of the format with STAB Double-Edge and Return. Its base 110 speed ties Lati@s & Gengar, and it has Intimidate to check non-Clear Body physical attackers. However it's incredibly predictable and almost always runs a Choice Band set; it fails to deal enough damage without it.
Starmie outruns and OHKOs Gengar. It resists Meteor Mash and can use attacking or support moves before Lati@s, Gengar, and Tauros can act. However its lack of Levitate, average bulk, and average base 100 Sp. Atk means it will be overlooked in favor of Lati@s.
Swampert is a bulky Water-type that beats Electric-types, boasts STAB Earthquake, checks Metagross, and has the coverage to run mixed sets. It supports teams with Icy Wind. However, it has low speed and it relies on weaker non-STAB coverage to deal any damage to Lati@s.
Gengar fills a unique niche with immunity to both Earthquake and exploding. It pressures opponents with a fast Explosion, and its exceptional versatility allows it to cover the weaknesses of a team with its special coverage attacks and support moves. However it lacks special STABs, forcing it to rely on super-effective hits and Explosion.

Arcanine threatens a OHKO on Metagross with Overheat. It supports teams with great bulk, Intimidate, Helping Hand, and Extremespeed. However its main STAB is often resisted, and its bulk is balanced by its weakness to the omnipresent Earthquake.
Marowak is incredibly threatening with the strongest Earthquake in the game, and its use of Thick Club saves valuable items for its teammates. With Lightningrod, it covers Electric-weak Pokémon and forms half of the dangerous GyaraWak core. However, its low speed negates its average bulk, and its only STAB deals no damage to the omnipresent Levitators & Zapdos.
Raikou outruns the base 110 speed S tier 'mons and is a great special sweeper. It can threaten unprepared teams with Calm Mind, fast Substitute, or both. However, it has trouble with the omnipresent Earthquake.

Tyranitar has exceptionally high bulk, supports teams with Thunder Wave, and provides damage-over-time with Sand Stream, but it has multiple common type weaknesses and low damage output due to weak STAB options.
Gyarados is a Metagross counter, Intimidater, and strong Dragon Dancer, but relies on the low-BP Hidden Power Flying for STAB and automatically loses to Thunderbolt unless supported by Lightningrod.
Ludicolo is a Metagross counter with great typing, support options in Fake Out and Icy Wind, and becomes a threatening sweeper under Rain. However, it's held back by its average base 90 Sp. Atk.

B Tier
These Pokémon have niche strategies that can roll over unprepared teams, can check a top tier Pokémon, or have several good qualities that improve any team.

B+
:medicham::suicune::moltres::regice::heracross::clefable::kingdra::alakazam:
B
:regirock::kangaskhan::dusclops::wobbuffet::registeel::hariyama::articuno::charizard::jolteon::houndoom::aerodactyl::pinsir::togetic::rhydon::crobat::politoed::sceptile::exeggutor::salamence:
B-
:shiftry::claydol::milotic::electrode::slaking:


The B Tier is best understood as the point where general matchups and overall team strength are sacrificed for specific strategies and matchups. These Pokémon may be dedicated support Pokémon with no damage threats, may have subpar bulk and typing, are simply too slow for their otherwise decent stats, or require investment to set up properly. When considering B tier Pokémon, one will often have to design a team around the B Tier. B+ Pokémon have more consistently relevant niches, while B and B- Pokémon tend to be more situational.

B+ Pokémon
Medicham boasts amazing Attack through Pure Power, Fake Out utility, and the ability to OHKO Latios. However its bulk, speed, and Brick Break's BP are average.
Suicune is the bulkiest Water-type and can support teams with Icy Wind or threaten a win-condition with Calm Mind. However, its damage output is low, it takes neutral damage from Earthquake, and it loses to Electric-types.
Moltres OHKOs Metagross, is immune to Earthquake, and cripples Snorlax with Will-o-Wisp. However, its STAB is often-resisted and it's weak to the very common Thunderbolt.
Regice threatens OHKOs on Lati@s/Zapdos with Ice Beam, can break their Substitutes with Icy Wind, and take little damage in return. However, it auto-loses to the omnipresent Metagross.
Heracross threatens a powerful STAB Megahorn against Lati@s and use STAB Fighting moves against Snorlax. However, it has an unfortunate Psychic weakness and middling speed.
Clefable is the bulkiest Follow Me user in the game and enables a multitude of safe plays. However it offers no meaningful threats outside of Icy Wind, Sing, Encore, and 4x super effective special moves.
Kingdra is the best Rain sweeper with higher bulk than Ludicolo, but it lacks an Earthquake resist and is a full sweeper without good support options.
Alakazam outruns even Raikou and Starmie, boasts Fake Out immunity, hits hard with STAB Psychic, and punishes status moves with Encore. However it suffers from four-moveslot syndrome and automatically faints to most physical attacks.

S Tier Counters
Articuno theatens Lati@s and Zapdos with STAB Ice Beam/Icy Wind while boasting a Ground immunity. It's weak to Electric and auto-loses to Metagross.
Houndoom OHKOs Metagross, OHKOs Gengar, and almost KOs Lati@s. It's frail, and because it's only base 95 speed, it will take high damage from Lati@s and Zapdos before it can attack.

Pure Support
(These Pokémon have no offensive pressure.)
Dusclops can be the keystone of ImprisonBoom teams, or it can threaten a win condition with Leftovers+Will-o-Wisp+Pain Split.
Wobbuffet traps enemies with Shadow Tag and has the bulk to guarantee Encore, but it cannot Protect.
Togetic offers Follow Me support with an Earthquake immunity, but it has notable Ice and Electric weaknesses.

Investment Sweepers
(These Pokémon require specific conditions to be threatening.)
Registeel is a win condition with Skill Swap+Levitate and then defensive boosts, but it has no immediate pressure.
Charizard requires *two* free turns to set up Belly Drum + Substitute + Salac Berry; if it does, it's the strongest sweeper in the format.
Exeggutor and Shifty require sun to be set; once it is, they outrun the format and threaten Explosion.
Slaking is a frighteningly powerful and bulky sweeper, but it's dead-weight without Skill Swap support and only has 100 Speed.

Semi-Support with Shortcomings
Kangaskhan offers Fake Out utility, Yawn, and Icy Wind, but has an average base 95 Atk. stat and competes with Snorlax and Tauros for a team slot.
Hariyama has tanky stats and supports a team with Fake Out and Helping Hand, but it lacks a strong STAB move, is resisted by most S tiers, is crippled by Intimidate, and is weak to Psychic from Lati@s.
Crobat outruns most of the format, and can set up Swagger boosts or weather, but has average Attack and weaknesses to the S tier STABs of Psychic and Electric.
Politoed is the best Damp user in the game, but it's otherwise outclassed by the bulkier Suicune and Electric-immune Swampert.
Claydol is the bulkiest Levitate+Skill Swap option with excellent typing and moves, but it has a weak base 70 Atk. stat.
Milotic is a bulky Water with Recover; but is outclassed by Suicune otherwise.
Electrode is the second-fastest Pokémon in format and can paralyze or Explode, but it has low bulk damage-output otherwise.

Attackers with Shortcomings
Regirock and Rhydon enjoy Normal resistance at the expense of low-BP STABs, low Speed, and weaknesses to Earthquake and Meteor Mash. Regirock has Clear Body and Explosion; Rhydon has STAB Earthquake, Megahorn, and Lightningrod.
Jolteon outruns Starmie and Alakazam, but is otherwise inferior to Raikou.
Aerodactyl outruns most of the format and is immune to Earthquake. However, it needs Choice Band for damage, is reliant on the low-BP Hidden Power (Rock, Ghost, or Flying), and is OHKOed by Metagross.
Pinsir has tanky stats, Intimidate-immunity, and Earthquake-resistance, but it relies on the the low-BP Hidden Power Bug for STAB.
Sceptile has a wonderful speed stat and threatens KOs on Swampert and Starmie, but it has a mediocre 105 Sp. Atk stat and low BP on its moves.
Salamence has many great tools (Intimidate, high stats, Hydro Pump, Fire Blast) but is outclassed as a Dragon Dancer by Gyarados and outclassed by Lati@s as a special-sweeping Dragon.


C Tier
These Pokémon have good qualities but major shortcomings. They may not perform very well in the current metagame or be too hard to pull off most of the time, but they can pose serious problems if the opponent doesn't have consistent ways of dealing with them.

C+
:jynx:
C
:scizor::breloom::miltank::mr. mime::steelix::quagsire::ninjask::machamp::shedinja::armaldo::blaziken:
C-
:poliwrath::dewgong::flygon::venusaur::dugtrio::jumpluff::swellow:

These Pokémon are generally weak but offer one or two unique threats. When using them, one's entire team should be built around them.

Jynx: STAB Ice Beam, Icy Wind, Fake Out, and Lovely Kiss; low physical bulk and auto-loses to Metagross.

Scizor: Great typing permits Swords Dance and Endure+Reversal; awfully low-BP STABs
Breloom: Spore and high attack; mediocre speed, no strong physical STABs, weak to Psychic and Ice.
Miltank: Milk Drink and good bulk and speed; generally outclassed by Snorlax
Mr. Mime: Fake Out or Follow Me with decent support options; pitiful physical bulk.
Steelix: Great typing with many resists and STAB Earthquake; mediocre Atk. and Sp. Def.
Quagsire: Great typing with Water Absorb; outclassed by Swampert otherwise
Ninjask: Fastest Pokémon and has Speed Boost, Swords Dance, and Baton Pass; mediocre Attack and pitiful bulk.
Machamp: OHKOs Snorlax with Low Kick; otherwise outclassed by Hariyama or Medicham
Shedinja: Win-condition with Wonder Guard; it auto-loses to any super-effective move. Should only be used in open-teamsheet battles.
Armaldo: Solid offensive and defensive typing; weak to Meteor Mash and low speed.
Blaziken: Endure+Reversal+Salac+Blaze; weak to Psychic

Poliwrath: Damp and Helping Hand; outclassed by Politoed otherwise.
Dewgong: Fake Out and Encore with STAB Ice Beam; middling Sp. Atk and autoloses to Zapdos.
Flygon: Levitate and STAB Earthquake; outsped and OHKOed by Latios and HP Ice Zapdos
Venusaur: Bulky Leech Seed and Sleep Powder; weak to Psychic and no offensive output.
Dugtrio: Fast Arena Trap with STAB Earthquake; pitiful bulk and mediocre Atk. stat.
Jumpluff: Fast support with Sleep Powder and Helping Hand; no offensive pressure, 4x Ice weakness, only speedties base 110s
Swellow: Outruns Starmie and OHKOs non-resists with self-proc Guts boost; weak without Guts and outclassed by Tauros otherwise.

Revision Table
2023-10-11 - Tier List v3, post-Orre Cup 10
2023-05-24 - Tier List v2, post-Orre Cup 8
2023-02-22 - Tier List v1, post-Orre Cup 6
 
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The Orre Colosseum Viability Rankings have been updated to v2! These reflect community opinion after Orre Cup 8 and many ladder battles. Notably Gengar has dropped to S-, Tauros has climbed to S-, and Kangaskhan has climbed to A-.

Most format discussion takes place on our Discord server, so join if you're interested in the format!

Orre Colosseum Viability Rankings

The Orre Colosseum community has collaborated to create viability rankings! Users ranked individual 'mons via Google Form, with the results creating a preliminary list. After discussion on Discord, Pokémon rankings are adjusted. The end result are of the Viability Rankings.

Version 1 of the rankings were produced immediately after Orre Cup 6. Subsequent versions are produced after relevant tournaments.

Below are the rankings along with explanations of each Pokémon's roles and shortcomings. If a Pokémon is missing, it either hasn't seen enough usage to accurately assess, or it was judged to be nonviable.

S Tier
These Pokémon can fit onto any team and will come out in nearly every game. If your goal is to win, you certainly use at least one of these Pokémon.

S
:metagross::latios::snorlax::latias::zapdos:
S-
:gengar::tauros:

The S tier Pokémon all have fantastic stats, solid typing, and sufficient moveset variety while having few glaring weaknesses. Their usage has been disproportionately higher than the rest of the Pokédex in tournament play. They're easy to put onto a team or they compress enough roles into one team slot. With the format defined by Earthquake and exploding, it's no surprise that 4/7 are immune to ground, 3/7 can explode, and 2/7 resist exploding.

The S tier Pokémon are staples, especially due to their unique synergy with each other. The Metagross/Lati@s/Zapdos core is the best core in the format, while Snorlax checks every special attacker in the format.

Metagross is the undisputed best Pokémon in the format. Its traits all compound to make a physical tank that every team desires: great bulk, amazing Attack, a high-power STAB, access to both Earthquake and Explosion, immunity to Intimidate and Icy Wind, and resistances to most types (especially Normal). It's an immediate addition to almost every team because few Pokémon can serve as a better physical tank. While it isn't perfect, every single team in the format must have a way to deal with it.
Latios and Latias are the format's premier special attackers, boasting stats and typing that synergize perfectly with Metagross. Both have the bulk and resistances to survive nearly everything, as well as outrunning most of the format. Latios hits hard with a fantastic variety of coverage moves, making it the Lati of choice if attacking is the only goal. Latias trades slightly lower damage-output for even higher bulk, making it the Lati of choice when intending to use one of its countless supporting moves.
Snorlax serves as the format's best check to special attackers: it takes most of them four hits to KO Snorlax, who hits back with high-power, rarely resisted STAB Normal moves. In addition, it sports the strongest move in the format in STAB Selfdestruct. Many teams add Snorlax as their answer to Lati@s, which really cannot beat it.
Zapdos serves as a well-balanced special attacker whose unique typing lets it check Metagross as well as single-handedly making Water and Flying types worse in this format. Its bulk, few polarizing matchups, and high-power STAB Thunderbolt makes it an easy pick to balance out a team.

Gengar fills a unique niche with immunity to both Earthquake and exploding. It pressures opponents with a fast Explosion, forcing them to conservatively bring Explosion resists or Protect early. Its exceptional versatility allows it to cover the weaknesses of a team with its special coverage attacks and support moves. However it lacks special STABs, forcing it to rely on super-effective hits and Explosion. In open teamsheet battles, Gengar is worse since opponents need only respect 4 moves instead of 10.
Tauros threatens OHKOs or 2HKOs on most of the format (namely Latios and Zapdos) with STAB Double-Edge. Its base 110 speed ties Lati@s & Gengar, and it has Intimidate to check non-Clear Body physical attackers. However it's incredibly predictable and almost always runs a Choice Band set; it fails to deal enough damage without it.

A Tier
These Pokémon have rare qualities that can vastly improve a team, generally good stats, and advantageous matchups against some top tier threats.

A+
:starmie:
A
:arcanine::swampert::marowak::ludicolo:
A-
:gyarados::raikou::suicune::kangaskhan:

The A tier Pokémon are usually the choices that differentiate serious teams from each other. They may not be as generally strong as the S tiers, but their specific traits often set the direction of games or stop S tiers from steamrolling. Most serious teams will carry one or two of these to complement their S tier 'mons.

Starmie outruns and OHKOs Gengar. It resists Meteor Mash and can use attacking or support moves before Lati@s, Gengar, and Tauros can act. However its lack of Levitate, average bulk, and average base 100 Sp. Atk means it will be overlooked in favor of Lati@s.

Arcanine threatens a OHKO on Metagross with White Herb Overheat. It supports teams with great bulk, Intimidate, Helping Hand, and Extremespeed. However its main STAB is often resisted, and its bulk is balanced by its weakness to the omnipresent Earthquake.
Swampert is a bulky Water-type that beats Electric-types, boasts STAB Earthquake, checks Metagross, and has the coverage to run mixed sets. It supports teams with Icy Wind. However, it has low speed and it relies on weaker non-STAB coverage to deal any damage to Lati@s.
Marowak is incredibly threatening with the strongest Earthquake in the game, and its use of Thick Club saves valuable items for its teammates. With Lightningrod, it covers Electric-weak Pokémon and forms half of the dangerous GyaraWak core. However, its low speed negates its average bulk, and its only STAB deals no damage to the omnipresent Levitators & Zapdos.
Ludicolo is a Metagross counter with great typing that can support a team with Fake Out and Icy Wind. Under Rain, it becomes a threatening sweeper, netting OHKOs and 2HKOs with Hydro Pump. However, it's held back by its average base 90 Sp. Atk.

Gyarados is a Metagross counter, Intimidater, and strong Dragon Dancer, but relies on the low-BP Hidden Power Flying for STAB and automatically loses to Thunderbolt unless supported by Lightningrod.
Raikou outruns the base 110 speed S tier 'mons and is a great special sweeper. It can threaten unprepared teams with Calm Mind, fast Substitute, or both. However, it automatically loses to the omnipresent Earthquake.
Suicune is the bulkiest Water-type and can support teams with Icy Wind. Calm Mind sets are a threatening win-condition if Explosion and Thunderbolt can be removed. However, its damage output is low aside from Hydro Pump, it takes neutral damage from Earthquake, and it loses to Electric-types.
Kangaskhan is a bulky support attacker, offering Fake Out utility with a high-power Double-Edge for chip damage. It's the best Sleep inducer with Yawn and provides speed control with Icy Wind. However, it has a mediocre base 90 Attack.

B Tier
These Pokémon have niche strategies that can roll over unprepared teams, can check a top tier Pokémon, or have several good qualities that improve any team.

B+
:hariyama::tyranitar::medicham::alakazam::clefable:
B
:kingdra::dusclops::moltres::articuno::regice::togetic:
B-
:Charizard::aerodactyl::exeggutor::shiftry::regirock::rhydon::crobat::jynx::houndoom::salamence:


The B Tier is best understood as the point where general matchups and overall team strength are sacrificed for specific strategies and matchups. These Pokémon may be dedicated support Pokémon with no damage threats, may have subpar bulk and typing, are simply too slow for their otherwise decent stats, or require investment to set up properly. When considering B tier Pokémon, one will often have to design a team around the B Tier. B+ Pokémon have a strong general presence, while B and B- Pokémon tend to be more niche.

B+ Pokémon
Hariyama has high bulk, high Attack, and supports a team with Fake Out and Helping Hand. However, it lacks a strong STAB move, is resisted by most S tiers, is crippled by Intimidate, and is weak to Psychic from Lati@s.
Tyranitar has high bulk, the fantastic Dark type, and damage over time with Sand Stream. However its STABs don't get OHKOs, and it's weak to the omnipresent Earthquake and Meteor Mash.
Medicham boasts amazing Attack through Pure Power, Fake Out utility, and the ability to OHKO Latios. However its bulk, speed, and Brick Break's BP are average.
Alakazam outruns even Raikou and Starmie, boasts Fake Out immunity, hits hard with STAB Psychic, and punishes Protect with Encore. However it suffers from four-moveslot syndrome and automatically faints to most physical attacks.
Clefable is the bulkiest Follow Me user in the gameand enables a multitude of safe plays. However it offers no meaningful threats outside of Icy Wind, Sing, and 4x super effective special moves.

S Tier Counters
Moltres is the best Metagross counter, OHKOing it and resisting Meteor Mash+Earthquake. It suffers from an often-resisted STAB and is usually outclassed by Zapdos.
Articuno and Regice theaten Lati@s and Zapdos with STAB Ice Beam/Icy Wind. Articuno boasts a Ground immunity but takes considerable damage from Thunderbolt; Regice walls special attackers with its gargantuan Sp. Def but is slow. Both auto-lose to Metagross.
Houndoom OHKOs Metagross, OHKOs Gengar, and almost KOs Lati@s. It's frail, and because it's only base 95 speed, it will take high damage from Lati@s and Zapdos before it can attack.

Pure Support
(These Pokémon have no offensive pressure.)
Dusclops can be the keystone of ImprisonBoom teams, or it can threaten a win condition with Leftovers+Will-o-Wisp+Pain Split.
Togetic offers Follow Me support with an Earthquake immunity, but it has notable Ice and Electric weaknesses.

Investment Sweepers
(These Pokémon require specific conditions to be threatening.)
Kingdra requires rain to be set (either by teammates or itself); once it is, it threatens rain-boosted STAB Hydro Pump while maintaining good bulk.
Shiftry and Exeggutor require sun to be set; once it is, they outrun the format and threaten Explosion.
Charizard requires *two* free turns to set up Belly Drum + Substitute + Salac Berry; if it does, it's the strongest sweeper in the format.

Semi-Support with Shortcomings
Jynx offers STAB Ice Beam, Icy Wind, Fake Out, and Lovely Kiss but has low physical bulk and auto-loses to Metagross.
Crobat outruns most of the format, and can set up Swagger boosts or weather, but has average Attack and weaknesses to S tier STABs of Psychic and Electric.

Attackers with Shortcomings
Regirock and Rhydon enjoy Normal resistance at the expense of low-BP STABs, low Speed, and weaknesses to Earthquake and Meteor Mash. Regirock has Clear Body and Explosion; Rhydon has STAB Earthquake, Megahorn, and Lightningrod.

Salamence has many great tools (Intimidate, high stats, Hydro Pump, Fire Blast) but is outclassed as a Dragon Dancer by Gyarados and outclassed by Lati@s as a special-sweeping Dragon.
Aerodactyl outruns most of the format and is immune to Earthquake. However, it needs Choice Band for damage, is reliant on the low-BP Hidden Power (Rock, Ghost, or Flying), and is OHKOed by Metagross.


C Tier
These Pokémon have good qualities but major shortcomings. They may not perform very well in the current metagame or be too hard to pull off most of the time, but they can pose serious problems if the opponent doesn't have consistent ways of dealing with them.

C+
:Jolteon::breloom::milotic::pinsir::registeel::ninjask::jumpluff::heracross::slaking::claydol:
C
:machamp::scizor::steelix::swellow::armaldo::electrode::politoed::shedinja::persian::blaziken:
C-
:dewgong::mr. mime::omastar:

These Pokémon are generally weak but offer one or two unique threats. When using them, one's entire team should be built around them.

Jolteon: Outruns Starmie and Alakazam, can Charm; outclassed by Raikou otherwise
Breloom: Spore and high attack; mediocre speed, no strong physical STABs, weak to Psychic and Ice.
Milotic: Bulky Water with Recover; outclassed by Suicune otherwise
Pinsir: Bulky physical Tank with Intimidate-immunity and Earthquake-resistance; relies on the the low-BP Hidden Power Bug for STAB.
Registeel: Win-condition with amazing bulk, Rest, and Seismic Toss; no immediate pressure.
Ninjask: Fastest Pokémon and has Speed Boost, Swords Dance, and Baton Pass; mediocre Attack and pitiful bulk.
Jumpluff: Fast support with Sleep Powder and Helping Hand; no offensive pressure, 4x Ice weakness, only speedties base 110s
Heracross: Endure+Reversal+Salac sweeper with Swarm+Megahorn; weak to Psychic
Slaking: Frighteningly powerful and bulky sweeper; dead-weight without Skill Swap support and only 100 Speed
Claydol: STAB Earthquke, Levitate, and Explosion; mediocre Atk., medicore speed, takes neutral from Steel and Normal.

Machamp: OHKOs Snorlax with Low Kick; otherwise outclassed by Hariyama or Medicham
Scizor: Great typing permits Swords Dance and Endure+Reversal; awfully low-BP STABs
Steelix: Great typing with many resists and STAB Earthquakel; mediocre Atk. and Sp. Def.
Swellow: Outruns Starmie and OHKOs non-resists with self-proc Guts boost; weak without Guts and outclassed by Tauros otherwise
Armaldo: Solid offensive and defensive typing; weak to Meteor Mash and low speed.
Electrode: Second-fastest Pokémon that can paralyze or Explode; low bulk and low damage-output otherwise.
Politoed: Bulky Water-type with Icy Wind, Perish Song, and Damp; outclassed by other bulky Waters otherwise.
Shedinja: Win-condition with Wonder Guard; it auto-loses to any super-effective move. Should only be used in open-teamsheet battles.
Persian: Fastest Fake Out with Icy Wind; average bulk and little damage output.
Blaziken: Endure+Reversal+Salac+Blaze; weak to Psychic

Dewgong: Fake Out and Encore with STAB Ice Beam; middling Sp. Atk and autoloses to Zapdos.
Mr. Mime: Fake Out or Follow Me with decent support options; pitiful physical bulk.
Omastar: Strongest rain sweeper with Normal-resistance; Earthquake-weak and low speed.

Revision Table
2023-05-24 - Tier List v2, post-Orre Cup 8
2023-02-22 - Tier List v1, post-Orre Cup 6
 
Over time the Orre community has come up with several subformats that diversify the viable strategies and Pokemon.

Main formats

XD - Restricted & Mythical Pokemon are banned. Soul Dew is banned. Inspired by Pokemon XD's Orre Colosseum. Colloquially referred to as "Standard".

Classic - Standard rules, only what's obtainable in Ruby, Sapphire & Colosseum is allowed. Inspired by the metagame when Colosseum first released.

Neo - Standard rules, only Ruby & Sapphire learnsets are allowed (all Pokemon allowed). Ruleset.

Sub formats

Unlimited is our Ubers metagame, where all Pokemon and items are allowed. Inspired by Level 100 Orre Colosseum, it's a close relative of the official format of Journey Across America 2006. Unlike Realgam, Mythical Pokemon have a chance to shine here, and Soul Dew is allowed.

Limited is played at Level 50 and only allows 1 Legendary (non-Restricted/Mythical) per team. Inspired by Level 50 Orre Colosseum, as well as the fact that you are penalized for using Legendaries in any of the Colosseums (as well as XD's Mt. Battle). If playing with Classic rules, no Legendaries allowed.

Realgam allows 1 (or optionally 2) Restricted/Mythical Pokemon per team. Inspired by Tower Colosseum, as well as future Restricted formats.

Under is our UnderUsed metagame, inspired by Under Colosseum.

Pyrite is our NeverUsed metagame, inspired by Pyrite Colosseum.

Phenac is our Little Cup metagame, inspired by Phenac Stadium. Ruleset.

*All sub formats can be played with XD, Classic or Neo rules.
 
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It's been wonderful to see Orre Colosseum grow and evolve into a vibrant community with lots of adventurous minds that share my passion to explore the depths of this fresh format.

Now that season 1 of Mt Battle, our league competition, is over, we are excited to dive into Mt Battle season 2, the very first
ORRE COLOSSEUM DRAFT LEAGUE.

Signups are open now in our discord!
https://discord.gg/9ZupSVAg

MB2's Draft will start in around a week, so make sure you register soon.

If you don't know the format yet, why not try out a battle on the Orre Colosseum ladder on https://dawn.psim.us/ ?

I look forward to meeting your team on the way to the top of Mt Battle!
 
#145
The Rise of SubTect
#381

The combination of Substitute and Protect has risen in popularity over the last few months. It has become a mainstay in the metagame and is frequently used on some of the most used mons in the metagame. But what makes this combination so good?

  1. Blocking Explosion

    Explosion halving the opponents defense as well as not having a power reduction for being a spread move (because of gen lll mechanics) makes it one of the most feared moves in Orre. Protect is an easy way to combat it, but it can be inconsistent due it only only having 50% chance of succeeding if you use it twice in a row. Substitute can be used to protect yourself from an explosion without risking a double protect.

  2. Punishing Protect

    Protect is one of the most common moves in Orre. It is one of the best way to safeguard your mons from explosion. The smaller movepool and absence of the feint in gen lll makes it difficult to punish protect. Substitute not only punishes protect, but it make it difficult for your opponent remove your mon if they decide to protect.

  3. Activating Pinch Berries

    Pinch berries have been a mainstay in Orre throughout the entire metagame's lifespan. Being able to boost your attack or speed is invaluable in a metagame with less ways to increase your attack or speed compared to future generations. Being able to decrease your HP low enough to activate them makes them more consistent and dangerous.


Common Abusers

Zapdos sprite from Ruby & Sapphire


Zapdos uses its typing not only to check Metagross, but as an oppertunity to set up substitutes. It also has spammable BoltBeam coverage which threatens most mons in Orre. Substitute makes it even more difficult to deal with because it get more opportunities to fire off its attacks. Salac berry with a modest nature is used to maximize its damage from the start and when it reaches below 1/4 or less, it able to outspeed the metagame at +1.

Zapdos @ Salac Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 204 HP / 252 SpA / 52 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Detect
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]

#381


Latios is one of the most dangerous special attackers in Orre. Having a high attack and speed stat as well as having a ground immunity makes it a prime abuser of substitute. It's STAB dragon and psychic attacks turn from already threatening to one of the scariest special attackers with a Petaya boost. Latios also has the option to go for BoltBeam coverage or drop psychic and run HP fire to hit Metagross. It also should be noted that HP fire drops your speed ivs by 1.

Latios (M) @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Protect
- Substitute
- Dragon Claw / Ice Beam
- Psychic / Thunderbolt / Hidden Power [Fire]


Other Abusers

Charizard sprite from Ruby & Sapphire


At the time of the post, Charizard is pretty new to the metagame. Nevertheless, it's an excellent abuser of substitute. It's able to sub down to 1/4 HP and get both a salac boost and a blaze boost to all of its fire moves. You also get the choice of dealing solid damage to the latis with Dclaw or remove Swampert with HP grass.

Charizard @ Salac Berry
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 140 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Substitute
- Flamethrower
- Dragon Claw / Hidden Power [Grass]
Gengar sprite from Ruby & Sapphire


This set hasn't been fully tested out, but it could hypothetically be useful on a team that needs Gengar's unique typing as well as subtect user. This set runs BoltBeam and intends to use its immunity to both ground and normal moves to setup a substitute.

Gengar @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 0 Atk
- Protect
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
 
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